good place. Immediately the school seemed transformed into a dressmaker's work-room, and continued so until a sufficient quantity of clothes had, by some means, been found or made. If a poor family were in distress, and in want of food, things went on in much the same manner. Each scholar would take something from the provisions she had brought with her, until a sufficient, if somewhat heterogeneous, meal was provided for the unfortunate people. Such is the education which Pauline Copain gives to the children intrusted to her care. It needs no comment: nor can we better conclude these remarks than by giving the words of an inhabitant of the village, and which convey all that can be told on this subject: "A hundred times have I witnessed those occurrences-admirable lessons of benevolence, and far more capable of forming the heart of youth than all the exhortations in the world." Facts like these might well draw the attention of those to whom they were submitted; and in the year 1845 the Academy, after bestowing high praise on the noble character and conduct of Pauline Copain, unanimously voted her a prize of a thousand francs (£40). were JEAN VIGIER. A POOR widow named Vigier, who resided in Aurillac, a small town in Normandy, had four sons, whom she with great difficulty succeeded in bringing up honestly. The three eldest apprenticed to different trades; but Jean [or John], the youngest, who was then nine years of age, being both quick and intelligent, was, owing to the protection and friendship of the parish priest, and of the prefect of the department, brought up and educated in a college of the neighbouring town. It may easily be supposed that this favour had not been lightly extended to Jean. Indeed the goodness of his heart, his docility, and, above all, his strong attachment to his mother, had long endeared him to every one, and had contributed, perhaps more than even his intelligence, to procure for him this valuable privilege. In the college where, through the kindness of his friends, he had been placed, Jean Vigier not only ardently prosecuted his studies, but he also distinguished himself among his schoolfellows by constant good nature, yet which, even then, was marked by a firmness and decision strange in one of his years. In the meantime, Madame Vigier, after having been in decent and comfortable, if not affluent, circumstances for many years, now began to experience sudden reverses, and soon fell into the deepest misery. The efforts of her friends to rescue her from this unhappy position were unavailing; and as her three eldest sons, although they were even then each earning his livelihood, stated that they could not assist her, it was at length resolved to place that a portion of the subjects of a kingdom, however peaceable and useful, should be allowed to remain undisturbed in the exercise of a religion different from that of the majority. Accordingly, within ten years of the conquest of Granada, the system of forced conversions was employed. Thousands of Moors and Jews, to save their lives, allowed themselves to be baptised; and thousands more left the peninsula for Africa and the East. In the reigns of the successors of Ferdinand and Isabella, the same policy was continued. The bigoted Philip II. especially distinguished himself by his persecuting zeal against the Moors; insomuch that, during his reign, Granada was often in a state of revolt. To crush the Moorish spirit more effectually, and secure their conversion to Christianity, Philip removed them from their original seats on the sea-coast, and distributed them through the interior of Spain. Crushed and conquered as they had been. these sons of Arabia still retained much of their ancient superiority of temperament; and wherever they went, it was remarked that they monopolised all places of wealth and commercial consequence, so that a Moor thrived where a Spaniard would have starved. This, co-operating with the hereditary dislike which no intermixture or studied conformity on the part of the Moors could extinguish-at last determined the Spanish government to adopt the atrocious policy of expelling the Moors from Spain. The expulsion was finally carried into effect in the reign of Philip III., at the beginning of the seventeenth century. By a decree of that monarch, upwards of one million of his most industrious subjects were expelled from the kingdom in the course of a few months, because they were of Moorish blood. It is calculated that two millions had, in the course of the previous century, voluntarily left Spain. By the edict of Philip III., six Moorish families out of every hundred were to be allowed, or rather forced, to remain for a time in Spain, to teach the Spaniards certain arts and manufactures for which the Moors were celebrated. This was a miserable device to save the country from the effects of the expulsion of her best subjects; and proved so; for the decline of Spain, as a commercial country, dates from this disastrous event. The fate of the poor outcasts themselves we need not trace. Such of them as survived the suffering which attended the act of their expulsion, took root in othe countries, principally Mohammedan, and there lived in peace. Thus, after nine centuries, during which they performed successively the parts of invaders, conquerors, rulers, joint occu pants, and subjects, were the Arabs expelled from Spain. Besides their imperishable contributions to the civilisation of Europe. there are numerous local traces of their residence in the Spanish peninsula. The anniversary of the surrender of Granada to the arms of Ferdinand and Isabella, is still celebrated by festivities rejoicings, and grotesque processions in all the towns and n lages of the south of Spain. ANTOINE DE MONTYON, whose life affords one of the most brilliant examples of practical and judicious benevolence, was born at Paris on the 23d of December 1733. His father, a respectable accountant, bred up his son to the profession of the law; and such was the early proficiency of young Montyon in his studies, that, when only twenty-two years of age, he was admitted an advocate at the Châtelet-a court of civil and criminal jurisprudence in the French capital. Here he distinguished himself by his talents, and, when still in middle life, he was raised to the dignity of counsellor of state, and was also appointed to the government of Auvergne, a central province in France, where he speedily obtained the love, respect, and gratitude of the inhabitants, not only by his great integrity and justice, but his benevolence on many occasions of suffering. To make room for some ministerial favourites of the day, he was first shifted from the government of Auvergne to that of Marseilles, from Marseilles afterwards to Rochelle, and finally he lost his situations altogether. By the accession of Louis XVI., and a change from the dissolute state of affairs which had previously prevailed at court, Montyon again came into favourable notice, and was appointed chancellor of the royal household. Previous to his receiving this situation, and also when he enjoyed it, he occupied himself in devising and executing useful foundations; but this career of benevolence was brought to a close by the Revolution, an event which caused him to remove first to Switzerland, and afterwards to England, to which every person who wishes to open a school, they cannot be of so low an order as might, from her humble position, be at first supposed. Two diplomas, and often three, are necessary to open an establishment for girls, whether it be of the most fashionable class, or of the humblest description. These diplomas are granted to the candidates if they succeed in passing their examination, and in properly answering the questions which are put to them. For the first examination they are required to know and thoroughly understand reading, writing, grammar,_arithmetic, sacred and ecclesiastical history; for the second, French history, geography, and natural philosophy, cosmography, and the principles of music, are necessary. It is needless to dwell on the excellent results of such a system, which almost precludes the possibility of there being such a thing as an ignorant schoolmistress in France-an occurrence which must have happened but too frequently were things arranged otherwise. Whatever the natural talents of Pauline may be, it can be thought from this that her acquirements must certainly place her far above the position she now occupies. In one sense this is true: but Pauline has shown, by her example, that usefulness everywhere finds its sphere, however low or limited that may appear to be. The children she has to instruct belong for the most part to poor parents, who consider much knowledge as a superfluous commodity, and are far more anxious to see their offspring comfortably settled in life than properly brought up. This is a great inconvenience, which Pauline's utmost tact has too often failed to obviate; nor has she had less difficulty in persuading them that education, far from obstructing the accomplishment of the duties of life, is much more likely to facilitate them; but to this objection her own example was assuredly the best reply that could be given. Not only is Pauline unwearied in her endeavours to instruct and improve those scholars whose parents remune rate her for her trouble, but she has in many instances shown the value she sets on instruction, by gratuitously educating those poor children whose relatives cannot afford the expense of sending them to school; others who, after paying for some time, were no longer able to do so, she has continued to attend to as though no change had taken place. The education she gives her pupils is, upon the whole, more practical than theoretical. In her humble school no accomplishments are taught or learned; for the knowledge she imparts is of the simplest kind, though clearly explained. But praiseworthy as are her efforts in this line, the best, the noblest lessons which Pauline Copain gives to her scholars, are those of universal benevolence-inculcated not by dry and unprofitable maxims, but by her own daily example. Nor is she satisfied with this indirect mode of teaching. She has given proofs of the contrary, by often appealing to the generosity of her pupils in favour of some poor destitute creature, who only wanted decent clothing to be able to earn her livelihood by entering a good place. Immediately the school seemed transformed into a dressmaker's work-room, and continued so until a sufficient quantity of clothes had, by some means, been found or made. If a poor family were in distress, and in want of food, things went on in much the same manner. Each scholar would take something from the provisions she had brought with her, until a sufficient, if somewhat heterogeneous, meal was provided for the unfortunate people. Such is the education which Pauline Copain gives to the children intrusted to her care. It needs no comment: nor can we better conclude these remarks than by giving the words of an inhabitant of the village, and which convey all that can be told on this subject: "A hundred times have I witnessed those occurrences-admirable lessons of benevolence, and far more capable of forming the heart of youth than all the exhortations in the world." Facts like these might well draw the attention of those to whom they were submitted; and in the year 1845 the Academy, after bestowing high praise on the noble character and conduct of Pauline Copain, unanimously voted her a prize of a thousand francs (£40). JEAN VIGIER. A POOR widow named Vigier, who resided in Aurillac, a small town in Normandy, had four sons, whom she with great difficulty succeeded in bringing up honestly. The three eldest were apprenticed to different trades; but Jean [or John], the youngest, who was then nine years of age, being both quick and intelligent, was, owing to the protection and friendship of the parish priest, and of the prefect of the department, brought up and educated in a college of the neighbouring town. It may easily be supposed that this favour had not been lightly extended to Jean. Indeed the goodness of his heart, his docility, and, above all, his strong attachment to his mother, had long endeared him to every one, and had contributed, perhaps more than even his intelligence, to procure for him this valuable privilege. In the college where, through the kindness of his friends, he had been placed, Jean Vigier not only ardently prosecuted his studies, but he also distinguished himself among his schoolfellows by constant good nature, yet which, even then, was marked by a firmness and decision strange in one of his years. In the meantime, Madame Vigier, after having been in decent and comfortable, if not affluent, circumstances for many years, now began to experience sudden reverses, and soon fell into the deepest misery. The efforts of her friends to rescue her from this unhappy position were unavailing; and as her three eldest sons, although they were even then each earning his livelihood, stated that they could not assist her, it was at length resolved to place |