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ble, selfish pleasure; and it would have the same tendency to unspiritualise, to degrade, and to harden the higher faculties, that a course of grosser sensualism would have to corrupt the lower faculties. Both dull the edge of all that is fine and tender within us."

"The bread of life is love; the salt of life is work; the sweetness of life, poesy; the water of life, faith."

"I have seen triflers attempting to draw out a deep intellect; and they reminded me of children throwing pebbles down the well at Carisbrook, that they might hear them sound."

"All love not responded to and accepted is a species of idolatry. It is like the worship of a dumb beautiful image we have ourselves set up and deified, but cannot inspire with life, nor warm with sympathy. No-though we should consume our own hearts on the altar. Our love of God would be idolatry if we did not believe in his love for us his responsive love."

"In the same moment that we begin to speculate on the possibility of cessation or change in any strong affection that we feel, even from that moment we may date its death:-it has become the fetch of the living love."

"Blessed is the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted from the world!-yet more blessed and more dear the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted in the world!"

"Venus, or rather the Greek Aphrodite, in the sublime fragment of Eschylus (the Danaides) is a grand, severe, and puré conception; the principle eternal of beauty, of love, and of fecundity-or the law of the continuation of being through beauty and through love. Such a conception is no more like the Ovidean Roman Venus than the Venus of Milo is like the Venus de Medicis."

"In the Greek tragedy, love figures as one of the laws of naturenot as a power, or a passion; these are the aspects given to it by the Christian imagination.

Yet this higher idea of love did exist among the ancients-only we must not seek it in their poetry, but in their philosophy. Thus we find it in Plato, set forth as a beautiful philosophical theory; not as passion, to influence life, nor as a poetic feeling, to adorn and exalt it. Nor do we moderns owe this idea of a mystic, elevated and elevating love to the Greek philosophy. I rather agree with those who trace it to the mingling of Christianity with the manners of the old Germans, and their (almost) superstitious reverence for womanhood. In the Middle Ages, where morals were most depraved, and women most helpless and oppressed, there still survived the theory formed out of the combination of the Christian spirit, and the Germanic customs; and when in the 15th century Plato became the fashion, then the theory became a science, and what had been religion became again philosophy. This sort of speculative love became to real love what theology became to religion; it was a thesis to be talked about and argued in Universities, sung in sonnets, set forth in art; and so being kept as far as possible from all bearings on our moral life, it ceased to find consideration either as a primæval law of God, or as a moral motive influencing the duties and habits of our existence; and thus we find the social code in regard to it diverging

into all the vagaries of celibacy on one hand, and all the vileness of profligacy on the other."

"At dinner to-day there was an attempt made by two very clever men to place Theodore Hook above Sydney Smith. I fought with all my might against both. It seems to me that a mind must be strangely warped that could ever place on a par two men with aspirations and purposes so different, whether we consider them merely as individuals, or called before the bar of the public as writers. I do not take to Sydney Smith personally, because my nature feels the want of the artistic and imaginative in his nature; but see what he has done for humanity, for society, for liberty, for truth, for us women! What has Theodore Hook done that has not perished with him? Even as wits-and I have been in company with both-I could not compare them; but they say the wit of Theodore Hook was only fitted for the company of men the strong. est proof that it was not genuine of its kind, that when most bearable, it was most superficial. I set aside the other obvious inference, that it required to be excited by stimulants and those of the coarsest, grossest kind. The wit of Sydney Smith almost always involved a thought worth remembering for its own sake, as well as worth remembering for its brilliant vehicle: the value of ten thousand pounds sterling of sense concentrated into a cut and polished diamond.

It is not true, as I have heard it said, that after leaving the society of Sydney Smith you only remembered how much you had laughed, not the good things at which you had laughed. Few men-wits by profession-ever said so many memorable things as those recorded of Sydney Smith."

It will have been observed that we have written of this book rather than upon it; and in all honesty we must state that to do justice to it in any other way than that which we have adopted would be impossible. Mrs. Jameson makes no pretensions, and her epigraph, from brave old Montaigne —“Un peu de chaque chose, et rien du tout,-à la française," disarms criticism, (if criticism were needed)-who would hurl thunderbolts upon a butterfly?

Since the publication of Lockhart's Spanish Ballads we have not seen any work issued in so beautiful a style as this Commonplace Book. It contains numerous wood cuts, separating the different subjects noted; and has, in addition, eleven etchings, done in the same style, or in one more finished, as that of the larger illustrations to Mrs. Jameson's volumes on Sacred and Legendary Art.

QUARTERLY RECORD OF THE PROGRESS OF REFORMATORY AND RAGGED SCHOOLS, AND OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF PRISON DISCIPLINE.

In placing before the reader this second quarter's Record it is but right, towards him and towards ourselves to state, that it is merely, and simply a condensed account of the various publications upon, and the various facts connected with the important social subjects indicated in the title, which have been brought before us during the past three months. are very much gratified at being enabled to state, that those capable of judging our former Record, have given us the most satisfactory proofs that they approve our plan of this Quarterly Summary or Record...

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The most remarkable, as it was the earliest, of the publications in this quarter, bearing upon the Reformatory School Movement, was the admirable and powerful letter addressed, on the 18th of last December, by Mr. Recorder Hill to Lord Brougham. Referring to the nature of the children to be dealt with in these Schools, Mr. Hill writes:

"I would first solicit attention to what I may call the natural history of the order of children and youths forming the bulk of those whose cases are most difficult of treatment. Our countrymen in Constantinople tell us how that city is infested by troops of ownerless dogs who have to gain their livelihood by the exercise of their wits; and a very slight effort of the imagination will bring before us the annoyances which must be produced by this multitude of fourfooted outlaws. If we substitute in our minds young human beings for these dogs we shall prepare ourselves for apprehending the characteristics of that portion of our urban population which has been called the City Arabs.' I do not mean to say that all or even a majority of the class who will be found at Reformatory Schools are absolutely without friends and relatives (some would be less to be commiserated were that their condition), or that they are entirely their own masters. Still the ownerless dog is a fair type of the species. Like him they have received but little kindness-like him they live more or less by their wits-like him they are untaught-without Occupation-restless-capable, from sheer necessity, of bearing hunger and cold-their instincts quick-their affections languid their religion a blank!"

On the nature of the instruction which it is desirable to impart to the pupils the Recorder thus remarks :

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Every successful Reformatory Institution of which I have any knowledge has made the cultivation of land a leading object of attention, and much of each day has been spent by the pupil in the garden or the field, to his great improvement in body, mind, and spirit. The handicrafts ancillary to the cultivation of the land offer themselves as an excellent variety of occupation, whether in regard to the exhilaration which attends a change of employment, or for engaging the willing industry of those to whom out-of-door labour is for any reason unfit, or to whom it is unwelcome. Every lad ought to be able to mend his clothes and his shoes, not necessarily that he may become either a tailor or a shoemaker, but that he may always be able to keep himself in a state of neatness, and thus to preserve under the most adverse circumstances a decent appearance. "At the instance of the Minister of Marine, a ship's mast and tackle were erected on the play-ground at Mettray, and a veteran seaman was engaged to teach the lads, who had a taste for such gymnastics, so much of seamanship as could be learnt by the aid of this apparatus. And the success of the experiment is greater both in France and Belgium, where the example has been followed, than could have been anticipated. It is found that lads thus exercised can soon make themselves useful on board ship, and they are consequently in demand for the navy. A maritime people, like ourselves, ought to improve on this hint. Indeed, the subject has already occupied the attention of persons well qualified to form a judgment upon it, who think that the interest both of our Navy and Merchant Service demands immediate attention to this source of supply. Girls of course must be taught the operations of domestic economy, and such is the growing scarcity of good servants, as compared with the demand for them, that girls well trained to household duties will readily find admission into respectable families, quite as soon indeed as it would be proper to let them depart."

The following observations on the importance of commencing with a few inmates only, will be found worthy of attention by all who intend to connect themselves with Reformatory Institutions:

"However large the ultimate number of pupils is intended to be, let me urge upon the conductors the great importance of beginning with a few. The best quality of a school, or indeed of any other institution, is one which is neither visible nor tangible. Even the mind is not always quick to detect it. I refer to what may be called the tone which prevails through the whole body-the spirit which informs its members from the highest to the lowest. Now I am of course supposing that spirit to be all it should be among the governors and the teachers, but their efforts may be paralyzed by any great and sudden influx of minds in a state of perversity. At first the staff of teachers should outnumber the pupils in order to produce an overwhelming influence on their minds, and this expense must be patiently borne until it is found that the aspirations of the inmates are raised and their habits to some extent reformed. slowly, and with trepidation, let others be added until the intended

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number is complete. But let every symptom of deterioration in the moral sentiment of the school be carefully watched and made the signal for stopping the influx until the tone is restored to its former level."*

At the Warwickshire Epiphany Sessions, held at Warwick, on Monday, January 1st, 1855, the subject of Reformatory Schools was introduced, and the following Report of the proceedings, taken from a journal most ably and usefully, because judiciously aiding the movement "Aris's Birmingham Gazette," of Thursday, January 8th, is a very excellent appendix to Mr. Hill's letter just quoted:

"In the course of the business, Lord LEIGH said, that as the Visitors of Warwick Gaol had alluded to the subject of Reformatory Schools, he might venture to bring before the notice of the Court the Institution at Saltley, near Birmingham. It was unnecessary for him to say one word in favour of the principle of Reformatory Schools; their necessity was now generally acknowledged, and the arguments in their favour had acquired greater force since a difficulty had arsien as to sending convicts to the Colonies. It was highly important that the county of Warwick should possess a Reformatory Institution, and he would urge upon the Court the desirability of adopting the School at Saltley, as was suggested by Mr. Adderley, by adding buildings to it as was done at Mettray, in France. There were already some vacancies at Saltley, which the county might fill up at a cost of £12 per annum each; and the Birmingham Committee were also willing to receive any number of girls into their new Institution in Camden-street. The noble Lord then read, for the information of the Court, the following extracts from letters addressed to him by Mr. Adderley, M.P.:—‘Saltley Reformatory, near Birmingham, has been certified by Government, and can, therefore, under the Youthful Offenders' Act of last session, have boys up to sixteen years of age committed to it, after fourteen days' confinement; the parents having the cost of maintenance, not more than five shillings a week, inflicted on them, and the Treasury bearing the surplus of cost of maintenance. The Reformatories of one-third of the kingdom now refer their vacancies to the Inspector, J. G. Perry, Esq., Home Office,' that he may be a centre of information to all Clerks of the Peace, who can ascertain from him how many vacancies, and where their Sessions may fill up by committals. I will engage to find some at Saltley for any three boys sent from these Sessions at Warwick; and any number of girls at the Girl's Reformatory just opened. But I should be glad that Mr. Perry should be informed of any vacancies so filled up. The net cost of a boy is £12 a year; and any subscriber may send a boy if he can find that sum. Subscribers form their own Committee of Management, wholly independent of Government, and visit and make rules without any control. The Institution at Saltley is in debt; the whole expense, which is very heavy at first, having been borne by a few Birmingham subscribers, excepting great assistance from Mr. Bracebridge, Lord Calthorpe, and others. If any of the gentry of the county choose to enlarge the Institution, still as a voluntary Institution, with Government aid, they have only to become subscribers, and take their share in the management, or build additional houses adjacent, as at Mettray, putting all under the same staff of officers. The best age to send boys is from eight to fourteen. At Saltley they would rather not take them after thirteen. Nothing can be done to make Saltley a County Reformatory, in the sense of an Institution supported by county rates. There are no such

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