mother. The
second road to larning, young spalpeen, is the ear; and if you mind all
people say, and hear all you can, you'll gain a great many truths and
just ten times as much more in the shape of lies. You see the wheat and
the chaff will come together, and you must pick the latter out of the
former at any seasonable future opportunity. Now we come to the third
road to larning, which is quite a different sort of road; because, you
see, the two first give us little trouble, and we trot along almost
whether we will or not: the third and grand road is the head itself,
which requires the eye and the ear to help it; and two other assistants,
which we call memory and application; so you see we have the visual,
then the aural, and then the mental roads--three hard words which you
don't understand, and which I shan't take the trouble to explain to such
an animal as you are; for I never throw away pearls to swine, as the
saying is. Now, then, Mr Keene, we must come to another part of our
history. As there are three roads to larning, so there are three manes
or implements by which boys are stimulated to larn: the first is the
ruler, which you saw me shy at the thick skull of Johnny Target, and you
see'd what a rap it gave him; well, then, the second is the ferrule--a
thing you never heard of, perhaps; but I'll show it you; here it is,"
continued Mr O'Gallagher, producing a sort of flat wooden ladle with a
hole in the centre of it. "The ruler is for the head, as you have seen;
the ferrule is for the hand. You have seen me use the ruler; now I'll
show you what I do with the ferrule."

"You Tommy Goskin, come here, sir."

Tommy Goskin put down his book, and came up to his master with a good
deal of doubt in his countenance.

"Tommy Goskin, you didn't say your lesson well to-day."

"Yes I did, Mr O'Gallagher," replied Tommy, "you said I did yourself."

"Well then, sir, you didn't say it well yesterday," continued Mr
O'Gallagher.

"Yes I did, sir," replied the boy, whimpering.

"And is it you who dares to contradict me?" cried Mr O'Gallagher; "at
all events, you won't say it well to-morrow, so hold out your right
hand."

Poor Tommy held it out, and roared lustily at the first blow, wringing
his fingers with the smart.

"Now your left hand, sir; fair play is a jewel; always carry the dish
even."

Tommy received a blow on his left hand, which was followed up with
similar demonstrations of suffering.

"There sir