“......moral and religious condition most encouraging, which they cannot
but attribute to the personal efforts and instruction of the faithful
Principal, who considers religious instruction a solemn duty which he
cannot commit to other people.

“......great progress in their studies, under the intelligent
superintendence of the accomplished Principal, assisted by Mr. Badger,
[Mr. Langdon’s predecessor,] Miss Darley, the lady who superintends the
English branches, Miss Crabs, her assistant and teacher of Modern
Languages, and Mr. Schneider, teacher of French, German, Latin, and
Music....

“Education is the great business of the Institute.  Amusements are objects of a secondary nature; but these are by no means neglected....

“......English compositions of great originality and beauty, creditable
alike to the head and heart of their accomplished authors.... several
poems of a very high order of merit, which would do honor to the
literature of any age or country.... life-like drawings, showing great
proficiency....   Many converse fluently in various modern languages....
perform the most difficult airs with the skill of professional
musicians....

“......advantages unsurpassed, if equalled by those of any Institution in
the country, and reflecting the highest honor on the distinguished Head
of the Establishment, Silas Peckham, Esquire, and his admirable Lady, the
matron, with their worthy assistants....”

The perusal of this Report did Mr. Bernard more good than a week’s vacation would have done:  It gave him such a laugh as he had not had for a month.  The way in which Silas Peckham had made his Committee say what he wanted them to—­for he recognized a number of expressions in the Report as coming directly from the lips of his principal, and could not help thinking how cleverly he had forced his phrases, as jugglers do the particular card they wish their dupe to take—­struck him as particularly neat and pleasing.

He had passed through the sympathetic and emotional stages in his new experience, and had arrived at the philosophical and practical state, which takes things coolly, and goes to work to set them right.  He had breadth enough of view to see that there was nothing so very exceptional in this educational trader’s dealings with his subordinates, but he had also manly feeling enough to attack the particular individual instance of wrong before him.  There are plenty of dealer’s in morals, as in ordinary traffic, who confine themselves to wholesale business.  They leave the small necessity of their next-door neighbor to the retailers, who are poorer in statistics and general facts, but richer in the every-day charities.  Mr. Bernard felt, at first, as one does who sees a gray rat steal out of a drain and begin gnawing at the bark of some tree loaded with fruit or blossoms, which he will soon girdle, if he is let alone.  The first impulse is to murder him with the nearest ragged stone.  Then one remembers that he is a rodent, acting after the law of his kind, and cools down and is contented to drive him off and guard the tree against his teeth for the future.  As soon as this is done, one can watch his attempts at mischief with a certain amusement.