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designed by Providence for that jewel on her ner of the patriot, serving at the altar and standbreast; and this is the quack who gains most ing by the steps of the throne, in the professor's with women. chair and by the bedside of the sick, grinding colors for the painter, nibbing pens for the writer,

THE POLITICAL QUACK.

War Terms.

THE Columbiad or Paixhan, (pronounced

As for the quack political, is there one of the freighting vessels by contract, and measuring out trade not of the brotherhood? From the diplo-silks at a sacrifice, at the head of armies and in matist who juggles with a people's liberties, and the class list of a dame's school-everywhere and amuses the nation by his clever thimble-rigging, always they are to be found generally in green to the small spouter at a public meeting, is there and flourishing condition, sadly discouraging to one in ten with an honest mind, clean-swept and poor honesty, begging wayside pence. When we free of quackery? I think not. The quack po- shall have buried quackery, we shall have filled litical generally understands to a nicety the tex- up the deepest slough which lies between us and ture of the feathers with which it is desirable good-we shall have cleansed our corn fields of that he construct his private nest. He knows their rankest weeds, and cleared our mines of the whereabouts they lie among the ripe corn, and foulest gases. This will be the inauguration of follows eagerly the larger birds which wear them that good time coming, which has never come in their crests and tails. Sometimes he is dar- yet, but which we all know is waiting for us ing, and makes a dash at that stately egret float- round the corner of the present. ing white and high above him; sometimes he plucks the long pendants trailing through the yard, battling for his possessions with all the barn-door rabble; and sometimes he only lurks about the gilded cages, biding his time, and wait-payzan) is a large gun, designed principally for ing on the generous offices of chance and riches firing shells-it being far more accurate than dropped through the bars. But always and ever the ordinary short mortar. A mortar is a very the main object of his life, the fixed desire of his short cannon with a large bore - some of them soul, is-feathers. thirteen inches in diameter- for firing shells. Here and there, indeed, but rare as tropical Those in use in our army are set at an angle of birds in Northern steppes, may be found one forty-five degrees, and the range of the shell is with only the naked bough for his home, roofed varied by altering the charge of powder. The in by leaves of oak and laurel. He has done his she is caused to explode at just about the time day's work without a thought of feathers. He that it strikes, by means of a fuse, the length of has battled his bravest and flown at his highest, which is adjusted to the time of flight to be not for a sumptuous place of rest as his reward, occupied by the ball, which, of course, correbut for the eternal good of the world-to strike sponds with the range. The accuracy with down tyranny in high places, to confront the lev- which the time of the burning of a fuse can be el greediness of the lower herd, to break the bars adjusted by varying its length is surprising — of the gilded cages and force on the sleepy pris good artillerists generally succeeding in having oners of wealth a life of lofty daring and noble their shells explode almost at the exact instant deeds. But he is not of the quack tribe at all; of striking. In loading a mortar, the shell is and to him, therefore, we would offer our loving reverence wherever he may be found, whether by the shores of the blue Mediterranean, or in the smoke of our own manufacturing towns, holding him sacredly apart from the mummers who lie in painted masks beneath the fruit-trees, telling golden grapes for beads, while honest men stand empty-handed on the bleak common with

carefully placed with the fuse directly forward, and when the piece is discharged, the shell is so completely enveloped with flame that the fuse is nearly always fired. The fuse is made by filling a wooden cylinder with fuse powder-the cylinder being of a sufficient length for the longest range, to be cut down shorter for shorter ranges, as required. A Dahlgren gun is an ordinary cannon, except that it has been made very thick Other quacks there are, thick as gnats on a at the breech for some three or four feet, when summer's day, shadows of all that is bright in it tapers down sharply to less than the usual man, distorted images of a beautiful original. size. This form was adopted in consequence of But it would be too long to catalogue them, un- the experiments of Captain Dahlgren, of the less I named every faculty and profession extant. U. S. N.-having shown that when a gun bursts, For they creep in everywhere as night flows in it usually gives way at the breech. The Niagara to every corner of the daylight. Under the ban-is armed with these guns, and at the Brooklyn

out.

QUACKS EVERYWHERE.

For the Schoolmaster.

The Valley of the Nile.

Navy Yard there are sixty, weighing about nine thousand pounds each, and six of twelve thousand pounds weight each, the former of which [THE following oration was written and deare capable of carrying a nine inch, and the lat-livered by a lad of the Providence High School, ter a ten inch shell a distance of two or three Classical Department, at the annual exhibition miles; and there is one gun of this pattern in May, 1861.] which weighs fifteen thousand nine hundred Works of art and monuments of once powand sixteen pounds, and is warranted to send an erful but now fallen empires ever interest and eleven inch shell four miles. A casement is a please the modern traveller; he delights in wanstone roof to a fort, made sufficiently thick to dering among the tombs of their departed kings, resist the force of cannon balls; and a casement and in pondering upon memorials which they gun is one which'is placed under a casement. have left behind them; he delights in rambling A barbette is one which is placed on the top of among the ruins of their temples, and in reflectthe fortification. An embrasure is the hole or ing upon the splendor and magnificence that opening through which guns are fired from for- once had being there. tifications. Loop holes are openings in walls to fire musketry through.-Scientific American.

ARMY DIVISIONS.

The valley of the Nile, memorable on account of its ancient and sacred history, does not fail to be most interesting to the modern tourist. A battalion is a body smaller than a regiment, He may wander along the banks of the yellow say two or four companies, and is commanded Tiber, and reflect upon imperial Rome and the by a major. A regiment is composed of eight prowess of her arms; he may wander among companies, and is commanded by a colonel; it the rugged hills and along the banks of the has also a lieutenant-colonel and a major. A mountain torrents of classic Greece, and ponbrigade is composed of two or more regiments, der upon her success in the arts and sciences, and is commanded by a brigadier-general. A and upon her subtilty in learning. But these division is composed of two or more brigades, are regarded as but secondary objects of interand is commanded by a major-general. Lieu est, as he rambles along the banks of the Nile tenant-general is an office created in honor of and reflects upon the former glory of Egypt. General Scott, after the war with Mexico, and And as associations cluster around him, as he is, in this country, peculiar to him only. thinks of the Patriarchs of old, who centuries ago walked by this same stream and drank of the same limpid waters, Athens and Rome are forgotten, and he thinks only of the former splendor of Thebes and Memphis.

For the Schoolmaster.
Robin Gray.

ADOWN the long path's grassy track,
I saw the light wind lift the hair,
The flowers I gave her wafted back
A perfume on the happy air,
Oh! Robin Gray, I heard her say,
While yet I lingered by her side,
One year to-day, this happy May,

And I will be your bride.

Adown the long path's grassy track,
The wind still sports; the roses blow,
The swallow's twitter bears me back

To that blest day one year ago,
The May's soft light, so still and bright,
Is flooding all the valley now,
Creek, tree and height are all in sight,
But Mary, where art thou?

The mighty Nile now towing precipitately between steep cliffs, now peacefully through fertile plains, pours majestically through its seven mouths into the sea. Fields smiling with luxuriant harvests border on either side, while the banks are dotted here and there with waving groves decked with truly Oriental foliage; and above all is the serene and mellow sky known only to the country of the Nile. Yet this is but the present; - the past has been far different.

These meadows where now the husbandman grows his thriving crops, have been the scenes of carnage and of war's fierce din; over these arid sands where now the wandering Arab roams unmolested, invading armies have marched; and the noise of the cataracts has been drowned by the roar of foreign cannon. Roman and Grecian conquerors, not content with deluging their own fair lands with human blood, sought the fertile plains of Egypt for the purpose of M. C. P. gratifying their thirsting ambitions; and the

Oh! fleeted moments, travel back,
Say, can I e'er forget the day,
When down the long path's grassy track
They bore my only love away;
It only seems my own sad dreams,
Are with me in this soft May even;
Her May-moon beams on fairer streams,
It rises now in Heaven.

Cairo still stands, but it is not the Cairo of ancient times; the once proud seat of the royalty has become the chief market in human flesh. The Pyramids still raise their towering summits to the skies, -- enduring monuments of Egypt's former greatness. Here they have stood witness alike of Cæsar's conquest and Napoleon's invasion; here they still stand, seeing

horrors of war, which had brought desolation on their own countries, were renewed on the banks of the Nile. Time rolled on. Roman and Grecian conquerors had passed away. The fields bloomed with all their former luxuriance, and the husbandman again attended to his peaceful vocation. Yet it was not long to remain so; fearful war, which before had made such inroads on its soil, only ruin and desolation where once splendor was doomed once more to spread ruin over these pleasant valleys, and to carry desolation to the hearts of the unhappy people.

Napoleon, cherishing in his mind fond dreams of Oriental conquest, fixed upon Egypt for the success of his arms. England and France, after years of unceasing warfare, and as if conscious that Europe had too often been afflicted with the curse of war, sought the valley of the Nile for their contests.

and magnificence held undisputed sway. Here
still sits the lonely Sphynx, watching with
mournful eye over the tombs of the departed
over the monuments of a fallen empire.
race,
Man has passed away, but these specimens of
his handiwork still remain.

-

Centuries of oppression and degradation have rolled over the land of Egypt; Persian, Roman Yet and Greek have trodden her under foot. she has but met the fate of others, - as she was the first to rise, so was she the first to totter and fall. The thick veil of barbarism is again drawn over the country of the Pharaohs, and the curse of an offended God rests upon the valley of the Nile.

From the Massachusetts Teacher.

Hints for Those who Need Them.

But it is not the battle-grounds that interest the modern tourist; it is not of the armies that have marched across these plains that the traveller loves to dream, as he pauses on the banks of the Nile; but he muses on the glory of her former greatness, on the monuments and ruins of her temples. These urge the traveller from the refinement and society of modern life to wander among the tombs of departed kings. MANY teachers are too inactive. There is but While Greece was hidden in the obscurity of little apparent life in the school, and the exerbarbarism, and before civilization had spread its cises drag. The teacher need not, however, be gentle light along the banks of the Tiber, Egypt in a constant hurry and excitement, moving conhad far advanced in learning, and had reached tinually about the room, without any object in the highest point in architecture and sculpture. view except to be stirring. Too much moveHere where mind had its being," the arts and ment tends to tire and confuse. There should sciences first gained a foothold. Greece did not be activity without bustle. The teacher should disdain to send her sons to obtain learning from not feel in duty bound to be constantly on his Egyptian fountains; Romans sought the tem- feet, for fear of being called lazy if he do otherples of the Nile for the study of architecture; wise. He should know when to stand, and and a specimen of Egyptian handiwork now when to sit, and to do this with the consciouslooks down upon modern Paris. Centuries of ness of exercising his own independence. His enlightenment have passed since the downfall of voice should not be in too high a key. This is Egypt, yet civilization, with all her arts, has a great fault with many. It is absolutely painproduced no such cities as those, the splendor ful to hear the tones, "so petulent and shrill," of which were celebrated in Eastern story. of many a teacher. If the fault was confined Here were Memphis and Cairo. Here, too, was to the individual, the case would be less deplormagnificent Thebes, from whose one hundred able; but the children learn to imitate, and soon brazen portals in days of old, conquering hordes there is a chorus of unnatural voices. The poured forth, over-running earth's fairest plains teacher's intention is good. He desires to bring and carrying victory to the Holy City itself. out full, clear tones, and make the pupils "speak But the destroyer came; Persian hosts poured up;" but the means are not commensurate with through her crowded streets; the sanctity of the object.

her temples was violated by the ruthiess hands If a person is not aware of speaking in an of the invader, and Thebes, once the most mag- unnatural voice in the school-room, let him ask nificent city the world has ever known, was a friend to visit his school and notice anything transformed into a shapeless mass of ruins, that may be peculiar to him in tone and manner.

If some such method were pursued, many of is akin to the answer, but not it. No matter the defects, now easily seen, would be removed, what the question may be, that question, and and better models would be placed before the no other, should be answered. This is espe

pupils.

cially important in the primary schools, where the children are young and need every instrumentality to aid them in securing accuracy and thoroughness.

One of the most successful female teachers in the State, not long since, requested an individual who happened to be present at one or two of her exercises, to tell her if he discovered Many young teachers do not hesitate to sit anything that was peculiar or disagreeable in wherever they can find a place, whether that be her manner or mode of address, or indeed in a chair, a desk, or anything else that offers an anything that was connected with her work. opportunity. This is a bad habit, and should There was much frankness in her request, and be immediately relinquished. The effect upon the stranger was induced to remark that he had the pupils is very injuricus. Take a seat where been exceedingly interested in the exercises to persons are expected to sit, and no where else. which he had listened, and especially in the A gentleman called at a school-room not many manner in which the subjects had been present- months since, and found the teacher sitting on ed. He had seen and heard much to commend a very low, dirty platform, while conducting a as excellent, and, as she had been frank with recitation. Before the close of his visit, she him, he would be equally frank with her. He had occupied several other places almost as unstated, or rather illustrated, a few attitudes desirable. It may not be wrong to state that which she assumed every two or three minutes, many teachers fail of securing good appointduring each of the recitation-hours. She had ments mainly on account of some bad habits never thought of the matter before, but then such as these, and many more that might be seemed to see herself, as in a glass, going through mentioned. Too much care cannot be taken of those same movements, which had been her habit one's self, if he is to stand before discerning pufor several years, and wondered no friend had pils as a guide and teacher. The very tones and ever told her of what must have been so un- gait of a teacher will be, more or less, imitated pleasant to both visitors and pupils. To her by young children, and they will, in a short honor be it said, she immediately commenced a time, acquire that which cannot be eradicated rigid self-discipline, and, in a short time, the in months or years. bad habit was overcome, and she now possesses Use every exertion to keep the school-room an ease and grace of manner that are truly clean, as well as the stairs and halls. Nothing pleasing. can be well done without this precaution. The Pupils are often allowed to hold their books general tone and character of a school can be in the right-hand. This is a bad practice. How determined, to a very great extent, by observawkward it looks to see a minister thus holding ing the degree of neatness that prevails. his book! A taste should be cultivated and a high state of morals, where much dirt exists, habit formed, in this respect, in early life. If cannot be secured. this were done to any considerable extent, we should not see so many as we now do, who seem almost devoid of taste.

A

LORD BROUGHAM, at a meeting of a Law Society, told the following story, observing that The members of a class, during recitation, no mode of payment could be fair which overshould be made to stand still; constant motion looked the previous training of the workman: is unnecessary, and ought to be prevented. If Sir Joshua Reynolds was once asked by a perthe class is allowed to sit, it should be required son for whom he had painted a small picture, to sit still. This doing neither the one thing how he could charge so much for a work which nor the other is bad in theory and not safe in had only employed him for five days? Sir Joshua practice, and is often the precursor of a multi-replied, "Five days! why, sir, I have expendtude of evils, which the teacher may wish to ed the work of thirty-five years upon it." The remedy but cannot. The only prudent course old negro, of whom the following is related, is to check it at the outset, and require prompt seems to have been imbued with the same phiobedience in every little thing, as a paramount losophy: "You charge a dollar for killing a duty. calf, you black rascal!" his employer said to

A teacher should not fall into the habit of him. "No, no, massa; me charge fifty cents asking a question and acceping something that for killum calf, and fifty cents for the know-how."

For the Schoolmaster.
The Right of Secession.

Ar such a time as the present, when all precedent fails, when history ceases to instruct, when our good ship of State is loosed from her moorings by a mutinous crew, when we are be wildered by the most absurd doctrines and assumptions, and by more absurd conduct, it is necessary to go back to first principles; to take original bearings; to calculate anew our latitude and longitude.

When men by hundreds and thousands, by counties and States, are mentally mad and morally insane; when the bottomless fountains of the great deep of human passions are completely broken up, we may not be so severely startled to hear that the most distinctive truths of the Declaration of Independence

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in all disputes and differences now subsisting or that may hereafter arise between two or more States concerning boundary, jurisdiction, or any other cause whatever." And again: "Every State shall abide by the determination of the United States in Congress assembled, on all questions which by this constitution are submitted to them." And the Articles of this

Confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State and the union shall be perpetual.”

When this Confederation was found to be defective, then a convention was called to frame a more perfect constitution.

In the preamble of this wonderful document, which has for three-fourths of a century been called by the wisest men of Europe and America the grandest work of man in political affairs, we a document are told that "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, *** and secure the establish justice, *

formerly held in great respect should be derisively called "glittering generalities"; that the moral philosophy of the North is in toto blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posteriwrong; that "there is no such thing as an ty, do ordain and establish this Constitution for eternal right and an eternal wrong"; that hu- the United States of America." man slavery is as much a divine institution a marriage; and that this nation is simply a limited partnership, entered into by a voluntary contract which may be annulled, given up, repudiated, at any time either party considers it

desirable.

At such a time as this it becomes absolutely indispensable that we calculate our position, and guide our course by no false stars or incorrect tables of reckoning.

The prime object of forming this Constitution, therefore, was to perfect the "perpetual union" of these States. Surely, then, they would take good care that the union should not become, by means of this constitution, merely a "rope of

sand."

By the Eth section of the 1st article we observe that the entire control of the militia of the several States, and especially the calling them forth to "execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections," &c., is given, not to the

Reverting, then, to the Constitution of the United States as it was framed by the immortal States themselves, but to the Congress of the men of that early period, what way-marks do we find by which to direct our course in this cloudy, stormy period?

We take up this question at the present time, not that there is any doubt in the mind of any reasonable, responsible being about the pretentions and bluster concerning the preposterous right of secession, but that we may be able, at all times, to give a reason for the hope within us. In the first place, then, we observe that the "Articles of Confederation," proposed by Dr. Franklin, on the 21st July, 1775, were styled "ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION AND PERPETUAL UNION," and the first article says: "The name of this confederacy shall henceforth be The United Colonies of North America.'"

United States, who have by law mainly delegated this power to the President, who is, ezofficio, Commander in Chief of the United States forces.

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We also find an express provision in the Constitution (art. 1. § VIII.) giving to Congress power "To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatever, over such district as may," &c. " beIn the Articles of Confederation" as finally come the seat of government of the United adopted the 15th of November 1777, we tind States, and to exercise like authority over all the following: "The United States in the Con- places purchased by the consent of the legislagress assembled shall be the last resort on appeal ture of the State in which the same shall be,

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