3.-WHICH SHALL IT BE?

MRS. ETHEL LYNN BEERS was born in 1827, and died in 1879. She was the author of a number of beautiful poems, among which the best known are All Quiet Along the Potomac and Which Shall it Be? Of the latter an eminent critic has said that "for depth of feeling, simplicity of expression, and touching pathos it will compare favorably with any similar poem in the language."

1. "WHICH shall it be? which shall it be?"
I looked at John, John looked at me,-
Dear patient John, who loves me yet
As well as though my locks were jet ;
And when I found that I must speak,
My voice seemed strangely low and weak:
"Tell me again what Robert said;"
And then I, listening, bent my head.

2. "This is his letter: 'I will give
A house and land while you shall live,
If, in return, from out your seven,
One child to me for aye is given.''
I looked at John's old garments worn,
I thought of all that John had borne
Of poverty and work and care,—
Which I, though willing, could not share,—
Of seven hungry mouths to feed,
Of seven little children's need,
And then of this.

3.

"Come, John," said I;

"We'll choose among them as they lie
Asleep." So, walking hand in hand,
Dear John and I surveyed our band.

First to the cradle lightly stepped,
Where the new nameless baby slept.
"Shall it be Baby?" whispered John.
I took his hand and hurried on

To Lily's crib. Her sleeping grasp
Held her old doll within its clasp;
Her bright curls lay, like gold alight,
A glory 'gainst the pillow white.
Softly her father stooped to lay
His rough hand down in loving way,
When dream or whisper made her stir,
And huskily he said, "Not her!"

4. We stooped beside the trundle-bed,
And one long ray of lamp-light shed
Athwart the boyish faces there,
In sleep so pitiful and fair.

I saw on Jamie's rough red cheek
A tear undried. Ere John could speak,
"He's but a baby too," said I,

And kissed him as we hurried by.
Pale, patient Robbie's angel-face
Still in his sleep bore suffering's trace.
"No! for a thousand crowns, not him,"
He whispered; while our eyes were dim.
Poor Dick! bad Dick! our wayward son,-
Turbulent, reckless, idle one,-

Could he be spared? "Nay! He who gave
Bids us befriend him to the grave.

Only a mother's heart can be

Patient enough for such as he;

And so," said John, "I would not dare

To send him from her bedside prayer."

5. Then stole we softly up above,
And knelt by Mary, child of love.
"Perhaps for her 'twould better be,"
I said to John. Quite silently
He lifted up a curl that lay

Across her cheek in willful way,

And shook his head: "Nay, love, not thee;"
The while my heart beat audibly.

Only one more,- -our eldest lad,

Trusty and truthful, good and glad,
So like his father: "No, John, no;
I cannot, will not let him go !"

6. And so we wrote, in courteous way,
We could not give one child away.
And afterward toil lighter seemed,
Thinking of that of which we dreamed,-
Happy, in truth, that not one face
Was missed from its accustomed place;
Thankful to work for all the seven,
Trusting the rest to One in heaven.

DEFINITIONS.-4. A thwart', across.

Tûr'bū lent, unruly.

4.-SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION.

THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY was born at Ealing, Middlesex, England, in 1825. He received his early education in his native town, and afterward studied medicine in the Medical School of Charing Cross Hospital. In 1846 he entered the medical service of the royal navy. He early showed a great taste for natural history, and while young some of his philosophical papers gained him the respect of the great naturalists of Europe. He has since written numerous works-anatomical, zoological, and scientific-which have given him the reputation of being one of the greatest scientists of the age. The following selection is from an address delivered on the subject of Scientific Education.

1. I HOPE you will consider that the arguments I have now stated-even if there were no better ones-constitute a sufficient apology for urging the introduction of science into schools. The next question to which I have to address myself is, What sciences ought to be thus taught? And this is one of the most important of questions.

2. There are other forms of culture besides physical science; and I should be profoundly sorry to see the fact forgotten, or even to observe a tendency to starve or cripple literary or esthetic culture for the sake of science. Such a narrow view of the nature of education has nothing to do with my firm conviction that a complete and thorough scientific culture ought to be introduced in all the schools. By this, however, I do not mean that every school-boy should be taught everything in science: that would be a very absurd thing to conceive, and a mischievous thing to attempt.

3. What I mean is that no boys or girls should leave school without possessing a grasp of the general character of science, and without having been disciplined, more or less, in the methods of all sciences; so that, when turned into the world to make their own way, they shall be prepared to face scientific problems,-not by knowing at once the conditions of every problem or by being able at once to solve it, but by being familiar with the general current of scientific thought, and by being able to apply the methods of science in the proper way, when they have acquainted themselves with the conditions of the special problem.

4. That is what I understand by scientific education. To furnish a boy with such an education, it is by no means necessary that he should devote his whole schoolexistence to physical science; in fact, no one would lament

so one-sided a proceeding more than I. Nay, more, it is not necessary for him to give up more than a moderate share of his time to such studies, if they be properly selected and arranged, and if he be trained in them in a fitting manner.

5. I conceive the proper course to be somewhat as follows: To begin with, let every child be instructed in those general views of the phenomena of nature for which we have no exact English name. The nearest approximation to a name for what I mean, which we possess, is "physical geography," that is to say, a general knowledge of the earth and what is on it, in it, and about it. If any one who has had experience of the ways of young children will call to mind their questions, he will find that, so far as they can be put into any scientific category, they come under this head.

6. The child asks, "What is the moon, and why does it shine?"-" What is the water, and where does it run ?”. "What is the wind?"-" What makes the waves in the sea ?" "Where does this animal live, and what is the use of that plant?” And if not snubbed and stunted by being told not to ask foolish questions, there is no limit to the intellectual craving of a young child, nor any bounds to the slow but solid accretion of knowledge and development of the thinking faculty in this way.

7. To all such questions answers which are necessarily incomplete, though true as far as they go, may be given by any teacher whose ideas represent real knowledge, and not mere book-learning; and a panoramic view of nature, accompanied by a strong infusion of the scientific habit of mind, may thus be placed within the reach of every child nine or ten years of age.

8. After this preliminary opening of the eyes to the

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