in one direction more easily than in another. The original particles of chalk may be supposed to be globular, and to touch each other only at points, and hence easily broken in any direction. I mention this to show that the different degrees of cohesive attraction render it probable that the original particles of matter are different.

Elasticity seems to depend on a due proportion between attraction and porosity. If a body is perfectly compact, having no pores, then if you attempt to bend it the particles will suffer no compression on the side towards which you try to bend it, and it breaks as glass. If the substance be very porous, and the attraction strong, it will bend without breaking, as a stick of whalebone; or if it be compressed, it will restore itself, as an India-rubber ball. If it be porous, but the cohesive attraction slight, it may be easily compressed, as a ball of butter, but will not restore itself to its former shape.

Some Remarks about Human Nature.

It is often said that a knowledge of human nature is very useful to every one, and especially to a teacher. Do you know what it is? Iron, as indeed every substance, has a nature peculiar to itself. If you know the nature of one piece of iron, or of one grain of arsenic, you know the nature of every piece of iron and every grain of arsenic. There is a common nature in man, and if you know yourselves perfectly, you know the nature of mankind generally; or if you know the principles of this common nature in others, you may know that you have it. You do not like to hear others scold and fret, and in like manner others do not like to hear you scold and fret. If you cannot keep a secret, you ought to conclude that the friend to whom you entrust it cannot keep it. If you love kind and obliging people, others will like you if you are kind and obliging. No one need be ignorant of human nature.

E. D.

TEACHER, ARE YOU AN EARLY RISER? Would you be written down as a growing man? Then anticipate the sun in your rising, and devote to prayer and study

"The cool, the fragrant, and the silent hour

To meditation due, and sacred song."

Ere business distracts, and the labors of the day commence, devote at least one hour to some literary pursuit, some classic page, some incident of history, some charming truth of philosophy, some song of the old poets, some chapter of the inspired scriptures, that however much absorbed you may be during the day, still the light and loveliness of knowledge may surround all your labors, and you may not be compelled to say, like the Roman General of old, "I have lost a day!"

COMPOSITION.

Powerful with the sword and pen."

THIS remark was made of one of the German poets. We know not exactly in what state of society he lived, the warrior and poet; but in these times and places the pen is far mightier than the sword; it has effected more revolutions, and battered down more ramparts, than all the engines of war. The earth has trembled under the shock of contending hosts, and the kingdoms of this world have been carved out too long among those who have had the sharpest sword; but, if we mistake not, the battle field is about giving way to the congress of peace, and the blade of the warrior is about to be exchanged for the voice of him who can speak well, and for the "pen of the ready writer." It may be that other armies are to go forth to conflict; living hosts are yet to meet each other in stern contest, and battles to be lost and won; but the heroes in these future engagements, can say, in some sense, like one of old, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal." The hero will be not the man of the strongest arm, but of the most active brain; not one that can fight well so much as one that can reason well.

More is already thought of one who is of a ready invention, and lively thought, and sound judgment, than once was the case: might is fast giving place to mind; matter to thought; armed forces to persuasive words; swords to pens. At the speaker's stand, in the pulpit, at the press, in the school-room, and indeed in all the walks of life, there are opportunities such as were never enjoyed before, to carve out character, and predestinate the fortunes of those who are now coming upon the stage and are yet to be. From the furnace of this ardent age, are now flowing streams of fervid influence, out of which are to be cast the destinies of long ages to come.

If we would do much for the future, if we would be useful and respected in the present era, we should learn to avail ourselves of these methods of influence, and qualify ourselves to write well and speak well. The claims of elocution are obvious; we call the attention of our readers now, to a topic that has been seldom alluded to on these pages, that is, Composition.

All should learn to write well; not merely to marshal the particles of written language into elegant parade, and write distinctly, but learn to compose, and send to the conventions of business and friendship well-written contributions of manly thought. That all do not know how to write, is evident. As teachers, we every day see literary productions from those who are just passing within the precincts of manhood, that in point of chirography look not unlike the bottom of a chopping dish, or a chaos

and war of elementary strokes and dots; and in point of composition are nothing but a congress of blunders, in which every line contains an insult to Murray.

Most pupils are averse to the practice of this art. The "divinity within us" can talk and sing, and draw and whittle, without special training; but it seldom stirs itself up to exhibition in this way till education calls it forth. The rules of language seem so much more tyrannical in writing than in speaking, that most (ready enough in conversation,) seem disinclined to convey thought in this way. Ideas do not come at the call; they flee away from the channel of utterance as if there were some little inconvenience attending the delivery; so that an attempt to write seems to have the effect to make most pupils cease to think. What a transformation from this state to that of the educated man, who finds his thoughts crowd for utterance, as a dense congregation crowds around the doors for egress at close of service! It was a remark of Sir Walter Scott, that, when he sat down to write, he could employ half a dozen hands as well as one, and of the thoughts that demanded expression he could only seize a few that seemed the most appropriate, and fix them on paper as they flew.

Quite unlike this have been the early attempts even of the most gifted writers; to quote a single instance, Dr. Watts, who as a sweet psalmist stands next to the royal singer of Israel, and whose lovely hymns are the standard of excellence in sacred lyrics, made a laughably small beginning; his poetic steed only "limped in rhyme," at first. We believe that it is a matter of history that his Pegasus was "harnessed in meter" on this wise a small premium had been offered for the best composition; the venerable Doctor showed his deserts and future genius in a couplet like this

"With your penny writers I'll not vie;

For your penny-premium care not I!'"

But difficult though it be, there must be a first attempt; and it shows the inertness of our nature, that this attempt must be the result of some compulsion on the part of the teacher. We doubt not that many a "mute, inglorious Milton" sleeps in the great multitude of common men, for want of this compulsion prompting to a first attempt.

But the first difficulty overcome, the rest is usually easy; it is nowhere more true than here, that practice makes perfect. Then what can we do for our pupils of greater service than early to teach them to express their thoughts on paper? It is a deserved reproach in matters of training, that the scholar carries with him into life so little that is of practical service. Many of our pupils can decline every part of the "verb to love," and yet have a perfect aversion to writing a common letter; they

can tell the length of all the rivers on the globe, it may be, and yet cannot write a promissory note. Which is of the greatest service to the future business man, familiarity with the breadth of the Pacific Ocean, or with an ordinary bill of goods? By the exercise we now speak of, we can render the influence we exert upon the pupil eminently serviceable; for what will more facilitate the labors of the business man hereafter, and commend him to his employers and partners in labor, than a ready knowledge of business forms, and an ability to correspond with ease, and keep an exact and beautiful record of purchases and sales, and the like? What will be more acceptable to friends, than frequent epistles, which elegance and taste dictate, as well as love? What will secure the man himself more certainly from loss than the easy habit of penning down a record of each day's losses and gains? What will conduce more to regularity in a scholar and a christian, than a daily journal of errors and acquisitions, and mental exercises?

Does any teacher ask, What shall our pupils write? We reply, to-day let them write some sentences containing a given word; again, let us give them some fact and require them to detail it in written language, all their own; let us ask them to give us a description of something they have learned in their daily studies; now a river, now a town or kingdom. If the scholar is somewhat advanced, such topics as tides, the effect of climate, the different zones, will be excellent. Geography will be rich in topics. And in grammar especially, which treats of the great theme of language, scarcely a recitation should be allowed to pass without some written exercise; for how sad to make our pupils good grammarians, and yet leave them, (as is too often the case,) in utter ignorance of what they should most know, how to write and speak well!

The proper use of the three principal points of punctuation, will furnish matter for several exercises for young pupils, and some older ones. Then the caret, the diæresis, the quotation marks, the marks referring to notes at the bottom of the page, the underline, the parenthesis, and for those a little more advanced, the figures of speech, poetical quotations, and similar topics, will furnish an endless variety, an exercise for every day in the term or year. And who does not see that by the familiarity thus acquired, the pupil would be richly benefited?

Then, again, let the scholar practise awhile with the matter of letter-writing, and send the teacher his good wishes in a letter addressed to Dear Sir, or Sir, or Madam, and write and rewrite, till to the folding, and wafer, and superscription, he can show a good letter, that looks as if it came from a business man's or scholar's desk. At another time, all the business forms, such as notes, orders, receipts, and the like, will form

very appropriate matter for exercise. Whatever the pupil tries, let him try till he does it well; even though he should re-write a dozen times. The practice of writing essays upon the various themes presented in study, is a good one. For instance, let some one in a class be appointed to-day to read an essay when the class meets to-morrow, on some topic, as the planets, the velocity of light, the power of steam, and the like. All our studies are full of such subjects; if the pupil cannot write a little, it shows that he has as yet learned to small account.

A brief experience will convince any one that an exercise of this kind cannot be otherwise than profitable; far more profitable than semi-monthly essays upon the common themes of the school-boy's pen. We have walked in the churchyard, till we know every epitaph by heart; we have read disquisitions upon patience and virtue, till patience has ceased to be a virtue; we have perused remarks upon temperance, till it seems that nothing more can possibly be said; and now we ask that our pupils leave these topics, of which they know nothing, and write upon subjects with which they are or may be familiar. Let them write what they think, and they will soon find (what is now new to most of them) that they can think with ease. So we shall teach our pupils the great art of composing with accuracy and elegance and ease. We may not make novelists and poets of all our pupils; it is not desirable we should; the world needs them for nobler purposes; we shall teach them to correspond with propriety, and attend more acceptably through all future life to the demands both of business and friendship.

Will you not, then, teacher, attend more to the business of composition, and see that your pupils write more, write something, if possible, every day?

TEACHER, YOU INSTRUCT OTHERS, ARE YOU NOT NEGLECTING YOURSELF? Would you ennoble this life, and make these days and hours mean something? Then make each day contribute something to that intellect which is never to pass away. And then, though your days might be passed in a dungeon, yet each one of them would shine out with a light above that of the sun. The little importance that the possession of wealth and the tenure of office, and the interest of social intercourse throw around our life, will soon pass away. But mark one day, one hour with

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Something attempted, something done," for these God-given intellects, for the taste, for the soul, and that day will shine out through all the ages of eternity with the distinctness of an era. Monuments of marble perish, but thoughts never die.