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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.