CHAPTER I.

Long ago, and long ago it was, in the days when I used proudly to write “School Teacher” after my name, I bought a certain book for the express purpose of reading it to “the girls I’ve left behind me.” The book is one beloved by train boys, of which they and other venders have sold so many that the latest “dodgers” read, “Twentieth thousand now in press.” It is sensible in matter, attractive in style, and goes by the enticing name of “Getting on in the World.” Naturally enough it was written in Chicago, and like most “Garden City” notions, is “a success.” But the trouble with this volume was that it didn’t fill the bill. I wanted to read it to “my girls,” to stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance that “life is real, life is earnest,” and the rest of it. But as I scanned its bright and pleasant pages I found out—what do you think I found? Why, that with the light of a new dispensation blazing in upon him, and the soprano voices of several million “superfluous women,” crying, “Have you no _work_ for me to do?” this honored author had written never a word about creation’s gentler half! His book contained 365 pages, but if you had read a page each day, all the year round, you wouldn’t have found out at last that such a being as a woman was trying to “get on” in this or any other world. Not a bread-winning weapon had he put into the hand of the neediest among us, nor had he, even in a stray chapter or “appendix,” taken us off by ourselves and drawn us a diagram of “our sphere.”

I was so pained by this that I wrote Prof. Matthews (the gifted author, and my personal friend), asking him why he had thus counted out the women folks in his book upon success in life. I even ventured to hypothecate his reason, saying to him:

“DEAR SIR:—I do not think you did this with malice aforethought, or from lack of interest in our fate, but simply and only because, like so many of our excellent brethren, you ‘done forgot all about us,’ as _Topsey_ would say.”

Whereupon came a prompt and gracious reply, with the frank and manly admission:

“You guessed aright. I simply forgot to speak of women.”

Now, you perceive, it set me thinking—this obliquity of mental vision, which had led a writer so talented and wise to squint thus at the human race, seeing but half of it. I recalled the fact that, into most families, are born girls as well as boys; nay, as many an over-burdened _pater familias_ can testify, they come not unfrequently in largely superior, if not exclusive numbers. Having, also, at a remote period of my history, belonged to the same helpless fraternity, I was haunted by the wish that I might write a sequel to the Professor’s excellent book, talking therein to girls and women about success in life. Perhaps my time has come; perhaps, in the generous pages of THE CHAUTAUQUAN, whose editor is so tolerant of the “strong minded” sisterhood, I have the largest audience that has yet consented to listen to my “views.” Anyhow, I mean, in these newly acquired pages to talk to girls of “How to Win” in something besides the sense treated of in books of etiquette and fashion magazines, or systematically taught in dancing schools.

And now, my dears, if you are patient and my small assistant keeps me in lead pencils, I shall try to show that if every young woman held in her firm little hand her own best gift, duly cultivated and made effective, society would not explode, the moon would not be darkened, the sun would still shed light. Somehow, dear girls, when I see an audience of young men, they remind me of a platoon of soldiers, marching with fixed bayonet, to the capture of their destiny. An assembly of young women, on the other hand, recalls a flock of lambs upon a pleasant hillside. They frisk about and nibble at the herbage and lie down in the sun, while above them soars the devouring eagle of their destiny, sweeping in concentric rings through the blue air, and ready to pounce down upon them, while the meek little innocents turn their white faces upward and mildly wonder “what that graceful creature is up yonder?” They remind me, too, of the reply given by a bright young friend of mine to the solemn exhortation that she should “make the most of life.”

“Humph!” she exclaimed with a rueful grimace, “I have no chance, for life is busy making the most of me!”

The trouble is, we women have all along been set down on the world’s program for a part so different from the one we really play upon its stage. For instance, the program reads: “Woman will take the part of Queen in the Drama of Society,” but often times, before the curtain falls, the stage reveals her as a dressmaker, a school teacher, perchance that most abused of mortals, a reformer! The program reads: “This august actress will be escorted to the stage by Man, her loyal and devoted subject, to whom has been assigned the part of shielding her from the glare of the footlights, and shooting anybody in the audience who dares to hiss.” But, alas! ofttimes the stage reveals her coming in alone, dragging her own sewing machine, while her humble and devoted subject, with tailor’s goose in one hand and scissors in the other, indicates by energetic pantomime his fixed intention to drive her speedily behind the scenes. The program, my beloved innocents, attires you all in purple and fine linen and bids you fare sumptuously every day, but not infrequently the stage reveals you attired in calico gowns, and munching your hard-earned crackers and cheese. The world’s theory furnishes every young lady that draws breath, with a lover, loyal and true, but the world’s practice shoots him on the battlefield, or poisons him with alcohol and nicotine until he can only “rattle around” through life in the place God meant him to fill within home’s sacred sanctuary. It is just this discrepancy that I complain of, and the generous age we live in is complaining of it with a thousand tongues, so that “the logic of events” that happen, instead of events that ought to happen, is impelling toward nobler fortunes that phenomenal creature whom a French author has called “the poor woman of the nineteenth century.”

Naturally enough, in thinking over the “case,” I contrast your aims in life with what were once my aims, your outlook upon life with mine. The other day—a rainy one, you may be sure—I brought from the vasty deep of the family garret some of my girlish journals, which I was curious to compare with the diary of a friend and former pupil at Evanston. Let me give you a few parallel passages because of the lesson they teach. My pupil (aged sixteen) writes thus:

“Was registered this day a member of the Freshman class in the Northwestern University. The president advises me to take the classical course, and I’ve made up my mind to try it.”

From mine at fifteen years I read:

“Caught a blue jay in my trap out in the hazel thicket. I knew he wasn’t “game” and let him go. The school house in our district is finished at last. A graduate of Yale College, and former tutor at Oberlin, is to be our teacher. I shall attend regularly, visiting my traps on the way.”

Later:

“Sister and I got up long before light to prepare for the first day at school. We put all our books in mother’s satchel; had a nice tin pail full of dinner. I study arithmetic, geography, grammar, reading and spelling, which takes up every minute of my time. Stood next to Pat O’Donahue in spelling, and Pat stood at the head.”

From my pupil’s diary, a few months later, take this extract:

“I am thinking seriously about my future. Perhaps this is premature, for I am only in my freshman year, but I have just about decided that I’ll study medicine.”

From mine, at a similar age (you see precocity was not among my failings):

“Sister was sick, and I brought out all my little bottles of sugar, salt and flour. Besides these medicines, I dosed her with pimentoes and poulticed her with cabbage leaves, but she grew no better, quite fast, so mother called another doctor. Dear me, if I were my brother, instead of being only a girl, we’d soon see whether I’ve a talent for medicine or not.”

From my young friend I quote again:

“I am greatly interested in the question for debate in our literary society this week, especially as I am chief disputant on the affirmative. It reads as follows: _Resolved_, That the votes of women are needed to help put down the liquor traffic.”

From mine:

“It is election day and my brother is twenty-one years old. How proud he seemed as he dressed up in his best clothes and drove off with father to vote for John C. Fremont, like the sensible ‘Free Soiler’ that he is! My sister and I stood at the front window and looked out after them. Somehow I felt a lump in my throat, and then I couldn’t see their wagon any more, things looked so blurred. I turned to Mary, and she, dear little innocent, seemed wonderfully sober, too. I said: ‘Wouldn’t you like to vote as well as Oliver? Don’t you and I love the country just as well as he, and doesn’t the country need our ballots?’ Whereupon she looked scared, but answered, ‘Of course we do, but don’t you go ahead and say so, for then we should be called strong minded.’”

From my pupil at seventeen I quote once more:

“The recent articles by members of the ‘Women’s Congress,’ some people would call radical, but they express precisely my opinions on the dress question. It is time for me to assume the garb of a young lady, but upon two things I am determined: First, I will never trail my garments on a filthy pavement while I live. If I am the only young lady in this university, who, when she walks, wears walking costume, I will still be true to my individual sense of cleanliness and taste. I will also carry the jewel of an _unpunctured ear_ through life, though, by so doing, I oblige Mr. Darwin to confess ‘a missing link’ between me and my evolutionary ancestors.”

Finally, from mine:

“This is my seventeenth birthday, and the date of my martyrdom. Mother insists that at last I _must_ have my hair ‘done up woman fashion.’ She says she can hardly forgive herself for letting me ‘run wild’ so long. We had a great time over it all, and here I sit, like another Samson, ‘shorn of my strength.’ That figure won’t do, though, for the greatest trouble with me is that I never shall be shorn again! My ‘back hair’ is twisted up like a corkscrew; I carry eighteen hair-pins; my head aches, my feet are entangled in the skirt of my new gown. I can never jump over a fence again so long as I live. As for chasing the sheep down in the shady pasture, it’s out of the question, and to climb to my ‘Eagle’s Nest’ seat in the big burr oak would ruin this new frock beyond repair. Altogether, I recognize the fact that ‘my occupation’s gone.’”

My readers smile at this, but they may be assured there are such blots upon the page where it was written, as briny drops alone can make.

You see, dear friends, from this contrast I have drawn, showing a glimpse of past and future in two eager, young lives, how fast this world is getting on. What is the difference in the outlook of your life that is, and mine that used to be? Let us consider: I was a daring sort of girl; you are the sort of girls who dare. I had aspiration; you have opportunity. I breathed an atmosphere laden with old time conservatisms, from which my glorious mother’s liberality of soul was my one safety valve of deliverance. But you are exhilarated by the vital air of a new liberty. “The world is all before you, where to choose.” If I required but little of myself, it was because the world required so little of me. No college of first rank in east or west—save noble old Oberlin and generous Antioch—could have been coaxed to count me in when she made up her jewels. Briefly, public opinion proposes to give you a chance. It proposed to let me shirk for myself. It means to put a shield in your left hand and a sword in your right. It let me go forth, as best I could, to beat the air with unarmed hands, or to sharpen my weapons on the field and in plain sight of the enemy.

Society set before me very few incentives, and commended to me only the passive virtues. Indeed, she never really bestirred herself on my behalf at all, save that she ceased not in story and poem, by sermon and song by precept and example, and (most cogently of all) by setting no other hope before me to ground me, so far as she was able, in the philosophy that sustained the illustrious _Micawber_. “Now my daughter,” thus was she wont to speak, “do you but be docile and obedient, as a young woman should, and something, something very particular indeed will most assuredly turn up.”

But I learned early to distrust a Mentor who took so little cognizance of the imperious ardor of my youth; who was so stupidly oblivious of the varied possibilities in brain and hand and heart, and so I began early to follow out my own devices as to a plan of character and work. Would that the generous impulse of your enthusiasm, guided by your broader opportunity, might

“Give me back the wild pulsation That I felt before the strife, When I heard my days before me, And the tumult of my life.”

More anon.

EVANSTON, January 31, 1885.

NOTES ON POPULAR ENGLISH.

BY ISAAC TODHUNTER.

I have from time to time recorded such examples of language as struck me for inaccuracy or any other peculiarity; but lately the pressure of other engagements has prevented me from continuing my collection, and has compelled me to renounce the design once entertained of using them for the foundation of a systematic essay. The present article contains a small selection from my store, and may be of interest to all who value accuracy and clearness. It is only necessary to say that the examples are not fabricated; all are taken from writers of good repute, and notes of the original places have been preserved, though it has not been thought necessary to encumber these pages with references. The italics have been supplied in those cases where they are used.

One of the most obvious peculiarities at present to be noticed is the use of the word _if_ when there is nothing really conditional in the sentence. Thus we read: “If the Prussian plan of operations was faulty, the movements of the crown prince’s army were in a high degree excellent.” The writer does not really mean what his words seem to imply, that the excellence was contingent on the fault; he simply means to make two independent statements. As another example we have: “Yet he never founded a family; if his two daughters carried his name and blood into the families of the _Herreras_ and the Zuñigos, his two sons died before him.” Here again the two events which are connected by the conditional _if_ are really quite independent. Other examples follow: “If it be true that Paris is an American’s paradise, symptoms are not wanting that there are Parisians who cast a longing look toward the institutions of the United States.”

Other examples, differing in some respects from those already given, concur in exhibiting a strange use of the word _if_. Thus we read: “If a big book is a big evil, the ‘Bijou Gazetteer of the World’ ought to stand at the summit of excellence. It is the tiniest geographical directory we have ever seen.” This is quite illogical; if a big book is a big evil, it does not follow that a little book is a great good. “If in the main I have adhered to the English version, it has been from the conviction that our translators were in the right.” It is rather difficult to see what is the precise opinion here expressed as to our translators; whether an absolute or contingent approval is intended. For the last example we take this: “… but if it does not retard his return to office it can hardly accelerate it.” The meaning is, “This speech can not accelerate and may retard Mr. Disraeli’s return to office.” The triple occurrence of _it_ is very awkward.

An error not uncommon in the present day is the blending of two different constructions in one sentence. The grammars of our childhood used to condemn such a sentence as this: “He was more beloved but not so much admired as Cynthio.” The former part of the sentence requires to be followed by _than_, and not by _as_. The following are recent examples: “The little farmer (in France) has no greater enjoyments, if so many, as the English laborer.” “I find public school boys generally more fluent, and as superficial as boys educated elsewhere.” “Mallet, for instance, records his delight and wonder at the Alps and the descent into Italy in terms quite as warm, if much less profuse, as those of the most impressible modern tourist.” An awkward construction, almost as bad as a fault, is seen in the following sentence: “Messrs ⸺ having secured the coöperation of some of the most eminent professors of, and writers on, the various branches of science.…”

A very favorite practice is that of changing a word where there is no corresponding change of meaning. Take the following example from a voluminous historian: “Huge pinnacles of bare rock shoot up into the azure firmament, and forests overspread their sides, in which the scarlet rhododendrons sixty feet in _height_ are surmounted by trees two hundred feet in _elevation_.” In a passage of this kind it may be of little consequence whether a word is retained or changed; but for any purpose where precision is valuable it is nearly as bad to use two words in one sense as one word in two senses. Let us take some other examples. We read in the usual channels of information that “Mr. Gladstone has issued invitations for a full-dress Parliamentary _dinner_, and Lord Granville has issued invitations for a full-dress Parliamentary _banquet_.” Again we read: “The government proposes to divide the occupiers of land into four categories;” and almost immediately after we have “the second class comprehends…”: so that we see the grand word _category_ merely stands for _class_. A writer recently in a sketch of travels spoke of a “Turkish gentleman with his _innumerable_ wives,” and soon after said that she “never saw him address any of his _multifarious_ wives.” One of the illustrated periodicals gave a picture of an event in recent French history, entitled “The National Guards Firing on the People.” Here the change from _national_ to _people_ slightly conceals the strange contradiction of guardians firing on those whom they ought to guard.

Let us now take one example in which a word is repeated, but in a rather different sense: “The grand duke of Baden sat _next_ to the emperor William, the imperial crown prince of Germany sitting _next_ to the grand duke. _Next_ came the other princely personages.” The word _next_ is used in the last instance in not quite the same sense as in the former two instances; for all the princely personages could not sit in contact with the crown prince.

A class of examples may be found in which there is an obvious incongruity between two of the words which occur. Thus, “We are more than doubtful;” that is, we are _more than full_ of doubts: this is obviously impossible. Then we read of “a man of more than doubtful sanity.” Again we read of “a more than questionable statement;” this is I suppose a very harsh elliptical construction for such a sentence as “a statement to which we might apply an epithet more condemnatory than _questionable_.” So also we read “a more unobjectionable character.” Again: “Let the Second Chamber be composed of elected members, and their utility will be _more than halved_.” To take the _half_ of anything is to perform a definite operation, which is not susceptible of more or less. Again: “The singular and almost excessive impartiality and power of appreciation.” It is impossible to conceive of _excessive impartiality_. Other recent examples of these impossible combinations are, “more faultless,” “less indisputable.” “The high antiquity of the narrative can not reasonably be doubted, and almost as little its _ultimate_ Apostolic _origin_.” The ultimate origin, that is the _last beginning_, of anything seems a contradiction. The common phrase _bad health_ seems of the same character; it is almost equivalent to _unsound soundness_ or to _unprosperous prosperity_. In a passage already quoted, we read that the czar “gave _audience_ to numerous _visitors_,” and in a similar manner a very distinguished lecturer speaks of making experiments “_visible_ to a large _audience_.” It would seem from the last instance that our language wants a word to denote a mass of people collected not so much to hear an address as to see what are called experiments. Perhaps if our savage forefathers had enjoyed the advantages of courses of scientific lectures, the vocabulary would be supplied with the missing word.

_Talented_ is a vile barbarism which Coleridge indignantly denounced; there is no verb _to talent_ from which such a participle could be deduced. Perhaps this imaginary word is not common at the present; though I am sorry to see from my notes that it still finds favor with classical scholars. [Webster says: “This word—which is said to be of American origin—has been strongly objected to by Coleridge and some other critics, but as it would seem, upon not very good grounds, as the use of _talent_ or _talents_ to signify mental ability, although at first merely metaphorical, is now fully established, and _talented_, as a formative, is just as analogical and legitimate, as _gifted_, _bigoted_, _turreted_, _targeted_, and numerous other adjectives having a participial form, but derived directly from nouns, and not from verbs.”—ED. THE CHAUTAUQUAN.]

_Ignore_ is a very popular and a very bad word. As there is no good authority for it, the meaning is naturally uncertain. It seems to fluctuate between _wilfully concealing_ something and _unintentionally omitting_ something, and this vagueness renders it a convenient tool for an unscrupulous orator or writer.

The word _lengthened_ is often used instead of _long_. Thus we read that such and such an orator made a _lengthened_ speech, when the intended meaning is that he made a _long_ speech. The word _lengthened_ has its appropriate meaning. Thus, after a ship has been built by the Admiralty, it is sometimes cut into two and a piece inserted; this operation, very reprehensible doubtless on financial grounds, is correctly described as _lengthening_ the ship. It will be obvious on consideration that _lengthened_ is not synonymous with _long_. _Protracted_ and _prolonged_ are also often used instead of _long_; though perhaps with less decided impropriety than _lengthened_.

A very common phrase with controversial writers is, “we _shrewdly_ suspect.” This is equivalent to, “we _acutely_ suspect.” The cleverness of the suspicion should, however, be attributed to the writers by other people, and not by themselves.

The simple word _but_ is often used when it is difficult to see any shade of opposition or contrast such as we naturally expect. Thus we read: “There were several candidates, _but_ the choice fell upon ⸺ of Trinity College.” Another account of the same transaction was expressed thus: “It was understood that there were several candidates; the election fell, _however_, upon ⸺ of Trinity College.”

The word _mistaken_ is curious as being constantly used in a sense directly contrary to that which, according to its formation, it ought to have. Thus: “He is often mistaken, but never trivial and insipid.” “He is often mistaken” ought to mean that other people often mistake him; just as “he is often misunderstood” means that people often misunderstand him. But the writer of the above sentence intends to say that “He often makes mistakes.” It would be well if we could get rid of this anomalous use of the word _mistaken_. I suppose that _wrong_ or _erroneous_ would always suffice. But I must admit that good writers do employ _mistaken_ in the sense which seems contrary to analogy; for example, Dugald Stewart does so, and also a distinguished leading philosopher whose style shows decided traces of Dugald Stewart’s influence.

I should like to ask why a first charge is called a _primary_ charge, for it does not appear that this mode of expression is continued. We have, I think, second, third, and so on, instead of _secondary_, _tertiary_, and so on, to distinguish the subsequent charges.

Cobbett justly blamed the practice of putting “&c.” to save the trouble of completing a sentence properly. In mathematical writings this symbol may be tolerated because it generally involves no ambiguity, but is used merely as an abbreviation, the meaning of which is obvious from the context. But in other works there is frequently no clue to guide us in affixing a meaning to the symbol, and we can only interpret its presence as a sign that something has been omitted. The following is an example: “It describes a portion of Hellenic philosophy; it dwells upon eminent individuals, inquiring, theorizing, reasoning, confuting, &c., as contrasted with those collective political and social manifestations which form the matter of history.…”

A recent cabinet minister described the error of an Indian official in these words: “He remained too long under the influence of the views which he had imbibed from the board.” To imbibe a view seems strange, but to imbibe anything from a board must be very difficult. I may observe that the phrase of Castlereagh’s which is now best known, seems to suffer from misquotation; we usually have “an ignorant impatience of taxation;” but the original form appears to have been, “an ignorant impatience of the relaxation of taxation.”

The following sentence is from a voluminous historian: “The _decline_ of the material comforts of the working classes, from the effects of the Revolution, had been incessant, and had now reached an alarming _height_.” It is possible to ascend to an alarming height, but it is surely difficult to decline to an alarming height.

“Nothing could be more one-sided than the point of view adopted by the speakers.” It is very strange to speak of a point as having a side; and then how can _one-sided_ admit of comparison? A thing either has one side or it has not; there can not be degrees in one-sidedness. However, even mathematicians do not always manage the word _point_ correctly. In a modern valuable work we read of “a more extended point of view,” though we know that a point does not admit of extension. I suppose that what is meant is, a point which commands a more extended view. “Froschammer wishes to approach the subject from a philosophical standpoint.” It is impossible to _stand_ and yet to _approach_. Either he should _survey_ the subject from a _stand_-point, or _approach_ it from a _starting_-point.

A large school had lately fallen into difficulties owing to internal dissensions; in the report of a council on the subject it was stated that measures had been taken to _introduce more harmony and good feeling_. The word _introduce_ suggests the idea that harmony and good feeling could be laid on like water or gas by proper mechanical adjustment, or could be supplied like first-class furniture by a London upholsterer.

A passage has been quoted with approbation by more than one critic from the late Professor Conington’s translation of Horace, in which the following line occurs:—

After life’s endless babble they sleep well.

Now the word _endless_ here is extremely awkward; for if the babble never ends, how can anything come after it?

To digress for a moment, I may observe that this line gives a good illustration of the process by which what is called Latin verse is often constructed. Every person sees that the line is formed out of Shakspere’s “After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well.” The ingenuity of the transference may be admired, but it seems to me that it is easy to give more than a due amount of admiration; and, as the instance shows, the adaptation may issue in something bordering on the absurd.

The language of the shop and the market must not be expected to be very exact: we may be content to be amused by some of its peculiarities. I can not say that I have seen the statement which is said to have appeared in the following form: “Dead pigs are looking up.” We find very frequently advertised, “_Digestive_ biscuits”—perhaps _digestible_ biscuits are meant. In a catalogue of books an “Encyclopædia of Mental Science” is advertised; and after the names of the authors we read, “invaluable, 5_s._ 6_d._;” this is a curious explanation of _invaluable_.

The title of a book recently advertised is, “Thoughts for those who are Thoughtful.” It might seem superfluous, not to say impossible, to supply thoughts to those who are already full of thought.

The word _limited_ is at present very popular in the domain of commerce. Thus we read, “Although the space given to us was limited.” This we can readily suppose; for in a finite building there can not be unlimited space. Booksellers can perhaps say, without impropriety, that a “limited number will be printed,” as this may only imply that the type will be broken up; but they sometimes tell us that “a limited number _was_ printed,” and this is an obvious truism.

Some pills used to be advertised for the use of the “possessor of pains in the back,” the advertisement being accompanied with a large picture representing the unhappy capitalist tormented by his property.

Pronouns, which are troublesome to all writers of English, are especially embarrassing to the authors of prospectuses and advertisements. A wine company return thanks to their friends, “and, at the same time, _they_ would assure _them_ that it is _their_ constant study not only to find improvements for _their_ convenience.…” Observe how the pronouns oscillate in their application between the company and their friends.

In selecting titles of books there is room for improvement. Thus, a _Quarterly Journal_ is not uncommon; the words strictly are suggestive of a _Quarterly Daily_ publication. I remember, some years since, observing a notice that a certain obscure society proposed to celebrate its _triennial anniversary_.

A few words may be given to some popular misquotations.

“He that runs may read” is often supposed to be a quotation from the Bible; the words really are, “He may run that readeth,” and it is not certain that the sense conveyed by the popular misquotation is correct.

A proverb which correctly runs thus: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” is often quoted in the far less expressive form, “Hell is paved with good intentions.”

“Knowledge is power” is frequently attributed to Bacon, in spite of Lord Lytton’s challenge that the words can not be found in Bacon’s writings.

It seems impossible to prevent writers from using _cui bono?_ in the unclassical sense. The correct meaning is known to be of this nature: suppose that a crime has been committed; then inquire who has gained by the crime—_cui bono?_ for obviously there is a probability that the person benefited was the criminal. The usual sense implied by the quotation is this: What is the good? the question being applied to whatever is for the moment the object of depreciation. Those who use the words incorrectly may, however, shelter themselves under the great name of Leibnitz, for he takes them in the popular sense; see his works, vol. v., p. 206.

The _Times_, commenting on the slovenly composition of the queen’s speeches to Parliament, proposed the cause of the fact as a fit subject for the investigation of our _professional thinkers_. The phrase suggests a delicate reproof to those who assume for themselves the title of _thinker_, implying that any person may engage in this occupation just as he might, if he pleased, become a dentist, or a stockbroker, or a civil engineer. The word _thinker_ is very common as a name of respect in the works of a modern distinguished philosopher. I am afraid, however, that it is employed by him principally as synonymous with a _Comtist_.

The _Times_, in advocating the claims of a literary man for a pension, said, “He has _constructed_ several useful schoolbooks.” The word _construct_ suggests with great neatness the nature of the process by which schoolbooks are sometimes evolved, implying the presence of the bricklayer and mason rather than of the architect.

[Dr. Todhunter might have added _feature_ to the list of words abusively used by newspaper writers. In one number of a magazine two examples occur: “A _feature_ which had been well _taken up_ by local and other manufacturers was the exhibition of honey in various applied forms.” “A new _feature_ in the social arrangements of the Central Radical Club _took place_ the other evening.”]—_Macmillan’s Magazine._

THE CHAUTAUQUA SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS.

BY CHANCELLOR J. H. VINCENT, D.D.

Beyond the “Inner Circle,” which leads to the “Upper Chautauqua,” we come to the Uppermost Chautauqua—the University proper, with its “School of Liberal Arts,” and its “School of Theology.” Here we find provision made for college training of a thorough sort. Students all over the world may turn their homes into dormitories, refectories, and study rooms, in connection with the great University which has its local habitation at Chautauqua. Thus “hearers” and “recipients” in the Assembly, “readers” in the C. L. S. C., “student readers” in the “inner circle”—the “League of the Round-Table,” may go beyond, even to the School of Liberal Arts, the _bona fide_ College of Chautauqua.

Chautauqua exalts the college. She believes that the benefits of a college training are manifold.

1. The action by which a youth becomes a college student—the simple going forth—leaving one set of circumstances and voluntarily entering another, with a specific purpose—is an action which has educating influence in it. It is a distinct recognition of an object and a deliberate effort to secure it. The judgment is convinced, the will makes a decision, and corresponding action follows. We have the thought, the aim, the standards, the resolve, the surrender, and the embodiment of all in an actual physical movement. There must follow these activities a reflex influence on the youth himself. It becomes a “new birth” in his life. He has gone to another plane. His everyday conduct is modified by it. He looks up and on. According to the standard he has set, the idea he entertains of education, and the motives which impel him will be the subjective effects of his action—the real power of his new life.

2. There is educating power in the complete plan of study provided in the college curriculum, covering as it does the wide world of thought, distributed over the years, with subdivisions into terms, with specific assignments of subjects, with a beginning and an ending of each division, and many beginnings and endings, with promotions according to merit, and final reviews, recognitions, and honors. There is great value in the enforced system of the college. It tends to sustain and confirm new life, begun when the student made his first movement toward an institution.

3. The association of students in college life is another educating factor. Mind meets mind in a fellowship of aim, purpose, and experience. They have left the same world; they now together enter another world. They look up to the heights and to the shining of crowns which await the gifted and faithful. They are brothers now—one “alma mater” to nourish them. They sing their songs—songs which, although without much sense, have power to awake and foster sympathy. Even a man of sense loves to listen to them. He laughs at the folly, and, though himself a sage, wishes he were one of the company of singers. The laws of affinity work out. Soul inspires soul. Memories grow apace. Attachments that endure, adventures seasoned with fun or touched with sadness, absurdities, failures, heroisms, triumphs, are crowded into the four years, and like fruitage of bloom and fragrance from a conservatory may go forth to bless many an hour of wandering, of sorrow, of reunion, of remembrance, in the later years. There was something pathetic in the return of the famous Yale College class of 1853 to their alma mater two summers ago. As they wandered about the scenes of their youth, under the old elms, through recitation rooms and chapel, singing the old songs, reviving the old friendships, recalling faces to be seen no more, no wonder that tears fell down furrowed cheeks from eyes unused to weep. Is there any stronger or sweeter friendship than that born under the ivied towers and spreading elms of college hall and campus?

In college mind meets mind in the severe competition of recitation and annual examination. The bright boy—one of a small class at home, who had it all his own way there—now finds a score or more of leaders whose unvoiced challenge he is compelled to accept, and how he does knit his brow, close his eyes, summon his strength, school his will, force his flagging energies, and grapple problems that he may hold his own, outstrip his rivals, and win prize and place for the sake of his family’s fame and for his personal satisfaction!

There is nothing that so discovers to a youth the weak points of his character as the association of college life. There are no wasted courtesies among students. Folly is soon detected, and by blunt speech, bold caricature, and merciless satire exposed. Sensitiveness is cured by ridicule, cowardice never condoned, and meanness branded beyond the possibility of concealment or pardon. College associations stimulate the best elements in a man, expose weak and wicked ones, and tend to the pruning and strengthening of character.

4. Then there is in college life association with professors and tutors, and this is, I confess, sometimes of little value, as when teachers are mere machines, but in it, at its best, are distinguishing benefits. When teachers are full men, apt men, and enthusiastic men—as college professors, and for that matter all teachers ought to be—the place of recitation soon becomes a center of power. Tact tests attainment, exposes ignorance, foils deceit, develops strength, indicates lines of discovery, and inspires courage. A living teacher supplies at once model and motive. He has gone on among the labyrinths, and up the steeps of knowledge; has tried and toiled and triumphed. He sought and he _is_. And now by wise questioning, by judicious revelation, by skillful concealment, by ingenious supposition, by generous raillery, by banter, by jest, by argument and by magnetic energies, the teacher stirs the student into supreme conditions of receptivity and activity. Such teachers make the college. As President Garfield said: “Give me an old school house, and a log for a bench. Put Mark Hopkins on one end, and let me, as student, sit on the other, and I have all the college I need.” When an institution is able to employ men of superior knowledge, power, and tact, students must be trained, and all their after lives affected by the influence. For memory magnifies the worth of a true teacher, and the hero of the college quadrennium becomes a demigod through the post-graduate years. A dozen men of this mold, if once they could be gotten together, would make a college the like of which has not yet been seen on the planet. Shall Chautauqua one of these days find them?

5. The college life promotes mental discipline. It drills, and drills, and draws out. It compels effort, and effort strengthens. It provides a system of mental gymnastics. What was difficult at first, soon becomes easy, until severer tests are sought from the very delight the student finds in concentration and persistency. Thus development takes place in the varied faculties of the soul. The student acquires power to observe with scientific exactness, to generalize wisely from accumulated data, to project hypotheses, to watch psychical processes, to reason with accuracy, to distinguish between the false and the true, both in the inner and the outer world; to grasp protracted and complicated processes of mathematical thought; to trace linguistic evolutions—remembering, analyzing, philosophizing; to study the students of the ages, and the products of their genius in art, poetry, jurisprudence, and discovery, in the facts of history and the great principles of sociology. All the powers employed in this manifold work during the college term are trained and thus prepared for work after the college term is ended. It is not so much the amount of knowledge acquired during the four years, as it is the power at will ever after to acquire knowledge, that marks the benefits of the college course.

6. With discipline comes the comprehensive survey of the universe. The college outlook takes the student backward along the line of historical development. It shows him the heights and the depths, the manifold varieties and inter-relations of knowledge. It gives him tools and the training to use them, and a glance at the material on which he is to use them. The student through college is a traveler, sometimes examining in detail, sometimes superficially. He gives a glance and remembers; he takes notes and thinks closely. He sees the all-surrounding regions of knowledge, and although he may make but slight researches in particular lines, he knows where to return in the after years for deeper research and ampler knowledge.

7. College life leads to self-discovery. It tests a man’s powers, and reveals to him his weakness. It shows him what he is best fitted to do, and the showing may not be in harmony either with his ambitions or his preconceived notions. A boy born for mercantile pursuits, who comes out of college a lawyer or preacher, proves that the college failed to do its legitimate and most important work for him. Professors who merely glorify intellectual attainment, and who neglect to show students their true place in the world, are little better than cranks or hobbyists. College life is the whole of life packed into a brief period, with the elements that make life magnified and intensified, so that tests of character may easily be made. It is a laboratory of experiment, where natural laws and conditions are pressed into rapid though normal operation, and processes otherwise extending over long periods of time are crowded to speedy consummation. Twenty years of ordinary life, so far as they constitute a testing period of character are, by college life, crowded into four years. A boy who is a failure then, would, for the same reasons, be a failure through the longer probation, unless the early discovery of peculiar weakness may be a protection against the perils which this weakness involves. Therefore it is a good thing for a youth to subject himself thus early to a testing, for from it may come self-discovery, when latent powers may be developed, and impending evils avoided.

Of other advantages of educational institutions I shall not now speak. They are manifold. Our youth of both sexes, whatever their callings in life, would do well to seek these advantages. Therefore parents, primary teachers, and older persons who influence youth, should constantly place before them the benefits of college education, and inspire them to reach after and attain it. Arguments should be used, appeals made, assistance proffered, that a larger percentage of American youth may aspire after college privileges, or at least remain for a longer term in the best schools of a higher grade. Haste to be rich, restiveness under restraint during the age of unwisdom, inability to regulate by authority at home the eager and ambitious life of our youth, together with false, mercenary notions of parents, who “can not afford to have so much time spent by the young folks in studying, because they must be doing something for themselves”—these are some of the causes of the depreciation and neglect of the American college—a neglect lamentable enough, and fraught with harm to the nation.

Chautauqua lifts up her voice in favor of liberal education for a larger number of people. She would pack existing institutions until wings must be added to old buildings, and new buildings be put up to accommodate young men and maidens who are determined to be educated.

Chautauqua would exalt the profession of the teacher until the highest genius, the richest scholarship, and the broadest manhood and womanhood of the nation would be consecrated to this service.

Chautauqua would give munificent salaries and put a premium on merit, sense, tact, and culture in the teacher’s office. She would turn the eyes of all the people—poor and rich, mechanics and men of other, if not higher degree, toward the high school and the college, urging house builders, house owners, house keepers, farmers, blacksmiths, bankers, millionaires, to prepare themselves by a true culture, whatever niche they fill in life, to be men and women, citizens, parents, members of society, members of the church, candidates for immortal progress.

To promote these ends the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle was organized. By its courses of popular reading it gives a college outlook to the uncultivated, and exalts the higher learning. It is, as I have elsewhere said, a John the Baptist preparing the way for seminary and university.

The managers of the Chautauqua movement, however, recognize the fact that there are thousands of full-grown men and women who are at their best intellectually, and who, with some leisure and much longing, believe they could do more than read. They want to study; to study in downright earnest; to develop mental power; to cultivate taste; to increase knowledge, to make use of it by tongue and pen and life. There are tens of thousands of young people out of school by necessities commercial and filial, who are awakened to the power within and the possibilities beyond. They believe they could learn a language, and enjoy the literature of it. They believe they could think and grow, speak and write. They are willing, and eager to try. Out of minutes they could construct college terms. They have will enough, heart enough, brain enough to begin, to go on, to go through, and all this, while the everyday life continues with its duty for this hour and for that. They believe that into the closely woven texture of everyday, home and business life, there may be drawn threads of scarlet, crimson, blue and gold, until their homespun walls become radiant with form and color worthy to decorate the royal chamber—the chamber of their king, God the Father of earnest souls.

Chautauqua denounces the talk of certain rich men about the “poor having their place,” and that it would be “better for working people to confine themselves to work, or at best to understand subjects bearing entirely on their everyday duties in field or shop, and let science and literature alone.” Chautauqua would make working men cultivated, and give them recreation from manual toil in realms of wonder, taste, science, literature and art. Chautauqua would spread out over the lot of the toiler a dome, vast, radiant, rich and inspiring.

Therefore the Chautauqua School of Liberal Arts has been organized, and chartered with full university powers, for non-resident pupils, who, by correspondence with competent instructors, may study what they please, when they please, and as they please, eliciting suggestion, and giving answer and thesis, taking all the time they need, passing final examination in writing in the presence of witnesses, and having their examination papers subjected to the scrutiny of competent and impartial critics. When, after the required standard in the several departments which constitute the college course has been attained, whether in four, or ten, or fourteen years, the successful candidate shall have his diploma and his degree; and through this window he has constructed out of all these fragments of time—fragments picked up from dusty floor and pavement, from mine, and field, and shop—through this window the light shall shine in its beauty, and people shall see what genius, industry and persistent will can do with the cast away fragments of spare moments and random opportunities.

I have thus described the “Upper Chautauqua.” By reason of the action of the Board of Managers, elsewhere reported, the plan of gradation is slightly changed from that laid down in the previous article on the “Upper Chautauqua,” and the following successive steps are found in the scheme of the Chautauqua University:

1. The ASSEMBLY, including the summer meetings, the “Platform,” “the American Church Sunday-school Normal Course,” the “School of Languages,” and the “Teachers’ Retreat.”

2. The CIRCLE, embracing the “C. L. S. C.”

3. The “INNER CIRCLE,” to which they belong who, having seven seals on their diploma, are members of the “League of the Round-Table.”

4. The “UNIVERSITY CIRCLE,” with its “School of Liberal Arts,” and the “School of Theology.”

NEW HAVEN, CONN., February 6, 1885.

OUTLINE OF REQUIRED READINGS.

MARCH, 1885.

_First Week_ (ending March 8).—1. “College Greek Course,” from page 187 to 216.

2. “Chemistry,” chapters IX and X.

3. “The Circle of the Sciences,” in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

4. Sunday Readings for March 1 and 8, in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

* * * * *

_Second Week_ (ending March 16).—1. “College Greek Course,” from page 216 to 239.

2. “Chemistry,” chapters XI, XII and XIII.

3. “Temperance Teachings of Science,” in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

4. Sunday Readings for March 15, in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

* * * * *

_Third Week_ (ending March 24).—1. “College Greek Course,” from page 239 to 260.

2. “Chemistry,” chapters XIV and XV.

3. “Home Studies in Chemistry and Physics,” in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

4. Sunday Readings for March 22, in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

* * * * *

_Fourth Week_ (ending March 31).—1. “College Greek Course,” from page 260 to 284.

2. “Chemistry,” chapters XVI and XVII.

3. “Studies in Kitchen Science and Art,” in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

4. Sunday Readings for March 29, in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

PROGRAMS FOR LOCAL CIRCLE WORK.

FIRST WEEK IN MARCH.

1. Blackboard illustration and full explanation of the Greek theater, special attention being given to the arrangement of the stage. If preferred, charts or pictures can be substituted for the blackboard. As aids to this work Donaldson’s “Greek Theater,” containing charts and illustrations, and Mahaffy’s “Classical Greek Literature” will be found very helpful.

2. Essay—George W. Cable and his Works.

Music.

3. Selection—“The Gorgon’s Head,” found in Hawthorne’s “Wonder Book.” This story can be read “turn about” by the members. Reference is made to the headless Gorgon, on page 210 of “College Greek Course.”

4. Essay—Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, as observed in New Orleans.

5. A Paper on Great Salt Mines and Springs.

6. Critic’s Report.

SECOND WEEK IN MARCH.

1. Essay—Sir Humphrey Davy.

2. Selection—“An Account of Sappho.” By Addison.

3. A Paper on Canadian Winter Sports.

Music.

4. A Half-hour’s Quiz on the Readings of the Month.

5. Essay—The Life of Euripides.

6. Question Box.

THIRD WEEK IN MARCH.

1. Fifteen Minutes’ Talk on Balloons and their Uses.

2. Selection—“On Great Natural Geniuses.” By Addison.

3. Character Sketch—Ignatius Loyola.

4. A Paper on the Athenian Orators.

Music.

5. General Conversation on the News of the Day.

6. The Questions and Answers for the Month in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

MONTHLY PARLOR MEETING.

Music.

1. Roll call—Quotations from Greek Authors.

2. A Map Exercise. Trace Philip’s conquering march, as indicated by Demosthenes in his third Olynthiac oration.

3. Essay—Demosthenes.

Music.

4. An Analysis of Tennyson’s “Princess.”

5. A Paper on the Famous Women of Greece.

Music.

6. Debate—Resolved, that the effects of the modern theater compare unfavorably with those of the ancient.

Music.

* * * * *

It may not be amiss to follow our programs—which are intended to be merely suggestive—with a very short exposition of our program-philosophy. It is not a heavy philosophy; indeed, it is so simple that we half suspect we may be laughed at for calling it a philosophy at all, but its principles, we believe, are true and useful; as such we offer them. According to our ideas there are four subjects which should be represented on each C. L. S. C. program; first in the list and in importance is the week’s or month’s reading, its prominent features, its suggestions, its facts, its practical lessons; second, the world’s work of to-day, not merely its events of public interest, its schemes and disasters, but its science, invention, art, literature, morals, social life, civilization, its men and its manners; to follow both exercises and clinch what has been suggested, “good talk” ought to be an invariable part of each evening’s work. Take care that talk, free, genial, interested talk, follows every performance, or every program, and be sure that always

“Music dwells Lingering and wandering on as loth to die.”

These are the four elements necessary to a good program. As to how they shall be treated we have also a theory. Its first principle is let everything be well done; while thorough, do not go astray in dates and statistics, but go to the point which you desire to make. Then be bright and interesting, the third essential in each performance. Withal, suit your theme and your treatment of it to your audience. Let the subject be of common interest, the matter neither so commonplace as to seem puerile nor so technical as to be “over the heads” of your auditors. Such is our program-philosophy. A better you will undoubtedly formulate by practicing this.

LOCAL CIRCLES.

C. L. S. C. MOTTOES.

“_We Study the Word and the Works of God._”—“_Let us keep our Heavenly Father in the Midst._”—“_Never be Discouraged._”

C. L. S. C. MEMORIAL DAYS.

1. OPENING DAY—October 1.

2. BRYANT DAY—November 3.

3. SPECIAL SUNDAY—November, second Sunday.

4. MILTON DAY—December 9.

5. COLLEGE DAY—January, last Thursday.

6. SPECIAL SUNDAY—February, second Sunday.

7. FOUNDER’S DAY—February 23.

8. LONGFELLOW DAY—February 27.

9. SHAKSPERE DAY—April 23.

10. ADDISON DAY—May 1.

11. SPECIAL SUNDAY—May, second Sunday.

12. SPECIAL SUNDAY—July, second Sunday.

13. INAUGURATION DAY—August, first Saturday after first Tuesday; anniversary of C. L. S. C. at Chautauqua.

14. ST. PAUL’S DAY—August, second Saturday after first Tuesday; anniversary of the dedication of St. Paul’s Grove at Chautauqua.

15. COMMENCEMENT DAY—August, third Tuesday.

16. GARFIELD DAY—September 19.

Regularity is necessary to permanency. Whatever undertaking we desire to make a permanent success, we must make regular; whatever we wish to do successfully, we must do regularly. A tiresome, prosaic quality we are apt to consider it, and one which restricts our freedom. The regular return of small duties often makes them annoying, yet in large affairs regularity adds dignity and strength. It is essential for the establishment of any institution. A trite truth this may be, but trite truths are not always applied, and it is for the application of this homily to local circles that we sue.

It is most desirable that your local circle should become durable. Not a club, to which you can run in as you have leisure, or which can be adjourned for other engagements; which shall run this winter, and “perhaps,” “if nothing happens,” go on next winter. Not at all. There is a higher idea embodied in the plan. The true ambition of each member of a circle should be to make it _the_ literary association of the community, the leader in practical ideas, clear thinking, intelligent talk and refined manners; but to reach this goal the circle meeting must be considered too valuable to be omitted for any occasion whatever. Its object is equal to that of any institution in the town. If you wish to develop this idea, to establish your circle, to secure for it recognition as a well founded organization, regularity in meeting and attendance must be secured. It is true that a social or religious event sometimes happens for which courtesy seems to demand an adjournment. In such a case it is quite possible to select another night. The one idea upon which we would insist is that the circle be considered and conducted as a permanent institution, that it be made the intellectual center of your life. How wonderful an impetus to thought and culture is such an organization, only those who lack its influence can tell. Some of the earnest letters which come to us from time to time give a suggestion of what a circle might be to lone readers. Is there not, indeed, in this delightful letter from BULGARIA, a hint of the real value of a circle, a value which we so often fail to appreciate? It comes from an old Chautauqua friend—Miss Lenna A. Schenck, now a missionary at LOFTCHA, BULGARIA: “How gladly would we report to you from this out-of-the-way corner of the earth the organization of a flourishing local circle. But, alas! alas! we can not boast of even a triangle or a straight line, only a point, a mere dot, but a thoroughly loyal one, keenly enjoying the good things of THE CHAUTAUQUAN, that most welcome and highly prized of all the white-winged friends that come to us by mail. Though so few in number, we keep the vesper hours and the memorial days, and begin each day happily by devoting the time from six to seven in the morning to Chautauqua reading, and so we are inspired by glimpses of charming circles away in the homeland, and by memories of delightful summers with our blessed alma mater, Chautauqua herself. Before another year rolls round, we hope to have at least a local triangle here at Loftcha, and perhaps a Bulgarian translation of some of Chautauqua’s best ‘ideas.’ Many things might be said of our new home and new work, but we remember the delicate suggestion given in the November ‘Local Circle,’ that ‘no one could stay very long,’ so with heartful greetings to the class of ’83 and to all good Chautauquans the world over, we bid you adieu.”

Are not such friends of Chautauqua the prophecy of a time when the work shall encircle the earth? Each month brings signs of its growth. Particularly do we notice this month the spread of the work in CANADA. The press is particularly friendly to the movement in the Provinces; for example, the _Educational Weekly_, of TORONTO, quotes the _Globe_ of that city as saying: “The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle is now pretty well known. It has been in operation since 1878, and has done a great deal of good. The yearly reunions at Chautauqua have come to be very pleasant and very profitable. We understand that a similar summer resort is to be instituted in Canada, in connection with the reading circles already established in the Dominion. We wish the enterprise all success.” Much of the interest in Toronto is undoubtedly due to the hearty work of Mr. E. Gurney, and Mr. Lewis Peake, president and secretary of the “Central” circle. This circle has recently had the pleasure of hearing a lecture on “Athenian Literature” from Professor Hutton, of the University College. LONDON has also a very flourishing circle, dating from the fall of 1883, when it was organized with a membership of about forty. It is a most healthy sign of growth, when reorganization finds a circle larger than when it disbanded. The “Central” circle had this fortune. They began the present year with a membership of forty eight. Their plans have been most happy; the vesper services in the Chautauqua song books are used at every meeting, and quotations as responses to roll call; chemical experiments are performed for them by a professor of practical chemistry, who is a member of the circle, and their programs are full of variety. So important to them is their circle that they made Christmas the occasion of a special meeting, at which they used the Christmas vesper and praise service which appeared in THE CHAUTAUQUAN for December. The service was followed by an address and several entertaining exercises. This is exactly the work which enhances the value of the circle, both for the members and for the community. It raises a circle to the point where it becomes the medium through which all extra social occasions may be observed. It makes it not only a reading club, but a factor in the social, religious and intellectual life of a community.

At DARTMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA, we learn from a local paper, there is also an energetic circle. They have done good work in introducing the C. L. S. C. to the public, securing a notice of a public vesper service, an explanation of the work they are doing, mention of the circles in the vicinity, and following their information by announcing their next meeting with a cordial invitation to the public to be present.

In November last two new circles were formed in MAINE. A “Pine Tree” circle, of twenty-seven members, coming from DOVER and FOXCROFT. These beautiful villages are closely connected by covered bridges—the Piscataquis river flowing between, though it is a hard matter for a stranger to see where one begins or the other ends, so much like one village are they. A friendly way to live, is it not? These classmates have evidently learned what Thackeray found out in London long ago—that “A man ought to like his neighbors, to be popular with his neighbors. It is a friendly heart that has plenty of friends.” But we all learn that in the C. L. S. C. The second is the “Simpson” circle at AUBURN, where the Rev. G. D. Lindsay is president. Sixteen enthusiasts make up the circle which, so far, finds the work suggested in THE CHAUTAUQUAN sufficient for its needs.

One of the most interesting and prosperous, though not largest of Chautauqua circles, is the “Baketel” circle, at GREENLAND, N. H. It is named in honor of its founder and leader, Rev. O. S. Baketel, an old Chautauquan of the class of ’82. The organization is very simple. The leader prepares the program for each evening, and the members come promptly. No inflexible rule is adhered to, but as much variety given as possible. That the plan is most successful we know from a recent letter from a friend, in which he says of the work: “Our members vary in age from eighteen years to fifty-three, and none are more enthusiastic than the oldest ones. It makes one of the most interesting gatherings ever brought together in the community, and is furnishing help to some whose advantages in early life were very limited. Every member feels like exclaiming ‘All hail C. L. S. C.’”——The “Webster” C. L. S. C., of FRANKLIN, N. H., is enjoying its second year of existence. A good interest was maintained throughout last year, and they began this year’s work promptly in October, with twenty-two active members. To them the dining room table has revealed its wonderful power to stimulate sociability and “good talk.” They have discovered its genial ways, how it will always stretch to make room for more and still more, and how it seems to be always saying: “Stretch out your arms; don’t mind just how you sit. I shield your position, I am here to help you all, to bring you close together, to hold your books, to forbid your parting, to compel you to be a circle.” Indeed, we are glad the “Webster” circle has learned the virtues of a dining room for study and for friendliness. Maybe if they but analyzed their devotion to their circle that stout, wooden friend would deserve not a little of the honor, and perhaps, too, it has helped not a little in bringing in the children, which, they write, are crowding into the Chautauqua work until the circle boasts even grandchildren.

The “Clio” club of twenty members at NEWPORT, VT., kindly remembers THE CHAUTAUQUAN with one of the programs used at a recent public meeting. The dainty, tasseled souvenir they send us bears a list of exercises of unusual richness and variety.

MASSACHUSETTS is getting her circles into the press. Scarcely a paper from within her borders comes to our sanctum which does not contain at least one item of Chautauqua import. The _Melrose Journal_ of MELROSE reports the organization of a circle of fifteen members in that city.——The _Woburn Journal_ notices the work of the circle there in a very appreciative notice: “The fortnightly meetings of the First Woburn Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle are being well attended and the exercises are very profitable intellectually and the students are doing good work. Two weeks ago the Rev. Charles Anderson gave a very interesting talk on Prof. Schliemann’s recent explorations in Mycenæ, and Hissarlik, the supposed site of ancient Troy. At some meeting in the near future the Rev. A. E. Winship, a true Chautauquan, connected with the ‘New West Education Commission,’ a thorough scholar and a very interesting speaker, will lecture on ‘Literary Clubs’ before the members of the circle.”——The _Saturday Union_, of LYNN, speaks of the thorough work their circle is doing in chemistry.——The _Ipswich Chronicle_ highly commends the Milton memorial held by the “Masconomo” circle of that city. By the way, the name of this circle brings back an interesting bit of early Massachusetts history. It was the Indian Masconomo, or Masconnomet—from whom the circle is named—who, in 1638, “sold his fee in the soil of Ipswich” for £20, to John Winthrop, Jr. And here was established the town which the Indians called Agawan (“fishing station”), and to which the white men gave the name of Ipswich.——The _Salem Gazette_, too, gives notices of two branches of the C. L. S. C. in that city. About forty members are in each of these societies.——Several new circles we have the pleasure of adding to our visiting book. At MERRIMAC a circle of seventeen members has been formed, with the happy title of the “Hale” circle. The first circle, so far as we know, which has honored itself by assuming the name of our esteemed counselor. They should be glad they waited; so good a name does honor to anybody, and ought to be an omen of future prosperity.——The “Eaton” circle, named in honor of the Rev. G. F. Eaton, begins life with seventy members. Its home is WALTHAM—city of watches. If the spirit of the town is to be the spirit of the circle, wonderful results will certainly be forthcoming.——Last October a few of the many students in the C. L. S. C. in WORCESTER organized a local circle. By the perseverance of these few, others have been persuaded to take the course, until the circle numbers about sixteen. They have taken the name of the “Warren” local circle, in honor of Bishop Warren.——At PROVINCETOWN a company of ten, five ladies and five gentlemen, met on the evening of the sixteenth of December last, to form a local circle. The meetings have occurred every week since; the circle has adopted the name of “Mayflower.” The meetings are full of interest, and the members are busy trying to make up the reading of the past months. All are members of the class of ’88 except one, who belongs to the class of ’85.——SOUTH GARDEN reports a circle organized a year ago, but which has never been noticed in THE CHAUTAUQUAN before. It is a “Pansy” class—all the fifteen members belonging to the class of ’87.——“Not Chautauquans for four years only, but Chautauquans for life,” the friends at HOLBROOK subscribe themselves. Their motto grew out of the ardor of a lady member of the circle who, when at a recent meeting something was said about a four years’ course, said: “I shall not consider that I have finished the course at the end of four years. I for one am going to be a Chautauquan as long as I live.” A right royal motto, is it not?——The WAKEFIELD circle sends a program of a meeting in which we are glad to notice that present affairs go side by side with discussions of Grecian history and art and literature. The subjects for essays include a “Review of Current Affairs in Massachusetts,” “The Pension Problem,” etc. The history that is making certainly deserves our attention, as well as the history of the past.——NORTH CAMBRIDGE also sends the program which they prepared for the January meetings of the “Longfellow” circle. In addition to their regular work, they added the novel feature of a talk on newspaper work, from a practical newspaper man.——The last of this month’s Massachusetts reports contains a most capital hint. AUBURNDALE is the home of a flourishing circle, which among its other good features has a constitution. One of the articles of this constitution is the suggestion which it will please us to have you all ponder. It reads: “A short report of the condition of our society shall be forwarded twice a year to THE CHAUTAUQUAN.” Do you all take the hint? Perhaps one secret of this energetic article is the nearness of Auburndale to Framingham—so near is it that all the members of the circle went to the Assembly last year. To Massachusetts, too, belongs the honor of the following merry Chautauqua feast, of which a friend from Providence, R. I., has written us: “Spending a few days in ROCKLAND, MASS., I was invited to visit the ‘Sherwin’ Chautauqua Circle, and being a true-blue member of the ‘Clio’ C. L. S. C. of Providence, I was joyful in accepting. The exercises were of a most novel and interesting kind, and unusually pleasing to me, as I was an old acquaintance of Prof. Sherwin. Since this society was instituted, some two years ago, but one representative of the posterity of the circle has been born, and the members of this enterprising circle showed their appreciation of Prof. Sherwin’s noble work in the good cause by naming this gift after him. An elegant gold lace pin had been made to order, with the initials C. L. S. C. neatly engraved upon it, and that evening the presentation was made. After Chautauqua greetings had been exchanged, the baby Sherwin was called for, and made his appearance, riding on his mother’s arm, as wise and dignified in behavior as a youthful Solon. One of the frolicsome Chautauqua dames then read the following formal rhyme:

“‘There were some fair dames of Chautauqua, Their possessions were lovely to see, Between you and me; They had jewels of gold, Of value untold, These elegant dames of Chautauqua; But children were few, You scarce find one or two In the homes of these dames of Chautauqua. And sad were the dames of Chautauqua When they read of the Gracchus, Of Cupid and Bacchus, The lesson seemed filled up with mocking. They longed for a son, So the gods sent them one, Full of frolic and fun, Sent a son to these dames of Chautauqua. Then what joy in the circle Chautauqua! What pæans were sung, And Chautauqua bells rung, To welcome the lad of Chautauqua! Straight they gave him a name, Sherwin Burrill the same— These frolicsome dames of Chautauqua! Now, they badge him with gold, So that when he is old, They can still claim their son of Chautauqua.’”

At SOUTH MANCHESTER, CONN., a most encouraging increase of members has taken place. Last year the circle numbered twenty, this year forty-eight. Such growth is full of promise for the future, and yet it is the inevitable result of enthusiastic members and carefully prepared programs.——The new circle at MANSFIELD CENTER, CONN., numbers ten members. They are expecting a lecture on chemistry soon, from Prof. Washburn, of the North Mansfield Agricultural College.——The “Newfield” C. L. S. C. of WEST STRATFORD, CONN., has recently received the following pleasant letter from “Pansy:”

CARBONDALE, PA., January 6, 1885.

_Dear Friends of ’87_:

My word of greeting to you must commence with an apology. The letter from your secretary found me immersed in work. The holiday season brings upon me a heavy pressure of care, in addition to the usual routine. From the almost hopeless mass of unanswered letters which I have just overturned on my study table, that of your secretary emerges, so I seize it and make a beginning. What shall I say? I might congratulate you on being members of that great literary circle, which verily seems destined to reach out its long arms and encircle the world—but to what purpose would this be?

You already know by experience all, and more than I could tell you of its advantages, and its far reaching influences.

What then, shall I, in this moment of time, say to you who are classmates of mine? Shall I hope that you may be able to pass the Golden Gate and join in the class song of the ’87s, and receive your diploma from the hands of the Chautauqua chief, and enjoy all the delights of Commencement day? That indeed I heartily wish. I hope to be there and to clasp hands with you, and give and receive greeting.

But I am conscious while I write, of a higher, stronger, holier hope than that, even that every member of your circle and of all the great Chautauqua Circle may finally pass the Golden Gate that leads to the palace of the King, and receive from him the greeting “well done, good and faithful servants,” and receive from his hands the crowns laid up for those who are “called, and chosen, and faithful.”

Oh, to be sure of passing safely through the ordeal of examination by the Judge!

When I think of the immense enthusiasm of the C. L. S. C., I am glad. I believe in enthusiasm. I believe in the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. Yet I wonder, often, whether we, as Christians, can not learn something from the eagerness of many scholars who are not of the royal family, and yet are eager to learn all they can, about our Father’s handiwork in earth and air and sky.

I am writing longer than I meant. I only wanted to say this: Let us make sure of clasping hands at last in our Father’s house.

Yours in His name,

MRS. G. R. ALDEN.—“PANSY.”

Desiring to promote the interests of the C. L. S. C., the Chautauqua circles of Rhode Island, numbering about twenty-five, have united and formed the “Rhode Island Chautauqua Union,” with the following officers: President, Prof. John H. Appleton, A.M., of Brown University; first vice president, the Rev. J. Hall McIlvaine, pastor of the Union Congregational Church; second vice president, Hon. Thos. B. Stockwell, A.M., Rhode Island State Commissioner of Public Schools; third vice president, Levi W. Russell, A.M., Principal of Bridgham School; secretary and treasurer, Wm. D. Porter, D.D.S., all of Providence. There have been three new circles formed this year in PROVIDENCE, R. I., one of them bearing the popular name of “Vincent.” “Hope” circle, formed in 1882, is still in a flourishing condition. They were favored last month with a very interesting and instructive address by Prof. Appleton, on “The Value of the Study of the Natural Sciences.” The executive committee arrange the order of exercises and find the monthly programs in THE CHAUTAUQUAN of great benefit. The circle has now about seventy members, and most of them belong to the C. L. S. C.——Another newly organized circle of Providence is the “Esmeralda Bachelor” circle. It numbers twenty members, all gentlemen, and they give as the only excuse which it seems to us could be at all valid for forming a circle of bachelors, that they can get more young men into their club by restricting its membership. “Whittier” circle, of the same city, has been reorganized, and a most pleasant item comes to us from them. On the birthday of the beloved poet, the circle sent to him as a souvenir a paper weight of serpentine, from a quarry in Newburg, Mass. It had been cut into a design of oak leaves and acorns. Their remembrance brought back a kindly response from Whittier.——A newly organized circle also exists at RIVER POINT, R. I. It was formed in October last, and numbers thirty-five. Their plan is that laid out in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

The NEW YORK circles are doing wonderfully energetic work. At JORDAN there is a new and growing organization of twenty-four members.——At MEDINA, one of thirteen, which has already begun to scatter seed, some of it so far away as the Pacific coast, where our Medina members believe they will soon have an offshoot.——The “Wolcott” C. L. S. C. has been organized at WOLCOTT, with over thirty members, who write most enthusiastic words of the benefits they have already received.——At BROCTON the veteran circle, composed of members of the S. H. G. and C. L. S. C., held a delightful Milton memorial.——At ROCHESTER, the circle which is connected with the Academy of Science in that city, wins this appreciative notice from a local paper: “Public sentiment in favor of the Chautauqua movement is spreading with marvelous rapidity. Such certainly is the fact in regard to the circle in this city. There are now upward of forty members enrolled, and beside these a large number of persons attend the semi-monthly meetings who have not yet identified themselves with the regular work. The practical benefit derived from this course of home study becomes more apparent as it is investigated, constantly confirming the wisdom of its founders in setting in motion a plan for the intellectual and moral elevation and culture of thousands who have only spare minutes for such an object.”——At GLENS FALLS, not long ago, Chancellor Vincent greeted his C. L. S. C. pupils, delivering his lecture on “That Boy and His Friends,” before them, and meeting them afterward at a reception.——At OCEAN GROVE, the circle under Dr. Stokes’s genial management is doing admirable work. A delightful social was recently held by the circle at the Sheldon House.——The MARION circle has reorganized this year, strong and hopeful as ever. Says a member: “The ‘Inner Chautauqua’ is taking a deeper hold upon us year by year, and we propose that our connection with the C. L. S. C. shall continue indefinitely. We are trying to extend the knowledge of it by distributing the ‘Popular Educational Circular,’ by inserting an occasional item in our village paper relating to the doings of our circle, as well as by personal conversation with our friends and acquaintances.”——The circle at CARMEL has also been reorganized, with seventeen members. Their programs show excellent work.——At SANDY HILL, during the holidays, a special meeting commemorated the season. Among the exercises was a poem on “The Triumph of our Language,” which deserves special mention.——The BROOKLYN circle, of Hansom Place M. E. Church, has increased its membership to over one hundred. It owes to the Rev. George E. Reed, its president, the large increase. Having outgrown the capacities of private parlors, they have met lately in those of the church, where, while losing some of its more social elements, there is a far better opportunity for map display and the general working of the monthly class. Following out the assignment of an instruction committee, they find no lack of willing participants. One of the most popular exercises is the five minutes’ essay on some person or incident connected with the current reading. In good hands, the information condensed is of the most direct kind, and at its conclusion an opportunity is given the class to ask any questions relevant to the topic. All this is clear knowledge, and has proven one of the most agreeable of their methods.——At FORT PLAIN, the circle carried out on Bryant day a highly enjoyable program. That this circle is enthusiastic, the fact that some of its members come from four miles away, is a proof.——A second New York circle which has enjoyed a visit from Chancellor Vincent, and had the pleasure of tendering him a reception, is that at CHATHAM. Several new members have joined the circle there, the result of the inspiring talk which the Chancellor gave them.——The “Ionian” circle of BURLINGTON, N. Y., is winning friendly attention from the local press, its meetings being noticed, and its exercises commended.——The “Vincent” circle, of TROY, invariably sends out to its members, on its announcements of monthly meetings, some bit of inspiring thought. On the January program we find this sentence, useful, we suspect, for other than Troy readers: “Remember this: In proportion as you put thought and work into these monthly meetings, in that proportion, with high interest, will you draw out in enjoyment and profit.”

The local circle of BRIDGEVILLE, PA., was organized November, 1881, with a membership of thirteen. During the intervening three years there have been many changes, but the good work has been steadily going forward. The circle reorganized October, 1884, with eight members, and has taken up the work of the year with increased vigor, the meetings being well attended and very interesting. The monthly meetings are held in the village church, though none of the members live in the village, some having to travel the distance of two miles to attend the meetings.——At READING, the “Cleaver” circle has been reorganized, with double its old membership. Their program they make very interesting, by introducing variety into the exercises.——Nine ladies and gentlemen formed last fall the “Castelian” circle, in PHILADELPHIA. Happy are they to have a large map of Greece. What a treasure it is to a circle these days!

The “Meridian” circle, of WASHINGTON, D. C., has been having a feast of good things. How can it help it? It lives in Washington, and Washington offers peculiar advantages to literary and scientific clubs, not only on account of its immense professional library and large scientific collections in the Smithsonian Institution and National Museum, but also through the _personnel_ of these institutions and of the many other scientific bureaus of the government, who, making literature or science their daily vocation, afford a large field from which to draw essayists and experimentalists of a high order. “Meridian” circle has been fortunate in availing itself of these advantages. Last year, during the course in vegetable biology, they had an evening’s instruction in the microscopic examination of bioplasm, by Dr. D. S. Lamb, the eminent anatomist of the United States Medical Museum, who had charge of the autopsy of President Garfield. This year, at their last meeting in November, they had an essay from Mr. Lee Shidy, of the United States Coast Survey, on “The Tides,” a most interesting subject, and most interestingly and ably illustrated and explained.

A seven-years-old circle certainly deserves a warm corner by THE CHAUTAUQUAN’S fireside. Most cordially do we grant it, for we mistrust that a circle so experienced will be unusually good company, and will be able, too, to give us some suggestions of value. It is the “Trojan,” of TROY, OHIO, which claims this rare distinction, and we believe we are not wrong in saying that their history will be of great interest to all. The ‘Trojan’ circle was organized with a large membership in 1878. Eight members graduated in 1882, five of them being at Chautauqua that season. In the fall of that year the circle increased greatly, and has been growing in interest ever since. Now it numbers thirty-two members. Their plan of work is as follows: They open with singing, and responsive reading from ‘Chautauqua Songs.’ At roll call each member is expected to respond with a Bible verse. The questions in THE CHAUTAUQUAN on the week’s lesson are asked, and also original test questions from some or all of the members, on the readings. Sometimes the circle reads alternately from one of the text-books, or from THE CHAUTAUQUAN. They always have a critic, and a committee of two that gives a digest of the topics of the times, often in the form of questions, which thus makes a pleasant _conversazione_. Memorial days are faithfully remembered and made interesting and attractive by essays, readings, recitations, and music.——At PERRYSBURG, OHIO, ten persons are in the circle, which has been in existence for about four years. One entertaining feature is novel. Occasionally a paper of interesting general news is added to the program. The question box, too, is made a feature of each evening, a practice which is always worth all the work it takes. Memorial days find pleasant observance, the Milton memorial being celebrated with peculiarly pleasing exercises. The circle is rejoicing in their readings, considering them of great benefit.

MICHIGAN advances with a goodly list of new circles this month. At PETOSKEY there are fourteen members formed into a circle. These friends have the invigorating influence of the Bay View summer Assembly to help their work.——At HUDSON, a delightful company of thirty-five has formed the “Carleton” circle, the name being given, of course, in honor of the popular poet, Will M. Carleton, whose birthplace and early home were in Hudson. Round-Tables with genuine “at home” feeling, recitations, select readings, question box, queries, criticisms and quotations make the meetings full of life and variety. The program for an evening is always published in the local papers at least two weeks beforehand, and a report of each meeting is slipped in after each session, so that the people can not forget the existence of the C. L. S. C. At an early meeting our friends are going to take a trip to Naples and return.——Strong organizations have been formed at both KALAMAZOO and SAUGATUCK. At the former place the “Burr Oak” circle has twenty members, and at the latter, a lovely town about two miles up the Kalamazoo River, the circle, though small, is growing. The use which they make of our columns seems to us very good. “THE CHAUTAUQUAN is our ‘guide and counselor,’ and though we do not follow closely its outline for local circles, yet we never prepare a program without its aid.”——In the land of the arbutus, at TRAVERSE CITY, the “Arbutus” circle, of twenty members, has been organized. A pretty monogram has been designed for them, and it is to be printed upon the sermon paper which the members use for essays and reviews. These contributions are then to be bound in paper covers and filed. An interesting collection it will certainly make. The growth of our language has been furnishing this circle with some interesting topics.

The “Vincent” local circle of LAFAYETTE, IND., has entered upon its fourth year, with forty members, three of whom are C. L. S. C. graduates, but remain active in the work. The president, Prof. Craig, and vice president, Prof. Thompson, both of Purdue University, are thoroughly interested in the work. The program is prepared a month in advance. They are following the suggestions in THE CHAUTAUQUAN, largely. The success of their lecture course last winter left the society with funds sufficient to rent a room, centrally located, for the regular meetings. The vice president, a Professor of Art, recently presented the circle with a terra cotta medallion of Dr. Vincent, his own work. It has been handsomely framed and hung in their room.

From SHELDON, ILL., a friend writes: “We have a local circle of about twenty-five members and great interest is taken in the exercises. We usually follow your program. Not having started until after October 1st, and having been delayed in obtaining our books, has thrown us behind some, still we are making up lost ground better than expected.”——At CRETE a circle has started off with twenty-six members—many of them young people, to whom the course has been just what they needed.——ABINGDON also has a society of twenty-three members. Several readers have been there in past years, but not until now has there been a circle. The chemistry readings are furnishing an excellent opportunity for experiments, and the Abingdon circle are fortunate in having a college laboratory to resort to for experiments.

The circle of the Franklin Avenue M. E. Church, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, has been formed two years and has not reported until now to THE CHAUTAUQUAN. They have an interesting class of nineteen members, who are all very zealous in the work. The circle meets every Monday evening to review the week’s work, which they are studying after the plan laid out in THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

The circles of MINNESOTA, and, indeed, of the entire north-west, are requested to send a note to Mr. E. P. Penniman, ST. PAUL, MINN., stating whether they will coöperate in a plan for securing a C. L. S. C. day at either the Red Rock camp ground, Lake Minnetonka, or at White Bear Lake. The six circles of St. Paul, those of Minneapolis, Hudson, and Stillwater, have signified their willingness to help carry out this excellent idea. Such a day would be an event of greatest interest and value to the circles in that locality; it would arouse flagging enthusiasm, would give every one present a fund of new ideas, and would spread the plan of home reading in many homes where it is unknown.

We are very much pleased to hear from BLOOMFIELD, IOWA, of a circle, organized in 1882, but which has not before been introduced to our circles. Since its organization its membership has increased from six to fifteen members. The memorial days are observed and much social life enjoyed by the circle which promises that at no late day there will be more than one organization of the C. L. S. C. in their city.

A late number of _The Daily Register_, of MOBILE, ALABAMA, contains an essay on “The Character of Milton,” which was read before one of the circles of that city at a recent meeting. Had we space we should gladly reprint this excellent paper. Mobile has two societies reading the Chautauqua course, and we hope that we shall soon receive full reports from them.

A great deal of energy is displayed by the DESOTA, MISSOURI, circle. Few issues of the _Jefferson Watchman_ come out without a notice of its meetings. A late number says: “The members of the C. L. S. C. are again busily engaged in their work after their holiday vacation. Two meetings have already been held in the new term, both of which were enjoyable and instructive, and the reading of ’85 is well under way. The number of members is about the same as last term, as none after becoming interested in the work seem to have the least inclination to drop out of the circle, but on the contrary become more and more interested and enthusiastic. The program for the next meeting will be found in another part of this paper.”

KANSAS quite equals Missouri, however, in its enterprising readers. A letter from a reader at WAKARUSA remarks of their circle: “We number but eight members, and are so scattered that our circuit embraces several miles, but having adopted the name ‘Olympian,’ we hope in time to carry off a double prize, one for intellectual attainments, the other for physical prowess exhibited in combat with Kansas mud. Though we have difficulties and discouragements even in our own little circle, we are yet resolute and enthusiastic. At present the Round-Table is the principal feature of our meetings.”——Quite as interesting is a live report from WYANDOTTE: “Although we have not been reported for nearly a year, our circle is not dead, but the interest is increasing, and we are doing better work than ever. Our membership numbers twenty-five, with twenty subscribers to THE CHAUTAUQUAN. In 1884 we held forty-seven meetings, and had an average attendance of twelve. With us, as with nearly all other circles, the great difficulty is to keep from having too much of a sameness in our programs. Thus far we have had good success by giving a committee charge of the literary work, which reports performers and programs a week in advance for regular meetings and three weeks for memorial meetings. We sometimes vary the exercises by devoting an entire evening to one subject. We endeavor to have all roll calls answered with quotations, and stimulate inquiry by having a question box, the contents of which are discussed at each meeting. We observe all memorial days, and they are a never failing source of interest. On Milton memorial the biography of Milton was given by the circle, each member taking up the history where the former one stopped. Each member read a favorite selection from the author, and the variety of selections indicated a variety of taste. We make good use of the Chautauqua songs, and find that the singing of them renders a meeting so much the more interesting, and there is, too, a bond of union in a stirring song. Our members have taken the liberty of naming this circle the ‘Pansy’ circle, as nearly all of us are members of the ‘Pansy’ class.”

We are sorry to “skip” the wide space between Kansas and California, and gladly stop at NORDHOFF, CAL., where we find the “Ojai” circle, which was organized last October. Although they are only seven, they are all in earnest and full of the Chautauqua spirit. They meet once each month, at the homes of the members. They are all busy people, but are glad to _make_ time for the C. L. S. C. reading, which they find adds a charm to busy lives. They hope to be able to persuade many of their friends to join them.

THE C. L. S. C. CLASSES.

CLASS OF 1885.—“THE INVINCIBLES.”

“_Press on, reaching after those things which are before._”

OFFICERS.

_President_—J. B. Underwood, Meriden, Conn.

_Vice President_—C. M. Nichols, Springfield, Ohio.

_Treasurer_—Miss Carrie Hart, Aurora, Ind.

_Secretary_—Miss M. M. Canfield, Washington, D. C.

_Executive Committee_—Officers of the class.

Class badges may be procured of either President or Treasurer.

* * * * *

A very pretty program comes to us from a loyal “Invincible” of Toledo, Ohio, the Rev. H. M. Bacon, the president of the “Bryant” circle of that city. The program contains a six months’ outline of work. It bears the mottoes, the dates of regular meetings, and the memorial days. A kind of C. L. S. C. calendar which we imagine any once having had would find it hard to do without.

* * * * *

Miss Kimball writes our secretary, Miss Canfield, of Washington, that the Invincibles—true to their name—are making a splendid record, and that the class standing is excellent. She says: “I think the Invincibles may well be proud of their record. The prospect is that the class will stand fully as high, in proportion to its size, as any of the other classes. Of course we can not expect the actual number of graduates to reach that of other classes, as the whole recorded membership is much smaller.” Let this encouraging news help us to “press on,” and, classmates, see to it that all members of your local circles, who rightfully belong with the ’85s, have their memoranda completed and sent in by the first of July.

* * * * *

Of those who expect to receive diplomas at Chautauqua, forty-one, representing fifteen states, Canada and the District of Columbia, have responded to the request to send their names to the secretary. Let us hear from you all, that the list for “roll call” may be complete.

* * * * *

One ’85, who writes he lives alone with his brother “away out in the backwoods of California,” regrets he can not be present at Chautauqua, but hopes to receive his diploma at Monterey. From the Atlantic to the Pacific the pulse of the C. L. S. C. is beating strong and steady.

CLASS OF 1886.—“THE PROGRESSIVES.”

“_We study for light, to bless with light._”

CLASS ORGANIZATION.

_President_—The Rev. B. P. Snow, Biddeford, Maine.

_Vice Presidents_—The Rev. J. C. Whitley, Salisbury, Maryland; Mr. L. F. Houghton, Peoria, Illinois; Mr. Walter Y. Morgan, Cleveland, Ohio; Mrs. Delia Browne, Louisville, Kentucky; Miss Florence Finch, Palestine, Texas.

_Secretary_—The Rev. W. L. Austin, New Albany, Ind.

* * * * *

“For light!” and “with light!” as the words we repeat, Yet fuller and deeper the message they bring; Still through every volume each line that we meet In undertone earnest our motto shall ring.

“For light” do we ponder the history vast Which spreads through the ages its sunshine and shade, “With light” for the present, we come from the past, With lessons whose impress we can not evade.

“For light” must we study the many-hued lines Which Greece with her delicate pencil has traced; While Rome with her pride and her grandeur combines To deepen the picture no time can efface.

“For light” at the portals of Nature we wait— Descend to her rocks and mount up to her stars— Her atoms diffuse and her gases collate, Yet learn, as her secrets she slowly unbars,

How, filling, pervading, encompassing all, Still law—mighty law—through all systems doth reign; The world and the atom respond to its call, The dewdrop and ocean are bound by its chain.

“For light,” above all, when our vesper has chimed, We bathe in the beams of an unsetting Sun; When thus up the ladder of prayer we have climbed, “With light” shall be blessed many thousands through one.

“For light!” and “with light!” ’tis for this we would live, O fling our glad banner abroad to the sky! Truths won for ourselves unto others we give, Till light never-clouded shall greet us on high.

ALICE C. JENNINGS, Class of ’86.

CLASS OF 1888.—“THE PLYMOUTH ROCKS.”

“_Let us be seen by our deeds._”

CLASS ORGANIZATION.

_President_—The Rev. A. E. Dunning, D.D., Boston, Mass.

_Vice Presidents_—Prof. W. N. Ellis, 108 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y.; the Rev. Wm. G. Roberts, Bellevue, Ohio.

_Secretary_—Miss M. E. Taylor, Cleveland, Ohio.

_Treasurer_—Miss M. E. Taylor, Cleveland, Ohio.

All items for this column should be sent, in condensed form, to the Rev. C. C. McLean, St. Augustine, Florida.

* * * * *

Badges for the Class of ’88 sold only by Mrs. Rosie M. Baketel, Greenland, N. H. Price, 15 cents each.

* * * * *

All members who have interesting items of class news should send them promptly to the Rev. C. C. McLean.

* * * * *

The following circles of the Class of ’88 have been formed, viz.: “Janes,” Brooklyn, N. Y., sixty-two members; “Vincent,” Wyoming, Iowa, over twenty members; “Washington Avenue,” Milwaukee, Wis., fourteen members. In Collamer, Ohio, there was organized a circle four years ago. It has enjoyed active vitality ever since, and is now doing most efficient work in astronomy. Aroused by the last Chautauqua Assembly, nearly thirty organized a new circle. All are of the Class of ’88, except one of ’82, one of ’83, and five of ’86. The latter includes an old lady in her 81st year, who is not only beautiful in character, but, seemingly, as bright in intellect as in the meridian of life. This circle favors a change in motto; one suggests “Perfect in principle, in practice pure.”

* * * * *

The Florida Chautauqua is now in session at Lake de Funiak, and closes March 9th. The program is varied and interesting. We hope to report a good increase in the Class of ’88 at the close of the Assembly.

* * * * *

IOWA.—I am enrolled in the C. L. S. C. army, “Class of ’88.” Not until the middle of this month (December) was I able to commence my reading. The prescribed course I think grand, and I can but feel grateful for a plan so far reaching, and so full and beneficial in its results. Our class motto is excellent. I am a busy farmer, but I shall make known the advantages of the “Chautauqua University.”

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

BY A. M. MARTIN,

General Secretary C. L. S. C.

I.—QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON “COLLEGE GREEK COURSE IN ENGLISH”—FROM PAGE 187 TO END OF THE BOOK.

1. Q. Who was the third member of the great tragical triumvirate of Greece, Æschylus and Sophocles being the other two? A. Euripides.

2. Q. When was Euripides born, and what noted battle took place the year of his birth? A. 480 B. C., in the year of the battle of Salamis.

3. Q. Where were the closing days of Euripides spent? A. At the court of the king of Macedonia.

4. Q. Who are two of the translators of Euripides? A. R. Potter, who has made a metrical translation, and T. A. Buckley, who has produced a version in prose.

5. Q. From what play of Euripides are the most of the extracts presented by our author taken? A. From the “Alcestis.”

6. Q. Under what title has Robert Browning rendered a version of “Alcestis?” A. “Balaustion’s Adventure.”

7. Q. Who was Alcestis? A. The wife and queen to Admetus, king of Pheræ, in Thessaly.

8. Q. By grace from Apollo, on what condition was Admetus granted the privilege of not dying? A. On condition of his being able to find some one who would agree to die in his stead when his turn should come.

9. Q. Who became the required substitute? A. Alcestis, the wife of Admetus.

10. Q. After her death by whom was she brought back to life and restored to her husband? A. By Heracles.

11. Q. From what drama of Euripides does our author take a celebrated chorus, in part eulogistic of Athens? A. The “Medea.”

12. Q. Who stands alone as representative to us of Greek comedy? A. Aristophanes.

13. Q. What two comedies of Aristophanes retain for us more interest than perhaps any other of his works? A. “The Frogs” and “The Clouds.”

14. Q. Who were the especial targets of these two comedies respectively? A. Euripides of the “Frogs” and Socrates of the “Clouds.”

15. Q. Who is first in fame among ancient lyric poets? A. Pindar.

16. Q. What does Sappho remain to this day in general estimation among those entitled to adjudge her just rank, from the various trustworthy indications that survive? A. The foremost woman of genius in the world.

17. Q. What is the only complete poem that has come down to us from Sappho? A. The “Hymn to Aphrodite.”

18. Q. On what does the fame of Simonides chiefly rest? A. On his epigrams.

19. Q. What is the most celebrated, perhaps, of all the epigrams of Simonides? A. That on the Spartan Three Hundred who fell at Thermopylæ.

20. Q. What is the great name in Greek idyllic poetry? A. Theocritus.

21. Q. What two other pastoral poets are associated with Theocritus, in a kind of parasitic renown? A. Bion and Moschus.

22. Q. From what two idyls of Theocritus does our author give presentations? A. The “Death of Daphnis,” and the “Festival of Adonis.”

23. Q. Who is first among the masters of eloquence? A. Demosthenes.

24. Q. The name of what other orator is associated with that of Demosthenes? A. Æschines.

25. Q. What are the most celebrated of Demosthenes’s public orations? A. The “Olynthiacs,” the “Philippics,” and the oration on the “Crown.”

II.—QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON “CHEMISTRY,” FROM PAGE 85 TO PAGE 156, INCLUSIVE.

26. Q. Why is chlorine a substance of very great commercial importance? A. On account of its extensive use as a bleaching agent.

27. Q. Of what common article is chlorine an important constituent? A. Salt.

28. Q. What are the three most striking properties of chlorine? A. Its noticeable weight—greater than that of the air—its greenish color, and its exceedingly irritating odor.

29. Q. In connection with what two principal properties does chlorine, as a chemical agent, manifest its activities? A. Its affinity for hydrogen and its affinity for the metals.

30. Q. Of what may the substance known as bleaching-powder be spoken in a general way as consisting? A. Of lime saturated with chlorine.

31. Q. When was bromine first recognized as an elementary substance, and by whom discovered? A. In the year 1826, by Balard, a French chemist.

32. Q. Where does the substance bromine occur? A. In the brine of the ocean, and in the water of mineral springs, united with certain metals in the form of bromides.

33. Q. To what does bromine show very decided resemblances, in its chemical relations? A. To chlorine, having affinities for the same substances, only less in intensity.

34. Q. In what processes is bromine an important substance? A. In the processes of photography.

35. Q. In what form has bromine had a very wide and beneficent use, as a remedial agent? A. In the form of potassic bromide.

36. Q. What is the other member of the chemical family to which it may be said chlorine and bromine belong? A. Iodine.

37. Q. Where are all these three elements found? A. In sea water.

38. Q. From what source is iodine obtained? A. From sea weeds.

39. Q. To what are the chemical characteristics of iodine throughout closely allied? A. To those of chlorine and of bromine, only in general, iodine may be said to have weaker chemical affinities than either of the other two.

40. Q. What are two of the principal uses of iodine? A. In photographic processes, and as a remedial agent.

41. Q. What remarkable statement is made of fluorine? A. That is has never been known to be produced isolated, that is, in a separate or uncombined form.

42. Q. What property above all others is characteristic of fluorine? A. Its striking affinity for silicon.

43. Q. With what substance is fluorine never known to form any compound? A. With oxygen, which can be said of no other element.

44. Q. What are three considerations upon which the importance of oxygen depends? A. The surpassing abundance of the substance itself, the great number of compounds into which it enters, and the activity of its chemical powers.

45. Q. To whom is the first discovery of oxygen usually attributed? A. Dr. Joseph Priestly, an English clergyman and student of natural science.

46. Q. What is the most prominent compound of oxygen? A. Water.

47. Q. What are some of the remarkable properties of sulphur? A. The ease with which it melts; the readiness with which it takes fire and burns in the air; the striking blue flame produced when it burns; the choking and disagreeable odor attendant upon its combustion; and its burning when in the pure form without leaving any ashes.

48. Q. From what localities is the principal supply of sulphur for commerce obtained? A. From the volcanic districts of the island of Sicily.

49. Q. What is said as to the number of elements with which sulphur combines? A. It combines in simple form of union with a majority of the elements known.

50. Q. What are three important compounds of sulphur? A. Sulphuretted hydrogen, sulphur di-oxide, and sulphur tri-oxide.

THE TRUSTEES REORGANIZE CHAUTAUQUA.

On the thirteenth of January the Chautauqua Board of Trustees held its annual meeting in the elegant rooms of the Young Men’s Christian Association of the city of Pittsburgh, to prepare the way for the next great Assembly. Mr. Lewis Miller, Dr. J. H. Vincent, Messrs. F. H. Root, Jacob Miller, E. A. Skinner, W. A. Duncan, Dr. J. T. Edwards, Rev. J. Lester, Rev. H. H. Moore, and most of the trustees were present, but as usual, of the twenty-four members, letters of apology were received from a few who were detained at home by sickness or urgent business matters. Those present, however, were fully prepared to go forward and meet the responsibilities of the hour. Dr. T. L. Flood, editor of THE CHAUTAUQUAN, and Judge Holt, attorney for the corporation, were present to look after their respective departments.

As they came together for deliberation the trustees felt the inspiration of a history of grand successes, of a present satisfactory, and of a future full of hope. Hence the boldness of their plans, and the energy with which they were carried into effect. Chautauqua has a constituency which is of inestimable value, in the prayers and sympathies of many thousands of people who have never seen those beautiful grounds.

Wherever the Board of Trustees hold their annual meetings a lively interest is created, especially among press reporters and in the C. L. S. C. part of the community. In this respect Pittsburgh surpassed any other place ever visited, Jamestown and Cleveland not excepted. On reaching the city it was found that a reception had been arranged by the alumni and members of the Chautauqua Circle, to be held in Christ Church on the evening of the 13th, and that an elaborate program of exercises had been provided. The Rev. Mr. Williams, of the Pittsburgh _Christian Advocate_, occupied the chair. Music was furnished by Hamilton’s Junior Orchestra. Dr. Hirst, pastor of Christ Church, delivered, in chaste and eloquent language, an address of welcome. Prof. Holmes, Registrar of the Chautauqua University, in reply, spoke at length, explaining its aims and method of operation. President Miller followed in his happiest vein, and made clear the point that the educational scheme of the Circle was well suited to meet the constant and progressive changes ever going forward in society. On being introduced, Dr. Vincent was received by the great audience with a storm of applause. In his own usual taking way he unfolded the principles embraced in the Chautauqua Idea. We deal mostly, he said, with the mature mind that is athirst for knowledge. We make use of practical methods to supply the great want of the day, which is a rational society.

Dr. Flood, editor of THE CHAUTAUQUAN, was presented and spoke for a few moments. The music was fine, the speaking the happiest, and after the formal exercises had closed a season of free social intercourse followed. The power Chautauqua had exerted upon the city of Pittsburgh appeared in the great number present, who rose to their feet as witnesses; and most of the cities of the nation could produce like evidence of its popularity and influence.

The lavish expenditures of money which have been made upon buildings at Chautauqua in the past have created such facilities for work of all kinds that at present nothing further is required in that direction. This was a satisfaction not only to those who have heroically carried heavy financial burdens, but to those who have regretted that they were able to give only their sympathies to the cause. The brief address made by President Miller to the Board of Trustees consisted of a brief and cheery review of the past and a hopeful glance into the future. There is, he said, much yet to be done, sacrifices to be made, for Chautauqua is yet in its infancy, and its enlarged work from year to year will demand increased attention. Secretary Duncan in his annual report informed the trustees that during the past year his receipts had exceeded his expenditures by nearly ten thousand dollars, and that this sum had been used as far as it would go to liquidate the floating debt.

The following written report was presented by Chancellor Vincent:

“For the first time in the history of the Chautauqua Assembly I present to the Board a formal report. This has hitherto seemed to me unnecessary, and you have generously accepted a verbal statement in lieu of a full, official communication. I no longer thus tax your generosity, but under a keen conviction that an important crisis has arrived in our history, I beg leave to lay before you the following statements and suggestions:

“The Chautauqua movement is a marvel even to its projectors. However all-embracing may have been the original conception of our noble president, Mr. Miller, when he proposed a summer gathering in the grove at Chautauqua, the gradually unfolding scheme has been a source of surprise and delight to the world of curious and interested observers.

“Chautauqua in its various departments is a unit. However diverse the outward forms, the name which marks them all proves them one. The ‘Chautauqua Assembly,’ the ‘Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle,’ the ‘Chautauqua School of Languages,’ the ‘Chautauqua Teachers’ Retreat,’ the ‘Chautauqua Young Folks’ Reading Union,’ the ‘Chautauqua School of Theology,’ the ‘Chautauqua University’—all are but developments of the radical idea of Chautauqua, which is popular and symmetrical education; education for all people; education in all lines, according to varied tastes, needs and opportunities.

“Our constituency is as broad as are the aims of the institution: Sunday-school and other Christian workers, day school teachers, students of language, ministers of the gospel, citizens who mold the nation, mothers who mold citizens by making homes—these all, and all beside who seek knowledge, character and usefulness, are the people for whom Chautauqua was organized.

“With this wide reach of purpose it was necessary that Chautauqua should project the lines of its intention in plans and departments, that the world might see its magnitude, and that the full territory it proposes to occupy might be preëmpted. Until this projection was made, the Chautauqua Idea was irrepressible. And now Chautauqua with its variety of departments is not like a mere pile of buildings, with additions, lean-tos, unrelated edifices, and other after-thoughts, the results of unmanageable ingenuity. It is a growth and development, a provision according to the highest law, to meet the necessities which called it into existence.

“In this growth of twelve years there have been no unnecessary additions. To have omitted any of them would have made Chautauqua less than it is; and to have made Chautauqua less than it is would have been a mistake—almost a disaster. Because of the broad and varied provisions now included in the Chautauqua movement, it will be greater and stronger for all time to come.

“It would not have been easy to organize these departments at first under a single charter. The separate schemes under separate constitutions came into being. Each is stronger to-day because of the relative independence of its origin. The time may have come, I think the time has come, for an external union of departments which have all along been practically one. No antagonism between them has ever seemed to me possible, but there is a way of preventing even the seeming or fear of such antagonism.

“At the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of Chautauqua University, I proposed the appointment of a committee whose business it should be to bring into complete external unity all departments of Chautauqua. This committee has never acted. I now renew the proposal, with some practical hints looking toward this result.”

Dr. Vincent then presented several suggestions designed to harmonize the various Chautauqua interests.

The report continues:

“The financial condition of Chautauqua is a subject to which I have heretofore given little attention. I trusted implicitly to the wisdom of the Board, whose large ideas of the Chautauqua work, whose enthusiasm in it, and whose generous courtesy toward me, have caused them to give me the largest liberty, and to treat with great gentleness what they have sometimes felt to be excessive expenditure.

“My dreams and aspirations concerning the development of Chautauqua have led me to plan largely, and to spend liberally, that the attention of great-hearted men might be attracted to our work, the sympathy of progressive educators secured, and the great centers of influence in pulpits, colleges and newspapers be commanded in the interest of Chautauqua. A careful analysis of these expenditures will show that there has been no extravagance, although a greater economy might have been exercised.”

The report of Dr. Vincent closed with the following words:

“Trusting that you will see your way clear to coöperate in the plans proposed, and commending our great institution to him who is the ‘Master of Assemblies,’ this report is respectfully submitted.”

The report of Dr. Vincent was submitted to a special committee, which presented the following report, which was adopted as below:

The special committee to which was referred the report of the Superintendent of Instruction, begs leave respectfully to report:

1. That we recommend to the Board to reorganize the union of the several associations, schools, and departments of the Chautauqua Assembly, the Chautauqua School of Theology, the Chautauqua University, and the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, under a single organization to be known as THE CHAUTAUQUA UNIVERSITY.

2. (This article calls for necessary legislative action.)

3. The work of the new organization shall be carried on under the following departments:

I.—THE CHAUTAUQUA ASSEMBLY, embracing:

_a._ The Summer meetings at Chautauqua; _b._ The Sunday-School Normal Department; _c._ The School of Languages; _d._ The Chautauqua Teachers’ Retreat;

II.—THE CHAUTAUQUA LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC CIRCLE;

III.—THE CHAUTAUQUA SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS, now known as “The Chautauqua University,” and with powers as provided in its charter;

IV.—THE CHAUTAUQUA SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, with purposes and powers as in its charter;

V.—THE CHAUTAUQUA PRESS.

4. There shall be three committees, of three persons each, appointed by the Board, to coöperate with the Chancellor in the management of the above departments. Persons may be eligible to appointment on these committees who are not members of the Board.

These committees shall be:

_a._ A Committee on Assembly; _b._ A Committee on C. L. S. C., the C. S. L. A., and C. S. T.; _c._ A Committee on the Chautauqua Press.

5. We approve of the recommendation of the Superintendent of Instruction, of the establishment of the “Chautauqua Press,” as a part of the “Chautauqua University.”

6. The income from the general membership fees in the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, in the Chautauqua School of Liberal Arts, and in the Chautauqua School of Theology, with such annual appropriations as may be made by the Board to these departments, shall constitute their fund respectively, out of which all expenses of each of these departments shall be paid annually; the surplus in the department treasury of the C. L. S. C., of the C. S. L. A., and of the C. S. T., from year to year, shall be paid to the treasurer of the Assembly Board. There shall be two assistant treasurers, one to have charge of the funds of the C. L. S. C., and the other of the funds of the C. S. L. A. and of the C. S. T., both of whom shall make an annual report to the Board.

7. We recommend that the Superintendent of Instruction in the Assembly Board shall hereafter be known as “The Chancellor of the University.”

8. It shall be the duty of the Chancellor of the University to arrange and conduct the program of the Chautauqua Assembly; to engage speakers, teachers, leaders of music, and such other assistants as the program may require; to conduct the affairs of the C. L. S. C., the C. S. L. A., and the C. S. T.; he shall submit a report to the meeting of the Board in January of each year, which shall contain a statement of his expenditures in the several departments during the preceding year, and an estimate of the probable expenses for the year ensuing.

9. The duties of the other officers shall be those specified in the by-laws as already adopted by the Assembly, the Chautauqua School of Theology, and the University, or as may be hereafter adopted.

* * * * *

As it has been abundantly demonstrated that this section of the lake is rich in natural gas, it may be expected that as the season opens the work of development will commence. Chautauqua has also an inexhaustible mineral fountain, which many have found not only a pleasant beverage, but rich in health-giving qualities.

Appearances indicate that the next Assembly will be of the first importance. Many will probably meet J. B. Gough—the hero of a thousand platforms—for the last time. Dr. Deems is to come among us once more, and the original Fisk Jubilee Singers will be there, and they have no equals in reproducing the fast vanishing songs of the plantation.

EDITOR’S OUTLOOK.

THE GREAT GREEK DRAMATISTS.

The Greek drama, which is now before our C. L. S. C. students in its English rendering, presents many interesting aspects to the modern mind. We are well aware that this statement will surprise some readers; but let them consider a few facts. Is it not a remarkable thing that the Greek drama, which the world will not suffer to be forgotten, was all produced in the space of about half a century? And compare the fact with our own history, noting that English drama of the imperishable type is all gathered into a single brilliant period, of which Shakspere is the central light in dramatic poetry. Æschylus was born in 525 B. C., Sophocles in 495, and Euripides in 480. The three are nearly on a level in merit, Æschylus having the more force, and his compeers in dramatic fame more of the refinements of art. They are not three Shaksperes in one constellation, but three orbs whose combined light is less than that of our English poet. No one has satisfactorily explained why the tragic drama should so isolate itself in the centuries of a people; but it may be said to be a rule that if a people produce a great drama at all, this choice fruit will appear only in a single period. But since Greece and England are the only nations having a great tragic stage—for we do not reckon the French drama as in the first rank—the rule has no well-defined value. It is remarkable, too, that the great epic poets are more numerous than the great masters of tragedy. Greece, indeed, is known to us for one epic and three tragic poets; but every great people before ours has had a respectable epic poem, whereas in most nations tragic poetry is rare or inferior. The great tragedies are so few that one may easily know them and prize them. No other form of literature presents us with so few masterpieces.

Another good aspect of the drama in Greece is that it came in the period of the full-flowering of Greek egotism, or if the phrase is happier, of Greek patriotism. Here, too, we may find an analogy in the England of Shakspere. The age of Elizabeth is easily fixed upon as that of self-satisfied British patriotism. It is also true that alike in the Athens of the dramatists and the London of Shakspere there was the stir and bustle and heroic energy of national life. It is not to be overlooked that the dramatists of Greece, like the literary statesmen of England were in public life. They sought and held office; and, indeed, they, like Socrates, were soldiers besides. Æschylus fought at Marathon, Salamis, and Platæa, the three great battles of his country. Shakspere did not do his work on the Avon, but in the din of London, and many a thing which surprises us in his plays may be explained by the close and uninterrupted contact of the dramatist with the active men of his time. He learned, for example, all his law phrases in convivial association with lawyers, much as he learned scripture by hearing the prayer-book read in the churches. (He always quotes the prayer-book, never the Bible.) So in Athens, our statesmen-dramatists lived in the full press of life, and their drama reflects the opinions and proverbs of their day. Men of the lamp could not have caught the spirit and attitude of the Athenian mind toward the problems of life which underlie the Greek plays. The just-enough and not too much or too little of philosophy—the mean between dogmatic theology and crude irreligion—the man of the world, and he alone, can hit. We may safely reason that while many forms of literature can be best wrought by men out of the world, some forms seem to require their producers to be in the world and of the world; and among these, the drama is especially reserved to men who combine practical experience with erudition, and also possess the indescribable mystery of genius. The student will be well repaid for his pains who struggles to understand the spirit—a strange one to us—which is peculiar to the Greek drama, the singular aspects and functions of religion, and the mode in which it is apparently held fast by the tragic poet, who is also a man of the world. There are also profitable studies to be made of those glimpses of unchanging human nature which the tragedies afford us. One theory is that we study old classics in order to know an older and extinct type of mankind: a truer view is that the virtues and vices of the elder man are simple and undisguised by social varnish. In any case, the student who understands, for example, the woman Medea, has a useful lesson in “the proper study of mankind.”

CHAUTAUQUA AT NEW ORLEANS.

Almost every interest of the country is represented at New Orleans this winter. Every prominent manufactory, all leading trades, the great branches of commerce, and particularly educational institutions have exhibits of more or less importance. The eye of the country is turned southward. Whatever is worthy our civilization has been collected there for study. In educational matters many departments have been given position, that they may be studied by the eager learner; for people are eager to know the world’s work. You see it in their keen observation of the displays made throughout the long galleries, and their quick notice of the comparative merits of the exhibits. To them the work from the Indian schools, from the colored people, from the far away territories, and from foreign lands are studies in comparative civilization. Every sign of advancement is quickly seized upon; and in no department is more eagerness to know manifested by visitors than in the “Chautauqua Alcove.”

Chautauqua and the C. L. S. C. have a very good representation in the south gallery of the government building, under the general supervision of Prof. E. A. Spring, a member of the faculty at Chautauqua. This exhibit is attracting a great deal of attention. All members and friends of the C. L. S. C. who may visit the Exposition are earnestly and cordially invited to visit the Chautauqua exhibit. An idea of Prof. Spring’s work may be obtained from a few extracts from a letter received from him in the holidays:

CHAUTAUQUA ALCOVE, NEW ORLEANS, LA., Dec. 26, ’84.

There is a large placard up in this exhibit, as follows:

U. S. BUREAU OF EDUCATION.

CHAUTAUQUA ALCOVE.

_Any one of the sixty thousand of the members of the C. L. S. C. who may be here is requested to register._

I give everybody one of a little handful of Spare Minute Course circulars that I brought with me. I have given out about a hundred—and had conversations, some of them with evident conviction—in German, French, English, and the language of signs. By help of my Italian, I have tried to talk to some of the many Mexicans here, but did not get deep enough to broach the C. L. S. C.

I had yesterday and to-day considerable talk with the intelligent gentlemen representing the French Republic school system—M. Buisson and his assistant. General Eaton says that the brother of this Mons. Buisson is the genius of education in France. They expressed themselves as much interested in the scope of the noble Chautauqua plans.

The principal and seven lady teachers from Normal, Ill., just left me. They will come again, to learn more of Chautauqua. Some Texas gentlemen, one of whom, Prof. Hogg, I have long known as a fellow member of the National Educational Association, have been here again to-day, to say that they would be here to see me with about two hundred teachers from Texas at noon to-morrow.

Dr. Mitchell was here this afternoon.

On Saturday, the 27th, I was all ready for the two hundred teachers, who advanced in a body with a banner, and I gave them a regular lecture on Chautauqua and its out-reachings.

Then I said my friend, Prof. Hogg, had seen me model in Philadelphia, in 1879, at convention of the National Educational Association, where he read a paper on “The Education of the Hand, the Head, and the Heart,” and he had asked me to show this company of teachers some clay modeling, so I would occupy a few minutes in that, as it was one of the methods in the Chautauqua plan to train the hand by clay, and through that educate the head; and if the hand and the head were truly educated, as they ought to be, the heart should be developed too. So, laying out a colossal head in relief, I made a few remarks as to the value of a little easy practice of clay modeling in schools; and then, turning to the board with clay on it, I worked eighteen minutes, and made a head of “an American Teacher.”

General Eaton came to me after their vote of thanks, and as soon as they had gone—in the most congratulatory frame. “Chautauqua could afford to pay you two months’ work for that!” he said, shaking me by the hand. Two of the class of ’86 C. L. S. C., from Lockport, Dr. Mitchell, Mons. Buisson and a few others expressed themselves as much interested.

I was glad to find I had so many “Spare-minute” circulars—and I must have given out seventy-five or one hundred yesterday, beside one hundred to the Texans, generally accompanied with a conversation of more or less length.

All this in the midst of busy work and good progress in the mechanical embellishment of our alcove. It will be very attractive when completed, and I have so planned that I can work at it all along, adding new features from day to day.

It is very interesting, how near to people’s hearts and inner lives I sometimes get in these little talks. It is a plan that touches the aspirations and longings of many a true soul. I wish sometimes that words could be instantaneously photographed. It is impossible for me to write as fully as I should like.

Our only CHAUTAUQUAN (November) with one copy of the C. L. S. C. circular, with its cut of the Hall, has done good service.

I very much hoped that Dr. Vincent could manage to come here. Many people have asked, the first thing, if Dr. Vincent is to be here. Every state should have a Chautauqua headquarters—this alcove will get them all ready for it.

_Monday morning._—Damp, muddy, discouraging to many people. The car drivers have struck and the hour’s ride, long and tiresome at best, is now cut off. Hundreds of teachers who have been pouring into New Orleans these last days of their holiday, are prevented from seeing and learning by this four or five miles of mud before they reach the Exposition. There have been great hindrances all along to the completion of the Exposition, and many grumblers. But I have never been discouraged! Everything from the first start has been delightful. When the roof leaked, I moved some things away, told the roofer, and it was at once mended. When it came on a hard storm night before last, I laid down on the floor, rolled in my Kansas blanket, and liked it so well that I shall camp out here in the Chautauqua precincts; at any rate, till there is some comfortable conveyance away.

More anon.

Ever yours faithfully,

EDWARD A. SPRING.

WINTER SPORTS IN CANADA.

Winter undoubtedly has its hygienic value; and a part of this value we get without effort. It is not only a comfort to be freed from the annoyances of insect life, but it is also a gain for health that many of the atmospheric impurities are removed by frost. But to get the largest value from winter as a frost cure, we need to avail ourselves of the system of healthful and invigorating amusements which prevail in Canada, and have made that country famous. That portion of our population which is employed out-doors in winter is, _pro tanto_, undoubtedly the most healthy. For the rest of us the only possible equivalent is winter sports. It is unfortunately true that the variable character of our weather precludes us from exact imitation; but our inventive genius ought to be equal to the task of bridging over the soft places in our winters. In Canada, the long and comparatively equable winter makes it a simple thing to provide healthy and innocent amusements which may be enjoyed as regularly as any business is carried on. It is not to be forgotten, however, that the Canadians are the only people in the world who know how to keep warm out-doors as well as in-doors. They have learned to perfection this art, for lack of which our out-door employments are more or less dangerous. Our laborer does not keep warm in winter, and his “colds” become consumption. In Canada, young girls accomplish in this respect what stout men fail to do among us; they keep warm whether they are flying in sleighs or on toboggans. These forms of enjoyment are well organized; there are toboggan clubs, and “society” means some form of winter sport. The miserable imitation called “roller-skating,” which is alarming thoughtful people in many of our villages, is only a craze, a temporary insanity; the winter sports of Canada are a national institution. The physical and moral wholesomeness of the roller-skating rink is more than doubtful. The moral and physical healthfulness of the sports by which Canadians make winter a season of joy, can not be questioned.

On the average, our winter in the United States is not a healthful and invigorating season to us. We lose the greater values and expose ourselves to special dangers. We live in-doors, with a temperature ten degrees too high. We shut in with us invisible plagues which breed diphtheria and other diseases. We are enfeebled by refraining from exercise and breathing unwholesome air in our houses. We come to the spring weaker than we were when winter began. We have moped by hot fires and breathed vitiated air, when we ought to have been out in the winter blast, using our muscles and filling our lungs with the clean winds. Two or three conditions seem wanting for a reform of these habits. One is the art of keeping warm in the cold air; another is a keener sense of the value of winter exercise, and a third is some devices by which the “soft spells” of weather shall not arrest our sports nearly every week.

THE RELATIVE PRONOUN “THAT.”

This word is a demonstrative pronoun and a conjunction; and in some idiomatic phrases it is also a relative pronoun. By idiomatic phrases, we mean that use has constructed certain forms of expression which are wholes, though consisting of several words. _All that we know_ is an idiomatic phrase; use and habit have welded the words together. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, there grew a habit of using _that_ very freely as a relative pronoun. The Bible of 1611 is full of illustrations of this habit. During the present century this use of _that_ has been by the best writers gradually restricted, and at present the rule for _that_ as a relative pronoun, probably, is about as stated above—the word is used, as a relative, only in idiomatic expressions. The history of this word would make a very interesting chapter. We have in the foregoing statement merely suggested one line of change in its use, and we call attention to this change for a particular reason. Among the excellent books published by Appleton & Co. is a reprint Cobbett’s English Grammar, and in this reprint Mr. Ayres, the editor of it for this republication, lays down in his introduction, and illustrates by significant bracketing in Cobbett’s text, a new rule for the use of the relative _that_. This new rule is, in substance, that the restrictive relative is _that_—_who_ and _which_ being coördinating relatives. This proposed reform is unfortunately timed. By a progress in use which has been unobtrusive, and unaided by dogmatism, the number of _thats_ on a printed page has been reduced to tolerable proportion. If we accept the new rule we shall not only go back to excessive use of _that_, but we may even increase the evil of too much _thating_. The word fills two important functions in present good use; to add the office of expressing all the restrictive uses of the relative pronouns, would probably increase _thating_ so as to render an English page unsightly. Take a sentence: “He said that that man that that boy said that he saw was not that man that that boy thought that he saw.” Mr. Ayres tries to show that certain sentences which contain _who_ and _which_ as relatives are ambiguous in meaning, and that the substitution of _that_ would make the meaning clear. As to such sentences, we may say that if they are really ambiguous in sense, the remedy is to reconstruct them. It is not necessary to use _that_ to pull them out of their obscurity. It is easy, however, to show that a detached sentence might mean something which it does not mean. The meaning of a text is helped out by the context. Aphorisms usually have not context auxiliaries, and usually are ambiguous; but the ordinary use of language is to express our meaning by paragraphs rather than by single sentences. Every ellipsis furnishes an opening for the entrance of small criticism; and ellipsis is one of the large facts of English writing.

In short, the critic of ambiguous sentences will have abundant employment on the best writers, if he is allowed to break off any sentence from its yoke-fellows in the paragraph. We advise our readers not to make haste to adopt the rule of Mr. Ayres. The important question is: How do good writers employ the word _that_ in their books? The answer is that good English writers employ the word as a conjunction and as a demonstrative; and as a relative only when phrase idiom compels such use. In this country, the practice is to use _that_ a good deal as a relative; but there has been a great decline in this use of it, especially during the last thirty years. At the present time our best writers seem to be following the English practice. We hope that Mr. Ayres will not succeed in turning reform backward. With _who_ and _which_ to employ as relative pronouns—and occasional help from _that_, _what_, and _as_, in idioms—the English language is not poor. We need not recall the restrictive _that_ from its honorable retirement.

EDMUND ABOUT.

The death of this versatile French writer removes from modern literature another of the few French literary men who are known all over the world. About was born in 1828, and has enjoyed a cosmopolitan fame since 1860. His literary work had the charm of contemporary interest, and at the same time the merit of philosophical breadth and insight. He gained fame at home in a way our men of letters would not travel, by writing a Dictionary of Railroads. He was equally interesting and instructive whether he wrote a novel or a political pamphlet; for in both, Edmund About’s personality was in the foreground. He was not an egotist, however, in his books, but his _I_ was a modest one which rather relieved others of responsibility for his opinions, than obtrusively forced the author upon our admiration. He had a keen zest for current thought and fact; and, though our sensationalist newspaper men would not fellowship him, he was one of the best editors of his age. He was always an editor—even when he wrote the railroad dictionary—and his political pamphlets are among the best presentations of questions and situations. He saw the heart of a current issue, and with easy grace and perfect poise he described it from the point of view of a modern cosmopolitan gentleman. His “Roman Question” was, in its day, equally intelligible, interesting, amusing and illuminating in Paris, London, Vienna or New York. He described the situation under the Pope as King of Rome, setting out in full relief those peculiarities of the Roman situation which were picturesquely illogical for all men of the world. He had a marvelous power of suggestion. The first sentence of the “Roman Question” is like this—we do not attempt to recall the exact words or figures: “There are in the States of the Church 1,366,328 souls, _not counting the little Mortara boy_.” The last clause referred to a charge that priests at Rome had stolen a Jewish boy and were making a good Catholic of him against the will of his family. The incident made a great uproar at the time, and About recalled to the mind of the reader the whole story, and, without expressing an opinion, attracted the sympathy of his Protestant readers by the mere allusion. Probably his books contain more examples of strong, suggestive allusions to recent or contemporary events, than those of any other writer; and it was always his special art to allude _only_, leaving his reader to his own opinion. The delicacy of his touch and the fine flavor of his criticism were remarkable, even in this age of keen and witty French writers. He became editor of the _XIX. Siecle_ (century), after the war with Germany; but he had always been a journalist in some form, and more than one paper had its editions suppressed by Napoleon III. because they contained the fine but biting satire of About. Some years ago (in 1870, we believe) he was blackballed in the French Academy, but he was recently elected to that august body. He died before he was installed in his academic chair.

EDITOR’S NOTE-BOOK.

We regret exceedingly that a serious illness makes it impossible for Mr. Richard Grant White to furnish his usual paper to the present issue of THE CHAUTAUQUAN. Another month Mr. White will probably be able to continue his articles.

* * * * *

The glimpse we are getting, even at this early day, of the Chautauqua program for 1885, is very inviting. The regular School of Science will be under the charge of Prof. Edwards, president of Chamberlain Institute, Randolph, N. Y., and that of Pedagogy, under Dr. Dickinson, secretary of the board of education, Boston. Such people will be present as John B. Gough, Dr. Deems, Miss Willard, Mrs. Livermore, Bishop Foster, Dr. Boardman, of Philadelphia; Dr. G. P. Hays, of Denver, who will organize a school of Christian work; the Schubert Quartette, of Chicago; the original Fisk Jubilee Singers, for two weeks, and Miss Henninges, the noted singer of Cleveland, O. A very superior organist, Prof. Isaac V. Flagler, has been engaged for the entire Chautauqua season.

* * * * *

The alarm which the recent terrible earthquake in Spain has caused has led to the compilation of some interesting figures relative to the number of shocks which have occurred in late years. Between 1872 and 1883 no less than 364 earthquakes are recorded as occurring in Canada and the United States, not including Alaska. Of these the Pacific slope had 151, the Atlantic coast 147, and the Mississippi valley 66. Thus it appears that an earthquake occurs about once in every twelve days somewhere in the United States and Canada, and about once a month on the Atlantic coast. These are exclusive of the lighter tremors which do not make an impression on observers, but which would be recorded by a properly constructed seismometer, an instrument designed to detect the slighter shocks.

“Just about twenty years ago,” writes Dr. Felix Oswald in a recent letter to THE CHAUTAUQUAN, “when I was stationed at Sidi Belbez, in western Algiers, I had a conversation with a half-civilized Sheik, who had visited our camp and seemed to take a good deal of interest in the portrait of a _mitrailleuse_ (”Gatling gun“) that had been photographed together with a group of Zouave artillerists. After scrutinizing the picture and comparing it with the original, he clutched his head, as if stunned by his emotions. ‘Where do they teach such things?’ he inquired, and then suddenly burst out: ‘What a pity that education and Gatling guns can not be had at home!’ For North America, at least, THE CHAUTAUQUAN seems to have solved one of those problems.”

* * * * *

In a yellowish, time-worn volume bearing the title, _The Allegheny Magazine, or Repository of Useful Knowledge_, issued in Meadville, Pa., on July 4, 1816, we find in a paper on Chautauqua the following: “The tradition among the Seneca Indians is, that when their ancestors first came to the margin of this [Chautauqua] lake and had reclined their weary limbs for the night, they were roused by a tremendous wind which suddenly and unexpectedly brought the waves upon the shore to the jeopardy of their lives. The aboriginal history as handed down from father to son further represents that in the confusion of the scene a child was swept away by the surge beyond the possibility of recovery. Hence the name of the lake _Chaud-dauk-wa_; the radix from which this is formed signifying _a child, or something respecting a child_. The word is usually spelled _Chautauqua_; but, according to the pronunciation of the venerable Cornplanter, whose example is the best authority, it should be written _Chaud-dauk-wa_, the two first syllables of which are long, and the consonant at the end of each is to be distinctly sounded.”

* * * * *

Mr. Francis Murphy, the apostle of temperance, who, by the way, is engaged to speak at Chautauqua next season, is a very useful and popular man in Pittsburgh, Pa. Mr. Murphy has recently been invited to become the pastor of a People’s Church which leading citizens of Pittsburgh propose to establish. He is a powerful man with the masses, and his method of “Gospel-Temperance” is a wise one. By his efforts tens of thousands of drinkers, drunkards and saloon keepers have been led to become better men. We shall watch the new departure in Pittsburgh with a great deal of interest.

* * * * *

Bishop Hurst has discovered in Cairo, Egypt, the next largest university to Chautauqua in the world. His rich article on the “Mohammedan University,” in this impression, fixes the number of students in attendance at about 15,000. The C. L. S. C. numbers more than 60,000, and the class of 1888, organized this school year, will reach nearly, if not quite, 20,000 members.

* * * * *

The recent terrible explosions in London have set us to counting up the similar outrages which have been perpetrated of late in England. In 1881, attempts were made to blow up the armory at Salford, the Mansion House, London, the Lord Mayor’s private apartment, the barracks at Chester, the Central Police Station at Liverpool, and the Town Hall at Liverpool. The activity of the dynamiteurs was checked about this time by the vigilance of the police, and nothing further was done until March 15, 1883, when the Local Government Board offices in Westminster, near the House of Parliament, were nearly destroyed by an explosion of dynamite. In 1884, attempts were made to shatter three railway stations in London, explosions occurred in Scotland Yard and at St. James Square and under London Bridge. Already, in 1885, there have been an explosion on a London underground railway, and the outrages in Westminster Palace and the Tower.

* * * * *

What shall we do? How shall we treat these outrages? We can do nothing. To be sure it is a shameful list of cowardly, ineffectual deeds. Yet they deserve more pity than rage. It is a sad thought, that in rich, cultured, high-bred old England, there can exist a class so weak, cruel, and miserable that it tries to right its wrongs by methods more horrible than those of war.

* * * * *

A very suggestive scene took place recently in the Arkansas Assembly. Engrossing and enrolling clerks were to be elected. The members brought up the names of several ladies, discussing their ability, beauty, and claims to recognition, in most eloquent terms. After a long and amusing discussion, both positions were filled by ladies. This move gives to the self-supporting women of Arkansas a new outlook. The possibility of securing such positions will incite hundreds of women to prepare for clerkships, which if not found in the legislature will surely be found elsewhere, as the peculiar ability of women for such work is recognized.

* * * * *

The legislature of Georgia, at its past session provided a similar opportunity for the women within its borders. Eight to ten clerks have been regularly employed each session to assist the clerk of the lower house of the legislature. Of its own accord the House directed that women be hereafter employed to fill these positions. This was done, and the bills engrossed by them are said to have been remarkably neat and accurate. This ready sympathy for the women who must earn their bread, and manly effort to make places for them, is very characteristic of the generous southern heart.

* * * * *

The Assembly at Lake de Funiak, Florida, will be in session when this number of THE CHAUTAUQUAN is on its way to our subscribers. The opening takes place on February 18. It is the first attempt at planting the Chautauqua Idea so far south, but after its fashion it is sure to take root. The preparations made by Mr. Gillet and his associates give promise of a good program. We expect an account of the meeting for the April number of THE CHAUTAUQUAN.

* * * * *

Two big schemes to attract patronage have of late come before the country. At the time the New Orleans Exposition seemed to stagger under its load of expense, and money was absolutely necessary, the Louisiana Lottery tried to get control of the Exposition. General Grant’s embarrassment was seized upon by the incorrigible Barnum, who proposed buying the invaluable curiosities and relics of the General, to display in his summer pilgrimages through the country. It makes a person of taste blush to think of this impudence, to remember that there is a very large class of people who are willing to drag into advertising the most dignified and sacred institutions in the country.

* * * * *

The commercial side of Chautauqua Lake does not often reveal itself in the educational work which finds its center there. The beautiful country which forms the setting for the fair lake has, however, more than one most interesting industry. Just now ice cutting is at its height. There is a transit company which packs dressed meats, eggs, butter, and other perishable articles, at Chicago. When these refrigerator cars start from that city, ice is placed in the cars, which is expected and found to keep the stores in fresh condition, as far as Salamanca; here the cars must be replenished, and it is to these storehouses that the ice which is now being cut from the lake is sent. The company employs men and teams near the lake to cut the ice, and the process is a very interesting one.

* * * * *

Mr. Edmund Yates, the editor of the London _World_, has been committed to prison for four months for allowing in his columns a bit of gossip connecting in an injurious statement the name of a young woman with that of a young nobleman. It is a refreshing sign of the times. Popular sentiment has tolerated an immense amount of personality, of curiosity, and of absolute impudence in the social columns of newspapers. Mr. Yates’s punishment will emphasize the fact that the public is not so depraved as editors often consider it. By the way, how like is this affair to that earlier one of Mr. Yates’s, when he was turned out of the Garrick Club for publishing a disrespectful paragraph about Thackeray, a fellow-member. It is to be hoped that Mr. Yates will soon learn that it is a mean thing to make one’s bread by selling a friend’s peculiarities or a neighbor’s mistakes and sins.

* * * * *

The Christian revolt of the Jews of Bessarabia, and the establishment of the “National Jewish Society of the New Testament,” was discussed by Bishop Hurst in the January issue of this magazine. The founder of this new sect, Rabinowitz, has been since found dead at his home in Kishenev. It is believed that he was murdered. The Christian authorities believe that it is the work of the orthodox Hebrews, and it is not improbable that such is the case. Apostasy in religion very rarely receives from men Gamaliel’s advised treatment, and unless the law can secure safety for these reformers, there is but little chance that they will escape the fate which all the history of the past teaches us that religious fanaticism believes to be the just and only treatment.

* * * * *

It is gratifying to know that in all probability the $250,000 required for the pedestal of the Bartholdi statue will soon be in the hands of the committee. The difficulty in raising the money has revealed a new side of American generosity. The financial agent of the pedestal committee probably explained it, when he said recently: “The American people are peculiar about these matters. You touch their sympathies and sensibilities, and money flows like water. For flood or fire sufferers you can raise a million dollars in forty-eight hours and have a million more advanced for emergencies by bankers who know that it will be promptly replaced by willing givers. But we haven’t got along to the appreciation of art—of great masterpieces like the Bartholdi statue—and so it was hard to raise money for it. In France, under similar conditions, the fund would have been raised in a week.”

* * * * *

Apropos of the above a step that is being taken in many cities and towns of late, will undoubtedly do much to cultivate among us the lamented lack of “appreciation of art.” It is the establishment of city and village art museums. Worcester, Mass., has had $25,000 left to her, recently, to invest in an art museum. Smaller sums have been raised in several other towns. A good opportunity to study art thoroughly may be secured to any village by a donation of $1,000. Casts, photographs, engravings, and a few standard works are sufficient to cultivate correct ideas, and lay the foundation of knowledge. It is the only way in which to raise the standard of taste in the villages remote from the few cities of America which boast art museums.

* * * * *

The question of the date of the birth of Elizabeth Barrett Browning interested the readers of the C. L. S. C. some time ago. The year alone was ascertained. If any one was troubled that we were unable to answer the query exactly, the answer of Mr. Robert Browning to a lady asking for the date of Mrs. Browning’s birth may be of some consolation: “I know neither the day, month, nor year of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s birth. It is a subject upon which I have never had the slightest curiosity.”

* * * * *

One of the most active public men of the last generation has been Schuyler Colfax. He has been prominent, both as a political leader and as a public speaker. Mr. Colfax’s life of a little more than sixty years was immensely busy. He made his career, beginning as errand boy and clerk in his grandfather’s store. After he was eighteen years of age he took up the study of law, then launching out as a journalist, and finally, at twenty-five, entering the world of politics as secretary of the Whig National Convention, to which he had been sent as a delegate. When the new Republican party was started, Mr. Colfax was sent as a representative to Congress, and from that time he was closely identified with his party, serving particularly as Speaker and Vice President. He was of that large class of industrious, quick witted men who make themselves indispensable in whatever relations they are placed.

* * * * *

The “Imperial Dictionary” promises to be the rival of all the old standard dictionaries among scholarly people. Its form is four good sized volumes, which signifies that the English language grows and grows, and that words need fuller explanation. Mr. Gilder, editor of _The Century_, explained to us, when on a recent pleasant visit to the _Century_ offices, that the “Imperial Dictionary” was built on “Webster’s Dictionary” in England, and that scholarly men had devoted ten years to the task. Now the Century Company have more than two hundred scholars engaged in making improvements on the English edition. It will be seven years before the new American edition will be ready for the market.

* * * * *

A timely and practical department of the Chautauqua University is the School of Journalism. This school is under the able direction of H. W. Mabie, one of the editors of the _Christian Union_. The demand for such schools is great, and the fact that all the work between teacher and pupil in this new undertaking will be conducted by correspondence, is an additional argument in its favor. The plan is briefly this: Three courses of study, with supplementary readings for those who have time for them, have been prepared; theses are expected on subjects assigned, and these will be criticised with special reference to vigorous style; constant correspondence will furnish needed help and hints. The plan is a wise one, its director is able, and there is no doubt but there are numerous young men and women to whom it will open the long desired way out of the woods.

* * * * *

One of the most romantic spots of American history is that of the Florida Chautauqua. Ponce de Leon’s famous quest for the Fountain of Youth lay through this region, and Lake de Funiak itself is fabled to be one of the springs by which the old knight encamped. Perhaps here he plunged into the clear waters and vainly waited to see himself changed to vigorous youth again. However that may be, the road he laid out is a thoroughfare for Florida travelers to-day, and about the clear lake still hangs the tradition that it is the fabled Fountain of Youth. Ten miles from Lake de Funiak is a second spring which still bears the gallant Spaniard’s name. It will be a rare opportunity for dreaming over those early adventures that visitors to Lake de Funiak will have.

* * * * *

The proposed new word, “Thon,” which was suggested in the program in THE CHAUTAUQUAN for January as a suitable subject for an essay, seems to have caused our readers some trouble. A word of explanation may help them. We have no pronoun of the singular number and common gender in English. The absence of such a word leads to many awkward circumlocutions. To obviate this trouble Mr. C. C. Converse, a lawyer, has compounded the word _thon_, from _that_ and _one_—declined: nominative _thon_, possessive _thons_, objective _thon_. Its use is evident. In this sentence is an example: If George or Anna will meet me I will go with _thon_. The word has been much discussed and much amusement is caused by using it—a practice which, however, demonstrates the need we have for such a word. Prof. March, of Lafayette College, writes: “I do not know that any other vocable would have so good a chance for this vacancy.” Prof. Norton, of Harvard, says: “Such a pronoun would undoubtedly be a convenience, did it exist. The difficulty lies in it being _yours_. All forms of speech have grown, and I do not recall an instance of the use by a civilized race of any word, not a noun or a verb, deliberately invented by a philologer, however ingenious.”

C. L. S. C. NOTES ON REQUIRED READINGS FOR MARCH.

COLLEGE GREEK COURSE IN ENGLISH.

Articles on Euripides may be found in the following works: Mahaffy’s “Classical Greek Literature;” Blackwell’s “Introduction to the Classics;” “Studies of the Greek Poets,” by J. A. Symonds; Encyclopædia Britannica; “Phœton,” _Fraser’s Magazine_, vol. xlv, p. 488; “Sea Studies” (J. A. Froude), _Fraser’s Magazine_, vol. xci, p. 541; “Vindication of Euripides,” _National Quarterly_, vol. xix, p. 1.

P. 188.—“The Raging Hercules.” One of the most precious remains of Euripides, full of tragic pathos. While Hercules is absent from home, Lycos, tyrant of Thebes, persecutes his father, wife and children. As they are about to be put to death, Hercules returns and a scene of vengeance follows, and Lycos is the one to suffer death.

“Balaustion,” ba-lausˈti-on.

“Sicilian Expedition.” See “Brief History of Greece,” page 31.

P. 191.—“Mistress.” Artemis.

P. 192.—“I-olˈcos.” An ancient town in Thessaly, the place from which the Argonauts set sail.

“Stygian barge.” The Greek’s view of the world entered immediately after death is given in the following quotation from Seemann’s “Classical Mythology:” “It was supposed to be a region in the center of the earth, with several passages to and from the upper world. Through it flowed several rivers—Co-cyˈtus, Pyˌri-phlegˈe-thon, Achˈe-ron and Styx. The last of these encompassed the lower world several times, and could only be crossed by the aid of Charon, the ferryman, who was depicted as a sullen old man with a bristling beard. The Greeks, therefore, used to place an obolus (small copper coin) in the mouths of their dead, in order that the soul might not be turned back by Charon for lack of money. On the farther side of the river the portals were watched by the dreadful hell-hound Cerberus, a three-headed monster, who refused no one entrance, but allowed none to leave the house of Pluto. All souls on reaching the lower world had to appear before the tribunal of Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Æacus. Those whose lives had been upright were then permitted to enter Elysium, where they led a life of uninterrupted bliss; while those who on earth had been criminal and wicked were consigned to Tartarus, where they were tormented by the Furies and other evil spirits. Those whose lives had not been distinctly good or bad remained in the Asphodel Meadow, where, as dim shadows, they passed a dull, joyless existence.”

P. 194.—“Koré,” kōˈrā. Persephone or Proserpine, the wife of Pluto.

P. 195.—“Moirai,” moyˈrī.

P. 197.—“Strophe.” In Greek tragedy, in its highest development, there was a group of persons, composed of both sexes, who constituted the chorus. When the actors paused the chorus sung or spoke, accompanied by solemn music, moving from one side of the stage to the other. The time of this movement was adapted to the stanzas, so that one, called the strophe, was given as they passed in one direction, and the next, the antistrophe, as they passed back.

“Daughter of Pelias.” Alcestis.

“Seven-chorded shell.” Tradition tells that the first lyre was made by Mercury, out of the shell of a tortoise, which he caught a few hours after his birth. Lyres were employed in recitations of epic poetry, and consisted of a tortoise shell sounding bottom, from which arose two horns, joined near the top by a transverse piece of wood, to which the upper ends of the strings, usually seven in number, which were stretched perpendicularly from the bottom, were fastened.

“Carnean feast.” One of the great national festivals of Sparta, held in honor of Apollo, who had for a surname Carneus, which was derived by some from Carnus, a son of Jupiter and Latona, and by others from Carnus, a soothsayer.

P. 199.—“Lustral bath.” In their early history the only rite of purification observed by the Greeks was that of ablution in water, but afterward sacrifices and other ceremonies were added. These were used to purify individuals, armies and states, and to secure the blessing of the gods. The word lustral is derived from the Latin verb _lustro_ and signifies to purify by means of propitiatory offerings.

P. 200.—“Othrys.” A range of mountains in Thessaly.

“Pythian’s sake.” Apollo’s sake.

P. 205.—The lines at the top of the page, spoken by Hercules, contain the same sentiment that runs all through “Rubáiyát,” the poem written by Omar Khayyám. Compare the extracts from this book given in the “Talk About Books,” in THE CHAUTAUQUAN for February, 1885, with these stanzas. To further show the similarity in thought, we select one stanza from the poem:

“Waste not your hour, nor in the vain pursuit Of this and that, endeavor and dispute; Better be jocund with the fruitful grape Than sadden after none, or bitter fruit.”

P. 206.—“Asclepian train,” as-cleˈpi-an. Train of physicians, who are often called the descendants of Æsculapius, the god of the medical art.

P. 210.—“Gorgon.” A terrible winged woman, who dwelt with her two sisters on the borders of Oceanus, the river that flowed around the ancient world. She was beheaded by Perseus, who accomplished the perilous task by the help of Hermes and Athena.

P. 211.—“Son of Sthenelus,” sthenˈe-lus. Euristheus, who assigned to Hercules his twelve labors.

P. 212.—“Electra.” Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. On the return of Agamemnon from the Trojan war, Clytemnestra and her paramour murdered him. When her young brother, Orestes, had grown to manhood, Electra excited him to avenge the death of Agamemnon, and assisted him in slaying their mother.

P. 213.—“Medea.” The wife of Jason, the Argonautic hero.

“Pieria,” pi-eˈri-a. A narrow strip of country along the southeastern coast of Macedonia.

“Harmonia.” Daughter of Mars and Venus, and wife of Cadmus.

P. 216.—In connection with the chapter on Ar-is-tophˈan-es, the following works may be read: Mahaffy’s “Classical Greek Literature” (readings will be found in this book on all the characters mentioned in “College Greek Course”), “Aristophanes,” _National Quarterly_, vol. iii, p. 70: _Fraser’s Magazine_, vol. xii, p. 222.

P. 219.—“Creon.” Cleon is meant, the “leather-seller” who for six years was the most influential man in Athens. He took command of the forces at Sphac-teˈri-a, during the Peloponnesian war, and fulfilled the promise he had boastingly made, that he would capture the Spartans within twenty days if the Athenians would send him against them.

P. 220.—“Tableaux vivants,” tä-blō vē-väⁿᵍ. Living representations, in which persons are grouped as in pictures. We frequently use only the first of these French words.

“Sophˈist.” The Sophists were the leading public teachers in Greece during the fifth and fourth centuries B. C. In its original sense, the word meant a wise man, and as such could properly be applied to Socrates. But in his day, as a class, they were “ostentatious imposters, flattering and duping the rich for the sake of personal gain.”

P. 225.—“Rhea.” The wife of Saturn, and the great goddess of the world.

“Hebrus.” The principal river in Thrace.

P. 226.—Readings on Pindar will be found in Talfourd’s “History of Greek Literature,” _National Quarterly_, vol. xxxii, p. 203; _London Magazine_, vol. ii, p. 60.

Readings on Sappho, _The Atlantic_ (T. W. Higginson), vol. xxviii, p. 83; _Harper’s Magazine_, vol. lvi, p. 177; _Appleton’s Magazine_, vol. vi, p. 158.

Readings on Simonides, _Westminster Review_, vol. xxxii, p. 99; _Fraser’s Magazine_, vol. ii, p. 52.

P. 228.—“Dithyrambics,” dith-y-ramˈbics. Originally songs in honor of Bacchus; later, any poems written in a wild and enthusiastic manner.

“The Ivy-clad Boy.” Bacchus.

“Bromius.” One of the surnames of Bacchus, signifying the shouter.

“Eriboas.” See index of “College Greek Course.”

P. 229.—“Prophet of Nemea’s strand.” Jupiter.

“Orchomenus,” or-komˈe-nus. An ancient and powerful city of Bœotia.

“Minˈyans.” An ancient Greek race, said to have migrated from Thessaly. Their ancestral hero, Minyas, is said to have been a son of Neptune.

P. 230.—“A-glaiˈa,” “Eu-phrosˈy-ne,” “Tha-liˈa.” The names of the Graces.

“A-soˈpi-chus.” See index to “College Greek Course.”

“Cle-o-dāˈmus.” Usually written Cleodæus. A descendant of Hercules, who made an unsuccessful attempt to lead the Heraclidæ back into their own land, the Peloponnesus. Temenus, his grandson, succeeded in the attempt.

“Bellerophon.” A Corinthian, who obtained possession of the winged horse, Pegasus, who rose with him into the air, whence by means of arrows he killed the Chimæra, a fire-breathing monster which had three heads, one that of a lion, one of a dragon, and one of a goat. It had made great havoc in Lycia and the surrounding countries. Afterward he conquered the Solymi, a warlike race inhabiting the mountains of Lycia, and the Amazons, a mythical, warlike race of females.

P. 232.—“Typhon.” A monster who wished to acquire the sovereignty of gods and men, but who was subdued, after a fearful struggle, by Jupiter, and confined in a Cicilian cave. He begot the winds.

P. 233.—“Phalˈa-ris,” B. C. 570. A cruel and inhuman tyrant of Agrigentum, who was put to death in a sudden outbreak of popular fury. He is said to have burned alive the victims of his cruelty, in a large brazen bull.

P. 240.—“A-donˈis.” A beautiful youth beloved by Venus. He died from a wound which he received from a wild boar. The grief of the goddess was so great that the gods of the lower world allowed Adonis to return to the earth for six months every year. In this myth the death of the youth every year probably represents winter, and his return, summer.

“Cypris” and “Cyth-e-reˈa.” Venus.

P. 241.—“Arethusa.” The nymph of the famous fountain of Arethusa, on the island of Ortygia.

P. 242.—“Meles.” A small stream in Ionia, on the bank of which Homer is said to have been born.

“Pegassean fountain.” The inspiring well of the muses on Mt. Helicon, said to have been formed from a kick given by Pegasus. It is sometimes called the Hippocrene.

“Daughter of Tyndarus.” Helen of Troy.

“Son of Thetis.” Achilles.

“Eros.” Cupid.

“Al-ciˈdes.” Hercules.

“Orpheus.” See C. L. S. C. Notes in THE CHAUTAUQUAN for November, 1884. Eurydice is the wife of Orpheus, instead of Proserpine, as there stated.

P. 244.—“Daphnis.” A Sicilian hero, son of Mercury, and a nymph. A Naiad fell in love with him and made him swear he would never love another. But he met and loved a princess, and the Naiad smote him with blindness. He besought his father for help, and the latter removed him to the abode of the gods, and caused a fountain to gush forth on the spot whence he was taken up.

“Thirsis.” A herdsman who laments the death of Daphnis.

“Priapus.” Son of Bacchus. One of the divinities presiding over agricultural pursuits.

P. 245.—“Gălˈin-gale.” A rush-like, or grass-like plant, often called sedge.

“Ly-caˈon’s son.” Pandarus. One of the commanders in the Trojan war.

P. 246.—“Cicala,” si-cāˈlä. Usually written cicada. The locust.

P. 247.—“Dilettanteism,” dil-et-tanˈte-ism. Admiration of the fine arts.

P. 251.—“Golˈgi.” A Sicyonian colony, inhabiting a town of the same name in Cypris.

“Idalium.” A town of Cypris.

P. 253.—For supplementary reading on Demosthenes see Talfourd’s “History of Greek Literature;” The _North American Review_, vol. xxii, p. 34; _New York Review_, vol. ix, p. 1; _National Review_, vol. xii, p. 99.

P. 255.—“Ignatius Loyola,” ig-naˈsheus loi-oˈla. (1491-1556.) A Spaniard; the founder of the Society of Jesus. He served as page in the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, and later engaged in the wars against the French and the Moors. He was severely wounded in battle, and was made lame. His thoughts were then turned toward a religious life. Long fasts and scourgings often brought him near to death. He attended the University of Paris, where he took the master’s degree at the age of forty-three. Afterward he gathered a few followers about him as the nucleus for his society, which in a short time became so famous.

P. 270.—“Margites.” A poem ascribed to Homer, which holds up to ridicule a man who pretended to know many things, and knew nothing well.

P. 275.—“Milo.” A Roman of daring and unscrupulous character. He was impeached for bribery and for interfering with the freedom of elections, and Cicero undertook his defense.

P. 278.—“Cyrcilus.” The stoning of this man and his family occurred when the Athenians, under Themistocles, retreated from their city to Salamis, after learning that Thermopylæ was in the possession of the Persians.

P. 281.—“Laocoön.” While the Trojans were debating whether they should receive the wooden horse into the city, Laocoön, a priest, rushed forward and warned them not to do it, and struck his spear into its side. As a punishment, Minerva sent two monstrous serpents, which crushed him and his two sons to death.

P. 282.—“Bema.” A raised place, from which an orator addressed public assemblies.

CHEMISTRY.

P. 77.—“Champs de Mars,” Shäⁿᵍ duh Mars. Field of Mars. The name given to the place devoted to military exercises in France. It is an extensive parade ground, about 3,000 feet long and 1,500 feet wide, lying on the left bank of the Seine. There are four rows of trees on each side, and it is entered by five gates. It was finished in 1790, and in their eagerness to have it ready for the first great feast of the French Revolution, on July 14th, of that year, 60,000 volunteers, men and women, worked night and day for two weeks, and completed it in time. At this feast the king swore allegiance to the constitution. The Champs de Mars has been the scene of many great historic events. The World’s Fair of 1867 was held there.

P. 78.—“Academy of Science.” This was organized in France in 1666. In 1795 it, with four other academies, viz.: the French Academy, Academy of Painting and Sculpture, Academy of Belles Lettres, and the Academy of Moral and Political Science, was revived in a new form, under the name of the _Institut National_. This institution is the most important of its kind in the world. These academies now have the same relation to the _Institut_ that colleges bear to a university. In the Academy of Science at present there are sixty-three members and one hundred corresponding members. It bestows an annual prize of about $2,000, for the most important astronomical observation, a prize of nearly $600 for productions on natural science, and other rewards for inventions, discoveries, and improvements. Its sessions are all held in public, and are much frequented.

P. 80.—A free translation of the note at the bottom of the page: Having attained an altitude of 22,960 feet, he still wished to go higher, and so disburdened himself of all the objects which he could in any way do without. Among these objects was a chair of white wood, which chanced to light in a thicket, very near a young girl who was tending some sheep. Great, indeed, was the astonishment of the shepherdess! The sky was clear, the balloon invisible. What else could she think of the chair than that it had come from Paradise? The only objection that could be raised against the conjecture was the rudeness of its construction. The workmen in the higher world, said the incredulous, could not be so unskillful. The discussion was still going on, when the papers, in publishing all the particulars of the aerial voyage of Gay Lussac, announced, among the natural results of the ascent, this which up to this time had seemed a miracle.

P. 85.—“Scheele,” shāˈleh.

P. 91.—“Litmus paper.” Paper that has been prepared for use as a test for acids and alkalies. Litmus is a blue coloring matter, extracted from lichens which are found along the rocky coasts of the Mediterranean, and other tropical lands. They are largely used for dyeing purposes, and when prepared with potash or soda, they produce litmus. A strong infusion of litmus is made with boiling water, and a little sulphuric acid is added. Unsized paper is dipped into this infusion, which gives it a blue color. The application of any acid will change the blue to red, and then the blue color may be immediately restored by immersing the paper in an alkali. So delicate a test is it, that the paper has to be preserved in closely stoppered bottles, to prevent the access of acid fumes.

P. 94.—“Berthollet,” ber-to-lā.

P. 100.—“Balard,” bā-lār.

P. 101.—“Liebig,” leeˈbig.

P. 107.—“Varech,” vărˈek; “Barilla,” ba-rilˈla.

P. 108.—“Courtois,” koor-twä.

P. 114.—“Nicklès,” nē-klā.

P. 115.—“Puy Maurin,” pwe-mō-raⁿᵍ; “Hauy,” ä-we.

NOTES ON REQUIRED READINGS IN “THE CHAUTAUQUAN.”

TEMPERANCE TEACHINGS OF SCIENCE.

1. “Boerhave,” bōrˈhäv, Hermann. (1668-1738.) A Dutch physician. He gave much attention to the distinction between mind and matter, and condemned the doctrines of Epicurus, Hobbes and Spinoza. He published several works on the study and practice of medicine, and held the chair of chemistry, botany, and medicine in Leyden University.

2. “Saracens.” The Mohammedan people who, coming from Mauritania, invaded Europe in the early part of the eighth century. In Spain they took the name of Moors. They applied to all unbelievers in Mohammedanism the name Giaours (jour) as a term of reproach.

3. “Lorenz Oken.” (1779-1851.) A German naturalist, and the author of several works. He was professor of medical science for a time at Jena, and editor of the celebrated periodical, _The Isis_, devoted to natural science. At the time of his death, he held the position of professor of natural science in Zurich, Switzerland. A statue has been erected to his honor in Jena, Germany.

4. “Bentham,” Jeremy. (1748-1832.) An English writer on politics and jurisprudence. In opposition to Blackstone’s views, he wrote “Fragments on Government.” His numerous literary works were more kindly received in France than in England. One of his latest works was the “Art of Packing,” that is, of arranging juries so as to obtain any verdict desired. He wrote a book on the “Defense of Usury,” showing the impolicy of placing restraints upon dealings in money.

5. “Benjamin Rush.” (1745-1813.) A celebrated American physician, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. During the ravages of the yellow fever, in 1793, he distinguished himself by rendering extraordinary services, and his history of that epidemic is a valuable work.

6. “Nostrum Mongers.” Sellers of quack medicines.

7. “Circenses,” sir-senˈsēs. A Latin term, meaning race-courses. Here it can be translated recreations.

8. “Panes,” paˈnēs. Bread, means of subsistence.

9. “Languedoc,” langˈgue-dock. A name applied during the middle ages to a province in the south of France, which is now divided into several departments, among which are Aude, Hérault, and Upper Garonne.

10. “Bunsen,” Christian Karl, Baron von, generally known as Chevalier Bunsen. (1791-1860.) One of the most distinguished statesmen and scholars of Germany. Through the favor of Niebuhr, who was Prussian minister at Rome, he was appointed secretary to the Prussian embassy at that court, where he remained twenty years, and then succeeded Niebuhr as minister. Later he was sent as Prussian embassador to England. He was highly esteemed by Frederick William III. and Frederick William IV., both of whom frequently took him into their counsel. He was one of the most zealous workers in bringing about the union of the German states. His widow has published the “Memoirs of Bunsen.”

11. “Turnerhalls.” Gymnasia which were established throughout Germany through the enterprise of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, in the latter part of the eighteenth century, for the purpose of fitting young men to endure the fatigues of war.

12. “Jean Jacques Rousseau.” (1712-1778.) One of the most eloquent French writers and singular characters of his age. He was denounced on account of his subversive theories and the immoralities of his life. His erratic social and political teachings are redeemed in part by the strong desire he had to increase the happiness of the laboring classes.

13. “Goldwin Smith.” (1823-⸺.) An English author, and a warm friend to the federal government during the civil war. Coming to the United States in 1868, he became professor of English history in Cornell University.

SUNDAY READINGS.

The selection given in THE CHAUTAUQUAN as a Sunday Reading for October 5, 1884, was from Gotthold’s “Emblems.” The note on Gotthold was crowded out of the C. L. S. C. Notes. Many inquiries have been made concerning him; for this reason we insert the following:

“Christian Scriver, a Lutheran clergyman and writer of devotional works in the seventeenth century, the contemporary and friend of Spener, was born at Rendsburg, in Holstein, January 2, 1629. His childhood was spent under the care of a widowed mother in the trying period of the Thirty Years’ War; but a wealthy merchant—a brother of Scriver’s grandmother—finally made provision for his needs. After suitable preparatory studies, Scriver became a private tutor, and in 1647 entered the University of Rostock. In 1653 he was archdeacon at Stendal, and in 1667 pastor at Magdeburg, with which position he combined other offices, _e. g._, that of a scolarch, and finally of a senior in the government of the church. He refused to leave Magdeburg in answer to repeated calls to Halberstadt, to Berlin, and to the court of Stockholm, but in advanced age was induced to accept the post of court preacher at Que Dinburg. In 1692 he suffered an apoplectic stroke, and on April 5, 1693, died. He had been married four times, and had had fourteen children born to him, but he outlived all his wives and children except one son and one daughter.

“The name of Scriver has lived among the common people through the publication of his ‘Seelenschatz’ (Magd. and Leipsic, 1737, Schaffhausen, 1738, sq., five parts in two vols., folio), a manual of devotion which he dedicated to ‘the Triune God,’ and which deserves high commendation. Another work deserving of mention is Gotthold’s ‘Zufällige Andachten’ (first edition 1671, and often), a sort of Christian parables, 400 in number, which are based on objects in nature and ordinary occurrences in life. The ‘Siech. u. Siegesbette’ describes a sickness through which he passed, and the aids and comforts derived from God’s goodness in that time. Prittius has published a work of consolation entitled ‘Wittwentrost,’ from Scriver’s literary remains.”

For Scriver’s life see Prittius’s preface to the “Seelenschatz;” Christmann’s “Biographie” (Nuremburg, 1829): Hagenbach’s “Wesen u. Gesch. d. Reformat.,” vol. iv; “Evanganlisch Protestanitismus,” vol. ii, 177 sq.; Herzog’s “Real-Encyklop,” s. v.

* * * * *

1. “Renan,” rŭh-näⁿᵍ. (1823-⸺.) A French philosopher, who has published several treatises on comparative philology, and translations of scriptural books with critical introductions, and has written much for periodicals. He was sent at the head of a scientific commission to explore Tyre and Sidon, Lebanon and other localities, and made many interesting discoveries.

2. “Whitefield,” George. (1714-1770.) The founder of Calvinistic Methodism. He set the example of preaching in the open air, and at one time is said to have addressed 60,000 persons at Moorfields. He quarreled with Wesley on the subject of predestination, but afterward was reconciled to him, although he never agreed with him in doctrine. He made several visits to the United States.

3. “President Edwards,” Jonathan. (1745-1801.) Son of Jonathan Edwards, the divine. He was president of Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. His complete works were published in two volumes.

4. “Tholuck,” tōˈlook. (1799-1877.) A German divine. In 1826 he was called to the University of Halle, as professor of theology, where he spent the remaining years of his life.

STUDIES IN KITCHEN SCIENCE.

1. “Brassica oleraceæ,” brasˈsi-ca ō-ler-aˈse-ē.

2. “Bore-cole.” A variety of cabbage, not having its leaves packed into a firm head, but loose and curled.

3. “Daucas carota,” dauˈcus ca-roˈta.

4. “Beta vulgaris,” bēˈta vul-gāˈris.

5. “Mangold-Wurzel.” Commonly written mangel wurzel.

6. “Allium Cepa,” alˈli-um sēˈpa.

THE PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES.

1. “Entreés,” oⁿᵍˈtrā. The first course of dishes served on the table.

2. “Mayonnaise,” māˈyon-naise.

THE CIRCLE OF THE SCIENCES.

1. “Tufa.” A kind of volcanic sandstone, composed of pulverized volcanic rocks. It is formed whenever a shower of rain accompanies the fall of cinders, during the eruption of a volcano.

2. “Drift period.” The name applied to the time in which that remarkable bed of earth, gravel, and stones of all dimensions, was deposited. It has puzzled all geologists to account for this formation, which is the lowest of the three groups of the superficial covering of the earth, and no completely satisfactory theory has yet been advanced.

3. The large New Zealand bird described was called the moa.

4. “Carboniferous period.” Coal age. By careful study it has been found that in the progress of the earth’s development a number of great ages have existed—each distinguished from the others by some marked change. That of coal plants is placed by geologists as the fourth age, counting upward from the lowest formation. It was remarkable for the alternate low elevation of the land above the sea level, and its submergences; and also for the luxuriant growth of vegetation, which, under the great pressure and heat to which it was subjected while the surface was submerged, was changed into coal.

5. “Spectroscope.” The name given to the apparatus used for the study of the spectrum. “When a ray of sunlight admitted through an aperture in a dark room is concentrated upon a prism of rock salt”—or glass—“by means of a lens of the same material, and then after emerging from the prism is received on a screen, it will be found to present a band of colors, in the following order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.”—_Ganot_. This band is called the spectrum. That there are other but invisible lines than those mentioned in the spectrum, is proven by the use of the thermopile, oftener called thermomultiplier, mentioned in the article on “Home Studies in Chemistry.” This is a complicated instrument used for detecting minute differences in the degrees of heat; its description without an accompanying illustration would be of no benefit to any one. So delicate is it that the heat of the hand held at a distance of three feet is sufficient to deflect the needle. The spectroscope is composed of three telescopes, mounted on a common foot, whose axes converge toward a glass prism. One of the telescopes is movable, and can be adjusted so as to give the observer the clearest view of the spectrum. The ray of light is admitted through the telescope and falls upon the prism, which decomposes it, and the spectrum is formed on the opposite side of the prism. In the telescope which the observer uses a powerful magnifying glass is placed. The third telescope is used for measuring the relative distances between the lines.

HOME STUDIES IN CHEMISTRY.

1. “James Dwight Dana.” (1813-⸺.) An American geologist and mineralogist; the author of several works on these and other sciences. He went out as mineralogist and geologist appointed by the United States Government with the exploring expedition sent to the Southern and Pacific Oceans in 1838, and returned in 1842. For the next fourteen years he was busily engaged in preparing for publication the reports of this exploration. These were published by the government and formed valuable records. For many years he was one of the editors of the _American Journal of Science and Arts_. He has been elected to membership in several learned European societies and royal academies.

2. “Eisenlohr,” iˈzen-lore. (1799-1872.) A German physicist. He was a Heidelburg student, and in 1819 removed to Mannheim, where he became a teacher of mathematical and physical science in the lyceum. He was afterward a professor at Carlsruhe. A Manual of Physics is his chief work.

3. “Geissler’s tubes,” ghīceˈler. The spectrum of any gas can be best obtained by placing the gas in these tubes, and then passing the electric current through. If the gas is hydrogen, the spectrum will consist of a bright red, a green, and a blue line. Each gas casts its own spectrum. In this way the spectroscope aids in the analysis of substances. The different spectra formed reveal the elements.

4. “Sir John Herschel.” (1792-1871.) An English astronomer. His great enterprise was his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope to take observations of the heavens in the southern hemisphere. He remained there four years. His published results of his observations furnish one of the most valuable works on astronomy. He did not confine his studies to astronomy alone, but gave great attention to the subject of the atmosphere. He held that from eighty to ninety miles above the earth a perfect vacuum exists, and that three fourths of all the atmospheric air lies within four miles from the earth’s surface. His studies in meteorology were also very valuable, as well as his important discoveries in photography. Among his published works are: “Essays, from the _Edinburgh_ and _Quarterly Reviews_, with Addresses and Other Pieces,” “Physical Geography,” and “Familiar Letters on Scientific Subjects.” Herschel held various positions of honor in his lifetime, being at one time president of the Royal Astronomical Society, and afterward Master of the Mint for five years. He was one of the eight foreign associates of the French Academy of Sciences.

5. “Fire Worshipers.” A Persian sect which worships fire as an emanation of the divine being. “Fire worshipers” is the English name for the Guēˈbers (also called Ghēˈber or Giaours—jours). They call themselves _Beh Din_, “those of excellent belief.” The Arabs completed the conquest of Persia in the seventh century, and the great mass of the nation adopted the faith of the conquerors. Those who refused to do so were subjected to persecution. Some of them took refuge in the wilderness of Khorasan, and others in Kohistan. The latter in the ninth century emigrated to India and settled in the neighborhood of Surat. Their descendants still inhabit the same region, and are called Parsees. The descendants of those who remained in Persia have gradually decreased in numbers and sunk into ignorance and poverty, though still preserving a reputation for honesty, chastity, industry, and obedience to law superior to that of the other Persians. They are estimated to number about 7,000.

6. “Bunsen Burner.” In this burner, at the lower end of the hollow stem through which the gas passes, there is a lateral orifice which admits the air necessary for combustion. This orifice can be made larger or smaller by means of a diaphragm which is used as a regulator. If a moderate amount of air enters, the gas burns with a luminous flame, but if a strong and steady current is admitted, the carbon is rapidly oxidized, the flame loses its brightness, and burns with a pale blue light, scarcely perceptible, and with intense heat.

7. “Voltaic Arc.” A most beautiful effect, obtained from the electric light. At the terminals of a battery, pieces of charcoal are connected and placed in contact until the current causes them to become incandescent. Then they are separated about the tenth of an inch, and it is found that a luminous, exceedingly brilliant arc connects the two points.

8. “Hell Gate.” The name of a narrow channel between Long Island and Manhattan Island. Until recently the numerous reefs made it impassable for large ships and dangerous for small ones. In 1851 the first efforts were made to open the channel, by submarine blasting. In 1876, after many vain attempts, the work was carried to a successful issue. The total amount of money expended by Congress for this work since 1868 was $1,940,000.

9. “Æolus.” A descendant of the founder of the Æolian race. He became the ruler of certain islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, which from him were called the Æolian Islands. He is said to have taught his subjects to use sails on their ships, and to have foretold the nature of the winds that were to rise. Homer said of him that Jupiter had given him rule over the winds. This led to his being regarded as the god of the winds, which he was supposed to keep shut up in a mountain.

TALK ABOUT BOOKS.

It would be difficult for a biography of Sydney Smith, that man who always took short views of life, hoped for the best, and put his trust in God, to be other than interesting. Mr. Reid’s biography[L] is so interesting that the reader quite forgets to criticise. It is a many-sided sketch of the brave hearted dominie. It tells his history, to be sure, but one gets a very good idea of many of his associates as well; it tells his route through life, and as a happy idea adds descriptions and illustrations of the various localities in which he lived, as they are to-day. There is just enough quotation from the reverend Sydney to give pith to the sober, clear narrative of the writer, and just enough of the “Times” to keep one in sympathy with his age. Several letters and essays never before printed appear in the volume. Mr. Reid, we are pleased to see, presents the courage, the unfailing hope, and the abundant common sense of his subject as characteristics of more importance than his wit.

It is moderate praise of the book[M] produced by Mrs. Mitchell to say that all lovers of art and its history will find it a valuable acquisition to their libraries. The author has chosen the historical method of presenting her subject, and begins with Egyptian sculpture, passes on to Chaldean, Assyrian, and Persian; then to that of Phœnicia, Asia Minor, and Greece, and ends with works of the Italian masters. Feeling that “description can not by any possibility supersede the sight of the artistic creations,” she has freely illustrated the book with accurate representations of many of the great masterpieces. There can be no work better suited for the use of those who desire to acquire a knowledge of this branch of art.

M. Gaillard has added one more to the many books already issued for the purpose of teaching “French Conversation.”[N] The system he has adopted differs from all the others in this respect: questions alone are given, to which the scholar is to frame his own answers. A clue to the words needed in the replies, and to the construction of the sentences and idioms will be found in the questions. Thus the memorizing of set sentences which never will fit in anywhere save in the recitation room, is avoided, and the pupil is obliged to think for himself instead of merely observing how the words are used by others. Theoretically the plan is a good one. As a text-book for common use in schools and elsewhere, we doubt, somewhat, its feasibility.

No tourist to the White Mountains can afford to do without Mr. Drake’s book.[O] The last edition of it is prepared expressly for their use, and contains in the form of an appendix a complete guide-book. One of the covers is provided with a pocket, within which is placed a map of the White Mountains, and one of Vermont and New Hampshire. This pocket will also prove convenient for carrying memoranda. The book contains many fine illustrations, is printed from large, clear type, and is handsomely bound. And as one sees in word pictures the scenery of the mountains, and is delighted with racy little incidents of travel, and with anecdote, or is thrilled with some perilous adventure, he can not help saying that author, artist, and publisher have all done their part toward making an attractive book.

It was a good idea to publish a dictionary of the “Women of the Day.”[P] Miss Hays has undoubtedly put an immense amount of labor into the neat little volume which she has just sent out to the world. However, the publication has been too soon. More labor is needed to make the book as useful as it ought to be. More than once her biographies of the best known women are incorrect, as when she located Marion (which name, by the way, she spelled Mari_a_n) Harland’s present home at Newark, N. J., a place she left years ago. Again, in some of the sketches the work is poorly arranged. Why should Miss Willard’s whereabouts in 1878 be tacked on at the end of the article, after it had been brought up to 1882, instead of being inserted in its proper order? For all that, it is a very useful work. It will be of great help to the general reader interested in eminent women.

A valuable series of “Outlines” of the Philosophy of Hermann Lotze has been undertaken by Prof. Ladd, of Yale College. A leading philosopher of Germany, Lotze’s works have been sealed to all English readers, save those who were able to overcome philosophical German. This series will furnish an opportunity long desired by those interested in German thought to make themselves familiar with Lotze’s ideas. “Outlines of Metaphysics”[Q] is the first work issued.

Mrs. Jackson’s “Ramona”[R] takes rank at once in the highest class of fiction. The fascination in its pages holds one from beginning to end, and he closes the book with much the same impression as if he had just returned from a day’s exquisite enjoyment of wild and rugged mountain scenery. The characters possess an individuality such as is found in those drawn by Dickens, and the fine shaping of plot and incident recalls George Eliot’s “Romola.” The story of “Ramona” has to do with Indian life in Southern California and Mexico, and is of historical interest. As one reads of the wrongs cruelly inflicted upon the noble _Alessandro_ and the heroic Christian spirit with which he endured them all to the bitter end, there comes a sense of shame that under American laws, base, unprincipled men could commit such deeds of plunder and violence with impunity. The character of _Ramona_ is unique. Her devoted love for _Alessandro_, the gladness with which she accepted the life of deprivation and danger at his side, and the development, through heavy sorrows, of her deep, true, womanly nature, give the book a richness of color and a depth of pathos seldom met.

In “Dorcas,”[S] a story of anti-Christ, the lives and sufferings of the early Christians in Rome are depicted. Dorcas and her friends hid themselves away for many long months in the Catacombs, to escape persecution. In two instances while there, the miracle of bringing the dead back to life occurred, one of those restored being Marcellus, the affianced husband of Dorcas, a young Roman nobleman who was put to death for accepting the Christian religion. The accession of Constantine gave them their freedom. The book affords a good study in the high style of its diction and the purity of its language. It is valuable, too, for its record of the customs of those days, and for its historical incidents.

Students of English who enjoy theories about words and expressions will find in “Elements of English Speech”[T] a full measure of them, most ingeniously supported. The book is in no way suitable for readers who are unacquainted with Latin, Greek, French, and German, but for those who have dabbled a little in each it will furnish interesting reading, and some ideas of real value.

The house of D. Appleton & Co. is publishing some excellent text-books. Among these is “Elements of Geometry,”[U] a work on plane and solid geometry. The arrangement of the book, its admirable fitness to the needs of the pupils just beginning the sciences, and its abundant exercises make it a very satisfactory work for teachers.——In their series of “Science Text-Books,” “Elements of Zoölogy,”[V] by C. F. & J. B. Holder, is one of the most entertaining, practical, and, beside, thorough, elementary works on animal biology we have ever seen. The illustrations are excellent.——A capital “Second Reader” is “Friends in Feathers and Fur, and Other Neighbors.”[W] We like the idea of giving the young folks good, clear type.——But best of all is “Appleton’s Chart Primer,”[X] a pretty little book with numbers of beautifully colored pictures for color lessons, and a cover so brilliant that it will make it a pleasure for little ones to learn their lessons.

A new edition of “The Water Babies,”[Y] abridged by J. H. Stickney has been issued. It is a delightful fairy story for land babies. Little Tom, a poor chimney sweep who belonged to a very cruel master, went one day to work in a grand house. Coming down the wrong chimney, he found himself standing opposite a large mirror in a very beautiful room in which a little, sick girl was lying. The sight of himself in the glass, black and impish, and the screams of the little girl frightened him so that he jumped from the window, caught the branches of a tree, slid to the ground and ran for his life, pursued by different members of the family, who supposed him to be a thief. They could not catch him, however, and soon gave up the attempt. Two or three days after his body was found in a stream of water, and all the people thought him dead. But they were mistaken; that body was only the old covering of Tom; he had been changed into a beautiful water baby, whose life in that fairy land is told in a very fascinating manner, showing that there, also, little folks ought to work for the good of others.

The “Water Babies” is one of a series of “Classics for Children,” a series arranged on the sensible idea that children can be taught to enjoy good literature, as they are taught to read. Among the other works which have appeared in this course are a “Primer and First Reader,”[Z] Scott’s “Lady of the Lake,”[AA] and Kingsley’s “Greek Heroes.”[AB] Others are in preparation.

“Which: Right or Wrong?”[AC] is an interesting story centering about the Framingham Assembly. It gives some bright pictures of life there, and teaches some excellent lessons.

“The Mentor”[AD] is a very neat little book written for the use of men and boys who wish to appear to good advantage in cultivated society. It treats of personal appearance, manners at the dinner table and in public, conversation, odds and ends, calls and cards, and closes with a chapter answering the question, “What is a Gentleman?” It contains a number of quotations from eminent authors.

A beautiful device is that of “The Guest Book,”[AE] in which the hostess may record the coming and the going of her guests. It contains short, beautifully illustrated selections concerning hospitality, from prominent writers, with blank pages left between for autographs, incidents, and sketches relating to pleasant calls and visits. In the hands of every woman who loves to entertain her friends it will prove a treasure-house of pleasant memories.

Not often are our social foibles “taken off” more pointedly than in “The Buntling Ball.”[AF] It is a really clever, and withal sprightly, satire on some of the vulnerable points of New York society. _Mrs. Buntling_, wife of a “potentate in pork,” returning from Europe, issues invitations for a ball. She has obtained a list of “all the names considered of decisive note,” and, regardless of the fact that she knows none of them issues a general invitation. The fact that everybody comes is one of the sharpest points in the play. Choruses are introduced in true Greek drama style, and the “Knickerbocker young men,” “maneuvering mammas,” “wall-flowers,” “gossips,” “Anglo-maniacs,” etc., carry on dialogues with the principal characters, in which they give the whole philosophy of New York society, in the frankest manner and in all sorts of happy, sprightly verse. The mystery of its authorship has been turned to good account by the publishers, who offer a prize of $1,000 to the successful guesser.

Marion Harland, in writing “Eve’s Daughters,”[AG] has done a noble work for women. The book must exert a good influence wherever it goes, and do much toward breaking down the barrier of false modesty and ignorance in regard to herself, that woman, too often, has taken pride in rearing. It begins with the life of the baby girl and follows her as the representative of her sex, through all the years down to old age. Strong, plain, helpful things are said, and said only as a brave, womanly woman can say them, in regard to the physical life of women. Every mother ought to read the book, and read it with her daughters.

“Memories of the Manse”[AH] is a quiet little picture of the life, home, family, and parish of a Scotch minister who lived, a number of years ago, in Glenarran. The rugged outlines of the stern character belonging to that northern people are well drawn, and dashes of color, showing the tender and loving side of human nature, appear here and there, brightening up the scene. The experience of the eldest son, who was “a clever lad, and had just returned after working his way through college, wearing a wonderfully clerical dress and air, an eye-glass, and a highly comfortable opinion of himself,” only to find that he was ridiculed instead of admired by his former associates, and his honest surprise at his unpopularity furnish a touch of humor to the whole work.

The books which Samuel Smiles has put upon the market are eminently valuable to boys and men who are in trades. He has done much to dignify labor and to show how essential is brain and thrift and education to manual labor. In his late volume, “Men of Invention and Industry,”[AI] the material is particularly good. It is fresh, and the stories of successful men give a grip to the book which is very effective. The lack of literary finish of which some complain in Mr. Smiles’s work is but a minor matter when we think of the serious purpose, the earnest desire to show how handicrafts may be developed, and how great opportunities lie in the way of mechanics to benefit society and to attain distinction. Among his men of invention and industry are Phineas Pett, the English ship builder; John Harrison, the inventor of the marine chronometer, and Frederick Koenig, inventor of the steam printing machine. A digression from the main object of the book is the chapter on “Industry in Ireland,” but it is a pleasing digression. The abundant resources which Mr. Smiles shows to exist in Ireland, will be surprising to many readers. Her fisheries, her iron, coal and clay beds, her linen industries, and her ship building are well described. The development of these resources he justly concludes to be the solution of the “Irish trouble.”

Mr. Harrison, in giving to the public the life and literary works[AJ] of the author of “Home Sweet Home,” has met a want that many persons have felt, to know something more of this author. No trouble has been spared in gathering the data for the biography, and much valuable information has been given to the world which, but for his efforts, might have been lost. He has, however, entered so fully into details as frequently to detract from the interest of the work. The circumstances under which “Home Sweet Home” was written, are given.

FOOTNOTES

[L] A Sketch of the Life and Times of the Rev. Sydney Smith. By Stuart J. Reid. New York: Harper & Brothers. 1885.

[M] A History of Ancient Sculpture. By Lucy Mitchell. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company. Price, according to binding, $12.50, $18.00, or $25.00.

[N] French Conversation. By J. D. Gaillard. New York: D. Appleton & Co.

[O] The Heart of the White Mountains. By Samuel Adams Drake. Illustrated by W. Hamilton Gibson. New York: Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square.

[P] Women of the Day. A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Contemporaries. By Frances Hays. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. 1885.

[Q] Outlines of Metaphysics. Dictated Portions of the Lectures of Hermann Lotze. Translated and edited by George T. Ladd. Boston: Ginn, Heath & Co. 1884.

[R] Ramona. By Helen Jackson. (H. H.) Boston: Roberts Brothers. Price, $1.50.

[S] Dorcas, the Daughter of Faustina. By Nathan C. Kouns. Author of “Arius the Libyan.” New York: Fords, Howard and Hurlbert. 1884.

[T] Elements of English Speech. By Isaac Bassett Choate. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1884.

[U] Elements of Geometry. By Eli T. Tappan, LL.D. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1885.

[V] Elements of Zoölogy. By C. F. & J. B. Holder, M.D. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1884.

[W] Friends in Feathers and Fur, and Other Neighbors. By James Johonnot. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1885.

[X] Appleton’s Chart Primer: Exercises in Reading at Sight, and Language and Color Lessons For Beginners. By Rebecca D. Rickoff.

[Y] The Water Babies. By Charles Kingsley. Edited and abridged by J. H. Stickney. Boston: Ginn, Heath & Co. 1884. Mailing price, 40 cents. Introduction, 35 cents.

[Z] Primer and First Reader. By E. A. Turner. Boston: Ginn, Heath & Co. 1885.

[AA] The Lady of the Lake. By Sir Walter Scott. Edited by Edwin Ginn. Boston: Ginn, Heath & Co. 1885.

[AB] The Heroes; or, Greek Fairy Tales for My Children. By Charles Kingsley. Edited by John Tetlow. Boston: Ginn, Heath & Co. 1885.

[AC] Which: Right or Wrong? By M. L. Moreland. Boston: Lee and Shepard, Publishers. 1883.

[AD] The Mentor. By Alfred Ayers. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 1884.

[AE] The Guest Book. Designed and illustrated by Annie F. Cox. Boston: Lee and Shepard. New York: C. S. Dillingham, 618 Broadway. 1885.

[AF] The Buntling Ball. A Græco-American Play. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 1884.

[AG] Eve’s Daughters. By Marion Harland. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1885.

[AH] Memories of the Manse. By Anne Breadalbane. Troy, N.Y.: H. B. Nims & Co. 1885.

[AI] Men of Invention and Industry. By Samuel Smiles, LL.D. New York: Harper & Brothers. 1885.

[AJ] John Howard Payne. By Gabriel Harrison. Illustrated. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Daddy Darwin’s Dovecote. A Country Tale. By Juliana Horatio Ewing. Boston: Roberts Brothers. 1885. Price, 35 cents.

Flatland. A Romance of Many Dimensions. By A Square. Boston: Roberts Brothers. 1885. Price, 75 cents.

Memoirs of the Rev. David Brainard. Based on the Life of Brainard prepared by Jonathan Edwards, D.D. Edited by J. M. Sherwood. New York: Funk and Wagnalls. 1885.

PARAGRAPHS FROM NEW BOOKS.

A FRAGMENT ON THE CULTIVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE ANIMAL SPIRITS.—It is surprising to see for what foolish causes men hang themselves. The most silly repulse, the most trifling ruffle of temper, or derangement of stomach, anything seems to justify an appeal to the razor or the cord. I have a contempt for persons who destroy themselves. Live on, and look evil in the face; walk up to it, and you will find it less than you imagined, and often you will not find it at all; for it will recede as you advance. Any fool may be a suicide. When you are in a melancholy fit first suspect the body, appeal to rhubarb and calomel, and send for the apothecary; a little bit of gristle sticking in the wrong place, an untimely consumption of custard, excessive gooseberries, often cover the mind with clouds and bring on the most distressing views of human life.… The greatest happiness which can happen to any one is to cultivate a love of reading. Study is often dull because it is improperly managed. I make no apology for speaking of myself, for as I write anonymously, nobody knows who I am, and if I did not, very few would be the wiser—but every man speaks more firmly when he speaks from his own experience. I read four books at a time; some classical book, perhaps, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. The “History of France,” we will say, on the evenings of the same days. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, Mosheim or Lardner, and on the evenings of those days, Reynolds’s Lectures or Burns’s Travels. Then I have always a standard book of poetry, and a novel to read when I am in the humor to read nothing else. Then I translate some French into English one day and retranslate it the next; so that I have seven or eight pursuits going on at the same time, and this produces the cheerfulness of diversity, and avoids that gloom which proceeds from hanging a long while over a single book. I do not recommend this as a receipt for becoming a learned man, but for becoming a cheerful one.—_From Reid’s “Life and Times of the Rev. Sydney Smith.”_

* * * * *

SCENES ON A STAGE COACH.—The views of the mountains as the afternoon wore away, grew more and more interesting. The ravines darkened, the summits brightened. Cloud-shadows chased each other up and down the steeps, or, flitting slowly across the valley, spread thick mantles of black that seemed to deaden the sound of our wheels as we passed over them. On one side all was light, on the other all gloom. But the landscape is not all that may be seen to advantage from the top of a stage coach.

From time to time, as something provoked an exclamation of surprise or pleasure, certain of the inside occupants manifested open discontent. They were losing something where they had expected to see everything.

While the horses were being changed, one of the insiders, I need not say it was a woman, thrust her head outside of the window, and addressed the young person perched like a bird upon the highest seat. Her voice was soft and persuasive. “Miss!” “Madam!” “I’m so afraid you find it too cold up there. Sha’n’t I change places with you?” The little one gave her voice a droll inflection as she briskly replied: “Oh, dear, no, thank you; I’m very comfortable indeed.” “But,” urged the other, “you don’t look strong; indeed, dear, you don’t. Aren’t you very, _very_ tired, sitting so long without any support to your back?” “Thanks, no; my spine is the strongest part of me.” “But,” still persisted the inside, changing her voice to a loud whisper, “to be sitting alone with all those men!” “They mind their business, and I mind mine,” said the little one reddening; “besides,” she quickly added, “you proposed changing places, I believe!” “Oh!” returned the other, with an accent impossible to convey in words, “if you like it.” “I tell you what, ma’am,” snapped the one in possession, “I’ve been all over Europe alone, and was never once insulted except by persons of my own sex.”—_From Drake’s “Heart of the White Mountains.”_

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EVERY MAN HAS HIS PRICE.—It is a curious trait in human nature, that each individual places the highest value on himself; treats the world as if it were only in existence on his account, looks upon himself as if he were the central point round which all things turn—and that yet, in spite of this universal self-appreciation, so many persons make themselves the slaves of others, or of some insignificant desire of their own. This contradiction in the human mind, this inordinate pride of men in combination with ignorance of their own true value, this insatiable self-seeking in connection with so contemptible a depreciation of themselves, is so common that we are only astonished that thoughtful persons, perceiving it in others, are not thereby led to discover it in themselves.… Every man has a price at which he sells himself. What is thy price? Hast thou ever weighed what thou art really worth? Go into thy chamber and devote some moments of earnest thought to an examination of thyself, and try to discover for what earthly good thou wouldst be likely to give thyself away. Look no farther back than the last year; pass in review thy secret thoughts and silent wishes even of the last few weeks only! Ah! a short while will no doubt suffice to show thee thy weak points, which, had they been assailed by any tempter, would soon have revealed to thee at what price thou wouldst have sold thy goodness, thy Christian principles, thy heaven on earth, thy eternal prospects. Thou shudderest? Thou wouldst rather not look into thyself? But if thou valuest thy goodness, thy Christian principles, thy heaven on earth, thy eternal prospects, ah, shrink not from this self-investigation?—_From Zschokke’s “Meditations on Life, Death, and Eternity.”_

* * * * *

ADVICE TO AN INEXPERIENCED TEACHER OF HISTORY.—But the method of teaching history must be determined in the main by the object aimed at. If the object is to deposit in the mind the greatest number possible of historical facts, there is perhaps no better way than to confine the instruction to drill upon the contents of a manual by question and answer, with frequent examinations in writing. Such a method would probably be effective in two ways; it would give learners positive knowledge, or the semblance of it, and it would pretty certainly make them hate history. I do not hesitate to say that the ultimate purpose of school instruction should be to incite an interest in history, and to create a love for historical reading.

A word may be here most conveniently said on the subject of chronology. A few dates should be well fixed in the memory; they should be carefully selected by the teacher, and some explanation given of their significance. But “a few,” you will say, is a little indefinite. Of course, opinions will differ as to the number of indispensable dates in any history, though there might be a general assent to the principle of requiring the pupil to commit as few as possible. Of the two hundred and fifty dates given in “Smith’s Smaller History of Greece,” I insist on fifteen, and I think the number might be reduced to ten. But if learners are properly taught, they will, of course, be able to determine a great many dates approximately.

Remembering that you must make history interesting, to that end use all available means to produce vivid impressions. This is a trite remark, but it will bear repeating. Casts, models, coins, photographs, relief maps, may not be at your command, but maps of some sort you must have. Historical instruction, without the constant accompaniment of geography, has no solid foundation—“is all in the air.”—_From “Methods of Teaching History.”_[AK]

* * * * *

THE COMING OF LUTHER.—The events of the sixteenth century have been too often regarded as constituting a break in history. But to the eye of thought reviewing the course of history, the continuity remains unbroken. Luther was but the child of the ages preceding; the Protestant revolution was the natural and orderly sequence of a long course of preparation. It was indispensable indeed for a time that men should regard the Reformation as breaking with the past, in order that they might estimate more deeply the meaning of the truth which had been revealed to them, and secure its firmer establishment. In the turmoil of an age of transition it is not always given to the leaders to discern the route by which they have been led. Luther entered upon the inheritance of Wycliffe and of Huss, and still further was he indebted to the spirit of German mysticism. But his greatness was also peculiarly his own. He was not so much a theologian as a man who afforded in his own rich nature, unveiled so completely before his age, the materials for theology. His life was a type of humanity for his own and succeeding ages. He lived through the religious experience of the Mediæval dispensation before he came to his knowledge of a higher birthright. Viewed from the standpoint of a formal theology, he is full of inconsistencies and contradictions, and even dangerous errors. But regarded simply as a man, with his rich endowment of human instincts and yearnings, to which he gave the freest, most unguarded expression, he was in himself a revelation of the human consciousness in its freshness and simplicity, with which a complete theology must come to terms. It is because the explosive utterances of his vigorous, tumultuous nature have been weighed as if they were carefully formed, dogmatic statements, that Luther has been so often misunderstood by Protestant as well as by Roman Catholic writers.—_From Allen’s “Continuity of Christian Thought.”_[AL]

* * * * *

NATURAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND.—Ireland is a much richer country by nature than is generally supposed. In fact, she has not yet been properly explored. There is copper ore in Wicklow, Waterford, and Cork. The Leitrim iron ores are famous for their riches; and there is good ironstone in Kilkenny, as well as in Ulster. The Connaught ores are mixed with coal beds. Kaolin, porcelain clay, and coarser clay abound; but it is only at Belluk that it has been employed in the pottery manufacture. But the sea about Ireland is still less explored than the land. All around the Atlantic’s seaboard of the Irish coast are shoals of herring and mackerel, which might be food for man, but at present are only consumed by the multitudes of sea birds which follow them.—_From Smiles’s “Men of Invention and Industry.”_

FOOTNOTES

[AK] The Pedagogical Library. Edited by G. Stanley Hall. Vol I. Methods of Teaching History. Second Edition. Boston: Ginn, Heath & Co. 1885.

[AL] The Continuity of Christian Thought. By Alexander V. G. Allen. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 1884. Price $2.00.

SPECIAL NOTES.

We have been asked the meaning of the term the “geography of the heavens.” Professor Hiram Matteson, in his excellent little treatise entitled “The geography of the heavens,” makes in his preface the following explanatory remarks: “I have endeavored to teach the geography of the heavens in nearly the same manner as we teach the geography of the earth. What that does in regard to the history, situation, extent, population, and principal cities of the several kingdoms of the earth, I have done in regard to the constellations; and I am persuaded that a knowledge of the one may be as easily obtained as of the other. The systems are similar. It is only necessary to change the terms in one to render them applicable to the other. For this reason I have yielded to the preference of the publisher in calling this work ‘Geography of the Heavens,’ instead of _Uranography_, or some other name more etymologically apposite.”

* * * * *

It will be noticed from Chancellor Vincent’s article on “The Chautauqua School of Liberal Arts,” found in this impression of THE CHAUTAUQUAN, that the Sunday-school Normal department of Chautauqua will hereafter be known as “The American Church Sunday-school Normal Course.”

* * * * *

Messrs. L. Prang & Co. have begun to send out valentines of as much beauty and artistic merit as their Christmas and Easter cards. Those of the present season have been of rare beauty—the coloring of many of them is exquisite.

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The following, clipped from the text-book of the Chautauqua Musical Reading Union noticed in THE CHAUTAUQUAN for February, will be of interest to many of our music-loving readers:

The aim is not so much to give technical instruction in the science, as to invite the wider outlook which is so important in real musical culture. No person receives any pecuniary benefit from this organization, but the labor is freely given in the hope of benefiting others. The books required will be furnished from the Boston office at a discount from the retail prices, or they may be ordered through any local bookseller. Local circles may be formed in cities, towns, or small villages, greatly to the advantage of all who thus associate themselves. Scarcely anything can be conceived that will yield more delightful entertainment, together with improvement of mind and heart, than such a local circle as may be formed in connection with the C. M. R. C. All who are really in earnest about the improvement of the musical taste of the community in which they live, should exert every effort to bring about such an organization. For plans and information as to how these circles may be made successful, address the director, who will gladly furnish suggestions, and will send list of prices at which the required books will be furnished. _Please enclose stamp for reply._ A fee of fifty cents will be required to defray the expense of registration, correspondence, etc., which amount, with the name and postoffice address _plainly written_ (including county and state), should be forwarded at once, directed to W. F. Sherwin, Director C. M. R. C., New England Conservatory, Boston, Mass. Certificates will be given for each course, and a diploma upon the completion of the four. A “round-table” will be held (_à la_ C. L. S. C.) each year during the Chautauqua Assembly. For price list of books and any other information, address as above.

* * * * *

The following special course in physiology is announced:

Wonders of the Human Body. A. Le Pileur. $1.25. Physiology for Practical Use. James Kinton. $2.15. Mental Physiology. W. B. Carpenter. $3.00 The Foundation of Death. Axel Gustafson. $2.00.

ERRATA

In list of C. L. S. C. graduates which appeared in THE CHAUTAUQUAN for February:

Pettit, Harriet L., California, instead of _Pennsylvania_. Arann, the Rev. J. M., not _Araun_. Hon, George V., not _How_. Hoerner, George P., not _Hoemer_.

NAMES TO BE ADDED

To the list of graduates in the class of 1884:

Black, Jennie L. Pennsylvania. Burgess, Miss Anna E. Ohio. Carter, Anna B. California. Carter, Emily B. California. Chamberlin, Lydia L. Massachusetts. Clark, Miss Annie Rhode Island. Coleman, William H. Ohio. Horsman, Mrs. George Wisconsin. Holden, Mrs. Sarah K. Canada. Jones, Mrs. E. J. Ohio. Marsh, Miss Susanna Dakota. Millar, Mrs. Lizzie L. S. Minnesota. Safley, Agnes E. Minnesota. Scott, Mrs. Lucie M. New York. Walker, Ezra L. Ohio. Weaver, the Rev. Wm. C. Pennsylvania.

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The following persons passed a creditable examination in the Advanced Normal Course of 1884 at Chautauqua:

Miss Fannie L. Armstrong, Hempstead, Texas. Mrs. A. W. Briggs, Elma, Erie Co., N. Y. Mr. O. W. Bowers, McLallen’s Corners, Pa.

* * * * *

At Lakeside, Ohio, Assembly, the following passed an Advanced Normal examination:

Mrs. Abby A. Parish, Brooklyn Village, Ohio.

* * * * *

Transcriber’s Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Page 316, “made” changed to “make” (all diligence to make their calling)

Page 316, “lotty” changed to “lofty” (such a lofty understanding)

Page 317, repeated “der” removed (the under side of the cabbage leaves)

Page 319, “entreés” changed to “entrées” (toothsome entrées)

Page 331, repeated “mon” removed (for common school purposes)

Page 341, “What is true of the processes of the is equally true of almost every other manual industry” changed to “What is true of the processes is equally true of almost every other manual industry”. The revised sentence at least makes some sort of sense, but it’s possible that words are in fact _missing_ from the original.

Page 348, repeated “of” removed (Yale College class of 1853)

Page 350, “invarible” changed to “invariable” (an invariable part of each evening’s work)

Page 367, “Calvanistic” changed to “Calvinistic” (The founder of Calvinistic Methodism.)

Page 368, “cuurse” changed to “course” (The first course of dishes)

Page 368, “on” changed to “in” to match article title (Home Studies in Chemistry)