"That's what I meant--Erie and Ontario; but I was n't thinking what I
said."

This was somewhat of a habit with Oscar. When he "missed" a question,
he was very apt to say, after the next boy had answered it, "I knew,
only I could n't think," or, "I was just going to say so."

Another question put to him was, whether the water of the great New
York lakes was fresh or salt. Oscar replied that it was salt. It is
but justice to add, how ever, that nothing was said in the lesson of
the day, on this point, although the question had occurred in a
previous lesson. Noticing that several of the boys laughed at Oscar's
blunder, the teacher remarked:

"That was a very foolish answer, Oscar, but you are not the first nor
the wisest person that has made the same mistake. When the British
went to war with us, in 1812, it is said that all their war vessels
intended to navigate the lakes, were furnished with tanks and casks for
carrying a full supply of freshwater; and I have been told that an
apparatus is still in existence in one of the Canadian navy yards,
which the English government sent over, some years ago, for distilling
fresh water from Lake Erie. But an American school-boy of your age
ought to know better than this, if an English lord of the admiralty
does not. These great lakes are among the remarkable features of our
own country, and every American child should know something about them.
I should suppose," continued the teacher, "that a boy who could afford
to look steadily at nothing for an hour, might take a little pains to
inform himself about so common a matter as this, so as not to appear so
ridiculous, when a simple question is asked him."