THE

YOUTHS' MAGAZINE;

OR,

EVANGELICAL MISCELLANY.

MARCH, 1849.

FELLENBERG'S SCHOOL COLONY.

The School Colony, a view of which forms the subject of our engraving, is situated at Meykirch, near Hofwyl in Switzerland. It was founded in 1827, by De Fellenberg, and opened with six pupils. When visited by Mr. Woodbridge in 1829, the house, erected in great measure by the boys, was completed, and the colony was in a prosperous state. The boys who formed it, "were detached from the school of Hofwyl, and established like Robinson Crusoe on his island, on the side of a mountain favorably exposed, but poorly cultivated. Hofwyl serves in place of the ship of Robinson, in furnishing them supplies, until they are able to provide for their own wants." The tillage of their ground, with their washing, cooking, sewing, and weaving, occupied their laboring hours, and four hours daily, on the average, were devoted to instruction. Their food consisted of potatoes, carrots, clotted or curdled milk, and soup made of butter or pork. They attended public worship in a village at the foot of the mountain, and occasionally at Hofwyl. About fifteen acres of land were appropriated to the colony, and this was deemed sufficient, with various branches of industry, for the support of thirty pupils. Mr. Woodbridge (to whom we are indebted for

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this account,) adds, "it was delightful to see in the midst of their solitude and comparative privation, the cheerfulness and activity which pervaded the whole mass of the pupils, as well as the spirit of fraternal kindness which seemed to reign towards each other, and towards their leader."-Dunn's Principles of Teaching.

TRUE COURAGE.*

Ir is trusted that the narrator, in the following description of True Courage, is not about to hold out an example of that forwardness, which is now too much encouraged in young people, for the imitation of the youthful reader. If the courage, which is described in the following pages, had nothing else to depend upon but natural fearlessness, it might, indeed, have been made to serve an especial purpose, but would as certainly fail on some other trial, and under some other form of things, as every other mere natural power is sure to do.

But to proceed with our narrative. It was not likely, neither did it so prove to be, that the false, and really guilty shame of Blanche Selwyn should grow weaker from indulgence, the only effect which her consciousness of it produced, was to depress her spirits, and cause her to appear so tame and heartless, that Mrs. Martha Pennefeather's remark upon her, when speaking of her to Mr. Norman, was that "Miss Selwyn was, to be sure, a pretty sort of young lady, but one of small mind; a very poor companion at best." To this estimate, Mrs. Norman assented with a remark that nothing much better could be expected from a dull home-education.

On the day appointed, at the end of the second month, Mr. Selwyn came over to his sisters, bringing Constance with him, for the purpose of taking Blanche home. He slept one night on the road, and thus contrived to be so early at his sister's the next day, as to be enabled to get back with Blanche to this same sleeping place the night following. In consequence of this arrangement, there was scarcely any time for private communication between the sisters, neither, indeed, was Blanche

forward to make use of such little time as she had to open out her own failures to Constance; nor was it before almost the last moment, whilst her father was taking leave of her aunt, that she even touched upon the subject. She then whispered, “I have not been able to do any thing here,—even could I have got to my aunt's ear, that tiresome woman, Mrs. Pennefeather, who is at this moment putting in her word between papa and his sister, was always in the way." Before Constance could make any remark on this communication, Mr. Selwyn was on the move, and the separation immediately ensued.

Mrs. Norman was never deficient in hospitable and lady-like kindness, and in all matters of this kind, she made Constance truly easy; and Mrs. Martha, who all but lived in the house, was by no means deficient in her attentions. Constance was not called upon to come at all forward during the remainder of the day after she had answered some few questions of her aunt, respecting the procedures of the family at home, but she had full leisure during the interval to observe, that all the influence of Mrs. Martha tended to promote the most trifling subjects of discourse; such, indeed, as for their excessive frivolity, she could not imagine how elderly persons, with the end of life almost staring in their faces could, for a moment, be interested in. She had seen very, very little of the world at large, or she would have been spared this wonder.

Observing what was done after tea, she perceived that one of the elders took up some knitting, and the other, some tatting, whereupon she went to her room and brought back her Bible, and a new and very interesting volume of travels in the east, which described Petrea and Babylon, and other places now lying in ruins, as if they were left as standing witnesses of the truth of prophecy.

Whether any little feelings of hesitation or false shame did, or did not assail her, whilst going to and coming from her room on this occasion, does by no means appear, though it was well known at home, that in most instances of common occurrence, Constance was more retired and diffident than Blanche. But, be this as it might, she had no sooner seated herself at the table, than she shewed the books she had brought with her, and asked to be permitted to read aloud.

Mrs. Norman made no reply: she was probably not prepared with one which should not compromise her politeness, but Mrs. Martha answered, "Well, that is very obliging of you, Miss Constance; what is your book, my dear?”

"This first," returned Constance, taking up the Bible, "we always begin our evening-readings at home with. It is papa's plan, and I am sure you will not object to so good a plan ?”

This was the moment of trial for Constance. False Shame was then busy at her mind's ear. "They don't like it," it whispered, "they are exchanging looks covertly at each other. Mrs. Norman's shuttle is quite still-she has made a false loop; Mrs. Martha's lips move, she will say something presently. You are going on too fast; you will disgust them; they are many years older than you are. You will injure your cause by seeming thus to dictate to them."

Had Constance been left by the highest power which was prompting her, to have listened for one instant to these suggestions of false shame, she would have been lost as poor Blanche had been. But, in the spirit of Him who cried, "Get thee hence, Satan!" she said, "Shall we choose St. John's gospel ?"—and without delay, began to read these solemn words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God."

Nor, had she depended on a broken reed; it is an impious spirit, indeed, which would dare to say, "Do not read the Bible to me." That divine book comes with an authority, and in this case it had sufficient power to awe the old ladies into nonresistance. They were not infidels in the worst sense-they had their own self-esteem to preserve; and they even stood in awe of the young girl before them.

Constance ventured on two chapters, being anxious to come to the declaration of John the Baptist, who looking on Jesus as he walked said, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world!" Then changing her book, she handed some of the elegant views of the ancient ruins represented in it, round the table for the inspection of the elders, and was actually invited by Mrs. Norman to read what referred to these engravings, the tone of the old lady failing not, however, to indicate her opinion that this was the book which her niece ought to have commenced with.