The catalogue was never ended, for the great thunderstorm on the 16th of July. The busy Drop was suddenly entangled among adventures of the other suitors, they being hair upon the corpse of a dead cat, which thus cheated of their object, need not be fate also the fairy narrowly escaped, to be detailed. As each returns he will be made in the next minute sucked up as Nubis had acquainted with the scandalous fraud practised been sucked, through pipes into a reservoir. by the Prince of Nimbus, and this being the Weary with the incessant chattering of his state of politics in Cloud-Land at the moment conceited friend, whose pride he trusted that when we go to press, we may fairly expect to a night with puss might humble, Nephelo witness five or six more thunderstorms before now lurked silent in a corner. In a dreamy next winter. Each suitor, as he returns and state he floated with the current underground, finds how shamefully he has been cheated, and was half sleeping in a pipe under some will create a great disturbance; and no London street, when a great noise of trampling wonder. Conduct so rascally as that of the overhead, mingled with cries, awakened him. Prince of Nimbus is enough to fill the clouds "What is the matter now?" the fairy cried. with uproar. “A fire, no doubt, to judge by the noise," said a neighbour quietly. Nephelo panted now with triumph. Cirrha was before his eyes. Now he could benefit the race of man. "Let us get out," cried Nephelo; "let us assist in running to the rescue.'

"Don't be impatient," said a drowsy Drop. "We can't get out of here till they have found the Company's turncock, and then he must go to this plug and that plug in one street, and another, before we are turned off."

"In the meantime the fire

"Will burn the house down. Help in five minutes would save a house. Now the luckiest man will seldom have his premises attended to in less than twenty."

Nephelo thought here was another topic for his gossip in the Thames. The plugs talked of with a constant water-supply would take the sting out of the Fire-Fiend.

Presently, among confused movements, confused sounds, amid a rush of water, Nephelo burst into the light-into the vivid light of a great fire that leapt and roared as Nephelo was dashed against it! Through the red flames and the black smoke in a burst of steam, the fairy reascended hopeless to the clouds.

CHAPTER THE FOURTH.
Rascally Conduct of the Prince of Nimbus.

A CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD.

THERE is an establishment in Paris. for providing instruction for artisans of all ages and others employed during the day, which is well worthy of imitation in this country. It has occasioned the establishment, in all parts of France, of a number of evening schools, at which instruction is given without charge to the pupil. We are by no means clear that in this respect a sound principle is observed; holding it to be important that those who can pay anything for the great advantages of education should pay something, however little. But into this question we do not now propose to enter.

The institution was originated in 1680, by Dr. J. Baptiste de la Lulli, Canon of Rheims, lingered on till 1804, but was revived and brought to its present condition of efficacy in 1830. It consists of a parent or training establishment in Paris (Rue Plumet, 33) from which teachers are provided for any locality, in any part of France, or even Italy, for which an evening school may be petitioned by the residents. There are connected with it at present no fewer than five thousand teachers, who call themselves "Brothers of the Christian Schools" (Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes). Four thousand are employed in France, and one thousand in Italy. They are not a Church, but a Lay Community (Religieux laïques). A certain number remain ready at the central establishment to obey any call that may be made for their services.

THE Prince of Nimbus, whose goodnature we have celebrated, was not good for nothing. Having graciously permitted all the suitors of the Princess Cirrha to go down to earth and labour for her hand, he took advantage of their absence, and, having the coast clear, importuned the daughter of King Cumulus Before such a requisition is made, the with his own addresses. Cirrha was not dis- municipal authorities, or any number of posed to listen to them, but the rogue her benevolent individuals who may choose to father was ambitious. He desired to make subscribe, must have provided a house and a good alliance, and that object was better school-room, with all proper accommodagained by intermarriage with a prince than tions, and must certify that a certain number with a subject. "There will be an uproar," of pupils are willing to enrol themselves. said the old man, when those fellows down On application to the central establishment below come back. They will look black and three qualified Christian Brothers are sent no doubt storm a little, but we'll have our down, at salaries not exceeding six hundred royal marriage notwithstanding." So the francs, or twenty-four pounds per annum Prince of Nimbus married Cirrha, and in the provinces, or thirty pounds a year Nephelo arrived at the court of King Cumulus in Paris. Fewer than three Frères are one evening during the celebration of the not allowed to superintend each school; two bridal feast. His wrath was seen on earth in for the classes, and a probationer to perform many parts of England in the shape of a the household duties; but, when the schools

แ

masters.

outgrow the management of that number a also meetings for lectures on religious and fourth is added, to take the management of moral subjects adapted to the wants of, and the whole, and is called a Frère-directeur. calculated to influence, the same class. "I The classes are limited to sixty for writing, recently was present at one of these meetings and one hundred for other branches of educa- in the Faubourg St. Antoine" (we quote our tion. This limitation is necessary, because former authority), "where a series of eloquent the monitorial system is not followed, and and forcible addresses was delivered-one, by the whole weight of the duties falls on the a Professor of History, on some of the leading points of Christian morals; another, by a The schools thus established in the various gentleman of literary attainments, on Death quarters of Paris are very numerous; six and a future state; a third, by a gentleman of thousand apprentices and artisans attend them independent position, on the religious conafter their hours of work-young boys, youths, dition of some of the forçats at Toulon; a and adults-the numbers having declined fourth, by a member of the university, on the since the revolution of 1848. "I have," says displacement of labour by machinery, and its Mr. Seymour Tremenheere, in a note to his ultimate advantage to the labourer; all of Report on the state of the mining population, whom had come forward to aid in the task of "at different times visited some of those even- combating irreligion, and the various forms of ing schools in the Fauxbourgs St. Antoine error pervading the minds of so many of the and St. Martin, containing from four hundred working classes of Paris. These were followed to six hundred, in separate class-rooms of by hymns, and by prayers. A deep sense of sixty to a hundred each, all well lighted, religion is, indeed, the animating spirit of all warmed, and ventilated. The gentle and the endeavours of the Frères Chrétiens for! affectionate manner of the Frères, and their the benefit of the lower classes, and the prinskill in teaching, were very conspicuous, and ciple which sustains them in their self-denying sufficiently explained their success. The in- and arduous career." struction consists, in addition to the doctrines of Christianity, which are the basis of the whole, of reading, writing, arithmetic, a little history, drawing (linear and perspective), and vocal music. In all the classes, many adults who had been at work all day were to be seen mixed with young men and boys, patiently learning to read, or to write and cypher. In the drawing-classes, some were copying ornamental designs, or heads, for their own amusement; others, to improve themselves as cabinetmakers, or workers in bronze, or in other trades for which some cultivation of taste is requisite.'

The superiority of the system of teaching adopted by the Christian Brothers has been proved by a severe test. In Paris, as in London, it is the custom, once a year, to assemble all the parochial schools; not, however, as a mere show for the purpose of uniting in ill-executed psalmody, but with the better and more useful view of testing the improvement of the scholars, and of ascertaining the degrees of diligence and proficiency attained by the masters. The parochial scholars compete for prizes, given by the corporation of the city; not only among themselves, but with the other elementary schools-those of the Christian Brothers among the rest. At these competitions, it has happened, of late years, that the pupils of the latter have been the victors. In one year, they gained seventeen prizes out of twenty; in another, twentythree out of thirty-one; and, last year, they carried off the highest forty-two prizes: the fortunate candidates of all the other schools only claiming the inferior rewards. In addition to these evening schools for adults and young men who are already gaining their livelihood, the Frères Chrétiens have set on foot Sunday evening sermons at different churches, and

The lovers of " great comprehensive systems,"-to whom we adverted in a former page

might, by copying the plan of the French Christian Brothers, carry out a scheme which would be of the utmost use in this country. It would also have the advantage of encouraging small beginnings, and combining them into one great and efficacious whole. We can hardly wait until the present adult generation of ignorance shall die out to be succeeded by another which we are, after all, only half edu cating. Why not offer inducements, and form plans, for the instruction of grown-up persons, many of whom, having come to a sense of their deficiencies, pine for culture and enlightenment, which they cannot obtain? A central establishment in London-on a general plan somewhat similar to the Government Normal Schools already in existence, but with less cumbrous and costly machinery-could be formed at a small expense; and we doubt not that many a knot of benevolent well-wishers | would, in their various localities, be eager to provide all the scholastic matériel for the less favoured artisans and day-workers around them, could they look with confidence to some central establishment for the formation of teachers, in which they could place implicit confidence.

The monitorial system, in a school consisting of all ages-in which a small boy, from his intellectual superiority, might be placed over the heads of pupils, greater, older than himself-is manifestly impracticable; and a larger number of teachers than is usual in schools for children only, would be necessary.

We will borrow from Mr. Tremenheere a comparison between the intellectual acquirements and moral conduct of French workmen and those of English workmen, in the mining districts of each country. We do not assume

that the superiority of the French workmen we have had at the same time five pounds has been occasioned solely by the evening belonging to our own people. They geneschools of the Christian Brothers, but, after rally spend their money as fast as they can what we have already shown, we consider it get it." reasonable to infer that, since 1830, those In Scotland, evening schools abound, and establishments have had a large share in the come in effectually to aid the universal system formation of their character. In a former of primary instruction existing over that report,* Mr. Tremenheere described the habits part of our island. A Wesleyan local preacher and manners of the French colliers and miners.toid Mr. Tremenheere of the Scotchmen emespecially those at the iron and coal-works in ployed on the Northumberland and Durham the coalfield near Valenciennes. He was collieries. "when you go into some of the compelled, by the force of unexceptionable Scotchmen's houses, you would be surprised evidence, to show how superior they were in to see the books they have-not many, but every respect, except that of mere animal all choice books. Some of their favourite power, to the generality of the mining popula-authors in divinity are very common among tion in this country. At the large iron-works them. Many of them read such books as at Denain, employing about four thousand Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, and people, there were thirty Englishmen from are fond of discussing the subjects he treats Staffordshire. These men were earning about of. They also read the lives of statesmen, one-third more wages than the French and books of history; also works on logic; labourers; but, they spent all they earned and, sometimes, mathematics. Such men can in eating and drinking; were frequently be reasoned with about anything appertaindrunk; and in their manners were coarse, ing to their calling, and they know very quarrelsome, disrespectful, and insubordinate. well why wages cannot be at particular times The English manager-who had held for higher than a certain standard. They see at many years responsible situations under once, by the price current in the market, some of the leading iron-masters in Stafford- what is the fair portion to go to the workshire-stated with regret, that so different man as wages, according to the circumstances and so superior were the intelligence, and of the pit and the general state of the the civilised habits and conduct, of the French, trade. Such men will have nothing to do that, if any thirty Frenchmen from these with the union. They scorn to read such works were to go to work in Staffordshire, penny and twopenny publications as we have "they would be so disgusted, they would not been talking about. They are fonder of sitstay; they would think they had got among ting down after their work and reading a a savage race." chapter of the Wealth of Nations. They will There have been, lately, forty Frenchmen also talk with great zest of many of their employed at one of the large manufactories in great men-their own countrymen, who have Staffordshire, by the Messrs. Chance, at their raised themselves by their own industry. extensive and well-known glass-works at West There are, undoubtedly, some men that come Bromwich, in the immediate neighbourhood out of Scotland bad men, but these are not of some of the great iron-works. Mr. Chance informed men. I am speaking of all this gives the Commissioner the following account neighbourhood, where I have lived all my life. of these men :-"A few years ago, we brought There are a great many Scotch at all the over forty Frenchmen to teach our men a collieries here, and most of them very respectparticular process in our manufacture. They able men, exceedingly so. You may ask me have now nearly all returned. We found why the union is so strong in parts of Scotthem very steady, quiet, temperate men. They land-as in Lanarkshire? It is because in earned good wages, and saved while they were Lanarkshire the pitmen are one-third Irish, with us a good deal of money. We have had and many of the worst Scotch from other as much as fifteen hundred pounds at a time counties. Those who come here are among the in our hands belonging to these men, which best in their own country, I should think, we transmitted to France for them. One of from the accounts they give me. When a them, who sometimes earns as much as seven Scotchman comes here he earns English pounds a-week, has saved in our service not wages; but he does not spend them as an much short of four thousand pounds. He is Englishman does. A Scotchman often, rather with us now. He is a glass-blower. We have than lose buying a good book, will lose his about fourteen hundred men in our employ dinner. The Scotchwomen begin to keep (in the glass-blowing and alkali works) when their houses cleaner after they get into trade is in a good state. I am sorry to say England, and by degrees they come to that the contrast between them and the keep them as clean as the Englishwomen; Frenchmen was very marked in many res- and the first generation after their fathers pects, especially in that of forethought and economy. I do not think that, while we had in our hands the large sum mentioned above as the savings of the Frenchmer at one time, "Report of Inspection of French and Belgian mines, 1848-Appendix."

come are equal to the English in their wish to keep everything clean about them. They are generally very saving, and lay out the overplus of their earnings in books and furniture or lay it by. They have a great disposition to have their children well taught. Indeed,

With a little modification, this description of the pitman applies, in its more favourable characteristics, to the English operative generally. No one can read it without being convinced that there is sound and hopeful material, in the generous English character to work upon. The natural ability, the deep feeling, the quickness of perception, the susceptibility to religious and moral impressions, the sound common sense where the rudest cultivation has been attained, and the heart-The gardener's trade. One autumn night he found We doubt the general applicability of this description, young man hiding in his garden-shed, Haggard and foot-sore, wanting bread to eat;