THE SURAL HEW-YORKfR. 
^tailing for tjjr goitng. 
BABY HAS GDNE TO SCHOOL/ 
The baby has cone to school; ah jne ? 
What will ihe mother do. 
With never a call to buttou or pin. 
Or tie a little shoe ? 
How can Bhe keep herself busy all day. 
With the little “hindering thing" away? 
Another basket to fill with lunch. 
Another “ good-by" to ray. 
And the mother stands at the door to i e 
Her baby march away, 
And turns with u sigh that Is half relief. 
And half a something akin to grief. 
She thinks of a passib’e future morn, 
When the children, one by one. 
Will go from tb.-ir borne out into the world, 
To battle with lift) alone; 
And not even the baby be left to cheer 
The desolate home of that luture year. 
Bhe picks up garments here and there, 
Thrown down in careless haste; 
And trieB to think how it would seem 
If nothing were displaced ; 
If the nouse were always as still ns this ? 
How coaid she bear the loneliness ? 
fAT. O. Ploayv.ru. 
-«-•*•» -- 
OUR SCHOOLS. 
The notable exhibit of Belgian school methods 
and equipments at the Centennial has had good 
effects in many of oar States, It set us good ex¬ 
amples In Ingenuity of device as well as lu thor¬ 
oughness and exactitude of completion. Tney 
have contrived ways of grounding learners In the 
necessary fundamental mu or using letters, 
words, Ogures and maps, bo early and so well as 
to save some time, even in the commonest schools, 
to impart something of the principles of science, 
and the processes of useful arts, and to Imbue the 
mlud with a desire to learn more. This last ef- 
leot, although merely an Inclination, almost as¬ 
sures a usetul and therefore happy life. Who can 
ineasuro tho difference in the prospects of two 
youths, one ot whom has acquired a love for 
knowledge, and has found the way to gain It, 
while the other has acquired a distaste or even a 
disgust against, mental ana moral culture, and 
therefore goes to meaner and debasing sources 
ror subjects of thought and excitement. 
In the schools of the country town (Tyrone, 
Pa,) from which I write, there has been gradual¬ 
ly brought about a enungo la the school course, 
which seems to be worth telLog ot in a paper like 
the Rural, which seems so acceptable to parents 
aud teachers all over the land. 
Some years ago—before tue Centennial—the 
first step la a great change was taken by the ap¬ 
pointment of me ablest teacher—me principal or 
Urn eight large schools or grades—to teach the 
little ones J ast entering sc ttool,—the six-year-olds. 
He entered upon tuts iiumole work not only with 
readiness, but with real zest, ana developed 
methods which hts successors have continued and 
Improved upon; so that the Infant school has 
become the pride of the place. 
The little ones are not troubled with spelling 
before reading. They learn words and phrases 
that are familiar to tuern, and In whicu there are 
no silent letters. They utter the sounds in a 
word, and that Is thflr rational guide to its pro¬ 
nunciation. They learn, as if by intuition, or by 
maglo, and their reading has a umuraiuess or 
tone that is delightful, and in entire contrast 
with the stilted, drawling, falsetto tones that are 
too commonly heard where the learner la driven 
over the stumblhig blocks and pitfalls of spelling 
by tho letter names. Every step aeeina to enable 
the learner to make the next step longer. They 
advance with accelerating speed, lu geometrical 
ratio. They feel their own progress, and are In¬ 
spirited by it. No weather prevents their at¬ 
tendance. They are an earnest, aspiring, happy 
flock, and ihey do not loso this Initial impulse. 
They do much more than read. They copy the 
lesson on their slates, and they copy and sum up 
columns of figures, and do It well. They slug- 
march—drill — learn the clock-face, and many 
other things. A visitor deelur .s that they were 
learning grammar I the teacher was correcting 
some one'a error ot speech, and rhetoric! (because 
they made a slight stop—a rhetorical pause—be¬ 
tween the suoj/et and predicate, as indicated on 
the chart by a distinguishable interspace), in 
three months a class will be not only through the 
Primer, but. half-way Through tne First Reader; 
when they go into the next grade. There they 
begin to spell, with the pencil words that 
are placed before them on tho board lu hotno- 
grapblo Bound-signs, a method which seems to 
relieve spelling of its dullness as well as of Its 
Ineffectiveness. They begin to draw' too, and 
these procedures, as well as the science-talks In 
the rooms above, are cither derived from Belgian 
example, or In consonance with It. 
Time Is s ived tu teachers as well ns to the 
Siholars. The Principal has an hour after he 
dismisses the little beginners to give to classes 
frurn tue High School, or to lectures Lhero, or to 
talks lu the Intermediate rooms. These are ou 
Instructive subjects and nearly always Illus¬ 
trated by objects, specimen- or npp trams. This 
is most acceptable, nourishing ami stimulating 
food for inquiring young minds. The tone of the 
schools, and the processes followed, relieve the 
teachers of much worry and trouble, and they, 
under tho stimulus or these talks, glvj much 
mere oral instruction and use more practical 
illustration than formerly. 
Writing with pen ana ink Ib deferred until the 
fifth grade Is readied; —ages mostly 10 to 12. By 
that time the 0 tigers get some firmness, and have 
good couirol of tnc pencil In Hues and directions 
and lengths of all sons; and tho management of 
the two-nibbed pen and the black fiuld of the Ink¬ 
well Is then soon aoaulred. A Handsome style 
of writing Is soon taught when made a specialty 
at that age, and Is not then likely to degenerate. 
* w. 
— - - 
A NEW DEPARTURE. 
Boston school authorities have quite revolu¬ 
tionized the old system of teaching m the public 
schools, as the following description from the 
Traveller indicates: 
To show what a departure It Is from the beaten 
pathsof the past, we present the main features 
of t his new course of studies. Iu the primary 
schools the Instruction Is to bo almost entirely 
oral. Scholars arc to learn Irom ot>J cts, and 
from tbe teacher, instead of from the book. Oral 
lessons will be given upon pictures, plants, ani¬ 
mals or whatever tho Ingenuity of the teacher 
may suggest, or order to accustom the scholars 
to express what they know lu words. This exer¬ 
cise will be called ' Language.’' Other oral In¬ 
struction will be given upon form, color, meas¬ 
ures, animals grouped by habit*, traits or struc¬ 
ture, vegetables, minerals, the human body and 
hygiene. Fables, anecdotes and simple poetry 
v, ill receive proper attention. The metric system 
will be taugbt from the metric nppar tus. Here¬ 
tofore muon time has been given to spelling and 
many hours spent over tue prim try speller; that 
book 13 to be entirely discarded, and "some easy, 
common words from tbe reading lessons” substi¬ 
tuted lu its place. Two new studies arc intro¬ 
duced called ‘ Recreation " and " Miscellaneous,” 
to which an hour and a half a week is to be given. 
Whether this means work or play, teachers and 
scholars are yet to learn. 
In the grammar grade, some equally Important 
changes are indicated. Grammar Is abolished, at 
least In name. How the eyes of the boys will glls- 
teu when they learn this fact I •• Language ” takes 
thepiace of grammar, which means lesB ot tech¬ 
nical grammar, such as parsing, etc., and more 
attention given to composition, structure of sen¬ 
tences, use of capitals, lei ter-w riling and anal¬ 
ysis. spelling Ls to be from the reader and other 
text-books. The amount or writing in copy-books 
ls reduc ’d more than ono-huir, and more writing 
In blar k-book 3 and lu other exercises required. 
The great am Hint, of time previously devoted to 
geography Is reduced and natural philosophy and 
physiology are to be taken up in tbe third Class. 
Music and drawing receive the same attention 
as during previous years The most Important 
change here, as lu the primary grade, is in rerer- 
enco to oral lustrum Ion. It Is not to be, as in the 
old programme, merely men! ioued aud rarely at¬ 
tended to by the teachers for want or time, but a 
speemed amount, or time per week ls to be allot¬ 
ted to it as won as to amumeilc or reading, in 
the two lowest Classes the instruction will bo al¬ 
most entirely oral. J n tho fourth class It will be 
largely so. and in the other classes rrom one to 
two hours per week will be given to this exorcise. 
In t he lower classes the subjects for oral Instruc¬ 
tion will bo natural history, plants from May 
to November, animals from November to May, 
trades, occup ailuns, com non phenomena, stories, 
anecdotes, mythology, metals and minerals. Iu 
the upper classes, physiology, lire In the middle 
ages, biographical and historical sketches, and 
experiments in physics. Every study has Its 
specified time assigned to it. 
LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
Cesllght by Day. 
For a long time l hare thought I would enlist 
In the army ot Rural Cousins, but from some 
cause, I n vo failed to do so, the cause most 
probably being that l did not possess the courage 
to stand the cross-fire from the batteries that 
support me Cousins’ brigade. A few months ago 
they seemed u. have their guns lu such excellent 
condit ion, and bandied them with such skill and 
precision, that raw recruits were compelled to 
succumb under the murderous lire; but now 
since the slgus of peace are good, 1 win offer my¬ 
self to the recruiting om er, und lfl am admit¬ 
ted, we may become acquainted, providing peace 
and good-will prevail. 
I nave loDg been Interested In the Cousins' col¬ 
umns, and am delighted when l find t at. page full 
of tho sayings and doings of the little Rural bri¬ 
gade. Ihalliromihcbanksoft.heOhlo. 1 slug of tne 
miniature city of Liverpool, situated, on the banks 
of that river. The thing that appears strange, or 
unaccountable to a person entering the place* for 
tha first lime. Is tue street lamps, nil burning 
brightly through the entire day. Because of such 
a sight, a person la almost ltd to believe, that day 
came on so suddenly, that no time was had to 
put tho lights out; but on inquiry, we Und that 
the place Is UgUlea by gas lurnlsbed by a well or 
wel's In Lho heart of thr city, which supply enough 
gas to light a city of many thousand inhabitants. 
The reason tile lamps arc burnlug at all Limes la 
that it coats less to let them burn than lo em¬ 
ploy a man io extinguish me light. 
Many buildings are not only lighted, but are 
also heated by gas. Many ramifies use it In cook¬ 
ing as well as heating thclr houses. Most of the 
private houses arc lilummucd with it; no one 
doubts that the city will be healed as well as 
Illuminated by gas before another year rolls 
around. 
It ls claimed lo be less expensive than coal or 
wood; no ashes; no dust Jlylng around; no stlr- 
lng and poking at tires; no carrying ol wood and 
coal; just turn on tbe gas and light, and your the 
ls made. You can keep your loom the an mo tem¬ 
perature at alt times, go away from home a week, 
and when you come back your house is still t he 
same. You e-ipnot possibly be buLliored about 
getting up to stir the fire lu the morning 1 
1 might write more concerning the use of the 
gas, but 1 don’t wish to crowd any out, and, be¬ 
sides, uur examining Burgeon may report me 
unfit for duty, uod 1 should be bowed out berore 
1 had time to Introduce myself as your Cousin. 
AJstXIX, 
From Heliotrope. 
Dear Uncle Truk:—S eelDg how cheerfully the 
new cousins are welcomed, I thought I might be 
allowed to claim relationship too. I am a dear 
lover of "The Rural ’ and always enjoy reading 
from tho Cousins, and having never seen any 
from Delaware 1 thought 1 would try and repre¬ 
sent our little state. if it is small It ls of some 
Importance, for what would you do without our 
delicious peaches and other fruits ? How many of 
the Coiifitns like the country better than the city? 
for I rind bo many boys and girls living in the 
country that positively dislike it. I love tbe 
oountry and would bo miserable If I had to live In 
the city all the t ime. There are so many things 
to lnteif.it one on a farm. What has become or 
our Swiss CouMuV His letters were Instructive 
as well as entertaining. I hope the girls have 
not frightened all the boys away, for they are 
real nice animals when they dou r t tease. 
heliotrope. 
His First Written Letter. 
Dear Uncle True:— l am but a little boy, 
eight years old, but I am going to try to write you 
a letter. I have printed a few. i go to school 
aud study reading, spelling, writing, geography 
and arithmetic. 1 have two brothers older than 
myself; one of them you know by tho name of 
Young Teetotaler. I have been fixing aome au¬ 
tumn leaves for mamma ; and I sign myseir yours, 
Coxsackle, N. Y. Jay Bird. 
GRAMMATICAL ENIGMA. 
I Ail composed of 63 letters: 
My l, l, it a possessive neuter pronoun that did 
not exist In English until about 250 years 
ago. 
My 2 , ic, Cl & co-ordinate conjunction. 
Mys, 13, 62, 36, s, in, 15, 6 not immediately de¬ 
pendent on the other parts of the sentence 
in government. 
My 18, 41, «, 4, it a noun used only In the plural. 
My 12, ii, 02 an Independent adverb. 
My 22 , 28 , 61, 0,14,10, 32, 23, 44 harmony or corre¬ 
spondence of cue word with another In gen¬ 
der, person, number or case. 
My 20,4S a verb often used Incorrectly as a sub¬ 
stitute for other verbs. 
Most 26 ,42, 17, 89, 61 , 80, 56, 40, 27, 63, 29, 53, 62 have 
no plural. 
My 49, 83, 31, 36, 61. 43, 17 are pluraUzed by ad¬ 
ding “s." 
My 25, 46. 24 a transitive verb. 
My 38, or, 6i should not be used before “ that,” or 
instead of It. 
My 17, 44, 22 , 60, 43 may be predicated of the sub¬ 
ject. 
My 47, 45, 68 . 68, 37, 50, 89 what qualifying adject¬ 
ives express. 
My 69, 61,12,14, is, 21 a numeral adjective. 
My whole ls a quotation from Locke. 
zsr Answer In two weeks. Roscoe Bailey. 
ACROSTIC. 
l. A crowd of persons. 9. To eject with foroe. 
8. A spring flower. 4. Apart from. 6. A naUve 
of New England. 6. Part of a sewing machine. 
7. a shout of joy. 8. The Lord's supprr. 9 . a 
finger-JMnt. 10. According to the Holy Gospel, 
ll. The cry ot agony In a dog. 12. A prayer. 13. 
To render easy, 14. A ditch. 10. Eastern lands. 
16. Greedy of gain. 1 7. Correct In doctrine, is. 
A paltry wretch. 19 A sort of snuff. 20. Left to 
choice. 21. The trachea. Initials form a subject 
for a school composition set by my teacher. 
nr Answer in two weeks. Little one. 
DIAMOND PUZZLE. 
l. A consonant. 2 . View. 9. The universal 
name for an Irish peasant. 4. Fathers and moth¬ 
ers. 5. A vest. «. ShlDlng with vivid brightness. 
7. A 3ea. 8. Act of breathing. 9. Too much talk. 
10. A farmer’s place lor grain. 11. Each one. 
12. A cape of Spain. 13. A consonant. Oentrals 
form a sea. 
nr Answer In two weeks. Floridian. 
TRIPLE ACROSTIC. 
1. Tue w hole money won at a race. 2 . Manu¬ 
facture. 8. A river of Europe. 4. A lady’s name. 
6. To divide member from member. 
nr Answer lu two weeks. Balto. 
■ >»» ■ 
WORD-SQUARE ENIGMA. 
l. acid. 2. 011 see you. 8. You see, I see. 4 . 
Ah, you see 11 
i3r Answer in two weeks. Mermaid. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-Nov. 16. 
RCODLX.— A Shadow, 
Fractional Puuzlk.—B utiouwood. 
Charade.—H ead man. 
Double Acrostic. - Initials, Madison ; finals. 
Trenton. 
11LA NSPOSITTON 
How the wild wind whistles through yon mapla tree. 
And dry leave* are falling, fa)Un«: 
Ana the uhtlit bird bitting alone on the lea. 
To his mate is calling, vailing. 
CROSS PCZZLE- 
TESTY 
SOCKS 
TWANG 
SHRINKAGE 
• RADDOC K 8 
TWINS 
TUNIC 
TWAIN 
S A V A N 
TWINE 
9 l AHA 
abbatt; Rafting 
♦ 
THE ALTERED MOTTO. 
Oh ! t' e bitter shame and sorrow, 
That, a tlme could ever be, 
When I let tbe Saviour’s t lty 
Plead In vain, and proudly answered : 
“ All of self, and none of thee." 
Yet He found me: I beheld nim 
Bleeding on the accursed tree, 
Heard Him pray, “ Forgive them, Father 1* 
And my wistful heart said faintly: 
“ Some of self, and some of thee." 
Day by day His tender mercy, 
HealiuK. helping, foil and free. 
Sweet and strong, and ah! so patient 1 
Brought me lower, while I whispered : 
"Lese of self, aud more of thee." 
Higher than the highest heavens. 
Deeper than the deepest sea. 
Lord, thy love at last hath conquered; 
Orant me now iny soul's desire; 
None of self, and aU of thee. 
(TTi. Uonoi. 
-» » ♦ 
THE PROGRESS OF RELIGIOUS IDEAS 
THROUGH SUCCESSIVE AGES.* 
A knowledge of when, where or how the re¬ 
ligious element of man’s nature may have been 
brought Into action, la hidden In the mist of re- 
Imoteages. ll must have been long before the 
Racred boolc8 of the ITIndoos were composed, and 
t hat was so long ago that; no tradition even exists 
Dr any people t hat used the language Id which 
they were written. Since that time, wherever 
civilization has had an existence, tiH.bougn but a 
Rfep removed rrom barbarism, religion has been 
her hand-maiden. 
The volumes before us give a history, written in 
a plain, simple style, or the religions and beliefs 
pf different, leading nations, relative to the Crea¬ 
tor. Individual duty, and Immortality, from tbe 
earliest Hindoos to tne establishment or the 
Catholic Ctiurcb. it is not. a theological work— 
[ he difference between reUglon and theology Is 
nade as wide as possible. Neither ls It a contro¬ 
versial book—no belief is commended and none 
cmdemned. The author seems to bold with 
Lowell, whose lines she quotes on her title-page: 
" God rends his tenchers unto every nge. 
To every clime, and every race of men, 
With revelations Hated to their growth 
And shape of mind ; nor wives the realm of truth 
Into the selfish rule of one sols race: 
Therefore, each form of worship that hath swnyed 
The life of man, and given It to grasp 
Tho master-ke.v of Itnowledee, reference, 
Enfolds aome get ms of goodness and of right.” 
There ls usually an obstacle, not easily over¬ 
come, In tbe way ot nil writers about religions 
not their own, and that ls a theological bta3—tho 
•eault of study or early education. We find this 
Book particularly exceptional In this respect, and 
find on that account t he more readily commend 
ft. to all who may desire to know what the re¬ 
ligions of other lands really are; and, Indeed, we 
need not except Christianity lor, strange as It 
may appear, there ls a asd lack of knowledge 
even among Christians of the rise and progress of 
their faith. Mr*. Childs seems lo have had an 
earnest desire to “ nothing extenuate or set 
down aught In n slice ” In her preface she says; 
“1 have treated all religions with reverence, and 
show no more ravor to one than to another, l 
have exhibited each one In the light of Its own 
sacred books. I have hotiesLly tried never to ex¬ 
aggerate merits or conceal defect. 0 . I have not 
declared that any system was true, orthatauy 
one was raise. 1 have tried to place each form of 
worship In Its own light, that Is, as It appeared to 
those who sincerely believed It to be of divine 
origin." 
Thar, the general Ideas on which tnc Christian 
religion Is founded, such as belief In a God who 
ls at once Creator aud Suatalnerof all things, In 
the natural tendency of man to do evil, In Dlvlno 
inspiration, in a Messiah, In immortality, in fu¬ 
ture rewards and punishments, belong not to 
Christianity aioTte, bur. arouiso the foundations 
of other religions, will probably be new to some 
but It. Is nevertheless true, as Mrs. Childs con¬ 
clusively shows. 
Different ages have bad different forms of ex¬ 
pressing truth, but the truth lias ever existed 
and is always the same—although tho power of 
the human tnlnd to grasp it, to comprehend and 
understand It, ls susceptible of growth. As the 
animal nature gives way to the spiritual, progress 
In religious knowledge is made, and the soul of 
man opons to the Influx ot spiritual truths at the 
present time to a far greater extent than in the 
days of Burldha and Confucius. Hence the differ¬ 
ence between the religions of India and China 
and thuso of our own country. 
Tho labor attending the preparation of this 
work must have been enormous. Only years of 
patient und attentive st udy and cartful and con¬ 
scientious analyses, could have produced It. No 
one would have undertaken It whose whole heart 
was not In t he work, and the aui bor deserves the 
thanks of the wholo community for tho contri¬ 
bution she tins thus made to the religious litera¬ 
ture of tho age. 
We hope the book will be widely read, for we 
know or nothing better calculated to do away 
with tho bigotry that ls so largely Injurious to 
true Christianity. 
♦ The Progress of Religious Ideas through Suc¬ 
cessive aros. By L. Maui a Child. Now York: 
Jas. Mtllor. 
— — - 4 » »■ 
The Rev. Dr. Ingram, of the Free Cburoh at 
Uust, Scotland, is probably the oldest clergyman 
In the world, being In kla one-laundred-and-thlrd 
year. 
