Come all, and let’s be gay—
There’s nothing more to pay
For being bright than sad;
Cheer up, then, lass and lad!
I’m twelve! I’m twelve to-day!
An Exercise for Scholars.
In England, young candidates for appointment in the civil service are subjected to rigid examinations, designed to test their abilities and acquirements. The following extract, which we have somewhat abridged, shows one of the methods adopted for securing this end. It is said to be a literal copy of a document which a young applicant for a government clerkship was required to correct while undergoing his examination. We wonder how many of our young readers could put it into proper shape without consulting the dictionary.—Ed.
“Character of Washington.—At the braking out of the revolushonery war in Amerrica, Washinton joined the caus of indipendance. To detale his conduct in the yeares which followed would be butt to relaite the hystery of the American War. It may be said generaly that wethin a verry short peeriod after the declarashion of indipendance the affairs of Amerrica were in a condishun so desparate, that perhapps nothing but the piculear caractar of Washinton’s genious could have retreaved them. It required the consumate prudance, the calm whisdom, the inflexable firmness, the modarate and well-balenced temper of Washinton to imbrace such a plann of pollicy and to pursivere in it: to resist the tempations of entreprize to fix the confidance of his solders without the attraction of victery: to support the spirrit of the armey and the peopel ammidst those sloe and caushious planns of difensive warfare wich are more despereting than defeate itself: to restrain his owne hambition and the empettuosity of his troupes: to indure temparary hobscurety for the sallvation of his contry and for the attanement of solled and imortal glory: and to suffer even temparary reproach and oblaquy, supported by the haprobation of his own consience, and the applaus of that small number of wise men whose praise is an earnest of the hadmeration and grattitoode of possterity. Corage is enspired by succes, and it may be stimulated to dasperate exirtion even by callamity, but is generally pallseyed by inactivity. A sestem of caushous defence is the severest tryal of human fortitoode and by this teste the firmness of Washington was tryde.”