30

HOW BROAD IS SUNDAY?

ONE

HOW BROAD IS SUNDAY?

NE day a little boy asked permission to play with some of his toys. "No, my dear, it is Sunday," replied his mother.

"Is it Sunday up at Mr. Arthur's?" asked the child. "Yes, my son," answered his kind mother.

"Is it Sunday down at Mr. Mason's, too?" he inquired. "Yes, my child."

"Is it Sunday everywhere?" asked the little fellow.

"Yes, my dear, it is Sunday in the house, in the street, in the country, in the city, and everywhere."

Do all our little friends know how broad Sunday is? Do not some of you forget that it is Sunday where you are?

One day little Ellen went to her room, took out her doll and made a new dress for it, and spread her tea-cups and saucers on a table before it. Did she think it was Sunday there?

The other day, Robert and some other boys stole away into the field and had a game of ball. The church steeple was out of sight, and they could not see the people on their way to meeting; but was that retired nook beyond the limits of the Sabbath?

The Sabbath is as broad as the earth-it comes everywhere. Will you not remember that it is God's day? You may retire where no human eye can see you profane it, yet no spot is so secluded, no darkness is so deep, that the eye of God can not see your conduct.

BE TIDY." Now, my son, be tidy; fold up your nightgown again; I must have it done neatly." Such were the words addressed by a kind mother to her little boy. Years have passed since that time, and that little boy has grown up to be a man. A friend said to him one day, "How is it that you can get through so much work as you do?"

"By method, method! I am now reaping the fruits of my mother's lesson-BE TIDY,"" was his reply.

Editor's Table.

W

OUR OBJECT.

"Scatter diligently, in susceptible minds,

The germs of the good and beautiful,

They will develop there to trees, bud, bloom,

And bear the golden fruit of paradise."

E have a higher object in sending you this magazine than merely to obtain the price of its subscription, for in return we hope to render you more than a four-fold equivalent, in instruction for your family, or in pleasure and profit to yourselves. For all whose characters and habits are forming, whose principles of truth and virtue are to be established, whose minds are to be developed, is THE STUDENT prepared. It bears instruction for the little learner, for youth, and also for all who seek to satisfy a thirst for knowledge. It whispers many encouraging words for the youth battling with the adversities of life, and urges them onward with noble aspirations for something higher and purer.

To be valuable as it is useful, and interesting or amusing that it may be instructing, is the aim of this work. It comes to you, not merely laden with something to beguile the passing hour, then leaving you without a new idea, or a useful thought, or fact as a memento of its passing; but with a higher objectto instruct. Reader, whoever you may be, you have an interest in this work; for he that attends to his interior self, that has a heart and keeps it, a mind that hungers and supplies it; who seeks a useful, not a worthless life, will find encouragement and assistance here.

COURTESY OF THE PRESS. We are under many obligations to our brother editors, in the country particularly, for the very kind and cordial manner with which they have welcomed The Student, not only giving it monthly notices, but in many instances publishing our prospectus entire. We wish all of the latter class to send us marked copies of their papers, that we may not fail to notice their favors, and in addition to sending them the monthly numbers, we shall be happy to forward each a bound volume of The Student at the close of the year.

PLAIN DIET FOR CHILDREN.-Old Dr. Humphrey has uttered many valuable truths in his quaint style, and not a few in plainer language. Among the latter are the following important thoughts for parents :—“ Plain diet is what children ought, on every account, to be accustomed to from the first. It is vastly more necessary for their present health and comfort than the nice little things with which fond parents are so apt to vitiate their appetites, and it will save them a great deal of mortification in after life."

"If you make it a point to give them the best of every thing, to pamper them with rich cakes, sweetmeats, and sugar plums: if you allow them to say with a scowl, 'I don't like this,' or 'can't eat that,' and then go away and make them

a little toast, or kill a chicken for their dainty palates, depend upon it you are doing them a great injury, not only on the score of denying them a full muscle and rosy cheek, but of forming one of the most inconvenient habits that they can carry along with them in after life. When they come to leave you, they will not half the time find any thing they can eat; and thus you will prepare them to go chafing and grumbling through life, the veriest slaves almost in the world."

HINTS FOR PARENTS." Never allow a child to be uncourteous and disrespectful, in language or behavior, to yourself or others. Cultivate the affections with greater care' than you would nurse a house plant; they afford more pleasure in the domestic circle, and their frailty demands your utmost attention. Allow no influences in your family but those that are gentle and kind. Lay it down as a rule, never to smile, nor in any way show approval or merriment, at any trait in a child which you would not wish to grow with his growth, and strengthen with his strength."

EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENTS.-We should be happy to receive from principals of schools, and from officers of educational institutions, conventions, meetings, etc., reports, addresses, statistics, and catalogues from all sections of the country. If addressed to "The Student, New York," they will reach us.

Our Museum.

INCE some will examine Our Museum for the first time, in this number,

SINCE

we now state briefly its character and object. It is designed to be the editor's repository for curiosities in literature, gems of thought, valuable facts in science, art, philosophy, and history, scraps from antiquarian researches, origin of words and sayings, anecdotes, questions from correspondents, with their answers, enigmas, puzzles, etc., etc. All our readers are invited to aid us in making this intersting, by sending contributions for it.

MAY is the fifth month of our year, but the third of the Roman, whose year began in March. Its name is supposed to be derived from Maia, the mother of Mercury, to whom the Romans offered sacrifices on the first day of this month.

Languages and Alphabets.—Originally all men spoke the same language, yet there are now no less than 3,664 languages and dialects used in the world. But comparatively few of these, however, have ever been reduced to a written language. Several of the written languages employ the same alphabet, yet even these do not all use the same number of letters. The principal written languages, together with the number of letters in their several alphabets, are comprised of the following lists: The English Alphabet has 26 letters; the French, 25; Italian, 20; Spanish, 27; German, 26; Sclavonic, 27; Russian, 41; Latin, 22; Greek, 24; Hebrew, 22; Arabic, 28; Persian, 32; Turkish, 33; Sanscrit, 50; Chinese, 214.

AGRARIAN LAW.-This law was enacted by the Romans, 132 years before Christ. It decreed an equal distribution of the public lands among all the citizens, and prohibited any person from owning more than a certain number of acres. It made the rich poor, and at last proved fatal to the freedom of Rome.

PUNCH says the Emperor Nicholas wishes a correction made in the next edition of our Dictionaries; for he has discovered that an Ottoman is not a thing upon which you can comfortably rest your foot.

MATRIMONIAL PUN.—A clergyman, soon after uniting in marriage a couple whose Christian names were Benjamin and Ann, was asked by a friend how they appeared during the ceremony. He readily replied: They appeared both annie-mated and bennie-fitted."

A CURIOSITY.-The following curious sentence is said to have been taken from a volume of sermons published during the reign of James I. of England: "This dial shows that we must die all; yet notwithstanding, all houses are turned into ale houses, our cares into cates, our paradise into pair o'dice, matrimony into matter of money, and marriage into merry age, our divines into dry vines: it was not so in the days of Noah-O, no!"

LOAFERS. Some one has attempted to classify the loafers of different nations by the manner in which they spend their time. The following is the result: The Italian loafer spends his time in sleeping; the Turkish loafer in dreaming; the Hungarian loafer in smoking; the German loafer in drinking; the Russian loafer in gambling; the French loafer in laughing; the English loafer in swearing; and the American loafer in whittling and talking politics. Unfortunately some of the American cities have a collection of loafers which comprise all these classes.

CURIOUS TITLE.-A book was printed during the time of Cromwell, with the following title: " Eggs of Charity, layed by the Chickens of the Covenants, and boiled with the Water of Divine Love-Take ye and eat."

CANES.-Walking sticks were first introduced into fashion by the effeminate Henry II. of France, but did not become a requisite appendage to the gentlemen of fashion in England till the year 1662. Ingenuity, which in matters of fashion is ever on the alert, soon crowned it with the addition of the round and hollow top, which sometimes contained nutmeg or ginger, to warm the stomach of the valetudinarian, and sometimes sugar-candy for the asthmatic. Soon afterward snuff came into universal use among the bon ton of society, and the cavity was exclusively appropriated to its reception. Then the meeting of two friends was invariably marked, after the first salutation, by the unscrewing of the tops of their walking-sticks.

LAMPS were used by the ancients; candles are an invention of the middle ages. At first, wicks were made of papyrus, hemp, and the pith of rushes.

EPIGRAM. In an old book, published in 1660, is found the following epigram. Any one will appreciate it by remembering that the Latin word amor means love.

ON ROME

"Hate and debate Rome through the world hath spread;

Yet Roma amor is, if backward read;

Then is it strange Rome should foster hate? no,

For out of backward love all hate doth grow."

A PUZZLE, from J. C. B., of O. Arrange the following letters into a sentence.

E M E H Ꭱ A R N H Y F т от

T E

O E

S

E B
RMRY CTIT DAO

Y H
HYU

34

ITEMS.

Items and Events.

NDIGO PLANT.-This shrub, from which indigo is made, is found in warm

IND

climates in Asia, Africa, and America. It grows spontaneously when once rooted. A single plant spreads with such rapidity that in a few years it will cover several acres.

TOBACCO.-One hundred and forty million dollars' worth of tobacco was consumed by Great Britain last year; enough to keep a million of boys at a good school for twelve months. Over one thousand tons of tobacco are annually used for chewing.

It is said that a book has been published in England, by Dr. Stowell, in which he undertakes to prove that "the forbidden fruit was the tobacco plant.”

CHARLES F. HOFFMAN, the American author and poet, is now an inmate of the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Asylum, near Harrisburg, Pa.

EGYPT.-Monsieur Mariette, a French Savan, it is said, has recently discovered a secret entrance into the Egyptian Sphinx.

SOLAR ECLIPSE.-On Friday afternoon, the 26th of May, there will be an eclipse of the sun, of an unusual magnitude. It will be an annular eclipse in the eastern part of Upper Canada, through the northern portion of the State of New York, in nearly all of Vermont and New Hampshire; in the north-eastern corner of Massachusetts, and south-western part of Maine. It will appear as a very large partial eclipse throughout North America. After this it will be four years before another eclipse of the sun will occur in this country that will attract much attention.

NEBRASKA. This is a large territory, chiefly inhabited by Indians, lying between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains. It extends from the Indian Territory and Texas on the south, to the British Possessions on the north; and contains about 136,600 square miles, or as many acres as all the New England States, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland combined. During the past three months the country has been greatly excited, on account of a bill before Congress, proposing to repeal the Missouri Compromise, and permit slaves to be owned in the Nebraska Territory.

WAR IN EUROPE.-Preparations are still in progress for the war between Turkey and Russia. England and France have joined with Turkey in resisting the aggressions of Russia.

STATE SUPERINTENDENTS OF COMMON SCHOOLS.-Victor M. Rice, formerly City Superintendent of Common Schools in Buffalo, New York, has been elected Superintendent of Common Schools for the State of New York.

N. W. Edwards of Springfield, Ill., has recently been appointed Superintendent of Common Schools for the State of Illinois.

H. H. Barney has recently entered upon the duties of this office in the State of Ohio.

In the State of Michigan this office is filled by Francis W. Shearman; in Minnesota, by E. W. Merrill; in Wisconsin, by H H. Wright; in Iowa, by Thomas H. Benton, jr.; in Connecticut, by Hon. Henry Barnard; in Massachusetts, by Dr. B. Sears.

We should be glad to give the names of those filling this office in other States but have not the means at hand for doing so.