The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue…
"The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue…" by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge is a popular educational periodical written in the early 19th century. It presents a wide-ranging miscellany designed to spread practical and improving information—natural history, geography, industry and commerce, agriculture, biography, moral essays, and household guidance—to a general readership. This issue opens with a striking description of the Natural Bridge of
Virginia and related rock bridges in South America, then turns to clear, data-rich “Statistical Notes” on English and Welsh agriculture, covering corn-laws, price fluctuations, enclosures, farm sizes and leases, costs of cultivation, livestock and wool, and the scope for improvement. A witty anecdote about a Parisian shoeblack’s enterprising poodle lightens the tone before a substantial feature on mahogany traces the wood’s rise in British homes and details the arduous Honduran cycle of felling, road-cutting, trucking by oxen, river-floating, rafting, and export. Short essays define education in its professional, civic, and religious dimensions; argue that diligence outworks mere talent; and show how to learn geography by reading landforms first, since hills shape rivers, towns, minerals, and livelihoods. A weekly column sketches John Wesley’s tireless life and notes the year’s longest day with moral reflections in verse, while practical pieces advise on June bulb care and defend “a little learning” as a public good. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
