nd, according as there might be power present,
enjoy itself with a tune, a song, a chorus, a recital, an elocutionary
reading, a debate on some question, or a scene from a play. Presuming
that the house is under the care of an honest, well-meaning person,
there could be little fear of impropriety of any kind as resulting
from such amusements. The amateur spirit guarantees plenty of such
volunteer effort. Let it simply be understood, as in ordinary society,
that each should do his best to promote the hilarity of the evening.
If a single room succeeded, let two be tried--one for conversation
alone, or for such games as cards and draughts (under strict
regulation, to prevent any beyond nominal stakes); while the other
served for music, and other entertainments not inferring silence. In
the long-run, there might be further additions, allowing rooms for
mutual instruction in various arts and accomplishments, sheds and
courts for out-of-doors amusements, and so on.

If such establishments were ever to reach a public character, under
what regulation should they be placed? We have no suggestion to make;
but we embrace and maintain the principle, that the more they were
understood to be under the protection of the public opinion of the
class for whose benefit they are designed, the better. The patronising
puritanism of another class would ruin everything. Let the other
classes, if called on to assist, agree to view all that went on with a
certain liberality of judgment, remembering that, although there may
be some little possibilities of abuse, the whole project is, after
all, an alternative from something infinitely worse; and in a fair
course, improvement is to be expected. It is one unfortunate
necessity of the case, that a very small abuse in a system under a
responsible administration, makes a great scandal against the
administration itself; the public not reflecting, that that
administration may be all the time tending to the repression, not the
promotion of such abuses: hence the difficulty of getting responsible
administrations in such cases at all. These, however, are difficulties
to be struggled with, not given way to.

FOOTNOTES:

[3] The facts here adduced are from a recent contribution of Dr J. W.
Hudson to the _Manchester Examiner_.

CORINNA AT THE CAPITOL.

BY MARIE J. EWEN.

There were footsteps on the Corso in the morning twilight gray,
And gatherings in the Forum ere the rosy blush of