legitimately descended to me by oral tradition, having been told my great grandfather by the pious Deacon Adams, of the Church in Braintree, himself. The Deacon, during a temporary absence, had set John to cutting out some uppers for some shoes; but, like the Chinaman who, in making a pair of breeches from a pattern furnished by some prudent captain, had faithfully copied the patches which his wife had put in the seat of the old ones, John had embellished every upper he had cut out with the three-cornered hole by which the patterns had hung on their accustomed nail. "I saw," said the Deacon, "that I couldn't make a shoemaker of him, so I put him to learning."-Boston Transcript. Is there a Maelstrom ? THIS question has again been raised by a correspondent of the Scientific American. Every school boy of the last century has been taught to believe that there is a wonderful vortex on the coast of Norway, with an eddy several miles in diameter, and that ships, and even huge whales, were sometimes dragged within its terrible liquid coils and buried forever"in ocean's awful depths." The correspondent of the Scientific American says: "I have been informed by an European acquaintance, that the Maelstrom, that great whirlpool on the coast of Norway, laid down in all geographies, and of which we have heard such wonderful stories, has no existence. He told me that a nautical and scientific commission, which was composed of several gentlemen appointed by the King of Denmark, was sent to approach as near as possible to the edge of the whirlpool, sail around it, measure its circumference, observe its action, and make a report. They went out, and sailed all around, and all over where the Maelstrom was was said to be, but could not find it; the sea was as smooth where the whirlpool ought to be as any other part of the German Ocean." We presume the above is correct. The latest geographies and gazetteers barely allude to the Maelstrom. Colton, in his large atlas, gives the site upon his map, but does not allude to it in his description of Norway. Harper's Gazetteer in its article on Norway says that "Among the numerous islands on the West coast there are violent and irregular currents, which render the coast navigation dangerous. Among these is the celebrated MalStrom or Meskenæ-Strom, the danger from which has been greatly exaggerated, since it can, at nearly all times, be passed over even by boats." The romance of the Maelstrom has been pretty effectually destroyed. OUR DUTY. It is a solemn duty to speak plainly of wrongs which good men perpetrate. It is very easy to cry out against crimes which the laws punish, and which popular opinion has branded with infamy. What is especially demanded of the Christian, is a faithful, honest, generous testimony against enormities which are sanctioned by numbers, and fashion, and wealth, and especially by great and honored names, and which, thus sanctioned, lift up their heads to heaven, and repay rebuke with money and indignation.—Dr. Channing. GEORGE PEABODY, the banker, gave as a new year's present $10,000 to establish a library in North Danvers, also $1200 to the institution that bears his name, with the promise of renewing the gift annually during his life. Boys that are philosophers at six years of age, are generally blockheads at twenty-one. By forcing children, you get so much into their heads that they become cracked in order to hold it. IN conversation, humor is more than wit, easiness more than knowledge. Few desire to learn, or to think they need it; all desire to be pleased, or if not, to be easy. WHAT A YOUNG MAN DID.-Sir Isaac Newton discovered the principles of the reflecting telescope, the laws of gravitation, and the planetary system, at the age of twenty-five. EQUIVALENT HONORS.-If it is a happiness to be nobly descended, it is no less to have so much merit that nobody inquires whether you are so or not.-La Bruyere. The Knocking at the Gate. THE following poem is founded upon a true incident which occurred some time since, "very near home."We were relating it to our associate, Mr. B. P. Shillaber, and the following, in his handwriting, we found upon our table the next day. It may not strike others with the full force that it does us, but sure we are, that few more heartfelt poems have ever come under our eye.-Ed. Sat. Eve. Gaz. 'Twas the social hour of evening, And the ruddy fire gleamed bright, On the grateful tea urn glancing Round about the plenteous board, And the little voices blended With the graver tones of love, And the blest domestic picture Forecast seemed of bliss above; Whilst thus at the table sitting, Heart and eye and tongue elate, Came a sound of some one rapping Rapping softly at the gate. The bitter wind without was howling, Margaret then her form presented, And thus spoke she soft and mild :"Please ye, very cold and hungry, Stands outside a little child, And for bread the poor thing's asking For the ones at home in need; Shall I give her, may it please ye? It will be a Christian deed." Then our little Mary whispered :"Tell me, what did Margaret say? Tell me of the little beggar, Tell me all about it pray." Then we told her all the story How some people wanted bread, And the fearful, tearful struggle Where pale famine reared its head, And she listened when we told her Of her own far happier state, Than that of the little beggar Lately knocking at the gate Listened like a child, half heeding, To our dismal tale of woeSilent heard us to the ending, Rocking gently to and fro. Long she sat, and we, not noting, "I was weeping at the story Of the child who wanted bread." Then our hearts were full of gladness, That another's woe unsealed, Its deep sympathy revealed. EDITOR'S DEPARTMENT. Robert Allyn, Editor. South. But this is only a matter of first impressions which time and further observation would have corrected. We had very little to do Visits to New Hampshire and New Jersey. with the place. It was the people that we went SINCE the last number of the Schoolmaster was prepared, we have made two flying visits-one to New Hamshire, and one to New Jersey-to look in upon Teachers, gathered at "Institutes." We dare not trust ourselves to say anything about the cordial manner in which we were received and treated, lest we seem to flatter, and thereby lead our readers to suspect our sincerity in the whole of this article, and hence give less credit to what we are to say, than it really merits. By the way, is not that a strange operation of human nature that prompts us to suspect that all that is said in commendation of a person is reckoned to be mere hollow and insincere flattery, while all, or most of all, that is said in depreciation of another, especially when said strongly, is reckoned to be honest, straight-forward and plain dealing? People, therefore, are always suspicious of good words spoken in praise of another, and are greedy to take in what is said in unkind terms. We are not at all disposed to subject the good friends in the Granite and in the Sandstone State to any such suspicions, by telling how kind and attentive beyond the usual friendly courtesies of ordinary educational intercourse they were to us. We would not have their good will thought of, much less well spoken of, by even anybody whose mind may be over suspicious as regards flattery. We are only going to say that we found friends in those two States, that we shall long remember and that with the greatest pleasure. If they ever come to Rhode Island we shall esteem it an honor to render them any services or any attentions they may need. But now as to New Hampshire. We attended a Teachers' Institute in the goodly city of Dover, on the banks and at the Falls of the busy and very useful river, Cocheco. It was during two days of hard rain, and the water on the Falls was abundant enough, to say nothing of it in the streets, and in the air. The sun seemed afraid of it-probably fearing it might extinguish his beams and only bashfully showed his head for a few seconds at a time at two or three distant intervals. We were confidently assured that he actually rises in the East, and goes round towards the South, and sets in the West. Of course we did not see enough of our old friend, the sun, to be positively certain from our own observations whether this is true or not; but we positively thought that it rose in the North and went round to the East in order to set in the to see, and these were good-natured and cordial and eminently satisfactory to us. The High School building in Dover is finely situated close to a beautiful grove on the banks of the river. We did not find time while the school was in session to go in and visit it, but we became slightly acquainted with its teachers, and we have no hesitation in saying that it is a first rate school. The Institute was under the care of Charles F. Elliot, M. D., School Commissioner for Stratford county. Mr. Colburn, of our own State, Mr. Mowry, also of R. I., Miss Saunders, of our own Normal School, Dr. Gage, of Manchester, N. H., Dr. Elliot himself, and ourself, comprised the corps of instructors and lecturers. Of our own performances we cannot speak, as we had something to do during their delivery besides listening and taking notes. We were so busy in another way that we could not give our attention to the remarks. So we pass over these entirely. The other lessons, exercises, and lectures were pleasing and very profitable. And the general conduct and bearing of the members of the Institute We were above the need of commendation. really spent a few days very agreeably and we trust profitably. The school system of New Hampshire is essentially a county system. For their School Commissioners in each county is a State officer, and all form a State Board, yet each one is really supreme in his own county, and superintends and encourages the schools according to his own peculiar views. This makes a county system. It has its advantages indeed; for it can make a very minute division of duties, and may make its supervision very perfect. It however lacks for the whole State uniformity, and may be liable to changes from year to year. Dr. Elliot, from Stratford, is very efficient in his county, and the We hope schools must improve under his care. he will be re-elected, and will carry out his very judicious views. We have also been in Newark, N. J., to attend an Institute. This was composed chiefly of the teachers employed in the schools of that city. We found these were not in session, being suspended on account of the exercises. But from inquiries we made, the school system of Newark is among the best of the land. We were specially pleased with the account we heard of them. One thing which appeared eminently favorable is, that the number of private schools is diminishing -a good sign, if at the same time the number of children in the Public Schools are also increasing. But we have not room to say more than that we ere very grateful to our friends for their attentions and if they ever get into Rhode Island we shall claim the privilege of repaying them-in kind ness, of course, which wo suspeet is the only way they would accept payment. Everywhere we go, and everything we see, more and more convinces us of the great benefit of these Institutes, in promoting a common feeling and sympathy among the teachers of a State or county. They serve to build up a laudable pride of the profession, and to elevate it in dignity and consequence among men. May they never be less in number or attractions. COMMENT. We hardly know a thought of more importance to a teacher than the one above quoted. And yet how common it is for a teacher to imagine that he has attained the limit of his mental growth, and to relapse into a supreme sense of contentment with himself and his attainments. Let him remember that though every generation of children is born without knowledge, yet each subsequent generation does, in mental acuteness and in capacity to acquire knowledge, actually surpass all that precede. Hence in order that a teacher may, in the most profitable manner, instruct the new scholars of this winter or summer, he must be more vigilant, better skilled, fitted with a larger experience, and a more varied knowledge than ever before. And so long as the teacher is dissatisfied with himself and his efforts, he will, if he acts as a man ought to act, be daily laboring for advancement and improvement. QUERIES.-Will not more of our friends send us questions, Arithmetical, Geographical, Historical, Practical-anything, in short, that they want to know or to tell of. Our columns are open, and those things we will undertake to answer to the best of our abllity. We haye answered a few each month for the last three-and should have answered more if we had had them. Send along more and hear us answer. THE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF CHICAGO, ILL., is a documer highly creditable to the Superintendent, W. E Wells, Esq. It shows a very gratifying state things in that young queen of the great lab It reports the value of the School Fund of t city $1,112,000-a sum greater than any city i the Union save St. Louis; and greater than the school fund of any among nineteen of the States. The income, however, is not yet very large, bu it is steadily increasing. The cost of the schools of Chicago is $40,920, exclusive of houses. The number of pupils are 8542; there are about 17,000 children in the city. Number of schools:-1 High School, 10 Grammar and other schools, 1 Evening school, and 3 Industrial schools, which are commended as performing a good work in educating the idle to industry and in preparing for the day school. Mr. Wells has shown himself well qualified for his present work, and we hope he will long and faithfully fill his post. A PERPETUAL CALENDAR, in the convenient form of a pen holder and pencil case, showing the leap years, day of the month and week for all dates past, present and future, with infallible accuracy, both in old and new style, for six thousand years from the beginning of the Christain Era. By E. S. Pierce, Oswego, N. Y. Such is the inventor's description of the most nient perpetual calendar we have ever seen. By simply revolving a movable ferule, it can be adjusted to any month of any year, so as to show the dates as readily as the best Almanac. Every teacher and every student of history should have it. conve THE ANNUAL REPORT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF SPRINGFIELD, MASS., is a document of great interest to the people of that fine inland city. It shows that their schools cost $17, 501.03 for an average of 1821 pupils. There are 985 who do not attend the Public School. There are, 1 High School, with 107 pupils; 6 Grammar Schools, 373; 1 Intermediate Grammar School, 66; 8 Intermediate Schools, 361; 13 Primary Schools, 751, and 7 Mixed Schools with 165 pupils. Whole number of scholars enrolled, 2488. SHEPARD, CLARK, and BROWN, of Boston, have issued a Pictorial Primer, prepared by David B. Tower, A. M., which is just the book to please the little ones, and will render the task of teaching easier to the instructor and the instructed. We cheerfully commend this work to all who are interested in the cause of educating the young. What Shall We Believe P We often find people making objections to a system of common schools especially, as they do to all learning, that its tendency is immoral, or, at least, that learning does not tend directly to diminish crime. Many men, in fact, who love learning object to the operation of our public schools, because they do not immediately and perceptibly make every generation of children more moral and virtuous, more conscientious and devout than their fathers. or its lessons in the support of infidelity. In fact, it only requires a perfect knowledge of any branch of science or of any topic of reflection to convince a reasonable man that a Divine Power and Wisdom must have had the general control and direction of it in all its parts. If this is true, the tendency of knowledge cannot be indifferent to piety. If it favors religion, then no man can complain because it does not always promote it in so great a degree as he imagines it ought. Outside influences may possibly turn the educated man astray, and for this his knowledge should not be blamed-but rather his lack of knowledge on some particular points. And we think that this will always be found to be the case, that it is imperfect views and incomplete notions which leave the man exposed to vice. Although these results are desirable as accompaniments of learning, and may, perhaps, to a certain extent, be said to be its legitimate results, yet they may not always be seen, and still without the fault of knowledge. But the disputers will not admit this plain proposition, and the opponents of universal or popular education divide themselves into two classes, one of which affirms that learning or education is the natural cause of deterioration in morals, while the other demand that children should be taught virtue—its clares that the general arrangement of our schools is wrong inasmuch as it really ought to increase virtue, but does not accomplish this purpose. Now, whom shall we believe in this state of affairs? Shall we believe that education has a direct tendency to infidelity and immorality, in and of its own motion? And that an educated man can only be kept from vice by the most strenuous efforts to countenance this movement to moral deterioration? Or shall we believe the other party, that learning has in itself no tendency either to lessen or to increase man's disposition to obey truth and to follow justice, but that our system of schools is extremely deficient in moral training and needs to be remodeled? In other words, shall we believe that popular education is infidel and immoral, naturally and necessarily, or is it only defective and imperfect? Here are clearly two distinct propositions, each of which is quite lamentable, if true, and both of which are, as we believe, commonly supposed to be at least partially true. Let us examine them. Is the tendency of learning infidel? This is asserted and is urged often by very honest religious men. We believe not. And here we rely on the authority of such men as Prof. Silliman and Prof. Dana, of Yale College, President Humphrey, of Amherst, and a thousand others equally good and equally well-informed, all of whom assert boldly and without a shade of difference in their opinions, that science has rather a tendency when properly read and understood to beget devotion. The greater is the knowledge on any subject the less likely are men to use that subject If this be so, then all that is required is to add other elements to the knowledge we teach, and thus make education perfect. Then we may de nature and practice-just as they are now taught arithmetic-its nature and practice. This is what is wanted-not less, but more learning and instruction; and a more thorough and perfect insight into everything that we undertake to teach or to learn. The only remedy, then, for the lack of devout fervor in those who are pursuing science results not from much study, but from little. It is now as Pope meant, when he wrote: "A little learning is a dangerous thing, All superficiality has a direct and manifest tendency towards indifference if not towards atheism; but all thorughness and efforts to attain completeness and exactness tends directly and inevitably towards a fuller understanding of God and his works, and towards a devout reverence for him and submission to his holy command ments. As to the other objection to our school system, which admits the whole of our argument above, and merely denies that our common schools are rightly organized, we have hardly a word to say. The objection looks upon schools as human institutions, and forgets that no such institution can be formed and be perfect. The same being that formed it may easily discover imperfections in it, and hence will become more or less dissatisfied with it. But this does by no means prove that it is not a good thing; nor even that it is not the best thing man can make. Now we may say of our schools that they are by no means perfect, |