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the receptacle of the rivers; the divider of nations; the favorer of pleasures.

What are rivers? The irrigators of the earth.

What is frost? The destroyer of leaves; the persecutor of herbs; the fetter of the earth.

What is snow? Dry water.

What is winter? The absence of summer. Spring? The painter of the earth. Summer? The reclother of the earth; the ripener of Autumn? The granary of the year. What is the year? The chariot of the world.

. corn.

What does it carry?

Day and night, heat and cold.

Who are its drivers? The sun and moon.

How many are its palaces? Twelve.

What is a ship? A wandering house; a perpetual_inn; a traveler without footsteps.

What makes bitter things sweet? Hunger.

What never makes men weary ? Gain.

What is a silent messenger? A letter.

Here is instruction, given by one of the first minds of the age, to a son of the most enlightened prince of that time-without one word of scientific truth, without the least particle of that information which is now afforded to almost every child, in civilized society.-Common School Journal, Vol. I.

The Law of Love in School.

A most effective way to secure the good will of a scholar is to ask him to assist you. There is a boy in your school who is famous for his skill in making whistles from the green branches of the poplar. He is a bad boy, and likes to turn his ingenuity to purposes of mischief. You observe him some day in school, when he thinks your attention is engaged another way, blowing softly upon a whistle which he has concealed in his desk, for the purpose of amusing his neighbors, without attracting the attention of his teacher. Now there are two remedies. Will you try the physical one? Then call him out into the floor; inflict painful punishment, and send him smarting to his seat, with his heart full of anger and revenge, to plot some new and less dangerous

scheme of annoyance. Will you try the moral one? Then wait till the recess, and while he is out at his play send a message out by another boy, saying that you have heard he is very skillful in making whistles, and ask him to make one for you to carry home to a little child at your boarding house. What would, in ordinary cases, be the effect? It would certainly be a very simple application; but its effect would be to open an entirely new train of thought and feeling to the boy. "What!" he would say to himself, while engaged at work on his task, "give the master pleasure by making whistles? Who ever heard of such a thing? I never thought of any thing but giving him trouble and pain. I wonder who told him I could make whistles?" He would find, too, that the new enjoyment is far higher and purer than the old, and would have little disposition to return to the latter.

I do not mean by this illustration that such a measure as this would be the only notice that ought to be taken of a willful disturbance in the school. Probably it would not. What measure in direct reference to the fault committed would be necessary, would depend upon the circumstances connected with the case. ABBOTT.

NEVER DECEIVE CHILDREN.-The importance of truth, without deception in the management of children, is illustrated by the anecdote narrated in the following paragraph from a New York paper: "Two small boys met on the side walk, and after some minutes spent in conversation, one remarked to the other that some little thing might be obtained if he could secure a few cents from his parents. But,' said the other, 'I don't need any money to obtain it, for my mother told me I should have it at such a time.' 'Poh!' said the first, my mother has promised me so many times, and I did not get it, and I do not think you will either.' What!' said the other. O yes!' replied the first, our mothers only tell us so to get rid of us, and I think it will be so with yours.' What, my mother tell me a lie! I would sooner believe the Bible lies than my mother!' exclaimed the little fellow, and immediately left his companion with a countenance filled with indignation. What a lesson should this afford to all parents, guardians and those who have the care of youth."

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SCIENTIFIC.

Civil Polity.

It is highly important that some instruction should be given in this science, at least to the older pupils, in all our schools. The following is an outline of the introduction to the course which has been given for some time past in the Public High School of Columbus.

CIVIL POLITY teaches the elements of political science. The elements of this, like most other sciences, consist mainly of definitions, which must be thoroughly learned and clearly understood.

I. LIBERTY. As the term is here employed, liberty is freedom from restraint: it is classified as natural, civil, political and religious liberty.

1. Natural liberty is freedom from all restraint except such as the laws of nature impose.

2. Civil liberty is freedom from all restraints except such as conduce to the public good.

3. Political liberty is that degree of security with which a government guaranties to its subjects the enjoyment of civil liberty.

4. Religious liberty is freedom from constraint in reference to religion and religious worship.

II. LAW.-Law is a rule of action: when prescribed to free agents, it is a rule for action, or a rule in accordance with which they are required to act. Law is of four kinds: the law of nature, revealed law, the laws of nations, and municipal law.

1. The law of nature is, 1. The will of the Creator, as indicated in his works; or, 2. It is the rule in accordance with which the powers and agencies of nature act; as the laws of gravitation, of motion, of crystalization, etc. Under this head are included the laws of inorganic matter, of vegetable life, of animal life, and those natural laws which are universally binding on the human family, as individuals or nations.

2. Revealed law is the will of the Deity as made known by himself in the Scriptures; it includes the moral and the ceremonial law.

3. The laws of nations are those rules which define the rights and prescribe the duties of nations in their intercourse with each other. These are of two kinds: 1. The natural or common law of nations,

which is based upon the principles of natural justice; and, 2. The positive laws found in compacts or treaties, voluntarily made between independent nations.

The following are some of the rights regarded as a part of the natural laws of natious:

Every nation has a right,

(1.) To be deemed by every other nation, equally sovereign and independent.

(2.) To choose its own form of government, and to change it at will, provided the change does not affect its obligations to other governments, or to individual creditors.

(3.) To regulate its internal policy.

(4.) To dispose of its territory as it may deem proper.

(5.) To use its own discretion in making commercial or other treaties, and to encourage or prohibit commercial intercourse with other nations.

(6.) To the exclusive use of rivers flowing through its territory, of all inland bays and navigable waters, and the adjoining sea-coast and its waters, to the distance of three miles from the shore.

(7.) Custom requires vessels sailing beyond the jurisdiction of their own country to be furnished with passports.

These are specimens of the decisions of natural justice on this subject, and of the laws which are regarded as binding upon all nations. The country which should violate them would forfeit its claim to the protection of the laws of nations, and to the respect of the civilized world, and become liable to be treated as a common enemy.

International law, or the positive law of nations, consists of agreements, leagues or treaties, between two or more sovereigns or nations. These are of various kinds; as, treaties of peace; of alliance, offensive and defensive; for settling disputed boundaries; commercial treaties, postal treaties or agreements, etc. These are binding only upon the contracting parties.

4. Municipal law is a rule prescribed by the supreme power in a State for the government of its citizens. It may be referred to three heads; common, constitutional, and statute law.

Common law consists of those customs and rules to which time and usage have given the sanction of law; its principles are to be found mainly in the records of courts, and the reports of judicial decisions.

Constitutional law consists of the requirements and prohibitions of the Constitution.

Statute law is the express written will of the Legislature. Statutes

are binding only when enacted in due form, and in accordance with the Constitution; hence the Constitution is superior to the acts of the Legislature; but statute law is superior is force to common law.

Laws may be classified; as, mandatory, commanding what shall be done; prohibitory, forbidding certain acts; or permissive, declaring what may be done without incurring a penalty.

Laws are also classified as, civil, criminal, martial, commercial, etc. III. GOVERNMENT.-1 Definitions. This term is variously defined. It is, (1.) The exercise of influence or authority over individuals, states or nations. (2.) It is the power which enacts, executes and adjudicates the laws. in a state or nation.

(3.) It is the whole body of constituted authority

2. Applications of the term. In the common use of the term, we speak of family, school and church government; in the civil sense, of municipal, state and national government.

3. Forms. There are three distinct forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Monarchies are absolute or limited, hereditary or elective. An absolute monarchy is called a despotism or autocracy, and the monarch, an autocrat.

Democracies are pure or representative. Representative democracies are generally called Republics; some aristocracies are also Republics.

4. Departments. Every government, whatever its form, consists of three departments; the legislative, executive, and judicial.

IV. Before proceeding to examine our own or any other form of government, the following definitions must be thoroughly learned: Sovereignty is supreme power; independent nations, whatever their form of government, are called sovereignties.

A Constitution is the fundamental law of a nation, and determines its form of government.

A Bill is the written form of an act, proposed for enactment by a Legislature.

An Act or Statute is a law which has been duly enacted.

A Retrospective Law is one which acts upon things already done. An ex post facto Law makes an act criminal which was not so when it was performed.

A Charter is an act creating a corporation or separate municipal government.

A Corporation is a body politic, having a common seal. Banks, Railroad and Turnpike Companies, Colleges, etc., are corporations.

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