will be of any use
in the cricket-field or the row-boat; and this will hold its own here as
well as elsewhere.

Once, then, establish a community of interest on any one subject with
young men, and you open to yourself a door, by which all good may enter.
Nature, dear friends, makes nothing in vain, and it is of such infinite
importance that strength of limb, readiness of eye and hand, physical
vigor in short, should be transmitted from generation to generation,
that she keeps producing fast young men, in spite of the thousand
excesses which they commit, and will do so, until the ablest and wisest
human minds take the matter in hand, and see to it that this part of
Human Nature has its proper and legitimate food, guided by mind,
thought, and reverence, instead of being allowed to run riot in all
manner of wantonness.

The sporting world, then, with its manly games and manly sports, gives
us the means which are needed by the community at large for physical
education; and the future educators of the country must be taught to
love these manly games at school and at college, and then they will be
able to disseminate them; whereas, at present, educators in this country
are almost entirely ignorant of any manly games whatever. "But are not
these games very dangerous," asks a careful mamma; "don't you find that
boys get hurt very much by them? I have heard of some one who got his
teeth knocked down his throat by them. Somebody else got his head hurt
at shinney and so that was put a stop to, I believe, at Mr.----'s
school." Such mammas, doubtless, put into the hands of their children
some good little book, with a narration of this sort. Little Johnny was
told by his mamma not to climb trees. He was a good boy, and generally
obedient. But one day he was in the garden of one of his schoolfellows,
who asked him to climb a cherry tree; he forgot his mother's command,
and went up, but after he had climbed nearly to the top his foot
slipped, and down he tumbled through the branches on to the ground. He
cried very much, and could not move, so they had to put him upon a
shutter and carry him home. The doctor found that his leg was broken;
the pain was dreadful when he had it set, &c. &c.; the drama ending by
Johnny throwing his arms round his mother's neck, and declaring that if
he ever got well, he would never disobey his dear, dear mother any more!

The good people who write these edifying stories never seem to think
whether it was