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SCHOOL NOTES.
The spring-like days at last have come
the most horrible of al] the year,
With wailing girls and ragged books,
and teachers worn and sere,
Heaped in the hollows of their desks
their crumpled notes lie dead.
They rustle to their listless hands
and to their empty heads.
Where are the brains,the bright young
brains, that lately flashed and shone
In darker days and colder airs—
Alas 1 those brains are gone I
We have laid our Shakesperes aside
and are letting our dramatic talents
rest, while we cultivate a love of na
ture, under Cowper’s direction. In
fact, we have become so enthused on
the subject that, at least, once a day
we propose to our teacher to adjourn
for the better study of nature, but
she invariably lays this motion on the
table until 2 O’clock.
We hear that the geology class are
preparing essays on evolution, pro
and con., and we are looking for their
appearance with much interest and
impatience.
The younger botany class seem to
think the study might be more ad
vantageously prosecuted in the woods
and fields. They are hinting for a
picnic for that purpose.
~An intellectual prude in our
Shakspere class, says it must have
been per-ennial leap-year among
Shakspere’s heroines, and thinks a
course of Hannah More and Miss
Edgeworth would have enchanced
them.
Two of the seniors promenade our
corridors with stately strides and both
eyes in a fine frensy rolling, trying
to evolve brilliant essays out of airy
nothings. We wish them much suc
cess.
The juniors are consumed with
envy because they are not to be ad
mitted to the Alumni Banquet, which
comes off the sth. of June.
Miss Delia Foreacae will visit the
A. F. I. very soon, much to the de
light of her friends here.
We enjoyed a visit from Miss Mari
on Daniel recently, and look forward
to seeing her again soon.
One of the teachers says the aver
age school-girl’s mind seems to be
made of a material resembling sifter
cloth, which has the singular power
of reversing the ordinary properties
of that substance, inasmuch, as it
allows the weighty and important
matters to slip through the meshes
and retains the trifles with the great
est tenacity. She recommends us to
line our heads with oil silk, so as to
bring the matter more under our own
control.
The meanest general ever known
was General Debility, but he has suc-
ceeded in conquering the army of the
A. F. I. Scarcely a girl in the house
is able to w r rite a school note.
The monthly meeting of the
Clionian Society was held Friday,
April 17.
The programme was a good one
and well carried out. Misses
Locke, Dough terty, and Clarke
responded to their appointments
in an agreeable and pleasing man
ner, which is an unusual occur
rence in societies. It seemed that
the predominating thought in
Miss Smith’s essay on “Time” was
to save time, judging from the
amount she devoted to the enter
tainment of the society.
Miss May Nace’s personifica
tion of the “Negro Preacher” was
excellent. Miss Sallie Grant de
serves a special compliment for
undertaking to present the very
tragical scene between “Arthur
and Hubert.” and she did it so
well that every one was thrilled
by it.
Miss N. Smith, by her graphic
portrayal of the Terrors of a fire,
not only succeeded in enlisting
the sympathies of her audience,
but was so moved herself that it
required some time for her to
bring about a reaction. The hu
morons recitation of Miss Glover
amused and delighted the society.
After the preparation of the pro
gramme for the next meeting, the
society adjourned. A.V.
From a Former Pupil.
It is always pleasant to revisit old
scene and meet friends from whom
we have been absent, to see their
familiar faces, and hear their cordial
words of greeting. Not Jong since
it was my privilege to visit my teach
ers and schoolmates for the first time
since my final “au revoir” to school life.
There were necessarily some changes,
but these were fewer than I had ex
pected, and upon the whole every
thing was very much as it used to be.
I missed from the throng of school
girls the older and more sedate ones,
who have passed out from this little
world to enjoy the sweets of young
lady-hood, and reign in a wider
sphere, but the vacancy caused by
their departure is being rapidly filled
by the rising generation. Every de
partment gave unmistakable signs of
progress, and this question presented
itself to me, have I not been at a
stand-still while they are being con
tinually borne along the current of
advancement? Each year the old
girls retire to make room for the new
ones, and when I looked upon those
who now wear the mantle of us de
parted Ones, I began seriously to re
flect as to what kind of “foot prints
we had left on the sands of time.”
There they were, standing in the
places we had so recently left, regard
ing us merely as phantoms of the past,
living only in memory. For a short
while the absence of my own class
awakened a train of tender recollec
tions, and filled me with a sadness,
mingled with pleasure and pain.
Then I found myself musing over
those halcyon days of scheol life,
around which time had thrown a rosy
glamour, covering the dark spots, and
revealing only the bright and alluring
ones, But we should not be ever
sighing, “Backward, still backward,
oh, Time in your flight,” so quickly
banishing this dream of the past. I
became intensely interested in the
realities of the occasion. The cordial
welcome of the teachers, the kind and
friendly greeting of the girls, glad
dened me and filled me with such joy
and appreciation, that I shall ever
look back upon this visit with the
fondest and pleasantest memories.
I felt very much like a near rela
tive of Methuselah when some of the
more youthful ones bestowed upon
me that deference and respect due to
one of more mature years, and when
I beheld one of my own class-mates
presiding with stately dignity over
the school-room, and disciplining a
train of young minds, I became pain
fully conscious that many winters
had passed over my head.
I think I felt most flattered by the
meeting of our society, which was
called in honor of m’y visit.
The president’s “welcome” was
given in her usual modest, attractive
manner, and would certainly have
evoked a response, if I had been given
to speech-making. The entire pro
gramme gave evidence of progress
and improvement. Each one respond
ed promptly and did themselves much
credit. I listened for the once famil
iar words, “Not prepared,” but was
most happily surprised that no such
sound greeted my ears. “0 tempores,
0 mores !” The recitation from the
Elocution class showed the patient,
faithful labor of its teacher, and dis
played talent upon the part of the
little girls. The music was soul
stiring and inspiring. The order was
good and I felt truly gratified to find
everything thus steadily approaching
perfection. My interest in the wel
fare and prosperity of each depart
ment of this school is sincere, and for
our society, I wish the greatest suc
cess and celebrity.
May thy laurels be many, and thy
renown unrivalled.
THE ECLIPSE.
The eclipse of the Sun is caused
by the moon passing between the earth
and the sun.
The eclipse of the moon is when
the shadow of the earth falls upon
the dise of the moon, and then the
part of moon which is shadowed by
the earth is not visible to us.
A total eclipse takes place wheu
the moon passes entirely over the disc
of the sun. An annular eclipse is
when the moon is not quite large
enough to cover the whole disc of
the sun and only a ring of light
is seen.
The name annular comes from the
Latin word annulus, which means a
The last eclipse of the sun occur
red March 16, 1885. Itwasa/Mr/mZ
eclipse, that is, the moon covered on
ly half of the disc of the sun.
When loaking at it, it seemed as if
it moved very slowly; but it is said it
crosses the heavens faster than the
fastest express train in the world. If
the train starts an hour ahead of the
moon, the moon will catch up with
it in two minutes.
The eclipse of the sun cannot be
observed with the naked eye, on ac
count of the painful glare. It is gen
erally viewed with the telescope or a
piece of smoked glass.
The sun is nearer to us sometimes
than it is at others, or rather we are
nearer the sun; and although it is a
great deal colder in winter than in
summer, we are much nearer the sun
in winter.
It was very hard for the girls of
our class to get through with their
lessons the day of the eclipse. We
were running to the window every
minute or so to look at it. At first
we looked at it throught the window
glass, and dark streaks and spots
seemed to cross the disc of the sun,
but we afterwards found out that it
was only imperfections in the glass.
It is very mysterious and thrilling
to see and hear of these wonders in
the heavens, and it gives us fuller
proof of the will and power of the
Almighty. B. O’H, L.
We clip the following from a
French Journal, which rather up
sets our idea of Voltaire. We can
think of him as doing anything,
except praying.
mode a dit
Voltaire a nie* Dieu et meconnu Shakes-
[peare.
C’est one double erreur.
Voltaire n'a pas nie Dieu; il a attague
la superstition.
Voltaire n’a pas meconnu Shakespeare;
il a defendu Corneille et sourtout Ra
cine.
Ce n’etait pas au athee I’homme qui ecri
vait ces Vers:
PRIERE.
O Dieu qu ’on meconnait, o Dieu que
tout an nonce!
Entends les derniers mots que ma bonche
prononce;
Si je me suis trompe, c’est en cherehant
ta loi.
Mon coeur pent s’egarer, mais il est plein
de toi.
Je'voissans m’alarmer I’eterniteparaitre,
Et je ne puis penserqu ’un Dieu qui’
m’a fait naitre,
Qu'un Dieu qui sur mes jours versa tant
de bienf tits
Quand mes jours sont eteints me tour
men tea jamais.
VOLTAIRE.