call down, 'John, bring up the hammer,' and John would come up with a
saw. Then he would send him down for the hammer again, and John would
bring up the nails. How much could we learn of religion, of history and
the world around us, if it were not for grammar? Would 1-2-3 tell us all
that?"

But I have not left much room to tell about the good side. Many of the
papers, for neatness, accuracy and clear expression, would do credit to
any children in the world. Especially is this true of the younger
pupils, who have received the training of the lower grades of the
school. One essay on Slavery, by a member of the Ninth Year Class,
written in two days, contained twenty pages, with scarcely an
unnecessary word, and very few mistakes. I wish you could hear some of
the sensible talks in prayer-meetings, and fervent prayers for
classmates, teachers, and the kind people at the North who are trying to
help them.

* * * * *

A teacher from North Carolina sends the following:

There is not a girl in my school who uses tobacco, and that is saying a
good deal. I cannot be so sure about the boys, but none use it in school
or on the play ground.

One day our grammar lesson was changing possessive modifiers to
equivalent phrases, and the sentence "Washington's farewell address"
came up. One boy wrote, "Washington's farewell address was made of
broadcloth."