side, and being exposed to the morning sun of summer, they were
continually full of flies. The teacher's path lay along them, in front
of his scholars; and while talking to the latter, he struck down the
flies as they shewed themselves at the window. This manoeuvre amused
the children infinitely more than his instruction did, and they
followed his example. They were incessantly on the watch for flies
that buzzed through the room, caught them in their hands, and shewed
as great dexterity in this kind of chase as their teacher in his. But
their amusement did not end here: they had learned to play with their
captives, treat them with detestable cruelty, and seemed to find a
wicked delight in observing the shivering of their victims.

On observing these curious and far from pleasing peculiarities of the
school, the intelligent and humane clergyman easily accounted for the
spirit of destructiveness among the children; and his first step was
to induce the teacher to take his leather from the end of the cane;
and next, to turn the desks so that the boys sat with their backs to
the windows, and the teacher's path lay on the other side of the room.
Then the minister went frequently into the school, and examined so
severely, that both teacher and pupils had more to do than to give
their attention to the flies. As this was not yet entirely
satisfactory in its results, the minister took advantage of the hot
summer weather, to have instruction given only in the afternoon, when
the school was not so full of flies, and thus he gradually banished
the insects from the thoughts of teacher and children. But he knew
that it was of little avail solely to pull the weeds out of the young
mind. He obtained an unoccupied piece of land fit for planting, and,
not far from the school, laid out a school-garden. This pleased the
teacher, and the children willingly took part in the task, for they
had soon learned to like their new minister, who came and worked