place in my school. As one of the promising little ones was reading the A B C's, I pointed to the letter T. Finding some hesitancy, and desiring to do what I could to assist her in recalling the letter, I said, "What does your mother drink at night?” Rum! said the little innocent, fully confident she was right.

Friend "Thesia," I hope to meet you at the Association at Burlington. If we are to be classed with the "live teachers," we must be there, Providence permitting.

Yours truly,

C. K.

MUSA CANIT.-Reading the arma virumque cano in the July number of the Journal, reminds us of our experience with a class just commencing Andrews' Latin Reader. They had evidently studied hard. During the recitation a young Miss was asked to translate the above sentence. The mouse sings, was the result of her honest effort. At another time, one of our best young men rendered the same sentence, the muse's dog!

JOHNSON'S PHILOSOPHICAL CHARTS.-Smith, Woodman & Co., 346 Broadway, New York. Mr. O. D. Allis, Agent for Vermont. Price $12,00 per set.

These charts, each being 34 by 52 inches, are neatly colored and mounted on cloth. The ten embrace about three hundred drawings illustrative of the more important outline principles of the natural sciences as taught in our Academies. In those schools where there is no philosophical apparatus they are deemed essential; and where the school is furnished with apparatus they become an important auxiliary by exhibiting the internal arrangements of the instruments used, illustrating the principles under review.

The price of these charts has been recently so reduced that every Academy and High School in the State should seek the first opportunity to secure a set.

NOTICE

S.

We hope our youthful readers who are interested in the Arithmetical Department, will wait patiently until next month. We will then gratify them.

BOOKS.

The Journal for May has the following item:

"To divert, at any time, a troublesome fancy, run to thy books. They presently fix thee to them, and drive the others out of thy sight. They always receive thee with the same kindness.

-Fuller."

Who that has read Martin Tupper's lines, entitled "Books Apostrophized," and "Books and Friends," would not be reminded of them by reading these thoughts of Fuller. I give them below, as I think the pages of the Journal can not be more profitably occupied than with such beautiful lines by one who knew what it is to love and appreciate good books:

BOOKS APOSTROPHIZED.

O books, ye monuments of mind, concrete wisdom of the wisest ;
Sweet solaces of daily life; proofs and results of immortality;
Trees yielding all fruits, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations,
Groves of knowledge, where all may eat, nor fear a flaming sword;
Gentle comrades, kind advisers; friends, comforts, treasures;
Helps, governments, diversities of tongues; who can weigh your worth?
To walk no longer with the just; to be driven from the porch of science;
To bid long adieu to those intimate ones, poets, philosophers and teachers;
To see no record of the sympathies which bind thee in communion with
the good;

To be thrust from the feet of Him who spake as never man spake ;
To have no avenue to Heaven but the dim aisle of superstition;
To live as an Esquimaux, in lethargy; to die as the Mohawk,in ignorance;
0, what were life, but a blank! what were death, but a terror !
What were man, but a burden to himself! what were mind, but misery!
Yea, let another Omar burn the full library of knowledge,*

And the broad world may perish in the flames, offered on the ashes of its wisdom.

BOOKS AND FRIENDS.

:

One drachma for a good book, and a thousand talents for a true friend :So standeth the market where scarce is ever costly:

Yea, were the diamonds of Golconda common as shingles on the shore, A ripe apple would ransom kings before a shining stone:

*The Alexandrian library, containing seven hundred thousand manuscripts, was barned by the fanatical calif Omar.

And so, were a wholesome book as rare as an honest friend,
To choose the book be mine: the friend let another take.
For altered looks and jealousies and fears have none entrance there.
The silent volume listeneth well, and speaketh when thou listest :
It praiseth thy good without envy, it chideth thine evil without malice,
It is to thee thy waiting slave, and thine unbending teacher.
Need to humor no caprice, need to bear with no infirmity,

Thy sin, thy slander, or neglect, chilleth not, quencheth not, its love;
Unalterably speaketh it the truth, warped nor by error nor interest;
For a good book is the best of friends, the same to-day and forever.
R. L. P.

COMMENCEMENT-1859.

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT.-Sunday, July 31.-Sermon before the Graduating Class, at 2 P. M. Address before the Society for Religious Inquiry, by Rev. Thomas Hill, of Waltham, Mass., at 7 1-2 P. M.

Tuesday, Aug. 2.-Address before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, by Rev. L. P. Hickok, D. D, of Union College; and Poem by W. H. Burleigh, Esq., of Albany, N. Y., at 10 A. M. Address before the Literary Societies, by G. W. Curtis, Esq., and Poem by T. B. Aldrich, Esq., both of New York City, at 2 P. M. Evening-JUNIOR EXHIBITION, at 7 1-2.

Wednesday Aug. 3-COMMENCEMENT DAY.

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE.-Baccalaureate Sermon by the Rev. Pres. Labaree, on Sunday afternoon, August 7. Address before the Philomathesian Society, Tuesday, A. M., by Dr. J. G. Holland of Springfield, Mass. Address before the Philadelphia Society, Tuesday, P. M., by Rev. E. B. Foster, D. D., of Lowell, Mass. Parkerian Prize Speaking, Tuesday evening. Exercises of the Graduating Class, and Masters' Orations, Wednesday, Aug. 10. Meeting of the Associated Alumni, Thursday, Aug. 11. Orator, Charles J. Churchill, of Oswego, N. Y.; Poet, Allen C. Parker, Pickensville, Ala. Music by the Germania Band.

NORTH CHESTER DISTRICT SCHOOL.

This school has two sessions of ten weeks each, with a vacation of six weeks between. The first session closed July 8th, with a thorough and creditable examination before a large company of parents and friends. Arriving in this pleasant village on the afternoon of the above mentioned day, we were not long in ascertaining what was going on. The community were wide awake, simply, or chiefly, because they have a wide-awake teacher. The following "statistics" will be of interest to those who doubt the working of the New School Law, and especially so to its friends.

Previous to the commencement of the school, a paper was circulated in the village for the purpose of raising money to be distributed according to the judgment of the teacher. She decided at once to give a prize for Punctuality. She then proposed to give three prizes in writing, (not to the best writers, but for the greatest improvement,) and three to each of the three spelling classes—little dreaming what the result would be. The school consisted of fifty scholars. Thirty-two were present every day, and twenty-five had no mark for tardiness-the roll having been called twice each day, at five minutes past nine in the morning, and five minutes past one in the afternoon. These, of course, were entitled to a prize for Punctuality, and nineteen, instead of nine, received prizes in the spelling classes.

The people seem to take a lively interest in the school, and have made eighty-two visits during the term! For the truth of the above statement, we would refer the disbelieving to Miss Hannah Hagar, the center and soul of the interest it indicates.

It was in this district that the contest in spelling, mentioned in the July number, took place.

I have known some men possessed of good qualities, which were very serviceable to others, but useless to themselves; like a sun-dial on the front of a house, to inform the neighbors and passengers, but not the owner within.-Selected.

A REAL EXAMINATION.

There was no empty show in the recent three days' examination of the class that has just completed the Classical Course in Barre Academy. It was both oral and written, very critical. and so conducted as to preclude the possibility of deception.

In such circumstances, of course, none marked perfect; but some approached very near it; and the whole class exhibited such an acquaintance with Greek, Latin and English as could result only from patient study on their part and careful drilling in the daily recitation. The writer witnessed the examination more than five hours on the third day, and nearly as long on the second, with not a little interest, even though he had fresh in mind the examination of a model High School in another State, and also the privilege, well worth a journey to Andover, of hearing that distinguished classical teacher, Dr. Taylor, examine his class. E. P. S.

THE STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION meets at Burlington on the 16th, 17th and 18th of the present month. The programme of the Order of Exercises has failed to come to hand in season for insertion. We must refer our readers to the newspapers for it. Don't forget to look it up. See also the notice published in the July number of the Journal. We confidently expect a large and enthusiastic gathering, and a profitable time.

AN OFFER.-To any person who will send us two dollars for two new subscribers, we will send a copy of the "Gleanings from School-Life Experience," by Hiram Orcutt, A. M.,-a book that should be read by every teacher. A very small effort will secure the subscribers to us, and the "Gleanings" Gleanings" to the person making the effort.

J. T. DREW is our traveling agent for the counties of Caledonia, Orleans and Lamoille. He is authorized to receive and receipt for subscriptions.