FACTS AND FANCIES. A PLANTATION PREACHER.-The following is a story told by the Bishop of Tennessee at the recent Church congress, as showing the education of a plantation preacher. He said: I was visiting a plantation, and the bell was rung, and the negroes, numbering some five hundred, gathered in the parlors and piazzas of the house, belonging, unfortunately for himself, to a bachelor. After reading a chapter to them I preached, and said that I would hold a service the next day to baptize such as should be presented. I baptized between seventy and eighty, and, after a service, I fell into conversation with "Uncle Tony," a plantation preacher. I asked him about various Christian doctrines, and finally said: "And what about the resurrection?" With a very solemn face he replied, "You see, master, intment is intment." "Yes." "Well, you see dere is a speritual body, and dis body made out of dus'." "Yes." "Well, you see, when de Angel Gabriel comes down from heaben, and goin' up and down de riber Jordan, a blowin' of his trumpet, and the birds of heaben singin', and de bells of heaben ringin', and the milk and de honey rainin' down on all the hills of heaben, he will bring de speritual body wid him down from heaben, and take dis here body out of de dus', and take the intment and rub it on, den stick togedder-and dar dey is." KIND INQUIRIES.-Cousin Kate was a sweet, wide-awake beauty of about seventeen, and she took it into her head to go down on Long Island to see some relations of hers who had the misfortune to live there. Among those relations there chanced to be a young swain who had seen Kate on a previous occasion, and seeing, fell deeply in love with her. He called at the house on the evening of her arrival, and she met him on the piazza, where she was enjoying the evening air in company with two or three of her friends. The poor fellow was so bashful that he could not find his tongue for some time. At length he stammered out: "How's your mother?" 86 Quite well, thank you." Another silence on the part of Josh, during which Kate and her friends did the best they could to relieve the monotony. After waiting about fifteen minutes for him to commence to make himself agreeable, he again broke the spell by, "How's your father?" which was answered much after the same manner as the first one, and then followed another silence like the other. "How's your father and mother?" again put in the bashful lover. "Quite well, both of them." This was followed by an exchange of glances and a suppressed smile. This lasted some ten minutes more, during which Josh was fidgeting in his seat and stroking his Sunday hat. But at length another question came: "How's your parents?" DETERMINED TO BE REVENGED. - An old lady, a professor of the washerwoman's art, had managed to scrape together sufficient means to build a small house and barn in the country. One afternoon, soon after she was comfortably established in her new home, a black cloud was seen in the west, and before many minutes a tornado swept through her small property, scattering the timbers of her little barn in every direction. Coming out of her kitchen, and seeing the devastation the storm had made, the old lady at first could not find words to express her indignation; but at last she exclaimed: "Well, here's a pretty business! No matter, though. I'll pay you for this. I'll wash on Sunday!" A police officer receives the snow-ball intended for another. Picturesque attitudes of the boys. Mr. Slow is caught between two fires, and wonders where the policeman is. It blended with devotion's strain, It thrilled in pleasure's brimming cup. 'Twas seen in social converse sweet, The same old lesson all have conned, We yield ourselves unto its power, And prize the meaning it imparts, And cheer our inmost heart of hearts. Guess ye the lesson, first and best, We bring our offering to his shrine; EDUCATION IN RUSSIA. The harmony existing betwixt Russia and our own country, and the exceedingly pleasant relations that have been formed and are continually forming between two powers so essentially dissimilar, render interesting all matters relating to the great empire which boasts an existence of more than a thousand years, and therefore we publish a few pages regarding their system of education and their military schools which we are enabled to illustrate. Though Russia still ranks among the more imperfectly educated countries of Europe, the government has long taken a distinguished lead in the cause of education, and promulgated a complete national system, which, though not yet carried into full effect, has made and continues to make great and rapid progress. The basis of this system was laid by Peter the Great and promoted by Catherine II., but it is indebted for its fuller developments to Alexander and Nicholas-to which the present emperor has greatly contributed. It divides the whole country into university districts, in each of which a university fully equipped either has been or is intended to be erected. Each district extends over several governments, all the public schools in which, consisting of a regular gradation of gymnasia, district and parish schools, are under the superintendence of the university. Other important schools, not subject to the same superintendence, are classed under the heads of military, ecclesiastical and special. To give unity and vigor to the whole system, a general ministry of public instruction has been appointed, and now forms one of the great departments of the state. the Magazine, it is the aim of the Russians on acquiring new territory to advance education among the people, and though as yet, from some defect in the system, or other cause, results are not shown equal to those of our own land, yet the foundation is laid for a nation great in intellect as in resources of power and wealth. Public instruction took rank in Russia as far back as the sixteenth century, in the reign of Boris Godoonoff, who, though an usurper and a tyrant, established schools that were pioneers to the present system of instruction. His successors in power have done much for the schools. They are very numerous-embracing all departments of life-and yet a very small proportion of the people experience benefit from them. The military, classical and scientific schools have received the attention of all the emperors of Russia, since Godoonoff, Peter the Great making these an especial object, as did his successor, Catherine II., who, though a bad woman, was an excellent ruler. Nicholas had a living idea of the benefit of public instruction, and under his care the schools grew and flourished, leaving to the present emperor, Alexander, whose portrait we place on the next page, a trust which he has well observed. With these schools, railroads have sprung up and civilization has extended. The Russian ferocity has tamed before intelligent influences, and the court of St. Petersburg is as brilliant, and its society as refined, as those of the most fashionable capitals of Europe. In ship-building, manufactures, commerce, the arts and sciences, agriculture, there is wonderful progression, stimulated by the attention As we have shown on several occasions in paid to the schools wherein these branches of |