THE SPECdLaM. —— = ——— —, Se — VoLuME X.—No. 5. AcGricuLTuRAL CoLLeGe, Micn., APRIL 10, 1891. - WHoLe No, 51- a" — To a Robin. Ah! thou fluffy breasted wand’rer, - -Why so early dost thou roam? Didst the zephyrs of the Southland Tempt thee to thy summer home? But thou seest 'tis not yet springtime, -~ Not yet canst thou rear thy nest ; For the tardy winter snowflakes Wilt keep thee from thy vernal quest. Yet I see thou art not gloomy, When in disappointment's hour Wintry winds are round thee blowing, And stormy clouds above thee lower ; For I see thee gaily playing, -. Hopping round upon the snow, . And I hear thy cheery chirping— Thou art happy I do know. Mighty man hast said thou lackest Soul or spirit—thou hast naught Of Reason—hast no heaven— Yet of thee I can be taught. And my prayer is now, sweet robin, That when winds of ill do blow, I may call to mind thy blitheness, When slept Spring beneath the snow. M. A. C., March, 1891. A Kentucky. —_———_ Fo the Speculum : ~ ‘The only excuse I can offer for writing a letterto the SpecuLu™ is that the editor land. The only expenses are the. county court fee of five cents per acre, and the sur- veyor’s charges. As there is no limit to the number of times the same parcel of land may be granted, many. complications that bring rich harvests to lawyers and: abstract companies ensue. Southeastern Kentucky has felt little of the advancement of the present century. Railroads have not yet penetrated the moun- tains. The wagon roads that wind over the rocks and along the creek beds are unworthy the name. Thus with no ready means of communicating with the outside: world it is not strange that the mountaineers have made little progress. They require little that the country does not produce. Corn bread and pork is the diet, The mountain. streams furnish ample power, a few weeks’ work for one man builds a grist mill, and “daily bread” is insured. Acorns and chestnuts fatten the hogs, with no care of the owner. Where nature does so much man is willing ‘that woman should do the rest. It is only a few years since ‘capitalists be- ‘came interested in the mineral wealth of this part of the State. Coal is ‘abundant, and iron ore is plentiful in the Pine Mountain Range. Timber—chiefly poplar, oak of sev- eral species, chestnut and walnut—covers the mountain sides with a heavy growth. Land companies have been -organized oper- ating with New York and English capital, to buy the land, and now own about two- thirds of all the land in several counties. The work of the surveyors, then, is making re-surveys of these land grants. ‘Where a tract is covered by several grants the prob- lem takes: huge proportions, and calls in question the land laws of the State; a few of -which the-surveyor is‘expected‘to know, --asked me to do so. Those at M. A. C. who” “have not forgotten “Pa Ferris” know -that ~‘gueh ‘a request would start his all too ready — pen, : . -°Kentucky was never surveyed by the general government into townships and sec- “tions. -In-general, land is granted to the -“¢itizens by the governor on orders issued by -- the county court. The grant is described = by-the stream upon which it is located, and - “more particularly described. by ‘marked - -‘timber-corners. - The’state-does not sell-the~ 66 THE SPECULUM. “Ye Editor” suggested that I might tell the SPEcULUM some experiences I have en- countered during my stay in the mountains. I have too great an opinion of my reputa- tion for telling the truth to act on his sug- gestion; however, I might tell of a wild cat hunt, of a cyclone or something worse, that blew our tents away, of long rides upon a faithful (?}) mule, and of scenes my “Kodak” and I have witnessed, but I won't, Bidding its readers a tired good night, I remain as ever a hearty supporter of the SPECULUM. Cuas, Ferris. Big Creek. Ky. Military Drill—Its Benefit to Students. H. N. PECK, HESFERIAN SOCIETY. When we find an institution graduating the majority of its men with exceptionally bright records, we are forced to admire its educational ability. But when we learn that the mental development of any of these men has only a weak, emaciated body to sustain it, how soon we find our admiration chang- ing! There is something wrong. Either the institution is coming far short of its aim, or else the students have been so thoughtless as to sacrifice their chance of a successful life-work, for temporary distinction in the class-room. College years come just at that time when nature is giving our bodies the finishing touches, in her transformation of the boy into the man; and whatever point of defect or perfection we receive at this time we may expect to carry through life. How careful, then, we should be to em- brace every opportunity to engage in any exercise that willtendto our best physical de- velopment, and so ensure a stronger constitu- tion. Itis a well established fact that the physical stamina of a man determines largely what shall be his mental radius, This being so, there is certainly a need of developing both body and mind together. And soI say again, that whatever offers to fulfill this | tendency to need should be eagerly espoused by the stu- dent. Military drill is systematic and orderly in its training, and has numerous points of exceptional merit, some of which we wish to notice. Besides there being the necessity of drilling mostly in the open air, there is the additional charm of a patriotic garb. In taking the “ position of the soldier,” while both shoulders should be equally advanced, yet they must be thrown back and kept at the same height. The same is largely true of the hips, the body resting squarely on both The result is, therefore, to correct any round shoulders, and _ to straighten any curvature of the spine; and many there are who suffer from these deformities. The “setting up” exercises are most excellent for keeping the shoulders back, and increasing the chest capacity—a matter of first importance to all who would have good strong lungs and plenty of breath- ing room. Also there is steadiness and recti- tude of posture secured by systematic exer- cise of the lower limbs. There is a right way to walk, an easy way, a graceful way. Notice people as to this matter, and see if you do not think they are sadly in need of instruction. One wabbles from side to side as if he had difficulty in keeping his equilibrium; a second, especially if a woman, bobs up and down much like a rubber ball; while a third goes with a heel action, tending to throw him back each step he takes. Is not this your observation? The recruit is taught how to walk. He learns that the body resting slightly forward, the feet at such an angle, a cadence in the step, and the toe of the foot well depressed, all tend to easy and graceful locomotion. I might remark here that perhaps some have observed ladies walk with such peculiar grace, that their bearing might well be called queenly. Let me suggest that it was not due to high heels on the shoes, but rather the reverse, together with a practiced ease in always touching the ball-of the foot first. THE SPECULUM. 67 This gives elasticity to the step and avoids jar. There is also a right way to run, which receives due attention in this discipline. Military training developes alertness. The cat is seldom taken by surprise, because it 1s a cat’s nature, when awake, to be always ready for motion, This cat-like peculiarity is much developed in the soldier; he must not be taken unawares, but be prompt to act at any command, And it is easy to suppose that this training will serve him many a good turn in after life. _ Besides the exercise and the physical train- ing secured, military drill develops many other qualities that are quite essential to the man of public life. Self-command is greatly strengthened, One of the first things taught is obedience without a murmur. But what is the benefit? Just this much: If holding the tongue when prompted or criticised is not a natural accomplishment of the recruit, he now receives some practical lessonsin this vir- tue, and must feel more than ever that obe- dience comes before authority. He learns that it is not essential that he see every thing that takes place around him, and that it is possible to avoid turning the head, even when there is a great temptation to do so, Doubtless this experience will come often to the rescue at other times than at drill. Presence of mind is cultivated. This faculty must be constantly and studiously exercised. The captain has an unusual op- poctunity for receiving benefit in this respect. He must appear before the company, know- ing that all eyes may be turned on him, and that none will be backward in proclaiming his defects in bearing and command. He must not feel his own presence, and yet make his own presence felt. The whole company must be manipulated as one machine, and at the same time, each individual looked after as composing an, important part. Com- mands must be so given that the company will execute the right movement at precisely the proper time, so that there may be no mistakes or confusion, Knowing that pres- = ence of mind and executive ability are prime factors to success, in any calling whatsoever, who can doubt the utility of this schooling? Men needa leader. Any move of society must have a head, fearless to speak, and decisive to act. And has not the man who has had military discipline received many valuable lessons that will fit him, in part, for just these positions? And now, knowing that the mental is dependent largely upon the physical; that presence of mind, self-reliance, and executive ability are all essential to the best success in life; and that military drill is a practical school for the development and the exercise of these qualities, can we for a moment have any doubts as to the resulting benefits of its training? Then, to get the most good out of the military department, there must be — interest taken in the drill. Let it arouse some- thing in the way of enthusiasm. The drill hour should be felt to be an hour of recrea- tion; a time to put aside all thought of regu- lar studies, and to give the mind a needed rest. Milan to Lucerne over the St. Gothard Railway. W. H. VAN DEVORT. We left Milan at 6 a. ™M., and were soon speedin g northward across. the broad, fertile plains of Lombardy. Before us, and to our right, stretching away in the distance, lay the snow-capped Alps, grand in the color- ing of the rising sun. A run of two hours brought us to Como, which is beautifully situated at the head of that famous lake, in a fertile valley surrounded by picturesque hills. We caught a glimpse of Lake Como as we passed, and entering a tunnel one and three-fourths miles in length, bade good-bye to sunny Italy, and prepared ourselves for the first glimpses of Switzer- land. At Chiasso, the first stop in the Swiss frontier, luggage was examined, and then commenced the glorious scenery of the THE SPECULUM. a a Alpine pass. Here the great St. Gothard railway may be said to commence. For several. miles it winds along the broad, beautiful valley of the Ticino, through num- erous-small villages. Soon we reached Lake Lugano, the east shore of which the road followed for several | miles, The day was bright and beautiful, | and the shadows of the mountains were re- flected so distinctly in the clear waters of the | lake, that the reflected images were quite as | WS compressed, and held in immense reser- Crossing the | voirs at the entrances, by pumps driven by charming as the real ones. lake at a narrow point we reached the town of Lugano, superbly situated at the head of the lake, and at the foot of Mount San Sal- vatore. Following on up the valley of the pass we reached the town of Bellinzona, NS remarkably situated on a rocky ridge in the | middle of the valley, between precipitous | mountain ‘sides, Here the ordinary locomo- tive Was exchanged for a more powerful one and by a series of steep grades we slowly be- gan the ascent.” The valley rapidly nar- rows from Bellinzona. Tunnel after tunnel was passed through, and by the time we had reached -Airolo, the southern entrance to the great tunnel, nearly 4,000 feet above the sea, the road had, by a series of loops, crossed itself four times. . At one position we could look up and see two lines of the road above us. Entering: a tunnel we soon emerged. to find ourselves'on the second line, with one line below and one above us. Another tun- nel and we looked down upon the two lines. we had just passed over. A few: miles fur- ther up the gorge the other two. loops were made. We had, in the bewildering dark- ness of the tunnels, made four complete cir- cles. The great tunnel is nine and one-fourth miles long, through the very heart of Mt. St. Gothard, the peaks of which tower 6,500 feet above. It is the longest railway tunnel in the world, being one and one-half miles longer than the Mt. Cenis tunnel. It was ‘formially opened in the spring of 1880,-} having been nine years in course of construc- tion, With its opening was broken down nature’s mighty barrier, which had ever sep- arated central Europe from the sunny land of Italy. It stands a grand monument to the great cngineer, Louis Favre, whose energy and skill led to its successful com- pletion. In constructing the tunnel, work was commenced at each end. The perforators used were driven by compressed air, the ex- haust furnishing good ventilation, The air the water power of mountain torrents. Favre died in the tunnel only a few months before the last thin barrier which separated the nerth from the south was pierced. Geschenen is at the northern entrance to the tunnel, where twenty minutes were given for dinner, after which we began the descent. Near the little town of Wasen the road doubles itself twice, and makes one loop. Here it seemed that we were making no progress, as one little church remained in sight for nearly half 4n hour, below us one moment, behind us the next, then ahead and lastly above us. On downward we rushed, over foaming torrents and across yawning chasms, with the glorious snow-clad Alps around us, above us and below us. One is in a contin- uous state of excitement; windows are all down, regardless of the cold, heads out and eyes drinking in the wondrous beauty of the scenery. A finer day for the trip could not have been chosen, clear and bright, with no clouds to hide the summits of the peaks. We next reached the pretty little village of Fluelen, nestled among the mountains at the head of Lake Lucerne, which is said to be the most beautiful and romantic lake in the world. ‘The water of the lake is very clear, with a peculiar Blue tint, said to be produced by the shadows of the lofty moun- tains which surround 1. We remained over night at Fluelen- that - we might go by boat to Lucerne hext-morn-: ing.. In the late afternoon we walked to THE SPECULUM. 69 the galleries of the Axenstrasse, an artificial road hewn out of the perpéndicular cliffs which bound the lake. The run down the lake the following morning was pleasant, past Tell’s chapel and a monument to the poet Schiller. The day was cloudy and we were disappointed in not seeing the summits of the Rigi and Mt. Pilatus, which stand on opposite sides of the lake, like grim sentinels guarding the approach by water to the great mountain pass. Some Phases of the “Delightful Task.” W. D. GROESBECK, DELTA TAU DELTA FRATERNITY, —= In this fragmentary record of a vacation’s work, with the duties, pleasures and discour- agements it involved, it is far from my -pur- pose to write didactically. Normal schools, teachers’ associations and institutes, volumes on pedagogy, psychology and methods of teaching cover a field in which it is not my design to trespass. Rather let me, if I can, give a glimpse of “School as she is Taught” in the average district of our State. During the last few years the progress in many, in most, such schools has been rapid; but the influence of our parents’ school days is not altogether a thing of the past. Young teacher, wherever you are, rest assured that your efforts to introduce State Nomal plans, © Normal methods and the paraphernalia of the modern school, are freely discussed in all the | homes of the district and are not always overwhelmingly approved. “ But to our tale.”