SCIENTIFIC LECTURING.

It is characteristic of the universal Yankee nation to let their light shine very few suffer it to remain under a bushel. The result is, a constant rising of new luminaries to irradiate the public mind, and dispel the shades of ignorance and error.

The determination to enlighten the community on subjects of philosophic science is especially noticeable. Notwithstanding the host of fixed stars, of varying magnitudes, which shed a constant light, there are also many philosophic meteors which flash out over the country, to excite wonder for a brief moment, and then go out in darkness, leaving no trace of useful results behind.

The passion for scientific lecturing was never so great as now. The eagerness to learn of new theories and new discoveries in science, and to witness practical illustrations of both new and old, has caused an army of lecturers, of every grade of qualification, to proffer their services for the glorious mission of dispensing science. Of this army some are champions, and many well worthy the mission they have undertaken; while a portion go forth like the ass in the fable, dressed up in the skin of science, without either the ability or the art to conceal their natures.

Mr. Flasher being of an ambitious turn, and having read a brief elementary work on Natural Philosophy, and another on Chemistry, and having listened to a few illustrated lectures from a dubbed Professor, determines to leave shoemaking and take up lecturing, as a shorter road to fame and wealth. He accordingly purchases a cheap chemical apparatus, a magic lantern, a few scripture paintings for Sunday school exhibitions, and a set of "kings and queens," together with the requisite supply of comic scenes, and starts out, confident of success, and rejoicing in the rapid stride he is about taking up the ladder of science. His debut is made in the town hall of a country village. Spacious bills are posted about the streets, announcing the advent of "Professor Marcus Valorious Flasher," with "a superb apparatus," whereby he proposes to favor the citizens with "a wonderful exhibition of the Phantasmagoria, accompanied by a powerful Drummond light, and a variety of magnificent illustrations of chemical science, too numerous to mention; constituting, on the whole, a display of science unparalleled in attractiveness and brilliancy."

A medium-sized audience assemble at the time and place designated.

In a well-committed preface, Mr. F. descants, in words of learned length, on the wonders of science and its achievements, making a prodigious sweep over the whole field, from the days of Galileo to his own, when he at length descends to the particular subjects of the evening. Here comes the tug of war! Manual skill, as well as oratory, is required. In attempting to use his magic lantern, the gases for illumination refuse to yield the requisite light, and the luminous lime ball to stand at the "nice point;" while the lenses, wrongly inserted, all serve to give indistinctness and distortion to the views. In vain does Mr. Flasher expatiate on the splendor of the scenes so mistily displayed before his impatient audience.

After a tedious half hour the programme is changed, and the "Wonders of Chemistry" are introduced. A feeble exhibition of the Drummond light is made. A piece of damp phosphorus is ignited in a jar of oxygen gas, which ends in the fracture of the jar and the burning of Mr. F.'s fingers. Tapers, iron wires, sulphur, etc., are burned in the same gas, with tolerable success, and the exercises conclude with an attempt to suffocate a rat in carbonic acid, which results in the escape of his ratship and an unceremonious dispersion of the feminine portion of the audience.

Thus ends the pompously-heralded lecture by Professor Marcus Valorious Flasher. The intelligent portion of the assembly feel that they have been "sold," while the ignorant and inconsiderate declaim against all scientific lecturers as cheats and humbugs.

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This description may seem over-wrought, but is still within the latitude of facts. Do, however, such insults to science such abuses of public confidence-militate at all against the diffusion of science, through the medium of popular, illustrated lectures? Every profession has its quacks, but its importance is thereby rendered none the less. Illustrated lectures upon subjects of practical science, where the requisite learning and skill are employed, furnish a most amusing, agreeable and instructive recreation. To this all will attest, who listened, for instance, to the lectures delivered by Dr. Lardner, a few years since, in many of our American cities.

Every community must and will have its amusements; and how much better that they combine pleasure and useful instruction, than pleasure only. Let, then, worthy efforts for the diffusion of popular science be duly encouraged, and the fondness for idle shows and vulgar pantomime will gradually diminish; while valuable truths, sown instead, will spring up and bear the blessed fruits of usefulness and sobriety. Boston, June 20, 1856.

A. W. SPRAGUE,

COULDN'T AFFORD IT.

"I had a dream the other night,
When every thing was still;
I thought I saw old Ignorance
A-riding of a quill."

I would not have placed the above unintelligible stanza at the head of my article, but I fear the absence of classical quotation may offend some of my learned readers. These expressive words are undoubtedly of the purest and highest order, and their claims to classicality placed beyond cavil, as their author's name is so far buried in musty antiquity as to be now irrecoverable. But "that is neither here nor there." I was about to speak of a fellow that, I hope, none of you are acquainted with the man that takes no paper.

He will not be offended at what I say, for printing troubles him not. Happy fellow! The sneers of the inky pressman affect him not. The seething words of the editor stir up no commotion in his soul. The furious exclamation, and dashes, of the printer, disturb not the even calm which is habitual to him. Blissfully unconscious fellow ! that know'st not of the evil deeds of thy fellow-mortals - the murders, robberies, licentiousness, cheating, and wars, which are ever in progress. Is not aware of the anguish, the pain, torture, sickness and misery, to which mortals are subject. Enviable man! Not troubled with the necessity of excessive and long-protracted mental labor; that other men are only to ruffle that repose of mind which none but "the man that takes no paper," fully enjoys and appreciates. The rise and fall of markets are of no more importance to him than the fate of nations, and both equally unworthy of his consideration. He can look back at his past life, and say with complacency and "the poet:"

"I ne'er did study in those muddy
Grammar books, and such, sir;
But then, think you, I never knew
That Holland took the Dutch, sir!

"Then I believe in steaks of beef;
I never was mistaken;

I never mistook, for slate or book,
My butter or my bacon.

"And then again, by might or main,
I each day take my dinner,
And never fail, how strong the gale,

To always come off winner."

Such is the happy man, and this short extract from "the poet" partly depicts to us the truly mundane joys which fall to his lot. How different from the insipid, dull, tiring, prosaic occupations of the man who must spend his money, time, and mental and physical abilities in noseing bedaubed paper.

But, as the prefatory quotation implies, I had a dream. Now, I've dreamed of ghosts and hobgoblins, of imps and Apollyons, of starved wretches, and, worst of all, of unpaid editors; but the fantasies of dream-life never depicted, fully, the unfortunate wight who didn't take a paper. What was he like? What his body was, I was not able to determine; lean and lauk, perchance, or ought to be, and on his ignorant carcase the worn-out ghosts of rags and patches. Shoes and hats he has not (or ought n't to have), for they have been invented since the flood. His eyes are hollow and sunken, possibly gone to hunt the little soul that dwells within. His hands are worn bony, grasping for nothingness. Methought I saw him coming thus, and as he approached, nearer, he swelled forth into a large, hale and hearty human, chinking

it might have been—a few thousand dollars. Then I took courage, and asked him to subscribe. "Stranger," he answered, "I hain't no larnin', and don't b'lieve in sich onery things; and can't 'ford 'em, neither." "But you have a wife and daughter who -;" but he broke in with, "Don't tell me that stuff; their place is in the kitchen." Then I saw my picture was true the mirror of the inner man. Widow Bedott-good old soul—tells us that the Deacon affirmed, we are all poor critters;" but my version now reads, in addition, "but some are poorer." I've heard of Job's poor gobbler, who leaned against the fence to take a breath; of the poor old maid, who sighed herself invisible; and of the poor farm that would bring nothing but taxes; — but when I go round to Poverty Corner again, I shall take with me the man that takes no paper.

that "

I have heard of little things; of the Lilliputian gentry, who mistook a poor fellow's capillary for natural cables; of the fairy Queen Mab, whose weight would not press down an eyelash; of the minute animalculæ, a thousand of whom could take a lively "hoe-down" on the point of a pin; but I never had an adequate idea of infinitesimal littleness, till I saw the sham Teacher who could n't afford to take The Ohio Journal of Education.

Iowa, May 27, 1856.

T. WELLES STANLEY.

COURSE OF STUDY PURSUED IN THE MASSILLON PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

PRIMARY DEPARTMENT.

Alphabet.-Slate exercises in Printing and Writing.

Reading.-Howard's First Book in Reading and Drawing, Mandeville's Second

Reader.

Spelling. Be able to spell, on examination for transfer, at least seventy per cent. of the words selected from the foregoing exercises.

Geography.--Through the 53d or 52d lesson in Monteith's Youth's Geography. Arithmetic.-Through Stoddard's Juvenile.

SECONDARY DEPARTMENT.

Reading. Through Third Reader, Mandeville's Series; Fourth Reader commenced.

Spelling-Words from reading lessons, and McElligot's Young Analyzer, onethird through.

Geography.-Finished, Monteith's Youth's Geography.

History-Child's First Book in History (Parley); through United States. Arithmetic.-Stoddard's Mental, to Chapter VIII; or Colburn, to Section IX. Writing.-Spencerian System.

GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

Reading. Through Fourth Reader; and Course of Reading, Mandeville's Series.

Spelling.-Young Analyzer, finished; McElligott's Manual, one-third through. Geography.-Through Cornell's Intermediate.

Arithmetic. Through Proportion; Davies' Elementary.

History.-Child's First and Second Books in History (Parley), finished.

Grammar. On transfer to High School, be able to pass a fair examination in Greene's Elements of the English language.

Writing.-Spencerian System. Weekly exercises alternating.
Composition and Declamation,

HIGH SCHOOL-GRADUATING COURSE.

FIRST YEAR.

Spring Term-Grammar, Greene; Arithmetic, Stoddard; Physical Geography, Lectures; Local Geography, Outline Maps; Spelling. McElligot's Manual; Reading, Course of Reading, Mandeville.

Fall Term-Same, continued.

Winter Term.-Arithmetic (Stoddard), finished; Rhetoric (Boyd), commenced; Algebra (Ray's First Part), commenced.

SECOND YEAR.

Spring Term.-Rhetoric, finished; Algebra, continued; Natural Philosophy (Parker's), commenced.

Fall Term.-Algebra (Ray's Second Part), commenced; Logic (Hedge), commenced; Natural Philosophy, continued; Physiology, Lectures. Winter Term.-Same, continued.