. 28 . 
uhf t!hhmrhn\ 
Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
WHISPERING IN SCHOOL. 
KJ 
spoken in season it will prove salutary, and its 
good effects will be felt through life, and, pel-ad¬ 
venture, after this life shall have ended. 
A single “ golden-orhed thought ” is sufficient 
to move the great ocean of mind in either hemis¬ 
phere. The discoveries of Nbwton, Franklin 
and Mouse, will ever bo remembered, and the 
precepts of Washington will be observed, so 
long ns man chooses to be happy and free. A 
word may change the destinies of an empire by 
influencing the mind Of some nobio youth to 
105 
THE GOOD OLD WINTERS. may call mother, sister, and maid, for they 
~ will soon learn that, be as spry as they can, 
In 401 the black sea was entirely frozen over. a warm room and beautiful fire awaits thorn 
In 703 not only the Black Sea, but the Straits of fo both sitting-room and kitchen. IIow different 
Dardanelles, were frozen over; the snow in some this from the smoking, steaming, clogged attempt 
, accomplish something did Arnold desert the cause of freedom while ^ Bying tl) raovo a 8, ‘ c ^ ,1|< ‘ were burst, and the trees split by the action ol Hvers and bays, from the extreme north to Mexi¬ 
co tranquillity of some MaTUON - with his feeble band of compatriots, re- Movin « U lh « re8,8 , ta " c,! 1H ttnp«rcc*pl*ble; the frost with immense noise. In 1237 the Dan- ico> Ther0 are m , vm . ul spiles, but only one is 
akening unpleasant re- inaill( , d f irm and unshaken amid the storms that b,,fc M w « mcrGast ‘ the vul, : cl <* w,} H . ml the | lbo miS lryzon to lllR bottom, and remained long founfl in thjg oonn(ry . AmMet the roar of a cat- 
Ik there is one thing more than another which p recep t s of Washington will be observed, so 
is naturally inherent in a school, it is the practice i on g ns man chooses to be happy and free. A 
of whispering. It is peculiar to all, with slight „-nrd may change the destinies of an empire by 
differences of degree, a fact which, of itself, is influencing the mind Of some noble youth to 
sufficient to demonstrate that it is both perfectly t,- av ,.l i n the path of virtue, and to live for the 
natural, and essentially necessary. good of his age and nation, who otherwise might 
Whispering may or may not be an evil. Under become the scourge and ruin of society. Why 
proper restraints it may accomplish something jp; Arnold desert the cause of freedom while 
better than disturbing the tranquillity of some Marton, with his feeble band of compatriots, re- 
uervons teacher by awakening unpleasant re- ma ’ m od linn and unshaken amid the storms that, 
membranous of the hissing of serpents, or the darkened the horizon of his native laud, and 
sibilations of geese. Experience has proven at threatened to throw the pall of despotism over 
least two things relative to this subject, the first ^e country he was called to defend. The former, 
being that the tongue is an unruly member; the w b cn young, was permitted to have Ills own way, 
other, that it cannot, be subdued, By the unani- and allowed to play the. tyrant among his associ- 
mons testimony of teachers it Is confirmed that a q>s; be died in a foreign laud unbonored ami 
for t lie creation of noise the tongue bears the unwept! The latter was taught to obey when a 
palm in the school room, notwithstanding if. has youth, and for bis worthy deeds in the great 
been the subject of special legislation since cause of human freedom, he is now honored by 
schools began. Occasionally it has been awed every friend of liberty throughout the world; 
into reluctant submission by thii enunciation of and his name will 1)0 handed down to unborn 
menacing rules, t>r by the vigorous application generations as one of the benefactors of his race, 
of the ferule. But, when the teacher relaxes his The teachers of our common schools are the 
vigilauce, and thoughts come pressing on de- most influential class of citizens in the Republic, 
RIFLE BALLS vs. THE WIND. 
It is difficult for an inexperienced person to 
conceive of the effect of even a light wind upon 
so small an object as a rifle ball, when shot from 
the gun. The difficulty arises from the impossi¬ 
bility of tukiug in the ideaof such rapid (light, or 
lUUUWlvUJK uni mum wi cvuio mvjuw w - - , , . , 
travel in the path of virtue, and to live for the he res,stance produced by it, by comparison 
good of his age and nation, who otherwise might WIth ai £ tWo S " ithm the limits of our expen- 
We may attain a conception ot it, however, 
places arose titty feet high. In 822 the great riv¬ 
ers of Europe, the Danube, the Elbe, etc., were 
so hard frozen as to bear heavy •wagons fora 
month. In SfiO the Adriatic was frozen. In 991 
everything was frozen, the crops totally failed, 
and lauiine and pestilence closed the year. In 
1067 moRlof the travelers in Germuuy were fro¬ 
zen to death on the roads. In 1134 the l’o was 
frozen from Cremona to the sea; the wine sacks 
at a fire which induces the maid to turn over In 
bed and take another nap, waiting for the fire to 
burn, and which chills and half freezes the boy 
who is hovering over it. Uncle Peter. 
Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, 1863. 
-- 
THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 
The Kingfisher inhabits all our fresh water 
manding utterance, a quick ear is just at hand 
willing to give attendance. Who can resist the 
temptation to retaliate upon the master'! For 
his positive rules chafe (although in another 
for they are the instructors of I he millions of 
youth growing up among us who are destined to 
be to future arbiters of the nation, and her future 
prosperity depends upon the right education of 
place,) quite as certainly as would iron fetters, those who are rapidly advancing to the stage of 
A moment more, and a shrill , serpent-lUce hiss active life. The ten thousand teachers of the 
proceeds from a pair of as pretty cherry lips as Empire State are the directors of a million of 
mother Nature has moulded since the halcyon juvenile minds, that are now expanding under 
days of primal purity, when, according to ortho- the magic touch of their Instructors. 
. 1 . t...]j.iw,ru u>M*m>r?ue wax unknown. One or Tim nm nH.uit.v of our free institutions, denends 
dox teachers, whispering was unknown. One or 
two of the scholars simply overhear the innocent 
digression, and would proceed with their studies, 
but the monitor reports, and the teacher grasps 
the ferule, (for rules must not be broken how¬ 
ever unreasonable and uunatnral these rules 
The perpetuity of our free institutions, depends 
upon the virtue, intelligence and patriotism of 
the people, hence the Importance of inculcating 
the principles of freedom in the minds of the 
young, and teaching thqjn to understand the 
value of our system of government, so that when 
may be,) and business is suspended for half an they arrive at, maturity, they may be enabled to 
hour that the offender may be duly punished, appreciate the blessings of civil and religious 
So, all over the land, in a thousand schools, at liberty- that they may be inclined to discharge 
the same time, this conflict between arbitrary in private and public life, in an intelligent and 
rules and nature is continually being carried on. patriotic manner, the responsible dutiesof Aruer- 
the same time, this conflict between arbitrary i 
rules and nature is continually being carried on. 
An excess of whispering should be prevented 
in every school, for the evil consists entirely in 
the excess, and the prohibition should apply only 
to so much of It as is not, positively necessary. 
The manner in which this excess is to be pre¬ 
vented is the main question for every teacher to 
settle. Arbitrary rules, if not an absolute fail¬ 
ure. are only an apparent success. Punishment, 
however severe, must fail upon general applica¬ 
tion. The system of marking in accordance with 
the report of the scholar, is an Inducement to 
equivocate, which should not be presented to 
young persons. If there is any way to prevent 
an excess of whispering, it lies in commencing at 
the source. Should the water in the brook that 
goes sparkling and dancing by your door become 
infected with poisonous matter, nothing could be 
more unwise than to attempt to obviate the diffi¬ 
culty by -constructing « dam across it. The wiser 
course would be to proceed at once to the fiuin- 
tain, and pull out the poisonous serpent which, 
even in death, proves himself capable of some¬ 
thing worse than hissing. And yet, for centuries, 
orthodox teachers have been trying to dam up a 
natural impulse, instead of endeavoring to purify 
it. Should a stream become diverted from its 
proper channel, if. instead of driving down posts 
and throwing in obstructions to stop it entirely, 
the energies were directed to turn it into its 
natural and proper course, much more might be 
accomplished. 
So with training the mind. If Ike teacher, in¬ 
stead of directing his energies immediately to 
combat that which is bad by attempting to sup¬ 
press it entirely, should apply himself to the 
inculcation of that which is good, by instilling 
pure and noble thoughts into the mind: he need 
have no fear of failure, for reason suggests that, 
from its very nature, a mind properly taught 
would soon forget rusty jack-knives and old 
sleds, and readily apply itself to the pursuit of 
that which is more beautiful. 
Let the teacher, instead of wilting rules and 
using the ferule, present tib-ns for the contempla¬ 
tion of the scholar. Divest yourself of the 
austerity of master, and become an interested 
friend, and tbe hissing rogues will soon be trans¬ 
formed into attentive and studious children. 
Rockford, 111., 1S63. James F. Ci.inton. 
Written for Moore Rural’s New-Yorker. 
THE TEACHER’S INFLUENCE. 
— 
Drop a pebble into the ocean and, “in the 
language of philosophy.” it displaces every par¬ 
ticle of matter in the watery element; for two 
bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same 
time. The yielding fluid retires to give place to 
any substance of greater specific gravity than it¬ 
self; every atom, although infinitely small, pos¬ 
sesses length, breadth, and thickness, and when 
moved from its place, must of necessity transmit 
an influence to contiguous particles, aud they, in 
their turn, to others, until the whole mass of 
water in Neptune’s vast domain is moved by its 
power. 
IIow many have amused themselves by the 
side of some silvery stream, or placid lake, by 
casting stones over its banks and watching with 
motions of pleasure, the lines of beauty formed 
;J on its liquid bosom, unconscious that they were 
H thus moving the entire stream, or lake, and 
changing the relative position of its waters. 
<1 Drop an idea carelessly in the school-room, filled 
A with scholars, and it will find its way to the in- 
7 most recesses of some minds, crowding aside 
in other thoughts until it secures a lodgment in the 
jV depths of the soul; while the effects of this men- 
tal image is lasting, either for good or evil. Who 
IfS can duly appreciate the importance of a word 
ican citizens. 
Mt. Morris, N. Y., 1863. 
Ament. 
addressed to the tender mind of youth ? If 22,577 pupils. 
FAULT-FINDING AT RECITATIONS. 
The child should be taught to manifest a due 
degree of independence in recitation. There are, 
however, two extremes here, aud chiefly attribu¬ 
table to the practice of the teacher. We shall 
endeavor to guard him against both. The one is 
a blind adherence to books and customs, and a 
cowardly or indolent dependence, which forbids 
every attempt to think for ones self; the other is 
an egotistic assurance, or self-conceited effront¬ 
ery, that, sets aside all books and definitions. 
It is a disposition and a habit some teachers 
foil into, of finding fault with authors and every 
body else whose opinions do not agree with their 
own. They seem to think it a mark of wisdom 
to quarrel with definitions and rules. They build 
up their reputation with the bones of their de¬ 
molished (?) adversaries, and often build upon 
their follies and weaknesses. They live hy plun¬ 
der. They are wiseacres. They are continually 
making discoveries that others have made long 
before them, but which their better judgment led 
them (o see were no discoveries. They can see 
bat one side of an argument, and that is their 
side, and unfortunately if is too frequently the 
wrong side. Snob, for example, are those who 
must live by excitement, always straining to 
makethe world believe that every thing has been 
going wrong until they happened to be born. 
They do not spend their time and energies so 
much in teaching the sciences as in finding fault 
with them; and hence weaken the confidence of 
the scholar that needs strengthening, unbend the 
energies that need stimulating, and unsettle and 
distract the purposes and knowledge that may 
have been half-formed. 
The other extreme is scarcely less detrimental 
to true progress, but not so dangerous. The one 
is absolute destruction; the other is simply a 
barrier. While the first cuts loose from all moor¬ 
ing, carries no anchor, and ignores all faith save 
what its own dogmatism invents; the other re¬ 
mains bound fast to the ancient customs, and 
dares not believe and practice any thing that 
does not conform to the creed. The one is rapid 
radicalism; the other, rank conservatism. The 
one is meteoric, or gaseous; the other is fossili- 
ferous. Both are destructive to healthy growth 
of mind. 
The effects of either of these extremes upon 
the pupil can easily be imagined. They become 
either pedantic, self-conceited, and opinionated, 
or obsequious, stupid and parasitical. But there 
is a happy mean between the two extremes; and 
that the teacher should endeavor to follow. 
While I would not recommend a blind subserv¬ 
iency to the old usages, and to texts and defini¬ 
tions as laid down by authors; yet I would say 
agree with authors just as far as possible, lest 
your distrust and skepticism lead those who have 
less judgment too far from a settled belief, and 
lest you distract the interest and attention so 
necessary to progress .—Science of Education and 
Art of Teaching. 
The Public Scuools of Illinois. — The 
whole number of public schools in Illinois is 
9,811, which last year were attended by 516,037 
scholars. The total amount paid for teachers' 
salaries was $1,315,686. and the entire sum paid 
for school purposes wax $2,008,312. Five hun¬ 
dred new schools were established during the 
last year, in which 40,000 scholars were aCOiumo- 
dated. The permanent school fund of the State 
at this time amounts to $4,973,842. There are 
also in the State 720 private schools, attended by 
culty to Increase very rapidly, and if we try to 
strike a quick blow throngh the water, wo find 
the resistance so enormous that the effect is al¬ 
most, paralyzed. Mathematically, the resistance 
increases in the ratio of tho square of the veloc¬ 
ity; and although the air is of course more easily 
displaced than water, the same rule applies to it, 
ami the flight of a ball is so inconceivably rapid 
that the resistance becomes {mormons. The ave¬ 
rage initial velocity of a cannon or rifle ball is 
sixteen hundred feet ill a second, and a 12-poimd 
round shot, moving at this rate, encounters an air 
mospherie resistance of nearly two hundred 
pounds, or move than sixteen times its own 
weight. Perhaps a clearer idea may he attained 
by the statement of the fact, that, were it possible 
to remove Ibis resistance, or, in other words, to 
fire a ball into a vacuum, it would tly ten miles 
in a second— the same time it now requires to 
move sixteen hundred feet. Bearing in mind 
this enormous resistance, it will be more readily 
apparent that even a slight, motion of (be element 
through which the hall is struggling must influ¬ 
ence its course. For this reason it is that the best 
lime to shoot, as a general rule, is iu the morn¬ 
ing or evening, when the air is most apt to be 
perfectly calm. It will often be found, after mak¬ 
ing very satisfactory shots at sunrise, that by ten 
o’clock, even, on what would bo called a calm 
day, it is impossible to attain to any thing like 
the accuracy with which the day's work was be¬ 
gun; and, owing to the irregular motion of the 
air, the difficulty can not be overcome, except to 
a limited degree, by making allowance for it. 
It is well, however, to practice in all possible 
conditions of weather, and not to be discouraged 
al finding unaccountable variations at different 
times in the flight of balls. A tew weeks' expe¬ 
rience will at least enable the learner to judge of 
the veracity of a class of stories one often hears 
of the feats of backwoodsmen. It is not long 
since we were gravely assured by a quondam 
traveling acquaintance, who no doubt believed it 
himself, that there were plenty of men in the 
South who could shave off either ear of a squirrel 
With a rifle ball at one hundred yards, without 
doing him further injury. A short experience of 
target shooting will suffice to dem.iTistrate the 
absurdity of all the wonderful stories of this class 
which are often aud often insisted On with all the 
bigotry of Ignorance. A somewhat extended 
acquaintance with backwoodsmen has served 
only to convince us, that, while a practical 
familiarity with the rifle is more general with 
them than with us, a scientific knowledge of ils 
principles is rare, and the best target shooting 
we have ever seen was in New England.— 
Atlantic Monthly. 
THE ENGLISH PEERAGE. 
The House of Peers at present consists of 1 
Prince, 2 Royal Dukes, 3 Archbishops, 25 Dukes, 
30 Marquises, 361 Earls, 2D Viscounts, 27 Bish¬ 
ops, and 15‘J Barons, making a total of 436 mem¬ 
bers, as the present Bishop of Bath and Wells 
sits in the nouse also as Baron Auckland. In 
addition there are 19 Peers who are minors, and 
await their coming of age to take their seats in 
the House. The peers of Parliament number 
114, of whom 5 are minors. There are 14 Peer¬ 
esses in their own right The members of the 
Privy Council in England and Lei and are 220. 
There are 852 Baronets, 479 Civil or Military 
knights, and 114 noblemen and Baronets, who are 
also knights of the various Orders of Kniglitliood. 
There arc 735 Companions of the Order of the 
Bath, 7 Field Marshals in 1 lie army, 606 Generals, 
380 Generals ill the Indian Army, 326 Admirals 
and 157 Queen’s Counsels and Sergeants at law. 
Of Norman William’s twenty earldoms not 
one exists; and in like manner have passed away 
the creations of William Rufus, Henry the First, 
Stephen, Henry the Second, Richard the First, 
and John. Norfolk and Somerset, and perhaps 
Cornwall (enjoyed by the Prince of Wales,) are 
the only extant English dukedoms created from 
the first institution of the order down to the com¬ 
mencement. of Charles the Second’s reign; ami 
for about half a century, Norfolk and Somerset 
having been attained In the reign of Elizabeth, 
the ducal order was extinct, until James the First 
revived it in the person of George Villiers, Duke 
of Buckingham, There is no existing English 
marquisato older than the reign of George the 
Third, Winchester and Worcester except^, of 
which two the latter is merged in the dukedom of 
Beaufort. The Hcnrys and Edwards were fre¬ 
quent beetowors of the earl's-coronet; but, of all 
tbe Norman, Plantagenet, and Tudor earldoms, 
eleven only remain, of which six are merged in 
higher titles, whilst live (Shrewsbury, Derby, 
Huntingdon, Pembroke and Devon) still give 
designation to their possessors. 
-- 
In proportion as man’s intelligence increases is 
his labor more valuable. A small compensation 
is the reward of mere physical power, while skill, 
combined with a moderate amount of strength, 
commands high wages. The labor of an igno¬ 
rant man is scarcely more valuable than the same 
amount of brute force; but the services of uri in¬ 
telligent, skillful person are a hundred-fold more 
productive.— Prof. May hew. 
in that state. In 1317 the crops wholly failed in 
Germany; wheat, which some years before sold 
iu England at 6s. the quarter, rose to £2. In ( 
1308 I lie crops failed in Scotland, aud such afam- j 
ine ensued that the poor were reduced to feed ou 
grass, aud many perished miserably in the fields. 
The successive w inter! of 1422-3 4 were uncom¬ 
monly severe. In 1308 the wine distributed to 
the soldiers was cut with hatchets. In 1683 it 
was excessively cold. Most of the hollies were 
killed. Coaches drove along the Thames, the ice 
of which was eleven inches thick. In 1709 oc¬ 
curred the cold winter; the frost penetrated the 
earth three yards into the ground. In 1716 booths 
were erected on the Thames. In 1744 aud 1715 
the strongest ale iu England, exposed to the air, 
was covered in Jess than fifteen minutes with ice 
an eighth of an inch thick. In 1809, and again 
in 1812, the winters were remarkably cold. In 
1814 there was a fair on the frozen Thames.— 
Selected. 
- ■■■ ■ - - ♦ > ♦ 
BRAZILIAN FORESTS. 
When we look at the beautiful rosewoods, I 
think we have hardly begun to see the specimens 
of the Brazilian forests. Ere long the railroads 
iuto tbe interior, which have been chartered, will 
bring to the seaeoast, those giants of the forest. 1 
have been surprised, again and again, in looking 
at those beautiful trees, which are of the “sensi¬ 
tive plant” character. When the sun goes down, 
they fold their leaves and to slumber, and are not, 
aroused until by the morning sun and singing 
birds. I observed in seine portions of the interior 
that rosewood was used for very common pur¬ 
poses. In Christian ox-carta the spokes would be 
made of rosewood. And I use the term Christian 
ox-carts in distinction from Roman ox-carts, where 
the axle and wheel turn together. Rosewood is 
used iu carts made like our own. The tooth of 
cogwheels are often made of it. A gentleman 
showed mo in his sugar house a beam nearly forty 
feet in length, and three or four in diameter, 
which he told me was a violet-colored rosewood, 
llo look mo then to his pig pen, and—would you 
believe it ladies 1 .' his pig pen was mado out of 
rosewood 1 I would not have you understand that 
it looked like the legs of a piano forte. Nothing 
of the kind; for when left rough and exposed to 
the weather, it becomes as plebeian iu its appear¬ 
ance as our own aristocrat, the black walnut of' 
the Mississippi. When 1 returned, 1 brought 
with me a box of mosaic, made up of perhaps 
a hundred pieces of Brazilian wood, from 
the purest white to ebony black.—J. C. Fletcher. 
' — - ♦ ♦-*• ■ ■ — 
The Origin ok Familiar Ehrahrh.— The 
term dmasterly inactivity” originated with Sir 
James Mackintosh. “God tempers the wind to 
the shorn lamb,” which everybody, who did uot 
suppose it, was In the Bible, credited to Sterne, 
was stolen by hint from George Herbert, who 
translated it from the French of Henry Estienne. 
“The cup that cheers but not inebriates,” was 
conveyed by Cowper from Bishop Berkley, in his 
“Kiris.” Wordsworth’s “The child is father to 
the man,” is traced from him to Milton, and from 
Miton to Sir Thomas More. “ Like angel’s visits 
—few aud far between,” is the offspring of Hook; 
it is not Thomas Campbell’s original thought. 
Old John Norris (1659) originated it, and after 
him, Robert Blair, as late as 1746. “There’s a 
gude time coming,” is Scott’s phrase in “Rob 
Roy,” and the “almighty dollar” is Washington 
Irving’s happy thought. 
uvaot, over the foiun of the torrent, or by the 
smooth gliding stream lie has boon seen by most 
of our young readers perched upon an overhang¬ 
ing bough, turning Ids piercing eye down into 
the waters for a sight of his scaly prey, which, 
when observed, with a sudden, circular plunge, 
he sweeps from their native element and swal¬ 
lows in an instant. 
Wj 
. \\rv 
.I V. a 
Written for Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
HOW THE BOYS SHOULD MAKE FIRES. 
The voice of the Kngfisher is loud, harsh, and 
his cry is sudden and sometimes startling, but 
not unpleasant when heard with the sounds of 
rushing waters. He may often be seen skimming 
over the surface of the water, and sometimes ap¬ 
parently suspended and motionless for a moment, 
ready to pouuee upon, his prey. For many an 
hour have we watched these curious and indus¬ 
trious birds. They build their nests in the high 
l iver banks, first digging holes with their bills, 
sometimes four or more feet, horizontally. In 
size they are about, twelve iuches long, of a blu¬ 
ish slate color, and around the neck is a collar of 
pure white; the head is large and crested; the 
feathers are loug and 'generally erect; the breast 
is blue apd brown, the under parts white. 
BOY ENTERPRISE. 
Boys of energy and enterprise are the boys 
who become men of prominence and wealth in 
these progressive times. If American boys 
would learn the art of taking care of themselves, 
they must acquire the “ knack” of “ earning their 
own bread and butter;” of being on the look out 
for every “ smart chance that may turn up,” if 
they would be honored men. 
When a servant of a friend answered the door 
bell one day last week, she found a little boy, 
with a shovel on his shoulder, on the steps. 
“ f want to put in your coal,” said the boy. 
“ We haven’t got any,” said the girl. 
“ But it is coming,” returned the boy. 
The servant was puzzled, and summoned her 
mistress, who no sooner appeared than the boy 
accosted her: 
“ If you please, Madam, there is a load of coal 
coming to your house. Your husband ordered 
it this morning. I got the number and came 
ahead of the cart to get the job of putting it in, if 
you please.” 
Of course, Madam could not refuse so enter¬ 
prising a youth, and the job was given to him. 
In a few minutes, sure enough, the coal was 
“dumped” at the door, and the little “heaver” 
was busily at work. Before he was through eight 
boys came to apply for the same job. 
A fair representative of Young America, was 
that boy. He may be a millionaire, or he may 
be a congressman, or a cabinet officer, or, per¬ 
chance, a candidate for tho Presidency. 
Among the readers of the Rural there are 
doubtless many lads whose business it is to make 
tires in the morning. It is said that boys, as well 
as men and women, always love to do what they 
can do well. I propose therefore to give some 
directions whereby the important business of mak¬ 
ing a fire iu the morning can always be well 
done. First, if you have a wood-house—if not 
extemporize a small shelter for the purpose— 
constantly keep on hand, piled crixx-cross, say a 
quarter or half a cord of wood split extra fine. 
As this pile diminishes, at leisure times com¬ 
mence another, bo that an armful of extra fine 
and dry wood is always ready. Second, provide 
A Fatal Habit. —The habit referred to is not 
vicious iu itself, but it leads to vice, creeping up¬ 
on its victim with a fatal facility, the penalty of 
which many a fine heart has paid at the scaffold. 
It is the habit of irresolution. The idler, tho 
spendthrift, tho epicurean, and the drunkard arc 
among its victims. Perhaps in tho latter Its ef¬ 
fects appear in tho most hideous form. 11 a knows, 
Ibr the example of thousands lias painted it in 
gluringcolors, tlml it will deaden all his faculties, 
take the strength from his limbs and the happi¬ 
ness from his heart, oppress him with disease, and 
hurry his progress to a dishonored grave, yet he 
a smuli basket alwuyB kept filled with splinters drains it. Hu\r beautiful, on the contrary, is the 
and small fragments of dry wood, which your 
mother will allow you to hang up to the kitchen 
celling, where its contents will always keep in 
excellent order. 
Now you are ready for action on this wise:— 
First, clear tho stove of ashes except about one 
inch in depth which should always be left—then 
place your coals, oi shavings, as the ease may be, 
at tho mouth of the draft, on them scatter a hand¬ 
ful from the basket, next a few sticks of the extra 
fine, filling up with the ordinary wood. Now ad¬ 
just the draft, and you will have a fire, snapping, 
crackling, blazing and springing, as it were, into 
instant existence, which will be a delight to you 
three hundred and sixty-five times In the year. , 
Before you commence building the fire you ' 
power of resolution, enabling the one who pos¬ 
sesses it to pass through perils and dangers, trials 
and temptations. Avoid then the contraction of 
the habit ol irresolution. Strive against it to the 
otid. 
He who cannot bear to be alone because ho 
soon gets weary of himself, should know that 
others will probably get weary of him still 
sooner, 
A n a n feels relieved and gay, when ho has put 
his heart into his work and done his best; but 
what ho has done or said otherwise, shall give 
him no peace. 
Though death is before the old man’s face, he 
may be as near the young man's back. 
