Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, February 23, 1879, Page 12

THE. CHICAGO TRIBUNE: . SUNDAY. &1 FBRUARY “9;, 1879—SIXTHEN PAGES Trelfth was nssessed about 50 per gent higker dividuals who are_constautly claroring for the BOSTON. The Papyrus Club's Dinner for Their Literary Sisters. Abont Women's Clubs-—The Mania for Instruction-—The Parson Whe Couldn’t Stand a Knit- ting Listener. Selma Dorg and Her Fascinating Talk of Fin- land—Her Bagmetic Leadership of an Orehiestra---She-Cargo. From Our Oun Correspondent. Bostoy, Feb. 20.—With the cod of the carni- val and the going of the opers, there seems to, be 2 lull just at present in the amusement line, though the * Siege of Paris,” which threatened its “ Positively last month more than a month ago, still enchants a goodly sudience day by day and night by night, and the Hebrew Fair also keeps up a nightly entertainment. There are, too, of course, the rezular theatre per- formances. But the temporary visits of the stars are over for the present time, though there are floating rumors that the Mapleson troupe are to come again later in the scason, just be- fore sailing for Europe. Miss Kellogg, who is, and always has been, a great favorite here, her Iriends being great partisans, never going over to the rival, received, at the close of her benefit the other evening, azold laurel-wreath from these admiring friends. She and Miss Cary were invited to tho ladies’ dinner iven by the Papyrus Club on Saturday evening. Miss Cary only made her appearance after the opers, near ‘midnight, and zood-naturedly sang seversl songs {for the company. This dinner, by the way, was an event. The Papyrus Club isa club of literary gentlemen, or, a5 Mr. J. Boyle O'Reilly sags, of “men who work in or who love literature and art,"—Papy- rus, the anciént name for paper, or of the sced rom which the ancients manufactored paper, ‘being the odd and suitable title chosen for the Clup by these paper workers and lovers. The happy sceident of the presence in Boston of Mrs. Burnets, Mrs. Mars Mapes Dodee, and other literary women from New Yorl and else- where, favored the occasion. The literary women who were present were 3trs. Dodge, of the St Nicholas; Mrs. Frances Hodzson Bur- nett, author of ““THAT LASS O’ LOWRIE'S "5 Miss Alcott, Mrs. Whitney, of “Leslic Gold- thwaite” fame; Mrs. R. H. Stoddard, Mrs. Moulton, and Rose Ifawthorne Lathrop. Of those who were obliged to send regrets were numbercd Mrs. Celia Thaxter, Mrs, Harriet Prescott Spofford, H. H., Mrs. Piatt, Miss Phelps, Miss Preston, and several othess. “There was grreat good fortune, to0, in‘the pres- cace of many distinguished Iterary men, amongst whom were E. P. Whipple, R. H. Stod- dard, Mr. Stedmau, Oliver Wendell Holmes, J. T. Trowbridze, and others. Those that were happily able to be present were very enthaslastic over the affeir. There have been Qinners giveu to ladics before in Bostun by gen- tlemen’s clubs, but none that was ever made so ‘prominent i its design and so largely carried - out; for THIS WAS XOT A DINNER OF COMPLIMENT AND MERE GALLANT COUKTESY, but of involuntary public recognition of women ‘whom the public bave long recoznized as liter- ary fellow-workers with men. It would not be strange if from this should spring a *new de- parture ” presently in the way of cluos, and this departure s mingling of botli scxes in the membership. We bave pleaty of women's clubs, and they have done and are doing, no coubt, a needed work with and for women. But that is just it, and jost what a great many women dow't want, and don’t peed—the *work? in the sense in which it isused. Ev- erything that women get hold of in the way of sovieties and clubs has this sort of missionary gpirit of working reforms in some way or other. When they are mnot sewing for the beathen, and orpanizing other charitics, ibey are bent wupon organizing and do- ing” good in their own circles; and whena club fs started even on the most practi- cal basis of use and comfort, strairhtway 8 mine 15 sprang upon it in the way of ¢ instruction.” *No; 1don’t want to Delong to a woman's club,” said a literary worker not long since, * for I dou’t want to be * instructed.” I know that I need a ereat deal of instruction, but what 1 mean is, that I don’t want to be instructed by such methodsand in such a way. . My profes- sional duties keep me at work a great deal of the time, not only in producing but in studying. ‘When 1 go ont trom my work I don’t want to step into another workshop, and assist at any improvement of the mind by listening to a ‘pa- per?resd by even Emerson himself. What I ‘want s relaxation, to meet MEX.AND WOMEN OF BREADTH AXD BRIGHT- 53 in an easy, unorzanized wav, where the conver- sation shall not be arranged, and where there sball be a law aguinst insistiag upon_people’s being funny, or telling storics, or reading their own or somebody’s clse porm or ‘paper*; where no oue shall have any *duties” but those of courtesy und hindness in’ meeting with one avother, and where everybody shall go and come within certain hours without ceremony and re- striction. In short, where all things shall be spontancous and unexacting, and therefore rest- ful :nd promotive o1 the best possible results to every iudividual; though there are those probably who, having an itching to hear or read a ‘paper,” will pine for what they call the *cen- tealization of thought? and the immediate *in- struction’ to which they have become accus- tumed. These objectors, of course, can stivic to their own rezimen, and leave us who have different ideas to be comfortable in our disferent fashion.” 1 think therc are a good many women who Wil agree with this. Whnat is said about the “‘casy, unorganized way where the conversation shall’ pot_be arranged,” ete., reminds me of what Mr. Heory James, ihe elder, said onco to a friend of mine, who invited him to a party: * Partics! Parties are iovited wickedness,” was hiz playfui response to the iovitation, He probably had in Lfs mind the kind of party which “arranzes” and *‘organizes” to the extent that every guest is a victim to some plan of the hostess,—not for the zood of the whole always, but TO MAKE HER PARTY ‘GO OPR.Y But to return to the subject of clubs, 1 saw, he other day, this item in a newspaper:- ** New York women take their embroidery to morning Jectures. It must be pleasant to count stitches and cultivate one’s mind ail at once.” This re- minds me of a New England Ciub meeting where a certain distiuguished and very delight- ful parson read 2 paper 1o the feminine audi- ence. Directly before him sat a very worthy Jady who always emploved ber fingers in come, practical work while storing her mind by tisten- ing to the wit aud wisdom which flowed from a lecturer’s lips. On _the ovcasion of which 1 uow speak the lady bad some of the pretty wool-work in the knitting or crocheting order, and dilizently worked away au ber stitcies while she listened to the elo- quent words of the parson. But the parson dido’t Jike it. He isavery good-natured par- sun,—a verv jovial parson,—whose nerves are well sheathed bepeath sound muscles and healthy flesh, but he could mot stand ihatin- dustrious - plying the necdle right under his nose. He probably felt like another lecturer, 1bat he wanted his listeners’ whole attention. At any rate, BE FOUND THAT EXNIT, ENIT, ENITTING TOO MUCH POR HDM, and he at last politely asked the lady to dcsist. 1 don’t mean to hint, by bringing in this story Just here, that all the women at women's clubs ibus employ themselves to the confusion of their “paper? resders, but 1do mean to eay that this suggested to my mind rather amus- fugly the exasgeration of this improvement mania, where jn one’s waking hours no idle- ness i3 10 be allowed. Now I am speaking of women, I must say a few words sbout a very in- teresting and uncommon woman who has beca naking decidedly a sensation in various New Euetand towns and cities. I refer to Miss wima Borg;+ the fascinating Fion,” as some onehas «Sijeg her. New York has already writ- ten and raved DI her and her delighttul talks about Finland} the land of her birth, and ber lectures upon the history of her country’s liter- sre and its pegple. There scemed to be noth- uew under tije sun, when there abpears this lady trom Finlangd, which our ignorance scems 41t oqivaleplt to eaying *‘a lady from fairy- lunnd,” s0little gfo we know of this far-away land of the North. - Miss Borz not only tells us of her-country and bisvory, its modes and man- ners, bul she corkes to us also as a most enthu- siastic interpretey of Finnish music. When +avout introducing \some Finnish musicin New York, Theodore :gnmns. it is said, advised her to dircct the orchcstra herself, as the surest ‘means of preservi the Finnish national char- acterislics, At & fiucen the other evening, ¥ % f given by her, [ had_the pleasuré of seeing How strongly and gracefully ¢! SHE COGLD WIELD THE BATOK. It was really “a’sight. to gee, ¥ when this young woman, her face expressing every chanze in.the measures, standing upon the platiorm before that full orchiestra of performers, who acknowledeed her magnetic leadership by the most obedient response. There was a march— “Bjorueborg’s March » I think it was catled— where Miss Bore_showed, perhaps more decl- dedly than elsewhere, what a sympathetic leader shewas. It was the march piayed: by the Fiu- nish Guara n famous battles, such as, Norvs, Charles XIL against Peter ?}Ae Great, Nov. 25, 1700, and at the late battle when Osman Pasba was compelled to surrender, in 1878,—for Fin- land, it must be remembered, is one of the pos- sessions of Russiz. In the national hymn of Finlund also the enthusiosm was scarcely both with the audience and in the expressive face and gesturcs of Miss Borg. With great patural endowments 8&ud Miss Borg' is slso endowed magnetism that carries herself and ber plans upon a buoyant wave.. Her popularity with women is fomcthing extraordinary. Like Modjeska, she is & woman whom women fall in Jove with. - “ After all,” as I heard a youthof one- and-twenty say the other evening, ** women are of 1 zood deal of jmportance.” ° Does Chicago kmow of how much importance they are to her city? Let me tell thereanent, E. P. WHIPPLE’S 8TORY, which be tola at the ladics’ dinner. “Do you remember,”’ he said, ‘‘to whom Chicago owed its pame? When the spot_where g great city now looks out on Lake Michican wag the habitation of a small number of men only, a steamboat was seen iu the distance, aud 1he report was that it contained a cargoof wom- cn, who were coming to the desolate place for the purpose of being married to the forlorn men. Every bachelor hastened to the pler with a telescope in one hand and a speeking-trumpet in the other. By the aid of the telescope each lover scleczed his mate, and by the aid of the speaking-trampet each Joverinade his proposals. In honor of the women who made the venture- some voyage the infant city was pamed She- carzo.” 1 think such a compliment as this story carries of the gallantry of Chicagomen will do to wind up this leiter. LOCKYER'S: DISCOVERIES. Intersiews with Eminent Scientific Men— The Sun's Heat—Is the Professor on the Verge of a Great Discovery ?—Incredulity of Collegizns. Carresnondence New York Herald. Loxpox, Feb. L—In a previous letter I gave as suceinctly as possible the line of argument employed by Mr. J. Norman Lockyer in support of the theory that the so-called clements are compound bodies. The telegram which appeared in the Herald of Jan! 14 having caused at least 8 ripple of excitement in Americs, it may be well to refer at first to that as miving the keynote of Mr. Lockyer's explanations of the solar phe- nomena observed during the last total eclipse. All hebas yet given to the world is only pre- liminary to his complete argument on that sub- ject, and some weeks must clapse before it will be ready for pablication. Mr. Lockyer is anx- ious thut other men should be induced to nid inquiry, and has therefore promulzated his views before completing his investigations and finishing his argument. The prelimivary note on the substances which produce the bright lines in the solar chromosphere is the very latest paper he has read to the Royal Society, and is as follows: *Hitherto, wiien observations have been made of the lines visible in the sun’s chromosphere by means of the method introduced by Janssen and mysclf in 1863, the iden bas been that we witness in solar storms the ejection of vapors of metallic clements, with which we are familfar, from the photosphere. A preliminary discus- sion of the vast store of observations recorded by the Italian astronomers (chicf amongz them Prof. Tacchini), Prof. Young, and myself has ghown me that this view is in all probability uo- sound. ‘The lines observed are in almost all cases what I have elsewhere termed and de- scribed as *basic lines.” Of these I only need for the present reter to the following: ribed by Engstrom and Kirchofl to iron 53— and nickel. E bi—Ascribed by Engstrom to magnesium and i ron. 5,208—Ascribed by Engstrom to cobalt and iron. 5,260—Ascribed by Engstrom 1o caleium and iron, 5,235—Ascribed by Enestrom to cobalt and iron. 5,017—Ascribed by Enastrom to nickel. . 4,215—Ascrioed by Engstrom to caleium, but to stronitum by myrelf. . - 3,410—An unnamed hme. “Hence, following out the reasontigemployed in_my previous paper, the bright lings in the solar chromosphere are chiefiy lines dueto the not ye: isolated bascs of the so-called elements, and the solar pbenomena in their tozality ere in all probability due to _the dissovistion at the photosplieric” level and association at higher lerels. In this way tlic vertical currents in, the svlar atmospiiere, both ascending und descend- ing, intense absorption in sun-spots, their ssso- ciation with the facule, and the apparently con- tinuons spectrum of the corong and its struc- ture, find an casy.solution. THE SUN'S TEMPERATURE. “We are vet as far as ever from a demonstra- tion of the cause of the variation in the temper- ature of the sun, but the excess of so-called calcium with minimam suo-spots and ex- cess of socalled hydromen with maxi- mum suo-spots follow mnaturally - from the hypotbesis, and afford indications at-the temperature of the Lottest region in the sun_closely approximates to that of the re- versing lIayerin stars of the type of Sirins and Lyre. I1'it be conceded that the oxistence of these lines in the chromosphere tudicaies the existence of basic molecules in the sun, i Tol- lows that as these lines arc also seen zenerally in the spectra of two different metms in the ciectric arc we must be dealing with the bases in the arcalso.” 2 SOME DEPINITIONS, Whenalast X met, Mr. Lockyer we had some conversation in rezard to the use of such words as **dissuciation,” “chromosphere.” cte. * ¢ Dis- sociation,’ ” said he, *is a word whicn has been used for at least a century and o half to express this idea of separation. 1f I were touse the word *decomposition’ all would begin to erv out that Lockyer called the clements rotten.”” He considered *dissociation ' a better word than any other we have for expressior the idea of chemieal separation, and cited cases where it Lad been used by writers on chemistry more than a hundred years ago. ‘““‘As to the word ‘chromosphere,’ ” said he, ‘it was coined by Dr. Starkey to correspond to the word *photo- shere.” 1thinkitisa better word than ‘chro- matosphere.’ It is more cuphonious and saves two letters. Of course, we know very well that chromatos was the genitive of chronta, but the word was coined for convenient use. In my opinion we are not to be beld in bondage to the forms of the Greek or any other lanwuage in coining such, words. We are mot to be the slaves of words, but such words as we find it necessary to coin should be at once understood by scientitic men cverywhere. If there is any real obscurity in theif meaning they are mot good words.” “ Whnat do you think of the word ‘scientist? The chanere of the “c? to *t? is_merely acu- phouic one; and, as the word is . French, from e Latin scientia, is not the termination *ist’ a proper oned”? *itis an improperly-constructed word, and rarely, if ever, usca in this country by educated men. ' The word *naturalist? is a 0od one, aud was 0 considered in Goldsmith’s time, bat if used bere fu its ‘most natural signification it would be misleading. We call a stuffer of birds and of animals and no one else a natur- alist.’” The word *telegramn ¥ was cited as one inaccurately constructed from the Greek. Still it was considered a "zood word, end was better than ifit had four syllables in the most orthodox form. He thought it was as well to avoid pedantry on the one hand as barbarism on the other. * PHILOLOGY AND SCIENCE. 1 mav say that Mr. Lockyer’s views on astron- omy appear to be substantiated as far as he bas zone by the record of lis experiments. A few days ao I saw bim making some interesting experiments with potassium, aud certainly the results thereof had no depressing effect upon his spirits. Lam not at liberty to give details of the recent experiments at present. Any ac- count of them would necessarily be {mperfect at the present stage of the investization. Mr. Lockrer tells me hie will publish nothing more {for two or three months, and during this time will be hard at work, i “You find it,” said I, *“something like making new propositions in Euclid #Yes,” said he, *‘it requires a great deal of thinking.” He said be was sorry there were-so few good speetroscopists. He mentivned Mr. William Crookes and Dr. William Huggins as among the wost cminent men engaged in these researches. He thought Prof. C. A. Younc, although among the vounger men, onc of the best spectroscopists in America. Prof. Josiah Cook, of Harvard, had long been tnterested in spectrum-analysis studies, and he hoped there would soon be many others ready to take part in the vast work that the spectroscope had made necessary. Mr. Lockyer thinks that the most active scicntific men here are ready to grant that bis views are correct. Of some of the older men he does not seem to have much hope that they will be ready to make an earnest study of | i tha’ requires so much hard work to master. It Lad been, be sald, bis own fortane or misfortn that for ten vears he had devoted himself to spectroscople..work, and he had, actually Leen- driven to his pres- ent belief by the 100,000 facts brouglit ot by his resserches, The objection had been raised that he did not present the-actaal separ- ated_clements in & tapgible form. Chemical affinity had thus far hilndered the accomplisk- ment of this resalt, but,.there in 1he arc were the dissociated - elementsj:»as the lines of the spectra’ showed, and -he vas waiting for the chemist to isolate metatlic sodimn fromihe chloride when it is incandescent in the electrie gre. He thoueht that there was: less and less chance of effecting any transmutation o! metals. The further-be went with his experiments the more evident it appeared to him that that end would not be attained. a gubject * Referring to the possibility in orranic chem-* istry ‘of actually constructing substances, he thourht it worthy of motice that all things in this department of chemistry arc buiit up out of three or four elements,—carbon, nitrozen, oxv- gen, und hydrozen. Any want of simplicity in the elementary construction of substanecs in inorganic chemistry is not more. probable than in orzanic _chemistry; otherwise we mnust be- Ifeve that there is no absolute continuity in ua- ure. “Were you led by any line of apstract reason- ing to look for a discovery?? * No, 1 was not looking for any discovery. It came from the overwhelming evidence drawn from my observations. I thinl that those who 2o about trying to discover somethingr deserve disappointient. It had occurred to me that perhaps L might find a new metal, as Mr. Crookes aud others had found them, but I made no_special search with such an object. 1was only Intent upon going on with my regular work of making a coniplete map of the spectra.’” he considered the proof_obtained from Sirius and othér stars presumably hotter than our sun was of very great value. - OPINIONS OF SCIENTIFIC MEN. In attempting to heve foterviews with promi- nent scientific men in Loodon I was met by two ditliculties. First—There were few men among the eminent physicists herc who Lad made speetrum anal 2 special study; and, secoud, those who bad were not very ready to give an opinion. Onedistinzuished zentleman said that few wmen were computgnt to give an opinion of Mr. Lockyer’s work, znd that, aue time there were quite a number of men chged i spectroscople work, they had dropied oif one after anotber, till now Mr. Le r miznt be said to huve almost. to hiwmself, I have scen several distingzuished chemists, and they have all been ready togrant that Mr. Lock- yer has given a greas impetus to scientifle re- gearch, but many are waiting for further devel- opments, Prof. Williamson, of the University College, London, it appears, has opposed Mr. Lockyer from the flrst, perhaps without giving that care- ful investigation to the,subject that mizht have been expected from one in his high position. Prof. Stokes, of the University of Cambridge, a man of escetlent judement and thoroughiy ne- quainted with' spectrosconic work, is another who stands fn an expeetant gttitude. 1t scems that Dr. Hueggins and P.of. Roscoe have given a mreat deal of “attentiou to Mr. Lockyer’s theo- ries, and I am iuformed that they are not quite satisfied with all his deductions. Dr. Witliam J. Russell, F. R. 8., lecturer,on chemistry ab the wedical school of St, Bartholomew’s Hospital, has made the examination with the spectroscope of varioussubstances in solution a special study. Tn reply to my inquiry resoecting his opinion of Mr. Lockrer’s work ne said that he thousht that the chemical eviaence of dissociation of the clements had utterly failed thus far, but it was quite impossible’ to say what results mizht be obtamncd even in a short time. It was very un- fair to criticise Mr. Lockyer. He was' entbusi- astic, a man of genins, wnd bad a singalarly ae- tive mind. If be were not enthusiastic he would Dot be Locky “Mr. Lockyer tells me it will take fifty years to complete these studies.” “Yes, no doudt, it will be a great many years before_we ger the dissociated snbstances in bottles. It is very diflicult to_distinguish impurities. In his arzument Mr. Lockyer has referred to those substances he hss most ex- perimented With, and is prepared rto stand or fall by the cvidence of those experiments; but it would have becn better if be had with- held the publication of his argument till he had more thoroughly completed it.” Dr. Russell thought that in the end it would be shown that Mr. Lockyer had made an important dis- covery. Dr. T. Lander Brunton, F. R. 8,, had faith in the value of Mr. Lockyer’s discoveries. Le thought it possible that the- tronsmutation of metals might be accomplished at some futore day. He believed it highly probable that the alebiemists, who were by no ‘mezns fools, had really succeeded oy chance in transmuting baser metals into gold, but when they found a little zold in the bottom of the crucible, as the stories tell us, it was ‘only throush some chance combination, and they were nuable to produce the same results at another time. TOO, 500N TO JUDGE. t Dr. Henry E. Armstrong, F. R. §., Professor of Chemietry at the London Institution, is a younz man, but alrcady has a reputation that many older men micht envy. Hesad it was hard'to give an opi as the whole subject was _vet in its infancy. Comparing Prof. Crookes! workwith Mr. Lockyer's, he thought Prof. Crookes’ work magnificeut, and mauifest- ly so. Lockyer’s, too, will be mugnificent il he succeeds in proving it, but_the evidence is far ofl in the sun und stars. The same ideas had been advanced before, but Mr. Lockyer was the first to bring forward proof of that description. Much that bad appeared in print on the subject of Lockyer’s discoveries was extremely sensa- tional, and not to be rezarded. e thought it would be a lonyg time before any one succeeded in actually separating and bottling the constitu- ent atoms. e thougnt highly of Mr. Lockyer’s worls, but it was too early to judze of it, for he had not goue far enmougrhin his researghes to make the proof conclusive. A LENGTHY EXEGESIS, Dr. J. H, Gladstone, F. R. 8., President of the Chemical Society, has given ma, at some length, his impressious of Mr. Lockyer’s discoveries. This week he delivered a very intercsting lect- ~ure on the supposcd compound nature of the elements before the West Loudon Scientific " Association, the principal points of which he gave me during an interview. The carliest of The Chinese wrisinga, he said, make mention of five clements, namely: Fire, air, water, wood, and metal. The ancient Indian philosophers substituted earth and either forthe last two. ‘The first four of these were passed on to Greece and became part of the creed of the Middle Ages. The alchemists, however, introduced mercary, sulviurand other substances as the probable constituents of all matter, but the carly chemists, at the close of the last’ ceutury, relyng upon the principle that the weight of a body is thesum of the weight of its constituents, set to work to amalyze all things iuto their ultimate clements. In this way they drew up a list- of substances whaich could not- be resolyed into simpler ones. This list has goue onin- creasing until it includes fifty-one metallic and thirteen non-metallic clements. There is no reason’ to suppose thut these so-called ele- ments are mot themselyes compouxd bodies, excepting. that.. they have not yet ~been resolved into simpler forms. On_the other hauwd, it is more und more recornized in modesn chemistry Lhat certain bodies known to be com- pound, such as cyanogen or cthyl play the part of elemeats. aud also that many supposed ele- mentary lmdicé such as carbon or sulphur, are found under dificrent forms with different prop- crtics, such as diamond, graphite, and char- coal,—all three yvarietics of carbon. There have been many speculations on the nature of the elements founded on their atomic weights. There is Prout’s theory that all are multiples of bydrogen, supposed to be disproved by Stas’ recent experiments. 5 ! ... CHEMICAL SECRETS. Curjous relations have been pointed out be- tween “the numerical constants of analogous . clements. Thus the atomic weight of the alkali metals lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cacsium differ from one another by mal- tiples of sixteen.. When spectroscopic analysis was first iotroduced, Dr. Gladstoue und some other chemists hoped that it might confirm some of these speculations as to the com- Founrl Dature of the' clements. But the lincar spectra of all the elements scemed to be quite ivdependent of one another. There are, however, two diflicultics with regard to spectroscopic evidence. The spectrum of a compound body is not made up of he spectra of itscomponents, and the same body will ive ditferent spectra at different tempera- tores. It has,in fact, been long known that rays not scen before make their appearance When the vapors of the clementary bodics are outained not irom a common flame, but from the electric spark. The recent researches by Mr. Norman yer have greatly enlarged our knowledze of these latter phenomena. He bas shown, for instance, that hydrogen will givefive ditferent speetra under dilferent circumstances. 1is observations xud his many hundred photo- £Taphs also show a very large number of coinci- deuces between the- spectral lines of different metals. " These are doubtless often. due to im- purities, but in a large pumber of instances he belteves that he has climinated this didficulty by sbowing that the bright lines chazacteristic of a particular element aro absent, while the fainter lines are present. These so-called * basiclines” appear to be common 1o several elements, when they arevolatilized at the hieh temperature of the electricarc.. Admitting these observations tobe correct, three conclusions appear possible: First—That two elements may give out the same rays of light, even in a gaséous condition. Second—That tnese colucidences may result N from some commaunity of nature between the two so-called elements, without any substance common to the two being actually isolated. Third—That the so-calicd element is actually dissouiated at the high temperature, just as car- bonate of lime, water, or eyanogen would be. Of this view there secis as yet to be no ex- verimental verification, although if two sub- stancesare nctually dissociated the means will be soon found to exhibit them eeparated from one anoiker. Indeed, the fact that in our hot tur- naces where chenzieal force is at worl as well as heat no decompositions of any of the so-called cleénts tave been observed to take place rea- ders it difficult for'a chemist to aveept this view. ‘T'hesu researches:of Mr. Lotkyer can scarcel fxil to make us better azquainted with the uiti- mate constitution of bodies, whatever interpre- tation of thew may bo finally adopted. MR, LOCKYER'S OPPONENTS. 4 As to the objections to Mr. Lockyer’s discov- ery, it has been said that the coincidences in the spectral lines of different clements subjected to hery hizh temperatures were duc to {mpurities in the metals emploved. No doubt Mr. Lock- ver had sometimes been misled by impurities, but these would not sccount for the greater part of the plienomena. Dr. Russell’s exami- uation of pure nickel nnd cobalt showed an im- nense number of coincident” lines. Therefore it was sc be inferred that two distinct bodles ieht Vield tlie same vibrations under heat. Why should they not? Do not different metals crystallize into” a common form? ‘There Is, tlien, some community of form if not of com- position. Mr. Lockyer's statement that dissoci- atlon oiten takes place in the low heat of.a spirit lamp he thought very difficult for chem- ists to believe. In that case the daily processes in laboratories and manufactories should have long ago revealed the fact. Dr. Gladstone thinks that Mr. Lockver’s .new facts have in troduced new diflicultics. Suppose we find a number of lines jn the solar spectrum corre- sponding with those of iron; we may come to the concluston that iron is there. “This kind of positive evidence is nos affected in the present case. On the other hand, 1t is now unsafer thag ever to infer the gbsence of metals fn the sun,— stch as gold and silver,—because the spectro- scope discloses mothing of them. It is the so- called negatiue evidence against which Mr. Lockyer’s investigations warn us. The positive evidence remains as before. Dr. Gladstone thinks and Mr. Lockyer’s theory of the corona is a very pretty one. e docs not acree with Dr. Draper that oxvgen bas been proved to exist in the sun. In regard to Mr. Lockyer's argu- ment, Dr. Gladstone very frunkly admtted that be did not thoronghly understand it, and what Mr. Lockyer had lately written he consldered hard to be understood. 1t is plain and the question will remain unset- tled at least till after the next Presidential clection, and if the herd-money guestion fails a great party may be rallicd on “the platform of dissociation of the so-called elements. ———a————— REAL ESTATE. The Market Firm but Quiet—Tho Proposed Michigan-Avonue Parkway—Rents—Sales of the Weel—The Loan Jarkot. The real-estate market continues firm but quict, with comparatively few transactions. A eeneral conviction prevails amoung owners that “bed-rock? has been reached, and whatever change occurs must be for the better. Al our older citizens havesecn such ‘‘ bard times ™ before, when nobody would purchase realty at any price, and yet those who had the means and the *“grit” to hold on to their property realized & handsome advance over the figures ruling in a very deoressed market. Chicago real estate, if held in considerable parcels, has always brought owners out if they could keep 1t till the “bulge® came. Owners believe it is as sure to come as any event in the not distant future. Ag what time itis to realize ex- pectations each onc must detcrmine for himself. The best 1nformed as to the prozress of cvents are predicting the doubling of our population in the next ten years, and even the most conserva- tive believes” Chicago will number ber million before the century closes. Makiug due allow- ance for preseut open spaces, the city will then cover certainly one-half wore territory than it now does. ~ Let those who have a taste for such subjects tell us where, with a miliion of people, the limits of this city will be. A PARKWAT. ‘With reference to her parks South Chicago— Dby this'we mean the South Side of the city—is in the condition of o wentleman living in 2 very fine house wita no stairways to reach the upper storics. We bave Deen taxed millions for do® lightful drives and beautifui parks, and have scarcely a decent country road by which to react them, To this emergency it has been pro- posed to place Michizan avenue under the control of the Park Commissioners, have them improve it, and then excludo drays and heavy teams from- using it. There can be no serious objection to’ the measure. Eversbody waunts it, und yet between junketing and manu- facturing political clap-trap it ecems doubtful whether our Solons at Sprineficld will find time to pass the Jaw needed to consumunate this most desirable object. There ought to be a public meeting aud = strong committee sent to Springlicld to urge the passage of this much- uceded law. RENTS. It is too soon for any special activity in rents. The inquiry, howevor, for houses ranaing from $30 to $30 per month is good, and the fecling is eeneral that there will be no appreciable shrink- age from last year’s prices. As a specimen for business property we motice that the largo double stores, §+ and 83 Randolph street, nave _been leased to Georze B. Florsheim, William Barker & W. B. Seven for a term of years as a weneral furniture commission and auction house. The rent is understood to be a slight aavance on last year’s rates, stores in thut lo- cality being in good demand. William D. Kerfoot & Co. have sold fourteen lots in a new subdivision on Eighteenth place and Johnston strees within the last two weeks at §350 to $00U. They are near the new white iead. works now being erccted by partics from - Ciucinnati, SATURDAY'S TRANSFERS. The following instrumeuts were tlled for rec- ord Saturday, Feb. 32: CITY {'ROPERTY. West Twelfth st, 74 7-10 ft e of Halsted, nf, 25x100 ft, duted. Feb. 21 (Nickles Zich t0 Daniel BAUCh) aerae cev ovvee South Halsted ut, 50 ft'8_of Nineteentn, w I, 255100 ft, duted Feb. 19 (Charles . farwell to Gustay Ilertz).... ....... West Erie st, 743 {t w of Robey, & f, 5+ x12135 ft, dated feo. 7 (Voliair . “thuzston {o Peter Klein) .. +oo cvew.us West Lake st, 8 e cor of Western av, nf, undiviced 3-5 of 50x105%: ft, dated Jan. 29 (Mary Kenny, guardian, to £l1za A, Kenny)........ ... WEST OF CITY LUTS, WITHIN ILES OF THE COURT-HOUSE, Lots 9, 10, and 11 in Block 2, Muuson’s Addition, dated Oct, 20, 1674 (Joln I, ‘Wheeler to Jolin W, Temple) SUMMARY FOR THE WEBK, The following is the total amount of city and suburbau transfers within a radius of seven miles of the Court-Flouse filed for record dur- ing the week cnding Saturdar, Feb.22: City sales, 72; consideration, $312,673; north of city limits, sales, 65 co i 2373 south of city limits, eales, 61 consideration, $7.450; west of city lunits, sales, 1; consideration, 51,350, "otal salus, 83; total consideration, $820,763. = REAL ESTATE SALES. Messrs. Pierce & Ware have made the follow- ing cash sales during the week: Twenty-five feet oun Madison streef, near Latlin, to Nathan Corswith, $4.000; 25 fect on southeast corner of Madison and Laflin, to Peter Rech, $4,500; 25 fect on soutnwest corner Jackson and Lali, to C. 8. Spencer, $2,500; 25 fect on Jacksou t, 100 feet west of Laflin, to R. 8. Vasq LOANS. . The market for Joans is dull. There are no large transuctions to notice. 'The rate is G@S percent. Rarcly do they commind anything above 8. The following is A comparatise state- ment of the transactionsfor the past-two weels: This weck. || Previous Loans, — | ¥0. | dmount. || No.| Amount. 2,550 8,800 200 5,000 OF SEVEN 1,350 eex Mortgages . Toul3 21074 2113 85,102 Trost decds... 90| 130,198}| ‘85~ 192,120 i Bt i i 1 Total 11| 5161, 470]| 109] 3217,302 e "EVADNE. Fair daughter of the West! I wonld that T Had et thee when Lifc’s snmmer-tinie was mine= When love to me was 2 an untold faje, An unwrit page, & something all divine, Yetnot unmoved upon thy charms I gaze: The soft light beamiag in thy soul-lit eyes Hath more of beauty in its lustrous glow Than owa the stars besprinkhing midnight-skies. Heaven hath dowered thee,with its choicest boon— Tne worshiped gift of Beaniy—ond thon hast The power that fires, subdues, and sways the carts Of those *ronnd whom its fatal spell s cast. Fair daughter of the West! foll thankfal T Tnat I can view the loveliness that's thine, Unmoved by e'en o fleeting wish to make ‘Thee and thy rapturing wealth of beanty mine. To warmer souls and truer hearts I teave The war of conquest. Yet, could 1 recall Tae fervency of passions that are spent, T'd woo, and, wooing, win or lose Love's all, Owex . Wirsox. Quixor, 1L, Feb. 18,1870, = REVENUE. Defects of the Illinois: System=== Various Amendments Suggested. Elliott Anthony- to the Bar Assccietion. Report of Some time ago, and before the General As- sembly convened, a Committee of the Bar Asso- clation was appointed to investizate the Gen- eral Revenue law of this State, with & view of seetngr what should, in their judement, be done toimprove that law. The matter has tbeen de- layed from time to time, owing to the abscoce of various members of the Committee. Finally a sub-committee was appointed, with Elliott Authony as Chairman. That gentleman has drawn up & report, which is both elaborate and the result of long and patient research, and cont:\ini§ many sugeestions of interest to the members of the General Assembly who are now engaged npon that subject. ‘The report is, in substance, that the reveoue system of Illivois is substantially the one which has been in force since the State was admitted into the Union. Itsereat central idea is that taxes should be LEVIED BY VALUATION, - 80 that every person should pay a tax in propor- tion to the value of bis property. The system which covers personal as well as real property would at first seem to be based upon correct principles, and ought to result in justice. But experience shows the distribution of taxes ac- cording to valuation seldom produces. either equality or uniformity, and often works the greatest injustice because of the inequalities in assessments, and because personal property taxes are scldon collected, and in the end all lost or uncollected taxes are saddled upon real estate. - Everywhere under the system of levy- ing taxes according to the value of property real estate suffers. In New York they have a system somewhat similar to the Illinois one, and almost every Comptroller from 1849 to date las called attention to the diserimination Jn favor of personal property as against real estate. The Revenue law of Iilinois was desiened to reach every species of property and allow noth- ing to escape, whether tangible or intangble, real or personal. ft isin many respects harsh and oppressive, and destitute of every benign | feature that ~characterizes the ‘varjous Revenue laws of other civilized States. It is not favorable to mannfac- turing corporations, aud punishes with scvere penalties ull wealth which may be added to the soil. 1t works great hardship to the owner of unimproved and unproductive lands, because if the Assessor places even a moderate valuation upon them, the owner will be sacrificed unless he possesses resources outside of them to meet the demands made upon them. NO MERCY 18 SHOWN THE WIDOW who has an interest in ber husband’s lands, she ‘having to pay taxes upon the full value of the laud or- being guilty of permissive waste. Numbers - of widows in this State bave been utferly ruined in this way. AllL unproductive renl-estate of orphans is sure to be sacrificed unless they are left with ready cash to pay taxes.r In Massachusetts the Assessor has discretion in such cases and can exempt from taxation the estate of persons ua- able to pay. In this State, too, there s Do _ex- emption of real or personal property owned by auy individual whatsoever. ) ¥ the older Governments of Europe it has long been demonstrated that to place all the burdens on real estate without rezard to rental value is wrong and extravagant, and has been sbandoned. The systewn of licensing corporations and associations and _taxing trades, businesses, professions, and incomes more universally prevails than in this country. Peonsylvania bas a mixed system of licensing: incoma taxes. taxes on dividends, emoluments of oftice, and different classes of business, the workings of which are fully explained fu the report. . Greater fecs, it is thought, should be charged by the State for authorizing the formation of corporations for pecaniary profit_and for allow- ing foreign corporatious to do business in the State. If the prescnt Illinols system is retatned, it should be AMENDED IN IMPORTANT PARTICULARS. Real estate should be asscssed but once every five years. A Comnmissioner of Taxcs should be elected for four years in gverv county in the State. Per- sonal property should be sssessed annually, und . collected as soon as the tax is laid, 90 per cent gt personal taxes being lost by delay in collec- ions. ‘I'here is at present too much machinery in levying and collecting taxes. In thiscounty the naiber of books used yearly is 117 Assessors’ books, with 150 pages each; 120 Collectors’ books, with 175 pages cach; 87 Town and County Collectors' delinquent warrants, with 300 cach; 47 judzment records, with 30J each; 39 sale rec- ords with 275 each; and 20 of errors and abate- ments, with 460 each, making 430 volumes, with a total cost of §24,760, while .the expense of ublishing the delinquent list is from 335,000 to 40,000. This expenditure can be stopoed at once. The people are not suffering so much from State taxation as from county, city, village, School Board, and park taxation. Itis a won- der that the people have been able for the Iast ten years to oear the burdens imposed on thew. There are too many taxing Boards for the public rood. In many of the cities and suburban towns of Illinois taxation hasresulted in utter " confiseation of Jarze quantities of real estate, but no oower short of Omnipotence scems able to restrain the authorities. The Legislature should set bounds to the rate of taxation in every single instance, und hold the officers of every municipality accountable. They should make ) ANNUAL REPORTS showing how much money they had approbri- ated, the amount of laxcs and assessments levied, how much collected, and how appropri- ated. ' 1t such reports conld be made Yearly, the people would know what had become of their moucy, and habits of economy would be induced. There now exists mo central office where the requisite infogaation can be obtaincd. In New York they bave thrce State As- sessors who devote thewr entire time to the subject. They might with profit take the place or the present Board of Equalization, or the Board might be done away with, and the Goy- ernor, Auditor, and Secretary of Stats sub- stituced. 1 To devise a just and equitable system of tax- ation is o work of time, und can only be nccom- plished by experts, or those thoroughly ac- quainted with the practieal working of the laws. 1t 1s impossible for any nan who has ot madea study of the subject of real-cstate taxation to devise a system for a State like Iilinois. The mos; that cau_bg done without revising the whole system is to patch. \What is_cssentlal is that facts and information should be first col- lected. the condition and experience of other countries investizated and compared with our own, and then that the results be laid before the peovle, aud laws be passed to more equally dis- tribute the burdensof the State and of local municipal corporatioss awong all classes than is at present effected by our laws. —_—— SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS, To the Editor of The Tribune. Cnicaco, Feb. 22.—Your article entitled “ Bad Special-Assessment Law” is quite op- portune, and if you ehall continue to advocate your advanced ideas upon this sabject you will deserve the thanks of all well-disposed people in this community. Tusteadof two proceedings, as ot present, let there be one; this would gre- quire very ifttle change in the present law. One set of Commissioners could estimate both the damages und benefits at the same time and em- body the same in one report, and one trial upen the report of the Commissioners would be suf- ficient; and any party ussessed for benefits should be permitted to introduce evidence as to the valae of property to condemned for the imprevement and to be pdid for out of such special assessment. The 147th scction of the act under which these assessnents are made confers upon the Court power to_have'any speclal assessment re- cast whenever it shall be neccssary for the at- tainment of justice. ‘Lhere certainly have deen cases where this power should have been exer- cised; bus for want of use it has grown rusty. I have never koown a case in which this power was exercised. In the Dearborn street ease the owners of property assessed for $721,000 out of an aggregate assessmeot of S1,122,000 signed aud presented to the Court a petition praying for the exercise of this power, and the Court refused to grant the prayer of the petitioners and confirmed the assessment. This assess- wment was such a gipantic fraud upon the prop- erey-owners that the City Councll, as 2 matter of justice, did what the Court refused to do, ¥iz.: set _aside the whole procecdiogs. In the State-street widening cases the Court was asked and declined to exercise the same power. 1t was shown in these cases that the oroserty on Btate street between Harrison and than the property between [arrison and Jack- sen streets. _Although these eases are subs tinlly one and the sain¢_imorayement, in ¢ cases the ot 50 feet Iront on the porthwest carner of Harrison and State streets is agsessed $1,360.95, and the ot 50 feet front on the south- west_corner of the same streets is -asscssed §2,112.48. ‘This disoroportion is continued and applios to all property on State street betwoen Harrison and Twelfth, as compared with the property between Jackson and Harrison strocts. Iwould confer upan . the City Council like concurrent power with the Court to order special assessments to be recast, belicvingas'I do from my own experienee that -the Council is_Dbetter disposed to do jastice in these cases thaw the Courts. The report of the Commissioners should be first filea in court. This would giva the City Council the supervision of these improve- ments instead of the Law Department und the Courts. The Commissioners are now uppointed by the Court; under this system a few persons ate continnously appointed, and thus they are making a business of making these special assessments. The City Council should have a voics in the making of these appoint- ments. +The amount that these Conimissioners are receivinz for their services should at once be inquited into by the City Coun- cii. In the Dearborn street case the Commissionezs were paid $3,509 for making the assessment. It is my opinion that competent persons of mature age could have made 2 proper assessment Tor one-third that sum. The fees of these Commissioners, as well as wit- nesses, should be by a per-iiem nllowance rezu- lated by statute or by the City Council, and no more than_the allowance thus fixed sbould be paid. 1In the Dearborn-streep case the ity paid as high as $100 to some of the witncsses who mave testimony to support the asscssment, and one of these witnesses estimated tliat Iots sixty- one fect decp south of Harrison street fronting on the improvement was lenefited §250 per foot front. - With such testimony at the com- mand of the city it nced not surprise any onc that all these special assessments are confirmed. Tlie mode of ascertaining’ damages for prop- erty condemned should be better defined. The valie of a picce of zround condemned, sUPPOS~ ing it to be detached from the residue of the lot, is now taken as thé measure of damnges. The proper measure of damages wounld be to ascertain the amount that the property would be reduced in value by reason of the condemna- tion of a portion of it for-the proposed improye- ment, and whenever there is 2 building upon that part of the property condemned, the cost of remoying it (if practicable) upon the residue of the lot &hould be the measurc of damages. Upon these points I will give you a couple of sample bricks: The building Nos. 515, 517, and 519 State street, sixty feet front, was condemned at 13,080, This was inclusive of the land upon whieh it stood. 'Fhis building cau and will be moved hack on the residue of the lot”at o cost of $2,000.. The residue of $11,060 that the own- ers of this building intend to get {s a fraud upon all the parties ussessed to pay for it. The tum- ble-down build[ng.on the southeast corner of Harmon court and State strect was condemned at §6,543, the land, twenty-seven by forty feet, at 57,800, making a total “of §14,345, less $578 special 2ssessment against the remainder of the lot. This leaves a balance of 312,765 to be paid to the owner of this lot,—which is more than the owner’s cntire interest in this property -is worth. The land damages in this case was very much greater than was awarded for any coroer lot ou State street, between Jeesson aud ‘T'welfth streets. Is property wortli more at the corner ot Harmon court and State street than it is ar the corner of Jackson and State streets? It would appear to be so if the testimony of wit- nesses and the verdicts ol juries in these con- demnation cases arc to be relied ubon. 2 ‘e City Council should be required at some point in the proceedings to elect whether they will take the property condemned or abandon the improvemen:. I considger this vers impor- tant in the moking of theseé improvements in cities where the property is ntterly useless with-. out being improved—and the owoers do not. know how to improve their properties until they are informed what is to be the result of these contemplated improvements. lu country dis- tricts Lhis is not imoortant, for the farmer can till and pasture bis Jand up to the time he'is puid for it, and bence does not suffer the'incon- venience and loss incident to the owners of city real-estate affected by these proposed improve- ments. In the. Dearboro-strect case, the con- dewmnation trial cost $4,790.72, and the trial on the nssessment cost $5,331.14—in all, 310,121.86. This cost could have been greatly reduced by consolidating the condemnaion and assessient trials into one proceeding, as proposed by you. + JoEL BIGELGW. POPULAR EDUCATION. Defenso of German, Music, and Drawing in the Fres Schools. it o & FA107 05 CHICAGO, Feb. 22.—1f there i3 any institution upon, which the American nation rcay look with justifiable pride and bopes for a better future, it is our free-school system. It may, therefore, notbe amiss to be watchful thatno errors or misapprehensions of individuals be laid’ before the public as though they were established traths, even sancttoned by the laws of the State. Yourlast Sunday’s issue beginsan article; headea * Waste of Time in the Schools,” with the fol- lowing seatence: * The law of the State, as de- cided by the Supreme Court, excludes German, ", masic, and drawing from the studies of the pub- lic schools.” This is a misconception of thé law as well as the interpretation thercof by the Su- preme Court. The Supreme Court hasdecided that school authorities have the miseion and duty to ¢ provide " for all children oyer G and under 21 years of age instruction in such branches as they may see fit, including those which are prescribed in the section treating on the qualification of teachers, but that it is the privilege of the parents to determine in which of those branches their children shall be instructed, consequcntly, the school authorities have not the rignt to ex- pel from school such pupils as may, with con- sent ol their parents, refuse to pursue certain studies. The elfect of this decision is to make all studies optionsl. The wisdom - or correct- ness of -the decision I shall not areume, althongh I shall not omit_to. state “that the Supreme Courts of Maine, Vermont, Michi- gan, and Ohio, the statutes of which States grive similar powers to School Directors as the Illi- nois statute, have decided that the Directors have the power to enforcc the pursuit of such studies as they may order 1o be taueht. Butas to the law itsclf, every citizen should feel it his duty to make.its. provisions known to nim. Sec. 50, on qualifications of tenchers, reads: “No teacher shall be authorized to teach a com- mon school under the provisions of this act who is not of good moral character, and qualitied to teach orthography, reading in English, penman- ship, arithwnctic, Enclish grawmar, modern geography, the elements of the natural sciences, the history of the United States, vhysiology, and laws of health. .+« Every school estul lished under the provisions of this act shall be Tor the purpose of instruction in the branches of edueativn prescribed in* the qualitications of teachers, and in such other branches, including vocal music and Grawing. as the Dircctors, of the voters at the entual election of Directors, muy preseribed; provided, that County Superin- tendents or Boards of Examiners may,.on re- quest of Dircctors, grant certificates to teachers who do not possess the qualifications tor' teach- ing the clements of natural science, physiology, or the laws of health.”” This i3 the law for the government of every country school in the State, even'that of the lowest grade; but who that reads this section = fair. Iy would clim that it excluded vocal music, any other flr:uvin(is German, or study that the Directors might chose to pre- scribe or the voters of the district t adopt? | The law evidently limits the mivimum of branches to be tauzht, aad leaves the decision 08 to how many more_branches shull be futro- duced eutirely to the discretion of the Directors, respectively the voiers of the district. Rural districts may be limited, for want of teachers who are apt to instruct in all the branches, to the six first named and the bistory of the Guited Slfl'ltf_i; those seven they are not allowed to omit. Sce. 80, defining the rights sod dutles of school “authorities "in. incorporated citiez and villages, maxes it the duty of the Board of Edu- cation “to prescribe the method and course of discipline and “instrmction in .the respective schools, and tosee that they are maintained and pursued in the proper inanper.” That part of snid scetion appiyiug to “citics having a popnfa- tion cXceeaing 100,000 inbabitants ™™ gives the Board of Education the power and makes it their duty ** to preseribe the method dnd course of discipiine and instraction in the respective schools, and to see that they are maintained and pursued i the proper manner; to prescrive What studies shall be tauzht, what books or ap- pnw;us Slll[l‘.:l be used, etc.”? $ ¥ ere, then, is there in this statote a'single word, as' the opponents of 2 liberal educating not cease to claim, that limits the brauches of iostruction to the three R’s, or excludes vocal music, drawing, or German?' Not a word! The {framers of that law were the dejegates of 2 civil- 1zed people, who well anderstood that o univer- sal and liveral education Is the corner-stone of our liberties; that a Republic cannot flourish nor survive unless its citizens combine with love of liberty a sufliciens intellizence to judge for themselves when superstition §s proffered as truth, or to keco clear of troubles into which. demagogues generally stand ready to entice them. -Whoever loves the people takes vride fn elevating its standard: no so the deolorable in- s“threc R’s,” end notning clse, in onr comm, sehoots. - Children may be well taazht o m?l'f ing, writing, and ciphering, and still be unable to guard themselves ‘aainst all sorts of impogi- tions. Theyshould be prepared to think ayg judge for themsclves: should understand tie faws of nature, aud learn of the history of gl world such fact$ as bave been fruitful in the ad vancement of the human family. That is whag our common-school system is aiming at, and the law does not -interfere with or it. Bat, say the enemies of a liberat education, such studics may be taught in.high schools; they have no business in common schools. ‘Lhese indivigualy talke pains to misconstrue persistentty the term ‘*common schools,” -88 thouzh “it meant # schools of a low grade.”” ‘Ihis is neither the construction ot the law, nor that ot linuis:ie authorities. Only to the low-miuded the com. mon thing islow. Let” us sce what Wcbster says on the subject: “Common ' School: A schoot,maintained at the public expense, aud open to all.” The word common, then, ia used in its original scose, just as in the word com- mouwealth, which implics certainly nothing low ormean. The common school may be an cle- mentary, a grammar, a high school, or a uni- versity. Thab this meaning of the word is also historic, appears from the statutes of other States and the works of educauonal authors, ‘The common-schoo! system tirst appeared in Massachiusets. - The statute by which it was cs- tablished provided, according to Dr. Gilman, these as its essential features: ** Local responsi- bility, State oversight, moderate charges or cratuitous ipstruction; provision for all, and ot for the poor alone; sud a recogaition of three harmonions -grades: the primary school, the grammar school, and the university.” In ihe days when that statute was enactea the term _* grammar school” was used for such schools in which Latin and Greek were taught; so0 that the * grammar school *’ of old is ou the grade of our present ‘*high schools.” That our own statute docs not certainly intend to limit the education in our comumon sctiools to the R. R.A is evident from the fact that the act itself is headed **An act to establish and maintaina system of trec schools.” All through the act the terms free schools, common schools, public schools are promiscaousty used to express the same idea. The frec schools to be cstablished shall provide cducation for children over 6 aud under 21 years of awe. It the education was to be limited to the three R's, why then provide for children over 14 or even 12 years of awe! But the act requires ‘‘a system of school high, and mehest,—und plaioly provides, in Sec. 35, a5 follows: **Upon petition of fifty voters of any school township, it sball be the duty of the "Coivnship Treasurer to notify the voters of the township that an election ‘for’ and ‘ggainst’ a high school will be held, and if a majority of the votes st such clectiou shall be found to be in favor of a high school . . . it shall be the duty of such ‘Lrustees to establisk a2 high school for the education of the more ad- vanced pupils.” B What semblance of right, then, have the op- pouents of a liberal gducation to lower the standard and drag down the common school? It is their nature that prompts them to cripplo the means of elevating .and enlightening the people. - A sot, an itnorant fellow, is casier im~ poscd upon, is casier led, than an intelligent mind: that is the sum and substance of their policy. Beware of them! People inthe higher yearsof life will, with me, recollect what name onr free schools had. some twenty years ago. Althourh our city bad but few public buildings, uone but the poor ‘would send their children to a free school. Why this? It was gencrally claimed that the instrae tion was too poor, childrex did not learn enongh in free sehools. At that time theinstruction was restricted to little more than the three R's, waile private schools furcished instruction in other branches niso. The public couid not Ue biamed fgy withholding their children from our free schivols. But, matters changed. The city elected Mr. Wells # Superiotendent of In- struction, a thuroughly eraded course was estab- lished, the number of branches was multiplied, actractive studics, such as vocal music, drawing, and German, were added, and the result is that rich and poor send their, chiidren to our free schools, than which there are no better schools in the city. Will you lose again or even risk the loss of this glorions success? But the cry of economy is raised. A deceitfal pretense! ‘The'money spent for a zood educa- tion i3 the best investment any individnal or community can make. The more we pay for schools and teachers, the more we save on police and vrjsons. I the city cannot just for this moment farnish all the means desired: for the erection of new school-houses, who is to blame for it? We have to subwmit to our misfortune brought on by the great fire of 1871; oll ood citizens will manly strive. to mawe up the losses and work harmoni- ously for the election of a wise and patriotic City Government, But there is one class of in- dinduslst th deserve Dubl[tu condemnation, and eyt to blame for the strinzency in the cit) N R RS e T e traitors to the commonwealth. They should be shunncd in public and private; no citizen of seli-respect should allow them to visit at his bouse or to be o member of a society of which be is a member. That was the action of ancient Republicans, und such patriotism is greatly needed in our Kepublie. ‘The result would bea general elevation of the character of & citizen, and an undistarbed flow of the revenues of the city and State. - A few years will change mat- ters to the better, and the city will soon have means enough to build all the school-houses that may be needed. Better it is, at all events, to suffer for a year or two some pupils to be taught in private schools, or even to 2o without schooling, than to breask down our well established school -system, to build up which. we have Ilabored half a century. Do > mot lev us fall back into the darkocss of Spain or Mexico! Let us al- wavs beep fn_mind the early declaration of William Penn, when he said: ‘‘That which makes a good coostitution must keep 1, namely, men of wisdom and virtuo—qualities that because they descend not with worldly in- heritance must be carefully propazated by a virtuous education of yputh, for which spare no f‘m §,lur by such parsimony all thatis saved is ost. ‘Lhe triends and managers of our free schools have, by diversifving thqtopies of instruction, made them not only temples of learnieg of what is good and useful, but, as they are careful that the child be not overtaxed, nave made “them also attractive; instruction now partakes of the nature of amusement, the drudeery of the three R’stslightened by the heart-gladdening lesson in singing; instead of writing tigures and letters all the time, the estbetic sense of the pupil is called into action by his drawing lesson, and his judgment is aroused by comparing the different Inodes of expression and thinking in_ learning 3 foreign lanzuage and comparing it with his own. May m? tim¢ be near at hund when every Iriend of' education shall be convinced of the trath spoken by Husxley, the great English savant, whea be saids “No system of pablic education is worthy the name of *‘national” uoloss it creates o great edueational ladder, with one end in the gutter and the other in the university.” ‘Then let our Board of Education sce Lhat the best Interests of the people ura rightly served. EXCELSI0K. —— A WISH, ’ 0 wonld that in those cyes of thine My own might fondly gaze, T Bee If still witirin tiem shine ‘Fle Jigh. of olden days; To watch the earnest thought arise i And wake the lires that sleep, Or sec the laugn send dancing beams Across theic ouriling deep. But it may be the world's cold touch Has chianged those eyes of brown, Ard made their deptbs so deep and dark Ay own could not look down. et Lwill ne‘er believe them 50, Lt dream they'l! ever be Lit with tac old unchanging light For me-—at leas: for me: . *Dear Angels! guard those well-loved eyes Until vnce more we gaze Withm iheir Geptls, and wake again’ The light of vanished dags! Fipsus. — —— WERE AND ARE. A dainty girl, with face most fair, And riozs of shining golden hair: Two tender eyes of decpest brown; ‘A graceful form in *broldered gown ‘Two cunning, dimpled, restiea feets A precious babe, for Earth tov sweet— * Al these were mine. A form with grief and tears bowed low; A little mound beneath the snow; A tiny face. now \wan una white, Forever hid from mortal sight; A little crip that vacant stands; ‘Anaching heart and empty hands— All these are mine. Weep for me, mother, with babe on your knee; Kiss It, caress :t, und then weep for me. Cnickco, Feb.'1S, 1570, LavRa USDESMILL. - — A Faperal and a Marrlage. + Louiezille Posr. On 8t. Valentine’s Day, 1573, William Digman was married to Miss Ophelia Bolling, and last Sunuay alternoon, at 5 o’clock, his wife died of consumption. Hers was the funeral to-day. 2 ourners was Miss Mary Digmsn, 8 sister of the'widower, and a few hours after- ward she was married to Mr. Williams, 3 well- to-do- farmer, living five miles from _the city ‘in the counntry. ~‘Therclatives of the family attend- ed ;both ceremonies, but, os may be imaginedy the last was not so joyous as it wouid have bee except for such distréssing circumstances.