being five minutes too late, if once formed, will, in actual life,
be a source of great inconvenience, and sometimes of lasting
injury."
NEW SCHOLARS.
"There is, at--, a young ladies' school, taught by Mr.--.
* * * * * * * * *
But with all these excellences, there is one fault, which I
considered a great one, and which does not comport with the general
character of the school for kindness and good feeling. It is the
little effort made by the scholars to become acquainted with the
new ones who enter. Whoever goes there, must push herself forward,
or she will never feel at home. The young ladies seem to forget,
that the new comer must feel rather unpleasantly, in the midst of a
hundred persons, to whom she is wholly a stranger, and with no one
to speak to. Two or three will stand together, and instead of
deciding upon some plan, by which the individual may be made to
feel at ease, something like the following conversation takes
place.
Miss X. How do you like the looks of Miss A., who entered school
to-day?
Miss Y. I don't think she is very pretty, but she looks as if she
might be a good scholar.
Miss X. She does not strike me very pleasantly; did you ever see
such a face? And her complexion is so dark, I should think she had
always lived in the open air; and what a queer voice she has!
Miss Y. I wonder if she has a taste for Arithmetic?
Miss X. She does not look as if she had much taste for any thing;
see, how strangely she fixes her hair.
Miss S. Whether she has much taste or not, some one of us ought
to go and get acquainted with her. See how unpleasantly she feels.
Miss X. I don't want to get acquainted with her, until I know
whether I shall like her or not.
Thus nothing is done to relieve her. When she does become
acquainted, all her first strange appearance is forgotten; but this
is sometimes not the case for several weeks. It depends entirely on
the character of the individual herself. If she is forward, and
willing to make the necessary effort, she can find many friends;
but if she is diffident, she has much to suffer. This arises
principally from thoughtlessness. The young ladies do not seem to
realize that there is any thing for them to do. They feel enough at
home themselves, and the remembrance of the time when they entered
school, does not seem to arise in their minds."
A SATIRICAL SPIRIT.
"I witnessed, a short time since, a meeting between two friends,
who had had but little intercourse before, for a long while. I
thought a part of their conversation might be useful, and I shall,
therefore, relate it, as nearly as I can recollect, leaving each
individual to draw her own inferences.
For some time, I sat silent but not uninterested, while the days of
'Auld Lang Syne' came up to the remembrance of the two friends.
After speaking of several individuals, who were among their former
acquaintances, one asked, 'Do you remember Miss W.?' 'Yes,' replied
the former, 'I remember her as the fear, terror, and abhorrence of
all who knew her.' I knew the lady by report, and asked why she
was so regarded, the reply was, 'Because she was so severe, so
satirical in her remarks upon others. She spared neither friend or
foe.'
The friends resumed conversation. 'Did you know,' said the one who
had first spoken of Miss W., 'that she sometimes had seasons of
bitter repentance for indulging in this unhappy propensity of hers?
She would, at such times, resolve to be more on her guard, but
after all her good resolutions, she would yield to the slightest
temptations. When she was expressing, and apparently really
feeling sorrow for having wounded the feelings of others, those
who knew her, would not venture to express any sympathy, for very
likely, the next moment, that would be turned into ridicule. No
confidence could be placed in her.'
A few more facts will be stated respecting the same individual,
which I believe are strictly true. Miss W. possessed a fine and
well cultivated mind, great penetration, and a tact at
discriminating character, rarely equalled. She could, if she chose,
impart a charm to her conversation, that would interest, and even
fascinate those who listened to it; still she was not beloved.
Weaknesses and foibles met with unmerciful severity; and
well-meaning intentions and kind actions did not always escape
without the keen sarcasm, which it is so difficult for the best
regulated mind to bear unmoved. The mild and gentle seemed to
shrink from her, and thus she, who might have been the bright and
beloved ornament of the circle in which she moved, was regarded
with distrust, fear, and even hatred. This dangerous habit of
making satirical remarks was evinced in childhood; it was
cherished; 'it grew with her growth and strengthened with her
strength,' until she became what I have described." LAURA.
Though such a satirical spirit is justly condemned, a little good-humored raillery may sometimes be allowed, as a mode of attacking faults in school which cannot be reached by graver methods. The teacher must not be surprised, if some things connected with his own administration, come in, sometimes, for a share.
VARIETY.
"I was walking out, a few days since, and not being particularly in
haste, I concluded to visit a certain school for an hour or two. In
a few minutes after I had seated myself on the sofa, the 'Study
Card,' was dropped, and the general noise and confusion, indicated
that recess had arrived. A line of military characters, bearing the
title of the 'Freedom's Band,' was soon called out, headed by one
of their own number. The tune chosen to guide them was Kendall's
march.
"'Please to form a regular line,' said the lady commander.
'Remember that there is to be no speaking in the ranks. Do not
begin to step, until I strike the bell. Miss B., I requested you
not to step until I gave the signal.'
"Presently the command was given, and the whole line stepped, for
a few minutes, to all intents and purposes. Again the bell
sounded;-'Some of you have lost the step,' said the general. 'Look
at me, and begin again. Left! Right! Left! Right!' The line was
once more in order, and I observed a new army on the opposite side
of the room, performing the same manoeuvres, always to the tune
of 'Kendall's March.' After a time, the recess closed, and order
was again restored. In about half an hour, I approached a class,
which was reciting behind the railing. 'Miss A.,' said a teacher,
'how many kinds of magnitude are there?' Miss A. ('Answer
inaudible.') Several voices. 'We can't hear.' Teacher. 'Will
you try to speak a little louder, Miss A.?'
"Some of the class at length seemed to guess the meaning of the
young lady; but I was unable to do even that, until the answer
was repeated by the teacher. Finding that I should derive little
instruction from the recitation; I returned to the sofa.
"In a short time the propositions were read. 'Proposed that the
committee be impeached, for not providing suitable pens.' 'Lost, a
pencil, with a piece of India-rubber attached to it, by a blue
riband,' &c. &c.
"Recess was again announced, and the lines commenced their