ies at a fashional le boarding-school, be said to have Strength, especially cle. Two causes, as diverse as the osite and conflicting motives which ap- to the ambition of the young, may cute to produce disease, debility, and rure decay; the mind and the body a becoming sources of temptation, and n leading to a violation of the laws of Thus, those whose highest ideal betty is a cultivated mind, in their allpossing attention to study, in their abBing anxiety to excel, often fail to take 26, Tiate exercise, or trench upon the rs of sleep; and as the higher nature esdes and achieves, the lower waxes iker until the vital energies are gone, t as too much heat and action in an ene, may tear the machinery to pieces, less the bolts and fastenings are made portionately strong. There must be Tony in the development of mind and isele, brain and blood, or nature will act a recoil, and the most stalwart must . Then there is another class, who r an inevitable penalty, not from their latry of mind, nor their devotion to dy, but from their too obsequious obrvance of the laws of Fashion; always perious in her demands, often taxing er votaries beyond the measure of their rength, summoning them to the party of casure, holding them beneath the spell music and the fascinations of the dance, wil the brain reels from the intoxication f the scene-the "ris-vita" is exhausted. Such are the sources of peril to young adies - the Scylla and Charybdis to be voided in the process of acquiring an edection. Alarm-bells from broken constitio.s, and from the graves of the early Head, are sounding throughout the land. We could point to some of the finest speelnens of female genius, now burning with liminished lustre, and whose light must Foon go out; aye, we might conduct you to the allowed spot, bedewed with pareted tears, where the form of many a lovely maiden rests; and if you would earch for the secret of this painful bereavement, you would find it too often in a total disregard of the laws of the physical systemd.

These facts are patent in all the land.

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Our daughters, instead of being hale and ruliena 1, an ornament to our homes, the hope of our years, making melody in all the paths of life, are often walking skeletons, dirge-like in their spirit and tone, a perpetual prophecy and prelude of early decay. In these days of abundant reading, we would advise a careful reading of that quaint old volume, "The Anatomy of Melancholy," as a book rich in suggestions as to the nature and causes of many of the evils that haunt and oppress the spirits of the young. Strange as it may seem, physicians often prescribe for sin in the shape of sickness, and for moral dereliction in the form of physical disease, as though the Materia Medics could be substituted for the moral law.

Let the bodily humors, designed to feed physical strength, instead of being drugged by medicines, absorb purity and hearth from Nature herself, and distil through all the sinews, nerves, and animal functions, the essence of endurance-the elixir of life.

Fresh air, pure water, wholesome food, regular sleep, plenty of exercise, and a "conscience void of offence," will keep the system all glowing with health, and save the doctor many a headache in solving the riddle of your debility.

It is an encouraging feature of the times, promising well for the future, that many of our literary institutions are associating Gymnastic exercise with intellectual pursuits, as essential to a complete education.

Elaborate books, developing the principles and rules of physical training, accompanied with life-like figures and attitudes, are now eagerly sought and read; professional men, including the clergy, are bɩginning to feel anew the spring and elasticity of young life, arising from "the light parlor exercise" developed into a beautiful system; while the more vigorous exercises of "palling," sparring, wrestling, and unnamable evolutions, are resorted to as a means both of pastime and of strength. It would seem as though the days of Athenian glory were again to dawn; when he who could run the swiftest race, lift the heaviest weight, as well as write the most scholarly essay, bore away the laurel-wreath of fame, and was regarded as the model man of the times.

HE mind is naturally inquisitive. We

THE

see the evidence of this in the qu questions asked by children respecting any subject that engages their attention. This natural disposition of the mind to inquire into the reason of things, when properly cultivated and strengthened, stimulates the mind to a greater exertion of its powers, and leads to a thorough investigation and comprehensive understanding of the various subjects presented for its consideration; but when pupils are required by those to whose care they are committed for instruction, to accept words without ideas, and facts without principles, this inquisitiveness of mind loses its natural force, and becomes feeble and inactive; and thus the main avenue to the development of the mental powers, and to true knowledge, is closed.

These remarks, while true in their general application, have a special application to the methods of instructing youth in the various branches of study pursued at school. As an illustration, we may take the methods of teaching Geography. The common method is to assign a lesson in the book, and require the pupils to commit to memory the answers to the several questions contained in it. If the answers are correctly repeated, the pupils receive the approbation of their teacher for having a "good lesson," and the next lesson is assigned, and so on. Pupils thus taught, if asked: "What is the earth?" will answer (with satisfaction to themselves and the teacher too), "The planet on which we live." To show the unprofitableness of such teaching, let me ask: Of what real benefit is it to a pupil to repeat the answer above, if it is unintelligible to him, as it must be, if he has no distinct idea of a planet, and no explanation has been given? He might repeat, with equal profit, the answer given in an old geography: "An oblate spheroid." In like manner, the simple answer that the axis of the earth is "an imaginary line passing through the centre of the earth," profits little; for the pupil will be at a loss to understand why a line should be imagined to pass through the earth's

centre in one directi

or why any line sho or if the answer be the earth turns," the a ball revolving on an axle, and then w line the earth turns

To be able simpl book the answers to is the earth, its sha really of but little should be familiar w in those answers. ing that familiarity, 1 illustrations are requ Instead, however, of questions and answer teacher take up the book, and, in a few him convey to the m fundamental ideas of in mind at the outset that the ideas and co ject, so familiar and mind, are almost wh minds of his pupils. phy is, as the word scription of the eart that arises, is: What instead of asking the at the outset, let the course of plain, simple prepare their minds f such a question. P known to the unknow ing), let the pupils fir specting the portion they live, and with w or less familiar. This respecting the portions of water lying beyond (answers to which ma teacher) will lead to same direction, and so inquiry is raised in the Where and what is th plain (apparently) of the midst of which like manner, the inq respecting the depth o us. Following the tra

vs of the ancients respecting the extent foundations of the earth, may here be en, then the views of Columbus, directspecial attention to the object of the edition (based on his views) which led the discovery of America. And thus pupils may be led along, step by step, they are enabled to realize, in some 1 degree, the important facts respectthe form and extent of the earth, as eloped by modern science.

he question will now arise in the minds he pupils: What is the foundation of earth-on what does it rest? As this stion is suggested by the idea that an pported body will fall, the teacher t proceed at once to acquaint his puwith the principles of inertia and gravon; and here, as elsewhere, let him r in mind that in the natural order, is precede names; therefore, distinct is of these principles should first be veyed to the minds of the pupils, after ch, the names by which they are desated may be given. A knowledge of se fundamental principles of matter, their application, will qualify the pufor an intelligent understanding of the s, which may now be stated, respecting earth's isolated position. With distinct as of the size, form, and isolated position the earth, the attention of the pupils = now be directed to the relation of the th to the heavenly bodies. In pointing this relation, let it first be impressed n the minds of the pupils, that the venly bodies-sun, moon, and starsin reality immense bodies of matter, the earth. The idea of a Planetary tem may then be unfolded-a Sun as centre, giving forth light and heat to er smaller bodies (planets) revolving und it, while around these smaller ies revolve one or more still smaller ies (satellites or moons), the planets satellites reflecting, each to the other, light emanating from the sun. Next, y follow the statement, that, though the verse, according to the revelations Astronomy, is probably composed of y such systems, or a combination of n, we have definite knowledge of but such system-our own-of which the

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comparatively, of the stars (in appearance), are the planets revolving around it, and the Moon is the satellite revolving around the Earth. In this connection, it might be Iwell for the teacher to state a few facts respecting our planetary system-the comparative size of the bodies composing it, their relative distances from each other, &c.-also to explain the cause of the similarity in appearance, to us, of the planets and fixed stars (suns). The motion of the planets and satellites in their orbits, will be readily understood by the pupils if briefly explained by the teacher, the principles (inertia and gravitation), which, combined, produce planetary motion, having been already explained. A knowledge of the principle of gravitation, will also enable the pupils to account for the spherical form of the earth and heavenly bodies.

Having obtained a definite knowledge of the earth as an immense sphere, revolving, in common with other similar bodies, around the sun, the pupils are now prepared for the next step in order-the revolution of the earth on its axis. After stating the fact that the earth revolves (turns over) at the same time that it moves around the sun, let the teacher proceed to convey to the minds of his pupils, by means of suitable illustrations, an exact idea of what is meant by the axis and poles of the earth-their only idea of an axis, hitherto, being that of a rod, of some kind, on which a wheel or ball revolves. As an auxiliary idea, let the teacher show that lines and points (definite, fixed directions, and positions,) may exist without any outward, visible marks or signs to indicate them. And thus let him show the pupils,. that in the revolution of a body (spherical or other form), though it be solid, and hence no rod passing though it on which it revolves, there will still be a certain. fixed line or direction through it, around which the body (the particles forming it) revolves, and two fixed points (positions) on the surface of the body where the line terminates the line and points being determined by the direction in which the body revolves.

The pupils now understand that the poles of the earth are two fixed points on

by the direction in which the earth revolves. From the poles as starting points, the equator and parallels are determined. A few words respecting meridians, and an explanation of the use of parallels and meridians, in determining the relative positions of portions of the earth's surface, or points on its surface, and the pupils are now prepared for an intelligent and successful pursuit of the study upon which they have entered.

In determining the position of the tropics and polar circles, and in showing how the change of seasons is produced, which may here be done, an explanation of what is meant by the plane of the earth's orbit, and of the inclination of the earth's axis to the plane of its orbit as it revolves around the sun, will be necessary. This will be rendered comparatively easy, however, as the facts and principles upon which this part of the subject is based, have been already dwelt on.

At the proper point, the exa earth (spheroidal) may be st probable reason of it given, tical form of the earth's orbit The course marked out thu fully pursued, will occupy the one or two recitations, but of it contemplates, not the stre the memory simply, but rathe sion and growth of the mind i ties-a work requiring time, of mind, like growth of bc time. New ideas are to be u their relations carefully poin quiring much time for the and illustrations thereby ren sary. The pursuit of such a ever, will not only result in discipline of mind-one of the tant ends to be attained in a c struction-but the true founda laid for the successful pursuit ticular branch taught.

A

LTHOUGH Sir Isaac Newton believed that, of all his discoveries, none equaled in importance that of the compound nature of light, yet he little thought that thereby he was giving to posterity an assistant which, when properly employed, would not merely open up hidden things on our own globe, but even reveal the nature of extra-mundane bodies. It was reserved for this century to ascertain its true significance. For nearly a hundred years, the discovery was regarded as but little more than a curious fact; but in 1802, Wallaston observed that, under certain circumstances, dark lines could be discerned traversing the solar spectrum. His observations, however, attracted but little notice at the time; and even twenty-five years afterwards, when Mr. Fox Talbot published, in Brewster's Edinburgh Journal, a like statement, no one was found to follow up the investigation, and the matter seems to have been forgotten. A number of years after this statement by Talbot, Fraunhofer, the German optician, entirely ignorant of

the observations by Wollaston reannounced the same fact, wit tional remark, that certain of t the solar spectrum appeared o ticular seasons or under peculiar of the atmosphere, and also, th them coincided with the limitin the colors.

These statements of Fraunhofe ed intense interest among scien Sir David Brewster accounted fo by referring them to the influen atmosphere upon the sun's light passing a ray through a colored v bands appeared. The irregular currence, he supposed to be caus presence or absence of some par por in the atmosphere. He also that the color of the vapor had upon the lines, since the red vapo nitric acid gave a line in the blu facts attracted the attention Wheatstone and Miller, who, that salts of many metals when in alcohol and ignited impart pec