The Boys' School.—Middle-Class Education.

quite evident to them . An examination once a year is utterly worthless for all practical purposes ; in fact , to conduct effectually this part of school management , there must be a combination of inspection and examination ; there must be also constantly and frequently recurring examinations . The university middle-class examinations should be

attended , but , as at them , every boy could not possibly be presented , the College of Preceptors should be desired to undertake the examination of the whole body of pupils , whilst a monthly set of papers of questions in the work accomplished during each preceding monthmight be distributed amongst the

, classes by the Secretary , and the answers being collected ancl forwarded to the brother examiner Avho had prepared the questions , they would be adjudicated upon by him . And surely there are brethren whose ability and willingness to undertake this from time to time would be equal to the demand .

Thus far had I written AVhen the Magazine brought me the report of the Boys' School Festival , ancl the intimation that it has been " determined for the future to submit a certain number of boys annually to the test of the Oxford local middle-class examinations" & e .

, The reason given for so determining is , so far as it goes , excellent and true ; but these Oxford local middle-class examinations are not the perfection of the examination principle . They cannot do more than they attempt , and their attempts are very limited .

In effect the university says to the schoolmaster , " You pick your boys , of whom , of course , you will be beforehand tolerably sure , and we will examine them . "

This is rather a test of the schoolmaster than the school—of what , under certain circumstances , he can do , than of what he ordinarily and , the Avhole school considered , actually does ¦ and the truth is that these examinations are supplementary to full and thorough inspection and examination of the whole school . They are the " class " to a " pass" the " honours " to

, a " poll . " I may be considered prejudiced or incapable of judgment . Be it so . I will not urge , then , what I may think . I will appeal to a recognised authority . Matthew Arnold is , without doubt , capable of forming a good opinion upon a subject in . which he is so thoroughlat homeand to his

y ; article in Macmillan , "A French Eton , " part ii ., I would refer those of your readers Avho are interested also in the welfare and the fame of our Boys ' School . And now , unless replies to my letters call upon me again to take up my pen , or you express a Avish

that I , when occasion serves , should remark upon , those current educational topics which may bear upon the progress of our OAVU Institution , I shall no further intrude upon your space and the patience of your subscribers . I had intended a note or two upon the Girls' School , but I shall hold my peace and bide

my time ; let it suffice if I haA'e interested one member of the Craft where he felt little interestbefore perhaps , and for the future "Fioreat latomorum schola . " Yours fraternally , AV . N . KTAX .

Bye Laws. Bye-Laws. By-Laws.

BYE LAWS . BYE-LAWS . BY-LAWS .

10 THE EDITOK OF THE FUEEJIASONs' 3 I 1 GAZINE AND 1 USOSIC ISHtltOB , DEAE SIE AN-D BEOTHEE , —The following extracts relate to the word " By-laAVS : " — Penny Cyclopaedia , article " Boroughs of England and Wales . " — "The sole legislative assembly in every municipal town or borough was originally the Saxon

folh-mote , or meeting of tbe whole community , called in many places the hundred , and were held within doors , the Ims-iing or the common hall . This assembly was held for mutual advice and general determination on the affairs of the community , whether in the enacting of local regulations called burgh-laws

( by contraction by-laws , since ofteu corrupted into lye-laws ) , the levying of local taxes , the selling or leasing of public property , the administration of justice , the appointment of municipal officers , or any other matter affecting the general interests . " Johnson ' s Dictionary 4 to edition 1832 . — "BY

, , , in composition , implies something out of the direct Avay , and , consequently , some obscurity , as a by-road ; something irregular , as a by-end ; or something collateral , as a by-concernment ; or private , as a by-law . This composition is used at pleasure , and will be understood by the examples following . "

"BY-LA . W . —By-laivs are orders made in court-leets , or court-barons , by common assent , for the good of those that make them , farther than the publick law binds . " - —Cornell . " There Avas also a law to restrain the by-law and ordinances of corporations . " —Bacon .

"Iu the begiuning of this record is inserted the laAV or institution ; to which are added two by-laws , as a comment upon the general law . "—Addison . Yours fraternally , Jons- SYaiosDa .

The Ocean Yacht Race Across The Atlantic.

THE OCEAN YACHT RACE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC .

OUR BRETHREN AVHO PERISHED . It will be fresh in tho recollection of our readers that four unfortunate men ivere Avusliecl overboard and drowned from tho Vleeltoing yacht during its race across the Atlantic , in competition with tiie Henrietta ancl Vesta . Of those four who thus perished two of them , viz ., David J . Wood and Charles 31 . Hazeltou , were members of our Craft , and belonged to the

Huguenot Lodge , So . 3 S 1 , of Staten Island , and their untimely fate must bring a pang of regret in the heart of every member of our Order . The following lines have been written upon the melancholy event -. — Strong blew the gale o ' er the mariners' graves , So time for a funeral rite to be read ; AVhile every breath ou the dark blue waves

Hissed loudly , to hallow the friendless dead . And heavily heaved on the gloomy sea The yacht that sheltered each homeless one , — As though the funeral hour should be When the waves were rough , and the storm not gonet . And there each lay , in his coarse , cold shroud , —

And strangers were round the coffiuless ; Though no kinsmen were seen among the crowd , There were eyes to Aveep , and lips to bless . So sound from the church ' s passing bell Was echoed along the pathless deep , The hearts that Avere far away to tell Where tbe mariners lay , in their lasting sleep . —New York Courier *