THE NEW LEARNING.

Mr. STUART RENDEL, having stated at Llanfair-Caerecinion that "a day
with Mr. GLADSTONE was a whole liberal education," the London School
Board has at last decided to alter the present system completely.
After many days' deliberation, it has been arranged to hire the Albert
Palace and Mr. GLADSTONE for a week. It is estimated that during six
days, all the children now in the London schools can, in detachments,
be squeezed into the building and spend a day there with the Right
Honourable Gentleman. Seats will be provided on the platform for the
Members of the Board, as this instruction would be a great benefit to
many of them. At the end of the six days the present work of the Board
will be finished, and it will adjourn for ten years, when another
week in the society of the Grand Old Educator will again suffice for
the needs of the rising generation. The numerous Board Schools will
therefore become useless, but it is not proposed to demolish them,
as experience has shown that they are sure to fall down of their
own accord before long. The sumptuous offices of the Board will be
converted into a Home for Destitute Schoolmasters.

We have reason to believe that Mr. GLADSTONE, after fulfilling his
engagement at the Albert Palace, will make a tour in the provinces,
and later on will have classes for journalists and other literary men,
whose style, in many cases, would be vastly improved by two minutes,
or even less, in the same room with him.

* * * * *

THE HAUNTED HOUSE.

A DIRGE.

(_ADAPTED FROM THOMAS HOOD._)

"A jolly place," said he, "in times of old.
But something ails it now: the place is curst."

"_Hart-Leap Well," by Wordsworth._

I.

A residence for Tory, Whig or Rad,
Where yet none had abiding habitation;
A House--but darkened by the influence sad
Of slow disintegration.
O'er all there hung a shadow and a fear,
A sense of mystery the spirit daunted,
And said as plain as whisper in the ear,
The place is Haunted!

There speech grew wild and rankly as the weed,
GRAHAM with TANNER waged competitive trials,
And vulgar bores of Billingsgatish breed
Voided spleen's venomed vials.
But gay or gloomy, fluent or infirm,
None heeded their dull drawls, of hours' duration.
The House was clearly in for a long term
Of desolate stagnation.
The SPEAKER yawned upon his Chair, he found
It tiring work, a placid b