Glass Ij /^ Book-^ /t ^^ Vol, 1. JVo. 1, / $1.50 a year. 1 MARYLAND alT( SCHOOL r)E"VOTEX) TO POPULAR INSTRUCTION AND LITERATURE. j ►• THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND OF THE COMMISSIONERS' ASSOCIATION. 3iA"ir, iser. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: Rev. L. VanBokkelen, LL. D., State Superintendent. Rev. Jno. N. McJilton, A.M., City Superintendent. Dr. Samuel A. Harbison, Easton, I Jas. L. Bryan, Esq., Cambridge, Wm. H. Farquahar, Esq., Sandj Spring, I Rev. T. S. C. Smith, Belair, E. S. Zevely, Managing Editor, Cumberland. [► C^- BALTIMOREIs E. S. ZEVELY, Publisher. Printed by James "Young, 114 West Baltimore street. If j^°K\\ letters, remittances, contributions and exchanges should be mailed to CUMBERLAND, for the present. \\ U" ^ COISTTENTS. \l'^ 'i>' lutroductorv I An Educational J ournal 2 Soliool Sv^toni and tumoral Assembly 4 Educational Interests of the Age () Homes for Country Teachers. .^ IV'riodic Law in Education 13 Baltimore jMandamus Case 15 History of Maryland Schools 17 Hon. ilenry Barnard 18 Spelling Battle 19 Memory and other short articles 20 Educators 21 State Normal School 22 Map Drawing 23 Notice of State Superintendent's Report 24 Amendment to the School Law 26 Nobody but Ood 28 Baltimore County Public Schools 29 Public Schools ot' Frederick Coxmty 30 Educational Donations' 31 National Buretiu of Education 32 »F*EOI^VL :VOTICES. This number of the Journal is sent to some who have not yet subscribed, with the hope that they will do so on inspection. Please respond immediately, either by remitting $1.50, or returning the Journal. — ■ Money mailed should be addressed to the publisher at Cumberland : receipts will, in all oases, be promptly returned. Those near Baltimore, or who may be visiting the city in a few days, can pay either to W. H. Soper, Esq., 21 N. Calvert street, or to James Young, Esq., 114 W. Baltimore street, who will give receipts. Our friends throughout the State will please use their iutiuenoe in .sending us subscribers, as the application to the Legislature for aid tailed. — J^^Will Editors in the State please tavorably notice this Journal, and, if possible, publish the prospectus ? JES^Suitable articles for publication, including items of local school intelligence, solicited from all. TO BUILDERS. PROPOSALS will be received for the erection of a SCHOOL HOUSE, within a short distance of the Patuxent river, in the lower part of Calvert county. All parties desirous of further information will address: the undersigned. SOMERVILLE SOLLERS, Secretary, Prince Frederick, Calvert county, Md. MAIL TRAIN Will leave Baltimore daily (except Sunday) at 8.30 A. M. Will leave daily (including Sunday) at 9 P. M.. and the Accoiiiinoclatioii Train Leaves Cumberland for Wheeling, daily, at 6.15 A. M., (except Sunday.) jSW These Trains connect at Belair and Parkersburg for all points West, Southivest and Northivest. Leaves Baltimore, daily, at 4..30 P. M , (except Sunday.) EAST— Leaves Frederick at 7.15 A. M., daily, (Sundays excepted.) BLLICOTT'S MILLS TRAIN Leaves Baltimore at 6.40 and 10 A. M., and 3.30 P. M. Leaves Ellicott'.s Mills at 8.20 and 11.30 A. M., and 4.50 P. M. Fil W&SlIIiif tlS. Leave Baltimore at 3.50, 1.05, 8.45 and 9.45 A.M., and 3.15, 4.15 and 7.45 P M. On Sundays at 4.10 and 8.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. Leave Washington at 7, 7.45 and 11.15 A. M., and 2, 4.30 and 8 P. M. On Sundays at 3.50 and 8.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. The 9.45 A. M. and 3.15 P. M. trains only from Baltimore, and the 7 A.M. and 2 P. M. trains from Washington stop at way points. The 7.05 A. M. and 4.15 P M. from Baltimore, and the 7.45 A. M. and 4,30 P. M, from Washington connect with trains on the Annapolis TRAINS LEAVE ANNAPOLIS at 8 A. M. and 4.25 P. M. for Baltimore and Washington. _ ^ ^. JOHN L. WILSON, Master of Transportation. Ii. M. COLE, General Ticket Agent. SCHOOL BUILDINGS. ANY PARTIES CONTEMPLATING THE ERECTION OF FIRST CLASS SCHOOL BUILDINGS, CAN HEAR OF COMPLETE AND SFECIFICA-TIOITS FOE, S-A-I^^E, BY ADDRESSING THE Publisher at CUMBERLAND, MD. SCHOOL DEPOT. It is in contemplation, in connection with the publi- cation office of this Journal in Baltimore, to ESTABLISH A DEPOT FOR THE SALE OF ALL SORTS OF SCHOOL REQUISITES, OR MERCHANDISE, BOOKS, MAPS, STATIONERY, APPARA- TUS, FURNITURE AND FIXTURES, AND AIDS GENERALLY TO THE SCHOOL AND TEACHER. OR.3DERS SOLIOIXE3D. EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. Vol. I. MAY, 1867. No. 1. Introductory. [f1 ITH heartfelt thanks to those friends whose exertions have P assured existence to this Journal, our best efforts will be directed to so conduct it as to encourage them and others to further effort. We propose to take a cheerful view of things as they are — to aid and encourage the parent, teacher, and pu- pil, to enlighten the general reader, and to interest all — rather than to rail at evils which exist. Teachers and parents and pupils need all the aid and encouragement, and all the benefits of others' example that it is possible to obtain from all sources, human and divine. Teaching is a science too little understood. We will not say that teachers are dishonest or recreant of duty, because they are at least not more so than any other class, while certainly they do more work for less pay than others. Individual teachers have their difficulties to encounter, which are greatly lessened, however, when they stand connected with a grand uniform system of State policy, such as now regulates the free schools of Maryland. Its wise regulations hold up their hands. It were well could some uniform system of 7io7ne instruction be devised and le- gally enforced, as good as that which now regulates the school room. And yet, perhaps, it already exists in the Book of books ! Were pa- rents more generally and deeply imbued with the spirit of the inspired word, and alive to a sense of their responsibilities, the labors of the school room would be less interlarded with thorns. The comprehensive unity and uniformity of the Maryland system of free schools constitute its crowning excellence. Only give it a fair trial, time and money, and we shall in due time hear its praises sounded from the ocean to the mountains. Its millenial glory, how- Z MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, ever, is not to be realized without a good deal of hard work, and prac- tical operations in bricks and mortar ! But some say that as good schools may be taught in a cabin, or even out of doors, as in the most lavishly furnished edifice, and hence the erection of school-houses where most needed progresses slowly. To-be-sure the Hindoo boy learns to write in the sand, why may not the American as well? What's the use of all your modern con- trivances, says your old fogy who clutches his purse convulsively, for- getful that after death he can carry nothing with him. Of books and other aids there is such an abundance that, if we may believe some of the publishers' advertisements, all the troubles of teacher and pupil are ended, and the royal road to knowledge has been discovered. Eejoice, oh youth of America, over your advantages ! We live in a progressive age ; onward, upward, excelsior ! is the cry in all departments of art and science. Man seems to be emulating omniscience. The world is rising in an effulgent blaze of mental glory. Amid this scene of splendid enchantment and misai-y the "Maryland Educational Journal" takes its place to battle with error and defend the right. Reverently be it said : — Grod help us I An Educational Journal, /?^^^HE following is what Bev. Dr. L. Van Bokkelen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, says in his report to the Legislature, on this subject: " Every State which has an energetic School System, sus- tains a well conducted School journal. This journal is the medium of official communication, between the School autho- rities and the Schools, and the vehicle of valuable informa- tiou, relative to the duties of teachers, "Teaching is a progressive science, and every teacher, to keep up with the times, must be a student. In no profession have greater advances or more valuable discoveries been made than in that of teaching. There ought to be some regular plan for recording and disseminating this information among teachers just as the Theological, Medical, and Law journals do for the members of the professions they represent. "The School Commissioners, who are the esecutive agents of the A S&HOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 3 ScLool system, also need instruction to g-iiide them in the discharge of their duties ; this can be given through the journal. School officers will be incited to action, by special and earnest appeals, difficulties will be overcome by practical aud earnest suggestions, professional informa- tion will be imparted and beconie the basis of intelligent work. Such a publication, I believe, will impart knowledge, and awaken enthusiasm among all connected with the School system, and will be of value in dollars and cents, by increasing the value of the Schools. "" Schools have to be sustained by constant and laborious efforts. No system will run by itself, in any other way, than to run down. Teachers must be encouraged by frequent exhortation, and a know- ledge of the efforts and success of those who labor in the same cause. The establishment of a school and family journal, received the favorable consideration of the association of Commissioners, and an effort will be made by E. S. Zevely, assisted by an editorial committee, to commence ,such a publication as early as practicable in 1867. To make the effort a success, aid is needed from the State. Such aid is given in the sister States. A School Journal circulating in all portions of the State will cause school questions to be discussed in many households. The great and beneficent principles which underlie the whole system of popular education, will be better understood, and the law, through which the State is striving to discharge her duty to the children, be fully explained. " Resolutions upon this subject were passed by the association of Commissioners, as follows : "Resolved, That this association recognizes the importance of a State Educational and Family Journal, and that the Presidents of the City and County Boards be requested to ascertain before February 15, 1867, the number- of subscribers which can be secured and forward the result to Mr. Zevely. ''Resolved, That an application signed by the President and Secre- tary of the association, be presented to the Greneral Assembly for a subscription of fifty copies for each of the counties and the city of Baltimore, to be circulated by the city and county boards." "pRiNCiPtA Latina, Pahts I AND 11. — A first Latin course com- prehending Grammar, Delectus, and Jlxercise Book, with vocabularies ; also a first Latin Reading Book with notes and a Dictionary. Harper Brothers. These two small books embrace about all that nine-tenths of the youths of our land practically require of Latin, and as sach are eommendabls. MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL^ The School System and the General Assembly of 1867. S the Journal is designed specially for the benefit of Mary- land teachers, and to interest the people of the State in the cause of popular education, care will be taken to present in its columns all information concerning our Public Schools which can be procured. The School System is progressive. It will be perfected by gathering the experience of all who labor in the various positions of Superintendents, Commis- sioners, Visitors or Teachers. The views of parents will also be sought, that the practical efficiency of the Schools may be advanced, and the whole system be so framed and administered as to secure such reasonable unanimity of approval as will insure the co-operation of all who labor in the profession of teachers, or reap the benefits of instruc- tion in the army of pupils. To reach great results, and we must strive for nothing less than perfection, the School System must be not only good in the abstract, but be adapted to the peculiar demands of the State. This is one of the advantages, perhaps the chief advan- tage, of the Act of Assembly of 1865. It may not be the most sym- metrical, or the most comprehensive of all School Systems, but it is claimed to be the very best for Maryland with regard to her geograph- ical features and the character of her population. A system which is admirable for Massachusetts or New York, with their dense popula- tion and large resources, may not work well in our own State. Our aim therefore should be, and if the Greneral Assembly gives heed to the advice of School officers it will be, to adapt the School Law to our own peculiar wants, and to modify and strengthen it, as experience may suggest, that it will do for us, and for the children, who are always to be kept in view, what is needed, and according to peculiari- ties of climate, topography and population, can be of the greatest benefit to the largest number. The School System, and its practical results in the several counties, were largely discussed both in the Senate and House during the late session of the General Assembly. The opinions of members seemed to be modified if not controlled by local or personal preferences; and, in many instances, the tone of debate indicated a lack of knowledge of the real, substantial, practical results which have been attained under the Uniform System. There was a desire on the part of some to re- turn to the old local trustee systems, and an inclination to reduce school revenues and salaries to the lowest practicable standard. These suggestions were met by the determined opposition of the friends of A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 5 Public Schools, and the Legislature adjourned leaving the School Sys- tem unchanged with the exception of the addition of sections enabling districts to provide funds for building school-houses. In our next number these sections will be given in full. It is to be regretted that the report of the State Superintendent was not ready for distribution early in the session of the Greneral Assembly. A close study of the statistics there exhibited, and the arguments of the School officers, would have given the information upon which valuable legislation could have been based. The presence at Annapolis of the committee appointed by the association of School Commissioners was very oppor- tune. Their statements, added to those of the Superintendent, helped to give the members a knowledge of facts by which adverse enactments were defeated. Upon the whole we congratulate ourselves and the friends of the Public Schools that the system sustained itself so well in the face of so many obstacles. We are also gratified to know that the public are anxious for better schools, and a little impatient at de- lay. But it must always be remembered that a comfortable, well fur- nished and conveniently located school-house is a condition precedent to success. While the citizens refuse to build school-houses, or to provide the simplest kind of educational apparatus, they will mourn over badly taught schools. The true teacher is not content without success, and no person who realizes the importance of the work of the school room will be willing to labor without tools, "to make brick without straw." Good teachers will go where they can find the con- veniences and comforts which pertain to their business, and we will retain only those who have no concern except to gather the salary at the end of the school term, and to give in return as little labor as practicable. The real cause of inefficiency of school work is the miserable condition of School buildings, and the absence of educational apparatus. When these essentials are provided, and teachers have proper encouragement, then the fault will be with the Commissioners or with the system if our schools do not come up to the standard of efficiency which is so earnestly desired. School-houses will cost money ; skillful teachers must have remunerative salaries ; Supervi- sors of School work must be paid ; the whole work needs liberality, not a-parsimonious economy ; and if the people do their part with rea- sonable public spirit, giving freely, they will gather a rich return. But if every dollar of school tax is paid grudgingly, if none who have children, or have property to be improved, are ready to give to build school-houses our work will move on slowly, perhaps at times it will 6 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, halt. That these views are correct we are convinced, from the fact that the schools are most efficient, and the system most popular, in those counties which have given most freely to build, furnish and equip school-houses and deal liberally with the teachers. For several counties local laws were passed authorizing the levy of County School tax by which schools can be kept open the entire school year, and a fund provided for repairs and furnishing school-houses. The Educational Interests of the Age. N the progress of history, humanity has reached a more im^ portant epoch than is known to have appeared in connection with the globe it inhabits. In the developments of intelli- gence, as naturally impelled, it cannot be discovered that any preceding age can claim precedence over the present. In some respects the ancients seem to have possessed knowledge in relation to the arts and sciences that is obsolete at the present time, but in the general application of the term intelli- gence, the advantage must be conceded to the'present period of hu- man history. In connection with this assumed condition, an inquiry relating to our present subject is suggested. Is our educational enter- prise commensurate with the general intelligence of the age ? Could an affirmative answer be given to this inquiry, it would be highly creditable to our department of scientific and literary development and a high degree of satisfaction would be enjoyed. But no such answer can be recorded. That advances have been effected and improvements introduced, we are warranted in declaring. That the progress of the past quarter of a century has been greater than that of the three quarters preceding it, there can be no doubt. But we cannot say that the present status of the enterprise is equal to the in- telligence of the age. It is true that faults are much more readily discovered than either reasons or remedies, and assertions are much more readily made than proved. In the present issue we shall en- deavor to present the proof of the declaration we have made, in the reasons we shall adduce. We shall also endeavor to suggest a remedy. That our intellectual enterprise is not commensurate with the gen- eral intelligence of the age, is witnessed in the fact that the greater proportion of the intelligence of the people, as exhibited in the inter- A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 7 course of society, is not associated with its equal amount of educational ability and refinement. The evidence of this is afforded daily and hourly, in the intercourse of partially^ and in many instances of well, but not perfectly educated persons. Grentlemen and ladies converse very freely upon subjects that relate to science and literature and gov- ernmer.t in a very unscientific and illiterate manner. We may turn from this general observation to the scientific and literary developments of the schools. And here we find that a large proportion of the in- tercourse is of the same character as that exhibited in the associations outside. The literature of the schools is not always the literature of intelligence. It is in the intercourse of society that the intelligent character of the schools should be witnessed. It is true that the schoolmaster and schoolmistress, as it is often said, cannot put brains inside of their pupil's heads. But they can cultivate the intellects that are committed to their development. They can teach intelligently and encourage the pupils to learn intelligently. In this way they can remove much of the natural illiteracy and ignorance that appears to be in the way of intellectual progress. This tracing of the fault to the schools is warranted by the condi- tions admitted and tolerated by most of the institutions provided for the education of the young. The systems pursued in many of these institutions are more mechanical than intellectual. They cultivate the memory mechanically in the use of mere words, while the sub- stance of the intellect is almost altogether disregarded. Committing words to memory mechanically is not an intellectual exercise. The memory may be crammed full of words and crippled by the cramming, while the intellect may be untouched, or if affected at all, it may be in sharing the cripple the memory has received by the mechani- cal process to which it has been subjected. There is very little intel- ligence developed in the mechanical use of words by committing them to memory in their forms without regard to their meaning and applica- tion. Properly apprehended and understood in their developments, words become the vehicles of Intelligence. They really become intel- ligence. They can reach the intellect and be converted into intelli- gence in no other way. It requires labor to perform the teaching that communicates intelli- gence. The mere listening to the recitation of the words of the text books is not, and never can be, the teaching of intelligence. It 'may be an easy process to the indifferent teacher, who may listen without much exertion, or if the indiffei-ence be extended, the teacher may affect the listening, while some other and more interesting matters may 8 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOUBNAL, occupy the thinking powers. While listening and correcting misstate- ments, the teacher may accomplish a little, but it will be but a little more than may result from the total absence of all attention and con- cern in regard to the lesson. The substance of an intelligent appeal to the mental powers cannot be effectually impressed without close application, and perhaps con- tinued effort. These will be effective upon the most obtuse intellect. The lowest grade of mental power possessed by a pupil must be ex- cited and impelled onward to improvement by the constant and perse- vering efforts of the teacher. The working of the class interest in the way of attention and study and intelligent memorizing and recitation, is labor as oppressive as that of digging sand or attending or manufacturing machinery. Yet it must be accomplished. The labor must be ap- plied or the result cannot be eifected. The teacher's office is no sine- cure. He or she that undertakes under such impression, and so in- tending to work it, may be assured of being most grievously mista- ken. If the intellect of the pupil be excited and expanded and improved, the intellect of the teacher must do the work. No me- chanical means can accomplish it. The intellectual interests of the age demand an advance in the intellectual standard of the schools. The lack of intelligence in society is more apparent now than it has ever been. The demand arises from that source In relation to this deficiency the classes of the schools are becoming intelligent. The pupils of the schools are becoming sufficiently sagacious to discover the lack of intelligence in the teaching element. Complaints are issued in reference to the ab- sence of the proper intellectual impression. The work must go for- ward. The teaching element and the teaching exercise must be improved. When these measures are introduced the results will naturally follow- The exercise of instruction must correspond with the demand for intelligence. When the demand is fully met by the intelligent de- monstration on the part of the teacher the desired purpose will be accomplished. The remedy for the present unintellectual and unsat- isfactory pursuit is in the substitution of the intelligent for the me- chanical process by which the knowledge of the text books is attempted to be communicated. The knowledge of the text books is in the intelligence contained in the words they contain. There is no intelli- gence in the forms of words. The intelligence must be drawn forth by the effort to apprehend the meaning of the words by which the substance of the lesson is unfolded. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 9 The true remedy for the evil that appears in the lack of educational ability is in the communication of the intelligence of the text books of the schools, enlarged and improved by the intelligence of the teacher's mind. In the process by which this desirable result is to be accom- plished there can be no failure, and both teacher and pupil will be rewarded by the assurance that society will reap the advantages sus- tained thereby. Homes for Country Teacliers. 'NE of the chief obstacles to securing competent teachers for the strictly rural schools, that is those which are not located in towns or villages, is the difficulty in obtaining proper boarding places, or homes. There are two essentials for a proper home for the country teacher : it must be near to the school house, and it must give those comforts which the very name of home implies. There are considerations which weigh in the mind of an applicant for a teacher's place other than the mere amount of money which he is to receive ; and these considerations are generally the weightier the more deserving the applicant. The sordid mind counts only dollars, but the sordid mind does not belong to the true teacher. The first question usually propounded when over- tures are made to the capable mari, can I get comfortable board near the school house? To the liberal mind, money is worth only what it will buy ; it possesses no excellence in itself. Unfortunately there are situations where money will not purchase, and there is not sufficient liberality to give, what the teacher asks in the way of a home. Those who have mingled much with teachers know that love of money is not one of their foibles : and if it were^ all know that there is little oppor- tunity for its indulgence, for like the clergy and all the benefactors of the human race they are notoriously very poor. This question is con- stantly recurring, why do they continue to teach? I am forced almost to believe that they are afflicted with a madness — with the divine rage of knowing, and he who learns merely to know is driven by the fury which possesses him to teach what he knows. But to return from this digression. I have said there are two requi- sites for a proper home for the teacher. The first in importance is, that it should afford him the comforts of life. Now this term comfort is a relative one. What the ascetic calls ease, the Sybarite would would deem torture : what the poor negro would call luxury, the rich 10 MARYLAND EDUCATI NAL JOURNAL, banker would call squalor. Therefore we must measure the meaning of the term by that rule which is the standard of the class to v/hich it may be applied. A teacher is presumably a person of some culture, drawn from that portion of the people above the lowest in the social scale. In fact he is one possessed of the habits and tastes of those we are aocustomed to call ladies or gentlemen. The very impulse which has led him to adopt this calling, indicates that the exercise of the higher faculties are more congenial than is that of the lower. Time has been required to fit him for his duties, and his training has served to refine as well as sharpen his mind. The intellectual part of his nature has been developed, if not at the expense, at least to the neglect of the purely animal. Hence for bis comfort, there are needs to be supplied, which are not felt by coarser natures. He does not demand all the elegancies with which wealth loves to surround itself, but he does ask that he shall not be consigned to a pauper's garret, and be put off with a beggar's crust. Or if this seems extravagant, he asks that he who has the training of children shall not have the same domestic accom- dations as he who has the breaking of oxen. Yet the tacit, if not the expressed, opinions of most of the patrons (I use this word with refer- ence to its ultimate etymological meaning, the fatliers of the children, and not with reference to any special protection, countenance or sup- port — patronage, of those who enjoy the privilege of sending pupils) of our country schools, are that the school teacher ought to be satisfied if he be allowed to share the coarse fare, the hard bed, and cheerless room which is accorded to the hired man of rougher mould, who fol- lows the plough, or swings the axe. Indeed it is often considered so much a favor to receive a teacher into a family, that he or she is made to feel that he is eating the bread of charity, rather than that he is sitting a welcome guest at the board of hospitality, or that he is re- ceiving what is justly his due for which he pays not in lawful currency only, but iu milled money from the mint of mind. The reader will pardon the alliteration. The second requisite for a proper home for a teacher is that it shall be near to the school house. This necessity restricts the number of available places for boarding to a very few. I of course refer to coun- try schools. But few farm houses can be near to the "school houses. If the owners of these should decline to receive the teacher into their families, he must either consent to make his home at a long distance from the school or abandon it entirely. The consequences to schools thus circumstanced are apparent. The competent, and well qualified teacher can select his own locality in which to teach. Merit iu school A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 11 teachers is not so abounding, that it can be found at every cross-roads. Qualified and zealous teachers are scarcer than any others but school officers imagine. I do not know that I should speak extravagantly if I were to say that ten men fitted far Congress can he found while search- ing for one good teacher. He who can secure a school where he pleases, is deterred from accepting a situation where it will be required of him to walk a long distance through summer's heat and winter's cold, through wind, rain and snow, or what is worse than either to the cul- tivated man — befoiding mud, to reach his school-house ; and he will of course go where domicile and work shop, home and gohool-iiouse are so approximated that he may not only perform his task faithfully by giving constant, every day attendance, but may do it without sacri- ficing so much of comfort as to make that task distasteful, if not abso- lutely odious. The teacher must be at school every day. Scholars may remain at home when fond, foolish, or selfish parents think it too hot, or too cold— too wet or too dry — -too foul or-— must it be said — too fair, for their dear or useful children to leave home. Yes, — the weather may actually be too good for school purposes. If the parent be rich, the fair weather is for enjoying the country sports of hunting or fishing, or driving to the county town : if the parent be poor the fair weather must be economized— saz;e^, (forsooth) by devoting it to work. But whatever may be the condition of the skies, the teacher must be at his post, or else his absence for one day will furnish excuses for absences of pupils, for many days, and set loose a score of tongues complaining of his loss of time. It is a very singular phenomenon that those persons who ai'e the greatest economists of the teacher's time, are often the most profuse of that of their children. They make the greatest noise when a day is lost by the teacher, whose children mark lowest in the column of daily attendance upon the school register. Let me here relate an anecdote somewhat a propos of a most excellent and worthy neighbor of mine, who really is a friend of schools, but who is remiss in sending his children. He was very loud in his pro- testations against moving the school house to a more desirable locality, though somewhat farther from him, but another neighbor silenced him, at least for the time, by saying — " Oh, Ned — never mind ! as I shall be near the school-house, if you don't send your children more frequently to school hereafter than you have done heretofore, I will board them free of charge, for it will cost me nothing !" But I must refer to a certain class of our teachers. Complaints are constantly made that our county school teachers are usually persons poorly qualified to fill the positions they hold. Grranting that the 12 MALYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, complaints have grounds, (but this is a concession which the writer is not willing to make, having in remembrance the corps of efficient men and women of the schools of his own county,) may not one great cause of this deficiency in the body of county school teachers be this very difficulty of obtaining suitable homes. Experience has taught or is teaching all school officers, that women make the best instructors for the class of children which is found in our rural schools — that is to say, small children, from 6 to 12 years of age. Certain it is that we can get a better teacher for the same money from among the women than from among the men. But what young woman, refined she must be, a lady, in common parlance, can consent to occupy the bare and dreary chamber usually assigned to the teacher, (and possibly share it with the house girl,) to partake of the fare which only the vigorous digestion and robust health of the ploughboy renders harmless to him, and which is certainly repulsive, even if innocuous, to the delicate stomach of a woman whose sedentary life and mental labors serve to render her more susceptible to injurious impressions than others of her sex? AVhat young woman, except under dire necessity, such as rarely or never comes to one who is fitted for the place of schoolmis- tress, will consent to trudge weary miles through dirt less tolerable than the inclemencies of winter's snows and summer heats, from a cheerless home to a school-house yet more cheerless perhaps ? What young woman at all fitted to teach but must recoil from intimate asso- ciation with families without refinement, without culture, and as inap- preciative of her mental and moral worth as the very cattle which they drive afield? The worn and jaded teacher conies home har- rassed by the petty annoyances of the day, and instead of a clean, bright hearth, an inviting tea-table, with its white cloth and hissing urn, cheerful smiles and hearty greetings, finds the smouldering em- bers in a smoking stove, a reeking coffee pot, beside a greasy dish, upon a greasier table, presided over by a sullen housewife and a silent hus- bandman. Should there be any wonder that our common school teachers of the country should be so poorly qualified ? Who would teach under such circumstances that could yield a broom, or stand to the washtub? We may establish our Normal Schools, we may raise higher the standards of proficiency, we may conduct our examinations with rigor, we may increase our salaries, we may laud the profession of teacher to nausea, — but unless we show a sympathy for him by pro- viding for his wants, not those common animal wants of food and shelter, but those higher needs, which are quite as clamorous to be A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 13 supplied, the comforts of a pleasant home,— we shall fail to draw into our ranks those very men and women whose services we most require —the cultivated and refined— and we shall have to content ourselves with teachers as rude and coarse as are their domestic surroundings. The Periodic Law in Education. '^ E have been favored by the following extracts of a lec- D ture by Rev. Geo. A. Leakin, of this city, who, after some years of investigation, maintains the universality of the Periodic Law, and is now preparing the materials for a book which will furnish the grounds of his conviction : He thus introduces his subject : "A principal deduced from a number of facts reflects increased light not only on the facts themselves, but on others of a similar kind hitherto unnoticed. The ascending dew borne by the wind is condensed upon the moun- tains, trickles down the glad vallies, and returns to deepen and clarify the very lake whence it emanated— an invisible cycle for ages unde- tected. The Law of Gravitation applied by Newton to the Planets revealed a beautiful system which led to the more exact measurement of Longitudes, thus giving increased security to commerce; and so the extension of Periodicity into a new field elevates the common laws of life, and discovers relationship hitherto unknown." In this universality the Science of Education attains an increased interest and importance. "A worthy teacher of large experience, stated that in every eight years his school became so reduced as to threaten its failure, but, by steady continuance, its prosperity as regu- larly returned. How encouraging this law to every one depending on numbers for support. It is as the regulator in mechanical motion. The faithful laborer cannot miss the Nadir of depression or the zenith of prosperity. Every business or profession, properly conducted, is held by two opposing forces, and it approximates or recedes from its central sun, thus giving the alternations of summer and winter. At evening time it shall be light." "Fortune, 30U bs.j, flies from us. She but circles, Like tlie fleet sea-bird, round the fowler's skiff; Lost in the mist one moment, — and the next, Brushing the white sail with her whiter wing, as if to court the aim — Experience watches, and has her on the wheel." 14 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, ' ' The mind's capacity is lil^c that of the phial. Fill it and the super- fluity is lost ; but besides this wastage the mind itself is inured by the pressure, and even when the educator has graduated instruction to va^ rious capacities, he must anticipate a Periodic contraction and expan- sion of the mind itself, so that the lesson easily mastered, now becomes unmanageable. This remarkable change is often esplained by physical causes, as desks, ventilation without reference to this Pe« riodic mental law. But we 'must further consider the moral condi- tion. A scholar under the best instruction excels his class-mates. The teacher and parents are greatly encouraged. They praise him as a model of excellence ; but how soon has the tree withered ! Atten- tion is lost, and the once animated scholar droops into listlessness. Science detects disease in the invisible spores or trichinae ; cannot sci- ence detect moral deficiencies wasting the memory and thwarting the ■ best devised educational system ? are not moral epidemics as periodic as physical? -This mental and moral cycle demands the study of the thoughtful educator. In an essay on "Unconscious Influence," Rev. Dr. Huntington asks : " Is it certain that the dark days at schools are totally inexpli- cable phenomena and inevitable?" And he believes " That whenever Physiology and Pschycology shall come to be as exactly understood as the mathematical relations of astronomy, these freaks of temperament may be as confidently predicted as an eclipse of the sun ;" and he fur' ther asks: "Is not temptation itself fSubject to spiritual laws, which we may hope more and more to comprehend as we descend into deeper fellowship with Him who hath put all things under his feet?" These new and high thoughts are the harbingers of a day dawn on the field of education, and with the intention of resuming this inter- esting subject, and inviting any communications from those interested, (and what teacher is not?) we conclude with Professor Henry, that ' ' The laws which govern the growth and operation of the human mind, are as definite, and as general in their application, as those which apply to the material universe ; and it is evident that a true system of education must be based upon a knowledge and applica- tion of these laws," The sweetest word in our language Is love. The greatest Word in our language is god. The word expressing the shortest time is NOW, The three make the greatest and the sweetest duty man can perform , A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 15 The State Board of Edueation and the Mandamus Case vs. the Board of School Commissioners of the city of Baltimore. /;:?^S)HE following we copy from the Baltimore Gazette, believing ^/MPitl) j^ ^Q )3g Qf general interest to our readers, and because it gives, in a condensed and official form, the points of tho controversy. The city schools are certainly benefited by securing the admirable series of Wilson's Readers, which are justly so popular in the counties, and are extensively used in the schools and families of every section of the United States : To the Editors of the Baltiraore Ga'Mte : The decision of the Court of Appeals in the case between the Board of School Commissioners of Baltimore city and the State Board of Education, has occasioned some inquiry relative to the principles and facts involved. These have been presented to the public in such varied forms that a plain statement seems to bo proper. The decision does not affect the supervision of schools, or in any respect interfere with the appointment or duties of City School Com- missLonersK It leaves with the Board all the authority it has heretofore possessed, except in the matter of selecting text books. There was but one point in controversy, and that does not now exist, the School Board of the city having complied with the order of the court by adopting the State series of text books, and the State Board having enlarged its series, so as to include all the text books now used in the city schools; excepting the McGuffey's series of read- ers, thus preventing confusion in school work, and saving the tax-payers from all unnecessary expense, the cost of text books and stationery amounting annually to a large sum, The facts which led to the maiidamm suit are as follows i In 1865, before the State Board began to discharge the duty required by law of selecting a uniform series of text books to be used in all the schools of the State, they asked a conference with the City Board. The committee called at the office of the State Superintendent May 80th, but declined to discuss the subject of text books, the President at the same time giving the assurance that the action was not designed as a discourtesy to the State authorities, but because they considered the City Board to be under the control of the Mayor and City Council. . The State Board proceeded into duties imder the law and selected a series of text books, taking all of the principal text books then on the 16 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, city list, being chiefly anxious about primary and grammar schools, in- cluding the readers, arithmetics and geographies, thus saving the city From expouso should the State list be adopted. The State Board had an assurance that Wilson's series of readers, then in use in the city schools, were very acceptable to the City School Commissioners, and ► after a full examination of the books adopted them. The school work in the city and State proceeded pleasantly until March, 18G6, when the book controversy was opened by the City Board, and the McGuffey's series of readers adopted. The State Board considering this action contrary to law referred the question to the courts, and a decision has been given which affirms the authority of the State Board to select text books, and replaces Wilson's readers in the city schools, where they had been satisfactorily used for several years, as evidenced by the following letters submitted to the State Board by the agent of Wilson's readers. LETTEKS PKESENTEI) TO THE STATE BOAUD 01' EDUCATION. Baltimore, July 10, 18G5. Geo. W. Coojier : Dear Sir : — In reply to your inquiry of this date, as to whether we do not consider it desirable that Wilson's readers should bo retained in our city schools, we reply : That Wilson's readers were adopted by the Board of School Com- missioners, after a careful examination and a firm conviction of their superior merits. AVe are still of the same opinion, and believe that a change is undesirable at the presnt time. Very respectfully, Thomas I. Pitt, Wm. C. Arthur, J. H. Cox, Jno. F. Plumbier, Text Book Com. Office of Commissioners of Public Schools, Baltimore, July loth, 18G5. Geo. W. Cooper: Dear Sir : — You ask me to express my opinion of Wilson's read- ers, which I will try to do in a few words. I visit and examine all the grammar and primary schools of our city, in all of which Wilson's readers are used. I have intercourse with all the teachers and all the classes, and my experience is that Wilson's readers are better adapted to the intelligent system of instruction which we are endeavoring to render general throughout all our schools than any other series. ]M,y observation is extended over the labor of the teachers in their classes, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 17 und tlic success of the readers with the pupil is undoubted. The stylo of reading developed is a decided improvement upon any heretofore P^*^^"'^^"^- • Respectfully, J. N. M'JiLTON, I fully concur in the above opinion. T A M It should be remembered that the State Board of Education consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Grovernor, Speaker of the House of Dele"- gates, in addition to the State Superintendent, and therefore the latter has but a single voice in a Board composed of gentlemen who, from their high official position, may very properly be entrusted with the duty of selecting text books, and prudently guarding the interests of education among the people. The city schools have their own Superintendent, a gentleman of energy and ability, under whose faithful guidance they will continue to prosper, and with whose duties there is no desire nor intention to interfere. [Signed,] L. Yan Bokkelen, fitate Superintendent PuUic Instruction. Baltimork, March 18th, 18G7. History of Maryland for Schools. 'HIS little volume, edited, as we understand, by Rev. Dr. Ethan Allen, of Baltimore, is full of valuable information, presented in an attractive and interesting manner. The text is divided into short sections, and questions are placed at the foot of each page to aid the pupil in preparing for recitation. There are numerous wood cuts, many portraits of distinguished citizens of the olden time, and the whole rendered attractive by good type and paper. The book has been placed upon the list of text books for the Public Schools, in which it ought to be universally used, for nothing is more important than that children should be acquainted with the history of their own State. Instead of devoting time to the study of Histories of Greece and Rome, it is more sensible to learn the incidents which concern our own ances- tors — the pilgrims who settled the terra Marias. Appended to this History are brief biographies of eminent States- men, Philanthropists, Military and Naval Heroes, among which are names of which Maryland is justly proud. 2 18 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The omission of the biography of H. Winter Davis, from the second edition, we suppose was suggested by the fact that his death was of too recent a date to entitle him to a place among historic 'characters, or because the State Board of Education thought that it gave the little volume, which otherwise is most unexceptionable, somewhat of a par- tizan cast. "VVe advise every family to purchase the book, and hope to hear of its use in all private as well as Public Schools. Henry Barnard, LL. D. 'HE name of Dr. Barnard, which has been prominently before the world during the past twenty-five years, is now associ- ated with the educational interests of our country in their highest development. As one of the most active co-laborers in the effort to secure the establishment, by Congress, of it National Bureau of Education at Washington, when such institution was ordered, it was but natural that he should be designated as its chief. To no one person is the country indebted for this important advance in the great cause of education, in a greater degi-ee, than it is to Dr. Barnard. Nor is there any other educational gentleman in the country that could bring into the service a more ex- tended experience in the management and supervision of such an enterprise. Dr. Barnard's career as an educationist commenced in the year 1837. Since that period he has occupied important positions, and performed important services to the cause. His first official relation to the educational enterprise was in the capacity of Secretary to a com- mission ordered by the Legislature of Connecticut. In the pursuit of his labors on behalf of the commission, he became interested in the cause, and was induced to commence the publication of the " Con- necticut Common School Journal," a periodical that received the patronage of the Legislature, and prepared the way for the success that was afterwards secured for the common schools of the State. As Superintendent of the common schools of the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Barnard has accomplished a most extensive service for the educational interests of our country. Incorporated into this service is the large experience attained in travel, and in the examination of the public schools, both of our own country and Europe. During the last two A SCHOOL AISTD FAMILY MONTHLY. Vd years Dr. Barnard has held the position of President of St. John's College, Annapolis; and. in a report submitted to the Executive Com- mittee of the Visitors and Grovernor of that ancient Institution, pre- sented a plan for reorganization, which, if adopted, will secure to Maryland a College of the highest order. It is to be regretted that the author of a plan so wise and comprehensive will not remain among us to give the aid of his judicious administration. While Dr. Barnard has contributed many valuable volumes to our Educational Literature, his principal work is the "American Journal of Education," a quarterly established by him in 1856. This is an Educational Encyclopedia, and ranks among those books which ought to be found in every library. These writings, added to his indefati- gable labors in the cause of popular education, entitle Dr. Barnard to a place in the highest rank of Educational men. He has earned by his devotion to the cause, and active labors, the high position to which he has been appointed. We bespeak for him the co-operation of all the educators of the country, and hope he may secure their ser^ vices in working his department to eminent success. Spelling Battle. j^^dHE young ladies of Grammar School, No. 2, challenged the jl young gentlemen of Grammar School No. 1, District No. ^ 1, Washington county, to a battle in spelling. It was agreed that the pupils should assemble in the school room of No. 2, on the 24th of December. A class, of ten from each school, was selected to do the spelling, when it was agreed that the words should be given out by the teachers from page 72 to page 92, Sar- gent's Pronouncing Speller, embracing thirteen hundred words^ and the unfortunate scholar who mis-spelled one loord should be considered dead, and retire from the fight. This arrangement being agreed upon, the battle Was commenced at 2 o'clock, P. M., and lasted over three hours. At the conclusion it was considered a draw fight; there being five on each side surviving, having spelled correctly thirteen hundred words. We call this good spelling, and it reflects credit both upon teachers and scholars. There was no one in either class over fifteen years of age, and one of the victorious champions was a little boy nine years old. Some teachers think it very hard when upon examination they are required to spell fifty words, with a margin of five for mistakes. 20 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Memory. Among the many matters crowded out of this number of our Journal, is the first of a series of practical articles on memory and its improvement, which will commend themselves to the special notice of teachers ; and which will, for practical test in the school room, be furnished to teachers in sheets. The Masonic Eeview. — The fraternity of our State have long felt the need of a Masonic organ. That want has been supplied through the enterprising firm of Bros. Wm. H. Richardson and J. B. Rose, who issue a royal quarto of sixteen pages, bearing the above title, It is edited by Bros. P. G. M. John N. McJilton, P. G. M. C H. Ohr and Gr. Chaplain John McCron. Three such brilliant Masonic lights are rarely ever found in an editorial trio, and we deem this announcement sufficient to cause every brother who has the good of Masonry at heart to at once subscribe for the Review. It is finely illustrated, and contains memoirs of the most prominent Masons of our State. We wish it a long and profitable future. Terms ^4.00 per year. Published at No. 5 S. Calvert street, Baltimore. ' ' Hints to Teachebs-— prepai-ed for the teachers of Public Schools of Frederick county" — by Dr. L. H. Steiner, President, is a miiltmn in parvo calculated to be of great service to all concerned. After enumerating briefly what the teachers should strive to do, the eight page pamphlet concludes with the following pointed remarks : ' ' Some may say how can we accomplish this ? We despair of realizing such a conception of teaching. To which the answer is, it is your duty to try. If you cannot find pleasure in leading young minds into fresh fields of knowledge day by day, and in honest effort to make attractive the subjects you are expected to teach ; if you are willing to lapse into the mechanical ideas of teaching that obtained, at one time all through our land, it were far better for you to sel^ect some other pursuit, and give up an occupation for which you are not fitted. ''A school without life in the teacher is an engine loith no steam in the boiler. For such teachers there should be no place in the Public Schools. This is an active, energetic age; the school- master must move icith it, and impart enthusiasm to the young minds placed under his charge, or else give place to others who are more anxious to fill the full measure of this duty." Who has proved himself a public benefactor by planting a tree or two near a school house. Who will do so this year? A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 21 Educators. I HOSE creations are not alone educators that rule in our colleges, academies, and school-houses. The living human teacher is not the only teacher. Na- ture is a teacher, and we are taught thereby to "look through Nature up to Nature's God." Yet there are triumphs of human genius which educate. Such are the stupendous architectural works of all ages. Such are the steamboats, the steam engines, the magnetic telegraphs, the railroads of our day. Such an educator we have passing through our State in the shape of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ! And it is not, therefore, foreign to the scope of this journal to notice this fact. What man is there, however uncultivated, with a spark of reason- ing faculty, that can observe the majestic curves, the planes, inclines, levels, tunnels, viaducts, and bridges of this road, with innumerable trains running with marvellous precision, and passing each other at given times and places, who will not instinctively be led to inquire how has all this been accomplished, and will be prepared to admire sciences which have enabled men to accomplish such marvellous tri- umphs. To feel, moreover, that mind — cultivated mind — has done all this, and that the mind, however vigorous when uncultivated by science, would be powerless, or is powerless. Without education — cultivated intellect — our country would yet be groping in the darkness of barbarism. Hence we have reason to thank the men of enterprise who conceived, and who still carry on among us this great work, to educate the masses, for we yet have among us those who need to be educated by all appliances, and we place the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad high on the list of our promi- nent State Educators ! Work for All. — There are said to be in the State of Maryland 70,000 children who do not attend Sunday School. Also thousands of legal age who do not attend any school. Of the imrents in the State, 35,000 are computed irreligious. Of these 10,000 are rum sellers. Missionaries are wanted to labor among the enemies of all schools, and of all moral progress. Mental wealth — knowledge — unlike material wealth, is not diminished by giving it away. 22 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNALy Commencement of the State Normal ScIiooL 'HE SecoHcI Annual Commenceinent of the State Normal School was held in the Front street Theatre, Baltiniorq, on the evening of the fourth of April. The Theatre was filled to its utmost capacity with an intelligent and appreciative audience ; there' being more than two thousand persons present, many of whom^ were friends and relatives of the graduates. All the students (ninety in number) were seated on the stage; and, as the young ladies were ali dressed in white, with no ornaments but natural flowers, the effect^ when the curtain rose, was striking and picturesque'. On the stage were also the members of the State Board of Education (with the ex- ception of the' Governor^, members of the City Council, Commission- ers of Public Schools in the city and the various counties, Professors of the High Schools and of the State Agricultural College, and emi- nent literary and professional gentlemen. The reading by the graduates was- easy, natural, and pleasing : though never rising above the pitch of ordinary conversation, it was heard distinctly in the most distant parts of the house. If we were sure they would give as much pleasure in reading, as they did in lis- tening to them, we could be tempted to print one in our next number. Dr. Van Bokkelen addressed the graduates on the responsible duties to which they were called, and after conferring on them the diplomas to which they were entitled, solemnly commended them to the divine protection, and invoked the blessing of the Almighty to rest upon them. This part of the ceremony was solemn and impressive. He was followed by Reverdy Johnson, Jr., Esq., in a brief but eloquent address to the graduates ; and Lieutenant Governor Cos in an address to the audience, in which he took occasion to defend the Public School System, and to show that he is what he has ever been — aftrue friend of j)opular education. The following is a list of the graduates arranged alphabetically : Teacliers of Grammar Schools. — Allen, Lucy C, Virginia; Con- ser, Virginia M., Baltimore city; Dew, Robert H., Baltimore city; Godfrey, Ellen C, Worcester county; Harris, Harriet, Cecil county; McCullough, Maria, Baltimore county; Newell, Mary C. , Baltimore city; Smith, Maggie B., Baltimore city; White, Harriet M., Bal- timore city. Teachers of Primary ScJiools. — Cline, Rebecca, Baltimore city ; Christhilf, Sarah C, Baltimore city; Christie, Mary J., Cecil coun- ty; Downs, Angie W., Queen Anne county; Dushane, Clara C, Baltimore city; Farquharson, Helen, Caroline, county ; Frey, Mary A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. i3 L., Baltimore city; Gamble, Sallie H., Cecil county; G-avet, Isabel, Baltimore city; Gay, Clara, Cecil county; Green, Annie E., Mont- gomery county; Lawrenson, Maggie H., Baltimore city; Loane, Eliza R., Baltimore city; Martin, Susan S , Prince George county; Miller, Emma Kate, Baltimore city; McMahan, John B., Talbot county; McCall, Emma J., Cecil county; Nicholson, Annie, Balti- more city; Nicholson, Fannie, Baltimore city; Ranels, Mary A., Washington county; Redmond, Millie, Anne Arundel county; Beed, Mary Laura, Baltimore city; Kiall, Kate, Baltimore city; Slaughter, Sallie N., Queen Anne county; Stiltz, Lizzie E., Baltimore county ; Thari^e, Pauline Be Waele, Talbot county; Wagner, Maria L., Balti- more city; White,- Walker W., Baltimore city. Map Drawing. Montgomery County. 3fr. Editor : Being desirous to ofifer some assistance towards promoting the noble object for which your new Journal is about being established, I feel that I can now make no worthier contribution than by simply referring you and your readers to Horace Mann's Report on "Education in Europe." During an experience of more than twenty years in prac- tical teaching, while anxious to read every work that came in my reach which might be of value in promoting the cause, I never came upon anything that gave me as many useful ideas in regard to my work, as the little volume now lying open before me. As an example of the nature of these practical hints, I propose ' to extract a few lines describing the manner of teaching Geography as the writer saw it practised in a school in Germany. " The teacher stood by the blackboard, with the chalk in his hand. After casting his eye over the class to see that all were ready, he struck at the middle of tlie board. With a rapidity of hand which my eye could hardily follow, he made a series of those short, divergent lines, or shadings, employed by map-engravers to represent a chain of mountains. He had scarcely turned an angle, or shot off a spur, when the scholars began to cry out *' Carpathian mountains, Hunga- ry," "Black Forest mountains, Wurtemburg," and so on. In less than half minute a map was presented to view, beauti- fully executed. A dozen crinkling strokes, made in the twin- kling'of an eye, represented the rivers; while the children, almost as eager and excited as though they had seen the torrents dash- ingdown the mountain side, cried out " Danube," " Vistula," "Elbe," &c., &c. 24 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, " Then a succession of small taps, and a number of dots along the max'gin of the rivers, when the shout of "Vienna — Prague — Dres- den," &c., struck my ear. After a few more strokes and flourishes, the children became as much excited as though they had been pre- sent at a world making. They flung out their hands, their eyes kindled, and their voices became almost vociferous, as they cried* out the names of the dififerent places, which, under the magic of the teach- ers crayon, rose into view." Now, Mr. Editor, I met with this description, and, though wholly destitute of any talent for drawing, proceeded to put it into practice ip my school. Every morning, for fourteen years, the first school exercise consisted in these map-drawings on the blackboard. Com- mencing with our own neighborhood, Csometimes with a rough drawing of the school-house and playgrounds,) we proceeded to a map of the county, the State, then the several States of our country, and of the world. The scholars, large and small, made copies in the after- noon, reviewed the lesson in concert on the following morning, and each, in succession, drew a map before the school on the blackboard previous to the new lesson being laid down for the day. My pupils who have become teachers have put this method into practice from Montgomery county to Iowa ; and the beneficial influence thus exerted in promoting the beautiful study of Geography, has been such that I desire to make this reference to the source from which it was derived. I think you may be able to make several other useful extracts from this report of Mr. Mann. . An Old Teacher. The First Annual Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction — of which the Legislature, with an enlightened liberality, ordered 20,000 copies to be printed, is now before the pub- lic, and wherever read will make a favorable impression. It is volu- minous and exhaustive, and we need only refer to it, and beg all who possibly can to peruse it. Inasmuch as, however, these pages may come into the hands of some before they have the opportunity of read- ing the report in full, we wish specially to call attention to the follow- ing brief abstract, in addition to what is given in a preceding article from the report in reference to an Educational Journal. There are many hints in the report for articles which may appear in future numbers of this Journal. . A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. , 25 There are in the State, out of Baltimore city, 1400 school districts, 1219 school-houses. Number of teachers, 1533. xiverage number of children attending school, 43,750. Total number of different children, 64,798. The whole white school going population, 95,000, of which two-thirds depend upon the Public Schools. Legislative en- actment needed to build school-houses. In Baltimore city, whole number of schools, 88. Teachers, 411. Total number of different pupils enrolled, 29,078. Average number of pupils enrolled, 18,307. Average attendance, 14,461. Number of school-houses, 38. Value of school property $492,644. The subjects discussed are school supervision, plans for improvement of teachers, teachers' institutes, teachers' associations, State Normal school, homes for teachers, text books, school libraries, Educational Journal, school-houses, school funds, irregular attendance of pupils, how can it' be remedied ? academies and high schools. State Colleges, Maryland Agricultural College, Maryland young men at college in other states, Maryland Institute schools, graded schools, vocal music, drawing and calisthenics, travels of the Superintendent, private academics and schools, amendments to the school law, school legisla- tion, school revenues, German schools, floating school, repeal of the tax to create a permanent school fund, schools for colored children, reports of the Presidents of the County School Boards, comparative cost of schools and courts, &c. The entire report, including tables, &c., occupies about 300 pages. Various pithy extracts from the report will appear in the nest num- ber of this Journal. Boys ! what do you think of that ? Many publications intended for young folks to read are for the most part filled with all sorts of vapid, idle, and silly tales, riddles and stale anecdotes. The boy is father to the man. Do you think if you acquire a taste for only such things, you will ever rise to prominent position in the world ? But you say boys will be boys, and a little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men. Ah! well, boys, read; but have a care what jou read ! A Weighty "Wish. — Would that our rulers, in the measures they adopt to secure the good order and peace of the country, put more faith in the Acts of the Apostles than in Acts of Congress, in Bibles than in bayonets, in teachers than in policemen, in schools than in jails and courts of justice ! 26 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL^ Amendment to the School Law. T a session of the General Assembly of Maryland, begun and held at the city of Annapolis, on the first Wednesday of January, being the second day of said month, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, and ended on the twenty-third day of March in the same year. His Excellency, Thomas Swann, Grovernor, among others, the following Law was enacted, to wit: An Act to repeal Section Four of Chapter Three of the Act of eighteen hundred and sixty-five, Chapter One Hundred and Sixty, entitled "School House Sites," and Section One of Chapter One, entitled "Sources of Income," of the Act of eighteen hundred and sixty, entitled An Act to add a new section to the Code of Public General Laws to be entitled. Public Instruction, providing a uniform system of Free Public Schools for the State of Marj'land and to repeal all existing laws inconsistent therewith and to re-enact the same with amendments. Section 1. Be it enacted hy the General Assembly of Maryland, That Section Four of Chapter Three of the Act of eighteen hundred and sixty-five, Chapter One Hundred and Sixty, entitled "School House Sites," and Section One of Chapter One, entitled "Sources of Income," of the Act of eighteen hundred and sixty-five. Chapter One Hundred and Sixty, entitled An Act to add a new article to the Code of Public General Law to be entitled Public Instruction, providing a uniform system of Free Public Schools for the State of Maryland, and to repeal all existing laws inconsistent therewith, be and the same are hereby repealed, and re-enacted to read as follows : Sec. 2. And he it enacted, That in all cases when School House Sites are thus purchased or condemned, the cost thereof shall be paid by the School Commissioners as other public school property is paid for, and in cases where new School Houses are required to be erected, and where a public school fund existed prior to January, 1865, they may at their discretion, pay out of said fund, in whole or in part, the cost of such building, on the condition however, that the interest of the amount so paid over shall be charged to the annual account of the school or schools occupying the building or school house erected in the manner aforesaid. Sec. 3. And he it enacted. That a State Tax of fifteen cents on each one hundred dollars of taxable property throughout the State, shall be levied annually for the support of the Free Public Schools, which tax shall be collected at the same time and by the same agent as the general State levy; and shall be paid into the Treasury of the State, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 27 to be distributed by the Treasurer to the Board of School Commis- sioners of the City of Baltimore and the several counties in proportion to their respetive population between the ages of five and twenty years ; but nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to prevent the County Commissioners of the several counties of the State from levying and collecting in the same manner any additional taxes for the building of School Houses, or for paying for such School Houses as have been built since January, 1865, in any School District or sub-district within the State ; Provided, a majority of the votes, in such district or sub- district shall so determine and require by a majority of its voters at either a regular or special election held for the purpose, of which election, a notice of at least fifteen days, shall be given by the President of the Board of School Commissioners of the county or the President of the Board of County Commissioners. Sec. 4. And he it enacted, That this Act shall take effect from the date of its passage. »♦• Louisiana. — Education of the Freedmen. — The Council has met the unavoidable question of educating the colored population by re- porting an ordinance constituting separate school departments for that purpose. It appropriates ^50,000 from the treasury, thereby annull- ing any distinction between white and colored. With this, we think, all parties should be satisfied. The separation of the races will pre- vent any collisions when we so much need harmony, while the conces- sion of a common interest in the revenues arising from a common tax- ation will convince the colored race that they will, in all things, re- ceive a fair share of their own contributions. We do not hesitate to say that we regard the education of the freedmen of the utmost im- portance to society. If he is to vote, let him vote intelligently. ■ If he is to be a witness and a juror, qualify him with a knowledge of the value of truth and the nature of title. If he be destined for a laborer, so improve his capacity as that he will produce more value for the State than the mere brute force of a mule. An immense proportion of new suff"rage is to be added to our own. It must, like the turbid waters of our own great river, be filtered of its sediment before it can be used with safety to the public health. If the small-pox should -ap- pear among our colored population we should vaccinate them at once. If the infection of vice and ignorance prevails among them, it is of the same importance to prevent its diff"usiou. We must inoculate the mind and morals of the freedmen, that our lives, property and social safety may be thereby insured against the contagion. — Neio Orleans Bulletin. 28 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Nobody but God! (AID a parent to a child about leaving home to battle with the world : *' So then as you are not a Mason or an Odd- Fellow, and have no such helps to advance your interests among strangers, you will have nobody but God to help you." Nobody but God ! What an expression ! as if there were no such words in the Bible as these. — " If God be for us, who CAN be against us ?" — Is it not He who sways men's minds and ordains all things. " He who sees with equal eye as Lord of all, an empire or a sparrow fall; " or, as another has it, " There is a Divinity which shapes our ends, rough-hew them as we may." No- body but God ! Oh, my soul, rejoice that thou hast no one but God to help thee ! Rejoice if thou hast put thy trust in him. All human instrumentalities or associations are powerless to help thee without the help of God. "Trust in God at all times, ye people, pour out your heart before Him." An irreverent jester, relating an incident of the upsetting of a wagon, when the driver called on God to help him, said "Better call on one of the men ! " And so it is ; what a forgetfulness of God on all sides. How prone we all are to trust to human help, forgetful that God is all powerful, and has promised to help those who call upon Him in sincerity. The absence of help is but too often evidence of the absence of faith. God is everywhere, except " in the thoughts of the wicked." Associations founded by human wisdom are broken rods to lean upon — broken cisterns to drink from. The church of the living God should be the only true Freemasonry to depend upon ; and although we find many good christians members of these Orders, it may possibly by some be questioned whether in the sight of God they are wisely so, and whether the money spent to force men to be moral, had not better be spent in the church to draw men to be religious. Freedmen's Schools in Maryland. — In Maryland the schools for freedmen, mainly under the patronage of the American Union Com- mission, and conducted by the Baltimore branch, are still doing well. Among the most advanced schools we have are those in the city of Baltimore. The Society of Friends are continuing their efforts, and the private schools of the colored people show a laudable ambition to be self-sup- porting. A SCHOOL AND FAxMILY MONTHLY. 29 Baltimore County Public Schools. 'HE School Commissioners of the county held their regular meetings at the County Buildings, 21 N. Calvert street, Baltimore, on Wednesday and Thursday, 17th and l8th of April. Under the present school law, appointments of teachers made by the individual commissioners have to be confirmed by the Board at its regular meetings. Nearly all of the appointments made during the term were ratified. The Commissioners' Report indicated a very encouraging eshlbit of the condition of the schools, and an increase in the attendance of children. There were 102 schools in operation and 142 principals and assistants employed. The number of boys attending schools was 8432; number of girls, 1988 ; total 6420. This is the largest num- ber that has ever attended at any one term, and nearly 200 in excess of the corresponding term last year. The total cost of schools, in- cluding teachers' salaries, incidental expenses and repairs was ^5234, 19. The number of children attending the schools during the term who were exempted from paying for the use of books, was 1127, being . more than one-fifth of the whole number on the Registers. There are three schools in the county numbering over 106 pupils. They are located at Canton, the Three Mills on the Frederick Road, and at the first toll gate on the Hookstown Road, and successfully conducted by Mr. Kenney, Mr. Hollingshead and Mrs. Soper. The Baltimore County Teachers' Association met Friday and Satur- day, April 26 and 27. The attendance was large and the exercises interesting. Among the lecturers was Prof. Shattuck, who represents the admirable system of Penmanship by Payson, Dunton & Scribner now used in the schools of the State. He illustrated the correct me- thod of instruction in this important art. Colored Education in the United States.— -At the recent dedi' cation of an educational building for colored people in Washington, General Howard stated that there were 12,000 colored schools in the United States, and 468 colored teachers. Of these schools, 623 were sustained wholly or in part by the freedmen themselves. He wag trustee of the Freedmen's Trust Company in Washington city, and could say that there had been deposited in tliat bank by the freedmen themgelves, in the past year, upwards of $1,000,000. 30 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL Public Schools of Frederick County. During the spring term, ending April 15, 1867, the number of pupils attending school in each district was as follows : Boys. Girls. Total. 1st Commissioner District 664 394 1,058 2d " " 375 209 584 3d "• " 566 409 975 4th " " 508 341 849 5th " " 540 448 988 6th " " 566 348 914 7th " " 455 252 707 3,674 2,401 , 6,075 Frederick, Md., April 27, 1867. Meeting of the School Association. — The Teachers' Association of Frederick city and county held an interesting meeting in this city yes- terday. Nearly all the teachers of the county were present, with Dr. Steiner, President of' the Board of School Commissioners, and several members of the Board. Mr. Harry, President of the Association, presided, and interesting addresses were made byf)r. Steiner, Bev. Mr. Strober and others. In the afternoon the Association reassembled, when the Rev. J. N. McJilton, of Baltimore, delivered a very inter- esting address. At night another meeting was held, which was devo- ted to inquiries by the teachers, which were answered by Mr. McJil- ton. Several addresses were also delivered. This morning another session was held, at which several questions relating to popular educa- tion were discussed. The entire exercises were of an interesting char- acter, and which will, it is thought, act beneficially to the cause of public education in Frederick. The Philadelphia Schools — In the year 1818 the public schools of Philadelphia were 13 in number, with one teacher for each school, the scholars numbering 3,082, and the expenses footing up $23,708.81. Ten years later the schools had only increased to 20, the scholars to 5,057, the expenses to $30,173.85. From that time until 1828 rapid progress was made. At the close of the following ten years the schools had increased to 167, the teachers to 257, the scholars to 18,794, the annual expenses to $188,741.91. In 1866 the schools numbered 374, the teachers 1,314, the scholars 77,164, and the an- nual expenses reached the sum of $864,276.26. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 31 Educational Donations. Meeting of the Trustees — Plans of Operations. — Neio York, March 25. — The Peabocly Educational Fund Trustees have adjourned. The next annual meeting is to take place here on the third Tuesday of June, 1868 ; but they will meet in Kichmond on the third Tuesday of. Jauuary next, For the present the promotion of the primary or com- mon school education, by existing agencies, will be the object of the Board. Normal school education, to prepare teachers, will be favored also, in applying science to industrial pursuits. Dr. Sear, of Brown University, was selected G-eneral Agent, who will transact much of the business. He has not yet accepted the appointment. An Executive Committee of five was also appointed, comprising Messrs. Mcllvaine, Aiken, Evarts, Grraham, Eaton, and the Chairman ex-Ojfficio. A charter will be obtained from the New York Legislature. Samuel Whitmore, of this city, was chosen Treasurer. The Fi- nance Committee consists of Messrs. Fish, McCallister, Clifford, Biggs and Whitmore. The well known firm of D. Appleton & Co., of New York, have presented to the Trustees of the Peabody Educational Fund 100,000 volumes of school books, to be used in the schools under their di- rection. Another Benefaction of Mr. Peabody. — Mr. Peabody, while in Washington on Thursday last, placed fifteen thousand dollars in the hands of Mr. W. W. Corcoran and Elisha Biggs, for the establish- ment of a free library in Greorgetown, D. C. Donation to William and Mary College. — It aifords us very sincere pleasure to state that a liberal benefaction has been made to William and Mary College, Va., by William W. Corcoran, Esq., the generous Washington city banker. It is to aid in repairing the de- structions of the war, and restoring to its ancient prosperity an insti- tution inseparably associated with the history, the learning and the fame of Virginia from her earliest days, and dear to the affections of her people. Mr. Corcoran has set an example which we hope will find many to second it. Scarcely less valuable than his gifts is the gen- erous interest which he is taking in enlisting the active sympathies of others in behalf of time-honored William and Mary. — Richmond En- quirer. 82 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, National Bureau of Education. ON. Henry ]>arnnrd, Conmiissioncr of Education, lias issued a I'iioulur calling for accurate infor«iation of the designation, his- tory, iind present condition of every institution and agency of educa- tion in the United StiUeN, and the name, reeidence, and R])ecial work of every person in the administration, iiifitruction and management of the same. All thi^ information must neces!i long. Adapted to pupils from 8 to 12 years of age. Price $8 50 PRIMARY SCHOOL DESKS. No. 1.— Same size as No. 1 Grammar Price $8 00 No.2.— " No.2 " " $7 50 REAR SEATS. For High or Grammar School Desks, either size Price $6 00 For Primary School Desks, either size. , " $5 OO HSr An extra seat Is required for the rear end of each row of desks. Ink Wells Inserted at 20 cents and at 30 cents each. The first has cast iron hinged cover, the second, brass case with sliding cover, both have glass cups. SINGLE DESKS. We will make single Desks when ordered. The sizes will be correctly proportioned. High School, No. 1 $10 00 " " No.2 9 60 Grammar School, No. 1 .' 7 00 Grammar School, No. 2 $6 50 Primary " No, 1. 6 60 No. 2 C 00 MANUFACTURED AND SOLD BY Extensive Manufacturers of Cabinet Furniture, No. 3 SOUTH CALVERT STREET, BALTIMORE, MD, To whom all orders for desks must be addressed. For any information about the sale of the Patent Right or the jirivilege to manufacture apply to W. HORACE SOPER. Patentee, BALTIMORE, MD. THE SCIENCE OF THE SEASON! BOTANY. The claims of the Standard Text Books of Prof. Wood, in this department, are again urged upon Educators. Thej^ have a larger sale than all others combined, because they are XIIE BEST I 1. Object Lessons in Botany. (For Beginners.) - - $1 25 2. Class Book of Botany. (For Intermediate Classes.) - 2 00 3. New Class Book of Botany. (A Complete, Compendium.) - 3 50 Copies for examination, and first supplies for introduction, furnished at greatly reduced rates. Particulars on application. ^^" See Prof. Wood's article on "Spring Flowers," in the April No. of tbe "Educational Bulletin." THE m:etr.ic system:. The International System of Uniform Weights and Measures must hereafter be taught in all Common Schools. Prof. Chas. Davies is the official exponent of the system. READ THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS Adopted by the Committee of the House of Representatirea on a "Uniform Sys- tem of Coinage, Weights and Measures," Feb. 2d, 1867 : Resolvedi'ih&.t this Committee has observed with gratification the efforts made by the editors and publishers of several mathematical works, designed for the use of Common Schools and other institutions of learning, to introduce the Metric System of Weights and Measui-es, as au- thorized by Congress, into the system of instruction of the youth of the United States, in its various departments ; and in order to extend further the knowledge of its advantages, alike in public education and in general use by the people. Be it further Resolved-, That Prof. Cbas. Davies, LL. D., of the State of New York, be re- quested to confer with Superintendents of Public Instruction, and Teachers of Schools, and oth- ers interested in a reform of the present incongruous system, and by lectures and addresses tc promote its general introduction and use. le April No. of the '' Educational Bulletin" contains an exposition of the 3ktric System, from the pen of Prof. Da ties, and the latest editions of his Arithmetics have it incorporated. MARSH'S ECCLEBIASTIOAL HISTORY : A History of the Church in all Ages, for the use of Colleges, Seminaries, Sigh Schools, and the general reader. Price, $2,00 A work of wonderful research, and covering the ground in a manner never before realized by a work of its size. No course of study is complete without it. DAVIES' OUTLINES OP MATHEMATICAI. SCIEKTOE, 81.00 A manual to be carried by the teacher into the class-rooms, and for constant reference as to the best method of presenting the science all its departments, with a comprehensive view of the whole. THE FOREST CHOIR. BY GEO. F. ROOT. Price, 65 ets. A better book than the famous " Silver Lt?TE," by the same author. BS^These books will be editorially noticed in the " Illustrated Educational Bulletin," sent to any address for one year on receipt of Ten Cents. Address A, S. B AI«,]VJSS & Co., Educational Publishers, WILLSON'S SCHOOL AND FAMILY SERIES -^ — « ^- W'iUsojt's Primary Speller. 16mo, SO pages, 56 Cuts. 15 Cents. Willson's Larger Speller. 12mo, IQS pages, 36 Cuts. 35 Cents. Willsoii's Primer. 12mo, 48 pages, 107 Cuts. 25 Cents. Willson's First Header. 12mo, 84: pages, 132 Cuts. 40 Cents. Willson's Second Reader. 12mo, 154: pages, 100 Cuts. 60 Cents. A Third Reader : Intermediate Series. Vlmo,'2A.Q pages,! Cuts. 80c. Willson's Third Reader. i2mo, 264 pa^es, 142 Ciits. 90 Cents. A Fourth Reader : 'Intermediate Series. 12mo, 312p., 65 Cuts. ^1.10. Willson's Fourth Reader. 127no, S60 pages, 164 Cuts. $1.35. Willson's Fifth Reader. 12mo, b4:0 pages, 20S Cuts. $1.80. These Readers, although first published only five years ago, have proved, to the satisfactiou of prominent educators, that Skill in RBADiir& and a knowledge of the Natural Sciences can be acquired at the same time. They have already been ofiBcially adopted by the following States, viz. : — Indiana, Kansas, California, Nevada, and Maryland. The State Board of Education of California have recently re-adopted Willson's Readers for a pe- riod of four years. They have also been officially recommended in Oregon, Washington Tereitort, and Utah. The Hon, L. Van Bokkelen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Maryland, says : "My apprehension lest they should prove better adapted for teaching Natural History than for elocutionary reading has been removed, and it gives me pleasure to say that I am convinced that, while making good elocutionists, valuable information is imparted to the children by the use of this Series." In the Ward Schools of the City of New York, where they are largely intro- duced, and where, owing to the use of all other prominent Series, at the same time, their comparative elocutionary merits are most thoroughly tested, Mr Henry Kiddle, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, says : "I have uniformly found the classes using Willson's Readers as expert and proficient in the Art of Reading as any I am required to examine." Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, Franklin Square, New York. Sent hy Mail, postage free ^ on receipt of Price. *;ij* Harper & Brothers' Catalogue of Books for Schools and Colleges is now ready, and may be had gratuitously on application to the Publishers personally, or by letter enclosing Five Cents. THE MARYLAND A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY, DEVOTED TO POPULAR INSTRUGTIOH AITD LITERATURE, PuUished llonthly, in BALTIMOBE, AIDED EDITORIALLY BY FRIENDS OF THE CAUSE IN EVERY SECTION OF THE STATE, AND BY AN Editorial Committee of Prominent Educators. Devoted to the cause of Education generally, mentally, morally, physically, at home and in the school room — the staunch and unflinching advocate of a high moral standard in both. Everything that bears upon education to come within its legitimate sphere, which will of course include the Sunday School interest — as faithful Sunday School instruction greatly lessens the labor of the day school teacher. Each number to contain 32 pages, large 8vo., of reading matter, besides the printed cover, and the whole to be equal externally, and it is to be hoped also internally, to any other similar publication, while of course it will be of more general utility and interest because of its being a Maryland journal. The following resolutions were passed at the State Association of Commission- ers, in Baltimore, on the 13th December, 1866 : Besolved, That this association recognizes the importance of a State educational and famiiy journal, and that the presidents of the city and county boards be requested to ascertain before February 15th the number of subscribers that can be secured, and forward the same to Mr. Zevely immediately thei*eafter. On motion of Dr. McJilton, it was Resolved, That an application, signed by the President and Secretary of this association, be made to the General Assembly for a subscription of fifty copies for each of the counties and the city of Baltimore, to be circulated by the city and county boards. Thus you will perceive that this journal is to be published under the auspices, and with the sanction and approval of, the State Association, and will be the organ and advocate of our uniform system of public instruction. It is not designed, however, to restrict its sphere to this, but to make it readable and acceptable both in the family and the school, serviceable to all teachers, parents and pupils. To all School Officers, School Commissioners, Teachers, and Friends of Education generally in Maryland. You are hereby appointed agents for this Journal and also contributors to its columns ; i. e., you are respectfully requested to consider yourselves its co-editors. Please therefore' remember that it is to be YOUR Journal, — (OUR Journal,) the exponent of every section and interest, not of any one locality only. Address me for the present at CTIMBEItZANjD, MJ)., E. S. ZEVELY. Vol, 1, $1.50 a year. No. 2. 'T'h^ fl ^ MARYLAND SCHOOL U^^—^^ltY MOIS'^ "SsS^:^ DEA^OTEr) TO POPULAR INSTRUCTION AND LITERATURE. OE,&A.ISr OE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND OF THE COMMISSIONERS' ASSOCIATION. JTXJIVE, iser. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: Rev. L. VanBokkelen, LL. D., State Superintendent. Rev. Jno. N. McJilton, D.D., City Superintendent. Dr. Samuel A. Harrison, Easton, I Rev..jAS. L.Bryan, M.D., Cambridge, Wm. H. Farquhar, Esq., Sandy Spring, ' Rev. T. S. C. Smith, Belair, E. S. Zevely, Managing Editor, Cumberland. BALTIIVIORSs E. S. ZEVELY, Publisher. Printed by James "Young, 114 West Baltimore street. TrrrrrwTwrTwwynr ,^5^ All letters, remittances, contributions and exchanges should be mailed to CUMBERLAND, for the present. rT*»<»»wT»»T»» Board School Com. Somerset county. The Desolations of War. T is stated on good authority that in the late European war of only a few weeks' duration, the injuries to life and limb summed up as follows : One hundred and sixty-four Prussian officers and two thousand five hundred and seventy-three men killed in ac- tion, one hundred and forty-three officers and five thousand four hundred and fifty-four men who have since died of their wounds, and five hundred and sixty-two officers and fourteen thousand six hundred and thirty men who have been wounded, but not mortal- ly The Austrian wounded who fell into the hands of the Prussians numbered four hundred and eleven officers and thirteen thousand nine hundred and thirty-five men. The number of Austrians killed and wounded who remained inside the Austrian lines is, of course, not here known, but must have been very large. At Vienna the reports A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 57 of losses up to the first of August, detail a loss of two thousand four hundred and sixty-five officers of infantry and calvary alone, of whom one hundred and thirty-five were stafi°-officers. The number of Aus- trian unwounded prisoners, five hundred and eighty-two officers and thirty-five thousand nine hundred and thirty- two men. So by this es- timate the total number of Austrian prisoners, wounded and unwound- ed, would be fifty thousand eight hundred and six. Teachers have a good deal to do with the young * ' lusts " that breed "wars and fightings." "The things that make for peace," must be familiar in the school and nursery, if we would see them pre- vail in the city and the nation. Salaries. CORRESPONDENT of the Cambridge, Dorchester county, Intelligencer, thus speaks of that great bug-bear, the sala- ries of school officers, in an article about school matters generally : "Lastly, for this time, a great difficulty in the way of our success is that the salaries of none of our county school o^- cers justify their giving that time to the schools which is absolutely essential, at this time, to their complete success. Very few of the schools are visited regularly and examined according to law. Now this is what we want : the law carried out — ■practically ajjplied, not changed. We want no new school law, but we insist upon it that the present law should be carried into effect Most of the Commis- sioners give more time to the schools than their salaries justify, but this is not enough. A regular, thorough supervision of the school is essential to success The President especially should receive a suf- ficient salary to give his entire lahor to the county. To this end some of our numerous taxes should be curtailed and the school tax increased. Then, with ill founded prejudices removed, cavillings hushed — with good teachers, working teachers, efficient and active school officers, and funds to sustain the school the entire year — we will soon find the intelligence of the State rapidly increasing, crime and pauperism rapidly diminishing , and the general welfare of the people secured." .^^Wine drinking and cigar smoking are bad habits. They pair the mind and pocket, and lead to the waste of time. 58 MARYLAND EPUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Obj ect-TeacMng. )CHOOL men just now are becoming considerably exercised on the subject of object-teaching. There is undoubtedly an important point here. But we may miss it just as effectually by going too far, or by going in the wrong direction, as by stopping short, or standing still. The term itself, "Object-Teaching," has led many astray. From this unfortunate word, and from the still more unfor- tunate methods of gome half-=instrueted advocates and partisans of the system, many have been led to suppose that the scheme consists in merely teaching children objects— holding up before them bits of tin, or wood, or chalk, or cloth, or glass, or something of that kind, and getting the children to become acquainted with the qualities of these particular objects, the objects themselves often being such as it is com- paratively of little importance for the children to know, or such as they already know perfectly. The children are of course amused by the clap-trap, and go to the school, as they would go to a pic-nie, for entertainment and amusement; and, because the children seem so fond of school, the uninquiring parent takes for granted that all is right, until after a trial of a year or two he wakes up some day to the dis- covery that his children, so far as any real intellectual progress is con^ cerned, are exactly where they were before they began the experiment. We have seen this result in so many hundreds of cases, that we feel bound to enter a gentle caveat to the uninitiated. The system, rightly understood, has eminent merits, and is founded upon a true philosophy of education. Any one who will watch the steps by which a human mind is developed, from its first feeble mani' festations in infancy, to the full maturity of its powers in manhood, will find that God has ordained a certain order in the development of the mental powers, just as he has in the development of the bodily organs, or in the growth of a plant. The intellectual faculties which come first into play are the observing faculties,— those by which we become acquainted with the forms and qualities of external objects. Hence the duty of the educator, first of all, to train the bodily senses, and to induce in the child correct habits of observation. The percep- tive faculties, in other words, are the first that require the teacher's attention. Here it is that lessons on objects come into play. It is not so much the amount of knowledge of these objects, that is important, as the awakening and training of the mind to the use and the development A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 59 of its own powers. The differences between people in regard to their powers of observation are very great. We see it in witnesses in a court of justice. Two men are called upon the stand to testify to a transaction at which both were present. One of them can give no intelligible, connected, or definite account of the affair. If it was an affray in the street, although the whole thing was before his eyes, he does not know which gave the first blow, what particular word or words gave the provocation, what was the precise time of the occur- rence, who were the bystanders, or any other circumstances that may enable a jury to understand the real character of the transaction. He merely has a confused notion that there was a big crowd and a muss, and that somebody was hurt. He does not know how to see or hear. He has never been trained to quick and accurate observation of what takes place before his eyes. The other witness, with no better oppor- tunity of seeing, gives a straightforward, intelligible account of the whole affair. On hearing the exciting words "you lie!" he noticed who it was that uttered them, recollects he was a tall man, with a red vest and white beard, and wore glasses. On seeing a blow struck into this man's face, he noticed who it was that gave the blow, recol- lects that he had long black hair and a protuberance on one cheek ; knows it was about four o'clock in the afternoon, because he noticed that the public school on the opposite side of the way let out just then, and the boys came running over. And so on. The man has learned how to see and hear. He has been trained to habits of observation. The cultivation of the senses, and of the rfiental powers most im- mediately connected with the use of the senses, cannot be begun too soon, or insisted on too strongly. The use of visible objects for this purpose is one of the best means of accomplishing it. But many, led away by the pleasing excitement of the thing, unconsciously mistake the means for the end, and turn the school into a play-room. They forget, too, that this very power of observation, though confessedly so important, is, after all, the least important of our mental powers ; that the powers of abstraction, of reasoning, of imagination, of judgment, are far higher in the intellectual scale, and that the perceptive facul- ties have their chief uses in the aliment which they gather for the nurture of the reflective and the creative powers. A man may have his observing faculties in the highest degree of perfection, like the American Indian, or the Arab of the desert, and yet be nothing more than an acute savage. It is only as he rises from this lower species of cultivation into the cultivation of the reflective and creative powers, that he becomes capable of the generalizations of science, and that he ever accomplishes truly great things. — S. S. Times, 60 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Home Educational Intelligence. Baltimoke County — fleeting at the new School House, No. 6, Fourth Commissioner District. — The School Board, aided by liberal subscriptions from the citizens of the District, have erected a neat and substantial school house of brick; dimensions, 24x36 feet. It is after the plan prescribed by the State Board, furnished with Sopor's patent folding-seat desks, seating eighty pupils, and leaving ample space for classes near the teachers' desk. There are few houses in the county more comfortable or convenient than this. On Monday, May 20, at 8 P. M., a large audience of ladies and gentlemen assembled to listen to addresses from the State Superintendent and Mr. M'Ginn, the Pres- ident of the county School Board. The room had been tastefully decorated by the teacher, Miss Mackee, and all present were interested and instructed by the remarks of the speakers. The school system is very popular in this district. The best evidence of this is in the fact that during the last four years the number of children attending the schools has increased from 220 to over 450. New School House Bell. — One of Register's forty-pound bells, costing over ^25, has been purchased for the use of the Grovanstown Public School. The contributions to this fund were as follows: John W. Treadaway, J. H. Prentiss, Chas. H. Nicolai, W. Gr. Marshall, Ruskell & Bro., W. D. Brackenridge, J. Thomas Treadaway, A. B. Fuller, Chas. Oaleen, Geo. F. Wheeler, Wm. Rutherford, W. P. Prestman, A. D. Sanks, F. Hohn, each $1; G-. Wilson, |2; D. Shroe- der, 50 cts.; cash, by three, ^1 each; by one, 25 cents; by the school, $5.26. Whilst gratified acknowledgments are due all the subscribers for their liberality, special mention should be made of John W. Treada- way, Esq., with whom first originated the idea, which he has, by per- severance, carried into successful operation. Teachers' Institutes. — During the month of May Institutes have been conducted by Prof. Newell, assisted by the Presidents of the School Boards, in Calvert, Montgomery, Talbot and Queen Anne's counties. An account of the proceedings will be given in our next number. The State Superintendent has attended the Institutes in Talbot and Queen Anne's. There is no feature of our School Law more valuable or more universally approved, by intelligent citizens, than that which provides for the assembly of the teachers for instruc- tion in the duties of their important vocation. A SCHOOL AND PAMILY MONTHLY. 61 State Normal School. — We are gratified to learn that, although nearly one-third of the students of this school graduated at the Com- mencement last April, the desks are all again filled by young men and women anxious to enter upon the noble work of teaching. We wish them all good luck. Give us competent teachers and our schools will rapidly advance. Graduates of the Normal School are cheerfully welcomed in every School District of the State. Charlottesville, Va., May 16. — University of Virginia. — There are now 490 students at the University of Virginia. The following States are represented : Virginia, 219 students ; Maryland, 39 ; Ten- nessee, 36; Alabama, 33; Geoi'gia, 31; North Carolina, 24; Missis- sippi, 18 ; West Virginia, 15; Texas, 14; Missouri, 15; South Carolina, 12; Kentucky, 12; Louisiana, 10; New York, 3; Arkansas, 3; Dis- trict of Columbia, 2 ; Florida, 1 ; Pennsylvania, 1 ; Illinois, 1 ; Nevada, 1. The Constitutional Convention and the Public School Sys- tem. — The committee on education is large, consisting of one member for each county and each legislative district of the city of Baltimore, making in all twenty-four members. There is no committee havin^^ in charge duties so important as those connected with the moral and intellectual training of the children of the State. We pray God to give the members wisdom to devise that which will prove of lastino- benefit to our schools. The following extracts are from the correspondence of the Balti- more Sun, May 20 and 22 : ' ' The committee on education have resolved to recommend the chano-e of the present common school system of the State, and granting the privilege to the city of Baltimore to maintain an independent system of public instruction as formerly. The committee on education held a session this morning, each member submitting his views in writino-. The prevailing opinion was that the education clause in the constitu- tion should be made as brief as possible, and all the details of the system be left to the Legislature to perfect. It is supposed that the committee will agree in recommending that not only shall the city Or. Baltimore have the privilege of maintaining an independent system' but the same privilege shall also be enjoyed by all the counties, the boards of superintendents to be abolished, and the city and each coun- ty to pay only its own school tax, and to prescribe what it shall be." [A uniform system for the State, if not under some general direction. 62 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, ought at least to be preserved. What has been gained in advancing popular education in the State by the present system, should not be lost, as it inevitably will be, to a more or less extent, by a complete and sudden change.] — Eds. Male School of Design of the Maryland Institute.— The annual commencement of the School of Design, at the close of the seventeenth session, took place at the hall of the Maryland Institute, Wednesday evening, May 22, and was attended by a very large audience of ladies and gentlemen. Previous to the opening exercises, the drawings of the pupils were examined by many of the audience, who espressed the high gratification they experienced at the proficiency shown, and the very excellent evidence of study and skill exhibited. The order of exercises was agreeably interspersed with music from the orchestral band of the Institute. After a prayer by the Rev. J. N. M'Jilton, the report of the prin= eipal of the school, Professor D, A. Woodward, was read by N. H. Thayer, Esq. In his report he says that time has unfolded the true merits and importance of this branch of the Institute's fostering care. At the same time we are admonished of the increasing inconvenience and iua^dequateness of the rooms and their appointments for the accom' modation of the large number of young men who apply for admission. Many of the studies and models have become m defaced by continual use, year after year, as to render them almost useless. He urges the necessity of early procuring a new set of both round and flat studies, in securing the prosperity of both day and night schools. The grad- uating class originally consisted of twelve members, one of whom. (John W. Maughlin) has been removed by death. It is a subject of regret that the number composing the architectural and mechanical classes should appear so small. A class for marine architecture, as a permanent branch of the School of Design, has long been considered as one of importance to a large number of Baltimore mechanics. John H. B. Latrobe, Esq., then delivered an address to the pupils generally, but more especially to the graduating class, which was of a most entertaining character to the entire audience. This was, followed by the reading of the names of those in the order of merit, by James Young, Esq.; the delivery of the diplomas to the graduates, by W. W. Maughlin, Esq.; and the delivery of the Peabody premiums to those of the graduates to whom they had been awarded, by Joseph Cush« ing, Esq, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 63 Department or Public Instruction, Md., Baltimore, 3fay ■ 22^ 1867.— At a meeting of the State Board of Education, held May 18, the following orders were passed : Ordered by the State Board of Education, That the several School Commissioners of each county shall actually and permanently reside within the limits of the county for which they are appointed, and that a removal from the county, by any commissioner, will vacate hig office. Ordered, That a printed copy of this order be sent to each School Commissioner throughout the State. A true copy, test, W. Horace Soper, Clerk State Board of Educa= tion. Allegany County.— John Miles Standish has been appointed School Commissioner, vice 0> Perinchief resigned. His postoffice is Frost- burg. Worcester County.— Edward E. Davis has been appointed School Commissioner, vice S. C. Seabreeze resigned. His postoffice is Salisbury. The American Naturalist, is the title of a beautifully printed new monthly magazine of natural history, published by the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass., at ^3 a year, with which we are well pleased. It covers a new field and must prove a success. Littell's Living Age.— This old established magazine still holds on its way prosperously. See advertisement. The Sunday School Times, Phila., we know to be a first class pa« per, edited by Prof. John S. Hart and I. Newton Baker. Its pub- Ushers, Messrs. Garrigues & Co. , are offering various valuable premiums, among them Webster's illustrated unabridged dictionary, to all who will solicit stibscribers to their paper. Price ^1.60 per annum. A descriptive list of the premiums, also sample copies of the paper, with full instruction?, will be sent free, on application to the publishers, Keminiscenees. We aspect to present in these pages readable sketches of scenes in the school-room which may be suggestive to teachers and parents, and amusing to the young folks, Solomon saye *' Spare the rod and spoil the child;" but Solomon was an old fogy, and in these modern days the rod is in som_e places taken out of the teacher's hand by law I In the days of "Old field school-houees," when the master knew but little but how to flog, it was eustomary in many places for the mammas to line and wad the backs of the little ones' garments in various inge- nious ways, so that the birch should not be felt, MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, From a Prison Cell. QUARTO sheet called the Sunbeam is edited, printed and published by the inmates of the New Jersey State Prison at Trenton. Hence there is something very spicy in the ijp^ following advertisement which appears in the first number : ...^T" WANTED — At this office, a practical printer, who will find a pleasant and permanent position ! No outsiders need apply. But there is another article in the game number, written by a con- vict, from which we take a single paragraph : ' ' There are many who can see no reason for showing mercy to the transgressor of the law. To such I would say look around you and behold the thousands of rum shops and houses of disrepute that cover the land. On every hand, like demons of destruction, stand these promoters of crime and degradation, ready to fleece the pockets of the unwary, and by administering to their worst passions, fill their cup of misery in this world, and cause their eternal damnation in the world to come. Remove these temples of shame and licentiousness from our midst, and crime will decrease, virtue be cultivated, and where only crime and corruption now exist, there will be found peace and happiness, and one man may not fear another. The chief provocative of crime, as well as the grand source of pau- perism and wretchedness, are found in the places to which the unhap- py convict has traced them, and they educate the people more rapidly for ^1 than the teachers in our schools do for good." Prompt Obedience. — No children are ever so happy as those who have been early taught implicit and immediate obedience to a parent's wishes or commands. Would that parents more universally felt that when they suffer their children to disobey them, they are absolutely teaching them to sin against God by breaking one of His command- ments, and one to which the promise of long life is given. Good. — General Sickles, in South Carolina, has issued an order prohibiting the distillation of spirits from grain in his military district. A SCHOOL AI?D FAMILY MONTHLY, 65 Boliool Funds. . HS general appropriation bill passed, at the late session of our State Legislature, sets aside the following sums for edu- cational purposes : " For donations to colleges, academies and schools, thirty- one thousand five hundred dollars ; for the use of free schools, including the bonus from banks, dividends from stock standing to the credit of the free school fund, and so much of the tax on passengers on the Washington Branch of the Bal- timore and Ohio Railroad, as has been substituted for the surplus revenue, seventy-five thousand dollars; for the education of the deaf and dumb, seven thousand five hundred dollars; to the Agricultural College, six thousand dollars ; provided. That none of the appropria- tions to colleges, academies and schools shall be paid to any such insti- tution, unless said institution shall, before the twentieth day of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-eight, make a full report to the Comptroller, as required by section four of article eighty-four of the Code of Public General Laws." This is in addition to the special State school tax of fifteen cents on the hundred dollars, which was continued, and to several county local laws authorizing a special school tax. Useful Hints to Teachers. — That which a man finds, which he discovers by the use of his powers, guided but not superseded by the teacher's, that he possesses, and that alone. He is not a receptacle to be filled with knowledge ; he is a living organ to be drawn forth to discover it. Truth meets the seeker, just when his search, his desire, is strong enough to take possession of the prize. The pouring in sys- tem, as if young souls were jars in which the honey of knowledge could be easily stored for pi'ofitable use, flies in the face of the method of Providence. The drawing forth the faculty is the first half of knowledge, and the end of knowledge when won, is the leading forth the facilities to a fresh discovery of a larger share. Maryland Agricultural College. — Captain Chas. L. C. Minor, of Hanover county, Va. , has recently been appointed to the presi- dency of the Maryland Agricultural College, and will enter upon its duties the 1st of October next. The compensation attached to the office is a salary of ^2,500, and the use of a house. Captain Minor is a gentleman of high character and attainments ; a master of arts of the University of Virginia, and a teacher of considerable experience. We congratulate the college upon his selection. — Richmond Whig. CL-OSING SEAT SCHOOL DESKS, Patented to W. H. SOPER, March 31st, 1863. No. 2. No. 1. Rear seat. No. No. We invite the attention of all persons connected with Schools, Academies and Colleges, and all Dealers in School Furniture to the recent valuable improvements in School Desks, the Primary School style of which is illustrated in the accompanying cut. They combine more advantages than any other, are more substantial, occui^y less space and afford greater facili- ties for class exercises. The Closing Seat, which is the crowning feature of this improvement, is so constructed as to promote both the health and comfort of pupils; the back being inclined and curved, is adjusted to the shape of the spinal column, and gives its support just where most needed. The arrangement for folding the seat to form aisles between all the desks, is very simple and not liable to get out of order, affording great couvenience for cleaning the room and for light Gymnastic Exercises. We make both Double and Single Desks, which we designate as follows : High School Nos. 1 and 2 with lids to raise; Grammar School Nos. 1 and 2 with shelves for books ; and Primary School Nos, 1 and 2 with shelves. HS^The Names indicate the Style of the Desk,andthe JRTumbersthe Siae. It frequently occurs that some small Desks are required in a High School, and some large ones in a Grammar or Primary School, hence these names do not indicate the sizes required. The dimensions of all the Desks are given in the annexed Price List, and purchasers are re- quested to examine the sizes before sending their orders. When Desks are to be shipped to a long distance, they can be sent knocked down, packed in a very small bulk to save freight and guard against damage. HIGH SCHOOL DESKS— SIZES AND PRICES. No. 1. — Length 4 feet, width 18 inches, height of side next to pupil 2 feet 5 inches, height of seat 17 inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 7 inches wide, and 4 feet long, adapted to pupils from 14 to 20 years of age ....Price $14 00 2. — Length 3 feet 6 inches, width 16 inches, height of side next to pupil, 2 feet 2 inches, height of seat 15 inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 5 wide, and 3 feet 6 long. Adapted to pupils from 12 to 16 years of age Price $13 CO GRAMMAR SCHOOL DESKS. 1.— Length 3 feet 6 inches, width 15 inches, height of side next to pupil 2 feet 4 inches, height of seat 16.^ inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 4 wide, and 3 feet 6 long. Adapted to pupils from 12 to IS years of age Price $9 00 No. 2. — Length 3 feet 1 j^ inches, width 13^ inches, height of side next to pupil 2 feet 1 inch, height of seat 14>^ inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 2 inches wide, and 3 feet IX long. Adapted to pupils from 8 to 12 years of age. Price $8 50 PRIMARY SCHOOL DESKS. No. 1. — Same size as No. 1 Grammar Price $8 00 No. 2.— " No. 2 " " $7 50 REAR SEATS. For High or Grammar School Desks, either size Price $6 00 For Primary School Desks, either size " $5 00 B^" An extra seat is required for the rear end of each row of desks. Ink Wells inserted at 20 cents and at 30 cents each. The first has cast iron hinged cover, the second, brass case with sliding cover, both have glass cups. SINGLE DESKS. We will make single Desks when ordered. The sizes will be correctly proportioned. High School, No. 1 $10 00 I Grammar School, No. 2 $6 50 " " No. 2 9 50 Primary " No. 1. .... 6 50 Grammar School, No. 1 7 00 | " " No. 2 6 00 MANUFACTURED AND SOLD BY Extensive Manufacturers of Cabinet Furniture, No. 3 SOUTH CALVERT STREET, BALTIMORE, MD. To whom all orders for desks must be addressed. For any information about the sale of the Patent Bight or the privilege to manufacture apply to W. HOKACE SOPER, Patentee, BALTIMORE, MD. SCHOOL BUILDINGS. ANY PARTIES CONTEMPLATING THE \.u'Q:T f i Acc ^punm ^iisa njiss^ CAN HEAR OF COMPLETH AND BY ADDRESSING THE Publisher at OTJMBEELAND, MD. SCHOOL DEPOT. It is in contemplation, in connection with the publi- cation office of this Journal in Baltimore, to ESTABLISH A DEPOT FOE TIIP: sale of ALL SORTS OF SCHOOL REQUISITES, OR MERCHANDISE, BOOKS, MAPS, STATIONERY, APPARA- TUS, FURNITURE AND FIXTURES, AND AIDS GENERALLY TO THE SCHOOL AND TEACHER. ^^Cl OF The claims of the Standard Test Books of Prof. Wood, in this department, are again urged upon Educators. They have a larger sale than all others combined, because thej" are TIEarS BEST! 1. Object Lessons in Botany. (For Beginners.) - - $1 25 2. Class Book of Eotany„ (For Intermediate Classes.) - 2 00 3. New Class Book of Botany. (A Complete Coiipendium.) - 3 50 Copies for examination, and first supplies for introduction, furnished at greatly reduced rates. Particulars on application. ^^^ See Prof. Wood's article on "Spring Flowers," in the April No. of the " Educational Bulletin." The International System of Uniform Weights and Measures must hereafter be taught in all Common Schools. Prof. Chas. Davies is the official esponeat of the system. Adopted by the Committee of the House of Representatives on a "Uniform Sys- tem of Coinage, Weights and Measures," Feb. 2d, 1867 : Resolved,, ThvLi tliis Committee has observed with gratiSeation the efforts made by the editors and publishers of several mathematical works, designed for the use of Common Schools and other institutions of learning, to introduce t\\e'Metric System of Weights and Measures, as au- thorized by Congress, into the system of instruction of the youth of the United States, in its various departments; and in order to extend further the knowledge of its advantages, alike in public education and in general use by the people. Be it further Resolved, That Prof. Chas. Davies, LL. D., of the State of New York, be re- quested to confer with Superintendents of Public Instruction, and Teachers of Schools, and oth- ers interested in a reform of the present incongruous system, and by lectures and addresses to promote its general introduction and use. .^^The April No. of the '■'■Educational B-ulleiin" contains an exposition of the 3Ietric System, from the pen of Prof. Davies, and the latest editions of his Arithmetics have it incorporated. w ai®. MAKSH'S ECCIiESIASTICAIj HISTORY : A Kistory of the Church in all Ages. For the use of Colleges, Seminaries, HigJi ScJwols, and the general reader. ■ Price, S2,00 A work of wonderful research, and covering the ground in a manner never before realized by a work of its size. No course of study is complete without it. DAVIES' OUTLIig-ES OJP MATHEMATICAL SCIEETCE, Sl.OO A manual to be carried by the teacher into the class-robms, and for constant reference as to the best method of presenting the science all its departments, with a comprehensive view of the whole. THE FOBEST CHOIR. BY GEO. F. ROOT. Price, 65 cts. A better book than the famous " Silver Lute," by the same author. fi^"These books will be editorially noticed in the " Illustrated Educational Bulletin," sent to any address for one year on receipt of Ten Cents. Address A. ^. B.A.H.WE® & Co., Educational Publishers, SCHOOL AND FAMILY SERIES Willsonh Primavi/ Speller. 16mo, SO pages, 56 Cuts. 15 Cents. Willsonh Larger Speller. Vlnio, IQS pages, 36 Cuts. 85 C&nts. Willsoii's Primer. 12mo, 48 pages, 107 Guts. 25 Gents. Willson's First Reader. I'lmo, Si pages, 132 Cuts. 40 Cents. Willsoii's Second Peader. 12mo, 154:r)ages, 100 Czits. 60 Ce^zifs. A Third Reader : Intermediate Series. 12mo,21() pages, 70 Cuts. 80c. TRZZsore's Third Reader. 12ino, 264: pages, 142 6Ws. 90 Cents. A Fourth Reader : Intermediate Series. 12mo, 312p. , 65 Guts. ^1 . 10. Willson's Fourth Reader. 12mo,^Q0 pages, IQ^ Cuts. ^1.35. Willson's Fifth Reader. 12mo, 540 ^a^es, 208 Guts. ^l.SO. These Readers, although first published only five years ago, have proved to the satisfaction of prominent educators, that Skill in Reading and a knowledge of the Natural Sciences can be acquired at the same time. They have already been officially adopted by the following States, viz. : Indiana, Kansas, Califoenia, Nevada, and Maryland. The State Board of Education of California have recently re-adopted Willson's Readers for a pe- riod of four years. They have also been officially recommended in Ortsson, Washington Tbrritoey, and Utah. The Hon, L. Van Bokkelen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Maryland, says : " My apprehension lest they should prove better adapted for teaching Nalural History than for elocutionaiy reading has been removed, and it gives me pleasure to say that I am convinced that, while making good elocutionists, valuable information is imparted to the children by the use of this Series." In the Ward Schools of the City of New York, where they are largely intro- duced, and where, owing to the use of all other prominent Series, at^ the same time, their comparative elocutionary merits are most thoroughly tested Mr Henry Kiddle, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, says : "I have uniformly found the classes using Willson's Readers as expert and proficient in the Art of R-eading as any I am required to, examine." Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, Franklin Square, New York. Sent hy Mail, postage free, mi receipt of Price. •*V* Harper & Brothers' Catalogue of Books for Schools and Colleges is now ready, and may be had gratuitously on application to the Publishers personally, or by letter enclosing Five Cents. A dfagcmne published every Saturday in Boston, containing the best Revieivs, Criti- cisms^ Stories, Fugitive Poetry, Scientific, Biographical and Political Information, gathered from the entire body of English Periodical Literature, and forming four hand- some volumes every year, of immediate interest and solid perma- nent value. EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS AND NOTICES OF THE PRESS. From the late President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, "Of all the periodical journals devoted to literature and science which abound in Europe and in this country, 'The Living Age' has appeared to me the most useful." From the Historian, Jared Sparks. "I fully concur with Mr. Justice Story in his estimate of the utility and importance of 'The Living Age' as a valuable contribution to our literature, not merely of t-emporary intei-est, but of permanent value." From George Tichnor. "I have never seen any similar publication of equal merit." From an article in the Independent, written by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. "It was a happy thought to select from this wide range of matter the best articles in every department, and by bringing them together in a new work, to give to the people at a very moderate sum, the cream of a hundred different inaccessible and expensive magazines and papers. This Mr. Littell has done, and done so well as to have deserved and earned for him self the thanks and esteem of all grateful readers. Out of so wide a field to select with taste and good judgment requires a talent in its way quite as rare as that which produces a brilliant article. Of 'The Living Age' we have a complete set upon our shelves, and we find it univer- sally popular and useful." From 2V. P. Willis, in the Home Journal. " 'Tenderloin,' 'foie gras,' are phrases, we believe, which express the one most exquisite morsel. By the selection of these from the foreign Reviews, — the most exquisite morsel from each, — our friend Littell makes up his dish of 'Living Age.' And it tastes so. We commend it to all epicures of reading." From the Nexo York Times. "The taste, judgment and wise tact displayed in the selection of articles are above all praise, because they have never been equaled." From the Louisville (Ky.) Journal. "The amount of matter annually furnished is very large indeed, and the quality is very superior. The editorial department is conducted with great tact and ability. The finest arti- cles which appear in the foreign Reviews and Magazines and Newspapers, together with im- portant articles from American newspapers appear in its columns. We are glad its success is so great as it is ; for it deserves to count its subscribers by the ten thousand." From the Boston Post. "Among all the periodicals that are published in magazine form, we know of none that sur- passes in intrinsic value 'Littell's Living Age.' It combines essays from the best writers upon all the great subjects of the day — literary, political and scientific, — with a pleasing variety of lighter topics. We venture to say that in no other form can a work of similar character be found of equal merit, or at so moderate a price." From the Springfield (Mass. J Republican. "We can do these among our readers who love sound and pure literature no better service than by referring them to this sterling weekly. It is decidedly the best magazine of the class published in the United States, if not in the world." From the Philadelphia Press. "The volume for October, November, and December, 1866, (being the third quarterly of the fourth series and the ninety-fii'st of the whole, ( fully maintains the high character of the work. It contains the following serials : 'Nana Balatka' and 'Sir Brook Fosbrook,' from Blackwood; 'Madonna Mary,' from Good Words; 'Village on the Cliff,' from the Cornhill Magazine; and 'Old Sir Douglas,' from Maxmillian. The 'Living Age,' we repeat, is a library in itself, worthy of its high repute." From a Clergyman in Massachusetts of much literary celebrity. "In the formation of my mind and character I owe as much to 'The Living Age' as to all other means of education put together." fiS"Published every Saturday at $8.00 a year. Sent free op postage, by LITTELL & GAY, June 30 BROMFIELD ST., BOSTON. PROPOSALS will be received for the erection of a SCHOOL HOUSE, within a short distance of the Patuxent river, in the lower part of Calvert county. All parties desirous of further information will address the undersigned. SOMERVILLE SOLLERS, Secretary, Prince Frederick, Calvert county, Md. Will leave Baltimore daily (except Sunday) at 8.45 A. M. Will leave daily (except Saturday) at 9.45 P. M.. and the ^ccoiiimod.e.tioii Tr'aisi Leaves Gumberlaad for Wheeling, daily, at 6.15 A. M., (except Sunday.) ^W These Trains connect at Belair and Parlcershurg for all points West, Southwest and Northwest. Leaves Baltimore, daily, at 4.20 P. M , (except Sunday.) EAST — Leaves Frederick at 7.05 A. M., daily, (Sundays excepted.) BLLICOTT'S MILLS TMAIN Leaves Baltimore at 6.20 and 9.50 A. M., and 1.20 and 5.20 P. M. Leaves Bllicott'siMills at 7.30 and 11.10 A. M., and 2.30 and 6.30 P. M. w, llSfSl, Leave Baltimore at 3.50, 7.05, 8.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 3.15, 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. On Sundays at 3.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. Leave Washington at 7, 7.45 and 11.15 A. M., and 2, 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. BI. On Sundays at 3.50 and 8.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. The 9.45 A. M. and 3.15 P. M. trains only from Baltimore, and the 7 A. M. and 2 P. M. trains from Washington stop at way points. The 7.05 A. M. and 4.15 P. M. from Baltimore, and the 7 A.M. and 4.30 P. M. from Washington connect with trains on the Annapolis Road. TRAINS LEAVE ANNAPOLIS at 6.30 A. M. and 3.40 and 6.40 P. M. for Baltimore and Washington. JOHK' Ii. WILSOH, Master of Transportation. Ii. M, COIiEi, General Ticket Agent, ®/p ISTcs. 1.1^ "^^^T. IB.^Xj'rilVCOK.El SX^iiSEI?, OPPOSITE SUK BDILDIKG, mt i^.*iiiiiiilliifaiiii! liiliilliiiii;., IS PREPARED TO EXECUTE, AT SHORT NOTICE, AND AT VERY REASON- ABLE PRICES, If ill iiiiiirt iii if reiif li' ©•q. REQUIRED BY INCORPORATED COMPANIES, SHIPPERS, SOCIETIES, FORWARDERS, BANKS, MERCHANTS, INSURANCE OFFICES, STOREKEEPERS, STEAMBOATS, BALLS, MECHANICS, &c. HAVING FACILITIES FOR PRINTING %%@l At short notice, orders are fjolicited, being convinced that satisfaction will be given in every instance. A cull is solicited. PREMIUM OFFER. CX.XJB K.A.TES- For five dollars cash remitted to us, we will send four copies of the '^Maryland Educational Journal" for the year. Those who may be disposed to make some effort to get subscribers for us, will thus be able to do well for themselves too, by getting sin- gle subscriptions, at the regular price, and retaining $1 in $5 for their trouble. For five dollars we will send three copies of this Journal and one copy of Daughaday's Philadelphia " Our School Day Visitor," a a first class illustrated magazine for young people, whose subscription price is $1.25 a year. Or, for $2.25, we will send one copy of our Journal and one of the Visitor. Similar offers we expect to make soon in connection with other pub- lications also. ise'T. MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL. SUBSCEIPTION RATES. Single copies, per annum $1 50 8 copies $4 00 5 " 6 25 10 copies 12 00 15 " 17 00 20 copies, $20, when mailed to one address. ADVERTISING RATES. One Page... Half Page.. Third Page. 1 mo. 2 mo. 3 mo. 6 mo. 9 mo. $10 00 5 00 2 50 $19 00 9 50 4 75 $27 00 14 00 7 00 $50 00 25 00 12 50 $65 00 33 00 17 00 12 mo. $80 00 40 00 20 00 SCHOOL WANTED. A lady of experience, competent to teach the ordinary English branches, also French, German and Italian, wishes a situation in a boarding school or private family. Salary not so much an object as a pleasant home. Address the publisher of this Journal. THE MARYLAND A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY, DEVOTED TO POPULAR IITSTRUGTIOIT i^ITD LITSRi^TURB, JPuMished 31onthly, in BALTIMOBJE, AIDED EDITORIALLY BY FRIENDS OF THE CAUSE IN EVERY SECTION OF THE STATE, AND BY AN Editorial Committee of Prominent Educators. Devoted to the cause of Education generally, mentally, morally, jihysically, at home and in the school room — the staunch and unflinching advocate of a high moral standard in both. Everything that bears upon education to come within its legitimate sphere, which will of course include the Sunday School interest — as faithful Sunday School instruction greatly lessens the labor of the day school teacher. Each number to contain 32 pages, large 8vo., of reading matter, besides the printed cover, and the whole to be equal externally, and it is to be hoped also internally, to any other similar publication, while of course it will be of more general utility and interest because of its being a Maryland journal. The following re^solutions were passed at the State Association of Commission- ers, in Baltimore, on the 13th December, 1866 : Resolved, That this association recognizes the importance of a State educational and family journal, and that the presidents of the city and county boards be requested to ascertain before February 15th the number of subscribers that can be secured, and forward the same to Mr. Zevely immediately thereafter. On motion of Dr. McJilton, it was Resolved, That an application, signed by the President and Secretary of this association, be made to the General Assembly for a subscription of fifty copies for each of the counties and the city of Baltimore, to be circulated by the city and county boards. Thus you will perceive that this journal is to be published under the auspices, and with the sanction and approval of, the State Association, and will be the organ and advocate of our uniform system of public instruction. It is not designed, however, to restrict its sphere to this, but to make it readable and acceptable both in the family and the school, serviceable to all teachers, parents and pupils. To all School Officers, School Commissioners, Teachers, and Friends of Education generally in Maryland. You are hereby appointed agents for this Journal and also contribntors to its columns ; i. e., you are respectfully requested to consider yourselves its co-editors. Please therefore remember that it is to be YOUR Journal, — (OUR Journal,) the exponent of every section and interest, not of anj' one locality only. Address me for the present at CUMBEMIjA.NJ>, MJ)., E. S. ZEVELY. > wx rw<»y Vol, 1, $1.50 a year, No, 3, I^H^ MARYLAND ^^— SCHOOL -^ — H/. IDTCVOXEr) TO POPULAR INSTRUCTION AND LITERATURE. THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND OF THE COMMISSIONERS' ASSOCIATION. .JUL^5t^, lS6'r. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: Rev. L. VanBokkelen, LL. D., State Superintendent. Rev. Jno. N. McJilton, D.D., City Superintendent. Dr. Samuel A. Harrison, Easton, l Rev. Jas. L.Bryan, M.D., Cambridge, Wm. H. Farquhar, Esq., Sandy Spring, I Rev. T. S. C. Smith, Belair, E. S. Zevely, Managing Editor, Cumberland. BALTIMORESs E. S. ZEVELY. Publisher. Printed by James "Young, 114 West Baltimore street. ^^~A11 letters, remittances, contributions and exchanges should be mailed to CUMBERLAND, for the present. GODSrTEIsrTS OF JULY NtJMBER. Natural and Acquired Ability — by Dr. M'Jilton .65 Music in Schools — by Dr. Harrison 69 Montgomery County Institute — by W. H. V 71 Personal Character of Teaciieus — by Dr. H 75 Memory, No. 2 , 78 Reminiscences of a Country School — by Miss V. M. -C 81 Circulating Libraries — by C ,; — 85 For the Toung Folks f 80 The Banker's Seven Shilling Piece : 88 Kent and Q. A. Institute 90 Home Educational Intelligence 92 Publisher's Statement 95 Sr»E01^\.L IVOTICES. This number of the Journal is sent to some who have not yet subscribed, with the hope that they will do so on inspection. Please respond immediately, either by remitting l^l.oO. or returning the Journal. Money mailed should be addressed to the publisher at Cumberland receipts will, in all cases, be promptly returned. Those near Baltimore, or who may be visiting the city in a few days, can pay either to W. H. Soper, Esq., 21 N. Calvert street, or to James Young. Esq., 114 W. Baltimore street, who will give receipts . Our friends throughout the State will please use their influence in sending us subscribers. See third page of cover. "Suitable articles for publication, including items of local school intelligence, solicited from all. 'rice of advertising in this Journal : Ten dollars for a page — Five dollars half page— Two dollars and fifty cents for one-fourtk of a page, with reasonable deduction for standing advertisements. See- third page of cover. MARYLiABfD EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. Vol. I. BALTIMORE, JULY, 1867. No. 3. Natural and Acquired Ability. HERE is a material difference between natural and acquired ability. The consideration and proper estimate of this dif- ference is necessary in successful teaching. It frequently occurs, in the management of childhood, that the natural ability is obscured and crippled in the effort to impart that which is to be acquired. And it as frequently occurs that the effort to impart the ability which is to be acquired is not commensurate with that which is natural in the learner. The teacher of the most limited experience knows that one pupil is possessed of more natural ability than another. It follows as a natural sequence, all things being equal, that such pupil has greater facility for the ac- cumulation of knowledge and acquired ability than others. On the other hand it is known to the teacher, even of limited experience, that one pupil may h,ave much less than the average of natural ability. It follows in this case as in the other, as a natural sequence, all things being equal, that such pupil has less than the average facility for the accumulation of knowledge and acquired ability. From the facts just stated an exigency arises that has puzzled the wits of multitudes of teachers. How shall the work of the school- room be ordered so as to afford proper facilities for the pupil of the inferior natural abilities and at the same time admit of progress to the extent of his capabilities in the pupil possessing the superior natural abilities ? The system of education that operates equally and with an equality of success in both these relations, must be that which makes the closest approximation towards perfection. It is probable that such perfection in a system of education may never be reached. In rela- tion to the variation in the quality of its mental ability, the human mind has received its impress from its Creator. Although the Creator has made of one blood all the nations of the earth, yet that one blood flows in varied .5 66 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, qualities through the veins of those which it animates. There are not only various qualities of blood in the different forms of animated nature, but there are various qualities of blood in the same form of animal or- ganization. There is one kind of blood of men, another of beasts, another of birds, another of fishes. In all these forms of animated nature there are hinds of blood peculiar to each. But the race of mankind is composed of one blood or one kind of blood. All are de- scended from a common stock. In this one blood or one kind of blood there are various qualities. Of course there are various com- positions of brain and nervous fluid, and from these various kinds of brain and nervous fluid there are given off various qualities of animal spirits. The process of the living principle from the brain and nerv- ous fluid to animal spirits, and from animal spirits to the mental facul- ties, is not to be traced by human knowledge. In this department our physiological discoveries are very limited. The subject is obscure. We know enough, however, to assert the belief that the blood has its effect upon the mental powers, and that the quality of the mental powers depends upon the quality of the blood. There is a fearful warn- ing in this relation of the care that should be exercised over the blood and its associations. If the blood be polluted or diseased, the disease works upon the system. It has its effect upon the brain and nervous fluid, upon the animal spirits and upon the intellect. Certain immo- ralities, as inebriacy, &c., pollute the blood. The consequences that follow are natural. The polluted blood of the parent descends through his offspring to the third and fourth generation, and perhaps to more extended generations. The physiological relations are consistent with the fact, that there are various qualities of mental power and of natural ability to be dealt with by the teacher and trainer of incipient humanity. The most prominent and most important inquiry of the relation is, how shall the system pursued in the school room be ordered so as to insure the best possible progi-ess to all the different grades of natural ability that ap- . pear? [ .. In the reply to this inquiry two points of especial interest present themselves. First — The system pursued in the school room should not obscure nor prevent the development and progress of the natural ability of the learner. Second — The system of the school room should be so ordered that it may insure the development and progress of the natural powers to the extent of their ability. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 67 In the consideration of both these points at once, it ma,y be said that in the pursuit of an intellectual system of mental training un- trammeled by a too fettered and slavish use of test books, the object may be, in an extended degree, if not perfectly, accomplished. The de- velopment of intelligence in different degrees is not altogether incom- patible with the progress of the class. A class average of intellectual progress may not be determined, but a class average of study may. In this class average of study a most delicate point is to be settled . The average must not be too high for the lowest grade of mental pow- er, while it must not prevent the progress of the highest. Let the work of education be pursued as nearly as possible upon the average, and while every proper aid may be given to the lowest grade of intel- lect, let the highest pursue its course undisturbed. The result will be witnessed in the brilliant development of the highest, and the best that can be produced in the lowest grade of mental ability. This working upon the proper average of intellect is the best that can be done by the school appliances. In this relation great watch- fulness is necessary for the purpose of advancing the proficient pupil to a higher grade whenever his attainments will justify it. The brilliant intellect is disgusted, dispirited and crippled by association in class connection with minds of inferior grade, when those minds operate as hindrances in the progress of his own. Measures must be pursued that will allow the pupil to maintain his position as nearly as possible with minds of equal, or of nearly equal ability with his own Rapid promotion may accomplish the object desired in his continuous advance- ment. Another difficulty, quite as formidable as this of working the differ- ent grades of intellect necessarily associated in the same class, arises from the fact that in the same mind there are frequently different de- grees of capability as regards its several subjects of study. A mind may be capable and brilliant in its pursuit of mathematical science, while it may be deficient in the ability to acquire a knowledge of lan- guage. How shall the teacher work the deficiencies so as not to re- tard the powers in the branch or branches most readily mastered ? The taste or inclination of the pupil may find some attractions in one or more subjects of study than in others. The mystery of taste and inclination is inscrutable. But still the taste and inclination may be wrought upon and modified, and entirely changed. This labor of re- fining and modifying and changing taste and inclination is one of the most interesting and important features of the educational process. The teacher that can work this department well, will hardly ever be 68 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, heard to complain of the different grades of material that may be as- sociated in a class. It is not by any process of machinery, nor by any especial or gene- ral use of the text books, or any of the usual appliances of the school room, that the taste and inclination of the pupil are to be modified and improved. This is the work of the teacher's intelligence and experi- ence. And the intelligence and experience necessary for the pursuit are those of constant and intelligent observation. It is this sort of ob- servation that makes experience for the teacher ; and the experience thus made is the capital for the teacher to work upon in order to in- sure success. It is in the lack of this experience that the teacher finds himself incapacitated for the management of the difi"erent grades of ability that he is obliged to place in the same class. More in this, than in the grades or tastes and inclinations of the pupils, does the teacher find his trouble. When the difficulty arises, were the teacher to study how he should work his own powers as well as those of his pupil, he would find himself partially, at least, if not fully relieved from his dilemma. In the working of the intellect of the class, let his own work in with it, and let there be, as it were, a common stock of intelligence, to be wrought through the minds of the members of the class, including the teacher. This is class de- velopment, and it may work a sort of equality of grade by the intermixture of all the grades. This may be done so efiectually that while the experience and intelligence of the teacher may be thrown in with the less degress of the same, possessed by the other members of the class, the design may not be discovered. As a mem- ber of the class, the teacher must cease to be a master or a mistress in the usual application of those terms. He must mingle intelligence and purpose with the pupils. He must develope intelligence as though it came up through the efforts of those engaged in the inter- change. In this sort of labor the teacher may use the brighter intellects of the class in the removing of deficiencies and the devel- opment of the proper medium or average of mental power. J. N. M. Amos Lawrence said, when asked for advice: " Young man, base , all your actions upon a principle ; preserve your integrity of charac- ter, and in doing this, never reckon the cost. M^" Most persons' ideas are adopted children — few brains can raise a family of their own. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. . 69 Music in the Public SctLOois. BEING AN EXTKACT PKOM A LECTURE UPON MUSIC, May 24, 1867. T used to be said ' ' all roads lead to Rome ; " with your speaker all subjects are pertinent to schools. Music is not so remote, however, that I should apologize for connecting it with the subject of public instruction. Among the Grreeks — a people who, of all others of antiq.uity, if not of all time, reached the highest degree of intellectual develop- ment — music was esteemed a part of a liberal education, as leading, by means of harmony and rhythmical proportion, to the purest elevation of mind and moral restraint. It was not an object, but a means of education. They considered it an indispensable ac- complishment of their heroes. Achilles, their ideal of chivalric excellence, was taught music by Chiron. In the age of Pericles, when the Grecian mind reached its peiihelion of greatest illumination, to be ignorant of music was considered a disgrace. The Pythian games — those games which had such influence in fostering national sentiment, and advancing national culture- — -were, in the first instance, musical contests only. The ancient gymnasia, both among the Greeks and Romans, were for the exercise of music as well as for rhetorical and other studies. Plutarch says that whosoever shall in his youth addict himself to the study of music, if he be properly instructed therein, shall not fail to applaud and practice that which is noble and generous, and detest and shun the contraries — music teaching those that pursue it to observe decorum, temperance and regularity. In the middle ages, it made part of what was called the quarivnim — the four branches of a learned education, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music. In modern times, those nations and states which are_ most advanced in general intelligence, and in the science and art of educa- tion, have introduced music into all their schools. Germany, now leading the world in every branch of human knowledge, and whose system of popular instruction is most perfect, requires all her children to be taught music. America — at least that portion of America in which the education of the people is most widely diffused and highly appreciated — is following her example, so that now, throughout the North and West, from thousands of school houses, in city and village, on hill-side and by road-side, daily is heard the song of happy chil- dren — made happier, and therefore better, by their songs. Nor is our own county altogether silent. We too have caught up the strain ; so that now, here and there, in this, our beautiful Talbot, as you ride X 70 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, the roads, you may hear, at certain periods of the day, the shrill voices of our children, mingled with the deeper tones of our teachers, awakening unwonted echoes in the still woods, and if you have a spark of sentiment in your nature, awakening responsive echoes in your hearts. He must be callous indeed who does not feel the calm- ing, soothing, subduing influence of such song. Children are not of sterner stuff than men. The use of music in the schools for its purely physiological effects, apart from its moral and intellectual benefits, and from the pleasurable gratification which it affords, is appreciated by all enlightened edu- tors. The activities of children, restrained by the necessary confine- ment and discipline of the school, the loss of which is shown by their impatience, inattention, restlessness and disobedience of commands, in the exercises of the voice by musical utterance, are satisfied, and the nervous equilbrium restored ; they seem to serve as conductors to carry off, without injury to the discipline of the school, the overcharge of cerebral electricity. We, the school ofiicers, are trjdng to do our part in popularizing music, by introducing it into our public schools. We are employing it now as a means of discipline, rather than making it a subject of study — as an aid to the teacher by adding to the pleasures of the pu- pil. As we are banishing the rod, the emblem of authority and the object of fear, so we are bringing in the haton, the emblem of con- cord and harmony. Old Fuller said of music : ' ' Horses do more for a whistle than a whip, 'and by hearing their bells, jingle away their heaviness." If horses, how much more children ? If the good people of this county will give us the means, we will have music taught in every school from the Chesapeake to the Choptank, and we will cause every little pupil who is now fretting his soul over his spelling book, or breaking his heart over his arithmetic, to burst forth some time in every day in jubilant song. Our school rooms shall no longer be places of gloom and solemn seriousness, where every emotion is quenched but that of fear; the teachers' voice shall be pitched in another key than that of severe command, and utter something else than harsh reproof; the ferule shall beat time to other music than the childrens' cries. When we can bring our two thousand children, who are, or should be, in our public schools, into this town upon some Fourth of July, after all the angry passions of the horn- shall have subsided, when men have ceased to hate each other, and think their fellows villains, because they differ in opinion; when we all, of every phase of sentiment, can unite in one hearty celebration A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 11 of tlie nation's natal day, when we can bring these two thousand children here, and make them sing some ballad of the affections, such as "Home, Sweet Home," — some song of patriotism, such as the "Star Spangled Banner," or some psalm of devotion, such as the grand hymn of Pope: "Father of all, in every age, In every clime adored," we then shall know that we have not failed in our efforts in behalf of popular education — we shall believe that we have done much for the establishment of sound morals, the fostering a sincere love of country, and for the promotion of pure and undefiled religion in this county ; more perhaps than has been done for us in a quarter of a century by all the essays of philosophers, all the harangues of demagogues, and all the homilies of our ghostly fathers. Montgomery County Teachers' Institute. FTER delays incident to all new undertakings of magnitude and difficulty, the first Institute for Montgomery came off at Rockville on the 9th and 10th of May. The novelty of such a convention in this part of the State, the want of travelling facilities to aid in bringing the teachers to a central point, and a general sense of iindevehped sympatliy on the part of the community towards the undertaking, had tended to produce in the minds of the persons responsible for the affair, a natural apprehension in regard to its success. In consonance with this gloomy foreboding, and, as if to ensure its fulfilment, the weather at the commencement was exceedingly unpropitious. It had been arranged that the Institute should be continued for three days ; but the first day was entirely lost in consequence of the storm that prevailed. Professor Newell, of the State Normal School, came on, however, through the rain, and found three or four teachers whose zeal could not be damped by mud or tempest, waiting in comfortable quarters at Mrs. Almoney's Hotel. Thursday, the 9th, was favorable. The teachers came gradually in; and, at about 11 A. M., the Institute was formally organized in the Court House. The Rev. Mr. Cumsten was invited to open the exercises with the solemnizing influences of prayer; invoking that divine aid, "without which no true success can be, and with which success is certain." 72 . MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The President of the County Board then welcomed the teachers to this their first public association. He referred to the isolated condition of their life, and impressed the supreme importance of union and co-operation, through which would come power and influence. He explained that the Teachers' Institute is a Normal School on a smaller scale : a place where teachers come to be taught how to teach. Trusting that the idea of becoming learners would not wound their vanity, that they were not of the number of those who " can't be told anything more about their profession," he reminded them that "the wider the circle of human knowledge becomes, the more points does its periphery touch of the vast unknown which encompasses it on every side." The teachers were further reminded, that they were there to learn, not only of the officers of the meeting, and the gentlemen who were expected to address them, but of one another. In his frequent visits to their schools, the President had always been able to gather useful ideas for himself; and never failed to observe that each teacher practiced some method of his own, which would be useful to others to know. Therefore, they could see the advantages of bringing this knowledge together, and casting it into a common heap, from which all might draw something beneficial to themselves. The inti'oductory address of the President was followed by a lecture on teaching arithmetic, delivered by Benjamin Hallowell. This veteran in the science and practice of education, impelled by the deep interest always taken by him in the promotion of the great cause, had cheerfully consented to lend his ef&cient assistance to ensure the success of the first Institute held in his own county. The three practical addresses with which he favored us^ were listened to by the teachers, and a moderate, but highly respectable audience, outside of the bar, with the liveliest attention and interest. The presiding genius of the Institute, Professor Newell, then gave an explanation of the design and objects of such convention, and the course pursued in their practical working. The morning session con- cluded with a lecture from Mr. Hallowell on the mode of teaching grammar; in which the teachers were made to understand, that they must not depend on their text books in illustrating this great branch of science. It is necessary to impress on the scholars the nature of language, and the connection and difference between words and things In teaching grammar, we must regard language as a structure, and point out the essential uses of the several parts. The afternoon session was opened by a discussion upon arithmetic. Several teachers gave their views in regard to the proper method of A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 73 teaching fractions. Lady teachers continue diffident. A trial of skill in adding several columns from Walton's cards, resixlted in obtaining answers, about half of which were correct. The suggestion was made that this was more a trial of nerve-power than of arithmetical skill. The subject of reading was introduced by some remarks of the President, who seemed to consider this important branch of learning as being the worst taught of any in our schools. A great difficulty that meets teachers at the start, arises from the bad habits into which children fall while learning to talk. The responsibility for this defect does not rest upon teachers ; but they are called upon to use their strongest efforts to prevent the formation of bad habits, and to correct them when formed by observing the following rules : First, to read the lesson with great care before the scholar is suffered to attempt it. Children are imitative creatures, and this active faculty must be called fully into play. Secondly, to give them no sentences to read which they cannot understand. Thirdly, to remember that a single sentence, readjust as it should be, is more conducive to progress in the art, than many pages read in the usual slovenly manner. In the familiar discussion which arose on this topic, it appeared that most of the teachers practice the method of putting the young pupils to reading at once, and carrying on reading and spelling in parallel columns ; while a few still adhere to the (happily) antiquated system of taking the scholar through the long, dull columns of the spelling- book, before allowing him to read. The subject of geography was very neatly introduced by an essay from one of the ' lady teachers, in which the writer dwelt on the importance of map-drawing. She also drew several maps on the blackboard, demonstrating the advantages of the system employed by Apgarth. Professor Newell strongly recommended the little book by that author. The Institute then adjourned for the day, leaving the impression of a very pleasant commencement of its labors. In the evening, the teachers re-assembled in the Court-room, with the object of organizing an association. They had a pleasant and successful time, their deliberations being enlivened by vocal music, in which several of their own number, and some gentlemen from the town, participated. The result was the formation of a Teachers' Association, which is to meet quarterly in different districts of the county, and hold its annual meeting at the time of the Institute. Over twenty dollars were paid in to defray expenses, and form the nucleus of a library. Rev. Geo. W. Israel being elected President, and Mary P. Coffin Secretary. 74 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The second day's session of the Institute commenced under favorable auspices. Twenty-nine teachers were in attendance, and the outside audience had increased. Professor Newell commenced the exercises with a lecture upon object lessons, which riveted the attention of all persons in the room. All felt that a new and important method of instruction — nature's method it might well be called — was here opened to view. It is a method which needs no costly apparatus nor text books, (indeed the professor was severe in denouncing test books in general, as they are at present indiscriminately used.) Nature oifers all the apparatus necessary for this sort of lessons, flinging it everywhere around us. The professor took an egg for example, and convinced his hearers, somewhat to their surprise, that they had a great deal to learn yet about the simple things of nature. A lecture on School Management, by Benjamin Hallowell, furnished the next intellectual treat. Nay— it was something better than that : it was addressed to the highest and best feelings of his audience, who evinced their deep interest by the most concentrated attention. Lessons drawn from long experience, illustrated and enlivened by many personal incidents, all going to prove the two cardinal doctrines of the speaker — that self-government is essential to governing others, and that love is indeed the fulfilling of the law. These lessons were delivered in such a way as to sink deep, and not soon to be forgotten, Charles Abert, Esq., one of the School Commissioners of the county, delivered the closing address, in which the duty of imparting moral and religious instruction in our public schools was strongly urged. The address was very favorably received, and served as an impressive termination of our exercises. The teachers seemed loth to depart, until assured by the professor and the President of the County Board, that this must not be their last meeting. We must not omit to mention that Mr, E. B. Prettyman, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Montgomery county, in a neat and appropriate address, assured the members of the Institute of the interest taken in their proceedings by the community generally. The sessions of the Institute were favored by the presence and countenance of the Chief Justice of our State, who extended a liberal hospitality to its members. The State Superintendent, greatly to his own and our regret, was unavoidably detained while on his way to attend our meeting. So ended our first Institute, leaving on the minds of all who attended it an impression of decided success. The time was too short to allow of anything like a full course. The familiar discussions with A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 75 the teachers, which promised to be so interesting and instructive, were necessarily cut short ; many important topics were not touched upon, but a good beginning was made. Enough was done to show that there is no feature of our school system, nor of any system of public education, which is calculated to produce so much benefitin proportion to the time devoted to it as the Teachers' Institute. Personal Character as a Qualification of the Teacher. Part of the salutatory address to a Teachers' Institute, May 20, 1867. PART I. 'HE science of education must pass through all the phases of the other sciences. It was once a series of formulas, transmitted from age to age — it entered the speculative 'i^jgC) stage, and teachers drew their rules from premises them- (pO selves assumed. It is for us to regard it as a positive science. We must disregard tradition and ritual, as of no binding force; we must adopt observation and experiment, guided by right reason, as the genius of our law. You, gentlemen, are school men; but there is no need that you should be Aristotelians ; Baconians, you should be, in your methods. The philosophy of the middle ages is not the philosophy for us. We must not fear to put everything to the test of experiment, however great may be the authority by which it is supported, or however old the custom by which it is sanctioned. The laws which govern the growth and operations of the human mind are as definite and as general in their application as those which apply to the material universe ; and it is evident that a true system of education must be based upon a knowledge and application of these laws. You have in the school room the best field for the study of those laws. Not from a study of mature forms only does the zoolo- gist derive his knowledge of the animal creation ; not from a study of the flower and fruit only does the botanist obtain his knowledge of the vegetable world. The mind has its embryology, as has the body, and to you is given the opportunity and privilege, while observing the evolution and development of its various faculties and powers, to study its laws. The art of teaching, though among the first of arts in the order of time as in dignity, is yet rude and inchoate. Not so the other arts. 76 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The sculptor from the rough block rivals the breathing image. The painter, with a few pigments, makes the canvass live. But the art of fashioning the human mind, of giving shade and color to human thought, has not reached that admirable perfection — its efforts are but the misshapen images which childhood forms. Many a fair block of marble was wasted before " The bending statue, which enchants the world," stepped forth ; many a fine breadth of canvass was spoiled before the Madonna del Sisto won that adoration for the portrait, which it was meant to inspire for the person, of the Virgin mother. But what of these? They are but losses of insensate stone, or a little colored earth, and linen web. But who shall count the cost of that upon which the teacher works ? Who can estimate the losses from those rude and unskilled workmen;, who for thousands of years have been hacking at the unformed mind of man, and making of it not Apollos, slaying the Pythons of wrong and violence ; not Minervas helmeted with wisdom; not Graces cinctured with the wreaths of beauty; but ghastly images of gorgons and chimeras dire ? Who can set value on, the damage done by those who have been bedaubing and smearing the fair and virgin canvass of the soul, making foul and beastly pictures, and calling them divine? Such work, gentlemen, you are not content to do. You are aiming at higher and better things. In teaching, we study not the "old masters;" we fly to nature, and he only is our master who will teach us nature's method, We have invited you to this, our studio — this, our atelier. Here we mean to study together our art; here we hope to learn that nobler sculpture than that in stone — the plastic art of moulding youthful mind; here we hope to learn a finer limning than that of brush and easel — the giving the lines and lineaments, the caste and hue, of human souls. But this "must give us pause." The moulding youthful mind — the giving cast and hue to human souls ! Do you remember that the image which the sculptor forms is in his mind before it is embodied — that the statue is but a marble thought? Do you reflect that the painter copies but the pictures painted within his brain. Do you remember, too, that the clay with which the sculptor moulds his beau- tiful conception receives and retains the impress of his hands — the very finger marks? Do you remember that the style more than any signature betrays the artist's touch and name? The children com- mitted to our care " We form like was, and mould them as we will." A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 7*7 We stamp upon them our own image, and this we do whether we will or not. Their minds are like the sensitive plates of the pho- tographer — they receive the impress of the object that is placed before them, whether that object be base or noble, foul or beautiful. You, yourselves, teachers, are ever before them. You ineffaceably and in- evitably daguerreotype upon their souls your image in all its symetry, or in all its deformity. Your character is lined upon the sensitive plate of their minds, as you stand in the field of that powerful camera, the school room. Take care what position and what expression that character maintains, that you perpetuate nought but grace, nought but what is gracious. >ic * ^ic h^ * >;< But, fellow-teachers, however valuable these institutes may be as temporary normal schools, in which you are to receive instruction in the art of teaching; however valuable they may be in aifording asso- ciation and intercourse between those following the same profession ; however valuable they may be in fostering professional ardor, pride, and emulation, (and I would not undervalue them in any of these par- ticulars, but would add my voice to yours in commendation of them,) let us not forget that they fail to reach one end — they cannot impart that first, that best, that highest and indispensable qualification of the successful teacher, personal character. This is a qualification which cannot be obtained from books, or be imparted by teachers. It cannot be infused from without, but the whole man with it must be, as it were, sufi"used from within. It is a something which, if you do not already possess, you will fail to gain it here, at this institute. But this you may learn, whether this qualification is within you. If you find it wanting, I charge you to shun these precincts. The Frugal Teacher. A TRUE STORY IN VERSE. While a certain school off'cer was making his round, In a certain school district, a blackboard he found, Whose glossy, bright surface no chalk had besmeared, So clean and so shining its smooth face appeared. On asking the teacher the wherefore and why, The frugal young man gave this prudent reply : "That my reason's a good one, I'm sure you'll not doubt, I feared if I used it I'd soon wear it out.'^ J^^Insult not another for his want of the talent you possess : may have talents which you want. 78 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Memory.— No. 2. UPPOSE you were to repeat to any pupil of ordinary capacity the following sentence: " If a hoy should hag his dad, he would he apt to put his mammy in a roar,"" and were to ask that pupil a week or a month after, what would be the effect if a boy should bag his dad — i. e. put his daddy in a bag ! — don't you suppose you would get the cor- rect answer ? Now a word about our English alphabet: — A, B, C, D, E, F, — but stop, why say ef ? why not fe ? using the same vowel sound after all, and not before some and after others. To continue, comes G, all right ; then H — aitch ! — what an abominabje sound for an aspiration ! — I, J — (why not je?) — K — (why not ke ?) — why use the vowel A to form the sound of this letter when E would do at least as well, and have the advantage of symphonious uniformity ? Then comes L — (why not say le ?) — M — (why not say me?) — N — (why not ne?) — — P — (all right) — Q — (why not say ke ?) — and by the way why have K and Q with similar sounds in the alphabet? R — (why not re ?) — S — (why not se?) — and why have C soft and S with similar sounds in the alphabet?— T— (all right)— U—Y— (all right)— W— double you ! what a name ! — X — ecks ! awful ! why not kese ? — Y — Z — ze, all right. The true sounds — the vowels — you observe are not criticised. We need them for other purposes. This system contemplates enunciating all the consonants uniformly with the sound of the vowel E after and not hcfore, and by thus using them it will be found upon classification that we shall have but ten sounds — ten articulations — in the entire alphabet, which are S, T^ N, M, R, L, J, K, F, P, articulated se, te, ne, me, re, le, je, ke, fe, pe. Other letters as P and B, T and D, K and Q, F and V, &c., have similar or correlative sounds. Again : in our language certain combinations of letters have single articulations, as Ph for F, — Sh and Ch for J, — &c. C and G hard, Q and K, have correlative sounds. S, Z, and C soft, ditto. Facts involving figures are usually most difficult to retain, i. e. the memory has no hold upon isolated figures, because no idea is conveyed to the mental perception by them. If we can devise any method by which figures can be made in effect to convey tangible ideas to the mind, then we could retain them better. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 12 Supose then, by way of example, in the last words of the sentence or formula given at the outset of this article — {piammy in a roar) — we would say that the letter m stands for the figure 3, and r for 4, and could have that by any means indelibly impressed upon us, then we should have in those words the figures 33, 44, Attention is now invited to the following synthetic and cabalistic fundamental formula : Seaton may relish coffee pie ! 012 3 45 6 789 se fe ne me re le she he fe pe and to the following fundamental basis or key, wherein certain letters are used for certain figures, and not arbitrarily either, but, as shown below, ingenious analogies exist between them : Figures 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Articulated se te ne me re le she he fe pe S T N M R L J K F P z D Sh g hard V B c Ch G- soft Q c hard Ph ANALOGIES : z — zero. t — one down stroke. n — two down strokes. m — three down strokes. r — last letter in the word four. L in Roman notion is 50 — leaving off the cypher is 5. J is a 6 reversed. k turned wrong end up looks like a 7 or key. F in writing resembles an elongated 8. P is a 9 reversed. The above are the primitive letters of those that follow : s and c soft are correlatives of Z. d sounds nearly like t, and also represents 1. ch or che, sh or she, zh and g soft, are correlatives of J. c and g hard, and q, are correlatives of K. V and ph are correlatives of F. B sounds nearly like P. 80 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The Synthetic and cabalistic fundamental formula contains all the articulations, and will greatly aid in retaining them ; in fact, by means of this, their acquisition is but the work of a moment, while it acts as an instantaneous key whenever the memory flags. The fundamental basis or key must be well understood, primarily, before proceeding further. PiULES. — Words are articulated according to sound, not according to spelling. Thus the word dumb, is de, me or 13 — exact is ke, se, ke, te, or 7071 — watch is te, che, 16 — mammoth is me, me, te — ^331, double letters being articulated singly, and th, as te — huge shock is je, she, ke, 667- — swiftly is se, fe, te, le, 0815^ but as a cypher to the left is worthless in whole numbers, this is not regarded, and swiftly is 815 — tliick pen is te, ke, pe, ne, 1792 — weariness, is re, ne, se, or 420 — written is re, te, ne, 412. Apostrophic s. not regarded, as Tailor'' s awl is te le re le, 1-545. The only weighty objection against mnemotechny is, the trouble and difficulty of applying it. However good, say these objectors, how good and correct soever it may be theoretically, practically it is im- practicable to every one who cannot devote nearly all his time, atten- tion and a large stock of patience to getting it ready for use. This objection is frankly admitted to be just. If the student who wishes to assist his memory, has to form, arrange and adjust the means before he can use them, or apply them to his purpose, how well soever he understands the art. he will do better to pursue his studies without them. There is, however, one way of removing this obstacle, and only one, which is to furnish mnemonized books, that is books in which the mnemonic art is applied to the subjects, or in which the subjects are mnemonically prepared and ready for the student's use. In this way books can be prepared for schools, which, if properly used, would impart knowledge expeditiously, and in such a manner to render it permanent, by enabling the student to retain it. Should this ever be well done, and the books be adopted by a suf- ficient number of intelligent teachers, who will recommend them io others, they would soon be adopted by teachers generally — astonish- ing advantages would soon follow, the generous public would approve and patronize ; and this adoption of mnemotechny would be a promi- nent event, a bright epoch, in the annals of education. In teaching, says a distinguished educator, it is hardly possible to A SCHOOL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 81 exaggerate the importance of visible illustration. Step .by step, by means of what is already known, higher attainments are gained. It is only by the power of association of ideas that we can retain new ideas, — only by means of what is already known that we learn things previously unknown. Here lies one of the great strong points of mne- motechny. Its contrivances are not so arbitrary as many at first glance might imagine — far fronl it. The formulas used open a wide field to the ingenious teacher for object teaching, and are calculated to arouse that interest and mental excitement in the pupil so necessary to the acquisition of knowledge. Ideas that come into the mind when we are in an apathetic state, make no permanent lodgement. In teach- ing any science by means of mnemotechny there can be no drowsiness. Here all must be animation and eagerness of attention. The child acquires a fondness for that which is to be remembered, and love in fact at last may be said to be the parent of memory. With these necessarily and purposely brief introductory thoughts, we are now prepared to open up the main subject, and we trust that such an interest has been awakened on the part of the reader that he will fairly pursue the subject further, and, if a teacher fairly test it in the school ; and to facilitate this we will be prepared to supply teach- ers cheaply with sheets of mnemonized matter ready for use in the school room. Keminiscences of a Country School. Read at the Annual Commencement of the StatQ Normal, by Miss V. JI. C. OW the country, so far as scenery, fun and farmers con- stitute it, presents an agreeable prospect; but here the bright side of the picture closes, and the dark side com- mences, with bad roads and leafless trees in winter, hornets' nests in summer, and last and worst, country school houses and country teachers. City people, brought up in luxurious ease, with every comfort around them that wealth can purchase or art produce, who never saw an old log 'barn or a corn field, have not the most remote idea what a country school house is. * * * * * I have no doubt my school house was considered one of the best and most comfortable in the whole township, if not, indeed, in the whole world, but I never could find out exactly where the comfortable part was. Many a long winter day have I isat with two shawls over 6 82 ' MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, my shoulders, and even then my hands were too cold to use the rod effectively. Consequently I was compelled to try "moral suasion," which, after all, seemed to agree better with the boys; at all events they took it good naturedly, and, like Oliver Twist, always seemed to be wanting more. I have a distinct remembrance of the day on which I was installed into office. It was a beautiful day in November, 18—, warm and pleasant. The school house, as it appeared to my vision, was an old stone structure, built in antideluvian times, or perhaps upheaved by some later geological convulsion, with three windows on each side, two at one end, and the door opening in front. It seemed to be placed as far as possible from any human habitation, the acute builders thinking that the attention of the children would not then be distracted from their lessons by the sight of human beings, and the teachers could never have the opportunity to indulge in a gossip with visitors. The first morning I entered the school room something came buzzing around my ears. As I looked up I saw the windows were lined with wasps, that had taken possession of the school room during the summer, and were coming out this pleasant morning to greet the new "school marm." I thought they were the largest species of j^i'es I had ever seen. I had meditated a nice little speech to my young hopefuls about the necessity of good behavior, &c,, but the attendance was so very poor on the first day that I postponed it in hopes of a larger and more appreciative audience. The scholars came dropping in one by one for weeks following, so that by the time all had arrived, my enthusiasm had cooled considerably, and I thought it best to let the lecture go. Then came the task of classifying them. Ah I you city teachers that have charge of but one class, and that one organized for you, you know nothing of the trouble and ansiety this task occasioned me. I am aware that in Maryland a uniform system of text books has been introduced, yet for fear the teachers may not feel grateful enough for this, I will endeavor to relate my experience in a State where this system has not as yet been adopted. To commence with the olass in the primer. Of course every boy had a different book ; one indeed had a primer so old that it might have come out of Noah's ark, only, I be- lieve, the art of printing was unknown in those days. But I managed to get along, however, with this class, as I heard each member sepa- rately. There were five readers-— all happened to be Osgood's series —but then that made five separate classes. There were two kinds of arithmetics, and — well I won't tire your patience by describing the ge- A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 83 ograpliies, spellers, dictionaries, grammars. Altogether they made a terrible number of classes. Twenty classes ta be heard in one day by one teacher, and the notion abroad in the community that each reading class should be heard four times every day! I'm afraid if I had humored the prejudices of the people the "shades of night would have been falling fast" before I could have wended ray solitary way over the muddy fields to supper. Well, the room was comfortable as long as the warm weather lasted. True, it was' not very handsome. The walls were all spattered with ink, but the black rather enlivened the dusky brown Portions of the ceiling had, through the force of gravitation, sought a resting- place upon the floor. The door had been shot through by some coun- try sportsman, to ventilate the room perhaps, though that was un- necessary, for enough fresh air was introduced through innumerable cracks and crevices about the windows and ceiling. It was the house, however, that the directors thought suitable for their children to sit in, day after day, and drink in wisdom from the lips of their teacher. When the November winds begin to blow we understood the beauty of shutters. Ours — those that were yet left on their hinges — were an exception to this rule, however, and only good in making an eSective "battering ram" against the sides of the house. On those days when old Boreas rattled the windows and made eager attempts to get in at the door, on such days we were obliged to break the eighth command- ment, and, must T say horroio fence rails from the squire's field to prop against these same old shutters, to counteract their natural centrifugal force. Once, notwithstanding all our philosiphical precautions and ingenious contrivances, the wind got the mastery and carried off" fence rails and all. The little children looked upon it as a judgment for taking the squire's fence rails. As the weather grew colder, we began to get chilly. The bovn stirred up the fire and put the wood in the stove, but it Wiis so old and rheumatic that it kept nearly all its warmth to itself. Luckily the ■wood was convenient, for as the school board had not thought it at all necessary to provide us with such a luxury as a wood shed; we were compelled to make one of the corner behind the door. The children crowded around the stove, and their teacher sat back with her two shawls, cold fingers and a book, trying to hear the lessons. But how could children study when they were not comfortable? The thing was impossible. Perhaps a glimpse of my blue nose and red fingers made them compassionate, and endeavor to i?tudy a little to please the teacher who gat back and allowed them to get to the fire— for they did learn some I 84 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, One day one of the directors came in, no doubt to see if I was teaching as he thought I should. It happened, fortunately, to be a pretty cold day, and the old stove, as usual, scarcely threw out enough heat to warm a mince pie for dinner. He sat down near me, and listened to the lessons. Presently he began to shuffle about on the bench. I went on with the lessons in pretended ignorance, enjoying it all — wickedly though — for I knew he was getting cold. He kept moving about and rubbing his nands, and at last, as I did not seem to notice his uneasiness, he calls out: "Its pretty cold in here; boys why did you let the fire go outf" I felt like saying, "Mr. Treasurer, why don't you get us a stove to keep the fire inf" He left shortly afterwards, and did not appear again during the session. He, with a heavy overcoat on, could not sit in the school room a quarter of an hour, and yet we were obliged to stay there all day. I was compelled to pay the expenses of having the fire made, the room swept and the wood cut. I suppose if the times were to get much harder, the teacher would be obliged to buy the wood too. When I opened my school I found a bucket and tin cup there. One day the tin disappeared. As we could not lock the door, I suppose some needy person came in at evening and confiscated it. I bought another; but it shared the same fate. After that the children drank out of an old gourd one of their number kindly furnished, though where it came from I would not care about knowing, as I drank out of it myself sometimes. * * * The winter passed away and the teacher with it — that is from the school room. But she did not forget the many difiiculties and inconveniences she had to encounter. With the least effort on the part of the school board these difficulties might be swept away, and instead of the country school house being the last resort upon earth, it might be made one of earth's pleasant places— an oasis in the desert. If the school houses and their locations were improved, the teachers certainly would be improved too, and the community would soon feel the beneficial effect of the new state of things. Good teachers will not spend their lives in such places as I have endeavored to describe. >!c ****** * [What teacher has not had a feeling demonstration of the true pic- ture here drawn of many country schools and school houses? — Ed.] J^°Reproof is a medicine, like mercury or opium : if it be impro- perly administered, it will do harm instead of good. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 85 Circulating Libraries. lEELINGr an interest in the educational progress of the State, I take the liberty to send you a few thoughts on a desider- atum seriously felt in most of the rural districts. I allude to the want of a circulating library. It will be readily con- ceded, that if the only education a child is to receive is to be obtained from the books contained in the State list, that his or her education will be very imperfect. However well those books may be suited to — strictly speakings — school purposes, they are not intended, nor do not give that varied information neces- sary to make one an agreeable and intelligent companion, gained by reading histories, travels, memoirs, scientific works, &c., usually found in circulating libraries. If the State is annually to spend thou- sands of dollars to instruct its juvenile population, why does it not complete the work ? The appetite is engendered, before the boy or girl leaves the district school for information, and it is very unfortunate to find further information or intellectual food suddenly with- drawn, when he or she ceases to attend school. In most cases there is no library at home or abroad he or she can have access to. Just the time of life when the foundation for future usefulness, or the reverse, is to be laid, the boy, at least, is forced to seek improper company to while away his evenings or other leisure time. The girls, forced by custom^ to stay more at home, resort to light trashy novelletes, found in some newspaper. How is this desideratum to be supplied? By having in each public school a circulating library, governed by such laws as will guard against the wanton destruction or abuse of the books taken out. The cost of such a library, if entirely borne by the State, would be a trifle in comparison to the benefits to the rising genera- tion. _ c. »•« Worth Trying. — Some of our friends who delight in flowers ought to try an experiment recommended by one of our exchanges. If suc- cessful, the result will be a gratifying one. It says : " Any lady who cultivates a rose in her apartments will find that by planting an onion in the same spot the fragrancy of the rose will be increased a hundred per cent. Why this is so, is more than we can say, but it is certainly a fact. — Tallahassee Sentinel. ^ou need not tell all tbe truth, unless to those who have a right to know it all. But let all you tell be the truth. 86 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, For the Young Folks ! y OYS ! are you kind to your mothers? not always. Did \xfi !r-v>-> y^^ ^^®^' ^^^^ '^^ ^^^ P^^'^ ^^^^^^ ^^y whose mother was taken i^/nj suddenly ill. They were very poor, had no one to send YGtrSfej for help, and the case seemed urgent. So the little fel- low volunteered. His mother told him to go to the Ij^ apothecary shop and get some laudanum. Impressed with the importance of his mission, and not taking time to wash his face or comb his hair, he seized an old broken pitcher for want of a phial, and ran with all his might to the druggist's. Entering all out of breath, he asked the man behind the counter — " Is this the shotti- cary pop, mister?" ''Yes, bub, what's wanting?" "Mammy is sick — got the bronkeetis in the stomach — and sont me over to get a cent's worth of Bobbleum." He gets the laudanum, and runs home, feeling every inch a man, and he will be a man some day too. We wouldn't give much for a boy who isn't kind to his mother. Not every boy who grows up to be twenty-one gets to be a man in the true sense of the term. "But my mother scolds me!" Ah, boys, your are monstrous ag- gravating sometimes ; and its no wonder your mother scolds. Just to think, when she is quietly busy with her household cares, or rocking the cradle, or writing a letter, to have you rush in from school with- out cleaning your feet, throw down your books anywhere, slam the doors, wake the baby, scare the cat, and turn the house topsy-tur- vey. Scolds, does she ! Kiss her, and set about doing some- thing for her, or for some other member of the family. That will make you happy, and home happy. The best way to be pleased, is to try to please others. Did you ever try this ? Ji@°'One winter evening a bevy of little children were telling their father what they got at school. The eldest; reading, spelling and definitions. " And what did you get, my little one?" said the father to a little rosy-cheeked fellow who was at the same time slily driving a nail into the door panel — " Me ! — oh ! I gets readin', spellin', and gpankins." I hope, my little daughter," I said one morning, " that you will be able to control your little temper to-day." "Yes, mamma; and I hope ^/ow will be able to control your big temper. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 87 Strike the Knot. — "Strike the knot!" said a gentleman to his son, who, tired and weary, was leaning on his axe over a log which he had been trying to cleave. Then, looking at the log, the gentle- man saw how the boy had hacked and chipped all around the knot without hitting it. Taking the axe, he struck a few sharp blows on the knot, and split the log without difficulty. Smiling, he returned the axe to his son, saying : ' ' Always strike the knot I " That was good advice. It is good for you, my children, as it was to the boy to whom it was first given. It is a capital maxim to follow when you are in trouble. Have you a hard sum to do at school? Have you got to face a difficulty ? Are you leaving home for the first time to live among strangers ? Strike the knot ! Look your trouble in the eye as the bold lion hunter looks in the face of a lion. Never shirk from a painful duty, but step right up to it and do it. Yes, strike the knot, boys and girls, and you will always conquer your difficulties. little boy, whose mother had promised him a present, was saying his prayers before going to bed, but his mind running on a horse, he began as follows : "Our Father who art in heaven — ma, won't you give me a horse — thy kingdom come — with a string to it ? " '^e once knew a boy who said he liked ' ' a good rainy day- too rainy to go to school, and just rainy enough to go fishing." American Sunday School Union. — The forty-fifth anniversary of the American Sunday School Union was held on Tuesday evening, at the Academy of Music, in Philadelphia. The attendance was very large. Addresses were delivered by ex-Glovernor Pollock, Rev. Mr. Cookman and Rev. Mr. Willits. The annual report shows the re- ceipts of the past year to have been $98,727, and the expendi- tures $108,833. New schools organized, 1,671, containing teachers, 10,559; scholars, 67,204; schools visited and aided, 6,090; con- taining teachers, 45,175 ; scholars, 351,485 ; families visited, 35,924; miles traveled, 314,410; Scriptures distributed, 9,821; books and other requisites given to Sunday schools, $15,331.98; total schools organized, visited and aided, 7,761; having teachers, 55,734; scholars, 418,689. MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The Banker's Seven Shilling Piece. T was during one of the great national panics of England that a gentlemen, who may be called Mr. Thompson, was seated, with something of a melancholy look, in his dreary back room, watching his clerks pay away thousands of pounds hourly. Thompson was a banker of excellent cred- it — there existed, perhaps, in the city of London, no safer concern than that of Messrs. Thompson & Co.; but at a mo- ment like the one just referred to, no rational reflection was admitted, no -former stability was looked to. A general distrust was felt, and every one rushed to his bankers to withdraw his hoard, fearing that the next instant would be too late — forgetting entirely that this step was of all others most likely to insure the ruin that was sought to be avoided. The wealthy citizen named sat gloomily watching the out- pouring of his gold, and with a grim smile, listening to the clamorous demands on his cashier, for although he felt perfectly easy and secure as to the ultimate strength of his resources, yet he could not altogether suppress a feeling of bitterness as he saw constituent after constituent rush in, and those whom he fondly imagined to be his dearest friends, eagerly assisting in the run upon his strong box. Presently the door opened, and a stranger was ushered in, who after gazing for a moment at the bewildered banker, coolly drew a chair, and abruptly addressed him thus: "You will pardon me, sir, for asking a strange question; but I am a plain man, and like to come straight to the point." "Well, sir?" impatiently interrupted the other. "I have heard that you have a run on your bank, sir." "Well?" ' ' Is it— true ? " "Really, sir, I must decline to reply to your most extraordinary query. If, however, you have any money in the bank, you had bet- ter at once draw it out, and so satisfy yourself; our cashier will instantly pay you." And the banker arose, as a hint to the stranger to withdraw. "Far from it, sir; I have not one sixpence in your hands." "Then may I ask what is your business here?" " I wish to know if a small sum would aid you at this moment." "Why do you ask the question?" "Because, if it would, 1 would gladly pay in a small deposit." The money dealer started. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 89 "You seem surprised; you don't know my person or my motive. I'll at once explain. Do you recollect some twenty years ago when you resided in Essex?" "Perfectly." "Well, then, sir, perhaps you have not forgotten the turnpike gate through which you passed daily? My father kept that gate and was often honored by a few minute's talk with you. One Christmas morning my father was sick, and I attended the toll bar. On that day you passed through, and I opened the gate for you. Do you recollect it, sir?" "Not I, my friend." "No, sir; few such men remember their kind deeds; but those who are benefitted by them ought not to forget them. I am, perhaps, pro- lix; listen, however, only a few moments, and I have done." The great banker had become interested, and at once assented. "Well, sir, as I said before, I threw open the gate for you, as I considered myself in duty bound — I wished you 'a happy Christmas.' ' Thank you, my lad,' replied you, 'thank you; and the same to you; here is a trifle to make it so ; ' and you threw me a seven-sMlUng piece. It was the first money I ever possessed; and never shall I for- get my joy at receiving it, nor your kind smile in bestowing it. I long treasured it, and as I grew up, added a little to it, till I was able to rent a toll myself. You left that part of the country, and I lost sight of you. Yearly, however, I have been getting on; your present brought good fortune with it, and I am now comparatively rich ; and to you I consider that I owe all. So this morning, hearing accident- ally that there was a run on your bank, I gathered all my capital, and brought it to lodge with you, in case it can be of any use. Here it is." And he handed a bundle of bank-notes to the agitated Thomp- son. '-In a few days I will call again." Snatching up his hat, and throwing down his card, he walked out of the room. Thompson undid the roll — it contained thirty thousand pounds! Moral. — Always be clever to the boys; and boys always be polite. °'Tis said that meteoric showers are comets^ and comets meteoric showers, — nebulous groups of fragments floating in their highly elip- tical oi'bits and being gathered up now by the sun and plants. The universe having been created, is now being swept up ! 90 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Kent and Q. A. Institute. TEACHERS' Institute for Kent and Queen Anne's counties was held at the Methodist Protestant Church in Centre ville, Md., commencing on Monday, May 27th, and continuing ^^^ during the week until Friday afternoon. There were present seventy-one teachers, four of whom however were teachers of private schools in and near Cen- treville. On Monday afternoon the only business was that of organization. On Tuesday Prof. Newell and Dr. Van Bokkelen arrived, and the Institute regularly got to work. Two sessions of three hours each were held each day. Addresses were delivered on various educational topics by Dr. Van Bokkelen, Prof. Newell and Messrs. Meeks, Thompson, Harrison and Booth, Presidents of the School Commissioners of Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot and Caroline counties, respectively. The subjects of attendance upon school ; the word method of teaching reading ; corporal punishment in schools ; grammar without a book ; etymology ; arithmetic ; elementary geome- try and algebra ; history ; geography and map-drawing ; simultane- ous reading; writing by P. D. & S's. system; the use of rewards in schools, and object lessons, were severally discussed and considered. The methods of teaching in all the branches named above by oral instruction, and upon the object lessou principle, as far as, and when- ever practicable, were explained very forcibly, and illustrated very fully, by Prof. Newell; and the art of governing schools by moral suasion, or by corporal punishment, or by both, was very fully considered and discussed by him, and by other teachers of all grades of experi- ence. As the result of the whole matter, I think it was established as the opinion of the Institute with some few exceptions, that corporal punishment cannot with profit be entirely abolished ; but that it can only be used to advantage for extreme cases, and that it is alike the interest and duty of the teacher to whip children only when by no other method can order and discipline be preserved, and even in these cases that teachers should never be hasty in their conclusions. The object lesson principle seemed to meet with very general favor. The reports of committees appointed last year upon different branches of study all with one exception, favored the methods of teaching in contra-distinction to school-keeping only, and the one exception was scarcely an exception in fact. Prof. Newell's clear explanation of these subjects could not, and did not, fail to command appx'oval ; and as one said of his convictions, all could say in some degree, " I have A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 91 had many old opinions overthrown, many more seriously shaken, and I am satisfied myself very much instructed." The teachers seemed all interested and pleased, and many expressed themselves as having very much enjoyed the meeting as well as feeling themselves very much benefitted. Some incidents of the discussions none present will ever forget; but I forbear to particularize.* The meetings were at- tended by a large and intelligent body of visitors, who all seemed as much interested as the teachers themselves. In short the Institute was a success. J. West Thompson, Jr., Secretary. * Particulars are just what we want, brother, — Ed. Magnificent Literary Fabric. Webster's Quarto Dictionary has passed through various editions, each an improvement upon and an enlargement of the preceding, un- til it has culminated in the present magnificent literary and linguistic fabric. The reputation of this work is not confined to America. We find it stated that in the Alexandre case, tried in the Court of Ex- chequer at Westminster Hall, under purely English law, no other dictionary, English or American, was quoted or alluded to than this. The Lord Chief Baron, in his decision, pronounced "Webster s Dic- tionary a work of the greatest learning, research and ability." Be- sides the numerous illustrations with which the volume is interspersed, there are at the end sixty-seven pages of the most finished pictorial illustrations, representing almost every conceivable object in nature, science and art. It would be unnecessary, if we were competent to the task, to subject this work to a critical analysis. Its reputation is firmly established. It is built upon a rock, and can bid defiance to any petty storm that the critics can raise. — Rich. Whig, May 8, '66, S. Barnes & Co., a leading publishing house in New York, have given to the Trustees of the Peabody Educational Fund 30,000 volumes of School Books, including 5,000 volumes of the " Teacher's Library." The value of the gift is about $25,000. The Hon. E. C. Winthrop, Chairman of the Trustees, in a letter expresses the highest appreciation of the munificent contribution. 92 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Home Educational Intelligence. ,^^The School Commissioners of Allegany county have secured a valuable property in the city of Cumberland, at a very reasonable price, which is to be fitted and furnished for school purposes in time for the fall session. Teachers' Institutes. — The State Superintendent and Professor Newell of the State Normal School, have held Institutes at Easton, Centreville and Salisbury, meeting at least two hundred and fifty of the teachers of Kent, Queen Anno, Caroline, Talbot, Somerset and Worcester counties. In this number a record is given of the work at Centreville, and also of the Montgomery County Institute, at Rock- ville. In the nest issue we will find space for notices of the In- stitutes at Easton and Salisbury. The people of the counties are waking up to the importance of making public school teaching thorough and efficient. To accomplish this, the teachers must be thoroughly taught the duties of their vocation. "As is the teacher — so is the school." At Centreville and Easton the teachers were hospitably en- tertained by many of the citizens. School Festival at Fairmount, Somerset County. — The citizens of this District are determined not to stop until "all things are done well." They have erected one of the most complete school houses in the State, have thoroughly furnished the rooms with desks, maps, &c., and now are collecting funds to purchase a school library. Good books are to the mind what good food is to the body. The educated mind craves knowledge, and at Fairmount it can be had in varied and attractive forms to suit every intellectual taste. The ladies have given their valuable assistance, and by means of a festival at Crisfield are adding largely to the library fund. Cannot the ladies in other sections of the State "go and do likewise." When they take an earnest hold upon school work we have no fear of failure. May God bless them I Howard County. — The President, of the Board of School Commis- sioners of this county has just completed his quarterly visitation to the schools, and reports the total attendance of pupils 1309, an in- crease of 90 over the summer term of 1866, and more than 500 in- crease over the attendance during the first term of the new system. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 93 A large school house has been built near Poplar Springs, and the old houses have been generally repaired. Here are facts showing that in Howard the friends of Public Schools are in earnest and the school officers rendering faithful and acceptable service. Make the Children Happy. — A beautiful procession with banners and music marched through the streets of Baltimore on Whit-Monday. The motto of the associations in the line is "sana mens in corpore sano," i. e. good exercise for good health and sound mind. After many companies of men had passed, there came a company of boys of 12 to 15 years of age. They were preceded by two lads mounted on ponies and accompanied by a fine brass band, composed of young- sters, playing most lustily and sweetly. We thought as we looked upon the boys, "how wise it is to make the children happy," to en- courage them by precept and example, and also by days of pleasure and exercises in which they can take an active and prominent part and be heroes for a little while. The School Joukxal. — A friend writes : " Accept our thanks for the May Number of the " Maryland Educational Journal." It is not only the youngest, but one of the prettiest, and, judging from this number, the best of similar Journals, all of which come to our rooms." We make our bow to this appreciative friend. J|^° The publisher of this journal presents his respectful compli- ments to all teachers and true friends of education, as well as to all who should support a school and family journal in our State ; and in- forms them that a little more hearty co-operation on their part would greatly conduce to the assurance of its permanent success. The journal being commenced, MUST continue at least one year — but it is necessary that our terms of advance payment should be complied with. We hope this notice will be sufficient to induce all who have not yet done so to remit without further delay. 94 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, J^^From the following circular we learn that the State Association of Teachers will soon be in session at Annapolis. Let all teachers be present and prove to the Convention that they are earnest, capable, faithful ; and that the school system is doing its work well and needs no change. We rejoice to know that College Presidents extend the right hand of fellowship to teachers of Primary Schools : To the Public School Teachers af the State of Maryland : The State Association of Public School Teachers will meet in An- napolis on Tuesday, July 9th, 1867. All teachers are cordially in- vited to be present. Gentlemen who attend will be provided with accommodations at reduced rates. Ladies will be accommodated without charge. All who wish to be provided for on the conditions named must report at once to Rev. Dr. Nelson, President of St. John's College, at Annapolis. A full turn out of the teachers of the State is greatly desired. Important events await the action of those who practically maintain the cause of cdijication in the State. Interesting addresses may be expected from distinguished gentlemen. Wm. R. Creery, M. A. Newell, Baltimore City. P. T. Warren, Dorchester County, Wm. Galligher, Kent County. E. Adams, Baltimore City. Will our friends in Baltimore city be kept in the school room till July 15th, and thus deprived of the pleasure of meeting their fellow laborers from the counties ? The Board of School Commissioners of the city, we hope, will not require this. [ Jl@^ All who attend will please come prepared to pay for the Maryland Educational Journal.] Notice to Corrbsponi>ents. — We have received several valuable communications which lack of space compels us to defer. We hope to receive sufficient encouragement to enable us to give more pages ; but till this takes place, we shall be compelled to do the best we can and bring in all in due order. We wish correspondents, howeveV, not to be discouraged, but to keep on writing. Nothing is pleasanter than to have a drawer well filled. We desire articles upon the studies and management of schools, written by men of experience and culture- We again call upon teachers and County Superintendents for educa- tional items, ,^^*fSays the Illinois Teacher, and we say amen!™* 'It seems to us that it is due to our calling as teachers, and to our State educa- tional interests, that every teacher shofild siihscribe to and he a reader of hi8 own State Educational Journal. ^^ Ofiice of the Maryland Edocational Journal, Baltimore, June, 1867. Statement I, as publisher and managing editor of the " Maryland Educational Journal,''^ wish it to be understood that I am not pledged to any party or system. I wish to publish an educational school and family jour- nal, (legitimately so,) free from and disconnected with party feeling- believing that there is an opening and need for such a journal in our State—and one that will be ready to advocate any system of education that the powers that be may devise. In other words, I do not v/ish that the existence of my journal shall necessarilj^ depend upon the ex- istence of the present school law, or of the continuance in office of the present school officers — although I am free to say that I think it will be difficult to devise a better system than the one we now have is, or might be made, with some slight modifications— or to find a better corps of school officers. Politics, in my opinion, should have nothing to do with education, or with an educational journal; and, as publisher, I know no party, I go for the just, the true and the right, wherever that may be found, and for the best school system. I adopt the following sentimentB of a correspondent ; Popular Education no ''Party Sarnie?*.'' — " Popular education underlies all good government, and aims to originate good government itself, ' Party ' aims to eifect only a division of the spoils after it is originated. Popular education is the interest of every man, woman and child in the State. Party is the interest only of politicians and office seekers. Popular education, both in itg aims and eiFects, is in- finitely ahove partisan politics." !E. S. Zevei^y. The American Educational Series. THE LARGE and increasing sale of these books— the emphatic commendations of hun- dreds of the best teachers of the country who have tested them in the class-room, a.nA know whereof they affirm, amply attest their real merits, and fully commend them to general favor, and the confidence of every thorough unil practical teacher. UNION READERS. The matter and illustrations in this Series are entirely new, and unsurpassed by any otb«v similar Series published, in variety and adaptation. ROBINSON'S COMPLETE MATHERIIATICAL SERIES With the improvements and additions recently made, is the most complete Series of the kind, by one author, published in this country. THE METRIC SYSTEM OP WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, Full, practical, and adapted to the wants of business men, will be added to the future editions of Robinson's Rudiments, Practical and Higher Arithmetics. There will also be inserted in Per Centage, in the Higher Arithmetic, several pages on the different kinds of U. S. Securities, Bonds, Treasury Notes, Gold Investments, Currency, <6c., -with Practical Examples. This change and addition will not interfer with the use of the book with previous editions of the same. The Metric System, and the aforenamed improvement in pee centage, will also be bound in pamphlet form, containing about 47 12mo. pages, and will be sent to any address, by mail, on receipt of TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. lierl's ]Vew Series of GJ-3:*aiiiiiia,rs. Unsurpassed in Simplicity , Clearness, Research, and Practical Utility. DICflONIlRlfS. These popular School Dictionaries having been thoroughly revised, and extensively re- garded as the standard authority in Orthography, Definition, and Pronunciation, and as the BEST Dictionaries in use, are respectfully commended to teachers and others. They are much more extensively sold and used than all others combined. SPENCERIAN COPY BOOKS. Used in NINE-TENTHS of all the Normal Schools of the United States. Officially adopted and used in all the Principal Cities of the United States. Taught in all the Com- mercial Colleges, Also, Well's ISTatural Science, Wilson's Histories, Fasquelle's French Series, Bryant & Stratton's Book-Keeping, Wood- bury's German Series, Mantilla's Spanish. Headers, Bradbury's School Music Books, etc., etc. 83"Teachers and School Officers, are invited to correspond with us freely, and to send for our Descriptive Catalogue and Circulak, which will be promptly sent upon application. S^ Liberal terms given on Books furnished for Examination or Introduction. Address the Publishers, IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & Co. 47 & 49 GREENE STREET, NEW TORE:. CHICAGO. PHILADELPHIA. CLOSING SEAT SCHOOL DESKS Patented to W. H. SOPEB, March 31st, 1863. No, 2. No. 1. Rear seat. We iuvite the attention of all persons connected with Schools, Academies and Colleges, and all Dealers in School Furniture to the recent valuable improvements in School Desks, the Primary School style of which is illustrated in the accompanying cut. They combine more advantages than any other, are more substantial, occupy less space and afford greater facili- ties for class exercises. The Closing Seat, which is the crowning feature of this improvement, is so constructed as to promote both the health and comfort of pupils; the back being inclined and curved, is adjusted to the shape of the spinal column, and gives its support just where most needed. The arrangement for folding the seat to form aisles between all the desks, is very simple and not liable to get out of order, affording great couvenience for cleaning the room and for light Gymnastic Exercises. We make both Double and Single Desks, which we designate as follows : High School Nos. 1 and 2 with lids to raise ; Grammar School Nos. 1 and 2 with shelves for books ; and Primary School Nos. 1 and 2 with shelves. B^The Names indicate the Style of the Desk, and the Wumbersthe Size. It frequently occurs that some small Desks are required in a High School, and some large ones in a Grammar or Primary School, hence these names do not indicate tlie sizes required. The dimensions of all the Desks ai-e given in the annexed Price List, and purchasers are re- quested to examine the sizes before sending their orders. When Desks are to be shipped to a long distance, they can be sent knocked dotvn, packed in a very small bulk to save freight and guard against damage. HIGH SCHOOL DESKS— SIZES AND PRICES. No. 1. — Length 4 feet, width 18 inches, height of side next to pupil 2 feet 5 inches, height of seat 17 inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 7 inches wide, and i feet long, adapted to pupils from 14 to 20 years of age Price .|14 00 No. 2. — Length 3 feet 6 inches, width 16 inches, height of side next to pupil, 2 feet 2 inches, height of seat 15 inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 5 wide, and 3 feet 6 long. Adapted to pupils from 12 to 16 years of age Price S13 00 GRAMMAR SCHOOL DESKS. No. 1. — Length 3 feet 6 inches, width 15 inches, height of side next to pupil 2 feet 4 inches, height of seat 16.}^ inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 4 wide, and 3 feet 6 long. Adapted to pupils from 12 to 18 years of age Price |9 00 No. 2. — Length 3 feet 1}4 inches, width 13^ inches, height of side next to pupil 2 feet 1 inch, height of seat UX inches, space occupied by Desk and Seat 2 feet 2 inches wide, and 3 feet 1>^ long. Adapted to pupilsfrom 8 to 12 years of age. Price $8 50 PRIMARY SCHOOL DESKS. No. 1. — Same size as No. 1 Grammar Price §8 00 No.2.— " No.2 " " $7 50 REAR SEATS. For High or Grammar School Desks, either size Price $6 00 For Primary School Desks, either size " $5 00 B^ An extra seat is required for the rear end of each row of desks. Ink Wells inserted at 20 cents and at 30 cents each. The first has cast iron hinged cover, the second, brass case with sliding covei-, both have glass cups. SINGLE DESKS. We will make single Desks when ordered. The sizes will be correctly proportioned. High School, No. 1 $10 00 I Grammar School, No. 2 $6 50 " " No.2 9 50 Primary " No. 1 6 50 Grammar School, No. 1 7 00 | " " No.2 6 00 MANUFACTURED AND SOLD BY s. s. STE-vEisrs cSc soisr. Extensive Manufacturers of Cabinet Furniture, No. 3 SOUTH CALVERT STREET, BALTIMORE, MD. To whom all orders for desks must be addressed. For any information about the sale of the Patent Bight or the privilege to manufacture apply to ■W. HORACE SOPEK, Patentee, BALTIMORE, MD. SCHOOL BUILDINGS. ANY PARTIES CONTEMPLATING THE ERECTION OF FIRST CLASS SCHOOL BUILDINGS, CAN HEAR OF COMPLETE lawm©!, F&^wi, AND S FEC I FI C .A.T I 03Sr S F O E< S .A- HVt E, BY ADDRESSING THE Publisher at CUMBERLAND. MD. SCHOOL DEPOT. It is in contemplation, in connection with the publi- cation office of this Journal in Baltimore, to ESTABLISH A BEPOT FOE THE SALE OF ALL SORTS OF SCHOOL REQUISITES, OR MERCHANDISE, BOOKS, MAPS, STATIONERY, APPARA- TUS, FURNITURE AND FIXTURES, AND AIDS GENERALLY TO THE SCHOOL AND TEACHER. OKUEDRS SOLICia?BID. SCHOOL WANTED. A lady of experience, competent to teach the ordinary English branches, also French, German and Italian, wishes a situation in a boarding school or private family. Salary not so much an object as a pleasant home. Address the publisher of this Journal. THE SCIENCE OF THE SEASON! BOTANY. The claims of the Standard Text Books of Prof. Wood, in this department, are again urged upon Educators. They have a larger sale than all others combined, because they are THE BEST! 1. Object Lessons in Botany. (For Beginners.) - - $1 25 2. Class Book of Botany. (For Intermediate Classes.) - 2 00 3. IsTew Class Book of Botany. (A Complete Compendium.) - 3 50 Copies for examination, and first supplies for introduction, furnished at greatly reduced rates. Particulars on application. .^^ See Prof. Wood's article on "Spring Flowers," in the April No. of the " Educational Bulletin.'''' THE M:ETIMC S^iTSTElVI. The International System of Uniform Weights and Measures must hereafter be taught in all Common Schools. Prof. Chas. Da vies is the official exponent of the system.* READ THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS Adopted by the Committee of the House of RepresentativeH on a "Uniform Sys- tem of Coinage, Weights and Measures," Feb. 2d, 186V: Rtiolve.d^l'hzX this Committee has observed with gratification the efforts made by the editors and publishers of several mathematical works, designed for the use of Common Schools and other institutions of learning, to introduce the Metric System, of Weights and Measures, as au- thorized by Congress, into the system of instruction of the youth of the United States, in its various departments ; and in order to extend further the knowledge of its advantages, alike in public education and in general use by the people. Be it further Resolved, That Prof. Chas. Davies, LL. D., of the State of New York, be re- quested to confer with Superintendents of Public Instruction, and Teachers of Schools, and oth- ers interested in a reform of the present incongruous system, and by lectures and addresses to promote its general introduction and use. le April No. of the ^^Educational Bulletin" contains an exposition of the Metric System, from the pen of Prof. Davies, and the latest editions of his Arithmetics have it incorporated. M AKSH'S ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY : A History of the Church in all Ages. For the use of Colleges, Seminaries, High Schools, and the general reader. Price, $2,00 A work of wonderful research, and covering the ground in a manner never before realized by a work of its size. No course of study is complete without it. DAVIES' OUTLINES OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCE, $1.00 A manual to be carried by the teacher into the class-rooms, and for constant reference as to the best method of presenting the science all its departments, with a oomprehensive view of the whole. THE FOREST CHOIR. BY GEO. F. ROOT. Price, 66 cts. A better book than the famous " Silver Lute," by the same author. B^These books will be editorially noticed in the "Illustrated Educational Bulletin,^'' sent to any address for one year on receipt of Ten Cents. Address A. S. B^R,Pf ES & Co., Educational Publishers, SURKKA LIQUID SLbATINGS^ (MoNGEE'8 Invention. J. W. Schermebhorn & Co., Manupaotueers.) Makes a Surface which Rivals the Best Wall Slates. It is Perfectly Black ; never Crumbles ; always remains Hard and Smooth. It is successfully applied to any kind of board or wall, and is invaluable in renovating old wooden blackboards. Its dueabilitt is proved by twelve years' severe use in some of the best Schools in Kew England and New York. The surface seems to improve with use and age. Any teacher, by observing directions, can apply it, ma.'kmg perfect slate surface, unrivalled in color, smoothness and durability. PRICE— Quarts, $3.00; Pints, $1.75. Five p. c. discount on 5 gals.; ten p. c. onlOgals. One quart will cover lOO sq. ft. Hence it makes a cheap Blackboard. For old Boards one coat is enough. New surface requires two coats or more. It is put up in tin cans, and safely sent by express. CAUTIOK". — The Eureka Xiquid Slating is the Original Xtgm'd Slating— the first Liquid Blackboard ever offered for sale Its great success has called out several imitations ; but none can produce the perfectly smooth, enduring, dead-Hack surface of the Eueeka. It IS positively the only slate surface which will not glaze. Prominent educators almost everywhere can speak for Eureka Slating, and we will war- rant it. TESTIMONY POU THE EUEEKA SLATING. The Eureka Liquid Slating will alwavs give satisfaction v/hen properly applied. JOHN D. PHILBRICK, Supt. Public Schools, Boston, Mass. I have used it nine years, and it seems to improve. From my own experience I think it will last FIFTY YEAES. E. ROBBINS, Principal, New Haven, Conn., April 23, 1866. Superintendent's Office, Troy, iV. F. June 21, 1866. It gives excellent satisfaction, I can imagine nothing better. EDW. DANFORTH, Supt. Schools. Office Superintendent of Public Schools, Cleveland, Ohio, 1867. " Eureka Liquid Slating " covers over twelve thousand feet of our blackboards, at a cost of about $1,000. We are well paid. It is far superior to anything I know. ANSON SMYTH. EuEEKA Slating is on blackboards in my school. They are hard, do not reflect the light, and are smoother than natural slate. A. J. RICKOFF, Principal, Cincinnatti, Ohio, I have used it ten years. It is slate color, smooth, and never becomes glossy. 0. S. COOK, Principal No. 2, Dayton, Ohio. ■National Business College, Chicago, May 25, 1866. We have used it in our four College buildings, on common walls and on old boards. It ex- ceeds our hopes in fineness and durability. H. G. EASTMAN, LL.D, President; D. K. ALLEN, Secretary. Indianapolis Female Institute, Ind., March 12, 1866. For four years we have ueed Eureka Slating, with complete satisfaction, on wood, papered walls, and hard finish. I prefer it to real slate, because the surface is as good, with advantage of unbroken surface to any extent. C. W. HEWES, President. St. Joseph, Missouri, Aug. 28, 1865. It is easily applied, and makes a beautiful and perfect blackboard surface. E. B. NEELY, Supt. Public Schools Minnesota State Normal School, Winona, March 18, 1866. Our blackboards are of '■ Eureka Slating." It leaves nothing to be desired. It is equal to best Vermont and I/ehigh slates, besides being cheaper. I commend it to the teachers of the Northwest. WM. F. PHELPS, Principal. Besides above, we can refer to thousands of the most intelligent teachers and school oflScers in the land. . — »«-* EUKEKA SLATED BLACKBOARDS, READY MADE. Of these unrivalled Boards we always have, with neat white wood frames, these sizes ; 1— size 2 ft.x3 ft $3 60 1 4— stee 3^^ ft.x4;i ft $ 9 50 2—" 2Htt.x3}itt 5 25 5—" 4 ft.x5 ft 12 00 3— " 3ft.x4ft 7 00 I Any size to order per sq. ft 60 Sam^ Sizes in black walnut frames, each extra boar* 1 00 Sold by J. W. BOND & CO., Baltimore, Md., AND BY SCHOOL-FURNISHING HOUSES GENERALLY. Send for Specimen of American Educational Monthly, and complete list of school books, &c. J. W. SCHERMERHORN & CO., 430 Broome st., New York. ti3:e RAILROAD. On and after SUNDAY, May 5, 1867, three daily trains will be run between Balti- more and Wheeling and Parkersburg, as follows: MAIL TRAIN will leave Baltimore daily (except Sunday) at 8.45 A. M. FAST LINE will leave daily (including Sunday) at 5.20 P. M. EXPRESS TRAIN will leave daily (except Saturday) at 9.45 P. M. These trains connect at Belair and Parkersburg for all points West, Southwest and Northwest. FREDERICK ACCOMMODATION TRAIN leaves Baltimore, daily, at 4.20 P. M., (except Sunday.) Leaves Frederick for Balti- timore daily (Sundays excepted) at 7.05 A. M. THE ELLICOTT'S MILLS TRAIN leaves Baltimore at 6.20 and 9.50 A. M., and 1.20 and 5.20 P. M. Returning leaves Ellicott's Mills at 7.30 and 11.10 A. M., and 2.30 and 6.30 P. M. FOR WASHINGTON.— Leave Baltimore at 3.50, 7.05, 8.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 3.15, 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. FROM WASHINGTON FOR BALTIMORE.— Leave Washing- ton at 7.00, 7.45 and 11.15 A. M., and 2.00, 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. FOR ANNAPOLIS.— Leave Baltimore at 7.05 A. M. and 4.15 P. M.; leave Washington at 7.00 A. M. and 4.30 P. M. Trains leave Annapolis at 6.30 A. M. and 3.40 P. M. SUNDAY TRAINS.— Leave Baltimore for Washington at 3.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. Leave Washington at 7.45 A. M., and 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. For further information. Tickets of every kind, &c., apply to J. T. ENGLAND, Agent, Camden Station, or at the Ticket Office. JOHN L. WILSON, Master of Transportation. L. M. Cole, General Ticket Agent. PROPOSALS will be received for the erection of a SCHOOL HOUSE, within a short distance of the Patuxent river, in the lower part of Calvert county. All parties desirous of further information will address the undersigned. SOMERVILLE SOLLERS, Secretary, Prince Frederick, Calvert county, Md. " I-didn't-get-no-Letter. 9) Thus bitterly cried a little girl as she left the Post Office one day. Her tears told the value of a good letter. What is prized more, or hailed with greater delight ? The young love to be noticed ; seldom receive letters. Whatever truths come to them in this form they read and remember with pecu- liar interest. Rev. Edwin M. Long has been for years devoting himself to religi- ous correspondence as a specialty; he has had over 7,000 names on his list of correspondents; to whom over 11,000 letters have been sent. For $1 a year he sends a letter monthly to a young person — a Sab- bath school — a class — or family of children. They will be found of great service to Teachers, Pastors, Parents, Sunday School Superintendents, and others. Each letter is in handivriting . There is a charm and an individu- ality in a ivritten letter that cannot be given to a book or newspaper printed yV'om type. These letters, gotten up as a model of penmanship , become a monthly copy hook — teaching the beauties of Penmanship. The heading — Pen and Ink Pictures — Rebuses and other ornamental parts of the letters are different each month, and are designed to teach graceful pen and ink flourishes and to show what can be done with the pen. Thus we believe that a year's reception of these letters will be worth a quar- ter's schooling in penmanship. Each letter is on a special subject — illustrated by choice incidents, extracts from children's letters, and written in style and language suited to the young, and designed to improve the head and heart. They are uniform in size, so that they can be bound, and make a beautiful and novel volume at the end of the year. Two such volumes are now ready and for sale, with title page and table of contents. Sent post-paid for $2. l^^The Monthly Lette?' terms are $1 a year in advance. Specimen 10 cents. Address "LONG'S LETTER OFFICE," 1210 Chesmit street, Philadelphia, Pa. LITTELL'S LIVING AGE. »•« A Magazine published every Sahirday in Boston, containing the best Revieios, Criti- cisms, Stories, Fugitive Poetry, ScieJitific, Biographical and Political Information, gathered from the entire body of English Periodical Literature, and forming four hand- some volumes every year, of immediate interest and solid perma- nent value. EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS AND NOTICES OF THE PRESS. From the late President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. "Of all the periodical journals devoted to literature and science which abound in Europe and in this country, 'The Living Age' has appeared to me the most useful." From the Historian, Jared Sparks. "I fully concur with Mr. Justice Story in his estimate of the utility and importance of 'The Living Age' as a valuable contribution to our literature, not merely of temporary intesrest, but of permanent value." \ From George Ticknor. "I have never seen any similar publication of equal merit." From an article in the Independent, written by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. "It was a happy thought to select from this wide range of matter the best articles in every department, and by bringing them together in a new work, to give to the people at a very moderate sum, the cream of a hundred different inaccessible and expensive magazines and papers. This Mr. Littell has done, and done so well as to have deserved and earned for him- self the thanks and esteem of all grateful readers. Out of so wide a field to select with tasti? and good judgment requires a talent in its way quite as rare as that which produces a brilliant article. Of 'The Living Age' we have a complete set upon our shelves, and we find it univer- sally popular and useful." From iV. P. Willis, in the Home Journal. " 'Tenderloin,' 'foie gras,' are phrases, we believe, which express the one most exquisite morsel. By the selection of these from the foreign Reviews,— the most exquisite morsel from each — K)ur friend Littell makes up his dish of 'Living Age.' And it tastes so. We commend it to all epicures of reading." From the JVew York Times. "The taste, judgment and wise tact displayed in the selection of articles are above all praise, because they have never been equaled." From the Louisville (Ky.) Journal. "The amount of matter annually furnished is very large indeed, and the quality is very superior. The editorial department is conducted with great tact and ability. The finest arti- cles which appear in the foreign Reviews and Magazines and Newspapers, together with im- portant articles from American newspapers appear in its columns. We are glad its success is so great as it is; for it deserves to count its subscribers by the ten thousand." From the Boston Post. "Among all the periodicals that are published in magazine form, we know of none that sur- passes in intrinsic value 'Littell's Living Age.' It combines essays from the best writers upon all the great subjects of the day— literary, political and scientific,— with a pleasing variety of lio-hter topics. We venture to say that in no other form can a work of similar character be found of equal merit, or at so moderate a price." From the Springfield (Mass. J Republican. "We can do these among our readers who love sound and pure literature no better service than by referring them to this sterling weekly. It is decidedly the best magazine of the class published in the United States, if not in the world." From the Philadelphia Press. "The volume for October, November, and December, 1866, (being the third quarterly of the fourth series and the ninety-fi'rst of the whole, (fully maintains the high character of the work. It contains the following serials: 'Nana Balatka' and 'Sir Brook Fosbrook,' from Blackwood; 'Madonna Mary,' from Good Words; 'Village on the Cliff,' from the CornJiill Magazine; and 'Old Sir Douglas,' from Maxmillian. The 'Living Age,' we repeat, is a library in itself, worthy of its high repute." From a Clergyman in Massachusetts of much literary celebrity. "In the formation of my mind and character I owe as much to 'The Living Age' as to all other means of education put together." l3S~Published every Saturday at $8.00 a year. Sent frke of postage, by LITTELL & GAY, June 30 BEOMFIELD ST., BOSTON. PREMIUM OFFER. OL.XJB TlJ^mB&. For five dollar.s cash roniittod to us, we will send four copies of tlie '•^Maryland Educational flmirnal" for one year. Tkose who may be disposed to make some effort to get subscribers for us, will thus be able to do well for themselves too, by getting sin- gle subscriptions." at the regular price, and retaining $1 in $5 for their trouble. For five dollars wo will send three copies of this Journal and one copy of Daughaday's Pliiladelphia " Our School Day Visitor,'''' a first class illustrated magazine for young people, whose subscription price is $1.25 a year. Or, for five dollars, we will send three copies of this Journal, and one copy of " The N-ursery" a genuine child's magazine, printed -in Boston, at $1.50 a year. " The Nursery " is the only publication of its kind in the United States, and is illustrated with fine engravings to please the young folks. Similar offers we expect to make soon in connection w^ith other pub- lications also. MARyLM^DEDUCniOML JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Single copies, per annum $1 50 10 copies 12 00 15 " 17 00 3 copies $4 00 5 " 6 25 20 copies, $22, Avhen mailed to one address. ADVERTISING RATES. 1 mo. 2 mo. 3 mo. 6 mo. 9 mo. 12 mo. One Page Half Page Third Page $10 00 5 00 2 50 $19 00 9 50 4 75 $27 00 14 00 7 00 $50 00 25 00 12 50 $65 00 33 00 17 00 $80 00 40 00 20 00 CONT JSNXS OF AUGUST NUMBER. j[The reader is iavited to turn over the pages of this number to ascertain its varied contents, in place of scanning a meagre table in this place.]. To EnrroRS : — The Publisher of this Journal begs to return his sincere thanks to those editors in the State who have kindly noticed the Journal, and begs that they will continue to lend their aid in introducing this, the only publication of the kind in the State. (He will gladly reciprocate.) Would like to see copies of ALL the papers containing any reference to this Journal, or any item of local school intelligence. .:^®*Cordial acknowledgments are also due to various friends in different parts of the State for material aid and words of cheer. On and after SUNDAY, May 5, 1867, three daily trains will be run between Balti- more and Wheeling and Parkersburg, as follows: MAIL TRAIN will leave Baltimore daily (except Sunday) at 8.45- A. M. FAST LINE will leave daily (including Sunday) at 5.20 P. M. EXPRESS TRAIN will leave daily (except Saturday) at 9.45 P. M. These trains connect at Belair and Pai-kersburg for all points West, Southwest and Northwest. FREDERICK ACCOMMODATION TRAIN leaves Baltimore, daily, at 4.20 P. M., (except Sunday.) Leaves Frederick for Balti- timore daily (Sundays excepted) at 7.05 A. M. THE ELLICOTT'S MILLS TRAIN leaves Baltimore at 6.20 and 9.50 A. M., and 1.20 and 5.20 P. M. Returning leaves Ellicott's Mills at 7.30 and 11.10 A. M., and 2.30 and 6.30 P. M. FOR WASHING-TON.— Leave Baltimore at 3.50, 7.05, 8.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 3.15, 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. FROM WASHINOTON FOR BALTIMORE.— Leava Washing- ton at 7.00, 7.45 and 11.15 A. M., and 2.00, 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. FOR ANNAPOLIS.— Leave Baltimore at 7.05 A. M. and 4.15 P. M.; leave Washington at 7.00 A. M. and 4.30 P. M. Trains leave Annapolis at 6.30 A. M. and 3.40 P. M. SUNDAY TRAINS.— Leave Baltimore for Washington at 3.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. Leave Washington at 7.45 A. M., and 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. For further information, Tickets of every kind, &c., apply to J. T> ENGLAND, Agent, Camden Station, or at the Ticket Office. • JOHN L. WILSON, Master of Transportation. L. M. Cole, General Ticket Agent. EDUCATIONAL JOURIAL, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. Vol. L BALTIMORE, AUGUST, 1867. No. 4. Personal Character as a Qualification for the Teacher. Part of a Salutatory Address to a Teachers' Institute, May 20j 18G7. PART II. T is an old pedagogical maxim that the teacher should be estimated not so niucJi by lohat he does, as hy icliat he is. What he is, is what he knows himself to be, — character: what he does, is what he wishes othez's to think he is — he- havior. It is of personal character, as shown by conduct, that we speak. This is the power which works such won- ders in the school. It is at once an example for imitation, and an impulse to imitate. It wins by its beauty, and compels by its force. How slow children are to learn the abstract, all of you can testify; how readily they appreciate the concrete, all of you know. To them the subjective is vague and ill defined, even with your most lucid explanations ; the objective is clear and well marked in spite of your cloudy expositions. In the teacher all the best qualities, whether of the person, of the mind, or of the heart, should have exemplifica- tion. In him there should be an embodiment of health of body, purity of habits, and courtesy of manner ; a personification of accu- racy and breadth of knowledge; of decision, firmness and patience of mind; incorporate chastity, honor, truth and justice; and above all, there should be piety towards God. When precept and ex- ample unite, tuition achieves its highest aim. How disgusting is uncleannoss, how loathsome appear the petty vices of chewing, drinking and smoking in the presence of a teacher neat in person and undefiled by tobacco or intoxicating liquor ! How weighty the admonition to do nothing mean, when it comes from one who is the very soul of honor ! How beautiful is knowledge as seen in the thorough scholar ! How admirable to the childish mind that order, 6 98 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, wliieli is the result of the decision and firmness of the master ! How salutary that punishment -which comes from strict justice ! for it is doubly felt — it wounds and it heals. With what force does the lesson against falsehood come from him who never varies from the strict line of truth ! What sermon can ecjual in eiFect upon the heart the few reverential words which the truly devout teacher utters now and then ! This principle has a remarkable illustration in the success of Dr. Ar- nold, of Rugby, as a teacher and a manager of youth. To what are we to attribute his success ? Not to his learning, as respectable as that really was : not to his disciplinary powers, as wonderful as they were: not to his deep piety — so admirable. It was the weight of his personal character. One has said of him, "His pupils believed in him thoroughly. There was no sham, no pretence, no affectation. His life exemplified all he taught. The secret of his power over his pupils lay in the ultimcite connection between his precepts and the man himself. His discourses were doctrine in action." You have heard and read much of object teaching — the bringing visibly and tangibly before the pupil the subject of the lesson. I say to you that you all unconsciously employ this method ; that you yourselves are the principal object in your schools. You are studied more closely, you are observed more accurately, you are discussed more thoroughly than all other objects. I charge you that you take care that this ob- ject be worthy. You set stated tasks to be conned, but I tell you that the lesson most thoroughly learned is that you have never assigned for study, yourselves. You are a living lesson, always new, always fresh, compared with which all others are stale, dull and unprofitable. Remember this — let all the graces of the teacher's character find ex- emplification in the teacher's life : and to this end "In your own hearts, let them first keep school," So that whether wittingly or unwittingly you may teach nothing but what is pure and excellent. H. A patriot is known by the interest he takes in common schools. We should teach a child the way to the well, rather than carry it a glass of water. We must agitate: for education, like a top, will fall as soon as we stop whipping. We have not only to strike while the iron is hot, but we must make the iron hot by striking. When thought is agitated, truth rises. A SCilOOL AND FAMILY rvIONTHLY. 99 Theory vs. Practice. 'f^/j HILE it is true tliat there are those teachers who do not I P care to be instructed in anything that pertains to their >)A calling, it is nevertheless also true that a large majority are willing to cull from all sources whatever may be of benefit to them. And while, again, it may be said that writers for educational journals should be only men or women of large experience and culture, yet it may never- theless also be admitted that something may be learnt from even the most humble. Hence the pages of such a journal may profitably pre- sent the views of all for the benefit of all, just as in a teacher's insti- tute the views of ail are freely spoken. If the pages of an educational journal could be made as varied and practical as are the remarks in most teachers' institutes, certainly then the lubor spent upon them would not be in vain. It will readily be apparent to all that it is not generalities but par- ticulare that we want — not precept alone but practice — and our friends who furnish accounts for publication will please to notice the impor- tance of presenting as much as possible detailed particulars of the methods of teaching as practiced by various parties. Simply to tell the reader, for instance, that Mr. Blank made a very interesting and instructive address on his mode of teaching Grammar, amounts to nothing. Let us have particulars. If the various methods of the various speakers in the several teachers' institutes that have been held in our State recently were written out and furnished for publication, there would be matter enough to fill several numbers with acceptable and profitable reading. All who can possibly do so will please to send in their plans, views, notions, and methods, as soon as possible. la this way a monthly Educational Journal may be made in effect a monthly State Teachers' Institute. Let all feel bound to contribute their share to the common fund. Will you, dear reader, do so"? Special Notices. 1. This Journal, being commenced, must be continued — teachers need only to understand its true position to rally to its support. 2. Its pages are open and free to the teachers of Maryland, and they are earnestly invited to consider it their journal, and not that of any class, clique, purty or faction. 3. As a historical matter, we expect to present in these pages a full account of the action of the Constitutional Convention in regard to our Educational system, with the reply of the State Superintendent, &c. 100 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Drawing. RAWING is a useful accomplishment. Some teachers pos- sess it and essay to teach it. Here is an example of how it works sometimes : — A lad presents himself, and says — ' 'I would like to learn to draw." Very well, says the teacher, and he explains to the aspiring youth the first principles of the art and what he will be expected to do — to advance step by step from a simple copy to one more elaborate, &c., and that with time and patience and the aid of pencil and rubber, he may duly arrive to know how to draw. A sort of blank expression of dis- appointment, strangely mingled with disgust, settles upon the face of the would-be-pupil, whose visions of being able to make pictures van- ish in the dim distance, and ten to one he says no more about it, or if he begins, soon tires. "Learn to draw'' any one can who has tlie loill. With such there will always be a way. Copies abound on all sides, animate and inanimate. If pencil and paper are unattainable, a piece of coal or chalk will be laid under contribution. If a brush cannot be bought, one can be made, as Benj. West did, from the cat's hair. But, alas! there are few Wests and few who, like Franklin, Sher- man, Burritt, &c., have the innate indomitable will to he something. The spirit of the age is averse to patient plodding. Some want to have learning poured into them without any eftbrt on their part. They want sometimes to "learn to draw," but expect that by some magical precepts the teacher can at once impart the gift ; forgetful that anything worth learning at all, requires some effort to acquire. Explanation. Without at this time enlarging, the Publisher and Managing Edi- tor of this Journal, who alone has sole control over it, and who alone is responsible and assumes its risk as a pecuniary enterprise for the good of all, wishes respectfully to say that he is informed some friends have misinterpreted the import of a part of his "Statement" in last number. He regrets that he did not succeed in making him- self understood, but hopes the pages of the Journal will in due time make all right. . «-•« . J|@°'See special notices on page 99, also article headed "Gram- mar," on another page — read, inwardly digest — and "naught set down in malice." A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 101 Penmanship. )ENMANSHIP (like some other branches) is taught in a very tfwpractical way in many schools. Teaching anything is hard work, and no lazy man ought ever presume to occupy the teacher's position. To stand up for hours before a blackboard, explaining the principles of the science of numbers, is no light task. To unfold the intricacies of Gram mar to a novice so as to render the study at all practical and attractive, is what few do. To interest a class, even in Geography, where visible objects can be introduced, is not done by all. Spelling, or orthography, when taught without dic- tation exercises to be written, is notoriously unpractical. Reading is yet, in many schools, not taught at all, although the poor pupils daily advance in the readers page by page and call it reading. And so with Penmanship. . In this article it is proposed to lay down a few general and im- mutable principles. If the teacher could find a pupil altogether free from bad habits, it would be something easier to teach Penmanship, but as our classes have usually in many ways fallen into slovenly and improper ways before we take charge, we must take things as we find them. First, all agree that a correct position of the hand and pen is in- dispensible. Yet we are here at the very threshhold met with the whining "i ca?i'^," from most pupils, the moment you undertake to adopt new methods with them. This is precisely the point where the teacher is going to fail, unless he puts his foot down and inexorably compels implicit obedience to his demands. First, the position of the body must be erect — second, the nose must be at least a few inches from the paper — third, the head must not be held sideways — fourth, the hand must not be distorted into a club fist — fifth, the fiat of the wrist and the knuckles should be up — sixth, the pen must be held loosely and not gripped tightly. These 102 MAETLAXD EDUCATIONAL JOURSTAL, are the primary directions. To secure perfect freedom, the wrist should not touch the table or desk, but the whole arm should be in motion. But now the cjuestion arises, how are you going to enforce these rules ? The answer is, hy inflexible and unsicerving jirmness ! If both precept and example fail — if kind words and tufts of grass won't do, you must "try what virtue there is in stones," or harsher measures. You must harness the pupil ! Put him in a straight-jacket if necessary — any way so as to compel him to assume and maintain a correct position, and to convioice him that he can w'rite better under your plan than under his own. Unless you do this, it is a waste of time, paper and ink to write at all in school. But just here one other remark : — -You cannot teach penmanship if you have anything else going on in the school room at the same time. One thing at a time should be the rule in the school room. The un- divided attention of the teacher is required here. Attention is now invited to the accompanying figures of positions of the hand, and an apparatus to compel a correct position of the hand — which is one method to "■harness" your pupil. We submit that No. 1 is not so good a position as No. 2. A long stout ruler thrust doAvn the back between the outer and inner garments, will compel an erect position. Then by compelling strict attention to the copy (and that a good one) there may be some hope of improvement. In the above figure, A is a light slender rod eight or nine inches long, with (B) an elastic band attached, passing over the hand introduced at C. Writing is drawing. Some pupils, having no eye for proportions, "will never become good writers or good artists, without Herculean effort, granting the truth of Hogarth's assertion that there is no such thing as genius, but that all is labor and patience ; hence with all your ef- fort you may not succeed in making all your pupils fine writers. But by following the rules here laid down, you will unquestionably greatly improve all, and will at least not be encouraging pupils in lazy and slovenly habits — scribbling and scrawling and blotting over copy book after copy book and dignifying such practice with the appellation of "learnino; to write !" A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 103 Memory.— No. 3. N this number we commence the presentation of the practical application of mnemotechny. It will be observed, on close 1^ scrutiny, that for several of these dates there are two for- f mulas given ; this is to show that they may be varied in many ways, only observing to have a word or words at the close of each formula containing the articulations for the desired date. These dates may be classified into eras, or ancient and modern, or dates referring to the history of each country. Before proceeding, it will be necessary to caution all that unless the pupil who designs availing himself of any benefits of this system has been thoroughly drilled in, and has familiarized himself with the first lessons as given in article No. 2, it will neither be doing the system nor himself justice to proceed. Then, referring to the fundamental basis and accompanying rules, we will now begin by giving the application to dates of discoveries, dates of inventions, &c., by means of formulas, which by the power of association will instantly recur to the mind and secure the desired figures. The art of Printing, invented by Faust and Guttenburg, is in reality a tkue art. ..1441 (The words at the end printed in small caps give the date.) Wood Engrardng was an invention that puts a tree to a SHOWY USE ... 146 LitJiograpliy , invented by Schenefelder, is an elegant way to copy FACES... 1800 (In modern dates the thousands figure may be supplied.) Engraving on Steel, invented by Perkins, who received for his services a fat fee. ..1818 Observe how ingenious and wonderful the result : a simple state- ment of the fact gives the date ! Note — In first introducing these formulas to a class, it might prove fatal to your experiment to simply read them off seriatim. The better way is to give a brief talk, lecture or explanation about each, to fix attention, and explain fully what may be imperfectly understood. In this way it is that in the hands of an intelligent, live teacher, mne- motechny may be made to embrace the perfection of object teaching, with continually varying pictures passing before the mind of the pupil. 104 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Air guns since invented are not used to shoot a hot charge... 1646 Almanacs first printed at Buda on paper made of rags. ..1470 The Art of Printing invented by F. & Gr. is really a true art... 1441 Gas first introduced in U. S. in Baltimore made night fine day... 1821 Lottery first drawn in England, commenced a business STEAL A SHEEP. ..1569 Pendulmn clocks invented — wound up huge rope. ..1649 Post Office established in U. S. made people good and ■vyiSE...1710 Potatoes first cultivated in U. S. on banks of. catawba...1719 Spectacles invented Ijy Roger Bacon heathen face. ..1280 Steam engine invented by Marquis Worcester shallop... 1659 Steamboats invented by Fidton heavy scow. ..1807 Wafers first made at Nuremberg used instead of a... thick seal... 1705 yfhen watches first made at Nuremberg dear gewgaw. ..1477 Before wire drawing invented at Nuremberg, wire was ham- mered with a mallet. ..1351 Achromatic Lenses are seldom used by lovers of a gay life. ..1758 Barometers are instruments usually found in every scien- tific WATCH ROOM ... 1643 America was discovered by Columbus, who sailed there in vessels made of. .' dry pine. ..1492 Camions are dreadful weapons of mars. ..1340 Coff^ee was not at first used by people living upon public CHARITY... 1641 The Litegral and differential Calcitlus is understood only by mathematical chiefs. ..1680 The Cape of Good Hope is to navigators an important point of refuge... 1486 The first circumnavigation, &c. was the first step towards a universal alliance ... 1 520 Gunpowder is better than tooth powder to shoot a — mammoth... 1331 The Compound llicroscope makes a mite appear like a... giant... 1621 Electricity will never fail in a good machine to produce a... HUGE SHOCK... 1667 The London Gas is now used in many a fashionable and fat house... 1810 The Galvanic Fluid produces upon the body a sort of weak pain... 1792 The Neivsjmjyers of France are not often read by our city... watchmen... 163 2 Copper-plate Engraving gives the images of things with — reality... 1451 A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 105 The Railroads of England are now in many countries COPIED. ..1791 The Mariner's Compass gave to modern navigation an alto- gether NEW SHAPE ... 1 269 The First Steam Carriages of England went very swiftly... 1815 Galileo's Telescope magnified the moon but a few digits. ..1610 The Planet Uranus has been to modern science a valuable.. GIFT. ..1781 LitIiograj)hg is one of the best means to produce human FACES... ^800 Logarithms are to mathematicians inexpressibly adjutoiiy...1614 Neivton's Refecting Telescope was not larger than a. .huge gun... 1672 Coal is now used in the palace and the hamlet... 1351 Tohacco has millions who daily its properties eulogize... 1560 Tea is a good help to those who with difficulty digest. ..1601 The Steam, Engine now as a motive power greatly excel. ..1705 Thermometers have often their mercury frozen in Canada... 1721 Telegraphs can write quicker than any thick pen.. .1792 The Turkeys first introduced into England were doubtless fatter than a lean owl. ..1525 Lightning Rods brought upon their inventor (Dr. Franklin) the homage of kings... 1770 Cop)per-plate Engraving is often used in making maps of the WORLD... 1451 The Cotton Gin invented hij Whitney cleans the cotton of every twig and berry. ..1794 The Fire Engine, when first used, was considered a.. huge gem... 1663 The First Bank in England kept its money in a. ..huge bureau. ..1694 The First steamhoat, by Fulton, could run faster than a HEAVY scow. ..1807 The First Canal in England had in it many a thick lock... 1757 The First discovery of llnejnotechny was made by Feinaigle, who taught a few wisely. ..1805 Alexander p>enetrated into hidia without the advice of a MANIAC... 1327 Alexander died in a drunken fit on board a man of war... 1324 Boots were invented as a substitute for the buskin or busk Clocks first made at Rome twice each day struck twelve Morse's Telegraph can carry news as fast as the lightning's FIRE arrow 106 MARYLAiS^D EDUCATIOXAL JOURNAL, Hour Glasses were invented at Alexandria, to mark tlie — sunny hotjes The Art of Making Glass was known to the Chinese, who used it in their . = • new houses London, founded by the Romans^ is now the largest city in euhope Saddles y^'ere frst invented that riders conld conveniently go on an errand Copper-plate Engraving invented by cutting on a plate and printed by being rolled Lithography 7cas invented as a good way to copy human eaces Paper was first made of cotton rags, of two sizes The Spinning Jenny by Arkright has made spinning dog cheap Watches icere first made at Nuremberg, but it is not known who was the , author of the gewgaw Printing was introduced in Mexico after conveying a press there in a tall ship The Bise of the Methodists was succeeded by meetings held under a tent or canopy The Rise of the Qualcers was looked upon by many with jealousy Air-halloons were first used in France, by Montgofiler, who thought it GAY EUN Algebra was introduced into Europe by the Saracens, when books were principally written Bayonets, made at Bayonne, are more fivtal weapons than jokes Cannons were invented to use in time of wars The First Newspcqjer in Europe, at Venice, gave the world many a joyous essay The First Postoffice in Europe despatcbed many a treasure Magnifying Glasses and Glass Mirrors can be made of new ashes Hydrogen Gas will burn quicker than cocoa oil Needles, when first made, were a sort of .- tailor's awl The Chronometer invented, will go exact and tick each year "The Cotton Gin icas invented by Whitney, to clean the cot- ton of every twig and beery Electricity , since its discovery by G-uerrick, has given many a person a huge shock The Telegraph loas invented hy Prof. Morse to save bioney Engraving on loood is an invention that puts a tree to a showy use Gunjiowder, first made by Schwartz, has often caused some noise The Mariner'' s Compass, ivhen first known, was used to guide the path of a new ship McAdaniizing Streets was commenced in Loudon by laying stones in a fine row A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 107 The Microscope, invented by Jansen, enabled the inventor to see millions of animalcule in a wash tub Mnemoteclmy first introduced by Feiuaigle, and if you have a good opportunity to hear a lecture, I would advise you to go 3Ineinotechny first tauglit in U. S. by F. Gauraud, and will .soon be known everywhere [The application to Geography and History or to any series of con- nected ideas or facts, as a discourse, elements in Astronomy, Chem- istry, succession of kings, &c., will be given in succeeding numbers.] How to Conduct a Reading Class. LWAYS study the reading lesson yourself befoi'e calling the class, as much as any other lesson. The class having been called to the recitation-seat, let them carefully examine the piece to be read, studying each paragraph separately. If there are any words that are not understood, these are first to be defined by some i^upil, if possible ; if not, by the teacher. Afterwards, any sentence or expression, the mean- ing of which is not clear, is talked about and explained. Then call upon some one to rise and tell, in his own language, the substance of the piece. All of this is done before attempting to read a sentence, and it very frequently occupies the whole time for a recitation. This preparation will awaken sufficient interest to induce the pupils to study the lesson carefully, preparatory to the reading of it. In reading, the pupils are taught to express the sentiments of the author as nearly as possible. If the sentiment is sad, he is to try to use such tones as will express that feeling ; if joyous, the voice must express joy, and so on. If 07ie does not attain to what the class think is right, some one else is allowed to try, and if none of them succeed in doing it quite to suit, read it yourself. Then call upon the pujjils, separately, and never leave a sentence until all, or nearly all, read it satisfactorily. If one is found that can not express the sense correctly, have him read it with the class ; then with one ; then alone. Sometimes pupils are found that can never become good readers. It is not advisable to spend too much time with such. After drilliiig upon a piece until most of the pupils can read it well, allow them to choose one of their number to read it before the school, the class criticizing him when through. Of course, each one will try to read it lest, so that he can be chosen. Occasionally take a day for reviewing, allowing the pupils to choose their own pieces. 108 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNALj For tlie Young Folks ! .^^^"A boy fifteen years old once said to me, with an important air, "I went through the arithmetic three times last winter, sir; and I can do any sum in the hardest cyphering book you can bring." I did not dispute him, nor dcubt but what he could meclianically obtain the answer of almost any sum found in a hook, under a rule. But I thought he had, like many others, made figures without think- ing, and I asked him the following question : "What will twenty pounds of beef come to at twelve cents per pound, provided the beef is two-thirds fat f^ He hesitated a while and then said : ' 'If you will ' tell me what the fat comes to, I'll do the sum." I laughed heartily, for I could not restrain myself. He soon said to me with considerable spirit, "If you will tell me the rule it comes under, I will tell you what it comes to." I still said nothing, for his ludicrous embarrassment prevented my speaking at the instant; when he with great vehemence said : "It is an unfair sum — I never saw such a sum in the book in my life." He considered me an impertinent school master — that two-thirds fat he could not understand — he could not put the fat under any rule — he had never seen a sum that had any fat in it before. A Kochester urchin unconsciously perpetrated a great joke at the expense of his teacher the other day. . The lady was announcing to her pupils the holiday on the 22d of February, and asking them some questions concerning its observance, among others, why the birth- day of Washington should be celebrated more than that of any one else. "Why," she added, "more than mine? You may tell me," she said to a little fellow eager to explain. "Because," he exclaimed, with great vivacity, "because he never told a lie." 'On the occasion of a shipwreck, when all efforts to save the vessel had failed, an old lady going up to the skipper, wringing her hands in desperation, exclaimed, "Oh, captain ! are we really in such danger?" "Yes, ma'am," he answered, "we must trust in Providence, now." "Good heavens!" was the pious rejoinder, ''has it come to thatr A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 109 "Old Field" Schools. BY A PEDAGOGUE. ^^^^HE piece in the last number of the Journal about a countr}' school house reminded me of a similar reminiscence in my experience in "Old Virginia." My "academy," too, was an ancient stone structure, tho' in an unfinished state — with neither ceiling nor floor over- head, but instead some loose boards only. With commend- able energy and zeal I determined to construct of the said loose boards a close floor, and for this purpose summoned to my aid a neighboring "patron." We had not proceeded far with our work, while I was as actively as a stooping posture would allow, stepping about up in the loft adjusting the boards, before, happening to tread on the end of a short one between the joists, down I came on the stove and thence to the floor with a contused side and a groan. My kind- hearted helper was about going "to bleed" me with his pocket knife, when I fortunately revived sufficiently to protest against his extempore practice of blood-letting ! At my boarding house, where as a great favor I was entertained, I was compelled to share a bed with the plough-boy in the loft, and make my morning toilet out of doors. I mentioned a stove in the school house, and so there was, but this seemed to have been introduced as an improvement to keep pace with the progress of the age, for in one end of the house was a capacious open fire-place, which acted as a wholesale ventilator, insomuch that that winter I laid the foundation of a rheumatism which has been my constant companion since. A key to the door there was, but no lock. Instead there was a sliding bolt, which could be operated from outside by a bent wire, which said wire formed the key ! Time and space would fail to describe the many ingenious expedi- ents which I adopted to render the house more comfortable, and to conduct any sort of a tolerable school in so unfavorable a place. — "Twenty classes" to hear each day, pupils varying in age and attain- ments from a five year old in the alphabet to the grown man and woman who had "cyphered through tlie book" — these were but a small part of that "variety, the spice of life," which enlivened my ex- istence. I extemporized philosophical apparatus and lectured gratuitously o' 110 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOUHNAL, niglits to gaping crowds. I worked hard day and night, and as usual got into trouble for trying to benefit others and to do my duty. The big boys threatened to club me, and "turn me out." The neighbor- hood gossips circulated divers reports as to what horrible things I car- ried on in the school. One man cited me to court for whipping his scape-grace of a boy. Another abused me soundly because I did not whip his boy enough, and make him learn faster. Once, for a fight between a boy and a man pupil I had to whip the boy, and then facing the man tell him to submit to the same discipline or leave. He left ! Accommodating myself to circumstances, and endeavoring, as St. Paul says, to be "all things to all men," I pretended to be able to teach anything and everything, feeling pretty sure that if I made mis- takes nobody would know ! Many a man fares worse, (in more en- lightened doctors' hands, [and gets into his grave], by reason of mistakes,) worse than my scholars did in my efibrts to teach the higher mathematics and languages ! Many a night have I set up till long into the "wee short hours" studying to keep ahead of my scholars. Thus I kept myself from pining with ennui. But my first debut as school-master was such as to leave an in- delible impression on the mind. I was, as many another poor fellow lias been, through obstinacy and carelessness, reduced to my last penny, after having "raced the world over" in search of a phantom, and never dreamt of that dernier resort — school keeping — until one day an old man meeting me in the road, after some conversation and find- ing I was a pretty smart fellow, asked "Mister, can you write a purty good hand?" I replied that I thought I was a fair penman. "Then," said he, "you are the very man we want to take up a school here ; we haint had no school for I don't know how long, and need one a plagued sight." I felt as if a great dark cloud was lifted up from around me ; and felt like screaming "Eureka I" In short I took up a school. The next question asked me was, "what arithmetic do you prefer?' That was a poser. I hadn't seen an arithmetic since boyhood, and never having had, when a boy, a particular fondness for the study, owing to the dry and unpractical manner of my teachers, the very names of all authors of cyphering books had faded from my mind. So as I hesitated my interrogator continued— "some folks use Pike about here," and then I remembered, as a dream, that Pike I had used, and, not knowing of any other. Pike I adopted in my school, and borrowed a horse and rode ten miles the first Saturday to purchase a key to it ! I must hasten to add, however, that T soon quit Mr. Pike, and by study qualified myself to use abetter. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. Ill But, here I have run away from my text apparently, and instead of writing about schools, am talking about the pedagogue. And yet I am not so far from my text after all, for it leads us to reflect upon the lamentable condition of things in the days of "old field" schools, when any stranger who might happen to come along, pretending to be a school master, was entrusted with the care of the children of people who would not have entrusted their hride hearts — their horses and cat- tle — to the care of the same individual. Happily for Maryland these days are gone within our borders, it is hoped never to return. Correspondence. Having received a number of the Maryland Educational Journal, I am anxious to read more of them, that I may, through their instru- mentality, be the better fitted for the discharge of those duties, the performance of which calls for all the wisdom, patience and love, pos- sible to be acquired by any and all means. Wisdom is gained in the school of experience, by inspiration, ob- servation and study, and hence one may hope to succeed who in addi- tion to his own experience, has thrown open to his mind the experience of others of his brethren who have been impressed with the responsi- bilities of the high and holy calling in which they are engaged, and who bring to the discharge of their functions a desire to find out and appropriate the best and most efficacious means of imparting instruc- tion to those committed to their charge. If I understand the object of your journal, it is to give this needed help. It is to be made the channel through which the teachers of the State are to receive the benefit of the wisdom and experience of the practical and not the theoretical instructors of the present age, sug- gestions as to the best mode of teaching, of study, of living. As such, I endorse its object, approve its design, and feel disposed to aid in its support. B. Too Late. — Many good thoughts are stifled and many good deeds undone — but many good thoughts come too late, when the opportunity to carry them out has passed. Many a kind word is unsaid, many a good deed undone, because it is not thought of at the proper moment; and many are the bitter regrets consequent thereon. 112 MARYLAND EDUCATI.NAL JOURNAL, God's Plan of Your Life. EVER complain of your birth, your training, your em- ployment, your hardships ; never fancy that you could be something, if only you had a different lot and sphere assigned you. God understands His own plan, and He knows what you want a great deal better than you do. The very things that you most deprecate as fatal limita- tions or obstructions, are probably what you most want. "What you call obstacles, discouragements, are probably God's oppor- tunities ; and it is nothing new that the patient should dislike his medicines, or any certain proof that they are poisons. No ! a truce to all such impatience ! Choke that devilish envy which knaws at your heart, because you are not in the same lot with others ; bring down your soul, or, rather, bring it up to receive God's will and do His work, in your lot, in your sphere, under your cloud of obscurity, against your temptations ; and then you shall find that your condition is never opposed to your good, but really consistent with it. Away, then, with all feeble complaints, all meagre and mean anxieties! Take your duty, and be strong in it, as God will make you strong. The harder it is, the stronger, in fact, you will be. Understand, also, that the great question here is, not what you will get, but what you will become. The greatest wealth you can ever get will be in your- self. Take your burdens, and troubles, and losses, and wrongs, if come they must and will, as your opportunities, knowing that God has girded you for greater things than these. Oh! to live out such a life as God appoints, how great a thing it is ! — to do the duties, make the sacrifices, bear the adversities, finish the plan, and then to say, with Christ (who of us will be able?), *'it is finished !" Intemperance. — Carefully compiled statistics show that sixty-thou- sand lives are annually destroyed by intemperance in the United States ; one hundred thousand men and women are yearly sent to prison in consequence of strong drinks ; twenty thousand children are yearly sent to the poor house for the same reason ; three hundred mur- ders are another of the yearly fruits of intemperance ; four hundred suicides follow these fearful catalogues of misery ; two hundred thou- sand orphans are beq.ueathed each year to private and public charity ; two hundred million dollars are yearly expended to produce this shock- ing amount of crime and misery, and as much more is lost from the same cause. A convention of the friends of temperance is called to meet in Ijaltimore on the 27th August. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 113 An Abstract O/" the Proceedings of Second Annual Convention of State Teachers' Association, Annapolis, July 9, 1867, AS REPORTED BY THE PUBLISHER AND MANAGING EDITOR OF THIS JOURNAL. GOODLY numbei' of Baltimore and other school ladies and gentlemen had a pleasant trip on board steamer Highland Light to the ancient city, where they were met by other delegates and made welcome to the Halls of St. John's College by Rev. Dr. Nelson, President. In due time the meeting was called to order — proceedings of last meeting, constitution and by-laws read — announcements made, and other informal business transacted. Whereupon the regular order of exercises, as prepared by the Executive Committee, was proceeded with, consisting of, Jirst, an address by Rev. Dr. McJilton, Superintendent of Baltimore city schools, on '^Tke Representalive Teacher^' — in substance as fol- lows : — Dr. M. said that in one sense all teachers and people are representative — the term expressed an indefinite relationship. The teacher was equal to the minis- ter. The character of the people is in the hands of the teachers, while thev work without the honor of being characterised as a profession. The medical profession in this State was once in the same condition, but they made legisla- tive application, organized and obtained the right of giving diplomas. The same should be done for the profession of teachers. We want an incorporated institution to give diplomas. If this were done, we might then find the repre- sentative teacher wanted. In this connection there has never yet been made that classification of the human mind such as is necessary. This may seem metaphysical to some who are afraid to think of these things. The subject does not receive proper consideration. When Dr. Arnold took charge of Rugby College he was asked how many pu- pils were necessary to its success. He replied, it is not necessary how many, but it is necessary that they should be christian g??atlemen. We place mental training first — religion and gentlemanly conduct subsidiary — thus ,doing one- third of our duty only. Impossible to attain to what we should without attend- ing to all three. It requires more than book-knowledge to impart knowledce real, practical knowledge. Other matters are incidental If the teacher at- tempts to teach even the decalogue, he is liable to be accused of sectarianism ; yet is advisable to introduce this subject more in the primary schools. The true representative teacher should not be selfish. If this subject were properly considered, we could make more rapid advances. Intellectual development is of little importance without the moral. Children are too often suffered to run at random. Parents complain of teacher's discipline. If this is allowed to con- tinue, the teacher cannot make the proper development. The teacher's ofiSce is an unthankful one, but the true representative teacher may so act as to avoid the rod. ^ Dr. Arnold nt Rugby succeeded an old gentleman named Wool. Wool used the rod; Dr. Arnold did not. The old gentleman had a tower built in which to iflog hia pupils. Lord Littleton passing by, heard the cries of the whipped, 114 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, and afterwards said that everything was sparingly administered at Rugbj' ex- cept the rod. Dr. A. changed all this, and Rugby flourished. Character should be developed more. Children are too much taught that they are free, and they too often use it to their own detriment. Under a dif- ferent state of things we may find the ideal representative teacher. Next in order followed an address by Prof. Wm. Logan Baird on ^^The so- called analytic method of teaching." Prof. B. opposed the use of the so-called analytic method in primary schools. A full account of his logical argument is, however, deferred for the present, aa he has promised us a revised copy of his remarks for publication. At this stage of the proceedings a motion was made to adjourn the Conven- tion to Baltimore, which was lost, and after some agreeable sparring and a recess of ten minutes, the third subject in order was introduced by Rev. Dr. Nelson, viz : "The duty of (he State with regard to higher Education," who spoke with great animation and eloquence. Dr. N. said all admitted the duty of the State to Education generally — and the State was bound to care for the bodj^ — for the prisoners — for penitentiaries — but there was a higher and nobler care in the mind and soul. All feel, when standing before some gigantic asylum, overawed by what society has done for the suffering, but true, solid, thorough education does more than all this to pre- vent suffering — especially mental or cerebral suffering. He believed that if we had true teachers there would be less suffering — our jails less crowded, and many more be led in the path of life. He eloquently argued that it was the true policy of the State to educate in a higher sense — not glare and tinsel, in disregard of true principles and true practical life. Some admitted it to be the duty of the State to educate the people, but their ideas of education extended no higher than to be able to read and write. It might be better for all to read the newspapers less and thorough treatises mo-re. True education leads the heart upward to something nobler and higher than searching in the dust for money. He advo- cated a higher education. To be able to read the old classics was noble. To read the story of Penelope and Andromeda and the grand old epics in their original, and not the mere reading of Latin and Greek, but the imparting of intellectual food to both male and female, and he made no distinction between them. The State is bound to attend to the higher culture of the mind and soul. Examine the utilitarian purposes of this. Isn't it the duty of those who have means to provide for the education of others ? He bad heard a gentleman say that the Baltimore city schools were a swindle, because they taught the higher branches, the — ologies and such nonsense ! If the State is bound to take care of society, isn't it bound to educate fully and to awaken those celestial fires that smoulder in the soul? Allusion was then made to a now prominent gentleman in Baltimore, who was once a vender of vegetable ivory toys, but who by edu- cation was elevated. Just think of everybody being cultivated and thoughtful ! There would then need to be no weighty bulwarks, no guns to belch forth de- struction, but virtue would reign and we would need notliing but faith in God and charity towards all mankind. Next followed the "Inaugural Address" by Prof. T. D. Baikd, Principal of Baltimore City College. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 115 One 3-ear ago a few organized this association, and the largely increased in- terest justified anticipating successful results. It is necessary to define what we propose to do. The general purpose of this association is to increase the interest of teachers in some way or other — to advance the interest of the teachers in the State. The precise means for this not so clear. What, then, is the position of the teacher in Maryland, as compared with other States, and to education it- self? At this time education is in the mouths of al! — it is a prominent subject —but how much attention has been turned to the teachers? Who has applied to them for ideas really advantageous to the educational interests of tlie State? Turn your attention to other departments of professional skill, to whom do you look for advice but to those who have experience, and whose practice enables them to stand fully abreast in their own consciousness in all that is known, and to direct wiselj^. It is strange to look to outsiders for ideas and measures. Yet in regard to education it is supposed to be so simple a subject that any man in anj' department of life is f«lly qualified to handle it. Teaching is not a profes- sion requiring but little knowledge- — but this is overlooked by our Legislators, •and they handle a subject which should be approached with reverence and awe, with th-e greatest familiarity, without consulting with the skillful teacher, who alone is able to instruct. What should be the position of the teacher? He should be consulted,, and no educational laws passed without the approbation of skillful and experienced teachers. In St. Louis, which boasts of an excellent system of education, that system is entirely the product of the minds of the teachers. Education will never advance much till the teachers' position is asserted and acknowledged. All professions combine, and there is strength in union — so the teacher must do the same to realise his true position. And associations of teachers are higher than a mere trades union. Education cauEot progress when- ever the teacher is held in low esteem and overlooked. The teacher is the sj'S- teni. Bad teachers make bad schools, no matter how perfect the system. The teacher makes the school — hence any system that improves the teacher is the ■system which will advance the cause of education. How can this association do this? First, by bringing the teachers together in the eye of the public, that people may look on us and see v/hat manner of peo- ple we are. Next, by inspiring that increased confidence, mutual respect, self- reliance, manliaess, courage, so Jiecessary in any profession. Next, keep their own mittds alive by interchange of views, and sympathies. This association not expected to act on its own members solely — must be aggressive, audibly and bj' publication— let their peculiar thoughts reach the public. Teachers must make educational progress ; if they do not do this, you may build up or tear down systems ia vain. Fellow-teachers, we take a pleasure in associating, and let us all, notwith- standing all discouragements, come to the understanding that we have a vitai interest, and bind ourselves by an inward vow to stand by and support the as- sociation—not as a political but an educational agency, attacking the minds and intelligences of men. Secure the respect, co-operation and good will of the people of the State by enlightening them in this great truth, that progress in wealth can only be secured by that intelligence which will place our citizens on a par with the people ef other States. 116 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Next followed a Discussion by Prof. Lovejot, of Baltimore Citj' College, and others, on " What means should be employed to secure good attendance at school." Prof. L. thought that teachers can do something to promote good attendance, both out and in the school. It is a heinous offence to stay away from school, and there ought to be some way to convince people of this, and compel attend- ance. Communicating with parents, missionary work, pastoral visitation, would have a good effect, as many would be surprised to find the teacher manifesting an interest in their children. Some teachers have a happy personal popularity which attracts. Good discipline will aid in making school popular. Don't scold ! Discourage outside interests. Employ all your ingenuity in contriving to interest. Lecture on punctuality by citing agreeable incidents — take time to impress it — illustrate intelligently — get up the pupils' pride, and that they share with you responsibilities, &c. Prof. Newell, of State Normal, thought that the subject applied as well to country as to city schools. Mr. Gallagher, of Kent, in his experience bad fallen back on penalties to correct the evil. Mr. Farquhar, President of Montgomery county, stated that in visiting his forty schools he had noted comparison between the number on the list and the actual attendance, and found about 62 per cent, to be the average attandance. He believed one-third of the registered children in the State absent from the schools. He had found a difference in schools as to attendance. Iii schools where amiable and pleasant means were employed, at same time insisting on order, where encouragement was given to pupils for positive good, rather than the odious way to drive out evil, the attendance was good. In one such school four-fifths attended regularly of their own choice and could not be kept away, and this not owing to personal popularity of teacher, but to such adjuncts as pleasant treatment, music, singing, &c. In another school where the teacher complained of bad attendance, he found it was owing to a harsh and sneering (of all ways the worst) mode of correcting. Make schools pleasant, and you will have a good attendance; but it can only be done by tasking your ingenuity, and calling into requisition all the power and soul. Mr. Trainor, of Baltimore county, believed in moral suasion — exhibitions — music, but all depended on the teacher. A lazy teacher would make a lazy school — an energetic teacher a good school. Mr. Mendenhall, of Calvert, was actuated in his course as teacher by the old line " Let love through all your actions run." Advocated the suaviter in mode, without ih^forliter in re. Never had used the rod but once, and that was on the urgent demand of a parent to " lap " his Joe for truancy. Made Joe pull off his coat in the vestibule, (and he wouldn't teach in the house until it had a ves- tibule, ) in private, at the noon hour, gave him a good lecture and good thrash- in"', and Joe has been regular ever since from fear 1 although the deficiency of his home moral training appeared too manifestly, when on the first blow of the rod, he declared, with a rueful face, " there, now, you have burst my bile," when he hadn't the sign of a boil about him I Mr. M., though living near the school-house, rarely goes home to dinner, but remains to care for the morals of the pupils during the hour of recreation, and would generally have a good at- tendance if Providence would only fVivor with the right kind of weather. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 117 Wednesday, July 10th. Association re-assembled, first in order on the programme being an address by Prof. Geo. S. Grape, of St. Timothy's Hall. He chose for bis tlieme " The DullFupiL" Thought teachers were to blame in many cases for the dullness of iiupils. Pupil should be encouraged to believe in his own powers. Teacher must have faith, and show no signs of discouragement. Enforced the importance of thorough teaching in the elementary branches, and the evils of pushing pupils too fast, &c.. Prof. Westlake, of Baltimore City College, followed next on ^^ English Grammar .^ ^ Two things were necessary to teach any branch successfully : to understand v/hat is to be taught, and to have an efficient method to teach. Reminded that English Grammar was not Latin Grammar, as some writers would appear to imagine. Some have said that an English Grammar has not yet been written. Certainly many books on English Grammar are indifferent or worthless. Prof. W. could not see the force of saying that it is best to study Latin Grammar be- fore English Grammar. Much said about the value of the classics as a mental discipline, and while not opposed to the study of ancient languages, thought the English afforded as different, and perhaps, more practical discipline, and those who are preparing for business onlj' could employ their time more profitably. The relative importance of Latin is overrated, in that while a certain copiousness of language may be thus attained, the pure Anglo-Saxon words are most powerful, and used by the best speakers. Nine-tenths of the time spent in the study of the classics in a manner thrown away. The study of Philosophy and other English branches affords as good and more practical training. Prof. W. spoke of the mental discipline derivable from Grammatical analysis, which some would have to take the place of parsing, but both should go hand in hand. Important to teach thoroughly and not attempt too much — one thing at a time, and the oral method preferred. Teachers should strive to develop thought, rather than trust to mere memorizing. Uniformity of style in parsing, and the (L\itj of insisting on the use of correct language by the pupil enjoined. And as to books, it may be advisable to follow a text book in primary classes, but should endeavor to rise above the text books. He closed by giving a complex example of analysis. In replj' to a question as to what text book he would prefer. Prof. W. was understood to say that no one text book came up to his standard — he would ad- vise to consult several. Green's was good, but too full, and not advisable to use in class. Prof. Newell, of the State Normal, as Chairman of Committee on Resolutions, here introduced a resolution, which was unanimously adopted, in effect as follows : Resolved, That a committee of five members of this association be appointed to memoralize the Constitutional Convention, and to embody in their memorial the following points, viz : 1. That the educational interests of the State require a uniform system as the only means by which the masses of the people can be edu- cated. 2. A general school tax to be provided by organic law as the best guaran- tee that a State system will be maintained. 3. Thorough supervision, necessary to make any school system effective ; and to provide for the professional educa- cation of teachers within the limits of the State. [See memorial in full.] 118 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, After a short recess, the GoTernor and Lieutenant Governor of the State, having- previously been waited upon and invited to visit the association, ap- peared. The Chairman welcomed the Governor, and introduced him in a cordial manner, referring to the resolution just passed. Gov. Swans, in response, said that there was no position more useful, honora- ble, or practical, than this association of public teachers. He had always taken a deep interest in popular education, in fact, took such an interest in the subject as to consider it a privilege to lend his influence in trying to perfect it. Mary- land was a great State, though a small one — was making gigantic strides, as we all know, and must have at the helm enlightened men. That dut}^ devolved on the teachers, who control a power they are not aware of. There might be some little confusion just now among iis about popular education, but if there is any- thing fixed and established, our educational system must be progressive at what- ever cost. If the present system not perfect it may be improved, but the people want to see all educated. A proper feeling on this subject is becoming perma- Bent, and it would be a source of mortification if we should be found laggards. On popular education, there was but one opinion in the State, and he offered his sincere congratulations, and wished the association God speed in their efforts. Lt. Gov. Cox was next introduced. It was eminently proper for the teachers so to meet in convention in the presence of the collected wisdom of the State; neither was it matter of indifference to members of the Convention that this association had convened. They understood that there were some things more important than armaments and laws, ^'hy have other free governments in the past gone down ; were thej' deficient in laws ? and yet they are gone as a school bo}-'s tale, or the vision of an hour. And is there nothing in this to teach us to reflect. How shall these mischiefs be prevented ? only by popular education. In the rapid spread of our institutions, error and crime have extended hy popu- lar ignorance ; millions are without information. What's the remedy ? Edu- cate ! Education is a duty and a right, and he who resists the progress of education is a demagogue. None dare to make a crusade again:jt it. He envied not the man who can make capital out of such a cause; and concluded by con- gratulating the association on the present system of education, as having advan- tages over all other systems. No State has a system which in so short a time has done so much good. Much is due to our excellent Superintendent, but also to the school officers, and lastly to the teachers themselves, who are after all the gist of the whole system. At this stage of the proceedings a committee appeared from the State Consti- tutional Convention, bearing an invitation to this association to visit the Con- vention in a body, at such time as may be convenient. Mr. Barnes, Chairman, assured the association of the good feeling and deep interest felt by the Constitutional Convention in the cause of education. The members of the Convention were committed to public education, and their hearts are in the great cause. Messrs. Gaeet, Nelson and Tarr, of same committee, also added a few re- marks,- and the latter stated that he did not wish premature judgment to be passed on the Convention in this matter. The association then, on motion of Prof. Elliott, voted to convey to the Con- vention their hearty thanks, and that the invitation to visit be accepted. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 119 Mr. Miller, of Montgomery, presented the following resolution, which gave rise to some remark, but was finally passed : Resolved, That the committee to Convention be instructed to request the action of said Convention to be so modified as in no possible contingency to leave the State without a school system. Dr. Nelson, of St. John's, here rose exultingly, and said that he considered this the proudest moment of education in the history of Maryland, in the fact of the Constitutional Convention thus recognizing this power. Dr. L. Van Bokkelen next addressed the association on "On the development of the jyercejitive faculties," which remarks will be given in these pages in full hereafter. Thursday, July 11th. Convention re-assembled. Discussion — " Should the Rod be used, and for ivhat offences? " opened by Prof. Leakin, of State Agricultural College. Prof. L. — all teachers were forced to think on this subject, and, of course, there were various opinions — it was a valuable institution to some teachers. His own opinion was that the rod could not be dispensed with altogether, but should be used as a last resort, and as a punishment essentially necessary for great crimes, should not be used for dullness or want of success in recitations, but only for moral offences — including indolence persisted in — not trying. Sometirnes from the bringing together so many scholars, some of virtuous, some of vicious pa- rents, it w;is impossible to preserve the required good order v/ithout the rod. Teachers were themselves sometimes in fault by provoking the antagonism of scholars by their own uncontrolled passions and want of sympathy. Some schools seem to require the rod, children used to it at home. Considered it dan- gerous for a teacher to announce that he intended to govern without the rod — should be held in terrorum! There was also a difference of opinion as to how the rod should be used, if at all, whether publicly or privately, circumstances sh(fLild decide. He would say that for gross, well known public offences, he would whip before the school, for doubtful offences in private. Punishment in the school should be governed by the same law as in the State, i. e. not merely with reference to the offender, but for the general good. Mr. Farqchar, of Montgomerj-, said he had this morning met in these college grounds a curly headed boy, with bright eyes and joyous face, and he had thought what connection could there be between that child as to his becoming a man, and whipping. It was not nature's way, and we should follow natui'e. Nature punishes 'tis irue those who trangress her laws, but in a different way. But he would take higher grounds and assert a substitute for the rod that would answer in all cases. Our Almighty Father has given us a doctrine in conquering the world — by love. Now if the world can be conquered by love, cannot innocent children all be subdued in the same manner? All admit that thfe rod has been used too much, and that the nearer our schools and school governments approach to perfection, the less the rod may be used; we should, therefore, set up a high standard and aim at that perfection which will render whipping unnecessary. The command to govern by love would not have been given if it had not been practicable. At a late teachers' meeting in Massachusetts, Prof. Agassiz stated that he had taught for forty years and never whipped. In one of the largest schools nearer home — Prof. Hallowell's in Alexandria — the rod was first used, but 120 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL^ for several later years not. All experience confirms the opinion that the use of the rod is a relic of the barbarous ages, and as we advance in refinement it must cease to be used. He deprecated the idea advanced by the first speaker that the temper and frame of naind of some teachers compelled them to whip. Was it right to make children suffer for their want of self-control ? Self-control first necessary qualification of a teacher, and with this can control others by love. Mr. Mendbnhall — a question or two : When you whip a boy are you j-ourself not the whipped party? He forgets it in an hour or two, while you feel sore within. He once took charge of a school in Virginia, and after having taught some days, was met by one of his patrons, who sternly accosted him with " Men- denhall what have you done to my boy ?' ' He was frightened, and replied he had done nothing. "Yes you have," says the man, "when the other man taught here, and we wanted to find the boy, we had to hunt for him all over the place, but now when we want him, we know he is at school." He had governed by the law of love. It may be said when looking at a boy entering the school, with an innocent, smiling face, that there is hardly anything bad there — but there is a lurking devil within him, and j'ou must either rule him or he will rule you. It is possible to get along without the rod. Whoever whipped a girl. (I have, said some one.) I would rather go to the penitentiary than whip a girl. A certain boy came to my school once, picking quarrels and making disturb- ances. I told him he would have to quit, or I might have to whip. I prepared a stick, and after due admonition, offered it to tlie boy and told him to whip me. It cowed him, and I had no more trouble with him. [At this stage of the proceedings it was decided not to visit the Constitutional Convention formally in a body, but to respond to their invitation by a note from the President.] In the absence of Prof. Deshiell, who was to have spoken " On the necessity of studying the classics in order to understand the English Language," Dr. Nel- son asked unanimous consent to be allowed to saj^ a few words on same subject. Dr. Nelson was a strong advocate for the study of the classics — he, however, agreed with Prof. Westlake in the power of the English language as an element of culture — it was the highest language ever produced — not so beautiful as the Greek, not so musical as the Italian, not so soft as the Spanish, not so strong as the German, yet considered the Latin language essential to the fullest understand- ing of the English. Our Bible translation was the most perfect specimen of sterling old English — in the first Psahn there were only two or three Latin words, in the Lord's Prayer only two — all others thoroughly Anglo-Saxon words. He admitted all that, but needn't tell you that the persons who trans- lated that Bible were able to use those words, because they were perfect Latin and Greek scholars. A knowledge of these languages was essential to the study of English Gi'ammar, great advantage in explaining to the pupil how the word 7ioun was derived from nomen, and so with other words. And many words in popular use derived from Latin. The English language cannot be thoroughly understood without the Latin, because it is not a rivulet but a broad stream. The English is the queen of languages, to which the Latin and Greek are useful and beautiful serviters. That which enabled old scholars to help to compose such splendid translations was their nice and delicate perception of the use of words derived from a knowledge of the classics. As for instance, the \voxApe7ina may mean a feather, a quill, and many other things, requiring study to discrim- A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 121 inate, so this necessity of study is the ground on which he stood as an advocate for the Latin. He admitted that Anglo-Saxon words were strongest ; but we can only arrive at their use by the study of the classics. Three-tenths of the words in English language are Latin, therefore unless you teach the pupil Latin he must forever remain in ignorance of the full meaning of all those words. If a boy had only one year to spend in study he would put him in Latin for two reasons, because so much of our tongue is Latin, and he is studying something which gives him trouble to learn. That which is easily learnt is generally not worth much. The reason why so few persons appreciate the classics, is they don't go far enough. Prof. Westlake rejoined. The theory of Dr. N. seemed plausible, but he de- sired to raise a question of fact as of theory. It is a deplorable fact that the study of the classics in most of our colleges does not produce the results which bis theory would indicate. Two-thirds of the graduates were scarcely able to read their own diplomas, and college graduates notoriously make mistakes in writing English. Prof. Newell wished to ask whether boys in the Baltimore City College, who took the English course alone, were better English scholars, or better mathe- maticians, or better gentlemen than those who took the Latin course, and were those who studied English and Mathematics, or those who studied Latin and Mathematics, the best mathematicians. Profs. Lovejoy and Elliott seemed to think that, although there were excep- tions, those who never studied Latin were in general deficient, and those boys give greater satisfaction who take the classical course. Mr. Farquhar referred to the many well written books by ladies, who did not generally, he supposed, study the classics, as an argument that the English lan- guage co.uld be well understood without the others. Prof. LovEJOY said gentlemen were right in claiming much for the classics, but they were not necessary to the study of English. Could not believe it true. Not the way to learn the English language. Let us honestly advocate our own language, and it was time we had professors of English as of Latin in our col- leges. By studying a book of synonyms we can do as much as by Latin. It was a roundabout way to study English, and he was tired of this protest that men must study Latin. [This closed the business of the association — the last and perhaps most im- portant subject in the programme, "to what extent should moral instruction be given in our schools," being omitted for want of time.] The fixing upon the time and place for next meeting was left to the Executive Committee. The following officers were then elected for the ensuing j'ear : President, Eev. Dr. Nelson, of St. John's. First Vice-Presiderd, Wm. R. Creery, of Baltimore. Second Vice-President, H. L. Mendenhall, of Calvert, Recording Secretary, A. F. Wilkerson, of Baltimore. Corresponding Secretary, Wm. Gallagher, of Kent. Treasurer, Alex. Hamilton, of Baltimore. Executive Committee, Messrs. Baird, Newell, Elliott,' Mills and Trainor. The thanks of the association were then unanimously voted to Dr. Nelson and lady for their efficient efforts to render the meeting comfortable. A vote of thanks was also passed to the officers and men of the Naval Academy, and to Mrs. Beale, Thos. N. Pindell and all others who in any way contributed 122 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, to the comfort of the members. Also to the officers of the association — to those "n^ho delivered addresses — to the Individual Enterprise line of steamers, and to the Executive Committee. Agreeable Episode. — A beautiful mantle clock having been brought in and placed before the President, Prof. Creery, of Baltimore, rose and addressing Dr. Nelson, said in substance as follows : — As the happy recipients of your kindness of heart, ■^ve desire to express in some small measure our appreciation. One year ago in Baltimore this associa- tion agreed to meet in Annapolis, You were apprised of this determination, and responded with noble munificence. You offered to entertain all ladies free of charge. This and all your promises have been more than fulfilled. We have the hearts and generous influences of men and women, and wishing to show that we have such feelings, now come to present this beautiful time-piece, and trust it will be received as a very small mark of our esteem for your noble self-sacrifice. We thank you for all your kindness. As the passing hours of this clock are passing away, so we must one day all give an account for our ac- tions. Words fail to give utterance to the sentiments of the Maryland State Teachers' Association. Dr. Kelson, much aroused, could only, with deep feeling, return his sincere thanks for this more than kindness. Dr. Baird then congratulated all on the successful result of second meeting of the association, and declared it adjourned. Memorial to the Constitutional Convention. Annapolis, July 10. To the Honorable Conslitidional Convention of Maryland: The Public School State Teachers' Association, now in session in this city, believing that an expression of opinion from the Teachers of the State on the question of Public Education would be acceptable to your honorable bodj-, have by a unanimous vote directed the undersigned to memorialize the Convention, and most respectfully to make the following representation : First. — That in the opinion of this association an efficient State system of education is the only means by which the blessings of good education can be secured to the masses of the people. Second. — That in order to establish and maintain a system of Public Instruc- tion worthy of the State of Maryland it will, in the judgment of this associa- tion, be necessary to insert in the organic law of the State a provision for a general school tax — for unless such a constitutional tax is provided, the whole question of free public schools will be left to accident or to the varying judg- ment of successive legislatures. Third. — That there is a possibility, however remote, that tmder certain con- tingencies the public schools of the State ma}" be closed in the spring of 1868. Your memorialists, therefore, most earnestly praj' your honorable body to take such steps as will ensure that the schools shall be kept open until the new sys- tem contemplated by the new constitution shall be inaugurated. Your memori- alists believe that such a measure will be gladly received by the people, and will be but simple justice to the children of the State and their teachers. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 123 Fourth.— Thut in the opinion of this Convention a thorough system of super- vision is necessarj' to render any system that may be devised effective. Fifth.— That as it is unworthy of the dignity and inconsistent with the in- terests of the State of Maryland, to be dependent on other States for a supply of teachers, it is necessary to provide for the professional education of her own teachers by normal schools and other agencies within her own borders. Aritlimetic. )INCE the days of Jess and Dabold and other authors, we have, (in these days of mammoth publishing houses, that understand so well how to cram new books down the throats of the dear public,) many good arithmetical books, and yet it seems, after all, that none are so perfect as to dispense with the necessity of explanation from the living teacher, armed with chalk and blackboard. Many new and curious, and often more curious than useful, methods of performing certain operations in numbers are given, but yet it appears that in the actual matter-of-fact knowledge of imparting facility in the use of the funda- mental rules of arithmetic, upon which all else depends, and without a thorough proficiency in which all beyond will be but laborious irk- someness, very little advance has been made. Books of "mental arithmetic" are an advance in the right direction, but even these do not relieve from the necessity of patient and labori- ous illustration on the part of the teacher. WitJi this, arithmetic may be made an attractive study, without it, to a large majority of pupils, it will continue quite the reverse, and all sorts of ingenious dodges will be invented to shirk the mastery of its principles — so as to "cipher through the book" and still remain ignorant of the science of num- bers. It is proposed in the pages of this Journal to present a series of practical articles on this subject. The Teaciieu's Excyclopedia. — Teachers, as a class, cannot pro- vide themselves with encyclopedias, or such other books of reference as would aid them in their labors, but in the latest edition of Web- ster's magnificent Quarto Dictionary they have a worthy substitute. Whenever I meet teachers in their associations or institutes, or in pri- vate, I earnestly present to them the great advantage they would de- rive from having this work near them. It will tend to make them accurate, while the definitions and illustrations will suggest many new ideas for elaboration among their pupils. — IF. 7?. White, State Sit- perintendent of Free Schools for W. Virfa. Wheeling, Mar. 21, '66. 124 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Allegany County Normal. S the morning breezes are wafted from the east to the west of our State, bringing on their wings the song and spirit of success from Kent, Queen Anne, Caroline, Talbot, Somer- set, Worcester, Montgomery, Howard, and almost from every nook and corner of the State, Allegany takes up the swelling chorus and speeds it onward with words of cheer- fulness and encouragement to the friends of the best Public School system ever devised by man. Allegany has no Institute to report yet, but it has the record of having that which is no less worthy — the record of having the first County Normal School in the State. A few months ago it was deter- mined to try the experiment, although we were told by many that our Normal would prove a failure — that Allegany was not yet prepared — that our young men and ladies would not avail themselves of the school. But, what is her report ? The school opened with near one hundred pupils in the two departments, Model and Normal. Twenty- one young ladies, and twenty-eight young men, were found to enter the Normal classes, most of whom will be good and efficient teachers. The session closed June 28th, with highlj^ literary exercises, to a crowded house, and an audience that duly appreciated the performances, which was apparent by their frequent applause, and the profusion or shower of bouquets which greeted the performers. To the credit of the school be it said, that it had classes that would have done honor to any State Normal, not only in the branches gen- erally taught in our common schools, but the higher branches. It has been truly said by the citizens of the place, "that a more noble, more respectable class of young men and ladies, were never be- fore assembled in any place." Sometimes a feeling of a want of sympathy from some portions of our community in behalf of our enterprise, and the innovation of such a school in our county, made us feel somewhat desponding. Suc- cess, however, crowned our efforts, and onward and upward shall be the watchword of Allegany. James M. Shober, Pres. of County Board. Special Notice. — If any views are advanced in any of the articles in any number of this Journal which do not accord with the opinions of others, they are invited to combat them, provided always it is done in a spirit of kindness. These pages are open to a free fight on all educational subjects. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 125 Grammar. OUBTLESS there is no branch of learning ostensibly taught in the schools so 2'>'^'^'>'^ taught as Grammar. None which may be said to be so near not being taught at all as this I ^ Hearing Grammar lessons by rote is attended to industri- ously enough, but this does not satisfy the inquiring youth- ful mind, which reads that "English Grammar teaches how to write and speak the English language correctly." — "Why," said a youth, after studying Grammar under a crack teacher some months, "I know no more about Grammar than I did at first! I make as many mistakes in speaking as I ever did !" Doubtless, as intimated in an article published in the first number of this journal, there is room for improvement in methods of teaching. The science of teaching does not appear to be fully understood. The power of mind over mind may not yet be fully known. What shall we say, then ? Shall we in dispair of present success fall back into supine in- action, or shall we arouse and with a nervous longing for something better, strive after perfection ? There are those whose critical instincts lead them to be ever looking for grammatical inaccuracies in the conversation or writings of others. These are those who have yet to learn that in a great house the icliole may be very good, though marred with slight faults of detail. They forget that the artist, in the hot pursuit of effect, may err in detail. They forget, too, that such is the power of early habits and associa- tions, that all the study of rules will not eradicate them. A know- ledge of the technicalities of Grammar and a knowledge of correct language are two things. The former the teacher may impart — the latter is only acquired by familiarity with the best writers and speakers and by daily association with the educated and refined. In the technicalities of Grammar we find a great many hobbies, and it is quite amusing what vast importance is attached to little things. Old Lindley Murray is a fool to some of these modern discoverers. They remind us of the poor way-faring man who carried with him a wonderful stone to make soup with ! He would first beg the good house-wife where he happened to sojourn, to favor him with a kettle, into which he would put his magic stone, fill up with water, and sus- pend over the fire. Then he would beg for a little salt and pepper, some scraps of meat, vegetables, &c., to flavor the soup, and so by and by he would turn out quite a palatable soup, all made of a bit of stone, which he would carefully tuck into his pocket for future use ! 126 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Since the days of Home Tooke and Lindley Murray mountains of paper and black seas of ink have been consumed in manufacturing im- proved grammars. Have the improved grammars improved the hm- guage ? Have they turned out better writers ? Rather the reverse — - and the writings of Addison and Pope and a host of worthies of that day still loom up as copies for our imitation. The Grammar improvers are something like the improvers of the Maryland school system ! They denounce the present system as abomi- nable, but fail to show us a better! Come up, gentlemen, grammar tinkers and school system tinkers — let us have less fancy and more fact, fewer kicks and more kisses, and our world of pupils, parents, teachers, and school officers, would be all the better for it, and be very much obliged to you. Will some one compile a list of the various different school Gram- mars and tell us which is the best, and why ? and generally what is the most rapid and practical method to teach Grammar? 'On the 10th of June, 1867, the following communication Avas addressed to the State Board of Education by the State Superinten- dent, and ordered to be entez'ed on the Journal : To the lion. State Board of Education : Gentlemkn : The Comptroller having reported to the Constitutional Convention that the cost of printing 20,000 copies of the Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in English, and 5,000 copies in German, was ^30,243 ; and as this extravagance has been charged upon the School System, the Superintendent wishes to state, and have the statement spread upon the Journal of the Board — that he asked for and urged the printing of only 3,500 copies, and placed a re- quest to that eifect in the hands of Mr. Calvert, of the House of Dele- gates. When the resolution to print 25,000 copies was under debate, it was distinctly announced that the Superintendent had said, that it would be difficult to distribute even 5,000 copies. Personally, I as- sured many members that the number was unnecessarily large, thus relieving myself and the State Board of Education from any responsi- bility for the exj^enditure of a sum of money sufficient to build thirty school houses, or to pay the salaries of all officers who superintend the schools for one j^ear. As yet, none of the copies pi-Inted have been distributed, except those sent from Annapolis by the members of the House of Delegates, or those sent from this office. H^^'Mr. Welling, late editor of the National Intellif/encer, has been elected President of St. John's College, Annapolis. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 127 Annual Commencement of Baltimore City College. — The an- nual commencement of Baltimore City College (formerly Male Central High School) took place Friday, July 12, at HoUiday street Theatre. Every portion of the house was crowded, and many were unable to procure seats. The Blues' Band, Prof. Holland, was in attend- ance, and interspersed the exercises with excellent music. The graduating class consisted of John Henry Appell, David Emory Ball, William John Chichester, Thomas Walter Crook, Henry Dunlap, George Washington Grillaspey, Edward Driver Halbert, Robert liose Leitch, George Edwin Maydwell, Daniel Schaff'er Miller, Elmer Slack Miller, William Reynolds Miller, Charles Egerton Reid, John Wesley Richardson Sumwalt, James Franklin Supplee and Herman Washington Thomiz. The order of exercises were, prayer by the Rev. Dr. Nelson, President of St. John's College, Annapolis; Salu- tatory Address by Wm. R. Miller; Oration, "Earth's Benefactors," by Herman W. Thomiz; Oration, "The Times we Live in," by El- mer S. Miller; Honorary Oration, by Henry Dunlap ; Oration, "The American Navy," by John W. R. Sumwalt; Oration, "The Right of Self-Government," by James F. Supplee, and Valedictory Oration, by Wm. J. Chichester. The pieces were all creditable productions, and the speakers were the recipients of showers of bouquets from their friends. The certificates were handed to the graduating class by Processor Thomas D. Baird, Principal of the College, with appropriate remarks. The Peabody prizes, those of the first grade, of ^100 each, were then awarded by Joseph Cushing, Jr., Esq., of the Board of Directors of the Peabody Institute, to Elmer Slack Miller, Wm. Reynolds Miller, and William John Chichester ;, and of the second grade, of $50 each, to Robert Rose Leitch, Herman Washington Thomiz, George Washington Gillaspey and Daniel Schafl[er Miller. The exercises closed with a benediction by the Rev. Mr. Shreve. g@^We have received from the manufacturers (C. M. Crandall & Co., Montrose, Pa.) a box of their Improved Building Blocks for children, and after a trial of them in our own family, are prepared to recommend them as the best thing of the kind we have ever seen or heard of. We have, during our experience as the head of a family, purchased playthings enough to have started a small toy shop, but in a short time, being made in such a frail manner, and of such perish- able material, they would gradually disappear ; but these blocks, being composed of solid, tough wood, are strong enough to resist whatever hard usage children may give them. And while they afford much amusement to the very small child they are also a source of great pleasure to those of larger growth, for with them all the various rules of architecture may be practiced, and no limit is placed upon the vari- ous ways of exercising the ingenuity. There are upwards of a hun- dred pieces, and they can be put up in a thousand different forms. No rules are required to put them together, although a large photo- graph, showing a complete village, made from these blocks, and which represents a church, dwelling, arbor, summer house, pump, fence, etc., etc., accompanies each box. 128 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Talbot County. — In Talbot county school district meetings have been held to determine, by a vote of the people, whether new school- houses shall be built in certain districts; and, in others, whether the old houses shall be repaired, &c. At Trappe it was resolved to re- pair the old house. At Island Creek a house has been purchased. At Dover it was determined to build a new house, and that $1200 be levied on the district as a special tax to pay. At Oxford it is expected something will be done. These meetings indicate the interest which the people are taking in their schools. Prince George. — As we learn from a letter published in the Marl- boro' Gazette, from Dr. John H. Bayne, President, in Prince George county four hundred more pupils attended the free schools the second year (just closed) than the first; and the average attendance has been still more encouraging. Some schools have more than doubled. J^^From St. Mary's, Charles, and other counties, also come cheer- ing reports of increased interest in school matters. In our next we will give some particulars. Who are most opjjosed to our School System? — -A short and phithy article, giving the correct answer to this question, will appear in the next No. of this Journal. A Bore. — That popular lecturer, John B. Gougb, is responsible for the following: Mr. G. says he receives many letters from stran- gers. Not long ago he received a long communication from a man ■who closed his epistle by apologetically saying, "I hope you won't consider me a bore" — but spelt it b-o-a-r. Hard on tub 'Squire. — A certain aged divine, known as father S — — -, was in the habit of riding a very good horse. On a certain occasion he was acosted by a self-important 'squire somewhat thus : "Well Mr. S— — , I see you ride a fine horse — your master was con- tent to ride on an ass." "Yes," meekly rejoined father S , "I tried to get an ass, in imitation of my master, but found all the asses had been taken up to make 'squires of them!'" The 'squire collapsed. The report of the Stfite Teachers' Association crowds out of this number several articles, such as notices of Institutes, and an ac- count of the generally condemned as unfair attack on the school system and State Superintendent made in the Constitutional Convention, which will appear in the next issue. ja^ Advertisements and Subscribers Wanted I The American Educational Series. THK LARGE and increasing sale of these books — the emphatic commendations of hun- dreds of the best teaciiers of the country who have tested them in tlie class-room, and know whereof they affirm, amply attest their real merits, and fully commend them to general faror, and the confidence of every thorough Aaii practical teacher. UNION READERS. The matte*- luid illustrations in this Series are entirely new, and unsurpassed by any other similar Series published, in variety and adaptation. ROBINSON'S COMPLETE MATHEMATICAL SERIES With the imiHovements and additions recently made, is the most complete Series of the kind, by one author, published in this country. THE METRIC SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, Full, practical, and adapted to the wants of business men, will be added to the future editions of Jtohinson's Jtudlnients, l^ractical and Jiigher Arithmetics. There will also be inserted in Per Centage, in the Higher Arithmetic, several pages oa the different kinds of U. S. Securities, Bonds, Treasury Notes, Gold Investments, Currency, (6c., with Practical Examples. This change and addition will not interfer with the use of the book with previous editions of the same. The Metric, St/istem, and the aforenamed improvi-.m.ent in per centage, Will also be bound in pamphlet form, containing about 47 12mi). pages, and will be sent to any address, by mail, on receipt of TVV1';XTY-FIVE CENTS. lierl's IVe\^^ Series of" GJ-r'aixmiars. Unsurpassed in Simplicity, Clearness, Research, and Practical Utility. timm SCHOOL diciionjiiiiis. These popular School Dictionai'ies having been thoroughly revised, and extensively re- garded as the standard authority in Orthography, Definition, and Pronunciation, and as the BEST Dictionaries in use, are respectfully commended to teachers and others. They are much more extensively sold and used than all others combined. SPENCERIAN COPY BOOKS. TTsed in jSTINE-TEN'THS of all the Normal Schools of the United States. Officially adopted and used in all the Principal Cities of the United States. Taught in all the Com- mercial Colleges. Also, Well's Natural Science, "Wilson's Histories, Fasquelle's French Series, Bryant & Stratton's Book-Keeping, "Wood- bury's German Series, Mantilla's Spanisli Headers, Bradbury's School Music Books, etc., etc. B^Teachers and School OflScers, are invited to correspond with us freely, and to send for our Descriptive Catalogue and Circular, which will be promptly sent upon application. 9^' Liberal terms given on Books furnished for Examination or Introduction. Address the Publishers, IVISON, PHINNEY, RLAKEMAN & Co. 47 & 49 GItEENE STREET, NEW YORK. CHICAGO. PHILADELPHIA. SMITH BROS. & CO., CtOTHtERS, MEBC8ANT TAILORS, AND DEALERS IN GENTS^ FURNISHING GOODS, Always on hand the largest stock of Clothing and Piece Goods for Custom Work. Persons in want of Good and Fashionable Clothing should be sure and come to xMARBLE HALL, 38 and 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. We have also a Under the charge of HARRY NICELY, at No. 38.. He will be pleased to see his friends. SMITH BROS. & CO., Merchant Tailors and Clothiers, 38 & 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. GET THE BEST. WMl UNTBRJDGfi DICTIONIIIIY. NEW ILLUSTRATED EDITBON, Thoroughly Revised and much Enlarged. OYER THREE HUNDRED FINE ENGRAVINGS. 10,000 WORDS and MEANINGS not found in other Dictionaries. In one vol. of 1840 Royal Quarto Pages. Published by G. & C. MERRIAM, Springfield, Mass. SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. SCHOOL DEFOT. It is in contemplation, in connection with the publi- cation office of this Journal in Baltimore, to ESTABLISH A BEPQT FOR THE SALE OP ALL SORTS OF SCHOOL REQUISITES, OR MERCHANDISE, BOOKS, MAPS, STATIONERY. APPARA- TUS, FURNITURE AND FIXTURES, AND AEDS GENERALLY TO THE SCHOOL AND TEACHER. OKI^EIIS SOLICITEID. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAi.AAAAAi>l,AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA4A» $CH OOL ^^^^^ /I /\/ / ) "" *^j DE^V^OXKD TO POPULAR INSTRUCTION AND LITERATURE. EDITORS: Rev, C. K. NELSON, D. D., Annapolis, Vice Pres. St. Joliii's College, and Pres. State Teachers' Association, E. S. ZEVELY, Cumberland, SEPTEMBER, 1867. Vol. 1. No. 5. B A L T I ra O R S s E. S. ZEVELY, Publisher. Printed by James Young, 114 West Baltimore street. OOISTTENTS OK SKPrKMUKU NUM15K11. [Tlio rortdor is invited to turn over the pages of this nuuiber to ascertivin its rnried contents, in place of sciuiniiisi' a meagre taMe in this place.] Too Uao! — The Journal was issued with the express understanding that al original subscribers should pay on receipt of the lirst number, instead ot which four numbers have already been issued, and yet there are several hun.. i sub- "scriptions still unpaid. We have fully complied with our part of the engagement, nnd we expect others to do the same. Pay up, gentlemen ! With this number a " Oiucri ;.\u "' sheet is sent, to which special attention is iuvited. iThc §aUimovc and (t)hio ^{ailvoatl On and aftor SUNDAY, May 5, 1807, tliivo daily trains will W run between Balti- more and Wheelinsi' and Parkerslnu'i;', as follows: :\IAIL TKAIN- will leave Baltimore dailv (except Siindav) at 8.45 A. M. FAST LINE will leave dailv (ineludino- Sundav^ at 5. 20 P. M. EXPRESS TKAIN will leave daily (except Saturday) at 9.45 P. M. These trains connect at Belair and Pavkersburg tor all points West, Southwest and Northwest. FKEDEIUCK ACCOMMODATION TRAIN leaves Baltimore, daily, at 4.20 P. JM.. (except Sunday.) Leaves Frederick for Balti- timore dailv (Sundavs excepted) at 7.05 A. M. THE ELLICOTT'S 31ILT.S TRAIN leaves Baltimore at 6.20 and 0.50 A. M., and 1.20 and 5.20 P. 31. Returning leaves EUicott's Mills at 7.30 and 11.10 A. M., and 2.80 and 0.30 P. M. FOR WASHINCvTON.— Leave Baltimore at 3.50, 7.05, 8.50 and 0.45 A. M., and 3.15. 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. FROM WASHINCtTON FOR BALTIMORE.— Leave Washing- ton at 7.00, 7.45 and 11.15 A. M., and 2.00, 4.30, 0.30 and 8.45 P. M. FOR ANNAPOLIS.— Leave Baltimore at 7.05 A. M. and 4.15 P. M.: leave Washington at 7.00 A. M. and 4.30 P. M. Trains leave Annapolis at 0.30 A. M. and 3.40 P. M. SUNDAY TRAINS.— Leave Baltimore for Washington at 3.50 and 0.45 A. 31., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. Leave Washini^ton at 7.45 A. M.. and 4.30, 0.30 and 8.45 P. M. For further information. Tickets of every kind, &c., apply to J. T. ENGLAND. Ai^-ent, Camden Station, or at the Ticket Office. " JOHN L. WILSON, Master of Transjwrtation. L. M. Cole, General Tieket Agent. MARYLAIffD EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. iisalL Vol. I. BALTIMOKE, SEPTEMBER, 1867. No. 5. Earnestness. LL who are familiar with school men, must have observed that when a successful teacher is asked to impart the secret of his success; when it is required of him to give his methods of instruction and of discipline, he is at a loss for a reply, and most generally answers that he has no plans — that he has no stated rules for government, and no well- defined methods of teaching. He rather resents the ques- tion as intimating that he is something of the martinet, a character he is not emulous of possessing. Of course such an answer as this carries upon its face its own contradiction, for nothing can be success- fully prosecuted without plan. Yet such answers are given in good faith, and have a measure of truth in fact. They simply mean that the successful teacher has never deliberately formed any statutes for government, nor devised any set method of instruction. His discip- line and tuition are so much a part of himself, that he does not think of them as something extrinsic. He means and possibly says, that he no more teaches by school laws, than he speaks and writes by the rules of grammar ; if he obeys a law as laid down in the books, well ; but if he breaks that law, so much the worse for the law, for he makes a law for himself. What has been said should not be construed into meaning that the young teacher may not, or cannot be benefited by the instructions of experienced teachers, whether those instructions come through the medium of books, Normal schools, Teachers' Institutes, or the like instrumentalities. These agencies are too valuable to be condemned, or contemned. They are performing a noble service in the cause of popular education ; but they are performing their work less by formu- lating the laws of teaching than by stating, elucidating and enforcing those fundamental principles of education, founded upon the consti- 9 130 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, tution of the human mind, and discovered by its study in its evolution and development during childhood, which are the basis of all rules of practice. Half the labor of life is to unlearn that which has been so diligently taught. It is astonishing with what a heap of error every art, and every science, becomes overlaid, in the progress of ages. We must dig away the rubbish before we can lay bare the buried statue of Truth : we must clear away the alluvium before we reach the solid and stable rock. Educational philosophy, as taught by en- lightened men in our books^ and Normal schools, is doing this. Our unnatural modes of teaching are being changed, and we are returning to nature, the great teacher. This philosophy is not so much giving us law, as it is enabling us to see what is law. One who should survey the long rows of volumes which contain the statutes of the land, and the other long rows which hold the interpre- tations of those statutes, in his dispair of becoming acquainted with them all, and with their true meaning, might well dread the clutch of the officer for some unwitting violation of the law. So the teacher, anxious scrupulously to do his whole duty, who should seek to know all the rules for teaching, before he commences his labors, will be confused and confounded by their almost infinite variety and number. As in politics almost every man (though he may not be able to govern his own household) thinks himself able to govern a nation, so almost every one, though he may not be able to teach, thinks he can give rules for teaching. How, then, shall the conscientious teacher proceed? How shall he do his duty, when his duties seem so numerous and various that he can hardly hope even to learn what those duties are ? Let him go to his work with simple earnestness of purpose to do that duty which is nearest and plainest at the time. Let him follow his own impulses — ■ instincts, as it were. His way will be opened through apparently impenetrable mazes. Let him do one duty well, and others will re- veal themselves. He who goes to his work with this earnestness and sincerity will be surprised to find that the vast body of laws or rules will codify and digest themselves into a few maxims. What is more, he will find that he has insensibly and unwittingly been obeying those laws which have received the sanction of all good teachers : that he has fallen, instinctively as it were, into the very track, and has been following unconsciously in the very footsteps of the ablest instructors. Brilliancy of intellect, originality of invention, depth of learning, as haply they are not the most common, are happily not the most essential qualifications of the successful teacher. Simple earnestness, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 131 honest endeavor, combined with sound sense and a good heart, will win where more shining qualities, greater powers, and wider erudi- tion fail. It is the man who puts 7«'s heart into the work that makes the successful teacher — and we might add the successful preacher, far- mer, mechanic, or any thing else. He will light upon plans, as it were, by accident; he will adopt expedients without premeditation; he will strike out methods, as it were, by intuition. He may not know of what process of reasoning he has arrived at his determina- tions. He may not be able to trace the course of thought by which he has reached his conclusions. His logic and his philosophy may be at fault, but he feels and knows that he is in the right course. His earnestness stands him in stead of these. In the heart of the earnest man there sits enthroned an ever present divinity, directing, guiding, inspiring, ri. Who are Opposed to our ScLlooI System. A legal gentleman, in one of our counties, upon the occasion of an election, when the question of levying a local tax for the support of •schools was to be decided, was very violent in his denunciations of the whole school system, making sundry reckless declarations, which had no substantial basis in truth, but which served to persuade a large number of well meaning citizens who look up to him to cast their bal- lots contrary to their own convictions. Thus in one district of the county the people actually voted to close their schools for one-half the year, though not one of them but would, have made a great outcry had such -a thing been done. Fortunately the other portions of the county saved them from their folly. This legal gentleman, who in his public exhortations professed to know all about the school law and its enor- mities, was soon after called upon to give his opinion as to the bearing of a certain part of that law. Upon receiving a copy of the act of Assembly, he remarked, "Ah ! I am pleased to see this law, for really I have never had the opportunity of reading it." This incident is one of many which show that tJiey are most opposed to the system who are most ignorant of its details, and have taken least pains to know anything of the workings of this or any other school law. Th-e query naturally suggests itself: — is it not presumable that those members of our Constitutional Convention who are most earnest in their condemnation have never acquainted themselves with the pro- visions of the act, nor with its practical operations ? 132 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Memory.— No. 4. PPLICATION to Historical dates, or Chronology, continued as follows : — ■ Queen Victoria married Prince Albert after re- '^iff\ fusing several other offers Baltimore was founded bj men who worked and... TOOK NO PAY The Bible icas first printed in America in Massa- chusetts COLONY The first newspaper printed in America made every Yankee a good GUESSEK Mnemotecliny first taught in America and will soon be known everywhere Slaves loere first brought to the United States by the Dutch in CHAINS Washington city tvas founded at a place which the Govern- ment has ever since occupied Albany ivas settled by the Dutch, who brought with them a DUTCH WAITER Alex. Hamilton was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr which was the occasion of heavy sorrow The Boston massacre showed that our people would not sub- mit to the tyranny of .kings Braddoch was defeated by the Indians who poured their fire into the English ranks like ugly hail California discovered by Cortez who built a tall mill The Circumnavigation first performed by a U. S. ship re- turned after it had doubled the two capes Chesapeake Bay discovered by John Smith who navigated it in a huge scow Gen. Jachson at his death bade the world ..farewell At the Death of Powhatan he left behind him an aged wife The Erie Canal when finished was brought to its finale The Great Fire in New York ruined many a family The Great Fire in Pittsburg was a fire on a hill The Free Masons first established a lodge in the U. S. at Bos- ton, being the first place they carried their scheme from home The Odd-Fellows first established a lodge in Baltimore, which has been joined by many a foot boy A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 133 At the Battle of Lake Erie, Perry sent Barclay a challenge and FOUGHT him At the Battle of Tippecanoe many an Indian met a tough death After the Declaration of Independence the British had to ride on a whig coach The Great EarthquaJce. at Lisbon pitched the city into a gully hole Lewis and Clarke^ s Expedition over the Rocky Mountains proved a tough siege Pocahontas married Rdfe at the. age of eighteen Peru was conquered hy the Spaniards under Pizarro whose object was to steal money Homer flourished at a time when Greece was filled with the harmonies of his poetry The Laios of Lycurgus lasted at Sparta longer than the aches of a common fevek Queen Dido founded Carthage and had of it a heavy job The conflict between the Horatii and Curatii was not a mere SHOWY joke The first tragedy at Athens was acted by Thespis upon a cart or chariot drawn by a. ..... . slow mule The First Punic War caused the Garthagenians much injury At the end of the first Punic War the weight of the Roman power fell upon Carthage like a Storm of , snow and rain The Second Punic War was no sooner declared than Han- nibal marched into Italy to the astonishment of every native At the end of the second Punic War the Garthagenians per- ceived the expediency of acting towards the Romans with more honesty The First Library at Rome diflfused a taste for learning and. .teaching The Death of Cleopatra and Antony has been the theme of many a musb The Death of Socrates might perhaps have been avoided if he had been concealed in some dark recess The Destruction of Thebes by Alexander was completed by the blows of the soldiers' woesome hammer After Talcing the City of Tyre, Alexander made his way through Lybia to the home of ammon Abraham, at his death, went to repose in the bosom of. divinity Cadmus introduced letters into Greece in a turban Rome was founded by a felonious colony Alcibiades cut off his dog's tail to divert the people's weariness 134 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The Battle of Maratlion sent many a Greek to his final kepose David killed Goliath with his sling, by giving him rather a dizzy shock The Destruction of Troy was consummated by the flames of a HOT WOOD FIRE King Philip' s War was commenced for the purpose of throw- ing off the white man's shackles Poland was subdued by the combined force of war and famine When Napoleon was Crowned Dmperor he was ready to face a war Najyoleon Married Maria Louisa after he had been in many a fight Napoleon, when he entered Moscow, did not have to fight any When Napoleon's remains were hrought from St. Helena the event was celebrated in vekse St. Peter shurg was founded by Peter the Great, who was styled the gay czar Sunday School first established in England by Robt. Raikes, has made him illustrious as the giver The Insurrection in Pennsylvania was caused by duties on whiskey and , thick beer At Crucifixion of Christ his Father called him home Pontius Pilate killed himself in a miff St. Paul shipwrcched at Malta among the jews The Apostle Peter let loose from jail by an angel seemed rake Jackson inaugurated President, an ofl&ce that draws fine pay Lima, in Peru, founded by Pizarro, who built lima on a hill Lima destroyed hy an earthquake with a terrible crash Neiv Orleans vfhen founded had to be protected by a thick dike Philadelphia was founded by William Penn, who made a contract with a chief (who was) nigh The First Printing Press in the U. S. printed many a huge map Pice was introduced in S. C, where it can be raised cheaply The Settlement of Jamestown , in Virginia, was a place of the ^-^-i Colonists' own choosing The Settlement at Plymouth, in N. E., was made some time after the land had been discovered by a Genoese The Theatre at Richmond was burned, a large number of the guests meeting a heavy death The University of Virginia, founded by Mr. Jefferson, has educated many a fat boy Tower of Babel built sometime after people saved in...N0AH's new ark The birth of Christ was the beginning of a new era Jonah when sivcdlowed by the ivhale paid a queer visit A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 1S5 Joshua stops sun and moon on Mt. Gibeon not wanting starlight Moses loas horn at a time when the Jews spoke one dialect FTiaraoJi's host drowned in Bed Sea — every wagon water boat Solomon^ s judgment on child showed wit and wisdom Before invention of paper in China they used to write on sand with sticks Multiplication table invented hy Pythagoras for figures styled... Arabic Stringed musical instruments introduced in Rome perhaps made of tough ash Weights and Measures invented to weigh a heavy ship Catholic Church commenced to save Christians from the devil Christmas day first observed by a happy wife Grist mills invented in Ireland ground without any water Organs invented and first used in churches by the sage jews Shoeing horses introduced that roads might not wear the foot Since sjoirituous liquors first made they have ruined many a — family When the Bible was first printed in English it contained a... holy map The first neivspaper j^ublished in Great Britain was not printed on a leaf of ivy Remarks. — Observe the directions heretofore given. The first les- sons must be thoroughly understood. Articulate letters before trans- lating into figures, as "holy map" is le, me, pe, — "family" is fe, me, le, &c. Lecture on every formula as in object teaching. These form- ulas may be had on separate sheets for use in the school room. Ap- plication to other matters in succeeding numbers. "In a school in Springfield, Massachusetts, the lady teacher, a few days since, had occasion to punish one of the little boys for using profane language. There being a knot hole in the fioor, she conceived the idea to make him stand near by it with a pair of tongs and watcli until he caught a rat that should come up from below. Stationing him, she gave him strict injunctions to remain until he accomplished the feat; calculating, of course, after he had stood there a couple of liours^ to send him to his seat. Judge of her surprise, when, two minutes after, he fastened the tongs to a genuine live fellow of the rat kind, with enormous whiskers and tail, and holding him up ex- claimed, "by jings, I've caught him." 136 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A Full Account, '■'Plain and unvarnished," of proceedings in the State Constitutional Convention in regard to the School question. REFERRING to the report of the Proceedings of the State Teachers' Association in the August No. and to the Pub- lisher's "Statement" in the July No., we are now prepared to spread before the readers of this Journal the promised report of the proceedings in the Constitutional Convention against the present school system. This we can do entirely free from party feeling, and only with a full conviction that it is eminently right and proper, just, true and due to "Let justice be done though the Heavens fall." The readers of this Journal will agree with all unprejudiced ob- servers, that unfortunately in our State there is at this time too much of party bitterness mixed up with school matters, and influencing the minds of men on this subject. Hence the action in Convention. That action is here presented, as it is desirable and proper that an educational journal should (nothing extenuating nor setting down aught in malice) set forth the truth as it is, for historical reference. This account is taken from the Journals of the Convention, merely giving the reply of the State Superintendent (as an act of sheer jus- tice), which the Convention refused to receive. Various papers in the State have condemned the action of the Con- vention. We have not the space to. copy all that has been said. Much of the opposition seems to be the result of personal feeling, which should not enter into the question. Liberal and enlightened minds of all parties and sects acknowledge the importance of a system of free schools. But enough — now to the report. First, the Committee on Education is as follows: — Messrs. Fai*- nandis, McKaig, Kilbourn, Vansant, Pleasants, Wilkinson, Bell, C. S. Parran, Tarr of Caroline, Cover, McCormick, Brent, Goldsborough of D,, Johnson, Devries, Massey, Duvall, Brooke, Keating, Jamison, Rider, Bateman, Murray, Franklin. On the 14th of May, the above committee was announced, and on the same day Mr. G-eorge submitted the following : Ordered that the Committee on Education be instructed to inquire into the expediency of abolishing the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and substituting therefor four Educational Districts — one of which shall be the city of Baltimore, the other three as may, in the judg- ment of the committee, be advisable — each District to be entitled to a Superintendent ; and whether it be politic to make said Superintendent elected by the people, or subject to the appointment of the Governor or otherwise ; which was read and referred to the Committee on Education. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 137 May 16. — Mr. Merryman submitted the following order : Ordered that the Superintendent of Public Instruction of this State be re- quested to report to this Convention the amount of money expended for books and stationery for the Public Schools of the State, and a schedule of the prices paid for the same, since the adoption of the present system, and also the names of the various parties to whom the money has been paid, with the respective sums received by them ; which was adopted. Wednesday, May 29. — Mr. Fernandis, Chairman of the Committee on Education, submitted the following report : Sec. 1. The Greneral Assembly, at its first session after the adop- tion of this Constitution, shall by law establish throughout the State, a thorough and efficient system of free Public Schools, and shall pro- vide, by taxation or otherwise, for their maintenance. Sec. 2. The system of Public Schools, as now constituted, shall re- main in force until the end of the said first session of the General Assembly, and shall then expire, except so far as adopted or continued by the General Assembly. Sec. 3. The School Fund of the State shall be kept inviolate, and appropriated only to the purposes of education. Which was read the first time and ordered to be printed. June 11. — The subject was again before the Convention. Mr. Franklin moved to omit all after the word "and," in third line of second section, and insert "shall expire when the system provided for in the first section shall be adopted." Mr. George submitted the following amendment : "Sec. 2. The Public Schools of the city of Baltimore shall be a separate organization, under the control of the Mayor and City Coun- cil of said city." June 15. — A communication was received from the State Superin- tendent of Public Instruction, which was, after being partly read, laid on the table, but is printed in full herewith. The contents of this letter indicate the substance of the remarks made against him, in Convention. June 19. — The Convention resumed the consideration of the report of the Committee on Education. The question recurring upon the amendment submitted by Mr. George, viz : Sec. 2. "The Public Schools of the city of Baltimore shall be a separate organization, under the control of the Mayor and City Coun- cil of said city," it was rejected. The question then recurring upon the amendment submitted by Mr. Franklin, viz: omit all after the word "and," .in third line, and insert "shall expire when the system provided for in the first section shall be adopted" — Mr. Kilbourn submitted the following as a substitute : Sec. 2. Strike out at the end of the section the words "except so far as adopted or continued by the General Assembly." 138 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, When, upon motion, the Convention resolved itself into a Commit- tee of the Whole. The committee arose, and Mr. Jones, chairman, reported that they had under consideration the report of the Commit- tee on Education — had made some progress thereon, and asked leave to sit again. The report was adopted. June 20. — The subject was considered in Committee of the Whole, reported progress and asked to be discharged. June 21. — The Convention resumed the consideration of the report of the Committee on Education. Mr. Devries submitted the following as a substitute for the whole report : Sec. 1. The G-eneral Assembly shall, at its first session after the adoption of this Constitution, proceed to establish a thorough and ef- ficient system of Public Schools throughout the State. Sec. 2. The present school system shall remain in force until super- seded by the system provided for in the first section of this article. Sec. 3. The G-eneral Assembly shall cause to be carried at each regular session an annual tax of not less than ten cents on the $100 of taxable property throughout the State, which tax shall be collected at the same time, and by the same agents, as the general levy — such levy to be divided among the several counties and Baltimore city, in proportion to their respective population between the ages of 7 and 20 years. S'ec. 4. The school fund of the State shall be kept inviolate, and appropriated only to the purpose of education. Pending the consideration of which, Mr. Barces submitted the fol- lowing as a substitute for the whole section : Sec. 1. The system of public education now existing shall con- tinue until the first day of March, 1868, and as soon as this Consti- tution shall be ratified, shall be under the management and control of the present professor of the State Normal School, who shall receive the same compensation now provided by law for the Superintendent of Public Education in the State. And the voters in the several elec- tion districts of each county shall, at the first general election after the ratification of this Constitution, and at each succeeding general election for members of the House of Delegates thereafter, elect one School Commissioner for -each election district in each county — the returns thereof to be made in the same manner now required by law for other county of&cers — and the persons elected as Commissioners shall constitute a Board of Public Education for the respective coun- ties by whom they are chosen, and the Board so constituted shall have power to provide such system of public education for their respective counties as they may deem best, and they shall have full power to put the same into effective operation in their respective counties, and the County Commissioners of each county shall, from time to time, levy upon the assessable property of their respective counties, such amount of money as may be required by the Board of Public Education for the support of such schools. And there shall be levied upon the tax- A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 139 able property of the State, as other State taxes are levied and col- lected, a general tax of five cents on the ^100 of valuation, for the use of the Public School fund of the State, which shall, with any other school funds of the State, be distributed annually by the Comp- troller of the State among the several counties and the city of Balti- more, according to the number of children attending Public Schools in each respectively the previous year. And there shall be appointed by the General Assembly of Maryland, in Convention, a suitable per- son as Inspector of Public Schools of the State at large, who shall hold ofBce for two years, and shall provide such compensation for his services as they may deem best, and the person chosen Inspector, as herein provided, shall from time to time and as often as possible, visit the several schools of tlie State, and render such services as may be required by law. And the control of all the Public School property in each county shall be transferred to the Boards of Public Education in each, and the property of the State Normal School, and such other property be- longing to the State Board of Public Education. And the General Assembly shall have full power to make, from time to time, such changes in the system of public education of the State as they may think proper. The question being upon the amendment of Mr. Barnes, it was lost by a vote of 91 to 6. The question then recurred upon the amendment of Mr. Devries, and was lost. Mr. Morris submitted the following: Sec. 1, line 4, strike out the word "taxation" and insert after the word "by a tax of ten per cent. on each ^100 of the assessable property of the State." The amend- ment was lost by a vote of 23 nays to 65 yeas. Mr. Gill submitted the following amendment : Add at end of sec- tion 1st, "provided that the General Assembly shall give to the city of Baltimore, if not inconsistent with the efficient promotion of edu- cation throughout the State, a separate and independent system of Public Schools." During the consideration of which — ■ Mr. Parran submitted the following amendment: Strike out all af- ter the word "school," in the fourth line, and insert "the General Assembly shall levy at each regular session thereof after the adoption of this Constitution, an annual tax of not less than cents on the hundred dollars of taxable property throughout the State, for the sup- port of free Public Schools, which tax shall be collected at the same time, and by the same agents, as the general State levy ; and shall be distributed, under such regulations as may be prescribed by law, among the counties and the city of Baltimore in proportion to their respective population between the ages of five and twenty." Amend- ment was rejected by a vote of 20 to 78. Mr. Peters moved the following: Sec. 1, line 4, after the word "'schools" insert the words "suited in its parts to the circumstances and wishes of the people in the different localities." Ptejected, 140 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Mr. Nicolai submitted the following : Strike out all after the word "until, " in line 2, and insert "the General Assembly shall provide another, or re-enact the existing sj'stem in whole or in part, but no law providing another system shall take effect before the 30th June, 1868."' The amendment of Mr. Nicolai was rejected. Other amendments were oifered, but were rejected. The report was then read a second time and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. So all the amendments proposed were lost, and the report of the Committee upon Education was adopted without any change or alteration. The report has not yet been put upon the third reading, but there is little doubt but that it will be passed, as first presented by the Com- mittee upon Education. [The above report has been prepared by Jas. H. Hodges, Esq., of Annapolis, the gentlemanly Secretary and Treasurer of the School Board for Anne Arundel county, who copied it verbatim from the pro- ceedings of the Convention, and may therefore be relied upon as cor- rect, so far as it goes.] We have also been favored with a complete file of the Journals of the Convention by Col. Alfred Spates, a member of the Convention, with which we have compared the above. It is well known, however, to all the readers of this journal, that in the debates which were had some sharp things were said against the system generally and against the State Superintendent individually. These remarks have beeu published in the papers, and are allowed to be substantially correct. The State Superintendent feeling himself aggrieved and unjustly assailed, addressed a letter to the Convention (printed in full below), which was, however, laid on the table, and not entered on the Journal : State of Maryland, Department op Public Instrtjction, Superintendents Office, Baltimore, June 14, 1867. To THE Constitutional Convention of Maryland : Gentlemen: During the debate (June 11th) upon the report of the committee on education, there was frequent reference to the Superin- tendent of Public Instruction, and assertions made which seriously affect private character, and thiis assail personal rights. In the discharge of official duty I have silently endured many at- tacks, but to be silent now would be either to claim a degree of for- bearance more than usual among men, or leave myself open to the inference that the charges made cannot be refuted, and thus seriously affect the school system, which is so valuable to the State. It is, therefore, my duty to take notice of the debate, and seek the only mode of redress which my rule of life allows. I therefore solicit a hearing in the most open and direct manner that you can grant. I am ready to prove the truth of all that I have reported, to main- tain that the school work accomplished in the first year, under the act of 1865, has been done faithfully, honestly, effectually and economi- A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 141 cally ; that the system steadily increased in favor with those who took time to visit the schools and become acquainted with its features. New school-houses have been built, old ones repaired, the character of the teachers elevated, and more children have been in attendance at school than at any time before in the State of Maryland. These are facts of interest to the public, to which and to a discussion of the merits of the law, attention might be directed more appropriately than to vague personal charges not sustained by any specifications. I refer you to a letter addressed by me to Mr. Longwell of Carroll, and to the accompanying communication to the State Board of Edu- cation, to prove that the shameful squandering of public money, by paying ^30,000 to print a report not yet distributed, is not a charge against the school system. It was the act of a General Assembly over which I had no influence, and one of many acts which my judg- ment emphatically condemned. With the school system of Baltimore city I have never interfered, and challenge proof of a single action not strictly in accordance with the acts of Assembly or mandates of the State Board of Education. If I have transgressed the law, or abused my position, arraign me upon the charges and hear me in defense. The only question ever at issue between the city schools and the State Board of Education concerned test books, and here the discus- sion was provoked by the city school commissioners throwing out a text book which had been placed upon the State list at their request, and had been used for several years in the city schools. In this mat- ter the object of the State Board was to enforce the law, in which they were sustained by the decision of the Superior Court of Balti- more city and the Court of Appeals. If any wrong were done, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House of Dele- gates are equally responsible with the State Superintendent. In the Baltimore Sun of June 12th, Mr. Kilbourn, a member of your body^ with whom I have no acquaintance, but whose words have force because of his position, is reported to have said: "The commit- tee had abundant evidence that the reports made to the Legislature, to the people, and to this Convention, are not founded in truth. The aggregate cost of books is stated at ^64,000, when, by examination of the details, it has been ascertained that the amount is one hundred per cent, greater, or $128,000." "They had abundant proof that the intolerant misrepresentations of the Superintendent had not been un- advisably made." These are grave charges, and I have a right to call upon the gentle- man, through the Convention, first to give the facts upon which he based such assertions ; next, to listen to what can be said to refute the ex parte evidence which he has taken. I have a right to demand more, when it is proved that the words have been rashly spoken and are not true. The records of my office are open to investigation by any member of the Convention, and ought to have been examined before the charge of falsehood was ventured. 142 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Every citisen has an undoubted right to criticise the acts of Assem- bly of 1865, and expose whatever fallacy he can find in the school system ; but no person has the right to impugn official reports except Upon testimony carefully and fairly taken. It is well known that false reports are often disseminated for private or partisan purposes, and careless men sometimes believe rumors ; but it is neither fair, courteous nor wise for a gentleman occupying the position of a member of Convention to publish assertions which are calculated to damage private character, except upon a positive record of facts, and after hearing both sides of the question. Official position gives license to no man to charge another with fraud, unless he can prove it. If he cannot prove it, to retract the charge is no higher virtue than that of common honesty. Very respectfully, yours, L. Van Bokkelen, State Superintendent. [,^®"It is -hoped that this report, as here above given, will satisfy all reasonable friends and foes of the school system, of the State Su- perintendent, and of the Maryland Educational Journal. The letter of the State Superintendent to State Board about the cost of printing the annual report, was given in the last or August No. of tjiis Jour- nal, and fully proves that neither he nor the school system is respon- sible for that expenditure.] Hotel Education. N assertion was recently made by a writer in the Baltimore Sun respecting the profits of hotel keeping which, if true, is a melancholy and significant one. It was stated in effect, that the profits of hotel keeping depended on the bar and billiard tables, or in other words, without the adjunct of a bar and billiard saloon a hotel would not pay. Such a state- ment, if true, is most startling, and should arrest public at- tention. Is it pretended to be said that the traveler who stops at a hotel and pays his bill at the office, but does not patronise the bar or billiard saloon, is of no profit to the establishment? The writer of this begs respectfully to doubt the proposition. If true, however, it is time that good hotels should charge moi-e and indifferent ones less. Let a first class hotel be opened without these objectionable adjuncts, at which a gentleman who does not drink, and smoke and play billi- ards, may put Up without feeling himself a pensioner upon the bounty of the landlord! But this is all "a weak invention of the enemy.'' Temperance hotels will pay, and do pay, if well conducted on eco- A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 143 nomical principles, It is all idle balderdash to assert the contrary ! It is readily admitted, however, that it is not every man who can "keep a hotel" without a bar. In many hotels the most unbounded and wasteful extravagance is so apparent in almost every department that there is no wonder some outside income is necessary to make up for such leaks. A temperance hotel that will furnish good accommodations — send out porters and hacks—advertise and agitate, will command patrons, who will pay for what they get, the same as they do now at other hotels. A Christian gentleman, in a western town, kept a temperance hotel for many years, and acquired a competency thereby. He has now retired from business, and another is keeping the same house, on the same principle, and doing well. And from this we conclude that good temperance houses will pay, even in this whiskey-drinking age and land. Saloon Education. *HE pulpit and a sanctified press, the Sunday School teacher, the conscientious day school teacher, the pious parent, are all educators in the right direction ; but we have those among us who are so in the wrong direction. Of these are those who lure to the gaming table, the wine cup, viscious com- pany, publishers of impure books, &c. These are murder- ers. The law of both God and man imposes a penalty for the murder of the body. The law of God also, however, (if not man's law) imposes a severer penalty on those who kill or attempt to kill the soul. Now whoever places temptation to sin in the way of another is in effect endeavoring to kill a soul. The Bible pronounces a "«-oe" upon such: — "Woe to him from whom the offence cometh." "Woe to him who giveth his neighbor strong drink." The keepers of all immoral and sinful resorts come under this sentence. But what is a woe ? It is the deep, dark, dismal, dreadful wail of a soul suddenly overtaken by a fearful death, many instances of which can be given, shuddering examples which appear to open a glimpse of more fearful woes beyond. Liquor sellers are notoriously hard-hearted. Their hearts are steeled, as adamant, against all but selfish hopes of present sordid gain, yet perhaps even they may be touched by reflecting but a moment upon the idea here presented. So mote it be. 144 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Public Schools in Prince George. E copy the following from the Upper Marlboro' Gazette (a live paper), being portions of a letter to that paper from Dr. Bayne, county President : Sji Sj* SjC <» ^ ^ ^ Jp 5ji We have just completed the second year of our County Superintency, and it affords me pleasure to report a very decided improvement in the moral and intellectual condi- tion of our schools. Progression is the rule, and I am proud to say, there is but a single case of retrogression in the county. Several schools which two years ago only numbered from one to five pupils, now have an attendance of from twenty to fifty each. The numerical increase in the last two years has been from one thousand pupils to fourteen hundred in the whole county. And the average attendance has been still more encouraging. This exposition of facts is incon- trovertible. As the population of the county has not increased in such a ratio as to justify the increase of four hundred pupils in the brief period of two years, we may, I think, very rationally attribute it to the adoption of the new law. Some schools in other districts have more than doubled their number in two years, and I hazard the prediction unless the present system is abolished, in two years from this time the numbers will approximate very closely two thousand. If the deductions from the preceding statement of facts are correct, it behooves those who indulge in public denunciations of the present system of public instruction to deliberate, and to become personally cognizant of it before they proceed farther in their course of misrep- resentation. It will be a fearful responsibility to pursue any course which will inflict injustice upon the rising generation. From personal observation, I believe the opposition emanates from persons who rarely ever see the inside of a primary school and certainly do not patronize them. Persons who are skeptical with regard to the modus operandi of the new system would, I think, have their doubts removed by attending some of our annual and quarterly examinations. The promptness and accuracy with which the pupils respond to questions in orthography, grammar, geography and in other branches, would convince them that they have been laboring under erroneous impressions. In a few schools the classics and mathematics are successfully taught. In others, botany, rhetoric and philosophy are embraced in their lists of studies. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 145 ' I am proud also to be able to report, that there are many Public Schools in this county which merit very high commendation for their perfect discipline and morality, and where any gentlemen might send their children without danger of demoralization. The same might and ought to be said of every school in the county, and at no very I'emote period, if prejudices ceased to exist, cavillings were hushed and the people would co-operate with the commissioners in securing the services of efficient teachers and in the erection of suitable edifices for the accommodation of their children. I certainly have no inclination to say one word in disparagement of the private schools in the county. I would rather multiply every agency and facility to promote the cause of education. But in vindi- cation of the Public Schools, and in order to test their comparative merit, I would suggest that competitive examinations be held in dif- ferent sections of the county. And in order to put the ball in mo- tion, allow me the privilege of selecting a class of five or ten children from a single primary school, to meet in a spelling battle a similar number taken from all the private schools ia the county combined. I would further suggest that the examination be limited to the first twenty -five hundred or three thousand words in Webster's School Dic- tionary. I do not wish to be understood as confining the examina- tions to orthography alone. We have many schools in the county which can furnish classes equally well prepared in geography, English grammar, and in other departments of learning. For the development of the Public School system in the State, no man has contributed more than our able State Superintendent. His professional skill, literary attainments, practical knowledge and in- flexible integrity, eminently qualify him for the position which he occupies. He has labored with unwearied assiduity to perfect its or- ganization, and to impart to its workings vitality and success. And how any man not actuated by motives of political vindictiveness, can for a moment doubt the necessity of the office, is to me a matter of astonishment. Instead of the vituperative epithets which have re- cently been applied to him, by partizan politicians, he will be hailed by the rising generation as a benefactor for his instrumentality in es- tablishiag the free, school system, which will be considered one of the proudest monuznents of the intelligence and patriotism of the people of the State. In some States the system of Public Schools has been elaborately adopted, and the results have been prodigious. Our system is yet in fehe chrysalis state. But it is full of hope and promise. And is it 10 146 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, possible that jDeople will be so credulous as to be so influenced bj^ dema- gogues as to destroy it in its infantile condition, and consent to return to the old system, which was a disgrace to the State? If education is one of the pillars of national prosperity, and determines to a great extent our moral and future destiny, is it not good policy and sound economy for the people to submit cheerfully to the imposition of ad- ditional taxation for the support of Public Schools. RECONSTEUCTION. For reasons useless to enlarge upon, but which we think will be apparent, we have been reluctantly compelled to omit the "Editorial Committee" names which have appeared on this Journal. We desire to convince all that the Journal is based on a broad and liberal foun- dation, with. nothing clannish about it. We desire that it shall be the exponent of all interests in the State, and therefore we have entered into an arrangement with that whole-souled, energetic, experienced and popular educator, Kev. Dr, C. K. Nelson, of St. John's College, whose name appears on this number, and who will hereafter lend his valuable aid in endeavoring to build up an acceptable Maryland Edu- cational Journal. We want several hundred additional subscribers immediately. (^See Circular.') Dr. Nelson will in the next No. fairly take hold and make his mark on the Journal. z. More Valuable than Treasury Notes. — How that old cynic, Sam Johnson, would have revelled through Webster's massive new Una- bridged ! How he would have gloated over its magnificent letter-press and its illustrations, beautiful as new Treasury Notes, and much more valuable to the student. The Merriams have incurred a fabulous ex- pense in having the whole work rewritten, reset, recast, and repub- lished. It is not a mere revision, but a reconstruction. To insure excellence in typography, it comes from the Riverside Press, which is all that need be said about its mechanical execution. It is a marvel- ous specimen of learning, labor, research, and taste. It is by far the greatest literary icorh of the age. — Baltimore American. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 14Y Local School Intelligence. [It is higlily desirable to present as much under this head as can be had, but as we are not omnipresent, must depend oh friends of the <5ause to communicate.] Baltimore County Teachers' Association. — This Association, -(says the Baltimore County Free Press of July 24,) composed of the teachers of the Public Schools of Baltimore county, convened in Bal- timore on Friday and Saturday of last week, at rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association, No. 160 W. Baltimore street, Samuel ilinggold, Esq., President, occupying the chair. . The regular exer- cises of the association consisted of the discussing of the different -methods of teaching, addresses, &c. A well written article by Miss Emily Day, upon the subject of teaching as a profession, was read during the session. By request, the association was addressed by Kev. Dr. Van Bokke- len, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, with reference to the many advantages derived from the present school system, which was listened to with deep attention. Thej were also addressed by Prof, -M. A. Newell, Principal of the State Normal School. The association have established a library at the county building. No. 21 North Calvert street, and have elected Wm. M. Soper, Esq., •Secretary of the County School Board, as librarian. The asscciation meets again in November next. °In Talbot county meetings have recently beeaa held by th« people, and in every case preparations were made to improve th^s -school houses. The Easton Stcuf says; "These meetings indicate the interest which the people are taking in their schools, and afford us a hopeful sign that they do not mean that tlie cause of education shall receive the neglect, in the future, with which it has been treated in the past. That larger school ac- 'commodation is demanded in so many of the districts, is a matter for congratulation ; and to whatever cause the increased attendance is at- tributable, every friends of popular instruction must rejoice that a .greater number of children than ever before are now enjoying the ad- vantages of our public schools. Whateve-r may be the merits or the •defects of the present school law, and on this subject men may very honestly differ, there is reason to believe that the schools of this county are in a better state of efficiency than before the inauguration of the system under which they are now working." 148 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, j^^Our friends of St. Marj's and Charles are awake to the im- portance of home schools. The Leonardtown Gazette says: "The examination of the pupils in the public schools of our county which was had last week, preparatory to the summer vacation, resulted in showing, we are pleased to learn from reliable sources, that the present school system is working admirably and approaching the high- est point of efficiency. The different reports of teachers show, we learn, that a larger number of pupils are in attendance upon our pub- lie schools than was ever known before, and it is patent to the least observant that the schools novf are better conducted and the children better taught than under any previous system of instruction we have ever had. Much of this improvement is due, of course, to the merits of the new system itself, but something of it is also due to the capacity and energy of the county superintendent. Whatever the fate of the present school system, the people of St. Mary's will have just cause to remember with gratitude the labors of Dr. Bunting and his assist- ants in behalf of pojnilar education in our county." The Port Tobacco Times speaks of the examination of the pupils of the public school in that village and says ; ' 'The exercises were very creditable and showed a high state of proficiency among the scholars. At the close of the exercises, Geo. M. Lloyd, Esq., the excellent teacher of the school, delivered a most feeling address, in which he took occasion to allude to the death of some of their classmates, and closed by bidding thera an affectionate adieu." Western Female High School. — At the recent fifteenth annual commencement of the Western Female High School, the order of ex- ercises was as follows : Scripture, by Miss E. Gist ; Salutatory Ad- dress, (What Should Girls be Taught,) composed by Miss S. E. Barnes, read by Miss S. S. Taylor; Beauties of Science, composed by Miss A. W. Pviley, read by Miss A. Wolf; Honorary Address, (Ballads,) by Miss Ballard; French Composition, (Order,) by Miss Henrix; Valedictory Address, by Miss Kate Baum, read by Miss M. McCauley. The young ladies receiving Peabody medals were : First grade — Misses Julia Ballard, Kate Baum, Saltna E. Barnes, Florence M. Henrix and Lizzie Lauer. The second grade were : Misses Annie B. Wolf, Matilda Lauer, Ella R. Gist, E. Ada Preston, Ella L. Ha- gan and Matilda E. Frazier. In addition to this, the young ladies received tickets admitting them to the lectures of the Peabody and Maryland Institutes. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 149 Baltimore Countv. — The Commissioners' reports show an attend- aiice during the summer term of 2,553 boys and 2,449 girls; total, 5,002. The number of principals and assistants, 141. Amount paid for teachers' salaries, ^13,532.50; for incidental expenses ^494.15 ; total ^14,024.55. There are eight schools in the county, each of which numbers over one hundred pupils. Tlie number of pupils at- tending for the corresponding term last year w^as 4,812, taught by 129 teachers. This shows an increase of nearly 200 pupils and 22 teach- ers — a very conclusive evidence that the benefits of our excellent school system are being availed of by the public, and that the School Commissioners are determined to have the teaching force fully equal to the demand made upon it. Talbot County Teachers' Institute — Circumstances have pre- vented an earlier notice of what we feel sure was a most interesting and profitable meeting at Easton in May. We have however now nothing but generalities about it. Doubtless there were instructive addresses made and model lessons given which would be suitable for these pages. For example, Prof. Newell lectured "on the right and wrong methods of keeping school." "Reading by word method" seems to have been well illustrated. History and Geography illus- trated by a method of teaching chronology invented by Dr. Gregory and Dr. Gray. [But the system now being developed in these pages is far superior to that of Dr. Gray, or M. Gregory Von Fenaigie.] Arithmetic, Grammar, and various other matters received due atten- tion. The attendance was large and the session continued for five days. A series of resolutions was passed at the close, expressive of a sense of their high estimate of such institutes, of thanks to Prof. Newell — Dr. S. A. Harrison, President of the Board of School Com- missioners, for his continued and unflagging energy in the great cause of education — to Dr. Booth, of Caroline, and to Dr. Van Bokkelen, Dr. Nelson, &c. Harford County. — A Teachers' Institute was held in Belair first week in August, at which, as we learn from the >i33gis, the exercises were very entertaining and instructive, and cannot fail to be of infinite advantage to those engaged in teaching. During the week able and instructive lectures were delivered by Mr. Van Bokkelen, the State Superintendent of Public Schools, and the Rev. Thomas S. C. Smith, Superintendent of the county, as also by Prof. Newell and the Rev. John McKelway, Principal of the Belair Academy. The various teachers of the county generally attended, and took much interest in the proceedings, and many of them gave strong proofs of their pro- ficiency as teachers, and all of them, we believe, creditable proofs of their future usefulness as instructors. We cannot close this short no- tice, says the iEgis, without bearing testimony to the efficiency, energy and ability with Vv^hich the Rev. Thos. S. C. Smith has performed his duties as County Superintendent since he has held the position. 150 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The Analytic Method of Teaching. An Address delivered before the Maryland State Teachers^ Association, Annapolis, July 9, 1867. BY PROFESSOR WILLIAM LOGAN BAIRD. F late years the country has been flooded with school books, professedly on the analytical system, many of which, to a certain extent, are so, while of others it may truly be said, that their compilers knew nothing of analysis saving the word itself. These books have met with great favor among teachers, and not a few maintain that this is the best method of imparting instruction ; and, in proof of its being so, point to the fact that a child cannot move one step forward, when instructed in this way, without fully understanding all it has previously gone over. As we advance in the discussion, we hope to show that the argument is not worth much, if true, which it is not. We have accepted the term analytic as we find it popularly used, and do not intend here to discuss the propriety of applying it to the method spoken of, but shall proceed to combat the method itself. And first: It is contrary to the order of nature, as manifested in the development of the mind. The mind of a child is void, and destitute of the material of thought. Hence the first want of the mind is the knowledge of things, of phenomena, the food of the mind ; for all thought proceeds by comparison, and without subjects for comparison there can be no thought. Hence it is that a child is so inquisitive, so anxious to see and examine every new thing that is placed before it. Nor will it delay to inquire why or how things are so ; it is more interested in knowing that they are just as they are. The tendency of the mind which next manifests itself most strongly, is the syn- thetic. Having acquired knowledge, we have a desire to classify it, to reduce it to order and build up systems of knowledge ; and lastly, as we become less observant and more reflective, analysis becomes prominent. We take to pieces that we may examine more carefully and know more thoroughly. If we turn from the individual to nations, we find the same order of development. Nations emerging from barbarism do not begin with elaborate works on criticism and logic. They begin as the child does in acquiring the knowledge of things and the use they can convert them to. As time rolls on and knowledge increases, they reach a new stage in their development. Poets, historians, orators and statesmen arise. The phenomena of nature are classified and natural philosophy is the result. But all this time there has been no rigid analysis, and A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 151 rules formed for tlie guidance of the poet and orator, the painter, sculptor or architect. What did Homer, Pindar or j35schylus know of the art of poetry ? They sang from full minds as nature prompted them, little regarding the possibility of their being right or wrong in this or that point of criticism. We go farther : there could be no art of poetry, no laws of art-criticism, no rhetoric, no logic, if there had not been poems, works of art, orations and elaborate arguments, which could be leisurely studied and analyzed, and thus the laws which governed their construction arrived at. We do not mean to say that in this natural order of development any of the proclivities of the mind are in abeyance. All are in full play, and each proclivity shows itself at every period of life. What we claim is, that in childhood the desire of acquisition p7'e(?07)u«o;es ; following upon that, the synthetic tendency manifests itself most strongly, and last the analytic. Now we hold that it is the business of the teacher to work with na- ture, and not against it — to take advantage of the proclivities of the uiind at the different stages of its progress, and render them subservi- ent to the scholar's advancement : and consequently, if we are right in the view we have taken of the natural order of development, the analytic method runs counter to nature, and will retard the scholar and discourage him at the very outset of his course. Let us illustrate this by some branch of science, mathematics for instance. Would any teacher put analytical geometry in the hands of a boy before he had taught him Euclid or Legendre ? Not at all. Here he will follow the order of nature. The boy has already become familiar with lines, angles, triangles, all the figures known to geometry, by observation. Availing himself of this, the teacher begins with a few definitions of things well known and half a dozen elementary truths, and by a series of vigorous demonstrations builds up a system of geometrical truth. This once mastered by the student, he is prepared to enter upon the study of the same body of truth analytically. The history of the science of mathematics shows this to be the true method. The mathe- matics of the ancients were almost entirely synthetic. The analytical mathematics are the product of modern times, the result of the labors of the ancients. If this is true of mathematics, why should it be different in other branches of learning ? Why trouble a child with an etymological spelling book, and the analysis of words, before it has learned the words themselves and how they are spelled ? Why teach a scholar to analyze sentences before he has learned to construct them properly? The principle is the same, whatever be the subject of in- struction; build it up into a system of practical truth first, and then, 152 MAKYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, if there be time and opportunity, some attention may be given to the analysis of it and the pointing out of those general principles which underlie it and giye it form. But further. What is the purpose of education ? Is it simply to impart to the scholar a certain amount of knowledge, which can at once be turned to account ? If this be so, then there is force in the argument to which we have already alluded, that every step in ad- vance compels a thorough knowledge of all that has preceded it. But we cannot admit this view of the subject. We take him to be the best teacher who, looking upon the mind as a field to be cultivated, thoroughly prepares the soil and plants the largest amount of seed that will germinate, grow and produce fruit. Train the intellectual faculties to labor, excite a thirst for knowledge, and plant in the mind the elements of thought, viz : the elementary truths of science and the phenomena from which they are deduced, and in its own time the mind will work them up and take a firm grasp of the whole subject. Any observant teacher will, I am sure, agree with me in saying that few scholars, however attentive they may be, have any proper con- ception of geometry after they have gone over it once or twice. They know that this and that has been proven, but the whole body of it is contained in the mind in disjointed parts ; there is no proper concep- tion of the unity and compactness of the whole ; nor would there be if it were gone over again at once. Let other subjects of study be taken up by him, however, and carried on for some time, and then let him return to the geometry. He will be astonished at himself; he wonders he never saw that before ! he is surprised he should have been so stupid as not to see that it is a whole, and the different propo- sitions only the parts of which it is composed. His previously ac- quired knowledge of it has grown in the mind and assumed its proper relations, and he is amazed he did not always know and understand that which now appears so plain and simple. And so it is with every other branch of study. By patient study we acquire a knowledge of the parts which combine to make the whole, and then we in time see the relation these bear to one another and how they unite to make a distinct branch of science. And in doing so, all the intellectual faculties are brought into active opera- ration and strengthened by the exercise. Now in fact the analytic method has no advantage over the synthetic in the amount of know- ledge which can be imparted upon any given subject in a limited '^me, but the contrary. For at every step it is retarded by the fact that the pupil is destitute of the knowledge that is necessary to a full understand- ing of what is said, and the consequent necessity of the elaborate A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 153 explanation of terms, which would be comprehended at once by one who had acquired a knowledge of the subject by a different process. Suppose English grammar is the subject of study. The pupil is at once made acquainted with such terms as the grammatical subject and predicate, the logical subject and predicate, and other equally high sounding phrases and definitions, requiring the most elaborate expla- nation themselves before they can be made at all available in instruc- tion, and which can only be fully understood by one who has made considerable advancement in mental philosophy. The time thus spent^ if properly used in teaching the different parts of speech, and how to combine them properly in sentences, would have given the pupil a thorough practical knowledge of grammar, and, at the same time, have laid the foundation of that higher knowledge v.'hich, when once acquired, would have made the analysis of the language a compara- tively easy task. How many of the authors of these analytical gram- mars know that the European grammars, after which they are copying, were prepared for university students, by professors who were deeply read in philosophy, and wished to make the results of the most care- ful study of the phenomena of the mind available in explaining the subtleties of grammar. They finished their course of instruction with this fine and intricate analysis. We begin with it, and discourage the scholar at the outset by putting him upon that which he cannot com- prehend, and which must for a long time be to him words and noth- ing else. Etymological spelling books are no better. Why require a child to spend its time in learning affixes and suffixes — in learning the Latin and Grreek prepositions, and much more that is paraded in these books? It knows nothing of Latin and Greek, and has not made that advance- ment in knowledge which can render the analysis of words profitable to it. What it wants is to know how to spell. As to the rest, if it ever studies Latin and Greek, and becomes interested in philological studies, it will soon become acquainted with all this and much more, and without feeling that it is doing unprofitable and irksome work ; and, what is of more importfince, will know it as it should be known. We advance a step farther. While the analytic method is inferior to the synthetic for the purpose of imparting instruction to the young, it also has a tendency to weaken the mind and dissipate it, whereas the purpose of instruction is to strengthen and concentrate the intel- lectual faculties. This follows as a consequence of the view we have taken of the natural order of development, for whatever is against nature must necessarily be injurious. But besides, there are reasons existing in the character of the analytical processes which must make 154 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, it so in the case of the young. In analysis we take to pieces, and examine each fact, each principle by itself, disconnected from all others, and thus, step by step, we go back to the ultimate fact or principle : and having in this way become more thoroughly acquainted with the subject, we lay the foundation for a more complete synthesis, and es- tablish the laws which goTern it. Now, in this operation, the mind is not required to hold much in its vision at any one time, and the processes are so easy that no great exertion is required to reach the final result. It is different where we construct : then the attention is directed to many things at once, and the entire power of the mind is called forth in its endeavor to comprehend the whole and see each part in its proper relation. This tendency of the two processes was clearly seen and felt by Sir Isaac Newton, who, in advanced life, expressed his regret that he had used the analytic processes in mathematics so much in the prosecution of his studies ; and in giving a reason for his regret, drew a distinction that is too little regarded by educators gene- rally — the difference in mathematics as an instrument for the advance- ment of science and an instrument of education. As an instrument for the advancing of science, the analytical processes are to be pre- ferred, because they are simple and direct. A few formulae, easy of application, give the desired result and scarcely tax the attention while applying them. To arrive at the same results by the synthetic pro- cess, would require a long train of closely compacted argument, end- ing in a rigid demonstration. The mind, in the one ease, is scarcely exerted at all : in the other, the attention must be rigidly fixed^ and the intellectual faculties are brought into active and healthful opera- tion. The primary object of education being to train the mind, that method of study which calls for the closest application is certainly the best, and to be preferred to one which scarcely taxes the attention at all, or only for a short time. Another disadvantage of the analytic process, is that it proceeds almost entirely by definition, and when the student has reached the end of his course his mind is stored with a series of vaguely compre- hended and illy understood definitions, but not with the matter itself. The effect of this is obvious. It produces a disposition to be satisfied with the semblance of knowledge and to indulge in frivolous distinc- tions, where the desire should be for positive knowledge and a clear comprehension of the subject. If we are right in the view we have taken, it follows, as the neces- sary result, that analysis must hold a secondary place in elementary education, and be made adjunct to synthesis. But in higher educa- tion it assumes a more important place, for it then becomes the means of more minute and thorough investigation than was possible at the beginning, and thus contributes greatly to the advancement of know- ledge. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 155 Correspondence. We continue to receive cheering letters from intelligent gentlemen in various parts of the State, usually accompanied with the money, and often with valued suggestions. From such a letter now before us, we make the following extracts, which the writer will please excuse i^ro bono publico ! • "I believe nothing but good can come from the circulation of a well conducted Educational Journal of high grade. But it should be brought to bear upon all the teachers in the State, those in colleges and private schools, as well as upon the teachers in the male and fe- male public schools. Having myself taught in the public schools of Maryland and Delaware, I satisfied myself years ago, that as a gene- ral remark, teaching, as a science and as an art, is more studied and better understood by the public school teachers than by a very large body of teachers in colleges and private schools. It is not necessary to ask why this is so, but I am satisfied that in the two great branches of a teacher's duty, viz : to establish and enforce discipline, to teach a class any specified lesson, either by giving out a new topic or having a recitation upon a studied topic, the most expert and skilled artists are ouv first class public school teachers. "I will venture to dot down from my memorandum book a few points which have seemed to me worth a careful thinking over, which may perhaps be of use to some one at a future day, and which may also, perhaps, furnish thought for articles for publication in the Jour- nal, as follows :— 1. Best styles of school architecture, and best methods of warm- ing, lighting and ventilating school rooms. 2. Best arrangement of teachers' and scholars' desks upon ground plans. 3. Wall maps and diagrams, which are the best in Geography, History and Natural Science? [Every teacher should try to learn to draw ; drawing is a great assistance in class illustration.] 4. Children's postures in study and in recitation. How long should a recitation last for children 8 — 10, from 10 — 12, and 12 — 16 years of age? How long can an "average child" give necessary attention? 5. On use and abuse of concert recitation. 6. A series of criticisms upon the most commonly used spelling, reading, arithmetic, geography and history text-books. 7. English grammars, old and new. 8. How to teach composition and declamation to both sexes. 9. Are not the oral method and the now fashionable object method, liable to abuse? [Among other things, we are expected to teach, parents expect us to teach their children to study 156 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, hooks, and to grow fond of such use of books. Is not this lost sight of in the modern oral method] ? 10. Of novels and newspapers in schools, how far may these be allowed? 11. Of in door and out door gymnasiums. 12. As tobacco is banished from female schools, why is it tolerated in boys' schools, in its use by teachers or scholars? 13. Of noisy and quiet school rooms. 14. Of teacher's eye, voice and postures in their influence upon his pupils. 15. A model day, in a model school. 16. Teachers must visit parents when this is practi- cable. 17. Of the ALTERNATION of quiet study, with vocal recitation, manual work, as cyphering, writing, drawing and gymnastics and singing, as means of securing quiet in school when this is particularly ■necessary. 18. Why pupils, old and young, icJiisper and fidget in class. 19. Muscular movement and speech are necessary and almost uncontrollable instincts in the young. These instincts must be wisely directed and utilitized by the scientific instructor. 20. Best books on teaching and school keeping for the young teacher. 21. How to develop love for truth, order, punctuality and personal decorum in our pupils. 22. Young Americanism — is it a product of our schools : has it originated within or outside of our schools? 23. Value to us, of the biographies of eminent teachers. [Stanley's life of T. R. Ar- nold has inspired many teachers with their first clear ideas of a teacher's work and privileges.] "My own conviction is a growing one, that it is fair to judge that a professed teacher can and does teach successfully if he or she loves the school room. To love to do what we do 2'jell and easily, seems to be an essential character of our intellectual nature. The pleasure which springs from conscious success is as constantly experienced by the real teacher, as it was by Michael Angelo, when he finished each master-piece of his art, or by Raphael, as the canvass grew into im- mortal beauty beneath his skillful pencil. But as study and love for his art, a profound mastery of outline and color, much research, con- templation and repeated attempts at self-improvement, were needed by sculptor and painter, so do we into whose hands your Journal comes need the same self- tuition." |^°*I have always admired that law of the Icelanders, which makes the court inquire, when a child is accused, whether the parents have given the offender a good education. And if not, the court inflicts the punishment on the parents. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY, 157 The Sunday School. — Teachers of day schools should not be un- n)indful of the progress of aifairs in the Sunday school world. They could learn much by reading Sunday school journals and manuals, and also by attending Sunday School Conventions — such as are now being statedly held in various localities. The live Sunday school teacher acts with a full conviction that he has only one hour a week to produce results, and consequently he brings all the powers of his mind and body into action. He teaches, so to speak, on a high pres- sure principle, which many more of our day school teachers would do well to imitate — many are doing so and many are in turn giving good lessons to the Sunday school teacher. Notice. — Most of the articles which appear in this Journal are original, prepared expressly for these pages. Editors of other jour- nals are invited to copy whatever they choose, either with or without the usual credit. We are not so sensitive on that point as some of our cotemporaries. We labor for the common good, and not for self- laudation. ,^^"We expect to introduce hereafter, as a feature in our Journal, an editorial head for familiar chit-chat with the reader, which will, we trust, be promotive of a better acquaintance between us. Officers of the Maryland State Teachers' Association for 1SQ7 .—Pres{de7it—Dr. G. K. Nelson, of St. John's College. First Vice-President — Wm. R. Creery, of Baltimore. Second Vice-Presi- dent — H. L. Mendenhall, of Calvert, Recording Secretary — A. F, Wilkerson, of Baltimore. Corresponding Secretary — Wm. Galla- gher, of Kent. Treasurer — Alexander Hamilton, of Baltimore. Executive Committee — Messrs. Baird, Newell, Elliott, Mills and Trainor. course of the editors of the Baltimore Sun in lending their powerful aid to the cause of public education, is praiseworthy, and will be appreciated. 158 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JoURNAIj For the Young Folks ! Ji@^A schoolmaster tells the following "good one." I was teach- ing in a quiet country village. The second morning of my session I had time to survey my surroundings, and among the scanty furniture I espied a three-legged stool- "Is this the dunce-block?" I asked a little girl of five. The dark eyes sparkled, the curls nodded assent, and the lips rippled out, "I guess so — the teacher always sits on it." four year old went to church on the Sabbath, and when he got home his grandmother asked him what the minister said. "Don't know," said he^ "he didn't speak to me." A good many older people might answer in the same way about some of the preaching that is preached— it isn't addre,ssed to anybody! "A school master engaged in tea'ching an urchin to cipher on the slate was taken aback by the following poser from the precocious pupil ; "Whar d-o all the figures go to when they are rubbed out?" A Fable.-— A young man once picked up a sovereign lying in the road. Ever afterward, as he walked along, he kept his eyes stead- fastly fixed on the ground, in hopes of finding another. And in the •course of a life he did pick up, at different times, a good amount of gold and silver. But all these days, as he was looking for them, he saw not that heaven was bright above him, and nature beautiful around. He never once allowed his eyes to look up from the mud and filth in which he sought the treasure, and when he died, a rich old man, he only knew^ this fair earth of ours as a dirty road to pick up money as you walk along. jS^yVe once overhee.rd a tallow-faced man say that he could not ' ' shovel " the pork and potatoes into his mouth fast enough to keep his jaws in motion! Such a person would make a valuable adjunct to a gravel train ! A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY, ' 159 Book Notices and Notices of Exchanges. Crittenden's Commercial Arithmetic and Business Manual is the title of a neat book of over 200 pages, containing much practical information, and many useful rules, respecting balancing accounts, fractions, per centage, interest, money, weights, and measures, busi- ness forms, &c., of service in business life. S. H. Crittenden & Co., Philadelphia. The Metric System of Weights and Measures, prepared for Rob- inson's series of Arithmetics. Messrs. Ivison, Phinney, Biakeman & Co. give special attention to this soon to be generally introduced system. Guyot's School Geographies embrace one of the most sensible sys= terns of map drawing as yet suggested— -besides other excellencies. C. Scribner & Co. Smith's Hand Book of Etymology — A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y.— has various excellencies, which must be seen to be appreciated. The American Naturalist, Salem, Mass., at ^3 a year, covers a new field in this country, and is printed and illustrated in the highest style of art. Invaluable to all who wish to keep informed of the latest discoveries in Natural History. American Agriculturist, N. Y. — The wonder is how this publican tion keeps up its astonishing freshness and attractiveness for so little money. It is profusely illustrated. American Farmer, Baltimore. — This sterling old agricultural pa- per, though during the war under a cloud, has since come out neat as a pin, and is deservedly prospering. The Sunday School Times, Philadelphia ; Sunday School Teacher, Chicago; Sunday School World, Philadelphia, and Sunday School Journal, New York, though mainly devoted to Sunday school mat- ters, will be found of great use to the secular teacher, as well as of interest in the family. The Artisan, New York, is a scientific and mechanical paper that is deservedly growing in popular favor. The old Scientific American may well look out for its laurels. Colton's Outlines of Physical Geography — quarto — is one of the improved Geographies well worthy of careful examination by all teach- ers who wish to keep up with the times. Ivison, Phinney, Biakeman &Co., N. Y. 1P)0 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, The Little Corporal, Chicago, and Little Chief, ludianapolis, are two publications of merit for young folks, showing that the great west bids fair rapidly to excel the east in this class of journals. The Student and Schoolmate, Boston, is a spicy magazine, stand- ing second to none in real value to the young people of our land. Our Young Folks, Boston, is an illustrated magazine for boys and girls, that don't come quite up to its promises or quite meet all its en- gagements. Otherwise good. The Atlantic Monthly — Ticknor & Fields, Boston — a large first class monthly at ^4 a year. Daughaday's School Visitor, Philadelphia, at f 1.25, and River- side Magazine, N. York, at ^2.50, are two flashily illustrated maga- zines for young people well worth sending for. Tee Phrenological Journal, N. Y., is an enterprising journal full of quirks and cranks, enough to keep anybody awake this hot weather. Hall's Journal op Health, N. Y., is the most sensible and at the same time the most egotistical publication of its class in America. The Nursery, Boston. — This is a unique publication for the little ones, standing alone in its sphere, and must be seen to be duly appre- ciated. The Mothers' Journal, New York, commends itself to all mothers in the land for real excellence and unpretending merit. The New Dominion, Montreal, Canada, by John Dougall & Son — monthly — $1 a year- — a new magazine of 64 pages reading matter. Long's Monthly Letter. — This is something unique, being a monthly pen letter individually addressed, specially for young folks, on matters of vital importance, and calculated to be of great utility. Address Rev. Edwin Long, 1210 Chestnut street, Philadelphia. The following Educational Journals are each and all excellent, and have individual merits which renders it difficult if not invidious to de- cide between them. Every one of them should be read by every teacher : — Illinois Teacher, Peoria — Michigan Teacher, Ypsilanti — Massachusetts Teacher, Boston— Ohio School Journal, Columbus — • Pennsylvania School Journal, Lancaster — Educator, Williamsport, Pa. — American Educational Journal, New York — Minesota Teacher, St. Paul — and last, not least, the Maryland Educational Journal, Baltimore. [;,^^WheD we see more of them, we will pay our respects , to the newspapers of Maryland. Would be glad to receive all of them.] AMEKICAN^ OF SCHOOL & COLLEGE TEXT-BOOKS, PUBLISHED BY IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO., 47 and 49 Greene Street, New York. The large and increasing sale of these books — the emphatic commendations of hundreds of the best teachers of the country who have tested them in the classroom, and know whereof they affirm, amply attest their real merits, and fully commend them to general favor, and the confidence of every thorough and -practical teacher. Among the leading and most popular books of the above Series, the following may be named, viz. : TJIsriOIsr READERS. By 0. "W. SANDEES, A. M., and J. N. McELLIGOTT, LL.D, The Union Readers are not a revision of any former Series of Sanders* Jteaders. They are entirely new in matter and illustrations, and have been pre- pared with great care ; no time, labor or expense having been spared to make them equal, if not superior to the very best Series in use. In Orthography and Orthoepy, the books of this Series conform entirely to "Webster's Newly Illustrated and Revised Quarto Dictionary, recently published. PRIMARY HAND CARDS, G in a set. PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARTS, large, for the School -room, 8 Nos. on four cards. PICTORIAL PRIMER, beautifully illustrated. PRIMARY SPELLER. NEW SPELLER, DEFINER and ANALYZER. UNION SPELLER. UNION READER, Number One, 96 pp. UNION READER, Number Two, 208 pp. UNION READER, Number Three, 264 pp. UNION READER, Number Four, 408 pp. UNION READER, Number Five, 480 pp. * UNION READER, Number Six, 600 pp. ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH WORDS. * This is a neiv and superior book, just published, as an Intermediate Reader, between the Union Fourth and the. former Union Fifth Header; the latter having its title changed to "The Rhetorical, or Union Sixth Reader." KerFs Ne~w Series of Gran\ii\ars. For simplicity and clearness, for comprehensive research and minute analysis, for freshness, scientific method and practical utility, this Series of English Gram- mars is unrivalled by any other yet published. The Series consists of — Kerl's First Lessons in Gra^nmar. A book for Beginners, and intro- ductory to the Common-School Grammar. JKerl's Co'intnon- School Grammar. A thorough, complete, and practical work for Common-Schools and Academies. Kerl's Coiwprehensive Grammar. To be used as a 6oofc o/ reference. ^J^^JLerVs Grammars are fast becoming the leading standard Text-books on the English language, and they are rapidly acquiring a very large circulation, being already used in the Public Schools of New York City, Boston, Cambridge, New Haven, Baltimore, Washington City, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukie, Grand Rapids, Davenport, Lowell, Nrw Bedford, Fall River, Bridgeport, Jersey City, Wilmington (Del.,) Lexington (Ky.,) and hundreds of smaller towns, and prominent institutions of learning throughout the country. (OVEK.) PTJBLISHED BY IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO. Robinson's Complete Mathematical Series. With the improvements and additions recentlv made, this Series is the most complete, scientific and practical of the kind published in this country. The books are graded to the wants of Primary, Intermediate, Grammar, Normal and High Schools, Academies, and Colleges. Progressive Table Book, I !N'ew Elementary Algebra, Progressive Primary Arithmetic, [ Ifew University Algebra, Progressive Intellectual Arithmetic, — ~ - ~ ■ Eudiments of Written Arithmetic, Progressive Practical Arithmetic, Progressive Higher Arithmetic, Arithmetical Examples, "Sew Geometry and Trigonometry, Uew Analytical Geom. and Conic Sect. liew Surveying and E"avigation, Jiew Diff. and Integ. Calculus, University Astronomy, ^©* KEYS to the Arithmetics, Algebras, Geometries, and Surveying, are published for the use of Teachers only. Mohinson' s Series, in whole or in part, ^as oeen adopted, and is now in use, m the Public Sctiools of New York City, Trot, Schenectady, Utica, Stracdse, Adburn, Rochester, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Adrian, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Galesburg, Rockford, Joliett, MmwACKiE, Madison, Janesville, Ft. Wayne, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Winona, St. Anthony. Davenport, Keokuk, Burlington, Erie, Lexington, Springfield, Hartford, Middletown, Bridgeport, Providence, San Francisco, Memphis, Nashville, Savannah, and hundreds of other large Cities, Towns, and Literary Institutions in all the States THE METRICAL SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS k MEASURES, Full, practical, and adapted to the wants of business men, has been added to Robinson's Itiidiments, Practical and Higher Arithmetics. There has been aiso inserted m Per Gantage, iu the Higher Arithmetic, several pages on the different kinds of U. S. Securities, Bonds, Treasury JS'otes, Gold Investments, Currency, etc., with Practical Examples. This change and addition will nod interfere in the use of the book with previous editions of the same, and will fully meet the present wants of the schools, and of business men. ' It is one of the best methodical introductions of the Metric System to practice in the school- room that we have seen. The others are mainly descriptions of that system ; this is the system itself, as far as it goes." — Pennsylvania School Journal,. " I have given your work in the Metric System a hasty examination, and am very much pleased •with it. It is by far the clearest and most practical exposition of the New System of Weights and Measures that I have seen.' — Newton Bateman, Supl. of Pub. Inst, Ills. Webster's Sctfool Dictioi\aries. This popular Series is very justly regarded as the only National standard authority in Orthograjyhy , Definition, and Fronunciation. At least four-fifths of ail the School ijooks published iu this country own Webster as their standard ; and of the remainder, few acknowledge any standard. Webster's Army & Navy Pocket Dictionary, "Webster's Pocket Dictior^ary, Webster's Priin. School Dictionary Webster's Com. School Dictionary, Webster's High School Dictior\ary, Webster's Academiic Dictior\ary, "Webster's Cour\ting-House Dic- tior\ary. STATE SUPERINTEPJDEKTS OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. ^^^®^ Nearly every State Superintendent of Public Instruction in the Union has recommended Webster's Dictionary in the strongest terms. Among them are those of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Carolina, Alabama, California, and also Canada — Twenty-three in all. (OVEE.) PUBLISHED BY IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO. These works embody the latest researches in physical science, excel in their lucid style, numerous facts, copious illustrations and practical applications of science to the arts of every-day life, and are indorsed by hundreds of eminent and successful practical Educators in all parts of the country, and the Press. Science of Common Thinf/s. 1 Principles of Chemistry. Natural PhiJosophy. \ First Principles of Geology. BRYANT, STRATTON k PACKARD'S BOOK-KEEPING SERIES. These books are beautifully printed in colors on the best of white paper, and elegantly bound. Common School Edition, High School Edition^ Counting-Uonse Edition. LLSON'S SCHOOL HISTORIES. It is generally conceded that this Series of Histories is the most complete, and the m.ost perfectly graded, of any now before the public. Primai^y American History. American History. School Edition. History of the United States. Revised. Outlines of General History. 12mo. Outlines of General History. Lib. Edition. Colton's Series of Geographies. This Series is one of the most full, practical, and satisfactory ever published. The Maps are all drawn on a uniform system of scales, so as to present the relative sizes of the different countries at a glance. Colton's Primer of Geography. Colton's Introductory Geography. Colton's Modern School Geography. Colton's American School Quarto Geography. We also invite attention to the followinsr : Gray's Botanical Series. Fasquelle's French Series. Woodbury's German Series. Progressive Spanish, Peaders. Sill ''s Synthesis of the English Sentence. Bradbury's School Music Books, etc., etc. (OVEB.) Hitchcock's Scientific Series. American Debatei'. Goodlson's Bratving Book. School Mecords. Voice and Action. THE MODEL STYLE A^D STANDAUD SYSTEM. Officially adopted and used in every State in the Union. Tanglit in nine-tenths of all the 'Normal Schools, and in nearly all the Commercial Colleges iu the United States. IN FOUi\^ DISTINCT SEI\IES. LADIES' SERIES, Xos. 8 and 9. EXERCISE SERIES, Nos. 10, 11 and 12. COMMON SCHOOL SERIES, Nos. 1, -2, 3, 4 and 3. 1 BUSINESS SERIES I Xos. 6 and 7. I These New Books, on account of their simplicity, arrangement, accuracy, uniformity, and ruling, make the System the most easj"^ to teach of any before the public. This System is otjicially recommended and used almost exclusively in the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri. Iowa, Minnesota, West Vikginia and Nebraska ; more than any others iu the Sate of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Ili^inois, Indiana. It is largely used, throughout the entire South, and is rapidly increasing. SPEI^CERIAN" KEY For the use of TEACHERS, PUPILS, and PROFESSIONAL PENMEN, containing one hundrod and seventy-six pages, and hundreds of Illustrations, is now ready. Spencerian Charts of Writing and Drawing, SLv in, Xtimhcf. In Si~e, 24 hy 30 inches They are so printed as to present the appearance of SUPERIOR BLACK BOARD WRITING. The letters can be seea acro.9.s" the School Room. SPE^CERIM DOUBLE ELASTIC STEEL PENS. These Pens combine elasticity of action with smoothness of point not found on other Pens, and are a nearer approximation to the real SWAN QUILL than anything hitherto invented. They are used in all the principal COMMERCIAL COLLEGES in the United States and are pronounced by AccotiNTANTS, Teachers, Officials, and Correspondents, the Best Pens JtTanufacturecl. The undersigned would also call the attention of buyers of Hooks find Stntionery to their large and fresh stock, embracing all modern School and Collef/e Text-Books, together with a general assortment of School and Office Stationery , Blank Books, Spencerian Note, Letter and Caj) Baxters, which they are prepared to furnish at the lowest market price. ijg- Teachers and School Officers are invited to correspond with us freely, and to send for our Descriptive Catalogue and Circular, which will bo promptly sent upon application. j^§- Liberal terms given on Books furnished for Examination or Introduction. Address the Publishers. IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN &. CO. S. C. CRIGCS & CO. CHICAGO. J 4 7 <& 49 G-reene Street, New York. J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. FHILADELFHIA. ^atgland #(lucati0ttal |aunial SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Single copies, per annum $1 50 3 copies $4 00 5 " 6 25 10 copies to one address 12 00 15 " " " 17 00 ADVERTlSlX(]i RATES. One Page Half Page... Quarter Page 1 mo. 2 mo. 3 mo 1 6 mo. 9 mo. $10 00 5 00 2 50 $19 00 9 50 4 75 $27 00 14 00 7 00 $50 00 $65 00 25 00 33 00 12 50 17 00 12 mo. $80 00 40 00 20 00 ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, .A.3SriSr-A.I^OIL.I3. IS/LJ^lR^Z'XaA.JSrJD. THIS INSTITUTION, easily approached from every part of the country, and having general telegraphic communication, under its thorough re-organization, offers unusual facilities for Education. Its corps of well trained and efficient instructors, with its highly literary and scientific President, is prepared to educate the sons of Maryland as highly and thoroughly as anywhere in the country. Being- liberally endowed by the State, it can afford to educate cheaply. The whole cost of Collegiate Education is (without extras) two hundred and fifty dollars per annum. Two boys from each county and the cily of Baltimore will be taken for two hundred dollars per annum. Next Academic Year will begin on, Monday, 2d day of September. F-A. cxj Xj rr^iT . JAMES C. WELLING, A. M., Princvpal, And Professor of Mental and Social Science, including the Philosophy of History. Rev. C. K. NELSON, D. D , Vice-Principal, And Professor of Moral Science, and Lecturer on Natural and Revealed Religion and the Evi- dences of Christianity. Rev. JULIUS M. DASHIELL, A. M., Professor of the Ancient Languages, their Literature and History, HIRAM CORSON, A. M., Professor of the English Language, its Literature and History, and Rhetoric, including Vocal Culture. WILLIAM STEFFIN, A. M., Professor of Mathematics, Natural Science, and Physical Culture, and Acting Professor of Chemistry. DAVID N. CAMP, A. M., Principal of the Normal and Preparatory Departments. *Rev. WILLIAM L. GAGE, A. M., Professor of Physical Geography and its Relations to the History and Industrial Resources of Nations. *S. S. HALDEMAN, A. M., Professor of Natural History, and Lecturer on Ethnology and Comparative Philology. WILLIAM H. HOPKINS, A. M., Assistant Professor of the Ancient Languages and Mathematics. * These gentlemen, although having accepted their respective offices, will not enter upon their duties until their services are required. g^^-See "Editorial Salmagundi," pages 187 to 192. F- O li- S ^^ L E . A complete first class STEREOPTICAN or DISSOLVING VIEW APPARATUS, with gas fixtures, a variety of sliders, &c., all in good order and nearly new ; will be sold at reasonable price. Ad- dress the Publisher of this Journal for particulars. % §cioli fffr tiicrj Stijool Jmilg aiib Jiiirarj Ciwlt lEiBAf BIILiiilS. Compiled by ALEXANDEE OLAEK, A. M. le most instructive and entertaining book of the kind ever published. It has received the highest recommendations from the leading Journals, and flattering in- dorsements from many of the most prominent Educators and Teachers in the United States. 12mo, 352 pages, post paid, $1.50. A liberal discount made to Agents and to the Trade generally. Address J. W. DAUGHADAY & CO., Publishers, 424 Wahlut street, Philadelphia, Pa. SMITH BROS. & CO., CtOTHIERSt MERCHANT TAILOBS, AND DEALERS IN GENTS^ FUJINISHING GOODS, Always on hand the largest stock of Clothing and Piece Goods for Custom Work. Persons in want of Good and Fashionable Clothing should be sure and corae to MARBLE HALL, 38 and 40 W. BALTLMORE . , STREET. We have also a MAW mm^AW§mmmw^ Under the charge of HARRY NICELY, at No. 38. He will be pleased to see- his friends. SMITH BROS. & CO., Merchant Tailors and Clothiers, 38 & 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. ■S.t8qsi[qnj sq? ssa.ippy • uoi]onpoj)vj JLO uotivutvtvx^ j.o/p9^siuun/s^oog uo usatB sm^a? I'O-isq}'!.^^ •noi?i3onddB nodn ^n9s jfpdrao.id sq \\im. qoiqAi 'aTiaoaio any anooiTiTO aAiiaiHOSaa .mo joj pnas 0? pnB '^pa.i; sn q^i^ pnodsajjoo o? pa^iAui ej'B 'sjgojgo looqog puB SJoqoBax.^11 •soud ^831.11301 usaAioj aqi 5« qsjujtij o? pajt^dsad 3jb >faq^ qoiqn 'sMdvj dvQ puo q?iA J8q!)9°0} 's^yocg'-jarsj; sBdjjOQ puv jooiiog ujapora jie 3uioB.iqui3 'jiooqs qsaaj pne aSaej ■119 qi o^ /ijsuoifvis puv snoog jo s.i9jCr.q jo uoi'jua^^'E aq^ ii«o os\b pinoii panSisaapun aqx •saiaBuoi'^OTCT s^ja^sqa^j^ •satjeg .XBoraB^og s^ilBjQ ■sclBi\[ auii^tiQ s.uo^ioo •s8tqdBj3o8-o JO saijag s^qoiji^ 2p tto^ioQ •saiJCQS 3nTd8a3:-3i;ooe: s^uofUBJ^g is ^^n^jSja! •S8iaag uBuugf) s,i£jnqpoo./v^. •saijag qonaj^ s.ananbsBj •siooqog tcorauioo Jcoj aniABad s.Tiosipoof) •saiJo^siH looqog jo satjag s.ttosniiML -sauag ogi:juapg s,xia./^ •sjBxnmujf) JO saiJag s jja^a •j'BniTn'BJO iSa-BijuaniaxtH: 'JO Ssisaq^n^Ig Avaja; s.nig ■saijas ■joiiijsip anoj u; 'paA^aSaa ifAian pnB p3A0.idiai 'p9siA9J 'ssoog AJOQ Kvi«aON3dg aq; jo nopipa pjBpaBjs Aian aqx •gnuuM ssauisna: UBijaonads •d;9 's^iiaoiisaAni piog 's9J0i^J Xjnsijajx 'spnog 'saij -i.ino9g sa^j'Big pa^in^l am uo j.^^'jT^ni luDipijad jo saS^d Aiaj ■b osiy 'sopara -q-juy ua^}!-'^ aqi o; papp^ naaq s^-q 'pagiidui;s'.'f[iT?ajS puB jBOiiOBJd '[[nj •s8ansB8]^ puB smSia m Jo tuaijSiSg oiJ^am 9qi •.■Cjjnnoo siq; ui panssi jaAa s^iooa ;xax i^arcuai -aq^'EJV JO sai.iag oiji'juaics ■jsoiu paw 'inDipB-ij ■jsotu 'a}a[diuoo }SOin aqx •sarasg x'B0T:j'Bca8q^Biy[ a^^aidraoo s,nosiiiqoa •ajBD j'cajS q;iAV paawdaad uaaq aAtiq pu'u 'suc^vj,;sn2ii paw J9)izw ui ouu fipjiiud aJB -Caqx 'SaaaNTg jO sauag .lauijoj £wv. jo uoistadj, u ;om ajv aa-nadg puw saaava'g NOiNfi aqx 'j,i03maoK "M T pn'B ''H "V 'saauNrg ■ ^ -q X!a •saap'Ba'a; UOlU£i Q^Sx -po JOJ 85(00 a;-:^x8j;, 9aiss9jSojj jo 9Sjnoo pj y "«3 9 NVIiUlMVia 'A3NNIHd 'NOSIAI Aa aansnand 8io?08Jip JO uoi!^ua:)^B 9q^ o(j saiass siq^ pnainraoD jC]injJ89qo 8^^ •'eapt puoT!}'Bonp9 punos siq; jo nopa^draoo 8q:j O!} ;fiJB8U XaaA Smqo'BOjdd'B S5[0oq-idoo JO ()9S v si ojaq pay • • • -9X9 sq? 0^ s^ogCqo 5U9S9J -d9J 0% 9:)6p pu« S9Ui| JO SoTJi'Bm 9q:j : 9ni'BS sq? si qoB9 jo §nipu9 pn^ 'eyppiui 'guiuuiSaq 9qjj •a9q;)9°o;) ijqSn^^f 9q o\ ijqSno q^oq •]tsx\'\ pus 'SaiM'Bjp JO qouTJjq 'b !jnq si SapiaM ij^q!} p9pu9;uoo 2uo{ 9ABq 9^,, •jI9S!)i at 9:j9|duioo joqitinu qot39 Sni5[Bra '^ooq qoB9 jo sj9A00 aip uodn pa^uud bits suoi?D9Jip puB S9^ny; ■0^9 'snosj9d 's[Brain^ jo S9Jn% '9Ai^09dsj9d 'oSBifoj '9.mio9!}iqojt3 'sinjoj |^oiJ^9uio9§ 'S9ai| paAjno pnB :)q§iBJ^s qSnojqij 'dd'^s ^q dd^s 'ss9aSojd pnB 'gai(fi.iAi gq; jo S9ui^ uibui gq'j sb 9do[s 9ui^s 9q? jo S9ai[ :)q2i'BJ:)S ^•\]^ 9DU9mttioo saoss9j-SuiAiT3.ip 9qj^ -gS^d qoB9 jo q^jpiAi. aji'jna 9q!j yCdnooo suoss9|-°uTAi'Bjp ]BniS.reiu aq-j pue Sai!)iJi4. aqj^ •saoi^jodojd SnijfjBAnn jo pus soydioaud |B0u:)9rao92 uodn pauuoj Suiaq js^^gj jCj9A9 — ^jB0U!j9minXs,, 'S9'^B3Tp -ui 9UIBU s;i i^uqM. si iu9?sjCs 9q^ pan 'o{qt;nn?A pnB g^duiis 9jb mg^sis siq-} JO uoi'jisinboB aq'^ 0^ ^^sdjaq,, oqj^ -ua^^uAV /{pidBJ pue p9jmbo?; X|isB9 *diqsaBuiu9j jo ra9:>sjCg {eoi.qanuuA'g b snre^uoo s9U9g siqjQ •jjooq ■B 'jnoq^iAi :).ib 9q:j ui noi:)on.nsui 9AI§ o^ ^n9!j9diuoo 'jou OJB SJ9qoB9!} qsoin puB 'p9uiB:)qo aq p[no9 sj^ooq gjqB^ms oa asnBoaq 'sjooqos o'jui paonpo.i!}ui ^{[BjaaaS naaq %o\i seq Sqimb-iq •nsxda 9oi.i pu^ 'Sui-ji-iAipaBq SjUos.i9d b aAoaduu guiMB-ip ui sasio.iaxa :}Bq^ poe }Bq; 9.ICAVB ][9jW 9.1B s^n9.iB(j puB sjgqoBajj 'auo Man 18 SI SuiAiB.iQ UI suossarj JO asjnoo b puB diqsuBuiuaj ^boi^obj^j jo raa!)SjCs B sjfOog-jCdoQ jo souas auiBS aq^ ui SniOB.iquia jo Bapi aqj^ •nazoa aaa: oos$ aoisa: 'SaniHY^ QKV S700HOS ^0^ 'SMOOe ONIMVdO QNy ONIliym JO S3iy3SM3N ano JO s.iaqinn^ Jno^ ?s.ii^ aq:^ '^CpBa-g; ^snp T[VMIGaVH HXIAi 'dlHSKYHMSd lYOiaxaMHAS I MARYIiA]\rD EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. Vol. I. BALTIMORE, OCTOBER, 1867. No. 6. Editorial Address. CHANGE having been announced in connection with this Journal, which is however in reality more a change of names only than of plan, we deem it proper to give our friends a clearer statement of the reasons influencing us than was possible in the last number, or than we have perhaps here- tofore presented as the plan of our Journal. In the first place, the Journal appears in a purely private character. The editors alone are responsible for the mode of conduct- ing it. Even if it had been possible to make it the fully accredited organ of the State Association of Teachers, it is doubtful whether it would have possessed the concentration, vigor and directness of a pri- vate enterprise. In the second place, attention is to be paid to the interests of higher education. To be the organ of a highly educated class, such as it is desirable that of teachers should be, it is absolutely necessary that topics involving questions of the highest forms and methods of teaching should be introduced and thoroughly and elabo- rately discussed. One of the main objects of a school journal should be to educate the class of teachers to a higher degree^ and thus assist in elevating the profession both in itself and in the estimation of all educated and thoughtful people. It cannot be denied that the best means of having a thoroughly effective and healthful system of public education is to secure a class of well trained and thoughtful teachers. To our training schools for teachers we are to look for the first impulse in the right direction, and to our educational journals for suggesting topics of thought, from month to month, whereby educators may be fresh and vigorous in their work. One of the main objects of our Journal, then, will be to furnish wholesome food for thoughtful 11 162 MARYLAND EDUCATIOJ?TAL JOURNAL, minds, "^^e are confident tliat this can be done without interfering with the hitherto highly practical and popular character of the Journal. In order that our readers may have a clear conception of our plans in this respect, we will add a brief scheme of topics which are, from time to time, to be introduced. 1st. The English language in all its bearings and relations ; as its constructional peculiarities, its changes and additions, &c. 2d. Importance of a thorough female education. 3d. Memoirs of distinguished educators, both American and foreign. 4th. Suggestions as to the higher methods of instruction, classical, mathematical and scientific. 5th. Histories of schools and school systems, especially American, English, French and Prussian. 6th. Impartial notices of books pertaining to education. Having this general plan in view, we hope to make our Journal a thoughtful and efiicient helper to that most important class, the edu- cators of the men and women of our land. [The reader will thus perceive that the principal change, or im- provement if you please, contemplated, is to give the Journal a higher tone ; while at the same time a sufficient variety will be maintained to suit all tastes. See the pages of this number.] The English Language the essential Element of American Seholarslaip. '^'^^^^^HE general tone of thought and language encourage the im- j} pression that the knowledge of our own tongue is a suber- ic dinate and secondary thing in our educational life. Almost V3;^5) all schools draw a distinction betv^-een English and all other branches of education to the disparagement of the former. Schools, which are meant to be designated as of inferior character, are denominated English schools ; and the scholar whose inferiority we tvish to mark, is termed a mere English scholar. Almost anything m regarded a@ of more importance, and consequently the language of Alfred, Chaucer and Spencer, Bacon, Shakgpeare and Milton, is made to occupy the lowest form of the school room, and our youth grow up under the impression that English holds a most unimportant place in the educational life. Instead of everything being made to tend to a thorough knowledge of our own language, it is used but aa a means of acquiring all other knowledges. We do not eoniplain that other things mq taught and A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 163 learned, but that the mastenng of the tongue in which we were born, in which we say our prayers and read our Bibles, through which we are to obtain our livelihood, and in the use of whose last utterances we are to die, is not regarded as the great end of all our learning. So far from undervaluing the acquisition of other languages, we have a profound conviction that no man can be a thorough English scholar without being a proficient in those many tongues which contribute to its most composite formation. Yfe are well convinced that a high estimate of the importance of learning our own language would stimu- late the youthful scholar to study with more diligence all of its com- posing elements. It must not be forgotten that the English language is not a mere aggregation of elements, but is an organic entity, which by assimilation has impressed its own living form on everything with which it is brought into contact. Hence it has its own strictly deter- mined, well defined, limits. Hence it has a grammar of its ov/n, which must be studied in itself. In the fullest prosecution of the knowledge of our own language all the intellectual benefits of classi- cal study are perfectly attained. It is well known to scholars that one of the most important benefits conferred by classical study is the compelling the student to use his Lexicon. Distasteful as is the work to beginners, its importance cannot be over-estimated. He must ex- ercise his intellectual discretion in the selection of the right word and his memory in retaining it for proper application in the text. Every new word thus attained not only affords increment to the literary stores of the student, but gives new power to his intellectual charac- ter. The searching for words wherewith to convert a Latin or Greek passage into English, not only quickens and strengthens the memory, but improves in the highest degree the discriminating faculty. Now if this is true of the more simple languages of Greece and Rome, it cannot be otherwise than at least equally true of the more composite and difficult English. It would be as great a mistake to suppose that we can dispense with the use of our lexicons in the study of English as in Latin or Greek. This is clear when we remember that over and above the vast multitude of Anglo-Saxon words whose meanings we cannot get at without the use of a good English dictionary, three- tentha of the words of our language cannot be thoroughly learned without the use of a Latin dictionary also. And then to this must be added another tenth whose meanings, in their deepest signification, can only be learned by consulting, besides the English, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, French, Italian, Spanish, and even Sanscrit lexicons. . To feel this, it is only necessiiry to take at random any general column 164 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, of words to be found in the highest English authorities ; as, aberra- tion, bifurcated, concatenation, derelict, efflorescence, farsical, gloat, habitude, intrinsic, joust, kedge, lustrous, mirage, nonpluss, privity, quandary, scuttle, tentative, umbrageous, voluted, wale, zylography, zelk, zany. These words quoted, with the avoidance, for the most part, of technical and scientific terms, will sufficiently illustrate our meaning. We do not mean to say that most people will not have some idea of what these words signify, but that if they wish to know all about them, they must consult their dictionaries. The mere learn- ing of the English word will not make us thorough English scholars. We must not only know what the word means, but why it means so. We find from our English dictionary that aberration means departure, and from our Latin, that it means departure from a certain point. We might go through with all of these words and show that, in order to their thorough comprehension, we must consult at least two dic- tionaries. Whatever improvement of the memory is efi"ected by the study of the ancient classics, at least as much will be secured by the higher study of our own tongue. It is undeniable that the study of the ancient classics is admirably adapted to the cultivation of the dis- criminating faculty. We find the same power in a yet higher degree in our own language. There are so many words in English of appa- rently the same meaning, that the desynonymizing process, which so exercises our intellectual discernment, is absolutely necessary. The following pairs of words will illustrate our meaning : childish, infan- tine; boyish; puerile ; difference, distinction; manly, virile; womanly, effeminate. A critical discretion is absolutely necessary here to avoid using the wrong word. We shall find that in cultivating our dis- criminating power by collating and comparing such words and study- ing well the times and places for the use of either or both, we shall acquire that highest faculty of the highly cultivated and well educated man, a facility in using the right word in the right place. While accuracy in the use of words is both the measure and effect of accu- rate thinking, it contributes largely towards producing this accurate- ness of thinking by giving definiteness and distinctness to our thoughts, and thus doing much towards moulding and forming the intellectual man. 'Early education prevents more crimes than the severity of the criminal code. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 165 English History. S in another article of the Journal we have adverted to the fact that our own language forms but a subordinate factor in our educational life , so here we would remind our readers of the lamentable truth that we too often assign the study of the history of our own people to a much lower place in the curriculum of studies than it deserves. As an English people it surely becomes us first of all to learn something of our own origin and national relations. To obtain anything like a correct view of English history, we must revert for a moment to its legendary period. The myth and fable are by no means confined to Greek and Roman life, but belong to the infancy of all nations. In- deed they are incident to all unprogressivc and unscientific forms of life. One of these early British myths found its way to the heart of Shakspeare, and has been converted by his magic touch into the most real tragedy to be found in the whole range of dramatic literature. The legendary period of English history must be considered as em- bracing those ages which, stretching back to the remotest antiquity, end with the opening of authentic annals. Authentic English history begins under the unfavorable circumstances of the limited and preju- diced observation of the Roman invader. Cassar's narrative, although not entirely trustworthy, is exceedingly valuable in afi"ording the first solid basis for the erection of the beautiful fabric of English history. It was when British history was brought into contact with Roman life that it emerged from the mist of the legendary and fabulous and be- gan to assume the well defined form of truthful narrative. This sug- gested the reflection that "all the history of the ancient world, whether sacred or profane, is limited to the story of those races of men who lived on the shores of the Mediterranean." As you get away from the sound of its waves, the voice of history dies out and the light of history fades away unless reflected from its beautiful waters. The Celt and the Cambrian, the G-oth and the Briton, are only known to us through their contact with Roman civilization. The tribes that moved on many a plain have kept up no kindred with the historic nations of the earth, but have perished forever from the memory of man. "Palmyra, central in the desert, Babylon, learned and wise, Hath perished utterly, Nor leaves she one word to aid the sigh. That would lament her." 166 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Britain was too remote from the 3Iecliterranean to find a place in ancient history. All that was known of it was that it was peopled at a very early age of the world. This long tract of time, however, is illumined by the legendary story that the Briton was descended from Trojan ancestry, and took his name from Brutus, who came to Albion and conquered it. Such is the story given by all the old British chroniclers, who also give- the succession of a long line of kings "Who spruDg from old Anchises' line, Ruled, o'er Britain in ages long gone by." It is an apt illustration of the persistency with which old traditions were believed, that down to the twelfth century no one presumed to doubt the story that the Britons derived their name from Brutus, the Trojan. It may be reserved for some future historian to sift out the grains of truth that lie buried under these ancient heaps of mythical rubbish. It must be some deep feeling that gives rise to such gene- ral legendary lore. The heart of a nation, as it becomes thoughtful, craves for some knowledge of its ancestry. With the progress of civilization, men feel the necessity of connecting themselves with the past by some living bond. This is ecjually illustrated in the ease o-f Old Mortality, bending in saddened reverence over the decaying monu- ments of his ancestors, and of the great Greek orator, who moved the hearts of his hearers by pointing to the heroic dead, who for two centuries had been lying in forgotten silence on the plain of Mara- thon. Shakspeare's Cymbeline forms a sort of connecting link be- tween the fabulous period and that of trustworthy records. In this fine drama the two distinct lines of Roman and early English life are made to run in a beautiful parallelism. Our present English historic life is n^ade up of the three-fold ele- ments of Roman, Saxon and Norman, of which our language affords a happy illustration. We cannot refrain from barely adverting to the truly Shakspearian touch of the saintly Edward, the last of the Saxon kings. When Malcom and Macdufi", who have fled to England froni the brutality of Macbeth, ask — "Comes the king forth, I pray yon ?" The answer is — "Aye, sir, there are a crew of wretched souls, That stay his cure — their malady o'ercomes The great assay of art — but at his touch, Such sanctity hath heaven given his hand. They presently amend." A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MOITTHLY. 167 Here the Norman element enters into British life — the stormy reign of Harold, the Dane, being but an episode in English history. The splendid reign of William, the Conqueror, the ferocious cruelty of William Rufus, the modified tyranny of the first Henry — fill up the Norman picture. The great reign of Henry II, in which took place the mighty struggle between the men of arms and the men of letters, reintroduced the Saxon line, the reign of Stephen being but a tumul- tuous usurpation. Next comes the reign of King John — that of the heroic crusader being but a bright flash across the firmament of history —the most remarkable in the history of England, as having given birth to the great charter of the constitutional liberty of the civilized world. With this reign we begin our brief sketch of English history. I The words "borrowed majesty" serve as the keynote to the violent misrule and tyrannical usurpation of this unnatural despot, and the manliness of Philip Falcon bridge is but a prelude to that chivalric courage that stood by his tyrannical master when all men deserted him. History generally describes John as nothing but the violent usurper — the cruel tyrant — the heartless despot. But as there can be no human character without some redeeming trait, Shakspeare, while bringing into bold relief the hard side of his character, with the intuitive knowledge of the whole of human nature, gives those fine touches that ally him with humanity, and those outbursts of manly character without which, in that great heroic age, he could not have retained the throne of chivalric England for a day, It is a very re- markable fact that the very Archbishop of Canterbury whom the Ro- man Pontifi" had forced into the metropolitan see of England, should have been the leader in the noble struggle for civil liberty in the mea- dow of Runymede. It was the cowardly surrender of his country's rights more than anything else that roused the barons of England to a redress of their grievances. This is but one of the illustrations, of which history is full, of the marvelous way in which the Divine Providence, which governs the world, brings good out of evil, and order and beauty out of human disorder and confusion. It is to the cowardice and tyranny of King John that the constitutional liberty of the great Anglo-Saxon race is indebted for all that is substantially true and great in its civil fran- chises. \^ait for others to advance your interests, and you will wait until they are not worth advancing. 168 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Female Education. '/T E are apt to think that what is called esthetic culture — ^ that is the cultivation of the taste for the beautiful — is all that is needed in the education of woman. This cannot be true, as the very business of education is to develop those powers, which would not be brought to life without those processes. The stronger elements of intellectual character are those which, in woman, especially need cul- ture. The poetical elements will, without any external aid, readily develop themselves. But without external help, she will be too im- aginative and idealistic. "Woman must be taught that she has a mind as well as a soul. To do this, we must use those appliances which teach her that she can think, and how to think. We must cultivate her thinking powers. Why should the science of forms and numbers be deemed a strange sphere for the operations of a woman's mind? The sterner processes of syntheiys and analysis are those which she needs to keep her from living too much in an ideal world and from being too exclusively a creature of sensibility and emotion. She may at first wince under the pressure of binomials and polynomials, and be puzzled by equations of the parabola and hyperbola. But it does not follow that what gives us trouble is not best for us. We are only learning, in any true sense of the word, when it costs us something to learn. Why should the fountains of our own tongue be sealed up against our women ? What a terrible maze must our composite English be to one who understands no other tongue? Why should the beautiful lan- guage of Sappho be deemed so far above the powers of Sappho's sis- ters? Why should the language of the Cornelias and Virginias — the language which furnishes three-tenths of the words of our own — be withheld from their younger sisters? Above all, why exclude from the circle of female learning the sturdy old German, the basis, in one of its forms, of six-tenths of our own language ? It cannot be seri- ously maintained that the highest cultivation of a woman's mind would unfit her for her position in the family and household. It is not pro- bable that as long as our women are taught to look upon fine dressing and lighter accomplishments as the great end of living, that many of them will aspire to the highest forms of education. But there are women who have a taste for higher scholarship, and it is not fair that they should be debarred from those noble intellectual enjoyments for which their beautiful natures are so well fitted. Surely a woman will * A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 1G9 not be less skilled in the management of her household because she may be able to solve a problem in Euclid — her accounts will not be the less carefully kept because she may be proficient in arithmetic — nor will the understanding of the boiling and cooking processes be the less perfect because she may happen to understand something of natural philosophy and chemistry — and we do not see that she will be the less facile seamstress because she may be even able to read in the Latin copy or the beautiful original of the needle-work of Penelope. It is very unfair to use as an argument against the higher educa- cation of our daughters, that they talk of nothing but the fashions and follies of the hour, when we never urge them to' store their minds with greater and nobler thoughts. This life, even if it should be a life, would be no waste, for she, like the gentle stream that makes its way through some vale, in its quiet ministry to the banks through which it passes, although it may be ridiculed by some noisy neigh- bour which is turning the busy mill-wheel, is, it may be uncon- sciously, diffusing grace and beauty to all around. But it may be said that the higher education of our women would spoil them and convert them into pedants and blue-stockings. We do not beli-eve that education spoils anybody. People may be spoiled by leading them to believe that they know everything, whereas in truth they know nothing. The thorough education of our women has its utilitarian aspect also. The earlier education of the children of a family can be best attended to by an elder sister, whose natural affection would give her an interest in her pupils which the most conscientious sense of duty could not impart. And then, when she becomes a mother, she would be the cheapest as well as most thorough instructor of her children, at least in their earlier years. We will not believe for a moment that the present superficial education of our women is the result of a sense of inferior capacity. This would imply an igno- rance of her true nature which we cannot believe any thoughtful man capable of. The truth is, in almost all forms of learning women are the superiors of men, and their present inferior educational position is the result of an undervaluation of their real capabilities. The ex- perience of those who teach boys and girls together, is, without excep- tion, in favor of the latter. It is high time that these efi'ete views of woman's position on the scale of life be laid aside, and that she come to be regarded as the graceful and beautiful coadjutor of men in solving even the more difficult problems of life. 170 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, * The Religious Question ia Relation to our Public Sch.ools. 'HE objection on the part of many people to public school education, whether primary, academic or collegiate, is that there is too little positive religious teaching. They say that inasmuch as they deem the religious instruction of their children of primary importance, that they cannot encourage any system of education that ignores this paramount claim. We feel as deeply as any persons can the importance of the religious culture of our children. If there were, in our judgment, such an antagonism between State education and religious culture as that the former could, with any fairness, be denominated godless, we should most unhesitatingly advise the giving up of a system which cuts up by the roots all reverence for God and love to man. It is the end of this paper to show that no such antagonism by any means exists. This question lies at the very root of all piiblic instruction in a state of civil and political society such as ours. In States where a certain ecclesiastical polity is established by law, the thing is per- fectly plain. But in this country^ if the State is to educate at all, she must positively disavow all distinctive religious teaching. The whole cjuestion resolves itself into this : must the State because, from the nature of things, she cannot do everything in the matter of edu- cation, do nothing ? Must she, because she cannot make Episcopalians or Presbyterians or Methodists of the children of the land, leave them in abject ignorance? On what other topic do men reason so illogically? We lay it down as a postulate of entire justice, that the State is bound in the highest degree to educate her people. She may, where it can be as well done, remit this education into the hands of private persons, but she cannot, from the very nature of civil society, abandon this education as a right or neglect it as a duty. We also lay it down as a principle equally clear, that the State cannot, without the utter destruction of her very being, teach religious truth dogmati- cally and distinctively. We will not argue the question whether we could not conceive of a more perfect civil polity than that under which we live. We take things as we find them, and we say most emphati- cally that the State alone ought and can educate the masses of her population; and we state with equal positiveness that she cannot, without an utter abrogation of her organic nature, educate religiously, in the well defined meaning of that term. But is the State for this reason to be denounced as Godless ? Is she Godless, because her prime minister does not wear a Cardinal's robe and her military banners do A SCnOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 171 not flaunt in the face of the sun the holy sign of our blessed religion ? If the State shut up our churches, banish our priests, destroy our Bibles and service books, and put the holy sacrament under the ban, then she may well be held up as Godless. She nowhere forbids re- ligion to be taught with the utmost positiveness and distinctness, at home or in the church. She merely says: if I do not, to the very utmost of my power, pour into these seething masses the leaven of such education as is consistent with my nature, they will, by their moral corruption poison the very sources of my life, and involve me and themselves in utter destruction. All this we fully admit, and yet we deny that Godlessness can be, with any fairness, predicated of our American systems of public instruction. This is more apparent when we consider the character of the persons to whom the State entrusts her educational interests. To say nothing of those occupying the highest positions, who bear the most sacred name that mortal men dare aspire to, we challenge to a comparison, in moral excellence and religious character, with the great body of the public school teachers of our own State, the men and women who may occupy any other positions in society. In what other sphere of life can we find a pati- ence more saintly, a charity more Christ-like ? We yield to none in our reverence for a positive faith, but we are very far from admitting that the highest forms of religion are limited to the recitation of Cre- dos and Pater-Nosters. We insist upon it that the religion of our blessed Lord may be most impressively and earnestly taught in our school rooms in a way that no State can ever interfere with, to v/it: by the Christian tempers and chastened meekness of our teachers. From what root but a holy faith in our blessed Lord can such hea- venly fruits grow ? Or what nobler sermons could be preached in our academic halls than a long-suffering towards frowardness and wanton- ness and a gentle forbearance amid a thousand annoyances, which can only be the beautiful and well ripened fruits of our most holy faith ? J^^What a glorious' thing a horse race must be ! It improves the breed of horses, and encourages the sale of rum. .^^"Never accuse a child of lying unless you have the best evi- dence of the fact. 172 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL,; Memory.— Wo. 5. APPLICATION TO LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES. (with homophokic analogies.) N the application of this system to Latitudes and Longitudes, ^ P as well as to some other subjects hereafter to be shown, ex- perience has demonstrated that by simply commencing the formulas with the names of the places, as in dates, the mind is apt to become confused, since the idea conveyed by the mere name of any city, for example, is that of a collection of houses. It has, therefore, been found necessary to su.b- stitute for the name of the city some other word or phrase conveying a different idea, but which from its homophonic analogy to the other, will infallibly bring it to mind. Thus for Bogota, Pagoda — for Rome, a room — for Lima, lime, &e. Li the closing words of each formula there are fom' or five articu- lations — the two first in all cases stand for latitude, the two or three last for longitude. [It is asserted that a knowledge of the location of places on the globe can be acquired in this way more rapidly and certainly and agreeably than by any other method.] J^^All that is necessary is for the student first to understand what Latitude and Longitude are. An AjDple will make a good Annapolis home pie (for a) cook A Fagoda is a Hindoo temple in which worship a Bogota silly crew The Mexicans in talking about war make as much fuss as a MEXICO noisy BOOBY A Rich Man leads a more quiet life than a Richmond , miffy king Londoners are often seen walkine; in a London lane A Room is more agreeable place than the open air in a Rome rainy time A vine will not flourish in a Vienna rough ditch A good hope was felt when the olive branch was brought by the Cape of Good Hope merry dove A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 113 Weary crews on steamboats often Vera Cruz wood up (on the) beach Lime is a useful substance that brings many a Lima dose of cash An old penny is often the only wealth of the poor Indian in his Albany rainy wigwam General Washington is a hero whose fame will forever rise Washington higher and higher on its moving wing A Idngdom is a government the downfall of which a republican Kingston views with roaring joy A qxieer halter is a jovial fellow who sometimes dresses his wit Quebec in an irisii coat A Mount Royal is Mount Olympus having the Jupiter Royal Montreal Palace upon its ■ rich acme A dorado is a fish vastly better to eat when well cooked than a Toronto raw mag-pie A spring in a field will refresh a working man Spbingfield rouse a fop 'Alexander the Great is a hero whose fame has been sung by Alexandria many a mighty muse An Athenceum is a place where people do not often go to relish Athens muffin or ham A hear lean is an animal which has been fasting like a penitent Berlin crushed under a ...holy anathema A calculator is an individual whose labors are not more charm- Calcutta ing than the flavor of the nenuphar The Emp. Constantine is a monarch who could have left a bright Constantinople fame had he not murdered his... worthy nephew A dressed dean is one who wears rich garments when he offi- Dresden ciates in the cathedral's hallowed dome A dun bird is often heard warbling amid the solitude of a Edinburgh hilly and willowy house A flora is a collection of flowers which amateurs always keep Florence carefully out of all airy humidity Genievra or gin is a liquor which should not be found in the Geneva house of a rich sage A hone of iron is a hone upon which a razor would suffer as Hanover much as in cutting a ....lean pie A mad lorit is an unjust capias by which a hasty judge drives Madrid a poor man to bail in a serious sum 174 MARYLAND EDUCATIOJTAL JOURNAL A musliy cow would have been -worshipped by the Egyptians Mexico like their bull Apis during their.... deep atheism Muscat vnne, when old, is more agreeable to topers than a cup of Muscat new milk A Moist covj is an animal supposed to work harder and perspire Moscow more than an... ill or lame cow A new niche is a place in a wall not usually made for the statue Munich of a ..rough idiot A nojxd is a plant the flowers of which do not smell or taste Naples so sweet as... ....rose wateb A big inn is a hotel where travellers do not usually find on the Pekin table an ...empty dish A 2:)arish is a clerical district sometimes endowed with a colossal Paris .revenue A jjlague is a calamity during which amusements lose their Prague natural , , , lustre Cato (the ancient) was a Senator whose habits did not agree Quito with the luxuries of an ice house and a cave A master-dam is the famed black rock dam of Lake Erie, which Amsterdam was not built by a .lean hero A hrish die is a drink which amateurs like to sip in a Brussels... lazy hour St. Peter, sober, was a saint who never drank more at one time St. Petbrsburgh than a .,,.,.,.,... ..holy abbe at mass A. stocJc of alum would be more profitable than the feathers of a . Stockholm .welsh dote A stout guard is a soldier who could not easily be scared by a StUTTGARD............ ,...,,.. ..,.....,. ROUGH SEPOY A ioar-savj is a weapon with which the ancients cut more flesh Warsaw than.. linen and wap Danger is a feeling unknown to the brave warrior belonging to Tangier the. , ....,, ..,.,,,, mals home A. vale of Paradise is a beautiful place which no one would Valparaiso choose rvith greater eagerness than a, . .mimic widow A real joiner is a mechanic who could easily fis the windows of • Kio Janeiro..,., .,..,.,,,,.,,....,..,....... .......,.,.any new room An old chair is not often found made in the ALQTEHg,, ....,.,...,.,,,,,,.,.,,,,,..., ,.,,,..., ,..lMAeH of a §WAN Jji Archangel doubtless hag the power to A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. , 1T5 Bordeaux inne if drank to excess might make any one quite Bordeaux koary and saucy The breast is a part of the body which would not bear many Brest kicks from a rough iiuzzar A homb were one to explode at our feet might not prove quite Bombay so .....edifying as wine Botany is a science productive of much pleasure, and not one Botany Bay of mere utility A Bourbon Prince has more than once wandered in exile Bourbon Isle needy and lowly Brave men have oft been brought to rest with a wounded Bremen limb on a sofa The Babel Toicer was not completed on a single Babylon, (ancient) ,..........,,,... may morn A Chalice is a kind of cup that is often in an Calais , ale-house seen A Canteen is a kind of flask often carried by soldiers against an Canton , ....enemy in the day-time A cashmere shaid would make a squaw feel quite Cashmere .......merry in her wigwam Sugar Candy the' often unclean, eats well enough when Candia ...,,....,..,....,,.........,,, mealy only Corinth raisins if fired instead of bullets might not much Corinth....... move an enemy Cologne icater is used by many a Cologne .,...,..,,, lousy .tew A flail if well laid on might tame a Fayal .,,...,,...,...,. MiFirr nephew A green witch would most likely be in all respects an Greenwich... ......,,,...,..,...,...,, ,,,..,..... old hussy Eumhxtg is a new fanglsd word for deception which all, young Hamburg and old, strong and. . ...„....,., , .lams should eschew A liege or any eovereign to do his duty should not be too Liege >.,, ..,,,,. ....lazy or bly A lion is among other inhabitants of the desert a Lyons.,,,,,..,, ,,,,,,,..,,.,.,, , ,,,,,,.,,,,,.. eeaj^c^ar A lily in the spring pleases a pretty Lisle, ,,,.,...,,.,. .,,,,,,,,,. .,,..,,!,, ,,,,.. ms@. some Th^ Maneillm hpmi was compoied to inipii'© a Ifreneh 176 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A melon contains of all delicious juices the Milan real sap A monkey is generally not so great a fool as a drunken Mocha dummy with hum Mica is a glassy mineral or stone altogether Mecca inodorous A Madras liandkercliief is an article that was scarcely worn by Madras Eve — old father adam's wife Vanilla is a fragrant fruit of South America which had not ex- Manilla actly the odor of tansy Malaga tvine if adulterated with rum might easily Malaga match a huzzar Nankeen is a kind of cloth that has doubtless been worn by Nankin men (at an) auto-de fe The Odyssey is a composition which could not be readily sur- Odessa passed by any irish miss A pound of cherries would be quite palatable PONDICHERRY WITH WINE in an ICE-HOUSE A rotten dam might be repaired by the aid of a Rotterdam lean sawyer A rocky fort is a place the subjugation of which would require a ROCHEFORT real POST Roads in some sections are during a long season of rainy weather Rhodes mellow enough The Flamingo is a fowl that more resembles a St. Domingo dove than a sheep Helen is a beautiful name often applied to a girl St. Helena dutch and silly The Straicherry is a fruit more palatable than Strasburg rough whiskey A civilian is one who should be able to explain the law Seville tersely A spit-box is an unnecessary article the sight of which is calcu- Spitzbergen lated to give anti-tobacco chewers an. . .aguish twitch A tureen is well calculated to contain soup, even if made of Turin real sago Venison is a meat relished by the civilized as well as by the Venice real healthy A big inn is a hotel where we do not often find on the table an PeKIN EMPTY DISH A SCHOOL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 1T7 A real joiner is a mechanic who could easily fix Kio Janeiro any new room ^4 lazy pony can run faster than a Lisbon home puppy Horns do not grow on the head of a Cape Horn leech or a hedgehog The rock of Gibraltar is a GrIBRALTAR HOME OH the EDGE of a HII^L A new yoke is often made of New York hard hickory A j)retty bird often has a Pittsburg red face Venison makes a better meal than Venice raw wild honey If a boy should bag his dad he would be apt to put his Bagdad .....mammy in a roar — «■•« Sundry Questions for All. — Why do those who carry heavy bur- dens on their shoulders lean forward ? Why is a load of hay more apt to upset than one of stone ? Into how many kinds are levers divided, and which of them do we find in the human body ? Why does oil float on water '? Why do not iron ships sink in water ? Why does not water stand higher than 33 feet in a pump ? Why does the microscope cause objects to appear larger ? What is the principle of the stereoscope ? Why do watches and clocks require regulating in the spring and fall ? Why is it necessary to rub matches in order to ignite them ? Why does dough rise when yeast or soda are introduced ? What is illumi- nating gas, and how does a gas light differ from a common candle V How can old wells be cleaned of carbonic acid ? How can grease and acid spots be removed from clothing? How is ice cream made? What is the philosophy of churning butter ? What is the philosophy of can- ning fruit ? Why do coal oil lamps require chimneys ? Explain why little drops of water dance around on hot flat irons ? Why is it cold on high mountains ? Why is the pendulum of a clock longer at the poles than at the equator ? Can a person raise himself from the ground with a pulley ? What causes the heat of summer and the cold of win- ter ? How is the cold and wet weather, which we had this spring and in early summer, accounted for ? What do you intend to do, and how are you going to do it ? Can we think of two things at once ? Is Phrenology of any use in schools ? 12 178 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Elementary Drawing. (Read before the Teachers' Institute of Talbot and Caroline counties, May, 1867.) ^ILL within a few years drawing, as a branc-li of study in our common schools, has not received much attention. It has been generally regarded as an elegant accomplishment, suited to the very few who have leisure for cultivating a love of Art, or who intend to make Art a profession. In Europe, on the contrary, it has for many years been considered one of the most important branches of education. In all the principal cities of Germany, France and England, Art Schools are supported by the Government, and are free to all. In these, the poorest child has the opportunity of acquiring a practical knowledge of design, which in this country can hardly be obtained at any price. Some may think that this is a useless expenditure of public money, and that the State has no right to appropriate for a mere luxury, the money designed to furnish a plain, solid education to its children. But those who reason thus take a very narrow view of education. "It must not be forgotten," says Warding, the distinguished English artist, in his admirable "Lessons on Art," "that in cultivating an in- nocent taste, we are purifying the mind from low and grovelling pro- pensities, instilling a love for the true and beautiful, and establishing a most delightful resource in after life, and one of the best modes of securing an avoidance of vicious and degrading pursuits." Many are under the impression that genius is necessary to make a successful draughtsman. No idea could be more erroneous. To origi- nate a great thought, on canvas or paper, or in stone, demands crea- tive power. But to copy accurately, from a model or from nature, requires simply a quick eye, a carefully trained hand, and some per- ception of beauty, which few are wholly without. We cannot begin too early. In young children the reflective powers are scarcely beginning to work ; but they are quick to observe, and their minds are eagerly storing up food for reflection in after years. Before the hand has stiffened and the eye has lost its quickness, let us train them to observe carefully, and to fix the results of their obser- vations in such a form that they will never be forgotten. In a large school, where the studies are numerous, as they are in most of our common schools, the instruction must, of course, be of a very general character. Outline drawings, and very simple exercises in shading, would probably consume all the time which could be de- voted to this branch. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 1*79 Many teachers, probably, have systems of their own, which they would find best adapted to the wants of their schools. But to those who have never taught drawing, a few hints may be useful. To such persons. Ropes' "Linear Perspective" may be recommended as a guide. It is an admirable work, very brief, confining itself to a few elemen- tary principles, and is especially intended for the use of schools. In many of the northern schools, models have been introduced, cubes, cylinders, arches, etc. These are either drawn by the teacher upon the blackboard, to be copied by the class ; or, better still, the class draw from the models, under the direction of the teacher. This is the first step toward drawing from nature. The models may be of any size ; but for a school of thirty or forty they should be a foot high . They can be made at a trifling expense by any skillful carpenter. No ruling or measuring should be permitted till the drawing is finished, and has been submitted to the tea-cher. Then the pupil may be al- lowed to correct it himself. A system is pursued with great success in a northern public school, which may suggest some useful hints to teachers in our Maryland schools. The class is first required to draw the difi'erent kinds of lines and angles on the board, and define them. A few simple rules in perspective are then given them ; for example, "all lines below the eye, at right angles to the horizon line, appear to slope upward, all above to slope downward towards it ; all lines parallel to the horizon line remain unchanged." To make this clear, a wooden frame is set up on the table. Two wires stretched across it, one horizontal, the other perpendicular, represent the horizon line and the prime vertical line, the point of sight being at their junction. A cube is then placed in front of it, and strings are stretched from the corners of the cube and fastened into the point of sight. When this is thoroughly under- stood, a cube, as being the simplest form, is placed at a convenient distance from the class to be drawn by them. The results of this first lesson may be anything but flattering ; but a few weeks^ persevering labor brin^ its reward. As fast as the principles of one lesson are mastered, a new one is given ; the great variety in the forms of the models allowing almost endless combinations. Occasionally, the models are put out of sight, and a number of the class are sent to the board, the rest being at their desks with their slates or paper. The teacher then calls for one figure after another, to be drawn from memory. At first, of course, there are many failures, but the result is, on the whole, satisfactory. Some- times they are required to bring drawings of familiar objects at home, 180 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, tubs, chairs, boxes, etc., to be correctedin the class. In the public examination, at the close of the year, without knowing beforehand what will be called for, they draw, from memory, pyramids, arches, vspheres, cylinders, in as many combinations as are suggested to the i\liind of the teacher, acquitting themselves generally with great credit. The next year's exercises, which complete the course, are more diffi- cult. The pupils are required to bring into the class drawings of buildings, bridges, foliage, or of interiors, showing the arrangement of furniture in a room, and to explain them by the rules of per- spective. Some may think that too much time is devoted in this school to one branch of education. But only two lessons a week, each of forty minutes, are required ; which cannot certainly have wasted much time. The eye, and hand, and memory are all thoroughly trained, and a sure foundation is thus laid for any one who may wish to pursue this delightful study after leaving school. In this, as in every other branch of education, there is no royal road to learning. All systems which pretend to teach, in a few les- sons, a perfect knowledge of this art, which the greatest minds have acquired only by years of patient study, are an imposition ; and the attempt to master it by any such system is a waste of money and preci- cious time. b. c. SELr-GOVERNMENT.~— The bcst government on earth is that which governs least, and that which comes nearest to be a perfect govern- ment is that of a self-regulating Republic. The place to begin to fit persons to govern themselves Is in the family and in the school. The plan of self-government has been suc- cessfully tried in schools, but the first condition necessary to the carry- ing out of a plan of this sort is, the perfect self-government of the teacher. He must have patience, kindness, justice, authority, dig- nity, and intelligence to command the respect of his pupils. With all these properly exercised, he can teach children that most impor- tant lesson, namely, "self-government." Jl^^It has been said that to strike children about the head is bar- barous, unchristian, brutal. This should never be done, especially as nature has provided a good deal better place. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 181 Washington City Public Scliools. (ROM the twenty-second annual report of the Board of Trus- tees of the Public Schools of the city of Washington, a neatly printed pamphlet of 150 pages, we gather a few items. There are twelve trustees, who have exclusive control of the schools and serve gratuitously, but the report says, "it becomes more and more difficult to obtain competent persons to fill the office, and something should speedily be done, therefore, to relieve the members of the Board from a part of their responsibili- ties ; and besides increasing the number of Trustees, the appointment of a Superintendeiit of Schools has become absolutely necessary." The schools are classified into Grammar, Intermediate, Secondary, and Primary Schools. Of school rooms the report says; "It is now generally admitted by practical educators that a single room large enough to seat from fifty to sixty-five scholars, and exclusively under the supervision and in- struction of a single teacher, is better than a larger room, with reci- tation rooms and assistant teachers." On school discipline we have the following; "The propriety of the infliction of corporeal punishment in the schools has called forth con- siderable public discussion during the year, and in one instance a valuable teacher was subjected to great annoyance and trouble by the action of parents who considered themselves aggrieved. The Board fully exonerated the teacher, however, from all censure, sustained her course, and decided on retaining the rod as a wholesome means of dis- cipline, to be sparingly and wisely administered." Some practical remarks are introduced about Spelling ; and an ac- count is given of a spelling match between fifty-six pupils, to whom were given the following fifty words, to be loritten, viz : Tambourine, complacent, millinery, varioloid, caterpillar, physiology, lettuce, aloes, villain, omelet, billiards, ghoul, irresistible, indispensable, susceptible, vignette, inveigh, pleurisy, guage, pallet, palate, palette, scurrilous, aeronaut, paroxysm, daguerreotype, bilious, niche, cedilla, horologe, exorbitant, ellipse, hierarchy, periphery, militia, dahlia, separate, miniature, pamphlet, labyrinth, ferrule, facile, medicine, flageolet, zephyr, rigid, lacquer, victuals, surcingle, punctilious. Of these, the word "aeronaut" was spelled the following nineteen ways before being correctly spelled, viz : errenaut, eerenote, airanut, eranoch, arenaught. 182 MAEYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, \ erenolfc, errornort, eronaut, aregnout, erunaut, airinouglit, earonaut, \arenarch, aranult, eranough, airenoch, erjnort, arinought, arroneut! i We may hereafter present some of the particular views expressed, referring to teaching spelling in various different methods, which oc- cupy several pages of the report. Happiness. BY S. R. li. "Where grows? where grows it not? If vain our toil We ought to blame the culture, not the soil. Fixed to no spot is happiness sincere — 'Tis no where to be found, or everywhere." The universal desire for happiness is a proof that all were created to be happy, but few with sincerity can declare themselves as happy people, and if the acknowledgment is made, it is accompanied with a sigh for some unattained good. When Adam, our great federal head, (made in the image of his Creator,) was placed in Eden, he was perfectly happy ^ — but, with his innocence, his happiness departed, and we, his children, inherit his misery ; and miserable we remain until restored to purity by the second Adam. None need hope for other than a fitful, fleeting joy, before he yields his heart to heavenly influences. Not until then can he expect to have a solid, lasting joy, a continued happiness, that will flow on like a mighty river, deepening as it flows, to the end of life. Sin is the great cause of misery, but many fail of finding happiness even after the oppressive burden of sin is removed, because they are not content to find it in small things, but are continually looking for great occasions, that never come. To the great majority of the human race it is a negative rather than a positive state, and so some are happy and do not know it. Each individual may increase his stock of happiness by cultivating the soil of the heart a little deeper, in forgetting self and remember- ing his companions on the road of life a little more than is usually the case. By a pleasant word to the depressed ; a kindly act to the necessitous; giving sympathy to the afilicted, and smiles to the pros- perous, our interest is made known to our fellow-voyagers, and we are A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 183 ultimately gamers by a reflex happiness, in witnessing the pleasure we give to others by our ministrations. Education is the most fruitful source of happiness considered apart from religion ; it subdues what is gross in our nature ; elevates our tastes, and prepares us for a full enjoyment of the beauties of nature, which are so lavishly spread over the broad earth for the joy of all. The poor as well as the rich man ; the invalid and those who are in robust health, can alike study the varying landscape, the cloud-capped mountain, with its leaping cascades, and the magnificent arch of hea- ven, with its midnight stars or gorgeous canopy of clouds at sunset. Every child should have its attention directed to objects of beauty in nature at an early period, especially to flowers, trees and insects, which are so abundant everywhere. The habit of noticing small, things will grow as years increase, and will be a life-long benefit, giving a love for nature and yielding a pleasure that calls for no re- pentance, and that necessarily leads the mind from nature up to na- ture's God. Correspondence. I received a copy of "The Maryland Educational Journal" for July last. Since the reception and examination of it, I have been reflecting about subscribing for it. Why don't you publish articles which tell us how to teach the diff'erent branches, commencing with the A, B, C? The reports of the proceedings of "Teachers' Insti- tutes," held in the difiFerent counties of the State, don't amount to anything, because they don't give "particulars." Please publish practical articles on teaching and government, and give us full reports of the discussions in the "Teachers' Institutes." [The above expresses the views of many, and writers for this Jour- nal will please take due notice and govern themselves accordingly. Why cannot some attendant of each Teachers' Institute send us full reports for the benefit of all? — Ed.] ^^~How long does it take a man to embrace Christ as his Saviour? As long as it takes a drowning man to let go a straw and lay hold of an ofi'ered rope. 184 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, For tlie Young Folks ! J^g°°How pleasant it sounds to hear one say, as a boy passes, "that's a good boy !" A good boy is always sure of friends. He is trusted — everybody is ready to heed what he says^ for they know he will speak only the truth. Groods can be entrusted to his care, for all know he will not steal. When a kind act is to be performed, no one hesitates to ask a good boy to do it, for all know that, if it is in his power, he will gladly confer a favor. Are you a good boy ? This will also apply to girls. Exercises in Grammar. — 1. One dollar was given, two dollars was asked. 2. Twenty dollars was bid, and twenty dollars were paid. 3, The captain with the crew was overthrown with the vessel. -4. The country abounds in fruits which the inhabitants are very fond of. 5. This is probably the same man that he spoke of. 6. As the snow fell fast and the winds blew hard, a cry was heard one night. 7. What a lot of grammatical errors are made, and how difficult these sort of thino-s are. J|@°*Many of the urchins of this generation want to be more than boys. They deem the venial mischief of the olden time beneath their dignity. Instead of giving their tender minds to simple games and sports, they discuss prize-fights. Instead of munching apples, they chew tobacco. Instead of blowing soap-bubbles, they smoke segars. And while few reprove them for the practice of these and other vices, many laugh at and encourage them. If such is the bent of the hu- man twig, it is easy to guess how the tree will be inclined. The boy with men's vices, inevitably ripens into the law-defying, peace-dis- turbing rowdy, whom nothing short of the direct interposition of Provi- dence can save from ruin in this world and the next. J^^'Teacher — "Tommy, what does h-a-i-r spell?" Apt pupil — "Dunnp, sir." Teacher — "Why, you numskull, what have you got on your head ?" xYpt pupil — "I dunno, sir, but I think it bees a flea !" ^^It is Sunday, or Sabbath, every day in the week — somewhere. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 185 Local School Intelligence. The Schools of Talbot County. — According to the tabular reports of the schools of this county, there has been an increase of nearly ten per cent, in the number of different pupils, and more than fifteen per cent, in the number of average pupils, in attendance, (exclusive of the High School,) over the number of the year 1865-66. In one district, where the old system of public instruction had not attained the development which it had in other parts of the county, the in- crease in the total attendance has been nearly thirty-three per cent., and the average attendance more than fifty two per cent. While sixty-sis per cent, of the whole number enrolled were in attendance each term of 1866-67, but sixty-one per cent, were at school each term of 1865-66. These figures show that not only has there been an addition to the number attending school at some time in the year, but that the term attendance certainly, and the daily attendance^ pro- bably, has been better. One new school house has been built ; two new schools have been opened, and all the school houses repaired, so far as the Board felt justified in expending the common funds for such purposes. One school house has been destroyed by fire, but measures have already been taken to replace it with a more beautiful and substantial struc- ture of brick, to cost $1200. It has been determined to erect a hand- some and commodious house in Trappe, at a cost of ^1800 to ^2000. These houses will be built this fall. The total cost of the schools, as accurately stated, has been increased by only ^561.54, notwithstanding the large amount which was ex- pended in necessary repairs, and included in the incidental expenses ; and notwithstanding the increase of the salaries of many of the teach- ers. But though the total cost has been increased by this amount, the average cost of each school has been increased by $9.42, or 2.02 per cent., while the cost of teaching each different pupil has been di- minished 39 cents, or 4.1 per cent, and the cost of teaching each average pupil has been diminished $1.41 or 9.3 per cent. The school finances are in good condition. All debts and arrear- ages have been paid off"; a county levy, for the coming year, has been made, and there stands to the credit of the School Board, upon the books of the County Board, $7000, so that ample funds are provided to continue the schools one full year, even if the present school law should be abolished. All these results are greatly owing to the in- domitable energies of Dr. Harrison, the County President. 186 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Harford County Institute. — The "Teachers' Institute" for Har- ford county was held in Bel- Air during the second week in August. The total number of teachers present during the week was seventy- four — the number enrolled sisty-eight. Several classical teachers were present and cheerfully took part in the exercises. Among these were Mr. McKelway, Principal of Bel- Air Academy, and Mr. Curtis, Principal of Oakland Classical School, near Bel-Air. At the Institute, this year, there was less academic instruction given than was given last year, but we had more discussion, more lectures and more essays. Kev. Dr. Van Bokkelen and Prof. Newell were listened to with marked attention. Mr. Curtis delivered a lecture on "Latitude and Longitude," which well paid every teacher who heard it, for the time and money spent in attendance. We want more of these well-di- gested lectures, and more we intend to secure. The increasing interest evinced by the teachers in this compara- tively new means of improvement, is indeed gratifying to all persons who have the welfare of teachers, patrons and pupils deeply at heart. Baltimore County Institute met on Monday afternoon, Sept. 2, at two o'clock, in the Odd-Fellows' Hall, at Towsontown, under the immediate supervision of Prof. M. A, Newell, Principal of the State Normal School. About one hundred teachers were present. The exercises were commenced by an address by Dr. Van Bokkelen upon the advantages of institutes such as the one now being held. Essays upon the word-method of teaching reading were read from Mr. Jas. Torrington, Miss Ida Hush, (read by Mr. Wm. M. Soper,) and Miss Sallie E. Ebaugh. The subject was further discussed by Prof. Newell and Messrs. McGinn and Foy. The exercises for the day were then closed by some remarks by Prof. Newell upon the subject of teaching reading. On Tuesday morning there was an address on "School Records and Statistics" by R. C. McGinn, Esq. The individual reports of the committee on "teaching spelling by writing" were then read and elaborately discussed. The remainder of the morning session was occupied by Prof. Newell in the discussion of "The Metrical System of Weights and Measures." At the reassembling of the Institute at 2 P. M., an interesting lecture upon the subject of "Music in the School" was delivered by Rev. J. H. Kaufman, pastor of the Govanstown Presbyterian Church. The A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 18 7 remainder of the afternoon session was occupied in debating "What is the Value of School Exhibitions and Examinations, and how should they be conducted ?" On Wednesday and succeeding days other appropriate exercises were had, among them a lecture on Etymology, by R. C. McGinn, Esq., President of the Baltimore County School Board; also a dis- cussion on the question "How is good attendance to be secured;" and a spelling match for a copy of Webster's unabridged Dictionary; full particulars of all of which have not, however, been furnished us in time for this number. Editorial Salmagundi. j|@°°NOW that schools have opened again, and teachers are at their posts, we hope our subscribers will all endeavor to get others to subscribe. ^^hy ici'U not friends of Education in our State send to the Journal for puUication fidl rejyoHs of some of the interesting addresses and discussions heard at the different Teachers^ Institutes? "We pause for a reply 1" We respectfully request those friends who sent us lists of sub- scribers during the past spring, to do us the favor to see that all pay their subscription. Names, without money, are profitless ; and we received in good faith the lists of names sent us as being responsible. .^^"Specimen copies of this Journal will be mailed free to all who wish to subscribe, or who will act as agents to procure subscribers. The Sunday School Times. — We are not, and do not wish to be considered enthusiastic, but we do say, after an acquaintance of seve- ral years, that the Sunday School Times, published in Philadelphia by Messrs. Garrigues & Co., and edited by Prof. John S. Hart and I. Newton Baker, is the best paper for the Sunday School teacher or Superintendent we know of, besides being an excellent religious family paper, and having withal much that may be profitably avail- able to the secular teacher. Prof. Hart is principal of the New Jer- sey State Normal School. ,^^"Will you, reader, write an article for publication in this Jour- nal? 188 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Sciiooi, Requisites. — Messrs. Schermerhorn & Co., New York, are enterprising gentlemen, who furnish everything requisite for school keeping. They will fit you out with books, apparatus, desks and in fact with a teacher, too, if you want one. Write to them. "We be- lieve Messrs. Bond & Co., Baltimore, are their agents. Notice. — Most of the articles which appear in this Journal are original — prepared expressly for these pages. Editors of other jour- nals are invited to copy whatever they choose, either with or without the usual credit. We are not so sensitive on this point as some of our cotempoi'aries. ^^° Advance payments are required, as you know, gracious reader, for this Journal, and if you have not yet paid, please enclose the money in a letter by mail to the publisher at Cumberland at once — or notify us when you will remit. Littell's Living Age. — This sterling old literary hebdomidal (Bos- ton) still holds on its way prosperously. The only weekly magazine of the kind published. JI^^'ALL TEACHERS in Maryland are hereby appointed agents for the Maryland Educational Journal, and will please act accord- ingly. The back numbers will be sent free to every teacher desiring them, who will act as an agent. This proposition will remain open until the files are exhausted. We once advertised a friend's grocery in our paper, who, among other things, kept "queensware, liquors," &c., and, being a temper- ance man, were afterwards taken to task for this as an inconsistency. If publishers are to be considered as favoring the use of everything they advertise, then certainly they would have queer tastes. .^^"When you build your house, so arrange your sleeping apart- ments that you may recline with your head due north. Somebody says this will prolong life. We take some credit to ourself in this: — that while other perhaps "older and better soldiers" in the school cause were (though unknown to us) considering about starting an educational journal here, we were the first and only one who offered to run the risk, and to DO I And now, dear public, we ask you to give us a fair trial. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 189 ,fi^#"Everybody thinks himself competent to edit an educational journal, and we wouldn't be surprised, therefore, to hear of several more being started in our State, particularly as things look so very flattering in regard to a school system ! J^"There are a great many good periodicals and magazines pub- lished in a great many cities, and they all want a great many favor- able notices published, about themselves, but somehow or other very few of them seem inclined to reciprocate such favors. We decline to notice those who will not notice us. ^^"Rationalism, spiritualism, atheism, universalism and all forms and phases of infidelity are rife in the land, and manifest themselves in the thoughts of many writers in books and periodicals. Parents cannot be too cautious about the reading of their children. The pages on "Memory" in this Journal, showing the application of Mnemotechny, can be had separately at low rates, by teachers who may desire practically to test the plan in the school room. Liberal Premium. — We will give a neatly printed pamphlet of thirty-six pages, containing much useful reading for teachers and students, to any one who will send us a new subscriber with $1.50. ^^"Subscriptions to this Journal may begin with any number, but we have about two hundred spare copies of each of the five back num- bers, and want just that many new subscribers to begin with the first number. Let every one of our subscribers take a pride in procuring other subscribers, and in sending us local items of school intelligence or other matter for publication. i5^"All cash paying subscribers to this Journal who may be in want of schools can have their wants made known without charge. We design opening a teachers' register in these pages, free to sub- scribers — a small fee to others. All teachers in the State, whether in public or private schools, all school men generally and all connected with schools, who can write, are respectfully and urgently requested to become contributors to the pages of this Journal. Approved articles xcill he paid for. 190 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Payments due this Journal may be made to James Young, Esq., No. 114 West Baltimore street, Baltimore, who is authorized to give receipts in the publisher's name. .^■^'Oh how many days and weeks and months and years are wasted for the want of a plan ! Have a plan. This Journal is edited by Dr. Nelson and E. S. Zea-ely, (aided by a corps of contributors,) — the latter being the publisher and conti'ol- ling manager, and assuming all pecuniary risks, &c. Dr. Nelson has special charge of the first pages in each number. The pages of this Journal are open to a free fight on all educational subjects, provided, of course, all things be done "decently and in order." SPECIAL NOTICE.— The preceding numbers of this Journal have been mailed to all known subscribers. Notwithstanding, we hear complaints that some who are subscribers have not received the Journal. The fault is with that useful but well abused institution, the Post OflSce, not with us ! And this is to beg that all who do not receive the Journal promptly each month will please report to the publisher. All remittances on subscription or otherwise for this Journal, may be made by mail at the publisher's risk, when enclosed in the presence of a witness (as the Postmaster), otherwise remit by money-order or registered letter. The original plan of conducting this Journal, as first announced in the prospectus, will be carried out. ^^"Does anybody seriously believe that the next Legislature will allow a school system to die by default ? Does anybody seriously ap- prehend the possibility of our State being left without a school sys- tem? If so, we will make the following proposition: Come on, Mr. Doubter, and Mr. Faithless give us your note for subscription to this Journal, with payment conditioned on our having a school system, and you shall have as many copies as you please ! Mental and Social Culture, by L. C. Loomis, A, M., M. D., published by Messrs. Schermerhorn, N. York, is a valuable book for thoughtful people. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 191 Sandeks' Union Reader?, by Messrs. Ivison, Phiimey, Blakeman & Co., have recently been enriched by the addition of a new fifth or intermediate reader, of merit. These readers do not attempt to teach two things at once, nor have the publishers forced the author to feats of ground and lofty tumbling in order to conform the reading matter to the engravings.. Mistakes of Educated Men, by Prof. John S. Hart, is a practical little book, replete with weighty thoughts, characteristic of the au- thor. Messre. Garrigues & Co., Philadelphia. Temperance. — Temperance is an educational power, and we are glad to see the lemperance men of the State bestirring themselves. Temperance organizations are everywhere flourishing. The Sabbath. — Organizations for the better and more general ob- servance of the Sabbath are forming in many parts of Maryland, and should be encouraged by all true men. Education. — Everything is education : the trains of thought you are indulging this hour ; the society in which you spend the evening ; the conversations, walks and incidents of to-morrow. Suicide. — Is he alone a suicide who, in a moment, with poison, pistol, dagger, or rope, ends his earthly existence — or is he no less so who by wilful and persistent disregard of nature's laws shortens his life and brings upon himself premature decay ? "By Express." — Such express companies as the Adams' and Harn- den's are great institutions. In ilieory goods delivered to them go forward by first train, but in practice it is difi'erent, and complaints are often disregarded. Local Memory. — Location and association are powerful aids to memory. Many students of the Bible, for example, have found great benefit from always using the same edition of the Bible, that the same passage might always be found on the same page and same part of the page. Wood's Primary Geography, by James Cruikshank, LL.D., is another of the too many good Geographies, which contains some valu- able hints to teachers. Wm. Wood & Co., New York, 192 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL. Branching Out. — The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company has nearly completed its branch road to Hagerstown, and the road from Point of Rocks to Washington city is progressing. The B. & 0. R. R., be it remembered, with its numerous branches and connections — including its line of steamers to England, is one of the most stupend- ous evidences of American energy in existence. Phonetic Spelling. — "An easy method of spelling the English language, by Joseph Medill, Chicago." This is a pamphlet of 24 pages, containing sensible reasons for a change in the fashion of our language. Novelty Microscope. — We have received from the sole proprietor, Geo. Mead-, Racine, Wisconsin, one of his pocket microscopes, which, after examination, we can recommend as very serviceable, neat and convenient, for examining various objects. ^2. ^^'In our next we will pay our respects to the newspapers of Maryland — seriatim. ,^^Where does day begin ? or where do the days begin ? Primary, Systematic Human Physiology, Anatomy and Hygiene, by T. S. Lambert, M. D. Wm. Wood & Co., N. Y. We are "fear- fully and wonderfully made," and we see no reason why Physiology should not be studied in our schools ; and here is a book containing a method of analysis and classification, both simple and complete, practical and interesting, adapted to the use of young scholars. Be it remembered, that for the "Memory" articles in this Journal is claimed a high position among "methods of teaching ;" and it is not cenerous to condemn any "method" without a fair trial. Institutes. — We will pay for full reports of Teachers' Institutes, CANVASSERS WANTED ! I ! Canvassers wanted in every City, Town, Village and neighborhood, for the "Maryland Educational Journal." Extra inducements offered to energetic, faithful men. Specimen Copies furnished free of charge. HUvijIawcl Educational |0Miiial SUBSCRIPTION RATES. yingle copies, per annum, in advance $1 50 3 copies $4 00 5 " 6 25 10 copies to one address 12 00 15 " " " 17 00 AMEllTISIi^G RATES. One Page. Haie Page. 1 mo. $10 00 $19 00 5 00 1 9 50 Quarter Page 1 2 50| 4 75 3 mo. 6 mo. 9 mo. $27 00 14 00 7 00 $50 00 25 00 12 50 $65 00 33 00 17 00 12 mo. $80 00 40 00 20 00 ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, THIS INSTITUTION, easily approached from every part of the country, and having general telegraphic communication, under its thorough re-organization, offers unusual facilities for Education. Its corps of "well trained and efficient instructors, with its highly literary and scientific President, is prepared to educate the sons of Maryland as highly and thorough)}' as anywhere in the country. Being liberally endowed by the State, it can afford to educate cheaply. The whole cost of Collegiate Education is (without extras) two hundred and fifty dollarg per annum. Two boys from each county and the city of Baltimore will be taken for two hundred dollars per annum. Next Academic Year will begin on, Monday, 2d day of September. JAMES C. WELLING, A. M., PRlNcrPAL, And Professor of Mental and Social Science, including the Philosophy of History. Rev. C. K. NELSON, D. D , Vice-Principal, And Professor of Moral Science, and Lecturer on Natural and Revealed Religion and the Evi- dences of Christianity. Rev. JULIUS M. DASHIELL, A. M., Professor of the Ancient Languages, their Literature and History, HIRAM CORSON, A. M., Professor of the English Language, its Literature and History, and Rhetoric, including Vocal Culture. WILLIAM STEFFIN, A. M., Professor of Mathematics, Natural Science, and Physical Culture, and Acting Professor of Chemistry. DAVID N. CAMP, A. M., Principal of the Normal and Preparatory Departments. *Rev. WILLIAM L. GAGE, A. M., Professor of Physical Geography and its Relations to the History and Industrial Resources of Nations. *3. S. HALDEMAN, A. M., Professor of Natural History, and Lecturer on Ethnology and Comparative Philology. WILLIAM H. HOPKINS, A. M., Assistant Professor of the Ancient Languages and Mathematics. * These gentlemen, although having accepted their respective offices, will not enter upon their duties until their services are required. (lIuxGER's Invention. J. W. Scueemerhorn & Co., Manupaciurers.) Makes a Surface which Rivals the Best Wall Slates. It is Perfectly Black ; never Crumbles ; always remains Hard and Smooth. It is succes.sfully applied to any kind of board or wall, and is invaluable in renovating old wooden blackboards. Its durability is proved by twelve years' severe use in some of the best Schools in New England and Mew York. The surface seems to improve with use and age. Any teacher, by observing directions, can apply it, making j5er/ec£ slate surface, unrivalled in color, smoothness and durability. PRICE— Quarts, $-3.00; Pints, $1.75. Five p. c. discount on, b gals.; ten p. c. on 10 gals. One quart will cover 100 sq. ft. Hence it makes a cheap Blackboard. For old Boards one coat is enough. Xew surface requires two coats or more. It is put up in tin cans, and safely sent by express. CAUTION". — The Eureka Liquid Slating is the Original Ztgwid Slating— the Jirst Liquid Blackboard ever olfered for sale Its great success has called out several imitations; but none can produce the perfectly smooth, enduring, de.,d-hlack surf ace of the Eureka. It IS positively the only slate surface which will not glaze. Prominent educators almost everywhere can speak for Eureka Slating, and we will war- rant it. Sold by J. W. BOND & CO., Baltimore, Md., AND BY SCHOOL-FDRXISHING HOUSES GENERALLY. Send for Specimen of American Educational Monthly, and complete list of school books, Ac. J. W. SCHERMEEHOSN & CO., 430 Broome st.. New York. On and after SUNDAY, May 5, 1867, three daily trains will be run between Balti- more and Wheeling and Parkersburg, as follows: MAIL TRAIN will leave Baltimore daily (except Sunday) at 8.45 A. M. FAST LINi:: will leave daily (including Sunday) at 5.20 P. M. EXPRESS TRAIN will leave daily (except Saturday) at 9.45 P.M. These trains connect at Belair and Parkersburg for all points West, Southwest and Northwest. FREDERICK ACCOMMODATION TRAIN leaves Baltimore, daily, at 4.20 P. M., (except Sunday.) Leaves Frederick for Balti- timore daily (Sundays excepted) at 7.05 A. M. THE ELLICOTT'S MILLS TRAIN leaves Baltimore at 6.20 and 9.50 A. M., and 1.20 and 5.20 P. M. Returning leaves Ellicott's Mills at 7.30 and 11.10 A. M., and 2.30 and 6.30 P. M. FOR WASHINGTON.— Leave Baltimore at 3.50, 7.05, 8.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 3.15, 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. FROxM WASHINGTON FOR BALTIMORE.— Leave Washing- ton at 7.00, 7.45 and 11.15 A. M., and 2.00, 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. FOR ANNAPOLIS.— Leave Baltimore at 7.05 A. M. and 4.15 P. M.; leave Washington at 7.00 A. M. and 4.30 P. M. Trains leave Annapolis at 6.30 A. M. and 3.40 P. M. SUNDAY TRAINS.— Leave Baltimore for Washington at 3.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. Leave Washington at 7.45 A. M., and 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. For further information. Tickets of every kind, &c., apply to J. T. ENGLAND, Agent, Camden Station, or at the Ticket Office. JOHN L. WILSON, uVaster of Transportation. L. M. CoLE, General Ticket Agent. " I-didn't-get-no-Letter." Thus bitterly cried a little girl as she left the Post Office one day. Her tears told the value of a good letter. What is prized more, or hailed with greater delight? The young love to be noticed ; seldom receive letters. Whatever truths come to them in this form they read and remember with pecu- liar interest. Rev. Edwin M. Long has been for years devoting himself to religi- ous correspondence as a specialty ; he has had over 7,000 names on his list of correspondents; to whom over 11,000 letters have been sent. For ^1 a year he sends a letter monthly to a young person — -a Sab- l)ath school — a class — or family of childi*en. They will be found of great service to Teachers, Pastors, Parents, Sunday School Superintendents, and others. Each letter is in Ita ndv-riting . There is a cJiarm and an individu- ality in a written letter that cannot be given to a book or newspaper jDrinted y'roTO type. These letters, gotten up as a model of penmanslvip , become a monthly /:opy hook — teaching the beauties of Penmanship. The heading — Pen and Ink Pictures — Rebuses and other ornamental parts of the letters are different each month, and are designed to teach graceful pen and ink flourishes and to show what can be done with the pen. Thus we believe that a year's reception of these letters will be worth a quar- ter's schooling in penmanship. Each letter is on a special subject — illustrated by choice incidents, extracts from children's letters, and written in style a.nd language suited to the young, and designed to improve the head and heart. They are uniform in size, so that they can be bound, and make a beautiful and novel volume at the end of the year. Two such volumes are now ready and for sale, with title page and table of contents. Sent post-paid for $2. M^^The Monthly Letter terms are %1 a year in advance. Specimen 10 cents. Address "LONG'S LETTER OFFICE," 1210 Clu'snut street, Philadelp)hia, Pa. LITTELL'S LIVING AGE. * • « .i Magazine published every Saturday in Boston, coiitaining the best Reviews, Criti- cisms, Stories, FtKjitive Poetry, Scientific, Biographical and Political Information, gaihtred from the entire body of English Ptriodical Literature, and forming four hand- some volumes every year, of immediate intereU and solid perma- 7ient value. EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS AND NOTICES 0? THE PRESS. From the late President of t.Iie United States, John Quincy Adams. "Of all the periodical journals devoted to literature and science which abound in Europe and la this country, 'Tli-; Living Age' has appeared to me the most useful." From, the Historian, Jared Sparks. ^ "I fully concur with Mr. .Justice Story in liis estimate of the utility and importance of 'Th Living Afte' as a valuable contribution to our literature, not merely of temporary iiiterestr but of permanent value." From the Springfield (Mass.) Republican "We can do these among our readers who love sound and pure literature no better service than by referring them to this sterling weekly. It is decidedly the best magazine of the class published in the United States, If nut in the world." From the Philadelphia Press. '■The volume for October, November, and December, 1866, (being the third quarterly of the fourth series and the ninety-ITrst of the whole. ( fully maintains the high character of the work. It contains the following serials: 'Nana Balatka' and 'Sir Brook Fosbrook,' from Blackwood; 'Madonna Mary,' from Good ffords; 'Village on the ClitT.' from llie Cornhill Magazine; and 'Old Sir Douglas,' from Maxmillian. The 'Living Age,' we repeat, is a library in itself^ worthy of its high repute.'' From a Clergyman in Massachusetts of much literary celebrity. "In the formation of my mind and character I owe as much to 'The Living Age' as to a other means of education put together," 8^"Published everv Saturday at $8.00 a year. Sent free op postage, by LITTELL & GAY, June 30 BROMFIELD ST., BOSTOX, CLOSING SEAT SCHOOL. DESKS Patented to W. H. SOPER, March 31st, 1863. Rear seat. No. 2. No. 1. MANUFACTURED AND SOLD BY S. S- STEAT-ElSrS Sz SOIST, Extensive Manufacturers of Cabinet Furniture, No. 3 SOUTH CALVERT STREET, BALTIMORE, MD. To whom all orders for desks must be addressed. For any information about the sale o£ the Patent Right or the privilege to manufacture apply to W. HORACE SOPEB, Patentee, BALTIMORE, MD. ^ ^ MARYLAND ^ f — SCHOOL % U^^Mx^^f^-'^^^i^ DEVOXKD TO POPULAR INSTRUCTION AND LITERATURE. EDITORS: Rev. C. K. NELSON, D. D., Annapolis, Vice Pres. St. John's College, and Pres. State Teachers' Association, E. S. ZEVELY, Cumberland. NOVEMBER, 1867. Vol. 1. No. 7. B A L T I IVI O R S s E. S. ZEVELY, Publisher. Printed by Jame s Young, 114 -West Baltimore street. J|@^See "Editorial Salmagundi,", pages 218 to 221. FOU, SALE. A complete first class STEREOPTICAN or DISSOLVING VIEW APPARATUS, -with gas fixtures, a variety of sliders, &c., all in good order and nearly ncAV ; will be sold at reasonable price. Ad- dress the Publisher of this Journal for particulars. iiNTLlliM, A Journal of Horticulturef Agriculture, Hural Economy f &c., &c, PUBLISHED ON THE FIFTEENTH OF EACH MONTH :Br^ J. B- liOBiisrsonsr sc 00.=. No. 2 North Eutaw street, Baltimore, Assisted by a corps of able contributors. $1 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. Specimen Copies 10 Cents. ;^®~Transient Advertisements of one square — 10 lines — $1 each insertion. Liberal deduction made to yearly advertisers. Has an extensive circulation in all parts of the country. Agents wanted. Address, with stamp. nov-tf SMITH BROS. & CO., CtOTHtERS, MERCHAUT UttORSt AND DEALERS IN GENTS^ FURNISHING GOODS, Always on hand the largest stock of Clothing and Piece Goods for Custom Work. Persons in want of Good &nA Fashionable Clothing should be sure and come to MARBLE HALL, 38 and 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. We have also a MAW mmwAw^mMW% Under the charge of HARRY NICELY, at No. 38. He will be pleased to see- his friends. SMITH BROS. & CO., Merchant Tailors and Clothiers, 38 & 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET.. EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. Vol. I. BALTIMORE, NOVEMBER, 1867. No. 7 The English Language. N a paper in the last number of this Journal we aimed to exhibit the educational power of the English language in the developing and strengthening of the critical or discrimi- nating faculty. The aim of the present paper is to illustrate the power of our own tongue in educating the imaginative faculty also. It is one of the strongest arguments in favor of the languages of Greece and Rome, that they are so ad- mirably adapted to the highest culture of the imagination. This is especially true of the sublimest of all languages, the Greek — the tongue which was chosen of Heaven as the vehicle for bringing down to earth the holy and ever-blessed Gospel. But although these lan- guages, as a whole, are sublime nurturers of the noblest elements of man's nature, this is especially the case with single word?, which are in themselves grand poems. It would be doing injustice to these im- mortal words to despoil them of their glory by the best-intentioned version ; we can therefore only suggest to our classical readers the luxury of referring to their Virgils and Homers. But we will not admit that our own tongue is one whit behind these grand old tongues even in this respect. To say nothing of the fact that our own Eng- lish Bible and Milton and the one Shakspeare are all the highest ex- amples of the purest English — we have words — generally adopted ones — but sometimes pure Anglo-Saxon ones — which are the highest illustrations of the power of single words to stir the human imagina- tion to its very depths. What a grand panorama of moral beauty does the pure Saxon word God — the Good — open up ! It combines all the powers of the classical gods, but over them all casts the softening veil of mercy. "We have the cloud-compelling Jove — but the ele- 13 13^4 MARYLAND EDUCATIIKAL JOURNAL, ments of nature are compelled to be the ministers of Him "who feedeth the young ravens when they cry, and in whose sight not a sparrow falleth to the ground without his knowledge/' We have the far-dart- ing Apollo in the ever-abiding presence of Him "who, if I ascend Up to Heaven He is there — if I go down to hell, He is there alsoj if I take the wings of the, morning and dwell in the utmost parts of the sea, even there also shall His hand lead me and His right hand shall hold me." We haVe the earth-shaking Neptune in Him "whose voice hath once shaken the earth ; but now hath he promised, saying, yet once more 1 shake not the earth only but also Heaven— and this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." In the adopted word "plague" we have a word rich not only in ethical meaning but also in poetic power. The word, in its historic meaning, denotes any very generally prevalent disease, especially the disease which to this day is found throughout the East. According to its etymological signification it means a stroke. The highly imagi- native and religious mind of the Eastern people, when they found themselves surrounded by a disease that was breathing pestilence and death everywhere, beyond the reach of human art and amenable to no sanitary law, created the word "plague," stroke — God's stroke. What a depth of meaning in the word ! We find ourselves in the midst of "the arrow that flieth by day and the pestilence that walketh in darkness," and look up to Heaven and say it is the "plague." We see our whole country a great battle-field — brother fighting with brother — cities burned — fields desolated — on all sides sorrow and woe — and we can only fall on our knees and meekl}^ raise our eyes to Heaven and cry it is the "plague" — God's stroke. The word "dilapidate" — how derived every boy that knows his Latin grammar understands very well — is an example of the same kind. We speak of a dilapidated fortune — and at once the ruins of a mag- nificent palace or majestic temple — as that of Jupiter Ammon or Tad- moor in the Desert — rise before us. We involuntarily revert to the time when the music of the tabret and the harp resounded through their halls and the voice of joy and revelry was heard within their courts, and as we look upon them now, "not one stone left upon an- other," we instinctively recall the words of Holy Writ: "But the wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and Satyrs shall dance there." A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 195 The word "devastate" is equally suggestive, but transports us into a irather different sphere. It calls us away from decaying temples and toouldering palaces into fields that once "bloomed and blossomed as the rose," but which are now converted into one vast wilderness, whose solitude is unbroken save by the voice of the lion "who goeth about •seeking whom he may devour," or of "the young lion that seeketh his meat from GTod." These esamples must suffice to show that our own tongue is by no means void of the power of cultivating the imagination and moulding the poetic elements of our nature in the highest forms of beauty and |)roportioa. n. Anglo-Saxon and Latin Words Compared. N the last number of our Journal we referred to the follow- ing pairs of words: childish, infantine; boyish, puerile; womanly, effeminate ; manly, virile ; as illustrating the power of the English language, from its richness in appa- rent synonyms, to cultivate delicacy of taste and nicety of discrimination in the choice of words. We now refer to them that we may have the opportunity of comparing w^ords of a Latin root and those of pure Anglo-Saxon origin, in point of strength, and think that we shall find the pure English words, childish, boyish, manly, womanly, more nervous and vigorous than their Latin compeers, infantine, puerile, virile, effeminate. We do not mean for a moment to intimate that words of Latia derivation have not their nice uses and their highly befitting places in our language ; for lan- guage, like nature, always resorts to just such outward expressions as are best adapted to preserve and develop its inner life ; but we main- tain, without fear of contradiction, that English words, for the most part, convey more clearly and strongly the thoughts we wish to com- anunicate. This arises from the organic structure of the language. Strength is the characteristic element of the English language (in- herited from the Oerman) as sublimity of the Greek, and softness of the Spanish, and melody of the Italian, and analytical nicety of the French. When we desire to express the true nature of a male child, we speak of him as a boy and his true character as boyish. Puerile is designedly used to express what is unfavorable in such a nature.. Hence a man who forgets the dignity which belongs to his character and degenerates into something below his nature, becomes puerile. Man and manly are pure English words, asd at once suggest strengtli 196 MARYLAND EDUCATIOJiTAL JOURK'AL, and power. No doubt the sense of the force of a word arises in part from association. This is illustrated by the words virile and manly. Yirile is derived through "vir" from the Sanscrit word "vera," which means strength, and manly from a Hebrew word which means form; and yet whenever we wish to indicate the perfection of vigor and strength we use the word manly. We might go through with each of the other pairs of words and show that it is equally true of them that the words of Saxon derivation are the stronger and more forcible. The history of our language affords the fullest illustrations of the cor- rectness of these conclusions. The standard English authorities are those in which are to be found the purest Anglo-Saxon words in the greatest proportion. Three-fourths of the words in Shakspeare are pure English; and even Milton, with all the license allowed the poet, uses comparatively few words that are not of Saxon origin. This is true also of all the best writers of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The highest illustration, however, of this almost universal use of thoroughly English words, is to be found in the re- ceived translation of the Holy Scriptures. In the Lord's Prayer, consisting of seventy words, there are only two words not of Saxon derivation ; and in the first Psalm, containing more than twice as many words, there are only three which can be even remotely referred to Latin roots. It could only have been that English words were the more expressive forms of conveying the meaning of the original that they were chosen ; and that the discriminating power of our trans- lators had been so thoroughly cultivated by profound study of almost all known languages that they were enabled to select the very best words for their purpose. For be it remembered that these men were the most learned men of the three kingdoms, and had been selected as translators of the Bible for the very reason that they were so pro- foundly versed in the various tongues. "We may fairly assume it, then, as the highest compliment to the force and freshness of the English language, that conscientious men, with a knowledge of all languages, should, in the discharge of the most solemn duty which could have been imposed upon them — the making known to men the holy mysteries of the Gospel — have almost invariably selected pure English words. Nor should we forget that it was for the very reason that they were such perfect word-masters that they were able to pre- sent the sealed truths of the Holy Gospel in words,' which while they are the admiration of sages .and philosophers, are the daily comfort of the rude and unlettered. n. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 19T Public Education iu Prussia. \f\ HEN Prussia so abruptly attained a world-wide renown by her energetic and successful war against Austria, by yr^^AvlU the defiance she offered to Napoleon, and by the boldness '^^ - with which she took the lead in the reconstruction of Ger- many, people unacquainted 'with the history of that coun- tiy grew curious to know the cause of such phenomena. The answer is this: Prussia has paid more attention to the education of the people and to the development of public schools than any other country except some sections of the United States. The strict enforcement of the law, by which every family is compelled to send its children to school, has made the elements of knowledge accessible to the humblest and poorest. Many nor- mal schools, carefully and strictly superintended by the Minister of Instruction and by the officers of the Board of Education, provide the country with the proper teachers for primary and common schools ; the Universities furnish the teachers for the institutes of learning. Nobody is licensed to teach who has not passed the proper examina- tions and who has not proved, by actual trial-teaching, that he pos- sesses facility in communicating his knowledge to his hearers. It is the object of this article to give a general outline of one par- ticular branch of the institutes of public education in Prussia, viz : the polytechnic schools. Our modern civilization does not altogether depend on classical learning, and our go-ahead age will not permit young men without fortune to travel through the charming realms of Greek and Roman civilization and then devote another number of years to the acquirement of practical knowledge, which is the sword with which they must carve their way through actual life. The Prus- sian government, therefore, wisely established polytechnic schools all over the country, one in each district at least. The expenses are de- frayed partly by the parents who send their sons, partly by the dis- trict, and partly by government. The teachers are carefully selected from among those who combine theoretical with practical knowledge. The philosophical and chemical departments are liberally supplied with models, apparatus and chemicals, and constantly enlarged ac- cording to the progress in science and inventions. A candidate for admission must pass an examination, in which he proves that he is properly prepared for the studies in the lower class of the polytechnic school. When accepted, he spends one year in each of the two classes. The plan of studies is this : 198 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNALj Languages : German, English, French. Ilathematics : plane and solid Geometry ; Trigonometry ; descrip- tive Geometry ; elements of Conic Sections ; Surveying ; Arithmetic and Mercantile Calculations ; Algebra, including quadratic equations, progressions and logarithms ; Application of Algebra and Trigonome- try to solution of geometrical problems. Physics: elements of all the branches of this science, practical ap- plications. Chemistry : inorganic Chemistry and such portions of Organic Chemistry as appear particularly necessary to understand the elements of Chemical Technology. Natural History : particularly minerals, their most important ap- plications. Mechanics and Engineering : thorough knowledge of the elements and of those branches of mechanical technology which are of particu- lar interest in the district. Architecture : simple constructions. Drawing and Modeling : pencil drawing and sketching fi-om nature ; modeling as soon as practicable ; geometrical drawing : projections and construction of shades so as to be able to draw simple engines and buildings in plan and section. Connected with each of these district-polytechnic schools, there is a class for mechanics who, having been compelled to leave common schools early, in order to learn a trade and work for their living, pos- sess ambition enough to improve their fortunes by study. They pay a trifle for such instruction — ^just enough to prevent any suspicion that they are taught from charity. (Readers will remember that the pub- lic schools in Prussia are no free schools.) The teachers of the poly- technic school are obliged to teach the mechanics in the evening and such other hours as will be convenient to the scholars. The young men, who have terminated their studies in the polytech- nic school, are obliged to pass an examination, and may then begin their practical career or go to the polytechnic academy in Berlin to complete their studies. Two pupils of each school, who have most creditably passed the written and oral examination, may annually join the polytechnic academy as students at the expense of government — which pays them $20 a month besides. The academy consists of two divisions — 1. The general technical division, purely theoretical. 2. Separate branches: (a) Mechanics, (b) Chemistry and Mining, (c) Naval Engineering, each theoretical and practical in the work- shops and laboratories. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 199 The session for each division lasts 18 months, and a student may not attend the lectures of any of the separate branches, before he has .completed his course in the general technical division. Distinguished students are permitted to spend one more year in the workshop and laboratory, after the completion of their course of three years. The charges for students are $20 per half year, for chemists, |45. All the workshops and laboratories are most liberally provided for by government, and so is the library, to which every student has free access. The machines in the mechaiaical department not only serve for practical infitruction, but the department offers all facilities for in- ventive genius. The same is applicable to the chemical department. Having passed an examination and received a certificate, after the •completion of the course, the students begin their practical career with chances of success and employment in proportion to the grade of their certificates. Some of the most talented are employed by gov- ernment either in the engineering department or as teachers and di- rectors of the district polytechnic schools. A few are sent into other countries at the expense of government, to study there and to report on anything new or interesting. These are the general outlines of one branch of public education an Prussia, which would well repay the trouble of a thorough study. N. Aif Argument in Favor of our Present Public School System. —The most advanced pupil who has so far offered himself for admis- sion during the present session, at St. John's College, when asked at what school he had been so far educated, answered "at the primary school in my neighborhood." Eight to Sixteen. — It has been ascertained that among those who fall into a course of crime, nearly all do so between the ages of eight and sixteen years ; and that if a young man lives an honest life up to twenty years of age, there are forty-nine chances in favor, and only one against him, as to an honorable life thereafter. This is a fact of gingutar importance to fathers and mothers, and shows a fearful re- sponsibility. Certainly a parent should secure and exercise absolute control over the child under sixteen. It cannot be a diflftcult matter to do this, except in very rare cases; and if that control is not very wisely and efficiently exercised, it must be the parent's fault; it is owing to the parental neglect or remissness. Hence the real source of ninety-eight per cent, of the real crime in a country such as Eng- land or the United States, lies at the door of parents. It is a fearful reflection. 200 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, English History.— Richard II. ;^HE reign of Richard II is the topic of our present historical paper. We select as examples of a proper treatment of English historical subjects the lives on which Shakspeare has impressed his wonderful power, for the reason that the periods which his magical genius has illumined are the most distinct and life-like in the whole field of English history. There is a period, between the reigns of John and Richard II, of more than a century and a half untouched by the historical drama. In order to a full comprehension of our present subject we must briefly review this interval. The reign of John was one tissue of disasters to the interests of England. The kingdom which his father, Henry II, left strong v/ithin and mighty abroad, Richard I did nothing to increase. But the reign of John Lackland (a name derived from the fact that he had no rightful claim to the kingdom) was from beginning to end a series of relinquishments of his country's rights. In the first place he abandoned most of his French posses- sions to Philip, whose life of vigor and wisdom was in full contrast with his own. In the second-place, his natural boldness of character, which he had not the strength to support, involved bim in perpetual conflicts with the Pope. Henry, the third of that name, came to the throne in 1216. Mel- ancholy as was the state of the country in its outward life during his long reign of fifty-six years, it was favorable to the development of its internal strength. His exhaustion of the coBntry's resources and the exactions of the Italian clergy, so enraged a people who would never consent to be slaves as to foi-ce them to confine the king until the terrible abuses were mitigated and greater liberties granted. He was succeeded by the chivalric Edward I, whose reign was dis- tinguished by the most brilliant victories. This reign was marked by the annexation of the dependency of Wales, into which were intro- duced the constitution and laws of England, and by the conferring upon the heir of the British throne the title of Prince of Wales. The heroic names of Bruce and Wallace belong to this period. Edward, through the treachery of Baliol, having obtained foothold in Scot- land, roused the people to such a pitch of madness, that they seized the sword and, under the leadership of Wallace and kindred spirits, fought for their liberties, battles which to this day are sung in loftiest strains of heroic verse. The plains of Scotland were drenched with the noblest blood, and the coronation stone, which for centuries had A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 201 been regarded by the Scots with religions veneration, was brought to England and placed among the tokens of conquest which still grace the walls of Westminster Abbey. But no reverses could tame the spirits of the heroic Scots, who, through the immortal Robert Bruce, transmitted to the Stuarts the glory of their country. Ilis son, Edward II, succeeded him on the throne. This period was the very reverse of that which preceded. This prince was un-^ able to maintain his authority at home or to add to conquests abroad. The nobles repeatedly took up arms, and at last looked quietly on while his queen and her paramour forced the king from his throne to a bloody death in his prison. Edward III, his successor, was the greatest prince of the house of Plantagenet- It was during his reign that the severest checks were put to the encroachments of the Roman See in England. The famous John WiclifFe, Professor in Oxford and translator into English of the Holy Scriptures, nobly seconded the efforts of his royal master. Ed- ward increased the liberties of his subjects by granting to many towns the privilege of sending many representatives to Parliament. During this reign the number of representatives of Parliament so increased that it was necessary to divide Parliament into two houses. Lords and Commons. The rights of Parliament were at this time fixed on so stable a foundation that no power of tyrants has ever after been able seriously to affect it. In the investing of Parliament with the power of granting supplies, the English monarchy is so limited and condi- tioned as to afford the highest example of constitutional liberty. But while the king was thus strengthening the internal poAver of his king- dom, the English name was terribly formidable abroad. It was during this reign that the splendid victories of Gressy and Poietiers crowned the British arms. Calais fell into their hands and John of France was kept as a prisoner in the Tower. It was during this reign that the old story of Ilegulus was re-enacted on British soil — King John having returned to Paris in the hope of being able to obtain ransom and, not succeeding, went back to London and died there as a captive exile. While civil and religious liberty was making such great ad- vancement in the hearts of the English, their mighty ally, high and glorious poetry, was most nobly represented in the person of Chaucer — the first of the great English poets, who has illustrated the power of English imagination and the English language — unsurpassed in va- riety of feeling and scope of subject except by the productions of Shakspeare. The last years of this illustrious monarch were embit- 202 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, tered by the untimely death of his gaDant son and heir to the throne, Edward, the Black Prince. The nest of kin and heir to the throne was the son of this Prince and grandson of the great Edward, who ascended the English throne as Ftichard II in 1377. Why Shakspeare should have passed over the illustrious reigns of the Edwards and impressed his great powers on the comparative obscure reign of the second llichard, demands a passing notice. There are ten chronicle plays which illustrate the history of England, and of these, eight are devoted to one grand pe- riod — that of the great civil conflict between the two branches of the Plantagenet family, the houses of York and Lancaster. Beginning with the second llichard, this mighty conflict terminated in the person of Richard III. The only two reigns which stand detached arc those of John and Henry VIll. But a little close inspection will show that this detachment is more seeming than real. John's reign may be regarded as a sort of prologue to the history^ as containing the germinal seeds of the conflict amid the varied elements of early medi- eval times ; and the reign of Henry VIII as the epilogue, as repre- senting the beginning of the new social and political condition of England in modern times. We thus have all these historical dramas as constituting one great poem, in which the poet, taking his subject from the condition of his country, has created this life-like spectacle of the fortunes of kings and princes, their joys and their woes, their high estate and their deep degradation, the pride and splendor of their lives and the tragic misery of their deaths ; and with all these, the weal and glory of the nation, with its disasters and chastisement. Surely there never was such wonderful fulfillment of the wish of Milton— "Let gorgeous Tragedy, With splendid pall come sweeping by, Presenting Thebes or Pelop's line, Or the fall of Troy divine, Or what (though rare) of later age, Ennobled bath the buskin of the stage." Although all of these historical dramas have one grand harmony, each has in itself its poetic unity. It is when we contemplate the several parts of the great whole that we are most impressed with the sense of their historical value. Taking these parts as constituting one great whole, we may look in vain elsewhere for such varied and splendid teachings of retributive justice. We see even-handed jus- tice following slowly but surely the guilt of the wicked, and in the A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 203 history of Richard II we have the firmlj-rooted dynasty first diverted from its normal course by the weaknesses of that monarch ; and in that of the fifth Henry, the Laneasterian usurpation is toppled to the ground by the wars of the factions. We then follow the fortunes of the house of York in its victorious progress to its darkening fortunes, through the secret murder of the child king and the more open death of the last of the Plantagenets on Bosworth field. In King John the imagination of the poet was greatly called into play^ but in Richard II the dramatist and historian are perfectly at one. The reign opens with a picture of a state distracted by the dissensions of high-spirited nobles and bitter discord in the royal household. The king comes before us as the creature of the times. Coming to the throne at the early age of eleven, he was very natu- rally tempted to think that the fortunes of his house were immutable. In his youthful innocence he never dreamed that the greatest danger to his personal fortunes lay in the illy concealed ambition of his own family. It was the fortune of Richard to live at a time when royal magnificence was no security against that growth of the popular ele- ment that was making itself especially felt among the various peoples of Teutonic origin. At an early period of his reign sixty thousand people mai-ched to London and took possession of the royal fortress. It was at this moment that he asserted his claim to his ancestral great- ness by riding at the head of a small band of followers into the midst of the infuriated masses and called back his people to their natural al- legiance. Now for the first time the so common mistake of rulers in surrounding themselves with unworthy favorites, began first to mani- fest itself. He next adds guilt to folly in ridding himself by unmanly means of his bitterest foes, which continue to pursue him through life with relentless energy, thus fulfilling the saying of the poet: "Retri- bution walks with a foot of velvet and strikes with a hand of steel." When the last act of tyranny had consummated his ruin, his last re- maining gallant uncle attempts to touch his conscience by a most touch- ing appeal to the memory of his father : "I am the last of Edward's sons, Of whom thy father, Prince of Wales, was first; In war was never lion raged more fierce, In peace was never gentle lamb more mild, Than was that young and princely gentleman ; His face thou hast, for even so looked he Accomplished with the number of thy hours; But when he frowned, it was against the French, And not against his friends ; his noble band . Did win what he did spend, and spent not that 204 JEAKYLAND KDUOATIOX AT, JOURNAL, \Vh"u'h his tri\inipluint tatlior's hand had wtMi ; Jlii! hands were guilty witli no Kindred Mood, Kut. bloody with the enoniies of liis kin. If you do wrongfnlly seize Hereford's rij^hts, ■^"oii pluck a thousand dtuigers ou your liead, You lose a thousand well-disposed hearts, And i>riek my patience to those thoughls ^Vhicll honor and allegiance cannot think." Shaksponro. true to the iiistmets of that humanity which makes the whole worKl of kin, "inakos llichard that he is a man,'' aiul by the change which ehastisoiuont works, liraw out the {Sympathy of our hearts towards hiiu ; and as a great historian, teaohes how the "power and divinity" of sutVoring can bring the weak and the wilful tiud the wicked to a better mind, and wins for them a just sympathy, so tluit one would fain close his history in the same spirit in which the old chronicler concludes his life : ''King Ixichard was buried at liangley. God pardon his sins and have mercy on his soul." N. Female Education. ,:vj) N a recent article we advocated the highest intellectual cul- 4' P ture of our women on the two grounds of rich personal re- source and utility. But this is not all. If more time were spent in the education of our women, or rather, if the time spent were devoted to the real and thorough cultivation of their intellectual natures, they would be at school growing in wisdom, and, \Ye would fain hope, in grace, instead of being subjected, in their unsopltisticated childhood, to hurtful flattery, if not destructive gtiile. How many inconsiderate and ill-assorted alliances for life might be prevented, if women were pupils until some nuUurity of thought and life had been attained, in some more sub- stantial and healthful schools than those of coquetry and gallantry ! How much bitterness in after life might be prevented by a longer and more thorough edticational life in some good school ! Let the minds of our women be more thoroughly cultured in all solid learning, and their tastes will be raised above the desire for mere vapid conversa- tion, splendid coverings, tinseled tidornings and glistering worldliness. Bufc it is the fiirthest thing possible from our thoughts to discourage, as a most important part of female education, the culture of a taste for the beautiful. We would have the highest art minister to the taste of woman, and the most exalted poetry breathe its sweetest num- A SCHOOL ANlJ FAMILY MOaTIILY. 205 bcr.s Ifito licr car, an<] tljo richest music waft her soul to tliowe liigli Bphcrcs whore no language i.s heard but that of melody. If we could v/a would have every Hchool room in the land adorned with the highest creations of art, and every teaclier able to breathe into the ears of his pupils the profoundest spirit of divine poetry. We would, if we could, have every lady's boudoir graced with the riches of the Pitti-Palace, and every public walk and garden in the land richer in statuary than ancient or modern times can boast. We are no more afraid of high art and true poetry than we are of profound learning and ardent piety. Woman is essentially poetic in her constitution — -just let this esthetic element be so truly cultivated and wisely directed and her tastes so elevated, that she will not be tenjpted to stoop to the miser- able caricatures that sometimes pass under the high and sacred name of poetry and art, and we shall have but little fear for the conse- quences. Then instead of being allured from her home for the sake of ministering to her taste in some poor counterfeit of art, she will be content to sit at her own fireside and enjoy high communion with her richly cultured spirit and refresh herself with beautiful visions such as the blind IMilton saw — she may find delight in high converse with her cotemporaries, or refresh her soul with the stores of knowledge and beauty of the great living Past. Women as well as men are essentially pleasure-seeking creatures, and they will find it somewhere. If their njiuds are not well cultivated and their tastes elevated, they will seek it amid the glare and din of the great world's life. On the other hand, if their thoughts are well trained, their minds well stored, and their hearts well cultivated — the sweets of home, the quiet of do- mestic life, and the gentle offices of the family will be their highest pleasure as well as their holiest duty. The word home will have acquired a new meaning for v/oman, for it will be a word rich in all innocent pleasures and fraught with something far higher than the frigid conventionalities which wither the soul. What a position docs every woman who is prepared for her mission and who is true to her- self and her mission occupy ! Her dominion is more than imperial, for it is the great dominion of a loving heart over tender and sus- ceptible souls. How pure is the atmosphere which surrounds such a spirit! Who would think of intruding in an unhallowed temper within such an enclosure I An enclosure — around which stand no armed sen- tinels as guardians of its peace and defenders of its sanctity — ^but at whose portals sits white-robed innocence, and over whose roof hover the holy watchers of all pure and beautiful souls, and within whose sacred precincts loving hearts beat peacefully and gentle voices give forth sweet and happy utterances. N. 206 MARYLAN-D EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Memory.— ETo. 6» (See Fundamental Basis or Key in July number of the Journal.) (f^\ LL who read this will please to remember, and not forget, it ^^y^W:) is asserted, that by this method pupils may pleasantly ac* }-JuJ\^/ quire in an hour what could not be acquired without it in \G^l/y>i cJays of toil, if at all. If time is valuable, this fact alone ^-^^"^ commends the subject to the serious consideration of all who wish to make the hours which the pupil spends at school the most profitable. A few additional Latitude and Longitude formulas are presented. The stud}' of this system both improves and lessens the labor of memory. No one book adapted to school use has yet been "manu* factured." The aim of these articles is to attract attention to a want in this particular. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE— (continued.) A douhJoon used as a bribe might quiet a Dublin lame watch A green witch might slide through a key hole and disturb a GrREENWICII LADY Holy folks as well as others sometimes listen to a Halifax rare chime A niece's smiles have been known to cure or Nice warm (the) sick A Plague may sometimes trouble a Prague lazy tar A War sorrow is felt by a soldier who sheds tears in the Warsaw lone night Su7'e riches cannot be held on earth, when we see the Zurich work (of) envy A poor dean would have no occasion to Aberdeen lock (his) wine Amen is sometimes said by those who make Amiens , .war (on) sin An oyster can should not be emptied on a AstRACUAN RICH rug Eight hens may be fed by the Athens mogul's son A SCHOOL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 207 lianners float in the breeze on days of Benares annual jame A hare line has often sent a felon to his Berlin sullen doom Bfxbhling is not a commendable quality in a Babylon woman or warrior A cashmere shawl as a present would not make Cashmere mamma cry A dressed hen may have been bought at market by the Dresden. lad tom A done kirk is one pulled down by a mob led on by a Dunkirk wild son The Gallows has been the end of many a Gr ALWA Y SOLEMN SPY A gent sometimes sings a song merry and Ghent lightsome The vail of a lady lost in a crowd may be. restored with a VaLETTA SMILE (to the) DEAR Weari/ creics on our western rivers often Vera Cruz wood up (on the) beach Special attention is called to the ingenuity of these formulas, and their homophonic analogies. Many of the sentences contain sound truths or state important facts, besides showing the latitude and longi- tude. With these additional examples we pass to other matters for the present. Kemarks. — Inferring, from the fact that we have not yet received a single letter from any source about these Memory articles, that there continues to exist a great want of faith in the minds of many, we desire to add a few reniarks by way of reminder. Robert Fulton was denounced as "a confounded humbug T'' and so was his steamboat ; even after it had walked the water like a thing of life without oars or sails in the presence of an immense crowd of people — even after they had seen the wheels move, the jets of snow-like steam, the clouds of black smoke, and heard its coughing. And after it had reached Al- bany, even the friends of Fulton persisted, notwithstanding its suc- cess, in declaring the great discovery to be a visionary scheme, destined never to succeed ! But what of the steamboat now ? What would be the condition of the world without the steamer ? And what adequate rewfird has Fulton or his family derived ? Where shall we find the 208 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, place ■where the gratitude of mankind has erected to the genius of the great Fulton a monument commemorative of his immortal discovery? Where is it to be found? Is it in his native land — -in the glorious and flourishing country which gave him birth ? Is it in England, Ireland or Scotland? No. Is it in Russia, Austria, Holland, France, Portu- gal or Spain ? No. Is it in Italy, in But something there catches the eye on the blue horizon. Let us approach and see. A colossal statue of bronze delineates its huge outline upon the azure of the sky ; it stands upon the road of Bologna which conducts to the lake Majora , its pedestal is forty -six feet high ! and the entire alti- tude of both statue and base is one hundred and eleven feet ! ! Let us approach this gigantic monument. It has doubtless been erected to commemorate some wondei-ful event in the life of some great bene- factor of mankind — perhaps of Fulton himself. Let us approach and read the golden-lettered inscription : "to the memory op ST. CHARLES BORROMEO ! !..." "for haying SWALLOWED A SPIDER!!* We have thought this episode or digression necessary to arouse the attention of the reader. Hereafter we will continue to show the in- genious application of this system to other subjects. Mnemotechny will yet prove its value ! Visible Speech —An English paper says : "A gentleman of Edin- burgh, Meilville Bell, after twenty years' study has prepared a means of writing sounds so as to be universally legible, t. e., of expressing sounds to the eye with the same precision as the mouth conveys them to the ear. This method has been tested by a professor of modern languages, in Paris, and of Persian in Edinburgh. The British Standard says the Paris professor tested the applicability of this sys- tem of phonetic symbols to represent the peculiar sounds of the French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese languages. The writing was deci- phered with vernacular correctness by readers who were not present when the words were written. «From the introductory lecture of Professor M. Fuuvel-Gouraud, who e.v:« plains that this monument was erected to a priest who inadvertently swallowed a venomous spider which had accidentally dropped into the chalice at the mo- ment of consecrating at mass. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 209 Public Instruction. OW that it is decided that the system of public instruc- tion shall be amended, it may not be inappropriate to call attention to a few points that experience has shown require a change, with a view to invite consideration and discussion thereon, previously to the meeting of the Legis- lature. 1. A uniform set of books all over the State is not an essential feature to the successful education of our children. It rather fosters a principle of speculation, requiring, perhaps, in some cases a '■'douceur'''' to get a book adopted. There are many most excellent text books now published, and it is very difficult for even experienced teachers to decide which is the best; but in the same city and county the books might be uniform with advantage. 2d. The pay of teachers must be better, or good schools will be too much of a mushroom kind. Teachers should be paid by their grade of ability as certified to, on examination, and not by the number of pupils that they may happen to have. It makes a teacher too de- pendent upon gratifyirg the whims of the children or parents; and in a sparsely settled neighborhood the best teacher in the State could not get a large school, and would have to take more meagre pay than the poorest in a better settled district. 3d. All the school fund should be appropriated to the use of the common public schools, yet for the encouragement of meritorious stu- dents of either sex State scholarships should be established as prizes to be awarded by a disinterested committee to each county according to population. These certificates of scholarship to be paid yearly by the State, to any school, academy or college, named in the law, that may impart hona fide the necessary higher education. This would avoid that favoritism that sometimes governed donations to schools, and al- low parents to send to that school that labors most for the good of "State scholars." 4th. Supervision^ in the sense of office-making, is an unnecessary expense. The teacher of a public school, if he is, as he ought to be, a competent man, needs no more overseeing than the teacher of a pri- vate school. All we absolutely need is, three intelligent gentlemen as a Board of Education and Examination, whose certificates of compe- tent education should be sufficient for the life of any teacher to whom it may be granted. To examine a practicing physician every two years would be about as good a thing as examining teachers bi-annually. 14 210 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, 5th. One Commissioner for each county would be sufficient. He could appoint for each school such person as the parents sending to school may in writing request, if in possession of a proper certificate of competency from the State Board of Education and Examination. He should also report annually to the State Board the condition of the schools and the progress of education. Nothing more in the way of Commissioners, Visitors, Trustees, Presidents, Inspectors, &c. are in reality required. Teachers and Commissioner could do, perhaps, all their business by mail. 6th. Every teacher should report, according to some printed and uniform plan, all the facts in relation to his school that are really valu- able and no more, to the County Commissioner quarterly, who on re-, ceiving it and finding it correct, should remit a draft or order to him for the amount due him. All other duties, such as riding over the whole county, and spending one-half hour in each school — or trying petty cases — or seeing that each teacher has a republican form of gov- ernment — or examining the children in some of their studies, is as valueless as it is costly. 7th. For Baltimore city a sufficient number of Commissioners should be appointed by the Board of Education and Examination, to carry out properly its present system. In all other respects it might be left as it is, except the removal of all those partisan teachers who were appointed for no other reason than that they could take the iron oath. 8th. Each county should have the privilege of arranging all the details of the system of public instruction to suit its own peculiar wants : fix the vacations, — the plan of school houses, — the hours of gtudy, — and use the text books most preferred. It must be a poor teacher that could not teach from any of our present excellent series of school books of every kind. The State, however, should in every case furnish the books and stationery, as otherwise many children would be poorly provided. A county convention might be called by the Commissioner to determine on all undefined points in the new ; school law we are to have. All expenses whatever that belong to the school system should be paid by a State tax, county tax, and the school ■fund as now established. Every county should be required to levy ;annually not less than some fixed amount for the repairs and building of school-houses and the support of the schools. This judiciously ex- pended, and with few expenses of regulating and managing, would •give us a system just the kind the whole State wants. It will not do ■to raise all the funds for the support of schools by a State tax, be- .caaase it would be too unequal in some places. x. L. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 211 Discipline. (Read at the late Baltimore County Teachers' Institute.) T is not necessary to enlarge upon tlie absolute importance, the indispensable necessity, of maintaining discipline in the school room. These propositions appear to be self-evident. Neitker to insist upon any particular mode of discipline as a certain guide to any, inasmuch as the correctness and ef- ficiency of any method whatsoever, is wholly dependent upon the character and condition of the pupils, and the na- ture of surrounding circumstances. The Latin, word disciplina, from disco, to learn, is the origin whence comes discipline, meaning cultivation, education and improve- ment. Webster defines it as comprehending "instruction in arts, sciences, correct sentiments, regulation of practice, morals and man- siers, and due subordination to authority." Its synonyms are govern- ment, correction, punishment, chastisement, &c. Under the head of discipline come the forming of habits of order, self-control, obedience, ■civility, love of truth and reverence for what is good and great. All but the mere outward forms of these is beyond the power of direct teaching; they are imbibed by the silent influence of example. The injiuetK.e -of example ! This simple sentence embodies most forcibly the immense importance, to teachers, of seZZ-government. This is, indeed, the foundation, cprner-stone and cap-stone of all true discip- line. No one is capable of swaying and guiding others who does not govern himseif — "O'er wayward childhood wouldst thou hold firm rule, And sun thee in the light of happy faces ; ■ Love, Hope, and Patience, these must be thy graces, And «W'^/itH€ o«p« Aeari let them ^rii keep school." ■ The majesty of true greatness shines forth most splendidly in acts of self-command; in victories won by men over themselves ; silent suc- cesses ; secret conflicts. Honor to every conqueror in such a warfare ! They come forth from the contest self-ennobled. The man who has ' subdued even an evil or ungentlemanly habit is exalted in his own esteem. He immediately feels a sensfe of self-reliance; and he who can rely upon himself as a moral agent is more than a match for the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now, with some knowledge of hu- man nature, he is ready and able to become a true disciplinarian — i. e. a genuine leader; by force of example, by true understanding, by an 212 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, earnest, ready sympathy. His will be' the leadersbip of love. He will- not be likely to indulge in that too severe discipline, which most parents, as well as pupils, incline to think not at all desirable. "The child instinctively respects and reverences what it sees others respect and reverence ; above all, the unselfish affections are called forth only by the breath of affection from without." This idea was fully appre- ciated by "ye jolly old pedagogue," of whom we read, that, "he sang every night as he went to bed, let us be happy down here below." "He taught his scholars the rule of three, Writing, reading, and history too : He took the little ones upon his knee, For a kind old heart in his breast had he. And the wants of the littlest child he knewj To the stupidest boys he was ever cool, Speaking only in gentlest tones ; The rod was hardly known in his school — Whipping to him was a barbarous rule, And too hard work for his poor old bones ; Besides, it was painful, he sometimes said, 'W.e should make life pleasant, down here below, The living need charity more than the dead,' ■ . Said the jolly old pedagogue loQg ago." The merits of the law of kindness, as a moral agent, are better understood now, however, than they were fifty years ago. The rod,- as a means of discipline, has been almost entirely banished from our public schools — the cat-o' -nine-tails from, our array and navy — flagel- lation and chains from our lunatic asylums, and few will deny that these changes are rather salutary than otherwise. Still, both teachers and parents complain of an increased unruliness on the part of chil- dren of the present day. As it is only i-n storms, and when their coming waters are driven up into the air, that we catch a glimpse of the depth of the sea, so it is in seasons when the passions shake the. soul of childhood, that we realize the depth and structure of its in- ternal nature. And there is an entire absence of discipline, or ex- treme laxity in the exercise of that system, which fails to seize upon and direct these genuine outbursts of nature into a channel where they shall serve as instruments for good rather than agents of evil. As that most excellent counsellor, Mrs, Hannah More, says: "It would be well if we would reflect that we have to educate not only rational but accountable beings. * * * In training them should we not carefully cultivate intellect, implant religion, and cherish A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 213 modesty?" Then we know, too, that the little beings that to-day tot- ■ ter in our daily path, or crowd our streets, or frolic on our greens, are the legislators, the divines, the warriors, the writers, the wives and mothers of to-morrow. How important, then, that their discip- line be on the side of virtue ! that these youthful minds and hearts should be instructed and encouraged to put forth all their strength and ardor in curbing evil propensities and desires ; in condemning «rror wherever and in whomsoever met ; to give aid here, and a cheer- ful word there, striving in all things to "overcome evil with good." Is not this the true end of all discipline? Sir Walter Scott says: "We • shall never learn to feel and respect our real calling and destiny, un- less we have, taught ourselves to consider everything as moonshine compared with the education of the heart." How many are there •who cultivate the mind at the expense of the heart, the heart at the expense of the head, or mind and heart together at the expense of health? "Thus men go wrong with an ingenious skill ; Bend the straight rule to their own crooked will." • Had I entered upon a disquisition concerning discipline, I should have .endeavored to show how an efficient system of domestic discip- line, in harmonious combination with that of the schools, is necessary to a full devolopment of man to his highest earthly condition — made meet for a companionship with angels ; brought up from that human degeneracy' to which we have fallen, back, through a course of discip- linary treatment, to that purity, intelligence and glorious vitality, which characterized man in the golden Eden-days of his existence. But we have dealt in generalities, and will conclude by saying that, after ail, "the discipline of events" is the rough physic prepared by Providence to meliorate the temper, correct the offensive petulancies of youth, and bring out all the energies of the finished character. Afflictions soften the proud ; difficulties push forward the ingenious ; successful industry gives consequence and credit and develops a thou- sand latent qualities. There is no malady of the mind so inveterate, which this discipline of events is not calculated to cure, if life were long enough ; and shall we not hope that He, in whose hand are all tlie remedial processes of nature, will continue the discipline, in an- other state, and finish the imperfect man. Too True. — It is stated that if the sale of intoxicating liquors could be stopped, our penitentiaries would soon be empty. 214 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Grammar. *HE article on Grammar, published in the August number of the Maryland Educational Journal, is well worthy the seri- ous consideration of teachers. For some years, I occupied a position which rendered me an unwilling grammatical critic over persons whom I knew to be my intellectual superiors ; and I am free to confess, that, "many a time and oft" I was greatly perplexed in the performance of my duty. When confounded (as was often the case) I sought for aid in vai-ious improved grammars^ but in the end was generally unsuccessful. It is true, these improved works furnished me with numberless puzzling rules, scores of confounding examples, and many pages of pedantic twaddle, showing the why and the where- fore, which, in not a few instances, were as clear as mud. On the whole, after hours of research, I had to give up in despair, as igno- rant on the points about which I sought information as I was before consulting the books. In self-defence, therefore, I determined to make a grammar of my own, which, although not as correct as nt ought to be, served me then and does so at the present. I find it answers my purpose, and I doubt not if it were adopted in all schools it would prove a valuable auxiliary to the teaehei\ I say this without egotism. My plan, (which, if I am ever pecuniarily able, I intend to pub- lish,) is as follows : I take a complete sentence, containing one word of each of the nine parts of speech. This I call a key sentence. Each word is a key word. I vary this sentence so as to show how each word may be used in its person, gender, case, number and tense. I have no parsing. I consider that it is unnecessary to know why a word is in a certain place, but that it is necessary to know that it is in the right place. By having this key sentence memorized, any sentence or. part of a sentence can be put in comparison with it in its various forms. If it does not correspond, it is wrong. If it does correspond, it is right. "What more then is required? If, therefore, a reader or speaker wishes to know whether a sentence or word is correct, let him become ac- quainted with the manner in which it is used. If it is in the nomi- native, possessive or objective case, his key sentence will tell him ; if it is singular or plural ; masculine, feminine or neuter ; if it is .in the past, present or future tense, his key will show him at a glance. It is easy, by a little blackboard exercise, to impress upon the minds of A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. 215 the young, all the important points in grammar. Simply illustrate it and give key words, as John, for a proper noun, man for a common noun, sivarm for a collective noun, hearing for a participial noun, ha7'k for a verb, lamely for an adverb, hark! for an interjection, good for an adjective, thejn for a plural pronoun, you for a simple pro- noun, and for a conjuction, to for a preposition, &c. By blackboard exercise exhibit sentences placing those words in their various proper positions, and then teach that all similar words used where the key words would make sense (if placed in their stead) must be used in the same way. A few simple rules, and blackboard exercises, will give any ordi- nary person as complete a knowledge of grammar as is necessary. All grammars that I have perused seem to lack proper comparisons, and the only way to prove a wrong is to place the right in juxtaposi- tion. By my system this is done in so plain a way that the dullest mind can discover which is correct and which incorrect. Nothing makes a truth more manifest than to place it in opposition to false- hood. No system to correct our false syntax can be perfect unless it gives, in bold relief, a comparison between the genuine and the spuri- ous. Every reader who peruses this article will never forget the fact that loudl3^ is an adverb, if he impresses it upon his mind that adverb sneans to a verb, and that loudly will make sense if the verb speak is placed before it, speak being a key word for all verbs. r. d'd. CoNNECTictJT. — We may well congratulate ourselves here in Mary- land and West Virginia on our school status, when we find in the annual school report of that State for 1867 such items as these, re- ferring to different schools : — "Berlin. — We observe with alarm that in some of our school dis- tricts not one-half the children between four arid sixteen are in school any part of the year. Canton. — Five out of the eight school houses are a disgrace to the districts in which they stand, and a source of mortification to every enterprising citizen in the town. Lyme. — No well regulated and respectable families would have such seats for their children at their homes, where they sit only a little while at a time, as they require them to sit upon for hours at school ; and many a man's barn is better fitted for its purposes than the place of learning is for the education of children." And, says the Massachusetts Teacher, Connecticut is not the only State in New England that needs new educational life. 216 MARYLAND EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, Correspondence. Teachers' Pay. — An excellent live teacher, and a christian, gives the following reason for not having yet subscribed to the Journal. Who will offer a good position to this man ? But read : "Freely can it be avowed, that I am not conscious rebuked for not having subscribed to your valuable journal. But if you knew how industriously I have struggled to keep my family of five persons com- fortably fed and clothed upon ^450 per annum, and failed ; with no self-ages. cap, cloth sides 2 25 Universal Records for Examiners, 48 pages, folio, heavy sides 1 75 Universal Records for E^Caminers, 48 pages, folio, cloth sides 2 25 Blank Certificates of Promotion, per thousand 3 50 Blank Reports to Parents, per thousand , 3 50 Blank Reports to Superintendents, per hundred.... 2 25 *Has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment and recitation. No. 2 has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment, and five separate recitations. Any of the above sent prepaid on receipt of retail price. Address, HAMILTON S. McRAB, Muncie, Indiana. Or Ben Franklin Book and Printing Company, Indianapolis. 8^"0n receipt of 65 cents I will send by mail, prepaid, a specimen copy of either the Teach ers' or Professors' Record. novBt HAMILTON S. McRAE. ®he ^dtint0tt Mil #ht0 failvMil* ^^^-^is^jjj. On and after SUNDAY, May 5, 1867, three daily trains will be run between Balti- more and Wheeling and Parkersburg, as follows: MAIL TRAIN will leave Baltimore daily (except Sunday) at 8.45 A. M. FAST LINE will leave daily (including Sunday) at 5.20 P. M. EXPRESS TRAIN will leave daily (except Saturday) at 9.45 P. M. These trains connect at Belair and Parkersburg for all points West, Southwest and Northwest. FREDERICK ACCOMMODATION TRAIN leaves Baltimore, daily, at 4.20 P. M., (except Sunday.) Leaves Frederick for Balti- timore daily (Sundays excepted) at 7.05 A. M. THE ELLICOTT'S MILLS TRAIN leaves Baltimore at 6.20 and 9.50 A. M., and 1.20 and 5.20 P. M. Returning leaves Ellicott's Mills at 7.30 and 11.10 A. M., and 2.30 and 6.30 P. M. FOR WASHINGTON.— Leave Baltimore at 3.50, 7.05, 8.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 3.15, 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. FROM WASHINGTON FOR BALTIMORE.— Leave Washincr- ton at 7.00, 7.45 and 11.15 A. M., and 2.00, 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. FOR ANNAPOLIS.— Leave Baltimore at 7.05 A. M. and 4.15 P. M.; leave Washington at 7.00 A. M. and 4.30 P. M. Trains leave Annapolis at 6.30 A. M. and 3.40 P. M. SUNDAY TRAINS.— Leave Baltimore for Wa.shington at 3.50 and 9.45 A. M., and 4.15 and 7.45 P. M. Leave Washington at 7.45 A. M., and 4.30, 6.30 and 8.45 P. M. For further information, Tickets of every kind, &e., apply to J. T. ENGLAND, Agent, Camden Station, or at the Ticket Office. JOHN L. WILSON, Master of Transportation. L. M. Cole, General Ticket Agent. Warranted Superior to any others in use. MGHT! NOISELESS! DURABLE! Improved by use. Easily Cleaned. Cannot be Broken by Falling. NEVER BECOME GLOSSY ! Pencils always write easily upon them. Are harder than real slate, and cannot be scratched, yet never crack or scale off. testim:onials. The following is from "The Father of the Public School System of Pennsylvania," and for many years State Superintendent: Lancaster, January 4, 1867. "From its origin to its present improved and satisfactory condition, I have watched the progress of the artificial Slate (or Stoue) Surface of iVlr. I Newton Pcirce. I liave seen it in- troduced in many scliools and institutions, and have never known its use to be abandoned, or to fail of giving satisfaction In facility of application, rapidity of drying for use, cheap- ness and durability as a wall surface, in lieu of tlie old black board, it is all that can be de- sired. Its merits, in the siiape of Portable Slates, Tablets, &c., need not be asserted. In this form it will speak for itself, on inspection." Thomas H. Buerowes. Office City Superintendent of PuMic Instruction, Baltimore, April 5th, 1867. I have used extensively on the Black Boards of the public schools of this city, Peirce's Pa- tent Slate Surface, and believe it to be the best material of the kind manufactured. J. N. McJiLTON. Boston, January 31st, 1867. We have used Peirce's Patent Slates for some time in our schools, and from our experience, and their present improved character, we believe they are superior to all other slates we have ever seen, and shall favor their more extended use. Joshua Bates, Principal Brimmer School. James A. Page, I'rincipal Vwight School. C. Goodwin Clark, Principal Lincoln School. State Normal School, Trenton, N. J., February 11th, 1867. We have been using Peirce's Book Slates for some time in this Institution, and greatly pre- fer them to every other kind of slate. John S. Hart, Principal. Penn. State Teachers^ Association, Bellefonte, August 8ih, 1867. Having examined and tested Peirce's Patent Noiseless Slates and Stone Slate Surface, do recommend them and their use in the school room, as being superior to all other Slates and surface we have ever seen : Z. V.TiViARVS, Vep't Education, Washington, D. C. F. A. Allen, Prin. State Normal School, MansHeld, Pa. H. D. Walker, Prin. Orangeville State Soldier Orph. School. Cha.s. W. Deans, Prin. Harford State Soldier Orph. School. Edward Brooks, Prin. Stale Nor. School, Millersville, Pa. I. S. Geist, Professor in " " " " C. H. Harding, •' " " " " A. 0. Newpher, Superintendent Schools, Columbia, " J. E. Thomas, Prin. Pine Grove Academy and Seminary, " Joseph Waugh, Principal Hollidayshury Seminary , " M. B. Grant, " Greensburg Adndemy, " W. Henry Parkee, " King. Gram. School, Phila. " AVm. F. Wters, " Wyer''s Boarding School, " Andrew Burtt, " 6t/t Ward School, Pittsburg, " S. S. Jack, " Sewinckly Acad'y near Phila. " W. W. Woodruff, Superintendent Chester County, " S. C. Gilchrist, ' IVashiugton " " . Martin Mohler, " Mijjlin " '• R. McDevitt, " Huntington " " E. T. Bursan, SupH Model School, Keystone State Normal School, Kutztown, Pa. Jas. H. RwKin, Bellefonte, Pa. J. R. Sypher, N. r. Tribune. Office of Controllers of Public Schools. First District of Pennsylvania, Pliiladelphia, December 22, 1866. At a meeting of the Controllers of Public Schools, First District of Pennsylvania, held at the Controllers' Chamber, Fri .'ay, December 21, 1866, the following resolution was unani- mously adopted: Resolved, That Peirce's Patent Slates and Slated Goods, be used in the public schools of this district. [From the Minutes.] H. L. Halliwell, Sec-'etary. These Slates have also been adopted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of Wash- ington, also for the public schools of Baltimore, and are used in the public schools of Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and many other cities. . ^^^ Beware of Imitation Surface. Ask for Peirce's Patent. I. NEWTON PEIRCE & CO., Manufacturers, nov-6t 427 North Eleventh street, Philadelphia. EOUCATIONai TEXT-BOOKS, GUTOT'S GEOGRAPHIES. "Incomparably superior to anjthing published." — Prof. Agassiz. "One of the ablest Physical Geographies of the World."— Fro/. J. D. Dana. "Greatly superior to any works of the kind published." — Prof. Joseph. Henry. Prof. Guyot's series includes the following Text-Books: I. PRIMARY; or, INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF GEOGRAPHY. One quarto vol-' ume, with oyer One Hundred Elegant Illustrations. II. THE INTERMEDIATE GEOGRAPHY; In one quarto volume, elegantly illustrated, con- taining Forty-five Maps, of which twelve are full-paged Majis, engraved in the highest style of the art, colored politically and physically, embracing Colored Diagrams for the construction of the Maps of each Continent, and also Colored Diagrams with full Instruc- tions for Drawing the Maps of the separate States of the United States. III. COMMON SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY. In one royal quarto volume, with numerous illustra- tions, containing twenty-three Maps, of which five are double-page Maps, engraved in the highest style of the art, colored politically and physically, embracing also diagrams for the construction of Maps of each Continent. TO TEACHERS. Teachers desiring to examine these Text-Books can procure them of the Publishers at the following prices: The PRIMARY, 75c.; The COMMON SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY, $1.50; The INTERMEDIATE GEOGRAPHY, $1; or the three booTcs will be sent together to Teachers for $3. Pamphlets, containing testimonials from instructors who have practically tested Professor Guyot's Geograiihical Text-books, will be sent to any address. Felter's Popular School Arithmetics. This series of Arithmetics is more perfectly graded and more truly analytic — it teaches the pupil self-reliance more effectively than any other series, and at the same time contains five times as many examples for practice. The series comprises the following books : FELTER'S FIRST LESSONS IN NUMBERS (illustrated), for pupils commencing the study of Numbers. FELTER'S PRIMARY ARITHMETIC, mental and written, with and without answers. FELTER'S INTERMEDIATE ARITHMETIC (revised edition), with and without answers FELTER'S PRACTICAL ARITHMETIC (follows the Primary), with answers. FELTERS COMMERCIAL ARITHMETIC. FELTER'S UNIVERSITY ARITHMETIC (in preparation). FELTER-S INTELLECTUAL ARITHMETIC (in press). TEACHERS' MANUAL OF ARITHMETIC. Prepared expressly for the use of Teachers, and contains tlie best methods of oral, class and individual instruction. TO TEACHERS. Copies of these Arithmetics will be sent to teachers by mail, postage jtaid, on receipt of 30 cents each for "Intermediate," "Commercial," and "Practical," and 15 cents each for the •'first Lessons," "Primary,'" "Intellectual," and "Manual." CHAS. SCRIBNER & CO., 654 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. THE American Educational Series. PUBLISHED BY IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & Co., 47 & 49 GREENE STREET, NEW YORK. A full course of Progressive Text-Books for Col- leges, Academies and Schools. The Union Readers. By C. W. Sanders, A. M., and J. N. McElligott, LL. D. The Union Readers and Speller are not a revision of any former Series of Sanders. They are entirely neiv in matter and illus'.rations, and have been prepared with great care. Eobinson's Complete Mathematical Series. The most Complete, most Practical, and most sslentific Series of ilathe- raatical Text Books ever issued in this country. The Metric System of Weights and Measures. Full, practical and greatly simplified, has been added to the written Arith- metics. Also a few pages of practical matter on the United States Securi- ties, Bonds, Treasury Notes, Gold Investments, etc. Spencerian Business Writing. The new standard edition of the Spencerian Copy Books, revised, improved and newly engraved, in four distinct series. Sill's Tfew Synthesis ; or. Elementary Grammar. Karl's Series of Grammars. Well's Scientific Series. Willson's Series of School Histories. Goodison's Drawing for Common Schools. Fasquelle's French Series. "Woodbury's German Series. Bryant & Stratton's Book-Keeping Series. Colton & Fitch's Series of Geographies. Colton's Outline Maps. Gray's Botanical Series. "Webster's Dictionaries. The undersigned would also call the attention of buyers of Books and Stationery to their large and fresh stock, embracing all modern School and College Text-Boohs, together with a general assortment of School and Office Stationer j, Blank Books, Spenoeriin yote, Lette r and Cap Papers, which they are prepared to furnish at the lowest market pric3. B^"Teachers and School Officers, are invited to correspond with us freely, and to send for our Descriptivs Catalogue and Circular, which will be promptly sent upon application. 9^ Liberal terms given on Books furnished for Examination or Introduction . Address the Publishers. ► It s^;4aaa M.^^^^'^^-*^ ^**'*-^^*'^ ' ^^^ ' |^ ' ^*"^'*-'^*^^^* ' *'**"^ ' ^* ' ^ ' * ' ^^ ^ ^^''^^ - ^ ' ^ EDITORS: PlUV. C. K. nelson, D. D\, Annapolis Vice ?rc-s. SL John's College, and Pres. State Tcacliors' x\.ssociatioa. E. S, ZEVELY, O-GMEEMJ^D. DECEMBER, 1867. NO' a AILbTIMOR K S, ZEVELY, Publisher. > -a * Cj > 3 L — ' Kj>vv^^ w » »v^v'%^w ^^vwvvy>y'ys SUBSCEIPTION EATES. Single copies, per amnxni, in advance..* $1 50 ,. U copies $4 00 1 10 copies to one address 12 00,. 5 •' G 25 I 15 " " " 17 00 ADVERTISIXG RATES. One Page Ualf Page.... Quarter Pace. 1 nio. 2 mo. 3 mo. 6 mo. 9 mo. $10 00 5 00 2 50 $19 00 9 50 4 75 $27 00 14 00 7 00 $50 00 25 00 12 50 $65 00 33 00 17 00 12 mo. $80 oa 40 oa 20 OS ol, JUJilN k COLLEGE, -A.asrxsr.A.r=oiLiTs^ i>/lj^ti'^t^^^istid. THIS INSTITUTION, easilj- approached froiii every part of the connlry, .ind caving general leiegrniil'.ic enm:ii;!i!;c;\liuii, ui.dcr ils thorough rc-urgaiiiza'ioii, offers unusual Cu'iiiii.B il-r Edutatidii. lis co-irs of well trained !i;id cflicient- irjtructci-s, with ils hij'li'y litera;;,- ar.d ;ic:enlinc FrcEident, is prepared to educato the sons of .Maryland r,s l.ig'.ily ;;)ul thoroi.'fihly i;sany\v!u'ic in ilie coiuit'-y, Ei-ing- Uberally endowed l.v the Slate, it can afford to eiiucale c/.rr/^jZ//. 'i'he whole cost of Collegiaie Kline:! lion is (wilhoi'l extras) two hnmircd and fifty d;;ih;r3. pet annum. Two boys froii! c,\ih county and tl;e ciiy of ■Balt.iuiorc will Lc t:ikea for two hundred dollars per annum. Next Acadetnic Year will begin on, Monday, 2d day of September. A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY. VOL. I. BALTIMORE, DECEMBER, ISGT. NO. 8: A SKETCH Of the Life of fl,e Rev. JOSEPH SPENCER, J). D. 'fF the xnir]x-)se of tlie biographer he only to please or divert the mind of the reader, he should se- lect as his subject that life ivhich affords impres- sive dramatic incident and striking tableaux.- - The nearer such lives approach those of the fic- titious heroes of the play or of the romance the more entei'- taining will be the details. But if the purpose be to instruct rather than amuse, then it would seem that the lives of com- mon men, such as v^•e meet in our daily walks, would bet- ter answer the end proposed. The very great or the very good, and to these may be added the very vicious, are so exalted or so debased that they seem to be things of anoth- er sphere, and of them we habitually judge by a different: standard from that by vv^hich we measure ourselves. We do not draw our best lessons in the art of living from read- ing the lives of the "lights of the world and dcmi-gods of fame," but from the biographies of men cast in the same mould with ourselves. From tlicir virtues and their vices, from their successes and their failures, from their joys and sorrovrs, from their petty sti'Viggles and their erpialiy petty triumphs — from the low comedy and not the high tragedy lef life J do we get our most useful instruction. 22(] The Mari/lcmd Educational Journal, The subject of this sketch was a man not widely known, nor highly distinguished among his fellows for any great act or notable thought ; hut one who simply performed his part faithfully and well, as many have done and will contin- ue to do to the end ; one who struggled with no wonderful success, hut such success as men usually nieet, against ad- verse circumstances, and internal Aveaknesses ; one who had many virtues and as many faults of character, the first of which he strived to cultivate, the last to correct ; one who was simply a good and useful man. The ancestors of Joseph Spencer emigrated from Eng- land, and settled in Talhot county in the latter part of the seventeenth century. They were well connected in the old country and were people of substance. They purchased land upon Miles river, which remained in the family until a re- cent date, and is 3'et known as Spencer Hall. Joseph, one ■of a large family, was the son of Richard Spencer and Ele- 4inor Hopkins, and was horn at "Beverly," . near St. . Mich- ael's/March 21, 1790. His parents seem to have had a hig.h ■appreciation of the value of education, and gave to all their children those advantages which the county then afforded, and to some of them academic and collegiate training. The '^ scholarly name of Spencer" was not unworthily borne by several members of this family, who in the primitive .state of society of 60 years ago, or in the yet imderlife of the far v/est, showed a fondness for books and intellectual, culture. One of the same name and family, Hon. Richard Spencer, son of Col. Perry Spencer of Spencer Hall, was the author of what is known in our State as ^' Spencer's School Law." He is now a resident of Alabama, and a gentleman of iiue abilities and attainments. Joseph received his first school- ing in the neighborhood school-house from a Mr. Stevenson, and then from a Mr. Cross ; (the writer loves to record the names of these pioneers in teaching,) but at the age of thir- teen he was placed under the tutelage of a Mr. Thomas Sul- livan, at the Trappe, a teacher vvdio has left a good name be- hind him for efficiency and thoroughness. From this gen- I A School and Family Alonilily., 227 tleman Spencer derived those seeds of the desire for higher culture which afterward so beautifully flowered and so rich- ly fruited. In his fifteenth year he was removed from school, and placed in his father's ship-yard. But, though faithful to his workj from the first he showed impatience, and often ex^^ressed to his mother his preferences for intellectual pur- suits, and his desire for a classical education. He however did not dare approach his father, Avho was a stern man, ab- sorbed in business and burthened with the cares of a large and grooving family. While he continued at his trade, ev- ery sj)arc hour was devoted to the few books which his small allowance enabled him to buy. The secret persuasions of the mother, and the devotion of the boy to study, won on the father to consent to Joseph's leaving work for school. An allowance was granted to him which with the assistance that good mothers know how to give ambitious sons with- out touching the parental store, enabled him to go to Phila- delphia, and in the year 1809 he was entered at the cele- brated school of Drs. Wiley and Gray. Here he commenc- ed the study of the Latin and Greek, and also of the He- brew. It does not appear that his purpose then was to pre- pare himself for the ministry. That he made rapid prog- ress we know, from this among other circumstances, that he was soon enabled to conduct a correspondence in Latin with a fellow pupil who had removed to St. Thomas. He remained in Philadelphia until 1812, when he left school, receiving from his distinguished preceptors testimonials of a high charater for scholarship and correct dej)ortment. Being now thrown upon his own resources, like a large number of young men who propose to adopt some one of the so called liberal professions, but have not the means to complete their education, he resorted to teaching, while he should fit himself for holy orders. ' '' ■ '"''~ In the year 1812 or '13 Spencer opened a school in Balti- more. He appears to have met with but indifferent success, for in the year 1813 we find him in charge of an academy at Milford, Delaware. In 1814 ho married a Miss Francis 228 TJiG Maryland Mdmatlonal Journal, Matcliott, of Baltimore, to Avhicli city lie returned and open- ed a school. Here lie remained until the year ISK), when he "was elected assistant in the E]Msco]>al Academy, Pliila- dolphia, an institution which is still in vis^'orous and useful existence. During his incumhency here he ])ursued his the- tdogieal studies under Bisho]) White of sacred memory.- - In l^hiladelphia he lost his wife. He again Avent to Milford to take charge of the academy, and remained there till 1820, In 1819 he received holy orders. Having JQcen elected prin- ciple of AVashington Academy, Homerset county, he moved to l^rin oral studies, (but now as intelligent as any,) he determined tp open a school, and accordingly in 1830 the " Parsonage •Seminary" was established at ''Solitude," the glebe of the ])arish. He associated his brother, Mr. Mathew^ Spencer, who had been educated under his care, with him in the management of the school. The school prospered beyond expectation, and for better accommodation it was moved to Beverly, the birth-place of tlie Professoi-, Avho hail now be- come Doctor Spencer, the Degree of D. D. having been eon- Ibrred upon it is believed by the University of Pennsylva- nia, of which his old master, Dr. Wiley, w^as President. - The school flourished for a number of years, but was finally dustroyixl by a gross act of insubordination upon the part A School and Family Journal. 229 bf the pupils, and the subsequent indiscreet proceedings of the teachers, taken in connection v/ith certain pecuniary embarrassments and com|)lications. Dr. 8'r. continued in charge of the parisli, and with his brother opened a school in St. Michael's, Avhicli was never prosperous, and iinally became extinct. lit. the year 1846 he resigned his charge, and in connection witli one of his clerical brethren, opened a school at St. Albans, near Georgetown, D; C. But per- gonal differences, of the character of wdiich no one could ev- er learn from the Doctor, soon destroyed this school, com- menced under flattering auspices, and he returned to his old parish, the ];)eople of wliicli gladly welcomed him ])ack.— He taught school no moro, but lived a life of almost inoiias- tic seclusion, and certainly monastic self-denial, devoted to books, flowers, and simple pastoral duty, until 1859. Again he was struck witli the madness of wandering; Believing that he had lost his usefulness among his people, and that they were desirous of getting rid of the old man, who had been their spiritual guide so long, he, to the surprise, and against the protestations of all his parishioners^ at the age of TO, left his home, and wandered south into Mississippi. Here he w^as overtaken by the storm of war. He undertook to perform pastoral duties, and while in the faithful dis- charge of them, he was stricken down, died peacefully, an^eakened that a book .is never opened after leaving school, and the very sight of one recalls to him only memories of an aching head and a smarting back. Every one knows that so far from a boy's education being finished when he leaves school, he is only in a position to continue the work v/ith ease and profit. Now what pesfecentage of our boys and girls pursue their studies in any one direction, classical, mathematical, scientific or literary, after leaving school ? How manv have the desire to do it .? How many, if they had the desire, have the abil- ity to do it without assistance '? Tiie end and aim of ever}^ course of study in school or col- lege should be this : to create a desire and impa,rt an abili- ty to continue it. Circumstances may prevent a young man from gratifying such desire, and a strong current of taste in one direction may neutralize a weaker desire in another direction, yet the course of instruction which leaves the stu- dent Vvuthout the desire to know more, or without the ablity to investigate further, has failed in its highest a,nd noblest object. Teachers are not without blame in this matter ; but their action though it cannot be commended may be excused. — Had a single teacher the entire charge of the education of a boy, from his early years till the ordinary time of leaving A ScJiool and Family Monthly; 235 school, a rnucli better work would be done than can be ac- complislied under tlie present state of things, where, under even favorable circumstances, the education of a youth is the joint product of perhaps twenty different minds, no two no two of which act from the same motives, or with the same pbject, or the same plan. A pupil seldom remains for a long time under a teacher of ordinary ability, without catching some sparks of noble enthusiasm which a happy accident might easily blow into a flame. Under a system where every scholar is passed rapidly and .continuously from one hand to another, — a system y/hich, whatever may be its defects, is made necessary by the force of circumstances, it is hard for teachers to rid themselves of the notion that their main business is to communicate know- ledge, and that the more they can pour in, in a given time, the better teachers they are. And yet, if popular education is not a delusion and a sham, there must be somewhere a re^ cognition of the fundamental fact, that it is not the quan- tity but the quality of the knowledge that tells in the long run, — that the mind grows not by external accretion, but .by the development of the living principle v/ithin ; that to load down with facts a mind that has not been trained to think and reason independently, is to place a heavy sword in hands that have not strength to wield it. We hear many complaints, some reasonable and some un- reasonable, from parents and commissioners, about boys and girls being ignorant, and advancing slowly in their studies. The proper ground of complaint in most cases would be, that they cannot make a good use of the knowledge they have. Fifty years ago the mass of information in possess- ion of the people was but a fraction of what it is now. A smart school boy of to-day could puzzle Washington 'on Grammar, and a pert school girl read lectures to Franklin on Electricity. But has the greater accumulation of know- ledge really added much to the thinking power that governs the world. Have we now with all the boasted light of the tilneteenth century, clearer thinkers, more acute reasoners, §36 The Maryland Educational Journal, more profound philosophers, more sagacious statesmen, or more brilliant orators ? The population has increased eight fold during the last three-fourths of a century. If we have even kept pace Avith our fore-fathers, to say nothing of out- istripping them, we should be able so show a number of dis- tinguished men eight times as large as they have handed down to us. But are we told in reply to this demand, that education has nothing to do with it, that the appearance of men distinguished in ai^t, science, literature or politics is dejDendent on causes quite independent of schools and coU leges ? History teaches us quite another lesson. With no greater regularity do the tides of the ocean follow the guid- ance of their mistress, the moon, than the thinking power of the world follows the guidance of its intellectual leaders. Every revival of Education is marked by an increase in the number of her votaries. The influence of the great univer- sities of the middle ages has not yet died out of literature. No mental movement is ever lost. And if the accumulation of information merely as such which has been going on in our schools for at least a generation be in itself a vital pow- er, it is time that we should begin to see the fruits. But in truth knowledge stored up is of no more value than money, or wind, or steam, or water unemployed. It is the putting these things to use that produces valuable results. I am sometimes tempted to believe that we are flist becom- ing a nation of dunces, — that we are actually reading our brains away. Every year a new science, every day a new book demands our attention. So we go on with- the vain hope of keeping up with the progress of the times, constant- ly cramming and with no leisure for digestion. Surely it would be better for us all if we would read less and think more. If there is any way in which we can, as teachers, benefit our generation, it is by helping to restore this art, not yet quite lost, but rapklly falling into disuse: — the art of THINKING* A /School and Family Mdnthhji 2St Teaching Aritlimetic in islasses. ^^^^HEN the class lias assembled, go to the black- board and examine all thoroughly; beginning at Numeration, Fractions, Decimals, etc., until you reach a point that appears not ay ell understood- Then take the Arithmetic and assign a lesson fbr the next day at the part where the pupils are found most wanting. On the next assembling of the class, have all recite the principles and rules in the lesson assigned, because to learn anything properly there must be certain parts well commit- ted to memory. When this has been done, give the exam- ples that follow these rules and are intended to illustrate them, to be worked out by the pupils at their seats ; first hhowing them at the bia,ck-board how they are to be done. At the nex^ lesson let the pupils tell and explain, in turn, how each example is solved, or let him or her work it out in full on the black-board. Don't pass a rule until the prin- ciples of it can be recited readily, and the examples orally feolved without too much hesitation, aild do not be impatient if you to keep a class a week in one rule, it may better in the end. Give all the explanations freely that you find nu- cessary, but have everything thorough before you leave it. Don't 'work out ^n example for a pupil but explain to Mm how to do it, and make him perform the operation himself. Take lip the next rule in the same v/ay, and keep reviewing every day the previous lessons. Give oral explanations and illustrations every time the class is up, so that when the pu- pils are at their seats they may be enabled to practice with- out difiiculty the part assigned them. All young peraon:i learn mainl}^ by frequent repetition, both of recitation of rules and w^orking out examples. Theory alone vfill never do : pupils must cipher as much as possible, so as to be able to tell when called up in class, hovv^ every example is solved and why. By being firm in this plan or some modificatioa of it, teachers-may mak^ arithmeticians out of nearly everj IS8 The Maryland Educational Journal^ one entrusted to tliem. Of course the pupils must be first carefully classed according to ability and advancement in general study ; and it is not essential to be governed in the olas-S'iiication by the distance any one may have gone in the Arithmetic, for this proves nothing ; and after the general principles of whole and denominate numbers, fractions and decimals are mastered, it matters very little what part of the Arithmetic is taken up next. Neither is it important, if the teacher properly understands all the principles of numbers, what author or text-book is used, The advances in study depend more on the teacher than the text-book, l. A Method of finding the Least Coinmon Miiitiple. I IMPLICIT Y and intelligibility of arithmetical ^^ calculations are always sought by every instructor of children. The method of finding the least common multiple of two or more numbers here described has these merits. EuLS. — Take as many prime factors as will embrace all of the prime factors into which the numbers may be reduced, and only as many, and their product will be the least com- mon multiple required. Example :— Find the least common multiple of 4, 6, 9, 12, 5, 15, 20. Analysis. — The prime factors of 4 are 2 and 2 ; vv-e write thom down. The prime factors of 6 are 2 and 3 ; we have the 2, hence we only write down tlie 3. The j^rime factors of 12 are 2 2 and 3, all of which we have, hence we do not use them, 5 is a prime number, and we write it down. — The prime factors of 15 are 3 and 6 ; we have them already. The prime factors of 20 are 2, 2 and 5, all of which we have. iSence we find the prime factors of 4, 6, 9, 12, 0, 15 and 20 are embraced in the following numbers — 2x2x3x3x5, the product of vv-hich is 180, that being the lea^t common mul- tiple required, ' ii. l, a. A Sokool and Family Monthly. 239 EXTRACTS fcom the Journal of a President of a County Scliool Boardo RAVING- been in the practice of taking notes of Ipl my visits to tlie public scliools in our county, it p lias occurred to me that a brief abstract from my Journal would be of interest. It is true that the office, wliose duties are here detailed, will soon be only a thing of the past ; but as the fossil specimen of an extinct species of animals awakens interest in those who look' upon it in after times, so perhaps may this slight memorial of the operations of a short-lived institution of our State, prove of some value, if only in an antiquarian point of view. Besides, it is not altogether impossible that tlie idea of the necessity of some sort of school supervision may revive in one or other of tlie various educational con- trivances that seem likely to spring up on the ruins of the present system. In that case the results of experience will have a certain value with those who regard facts as the pro- per basis on which every good system must be founded. No apology need be niade for going into minute detail in the extracts that folloAV, since their whole substance consists entirely of detaiL-f. In order to present a proper sketch of the duties as they rose up before the mind of the visiting official, I iirsfc trans- cribe a few leadin"; suoisfestions or hints, carried ab:3ut as a sort of vade-mecum, and reminder of the objeci ta ba kept in view. 1. To enter the i3chool in a pleasant, informal, friendly (freundlicJi) manner, creating as little disturbance as possible. 2. To observe the condition of the house, furniture, &c., and the general order. 3. To select some individual scholar, preferring one of the little ones^ and explain some point in his lesson. 4. "While the regular classes go on to recite, inspecv the Register, and note attendancBj deportment^ &c.. , as t]?verein k«pt, and the m^^naer of keeping the en tri^, 540 The Maryland E'ducUional Journal, 5. Examine at least one class tliorong'lily — inspect tlie writing books. 6. Inqnire particularly into the classification, and nsc of the black-hoard : fre(|uently make use of the board myself, to illustrate some question in Arithmetic, Geography, &c. 7. Inquire as to books wanted; and other wants of the school. 8. Talk with the tetcher — find out what methods of in- struction and discipline he uses, outside ()i the general rou- tine ; suggesting such. 9. On leaving, make sucli remarks to tlie pupils as may be suggested by the occasion, — dealing more in encourage- itient than sicolding. N. B. — Visit no more than two schools per dliy. Summary of Visits to the several Sc/(Ooh\ ■ School No. — : 24 present of 38 on the list. Heard the classes read ; too fast of course ; and as usual the scliolars reading in No. 4 should have been in No. o, those iu No. 3 in No. 2, and so on. 1*old the teacher that for the purpose 6i learning hoAV to read, the book should always be a little below the cai)acity of the pupil ; Avhile to communicate ideas and strengthen the mind the book slioi^ld be a little above, or in advance of the learner. The spelling was better than lisual, being taught in the only jiroper method, by frequent dictation exercises. Intellectual arithmetic pretty well re- nted ; this branch too much neglectedi Ins])ected the writ- ing, which was very imperfect. School No. — : A pleasant one to visit, the pupils being orderly and studious; Noticed a map drawn on black-board, oa which they were examined ; answered creditably. Heard a first-rate Geography lesson. The children recited some pieces ; told them a -story, illustrating the old adage that '■ learning is better tJian houses or lands. ''■ School No. — : 14 present of 31 ; the teaclier complained of bad attendance, and no wonder. Though Avell qualiiied in a literary point of view, his manner is unpleasant ; ho speaks harshly-and ridicules large girls for mistakes. The juvenile readers seemed to be carelully trained in their in- flections. Some qualification in teacher, but he had better leave. - School No. — : 22 of 43. Teacher competent but not siii-' ticiently energetic. House and furniture wretchedly bail— A School find Fcamihj MontMij, M% ^omc loiul talking. A fj.)>;t-rato spelling lesson recited, J. T. D. being head. In answering questions in (leograpliy a scholar said ''the chief towns in Md. were Baltimore, An- napolis, and — (his own yijlage. } (School No. — : 40 of 59, New school-house an ornament to neigh])orhood, well furnished. Noted a c!u;e with shelves for cliildren's dinners, Kegistcr showed tliat L. W, had not missed one day's attendance and was naturally learning fast. The school has map and globe. School No, — : 35 of 51, Map ejcercises on black-board well done and recited. OJd-fashioned " substantial furni- ture," requiring the boys to hop up on a broad, rough table, .and run along the toj) of it in order to reach tlie teacher. — (Soper's desks afterwards substituted, made subject of com- plaint to State Board,) School No. — : 24 of ,20. A competent and experienced teacher, but needs .some admonitions in regard to keeping better order. Black-board defective ; put on a coat of liquid slate. An excellent lesson in numeration and promiscu'.mxS (:reography, Exliibited air-pump and apjiaratus, c^c. School No. — : Keform needed here. Teacher must go to school. No black-board, " nor nothing." School No. — : has much improved since teaclicT attended Normal School. Order excellent. Much pleased with lesson of ''Grammar without book," the subject understood better than by beginners ordinarily. House wants steps and white- washing. Trees hacked shanjjefuUy. Lectured on air-pump. School No. — : The success of this school is a triumph over prejudice. It began very small, and increased slowly under a very competejjt lady, till in the second year it had 40 pupils. Mode of teacJiing quite out of old routine. Ad- mired her thorough training of the class in spelling, defin- ing, and in making them use and understand the dictiona- ry. All the little scholars that can write on their slates are made to copy many lessons from easy reading-books, and their spelling, punctuation, capitals, &c., are examined and they made to correct them. Very thorough in numeration. School No. — : disordei'ly- -some excuse from tliev/reteh- od condition of house and furnitui'C. Teacher uses the book constantly. He Avont do. School No. — : 50 of 62 — an interesting and Avell man- aged school. Particular attention paid to Grammar, Defin- ing words, Latin, and knowledge of language generally. -- Leetured on Natural Philosophy v/ith experiments, endeav- oring to show the importance of a knowledge of things a>j 542 %^lio Maryland Fihieational Jovrnal, well iis words. There is great need of introdiieiup; tlie sci- ences in tlio schopls of the people. As between science and the classics the former nmst win. School No, — : G8 scholars on list in a log hut 1*7 x 15 x t, >'mnrder of the innocents" genuine old-field school. Whiit is to be done about it.? Nothing elfectivo without funds. School No. — : Everything nearly right in this school. Attendance over 75 per cent. j^t) he continued. From the above extracts some Idea may be gained of the jiaturc of these school visits. Unfortunately it relates to a matter in regard to which the peoj)le generally possess very little information ; and hcnco it comes tliat the importance of Supervision, as a feature of the existing school system, is so little understood. Having been a School Commissioner for four years, before the adoption of the present system, it was my duty to visit tlic schools of one district, under a local law^ and I Avell re- member it seemed to me about an even chance whether the teacher was Ibund in his place or not when I called, so irreg- ular and unsystematic was the attendance. In striking con- trast I can state that during the 30 months of service in my present station, I note but three instances of the teacher be- ing absent, in tbe course of at least 300 visits. Yet the su- pervision of the President has not been regarded as the un^- wolcome office of an '• overseer"— out tbe contrary his visits liave uniformly appeared acceptable to teachers and pupils. For the children, it is no small benefit, especially in remote neighborhoods, to find an intelligent official taking an in- terest in their progress in a way which they arc capable ol' appreciating. By the teacher who is desirous to do his duly, such visits are esteemed a support and assistance — if he is tm worthy, an opportunity is afforded for discovering the (act and getting rid of him. [n conclusion I must express the conviction (since it is now possible to do so without being influenced by interested mo- tives,) that the Supervision authorized by the present law is the life of tbe svstem. i'"' A School and Family 3Ionthly. 243 W* The following was sent out in circular form about the 20th of November, and is here inserted for the benefit of all — as less than 200 of tlie circulars were printed. OMce of the •rflaryland Educaiional J^ournal, November, 1867. To iJiQ School Comviisfiioners of Maryland, and to all tuho de- sire the publication of an Educational Journal in theStoie. For fear I may not be able to attend the meeting of the Commissioners' Association, 4th prox., I desire to submit the following explanatory and apologetic thoughts to all : The " Maryland Educational Journal," published by the undersigned, has regularly appeared for seven months, and the eighth number, for December, is now progressing and will be out in due time. Whatever grumblers and fault- finders, or critics and hypercritics may, say, I think it must be admitted by all reasonable people that this Journal has thus far compared favorably (eyery way) with other similar publications in other States ; and it may be made more ac- ceptable by a little more general support and friendly co-op- eration. I am ready to continue the Journal, and to fidfil all my pledges to the end, but, as there are mutual respon- sibilities, I ask that all who subscribed will pay their sub- Bcriptions. Money may be paid to Mr. Young, 114 West Baltimore street, or enclosed by mail to me. One year ago I first submitted to the Com'rs Association my proposition to publish an Educational Journal, and al- though no positive promises were made pledging any spe- cific support from the Association as a body, yet the tenor of all that was said and done amounted (in my opinion) to a sort of implied promise that a hearty effort would be mj-de to procure subscribers, and to give me a fair trial. This would have ensured success. Relying upon this and upon the sanguine expressions and individual promises of others, I entered into the matter. I think you will admit that I have thus far fulfilled all my promises made in the prospec- tus ; I regret however to be compelled to say that, although from a few counties the returns were satisfactory, in the ag- gregate my reasonable expectations of support have not been realized. The number of subscribers received falls far ehort of what is necessary, — while even of those received, many have not yet paid, though the terms on which they subscribed were to pay on receipt of the first number. I have not endeavored to ibrce the Journal on any one, 'but without personal and local application — without agent;j -244 The Ifaryland Educational Journal,' — it is very difficult and slow Avork to extend tlie circiilatiori of any journal. With |;liis, enough subscribers could easily have been secured, or could yet be made up in the State. — (I have more than a hundred full sets of back numbers on hand which I would like to send to as many new subscribers.) I am anxious to please, and to do justice to all. Am open ■to suggestions and joropositions ; and respectfully ask that some definite action be had either to support or not supjiort, to own or disown, the Journal. For even conceding that a change may soon take place in the school law, there is no reason why a school journal shou].d not be supported — con- ducted on liberal and. impartial principles, open to all, &c. ^^ If this Journal has any friends, now is the time to act, I am ready to enlarge and everyway improve it, and if ne- cessary to open an editorial office in Baltimore so as to give more immediate and active personal attention to details — 60 soon as the patronage shall justify it. The present pat- ronage does not justify anything ! If, on the other hand, I am in the way of any more acceptable party publishing a similar journal, I am willing to step aside for a very reason- able consideration — have only the good of the cause at heart ■ — -have endeavored to do my duty in the premises, and hope I may be treated fairly by all, A few words, only, further : — The change made in the Editorial Committee did not effect any pledge made by me. I relied upon a much more general co-operation in the way of furnishing matter for publication than I received, and find- ing that I was left to my own resources, and that the an- nouncement on the cover of its being the organ of the State Board and State Com'rs Asso"n resulted in a mere sham, and that only a few of those who had permitted their names to be •used as editors seemed to care to write for it, it was con- sidered expedient for these and other reasons to change so as not to have the journal any longer appear to be what it was not. The Journal has not passed from those who are friendly to Dr. Van Bokkelen and his system, but we allow all sides to be heard — ignoring politics entirely, and wishing to pub- lish a legitimate school and family journal, not a polemic or beligerent one. The few, to some distasteful, expressions that have appeared were only published to invite discussion and to wake up the dry bones ! and in the December num- ber we have remarks per contra, as also a few friendly pokes for hypercritics ! Very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. S. ZEVELY. A School and Family Monthly ^ S4l CorrespoMilence. Me. Editor : I was vexed at tlie article signed T. L., lu your last, every suggestion in wliicli is at war with all sound doctrines of a rational school system. r. [That article was written and published to invite discus- sion ; and it is very unfair to attempt to hold this Journal or its publisher responsible for the opinion of contributors, or to fall out with and abuse him on account of it as a.few have done. Let us have calm discussion. Thus truth ^vill bo ■elicited, — Ed.] Mr. Editor : A Teachers' Association for the third school 'district of Anne Arundel county was held in Annapolis Oc- tober 26th. Nearly all the teachers of the district were pres- 'ent and appeared to take pleasure in the busines of the meet- ing. The Association, organized by electing Robert F. Dod- teon, esq., President, and Mr. George W. Duvail Secretary, ^he subjects most discussed wer'e, the best methods of teach- ing the alphabet, spelling, geography, and school govern- ment. It is the purpose of our President to hold similar Associations in each District, and then to have a county In- stitute : and it is hoped that before the Journal for January is issued, we may be able to communic^.te its successful re- sult. J. n. Mr. Editor : Yesterday as I passed the colored people's 'School-house in our town 1 saw a neat building construct- ing, and upon inquiry learned that it was a house for the teacher^ Verily ! Are we to learn of this poor, ignorant race, who yesterday were slaves, how we should act in mat- ters in which we flattered ourselves we were most knowing ? These people have felt the want of homes for their teachers "and therefore they are built. Wise meh are at the head of their school operations. No political complications shackle them. Every friend of humanity must rejoice to witness their progress, but our pride must be offended that we are in 'anything connected with education surpassed by those wc have been accustomed to despise. H. "146 5'/ie Maryland Educational Journal, JLiOcal School Muti'lligeuce, Items for this Department mtial be comnmiiieatcd. ajid are solieiicth jSTewtowNj Worcester co. — On tlic Vtli of Novcmljer anew public school building was dedicated at Newtown. It stands on a lot of tliree acres; contains' four largo rooms, each seat- ing 80 children, witli suitable recitation rooms, and is sur- m.oiinfed by a cnpo'a. Cumberland. — The new publld school-bnilding recently o- pcned hero contains six large rooms provided with approved Seats and desks (partly Sopor's) each room seating 80 to 150 pupils, suitable recitfitio'n rooms, every necessary conveni- ence, and an ample play ground attached, in the heart of tlie city— the whole obtained at a clear bargain of several thousand dollars less than it would have cost to build. [We are always pleased to notice favorably any local evi- dence of educational iiiterest in any portion of the State — whether connected "^vith public or private schools, and it af- fords us pleasure to state that in CuTnbcrland the county A- cademy, under the energetic management of Rev. T. Nelson, has recently been rendered more efficient, and the internal arrangement of the building greatly improved.] BSi^ In Baltimore there appears to be some difficulty in the way of consummating the contelnplated new building for the accommodation 6f the City College or High School. ]g@^ At Easton, Talbot, the colored people have not only a school-house, but also another near it for the teacher. — 6ee *' correspondence." ®^ Teachers' Institute in Anne Arundel, — sec ^'corroK- pondence." Littell's LI\^Na Age. — It is a real luxury after the labor of the day to look over the pages of Littell's Living Age Try it. Sixty pages a week for $8 a year. A School and Family MontUy^: 24 1 Editoriisl ^aUnagunilU ;0W is the time to subscribe. If this Journal has any frien'ls, now i« the time for them to bestir themselves. We are ready to enlarge and erery way improve the Journal, if patronage improves. Agents wanted. Cash premiums paid — we ask no one to work fin' nothing. The scope of the Journal is to be enlarged, ho as to make it interesting to all, A part of the edition of this number may not appear to be printed as vr-ell as might be desirable. Whenever new subscribers enough arc received to justify it, it will be re- printed. The next number will appear some time in January — may be a few weeks later in the month than usual, 1^^ Article on Memory ^mavoidably crowded out of this number. )§@°" James Young, esq,;, 114 West Bait, st., will receive money and give receipts for subscripticyis due this Jotirii^l. BST" This Journal will in future ntimbers give specimeii illustrations of black-board drawings. |E point with pri'de to the contents of this numberj arid return our thanks to our (increasing in num- ber and interest) various contributors for their excellent articles. Tliis Journal so auspiciously commenced and progressing, needs only a little ibstering care and friendly co-operation to make it one of which all may be proud. Especially v/ould we commend to the thoughtful reader's careful attention the article contain- ing the skeleton of a lecture delivered loefore the Balto. city teachers' association, by Prof. InTewell. We regret that we cannot give the whole. Modes of instruction, and systems af education are legitimate subjects of discussion ; and no teacher or superintendent ghould object to have his favorite theoricB eritieised. It i» in this way that truth may be ar- rived at. 148 The 3Iarytand E'dn'cational J'ournoi, lUR Maeylaxd Exchanges.- — In our last we gave a list, as complete as possible, of our Maryland exclianges — (if any omitted it was inadvertently) — hot designed to be a complete list of all the papers in the State : though we have heen send- ing the Journal to every known paper in the State, -end re- questing an exchange. Some have not seen fit to comply, and hence were not included in the list. One of these gets angry and misrepresents us in consequence ! We return our sincere thanks to all who have favorably noticed this Journal, and solicit other similar favors. The recently reported herculian efforts made by the ^vhisky influence to cause the removal of a vigilant revenue Officer, with other demonstrations, show what a rotten and demoralized and demoralizing crew the liquor dealers are — ffom the wealthy whisky kings of New York down to the lowest groggery keeper. At this very moment the whisky influence is on a hig]i hprse— seems to threaten to over-ride and over-rule everything; It is opposed to education, and to progress in all that is good ; and all wdio favor the edu- cation of the people in things noble and exalting should strive to frown doAvn the abominable traffic. An Illiberal School Journal. — The Ohio Educational Monthly v/ants to hold this Journal responsible ixtr tB.e opin- ion of a correspondent, though it ought to know that a rule in journalism is that editors or publishers are not responsi- ble for the views of correspondents, especial!}^ \vhen as iii this case well knov\rn initials designate the v,uiter. Mixed.---'' Our Young Folks,"' Boston, say they perform all they promisCj and did not issue a circular offering a pic- ture premium,' and we believe them. We thus make thea- mende to Our Young Folks, but regret to add that develop- ments cast a shade upon the premium furore generally, and our favorite the Student and Schoolmate comes in for a share of doubt. It nov/ however offers cash premiums only. A School Mid Family Monthly. '24'ii LONG TOES: lOME people have veiy long toes ! It is dfficuh to walk tlirongh the world witholit treading oi! them ! It is hardly possible to be strictly honest in your dealings with Such unhappy mortals, they are so thin-skinned: They compel us, like boat- men, who look one way and rdw another, to say one thing and mean another— and that's hardly Bible teaching. The blunt man who calls spades '^spiides" is sure to offend them. These long toed people are often extremely conceited, tho' nffecting great humilty. They are too, usilally, like the dog in the manger, neither disposed to do themselves nor to let any one else do — in matters of vital importance. If you wish to do your duty, you are with such — in religion, u pharisee — in politics, an office seeker— socially, a tyrant and '^stuck up" — and generally a very pestilent fellow ! It re- C[uir-es the greatest degree of Christian charity to get along with such people, a.iid it would be a dangerous experiment to endeavor to carry out St. Paul's plan for reconciliation with them. Hence all that can be done for them, or with them, is to pray for them. Yes, we will pray for our long toed brethren. ''The Little Chief," Indianapolis, Ind., is a beautifully })rinted paper for children at only 'Zr) cts. a year, ''Southern Boys and Girls Monthly" is a neat child's pa- per published by Messrs. Baird, Eichmond, Va., at .fl,5U. "The Little Corporal," Chicago, has sent us an engraved likeness of the lite President Lincoln and sou: "An Elementary Grammar of the German Language; ■\vith exercises, readings, conversations, paradigms and a vo- cabulary, by James H. Worman," Novn^ York, A. S. Barnes & Qo. "Good, but nothing specially newer distinctive; "A fourteen weeks course in Chemistry, by J. Dorman t^^teele,"— x\. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y.. 250 pps.— is ah ele- mentary work of much merit. " Pope's Essay on Man."— -S> R. Wells, N. Y., has puD-- lished an illustrated edition of ihisold masterpiece of Eng- lish Verse — one vol. 12mo; fancv cloth gilt |l, paper 50 ets; '^A The 3ianjland Educationtd Journcd, PREACHING vs. BEADING. ^HOSE g«od clergymen ■Mify statedly read their' sermons, tell lis among 6tlier ideas, as an argu- ment in favor of reading/ and in reply to tlie ar~' gument per contra that but little efl^ct can be pro- duced by reading, that the great revivalist Chal- lacrs was a reader. We never heard Chalmers, but we have' heard various live preachers, and John B. Gough, who is a preacher of good morals, and becausfe he has his discourses ivritten out and occasionally turns over a leaf, it may be said that HE is a reader ! Yes, but like Chalmfei's, he is one in a thousand. Oh ye poor, tame, hearttess, frigid, pulpit read- ers, go and' hear John B. Gough ! It is worth a journey of a thousand miles to hear him. Oil for more earnestness— jHore life — in teaching as well as in preaching. I@°" We will endeavor in our next to make room for no- tices of the many excellent exchanges, — fmiscellaneous and school journals,) — received by us. Messrs, Taggard & Thompson, 29 Coriihill, Boston, have published a neat pamphlet exposition of the Metric System prepared for Eaton's Arithmetics — 10 cts. Aim's Rudiments of the German Language, by E. Steig- er, No. IT, N. William st. N. Y., commends itself to all students of German. English Prose Classics- — "Lord Bacon's Essays j with a sketch of his life and character, reviews of , his philosophical writings, critical estimates of his essays, Analysis,. notes and queries for students, and select portions of the annotations of Archbishop Whately. By James B. Bovd, with notes, &c.' N'-.v York, A. S. Barnes & Co. 1867, Here is a book after own heart, refreshing to read amid the flood of vapid writings of the day. Its quaint style in- terests, and reminds us of old Biirton's Anatomy. Bacon's Essays will live throughout time. The annotations and que- ries to this edition are generally good, but we are amused at the direction to the student at the close of one essay, viz :~ '"= Eewrite the essay, improving the style of it as far as pos- sible !" The style of the prominent writers of Bacon's age may be modernized, but hardly improved. The idea of in- troducing such books in schools is a good one. A ScMol and Family 3fontJily\ Wl The American Farmer. S our learned and liypercritcal old friend (?) of the* American Farmer, who '^'lias gone through the I wars' ' and who terms the writer of this a nobody, ^ leaving us thence to infer that he considers him- self somebody, has done us the honor, (perhaps^ prompted by others,)' to rl'evote several pages to notices of this Journal, we cannot in conscience r^use to return the compliment in a few good-natured squibs. Eye: — The A. F. says rye ''is not a sensible crop, or such a one as a sensible man should be willing to grow." But in the same article highly commends it for early spring pas- turage and for soiling before clover comes into use ! Very good this for a professor in a college, who considers himself above criticism. He must have been eating rye bread and had his digestive functions deranged, or perhaps been im- bibing too much "old rye" that he thus stultifies himself. Too Bad— that the National Bureau of Agriculture shdiild have ignored the existence of the Md. Agricultural College, right under its nose ! The editor of "the well known ex- ponent of the sentiment of ths agricultural community of Md," (modesty!) is quite bilious on the subject. " Manures are said to cook the raw ingredients of the soil, and thus Ht them for food to growing plants." This is one of the novel ideas of the critical editor of the A. F., — who "eschews" the "moral bearings" of things. Why should the Md. Agricultural College aspire to give a full academic or classical course ? Was this the design of its founders ? or is it the design of the government in af- fording aid to agricultural colleges, to foster weak schools, and thus enable them to set up the "academic course?" Peesoxal. — The A, F., which is the peculiar champion of the "Md. Agricultural College," singularly and rather un- fortunately talks about "wmior intruders !" 2"52 The liter ylaiid Educational J'ournal, Who would have thought it ?— Who would have thought' that any staid old farmer would talk or Avrite asTollows, as we see in the A, F. — " The merry month of June, the A^ery season of life and heauty, of singing birds and roses, and of all the thousand activities of woods and fields, and never has her ladyship put on more glorious apparbl, or shown more resplendent in shade and sunlight.'' Verily ! " This may be fine writing, but the style is not adapted to every day life, and farmer boys should be warned against it." " It may be necessary, oftener than we suppose, to explain for the benefit of some readers^ what such and such articles mean, or are designed to teach ; as the boy writes under his picture this is a Jiorse, or poor Artemus W^ard, Avhen he says ' this is rotesarkastikul.' " The critical editor of the A. F. writes this for the benefit of those who cannot ''see a joke'' but is himself in the same predicament. Burns' complaint, '' wad the powers," &c.^ applies well to him* It is a pity that one who has been teaching formers' boys m long, and is so jealous of their rights, and so pert in lec- turing others, should himself make so many mistakes. — They who live in glass houses should not throw stones. '' He (Mr. Z.) should have understood that we could not assume, and that the public could iiot know it,"' (i. e. that he had control over his own Journal !)' Bo says tlie A. F. er- roneously, because any one v^dio has so closely scanned the Journal, must have seen the announcement distinctly made: So the attack IS personal, and it is worse than ''mean" to try to sneak out of it, " We mean to be emphatic but not uncivil." But it is not in our heart to quarrel with one who writes as follows of this Journal : " Neither the Superintendent of Instruction nor any geii- fleman except Mr. Zevely himself have had any general con- trol or supervision over the Journal, hence — the very success of his Journal. There be good articles from Dr. Nelson and many others, which more than oifset the laults that have been criticised." Thank ye, sir ! G-rammak; — Neither, nor, Jiave. — AIdovc from the A; F-' A School and Famihj MontUy; ^ OPINION OF THE PRESS. The Southern Educational Eecord of New York, bj Ricb- ardson & Co., speaks as follows of the this Journal — and many other equally favorable and true expressions have ap^.^ peared in other publications : It contains a variety of able and interesting articles, and. is one of the best and handsomest of the Educational Month- lies. It ought to have a large list of subscribers. No teach- er in Maryland, young or old, could fail to be stimulated <% aided by the monthly visits of such a journal as this — to say nothing of the esprit de corps that should animate ever/ teacher who deserves the name of teacher, &c. ; i@^ A new school building has been erected in Upper Marlborough, and. two are soon to, be built in Hagerstown, Another has also been built at Oakland, and one is to be at Frostburg. Who will send us particulars ? Teachers' Salaries.— -In Dorchester county the publii school teachers are paid from |350 to $450 per annum, affir ot^.ifding to grade, while those with permits receive but $250, The Student and Schoolmate, is a favorite among the ju- Teniles.' Boston, J. H. Allen, |1,50 a, year. The second cifi^ in tlflaryland. . Large lot well stocked with fruits,, tines, shrubs, &c.^ — Good brick house, back building, out-houses, cistern, rf'c.-— Ten rooms besides cellars. Possession given at any time, . This property is situated on a commanding position over- looking the town, and yet but a few minutes' walk from tbs rail-road depot and business street.^> ; and will be sold for less than the improvements aloiieare worth — $2,500 cash. Address the publisher of ibis Journal. . HAMILTON EASTBR & CO. IMPORTERS, JOBBERS, AND RETAILERS OE DBY ^OODS, 199, 201 and 203 W. Bait. Bt.', Baltimore. 4^HE NORWICH SONG- ROLL, PATENTED BY H. V. EDMOND. The Norwich Song Roll is a recent invention, designeci pTimarily to increase the interest and improve the singing m the Sabbath School ; it can, however, be used with equal advantage in the Day School and Lecture Eoom^ By the Song Roll scholars are trained to sing in a posture most favorable for the voice, the eyes of all being concen- trated upon a common object. With the aid of the Stencil plates any hymn or song can be readily printed, so that a school can be furnished with new pieces without the expense of new bocks. The Roll itself is an ornament no less than a convenieAoe wherever set up, and being oil castors can be easily moved f PRICES— No. 1. Mammoth size, easily read at a distance of 90 or 100 feet, 10 feet high by 5 feet wide, each .$45. , It includes 50 yards of paper 56 in^heB wide, a set of i^tOa- bil jjlates with capital and small inch and a half letters, and two cups of colored paste, sponge & brush, with two hymns ss starters. No. 2 — Common size, easily read at a distance of (35 feet. Nine and a half feet high, ,by 4 feet 8 in. wide, each ^35. — This includes everything as above, with paper 48 inch wide_, smd Stencils one a quarter inch letters. No, 3— Small size, for infant classes, 6 feet high by 3 ft. iride, each |25. This includes 25 yards paper of 30 inches, stencils of 1 inch letters and the rest as above. Boxing, each |1,50 to |2. Address AUa. 0. VAN LENNEP, General Agent, 54 Cedar street, New York. Cumberland, 3Id,, Weekly Papers. Civilian and Telegraph, by Wm. H. Lowdermilk, '%2 por' iKinum — Republican. Cumberland Union, gj Mattinglv & Steiner. $2 per an- num — Republican . iDemocratic AUegsnian, by W. E. Weber, %2 per anntlito — OonserVatiYe, 11 llimiMi lilgiTIiHlL ISilMilj A SGfiOOL AND FAMILY MONTHIY. Baltimore— Publislied Toy E. B. Zevcly, Devoted to Education in its widest sense — mentally, mofv ;SHlly, physically, at home and in the school room — which vrill make it a readable jouj^ijal for all, This Journal is practical in purpose, substantial in mat: ter, attractive in style. And altho" from its title it may be supposed that its pages are wholly devoted to school mattery —such v/ill not be the case hereafter. The subject of Edur cation is a much broader one than many imagine, and the idea of the publisher of this Journal, as announced in the outset, is to make it very comprehensive, The ijashy pub- lications of the day, filled with trashy tales, are devoted tq Education, and that of a very useless if not injurious char- acter, Not so with this Journal, We solicit the interest and co-operation of al] . Some one in every neighborhood and town wanted to secure subscribe ers. Liberal cash premiums paid to agents, I^^ With the new year, new arrangements will be an^- nounced. See January issue. — This Journal has appeared thus far in good style, and shall be issued in still better style, provided, &c, — Some things may be done as well as others ; this Journal may be iasued in gold and satin, but, dec. ■ — It may be enlarged so as to aflbrd space to please everybody, and to publish every- thing, if, dc. jg®^ This Journal being a fixed fact, sub- scribers in arrears will please to pay up without more delay, Jl@^ The next number will contain a curious exposition of '' expediency," of personal interest to many. Fiat jus- iCda riuit caelum. S73ecimen copies supplied. Address E. S. ZEVELY, Cumberland^ Md. ^m"" By the postal laws, any one who receives a periodi- e&i from his post-oiiice is liable to pay for it ; and if not ta- ken out, the Postmaster must inform the publisher, or he himgeif becomes responsible for the subscription. PAY UP now, DELINQUENTS, now PAY UP. FOR SALB. A complete STEREOPTICON, or Dissolving View ap^paratus, with gas fixtures, a variety of sliders, &c.j ail in good order and nearly new — will be sold cheap. Address the publisher of this Journal for particulars. A NEW BOOK ! —Everybody should read H. M: CRIDER'S Humorous Poem on Schoolmasters. Sent by mail, on receipt of 75 cents. Address Kepiiart, Crider & Bro., York, Pa. Are unsurpassed for Completeness, Simplicity and Economy. These School Records are the result of practical experi- ence as a Teacher and Superintendent. They are specially designed for the use of Teachers who pr,efer to avoid the ex- pense and inconvenience of more than one book, and yet desire to keep a complete record of each pupil. Universal Records for Pupils, 24 pages, style 1* $ 08 Universal Records for Pupils, 24 pages., style 2 10 Universal Records for Teachers, 48 pgs folio thin sides 1 00 Universal Records do, 192 pgs folio, heavy sides 3 50 Universal Records for Professors, 48 pgs folio thin sides 1 00 Universal Records do. 192 pgs folio, heavy sides 3 50 Universal Records for Superintendents 144 p cap heavy 1 25 Universal Records do. 288 p cap, cloth sides^ 2 25 Universal Records for Examiners 48 p folio, heavy sides 1 75 Universal Records for do, 48 pages folio cloth sides 2 50 Blank Certificates of promotion per thousand..., 3 50 Blank Reports to Parents^ per thousand , 3 50 Blank Reports to Superintendents, per hundred 2 25 . *Ha3 spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment, and tQcitation. No. 2 has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment and five separate recitations. Anv of the above sent prepaid on receipt of retail price. HAMILTONS. McRAE, ilf?mc{e, /?id Or Ben Franklin Book and Printing Co., Indianapolis. On receipt of 65 cts I will send by mail prepaid a specimen copy of either the teachers' or professors' records, ii. s. m. THE RURAL G-BUQTLBMAN, A JOURNAL or AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, RURAL ECONOMY, etc. Published on the First of each month^ by J. B. Robinson & Co., No. 2, North Eutaw street, Baltimore, Assisted by a corps of able contributors, %\ a year in advance. i£^S PAtENl' SLATES, Warranted Superior to any otlisrs in use. MGHT! NOISELESS! PrRABLK! Improre4 by use. Easil.v ClciUieei. Cannot be Kroken liy Falling. NEVER BKCOJI K GLOSSY I . Pencils always wiite easily upon them. Are harder than real slate, and cannot be scratched, yet never Ci"icli or scale oQ'. TESTIMON-IA-Lrt. The following is from "'The Father of the Public School System of Fennsylvania," and lot taiay years State duperint.ndtnt . Lancaster, January i. IS67. "From its origin to its present improved and satisfactory condition. I liave watchtd th« progress of the artificial Slate (or Sto. e) Suiface of Mr 1 Newlon Tciice I liave seen it in- troduced in many schools and instifations, and have never known its use to be abandoned, or to fail of giving satisfaction In facility of applicatioii, rapidity of drying for use, elieai>- aess and duiability as a wall surface, in lieu of the old black board, it is all that can be de-. sired. Its merits, in the shape of Portable Slates, Tablets. &c., need not be asserted. In thij tirm it will speak for itself, on iuspeclion." ' Thomas H. BoKROWEs, Office City Superintevd'nt cf Pullic Instruction, Baltimore, April 5th, 1S67. . I have used extensively on the Black Boards of the public schools of this city, I'eirce's T* hint Slate Surface, and believe it to be the best material of the kind manufactured. J. N. McJiLTON. Boston, January 31st, 18tJ7. ■yfe have used Peirce's Patent Slates for some time in our schools, and from our experienc*, !lad their ]«resent improved character, we believe they are superior to all other slates we h«v» erer seen, and shall t\ivor their more sixtended use. Joshua 'B\i!t.s, Principal Brimmf.r School. Ja.M£S a. Page, /'rijici^a/ Dwigld School. C. Goonwis Clark, Principal Lincoln S'hoolt f!tatc ?rormai SShool, Trenton, N. J., February llth, 1867. , We have been using Peirce's Booiv Slates for some time in this Institution, and greatly pre iter theni to evtry other Kind of slate. Jous S. Hart, Princii:>cU. Penn. State Tcaciiert' Association, Bellefonte. August 8lh, 1867. ,■ Having examined and tested Peirce's Futent Noiseless Slates. and Stone Slate Surface, d« ^ecommifDd them and their use in the school room, iis bang superior to all oilier Slates ao» MLTfece we have ever seen ; Z. KowARDs, Dep'i Educatinn. Washington, D. C. V. A, Alle.n', J'rxn. State Aornlal School, Mansf,eld, Pa. • M. 1). Walker, J'rin. Orangfi-ille Slate Soldier Orph. Schooli ilHAS. W. I.IEANS, Prin. Harford St'ite Soldier Orph. School. Edward Brooks, I'rin. Slate Nor. School, Millersville, Pa, l.'S. Geist, y-'rc/rsso)- tre " " " " 0. IL Haum.ng, •• " " " " ,, A. 0. N'ewi'HER, Superintendent Schools, Columbia, '• J. E. Thomas, i^rin Pint Grove Acadtitiy and Seminary, '' . Joseph Waugh, Principal Huliidaytbury Seminary, " 11. B. Graa'T, " Grrensbarg Adudemy, " W. Henrv 1'aBKEE, " King. Gratn School, Phila. ' Wm. F. Wyess, " M'yer''s Boarding School, " Anprew BuBlT, " bUi Ward School, I'ilsburg, " ■ 8. S. Jack, " Sewinckly Acad' y near Pldla. " W. \V. Woodruff, Superinle7ident '.-iiester County, " " 8. C. GiLCHKiiT, • Washiugton '• " Martin Mohler, " Mifflin " " R. McDevitt, " Hantinglon ". ' E. T. Burgan, Sup't Model School, Keystone State li'orma.l School, Eiitztown, Pa. Jab. H. H.Ky&iti, Belief onie. Pa. J. R. SiPUEK, If. Y. Tribune. Office of Controllers of Public Schools. First District of PennSylvanici, Philadelphia, Pecember 2'J, 1866. <• A\ tt meeting of the Controllers of Public Schools, First District of Pennsylvania, held ti tbe Controllers' Chamber, Friday, December 21, 1S66, the following resolution was unatu* uionsly adopted : , . , . Kesolved, That Peirce's Patent Slates and Slated Goods, be used in the public schools of thii district, [From the Minutes.] H. L. Halliwell, Searetary, These Slates have also been adopted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of -Wttsl» Icgto'n, also for the public schools of Baltimore, nnd are used in the public schools of Boatoe. UiBicinuati, Chicago, St. Louis, and many other cities. ^f^^ Beware of IniiLuion Surface. Ask for Peirce' s Paienl. I. ESWTON peirce & CO., Manufaeturers,- «••»•«* 427 Worth Eleventh streetj Philadelphia. THE AMEEICAi^ tt$ttl or SCHOOL & COLLEGE TEXT-BOOKS, PUBLISHED BY IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO., 47 and 49 Greene Street, New York. *-^-% The large and increasing sale of these books — the emphatic commendations of hundreds of the best teachers of the country who have tested them in the class-room, and know whereof they afBrm, amply attest their real merits, and fully commend them to general favor, and the confidence of every thorough and practical teacher. Among the leading and most popular books of the above Series, the following may be named, viz. : TJ]SriO:N" EE^DEHS. By C. W. SANDEES, A, M., and J. N. McELLIGOTT, LL,D, The Union Headers are not a revision of any former Series of Sanders' Headers. They are entirely new in matter and illustrations, and have been pre- pared with great care ; no time, labor or expense having been spared to make them equal, if not superior to the very best Series in use. In Oethography and Orthoepy, the books of this Series conform entirely to Webster's Newlt Ili-ustrated and Revised Qcaeto Dictionary, recently published. PRIMARY HAND CARDS, 6 in a set. , UNION READER, Number One, 96 pp. PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARTS, large, for the | UNION READER, Number Two, 208 pp. School-rcom, 8 Kos. en four cards. UNION READER, Number Three, 264 pp. PICTORIAL PRIMER, beautifully illustrated. UNION READER, Number Four, 408 pp. PRIMARY SPELLER. i UNION READER, Number Five, 480 pp. * NEW SPELLER, DEFINER and ANALYZER. 1 UNION READER, Number Six, 600 pp. UNION SPELLER. | ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH WORDS. * This is a ne.iv and superior book, just published, as an Intermediate Header, between the Union Fourth and the former Union Fifth Header ; the latter having its title changed to " The RheXorical, or Union Sixth Reader." Kerl's Ne^w Series of Gran\ii\ars. For simplicity and clearness, for comprehensive research and minute analysis, for freshness, scientific method and practical utility, this Series of English Gram- mars is unrivalled by any other yet published. The Series consists of — Kerl's First Lessons in Grram^nar. A book for Beginners, and intro- ductory to the Common-School Grammar. Kerl's Common-School Gra^nmar. A thorough, complete, and practical work for Common-Schools and Academies. Kerl's Comjivehensive Grammar. To lie used && a book of reference. ^^ Kerl's Grammars are fast becoming the leading standard Text-books on the English language, and they are rapidly acquiring a very large circulation, being already used in the Public Schools of New York City, Bostox, Cambridge, New Haven, Baltlmoee, Washington City, St. Louis. Chicago, Mn-wAUKiE, Grand Rapids, Davenport, Lowell, Nbw Bedford, Fall River, Bridgeport, Jersey City, WrLMDvGTON (Del.,) Lexington (Ky.,) and hundreds of smaller towns, and prominent institutions of learning throughout the country. (OVEE.) PUBLISHED BY IVISON, PHIKNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO. Robinson's Connplete Mathematical Series. With the improvements and additions i-eceutly made, this Series is tbe most complete, scientific and practical of tlie kind published in this country. The books are graded to the wants of Pr^mai-y, Intermediate, Grammar, Normal and High Schools, Academies, and Colleges. Progressive Table Book, ! New Elementary Algebra, Progressive Primary Arithmetic, ! K'ew University Algebra, Progressive Intellectual Arithmetic, | New Geometry and Trigonometry, Endiments of Written Arithmetic, ! New Analytical Geom, and Conic Sect. Progressive Practical Arithmetic, Progressive Higher Arithmetic, Arithmetical Examples, New Surveying and Navigation, New DiS". and Integ. Oalciilns, University Astronomy. 7!&^ KEYS to the Arithmeticfi, Algebras, Geometries, and Surveying, are published for the use of Teachers only. Itobmsoil''s Series, in whole or in part, -.as oeen adopted, and is now in use, in the Public Schools of New York Cirr, Trot, ScHENECTAnr, Utica, Syracuse, Adbckn, Rochestek, Detkoit, Grand Rapids, Adrun, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Galesburg, Rockford. Jouett, Milwackie, Madison, Janestiixe, Ft. Wayne, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Winoxa, St. Anthony, Davenport, Keokuk, Burlington, Erie, Lexington, Springfield, Hartford, Middletown, Bridgeport, Providence, San Francisco, Memphis, Nashville, Savannah, and hundreds of other large Cities, Towns, and Literary Institutions in all the States THE METRICAL SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS & MEASURES, Full, practical, and adapted to the wants of business men, has been added to Mohmson's Budimeiifs, Practical and Higher AritJmief/ics. There has been aiso inserted in Per (Jontage, in the Higher Arithtnetic, several pages on the different kinds of U. S. Spcurities, Bonds, Treasurij j\'o>es, Gold Investments, Currency, etc., with Practical Uxnmples. This change and addition will not interfere in the use of the book with previous editions of the same, and will fully meet the present wants of the schools, and of business men. ' It is one of the best metliodical introductions of the Metric System to practice in the school- room that we have seen. The others are mainly descriptions of that system ; this is the system itself, as far as it goes." — Pennsvlvania School Journal. " I have given your work in the Metric System a hasty examination, and am very much pleased with it. It is by far the clearest and most practical exposition of the New System of Weights and Measures that I have seen.' —Newton Bateman, Supl. of I'ub. Inst., Ills. Webster's Scl\ool Dictioi\aries. This popular Series is very justly regard od as theonly National standard authority in Orthography, Defiiufion, and Pronunciation. At least four-fifths of ail the School jJooics published in this cuantry own Webster as their standard ; and of the remainder, few acknowledge any standard. "Webster's Army & Navy Pocket Dictionary, Webster's Pocket Dictior\ary, Webster's Prim. School Dictior\ary Webster's Com. School Dictionary, Webster's High School Dictionary, Webster's Academic Dictior\ary, Webster's Counting-House Dic- tioT\ary. STATE SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. "Nearly every State Superintendent of Public Instruction in the Union haa recommended' Webster's Dictionary in the strongest terms. Among them are those of Maive, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, PENXSTLV.AjnA. Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa. Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Carolina, AiABAMA, California, and also Canada — Ticeniy-three in all. (OYER. ) PUBLISHED BY IVISON, PmNNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO. WELLS' SCIENTIFIC SERIES. These works embody the latest researches in physical science, excel in their lucid style, numerous facts, copious illustrations and practical applications of science to the arts of every-day life, and are indorsed by hundreds of eminent and successful practical Educators in all parts of the country, and the Press. Science of Common Things. I Principles of Chemistry. Natural Philosophy. | First Principles of Geology. BRYANT, STRATTON & PACKARD'S BOOK-KEEPING SERIES. These books are beautifully printed in col'ors on the best of white paper, and elegantly bound. Common School Edition, Sigh School Edition, Counting-House Edition. WILLSON'S SCHOOL HISTORIES. It is generally conceded that this Series of Histories is the most complete, and the most perfectly graded, of any now before the public. Primary American History. American History. School Edition. History of the United States. Revised. Outlines of General History. 12mo. Outlines of General History. Lib. Edition. V Colton's Series of Geographies. This Series is one of the most full, practical, and satisfactory ever published. The Maps are all drawn on a uniform system of scales, so as to present the relative sizes of the different countries at a glance. Colton's Primer of Geography. Cotton's Introductory Geography. Colton's Modem School Geography. Colton's American School Quarto Geography. We also invite attention to the following : Gray's Potanical Series. j Hitchcock's Scientific Seines. Fasquelle's French Series. \ American Debater. Goodison's Drawing Book. School Mecords. Voice and Action. Woodbury's Gertnan Series. Progressive Spanish Peaders. Sill 's Synthesis of the English Sentence. Pradbury's School Music Books, etc., etc. (OVEK.) THE MODEL STYLE AWD STANDABD SYSTEM. Officially adopted and nsed iu every State in the Union. Taught in nine-tenths of all the Normal Schools, and in nearly all the Commercial Colleges in the United States. IN FOUI\ DISTINCT SEI^IES. COMMON SCHOOL SERIES, Nos. 1, •;!, 3, 4 and 5. BUSINESS SERIES Nos. 6 and 7. LADIES' SERIES, Nos. 8 and 9. EXERCISE SERIES, Nos. 10, 11 and 12. These jVew Books, on account of their simpUcil-)/, arrangement, accuracy, uniformity, and ruling, make the System the most easy to teach of any before the public. This System is officially recommended and used almost exclusively in the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, West Virginia and Nebraska ; more than any others in the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana. It is largely used throughout the entire SotrTH, and is rapidly inci'easing. SPEI^GEEIAI^ KEY Tor the use of TEACHERS, PUPILS, and PROFESSIONAL PENMEN, containing o-ne hundrad and seventy-six pages, and hundreds of Illustrations, is now ready. Spencerian Charts of Writing and Drawing, Six in yiunher. In Sise, 34 hy SO inches They are so printed as to present the appearance of SUPERIOR BLACK BOARD WRITING. The letters can be seen acro.s.5 the School Boom. SPENCERM DOUBLE ELASTIC STEEL PENS. These Pens combine elasticity of action with smoothness of point not found on other Pens, and are a nearer approximation to the real SWAN QUILL than anything hitherto invented. They ■are used in all the principal COJIMERCIAL COLLEGES in the United States and are pronounced by Accountants, Tkacheks, Officials, and Correspondents, the Best Pens Manufnctiired. The undersigned would also call the attention of buyers of HooJcs and Stationery to their large and fresh stock, embracing all modern ScJiool and Collcije Text-Sooks, together with a general assortment of School and Office Stationery , Ulanlc Hooks, Spencerian Note, Xetter and Cap Tapers, which thej' are prepared to furnish at the lowest market price. j8@= Teachers and School Officers are invited to correspond with us freely, and to send for our Dfsceiptive Catalogue and Circular, which will bo promptly sent upon application. 4!®=- Liberal terms given coi'rc'poad with us freely, and to sand for »iu' DsaCRiPiJVE C.itALOocd AXD CiRccLiE, wliic'.i wiil bj p:om]>tiy sent upon application ^yL\beralfermtf;ivinon Books /amis 'ad for BxirniniXionay Introduction Addrsss the i^ublisbers, 4 •i> CUSHINGB a BAILEY, ^ SS@ MSaltiniore si», opposite Mamover, | The largest and best assorted Stock in the city, of School, Law, Medical, Dental, Classical and miscellaneous BOOKS. Of all kinds, — - Bank, Connting-Hoase and general. BLANK BOOKS made to order, in any style. A BOOK FO.^ EVERY SCHOjL, FAMIY AND LITERARY CIRCLE. Compiled by Jilexnndcr Clark, »,'i. Jfl, The most instructive and interestino; hook of the kind. It has received the highest recommendations from leading Journals and prominent Educators and Teachers, 12mo. 352 pag-es, post paid $.1,50. Liberal discount to Agents arid the Trade. Address J. W. DaugHxVday & Co, Publishers, 424 Waluut st., Philadelphia. OUB SCHOOLDAY VISITOR, The very best Boj^' and Girls' ^ Mcagazinc ill the World rremiums for everybody Terms $I|2o a year, Specimen numbers with premium lists and full insti\uction to Agents 10 cents; Address J W DAUGlIADAY ifc Co 421 Walnut st t'hiladelphia Pa BALTIMORE & OHIO RAIL-ROAD. , Three through passenger trains daily, between Baltimore and Wheeling and Parkersburg. Daily trains to Frederick, Hagerstown, Winchester and ElMcotts' Mills. Seven daily trains between Washington and Baltimore. J, T. England, Agent, Camden Station, L. M. Cole, General Ticket Agent. John L. Wilson, Master of Transportation; 'j^^VTfyyvvy?yyyvvvyf?mvyvv? vyyy fy y ?vv fn'¥ fTy >W¥ f W?f¥v y t v y y W¥f'^ T V ^V y V' ^ LAAAAAAAAAAAAj C^^i MARYIAND -SCHOOL f DEVOTKD TO POPULAR INSTRUCTION AND LITERATURE^ EDITORS: llEV. C. K. NELSON, D, D., Annapolis. Vice Pros. St. John's College, and Pres. State Teachers' Association. E. S. ZEVEL Y, Cumberland. JANUARY -"^1^68: ■■■?-;■. "? ;.o; '■■:.'■ ntvi ft ■■ VOL. 1. NO. 9. ?d W: B A %T^I M © R ETs ^^,^^,,.^^11, s.,^zEvpY, PuBusuEj^'ff ;■■■"•""■" ';^J;^ SMITH BROS. & CO., CtOTHIERSt MEaCa^KT UttOR$, AND DEALERS IN GENTS' FUMISHING GOODS, Always on hand the largest stock of Clothing and Piece Goods for Custom Work. Persons in want of Good and Fashionable Clothing should be sure and come to MARBLE HALL, 38 and 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. We haye also a 9 Under the charge of HARRY NICELY, at No. 38, He will be pleased to see bis friends. SMITH BROS. & CO., Merchant Tailors and Clothiers, 38 & 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Single copies, per annum, in advance.. $1 50 3 copies $4 00 10 copies to one address 12 00 5 " 6 25 15 •' " " 17 00 ADYERTISOe RATES. 1 mo. 2 mo. 3 mo. 6 mo. 9 mo. 12 mo. One Page..... $10 00 5 00 2 50 $19 00 9 50 4 75 $27 00 14 00 7 00 $50 00 ft65 00 $80 00 40 00 Half Pa^e 25 00 88 00 Quarter Page 12 50 Jl^^l 20 0« ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, THIS INSTITUTION, easily approached from every part of the country, and having general telegraphic communication, under its thorough re-organization, ofiiers unusual facilities for Education. Its corps of well trained and efficient instructors, with its highly literary and scientific President, is prepared to educatt the sons of Maryland as highly and thoroughly as anywhere in the country. Beinir liberally endowed by the State, it can aiford to educate cheaply. The whole cost of Collegiate Education is (without extras) two hundred and fifty dollars per annum. Two boys from each county and the city of Baltimore will be taken tor two hundred dollars per annum. Next Academic Year will begin on, Monday, 2d day of September. EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, A SCHOOI. AND FAMILY MONTHLY. VOL. I BALTIMORE, JAXUARY, 1868. NO. 9. S^^The conckision of the sketch of Rev. Dr. Spencer is un- avoidably crowded out of this uumber. Will appear iu next. £.^ The contiuuation of nieraorj or Muemotechny articles also necessarily deferred to the nest number. This Journal stands pledged to the support of "any school system that the powers that be may devise;"' and there is no fear that anything but a good one will be adopted. ,S@?" The publisher considers it necessary to issue this supple- mental number , containing several pages of notices, explanatory and advcrtiseineutally, in order to set himself right before the public. N. B. Arrangements are perfecting to issue this Journal in an improved and enlarged form. See advertisements, prospectus and notices iu this number. We regret that some of the remarks in this number re- ierring to this Journal appear to have a lugubrous air, but when it is remembered that under all the circumstances a school Journal in Maryland must necessarily depend somewhat on others for success, what is said is mere justice to the pulisher. No ! — It will not do for any one to say that Lecause the ' Editorial Committee " of this Journal was changed or "recon- structed," that, therefore, the school officers stood aloof. No ! Thei/ stood aloof before, and it was because they did so that the change was made. 25S Maryland Educational Journal. The School System, and the Sducational JournaL OW tliat motives of Exjiedicnaj (in this connection) are ho longer necessary to tlie success or failure of this Journal, we shall speak plainly. Our object has never beeis to reform the world in any respect, knowing that reformer* receive more kicks than kisses, but we claim the privilege (and allow others the same) of s-peaking our thoughts unre- servedly — always with due regard to truth and courtes3^ In poli- tics, religion and it seems in school matters — (not wanting a fair discussion of its merits) — expediency is the order of the day. This is what has made polities base and debasing. This is what renders religion as a whited sepulchre. This is what has killed the present school system of Maryland. Expediency has been its controlling element, because politicians by trade got it up, and so long as poli- ticians rule, the people will mourn. By politicians we mean those who make it a trade. Y^e speak, and have years ago elsewhere spoken, of politics as it is in this country of ours, not what the dictionaries say of it. There is very little fairness among your professional politicians, and when it comes to talk about '' expediency" in church matters, with the plain word of God to direct us, in which no such thing is taught — alas ! — except and unless Matth. 10, 16 or Luke 16, 8, can be distorted to enjoin it. Expediency in one way has had too much to do with the school system in our State, and in another way there has been a sad lack of it, in the impulsive and dogmatic manner in which it has been literally forced on the people. However little we may believe in the virtue and intelligence of the people, it is certain that no school system, or other great meas- ure of social reform can succeed without showing some at least apparent deference to the views of the people. The want of this is a great defect in our present school system. The intelligence of the people is entirely ignored — the people are not allowed a voice in the matter. Its author doubtless copied after the government schools in the monarchical countries of Europe. But this will never go down in free and enlightened America. While we say Expediency had much to do in the getting up of this law, and the school officers were appointed as far as possible with one end in view, yet we must do the State Superintendent the justice to say that, as such, HE does not appear to know such a word as Jl School and Family Monthly, 259 expediency, or anything akin to it. or else, -with all tlieir faults, he and his system would not to-day be so unpopular as they are. — Never in the history of Maryland has any one man had so glorious an opportunity of making himself beloved as has had the State Superintendent of Public Instruction under our present school law. But as he, instead of endeavoring to conciliate the people, aimed at nothing but forcing the system into existence without regard to the views of the people, he has made himself and it justly obnoxious. If he, seeing and knowing this, had resigned months ago, we might have hoped to retain the main features of the system, and not been subjected to the inconvenience and expense of a complete revolu- tion \xi school matters as we now possibly may be. In many respects the school system is a good one — too perfect to be suddenly introduced into a State so far behind-hand in such matters. If the advice of prudent and experienced school men had been taken, a less perfect or less intricate system — one aiming at less — would have been first inaugurated, trusting thus first to educate the people up to a standard of wanting something better. That the schools in many parts of our State have been improved, is not saying wonders for this particular system, because any other tolerable system would have done as much — since we have had as good as no school system at all in most of the counties of Mary- land. The money appropriated by the State has been squandered without any system. Now let us come nearer home and speak of this Journal and its history: — When, more than a year ago, we first approached the State Superintendent on the subject, he expressed himself favorable to the project — said that such a thing had been spoken of, but no definite plan had been arranged — no one seemed willing to under- take it, &c. At his suggestion our proposition was submitted to the State Commissioners' Association, in December '66, and although some members in that body were not very cordial in their expres- sions, and others who talked fair have since done little or nothing, yet the general result of all that was done and said, left the impres- sion that a reasonable share of co-operation might be expected. — The prospectus was issued and sent to all School Commissioners. In due time returns were received more or less satisfactory. Some ■who sent few names, promised to send many more. We have all these letters and lists of names on file and may publish some of them some day as curiosities ! Some have since got angry because we wanted our pay — some have abused us because we have published 260 Maryland Educational Journal, T^'hat did not exactly suit their notioos — some have denied their own signatures — many were utterly indifferent to the success or uon success of the Journal — while a few glorious and whoIe-soideJ men have manfully stood hy us and done their ivhole duty ioi endeav- oring to build up an EducationalJonrnal in our State. As to the State Superintendent, and State Board, all the help from that quar- ter was $3 for two copies ! Dr. V. B. undertook from the first to rule the Journal, and because the publisher, who alone assumed its pecuniary risk, dared to assert his own authority over its pages, he never, so far as can be ascertained, exerted any effective influence iu its favor. That was the height of ingratitude ! Here was an humble individual, friendly to the Superintendent, ardently attached to the school cause, and willing to venture his little all for the ben- efit of the cause in the State, and only asking that the school men should co-operate — (at best no great profits were to be expected) — and because forsooth he dared to claim a say in its management, the State Superintendent, a bitter politician, who did not concede the possibility of improvement in his system, who wanted to make the Journal a vehicle for his own glorification, at the pecuniary risk ot another, and to make it in effect a political and belligerent Jour- nal — for this cause, forsooth, he soon cooled off prodigiously and left the publisher in the lurch — to his own resources — and thus the face of the Journal, stating that it was the " organ of the State Board" resulted in a mere sham, and was omitted — not caring to have the Journal sail under false colors. Hence also the entire " Editorial Committee" was omitted, Dr. Y. B. having first threat- ened that unless all his articles were published his name must come oa ! and afterwards when it %ca.s taken off, he gave a very signifi- cant implied threat, which he fully carried out, by saying that " the State Board wasn't quite dead yet !" These are plain facts. We regret to have to speak them. Jus- tice, however, demands it, and it is immaterial what may be said publicly or privately by aay one in response — such are the facts nevertheless ! [An Educational Journal is not, as has been assumed, per conse- quence a teacher, any more than is any other publication ; neither can it be said with truth that, necessarily, he who essays to publish one sets himself up as a teacher, (of teachers i. e.) The teachers and school officers and friends of Education in Maryland were from the first (and ara yet) invited themselves to edit this Journal. Be- cause they stood aloof and declined doing so, the publisher was A School and Family Monthly. 261 compelled, iu tlie midst of many other engagements, to furnisli matter to fill up its pages, for which, however, fortunately he was qualified by years of experience as editor and teacher.] All who want a live school and family Journal published in Maryland will please rally to the support of this ! To your tents, Israel ! [See other, following, items in this connection.] As to the State Superintendent, he apparently favored the establish" ment of this Journal, and allowed his name to be used as Editor, there- fore I had a right to expect that he would use his influence to make it a success. Instead of this, however, I soon found, for reasons stated elsewhere, he was leaving me entirely unaided — to my own resources — and seeing this, I deemed it best to cut the Journal loose from him, believing that there was everything to gain and nothing to loose by the change. In this, however, I now see I probably in one sense made a mistake, since, notwithstanding his avowed indifference to the change and his assurance of continued friendship, his whole power was thence- forward used to crush the Journal. It is evident that he exercised his influence to kill this Journal more than he ever did to establish it;* and it is strange enough too that from the beginning so little interest was manifested to secure a general circulation for the Journal, because as the school system needed all the bolstering it was possible to give it, if its friends had circulated a journal devoted to its interests (as this then was) it would certainly have been advantageous. The only way to account for this is that there was a sort of fatality in the matter) or as expressed in the old saw: "Whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad." I certainly think, therefore, under the circumstances, all things con- jsidered, that I have a right to consider myself as having been deceived — circumstantially at least, if not essentially, — and that I was, am, and have been, entirely excusable and justifiable in casting loose from those who proved themselves so indifferent to their own true interests. I feel very sure that under the new order of things matters cannot be any worse 1 I will bide my time ! Z. ^Silence is sometimes more potent than speech, and there is such a thing as damning with faint praise. J6@*Those who sent us lists of subscribers last Spring are, we think ia honor bound to see that all pay their subscriptions. 262 Maryland Educalional Journal. Ill all transactions between man and man there is a mutual responsibility. In commencing tbe Maryland Educational Journal tbere was au implied understanding that tbe school men in the State, from the State Superintendent down, would aid in making it a success. If they had done so all would have been well (for them,) though their not doing so ■> may make things hetter (for us.) Instead, however, very few did their part, and certainly no help camo from the State Board — '(except $3 for two copies.) In Cecil, Talbot, Montgomery and Baltimore counties there was a satisfactory response ; in Carroll, St. Mary's, Kent, and a few other counties, were found some friends. Beyond this all was coldness and icy indifference. And notwithstanding the publisher fully complied with his pi'omises in the prospectus upon which sub- scribers were solicited, and issued a journal conceded to compare favorably with others of a similar character iu other States, and not- withstanding he made every proper effort to procure subscribers, and issued 1,000 copies monthly, less than GOO subscribers have been en- rolled, and of these say 200 have not yet paid their subscription ! This is not what the publisher had a right to expect. He did not find that general friendly co-operation he had hoped for, but a great deal of bad feeling, envy, jealousy, illiberality and uncharitableness, — and is not bound to make himself a martyr to others' unfaithfulness or indifference 1 P. S, — But we now beg pardon ! "We take back all we have said, and declare all concerned to have done nobly 1 We have just read in the "Michi- gan Teacher' ' that when that publication was commenced a certain prominent school man in that State promised to raise one hundred subscribers ; but this very gentleman, say the publishers, "has not only never sent us a single subscriber, but, so far as we know, has never seen a copy of the Teacher!" Again, we beg pardon most profoundly — since not one of all concerned in Maryland has come down to that! All who promised anything have at least done a Utile ! We feel greatly encouraged I I^^It was thought by some, a year ago, that there was then an opening for. or a need of, or a disposition to sustain, an Educational Journal in Maryland. The result proves this to have been a false surmise. Aside from the general indifference which prevailed, some suspected the Journal of being '■'•Radical" or Republican, and stood aloof — others accused it oi hemg '■'■ Conservative" or Democratic, and gave it the cold shoulder ! Between the two and amidst all it fared badly ! The publisher had the good of the cause at heart, and no desire to obtrude himself further than as such — thought the school men would A School and Family Monthly. 263 assist — appealed to them for help — receiving none, had to help himself (editorially.) for which fortunately qualified by long experience as editor and teacher. Parties who should have taken a pride and pleasure for the common good in actively helping to build up a Maryland Educa- tional Journal stood aloof, forsooth, many of them, because it was a private enterprise, as if they did not care to aid any individual in making a fortune! [See article "What aa Educational Journal should be," on next page.] B@='The unpardonable sin committed by the publisher of this Journal was, his asserting in a "Statement" in the third number,* (as a law-abiding citizen, and one who foresaw that amendments were needed) that he would favor any school system that the powers that be might devise. And yet for this he was most soundly bei'ated ; for this the State Superintendent turned against him and used his influence to break down the Journal. But truth crushed to earth will rise ! We are not so bigoted as to believe that there is only one man, or one set of men, or only one party, that can can frame a school law ! *TMs "statement" was submitted to the State Superintendent before being published, approved by him and published by his advice ! Why did he first advise its publication, and then denounce and sneer at it? This was not acting in good faith. It was exhibiting a want of that frankness which should ever characterize dealings between man and man. It was not following the Golden Rule. S@°"TnE SUM OF THE MATTER IS, that the publisher of this Journal made the too common mistake of expecting others to help him finan- cially, instead of helping himself This he is now, however, doing, and with very flattering prospects — none the less thanks to those few who have really helped, or are yet disposed to help, and we need all the help we can get ! John W. G-arrett, Esq. — It afi"ords us pleasure to be able to an- nounce that at a recent meeting of the Board of Directors of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad John W. Garrett, Esq., was unani- mously re-elected for the tenth year as President. This is no more than a just acknowledgment of his great ability, and of the untiring zeal which has characterized his connection with this great thoroughfare for so many years. 264 Maryland EducationalJouTnal. What an Educational Journal Should Be. )HE "Massachusetts Teaclier," botli as to appearance and con- tents, lias long been regarded as the model Educational Journal, and we have latterly with great interest watched its liberal course with respect to various leading topics now agitating the Educa- tional world. But as it is published by the ''Massachusetts; Teachers' Association," who employ au editor, it seems that the Directors have not agreed with the editor's views, and hence he retires from the position. A lesson may be learnt from this here in Maryland, with respect to our Educational Journal. Here, unlike there, it is a private enterprise which was to liave heen under the editorial control of an association. But here, as there, the parties could not agree ! And as Dr. Nelson truly said in his introductory in the October number of this Journal : — "Even if it had been possible to make it the fully accredited organ of the State dissociation, it is doubt- ful Avhether it could have possessed the concentration, vigor and direct- ness of a private enterprise." And as the retiring editor of the Massachusetts Teacher, who is a live and progressive editor, says, he believes "there can be no real educational progress without educational freedom." Hence it follows that the correct basis for an educational journal is to have it a private enterprise under one man's control, but open, as this Journal is, to free discussion. In the words of the retiring editor of the Massachusetts Teacher : — "We look upon an educational journal as exactly adapted to the arena of fair and courteous contro- versy, where the most diverse opinions can meet and be compared, where all sides shall have a hearing, so that out of such debate the truth may emerge the stronger." Let all true friends of educational progress make a note of this, and govern themselves accordingly, by sending in subscribers (with the money) and contributions to the Maryland Educational Journal, which will appear in improved style next month. No names entered as sub- scribers unaccompanied by the cash. g^"We expect hereafter to be better prepared to do full justice to all our friends among the publishers, in the way of "Book Notices," and solicit their favors. «/? School and Family Monthly. 265 What Schools Should Be. I'f^'T is very evident to the close observer that the public mind is awaking to the realization of the important fact that there is and has been something radically wrong about schools generally. There is a want of practial adaptation to every day life. They produce poor, starveling results, because nature's laws are not followed. Bright, intelligent, active-minded children, curious about everything, eager to learn, are often made dull and indift'erent under the deadening effect of school routine. We see this idea alluded to in various educational journals — at various Teachers' Institutes and Associations, — showing a desire for improvement in our systems of teaching. Improvement must come — teaching cannot forever lag behind the wants of the age. The community are not always going to be sat- isfied with schools that bear so little fruit. Public sentiment is fast educating itself up to the point of paying well for good teaching, and of feeling very little respect for bad ; and the occupation is fast becom- ing a tempting field to real talent. Even now, the teachers generally, as a rule, and especially the younger generation of teachers, are very superior to the system that hampers them. The teachers themselves .should carry more weight — they should organize and assert their rights — and seek to emancipate ihemselves from the control of school di- rectors, or committeemen, or commissioners of other callings and profes- Nions, who know nothing of the business of teaching. Let the teachers of Maryland be consulted in the proposed or expected changes to be made in our School Law. As a sort of side issue, intimately connected with the general idea as here referred to, but one of great importance, w^e notice in a recent essay read before the alumni of the Baltimore City College by James I'rame, Esq., the necessity enjoined of teaching po?('^tca/' economy in our schools, in order to c^ualify our youth for citizenship. A very important necessity in this country, in view of the important functions which fall to the lot of every man, and the meagre preparation which most scholars receive for the performonce of those functions. Good Bo ads and Good Schools. — In Maryland, just now, the public mind is considerably exercised in regard to securing good roads and good schools — both of which are sadly needed. 266 Maryland Educational Journal. Correspondence. T. L. TO F. fT is customary wlien dliferent opinions prevail about anything, \q make up a case, so that it may all be debated in a friendly manner. In this way we made up the November article, that persons like ^2) "F." who are favorable to the present school system, its books, M> and its supervision, might have an opportunity to give us some ~^ strong arguments in its favor, and urge its continuance. We never suspected it was going to "vex" anybody, and if a few suggestions only, vex, what would a cliangc in any of the ways suggested ? It is not believed or declared by any one of the opponents of the present 'i-ational school system," that it has not done some good. — that it has not some valuable features; for the improved school buildings alone, as one of the results of the system is worthy of all praise; but the whole law was introduced and passed in a most exceptional manner 5 forced, in fact, on the people and on the Legislature, and had to be repealed, that a law may be made in accordance with the principle that the people rule. If "supervision is the life of the system," then there must be some absolute necessity for it in teaching which does not exist in other pro- fessions; and can only be explained, either that teaching is not a profes. sion, or, that the persons mostly engaged in it, are very unfit for it. and hence require a master mind to plan and to direct their operations. If we admit this, then the question arises is the present mode of super- vision sufficient ? We think not. It would require more visits to the school rooms than any one superintendent could possibly give through- out a whole county. The present plan has, of course, some uses; "air pump explanations," for instance ; but, we contend, that the expense of it is far more than its real utility. There is but one way to have good schools, and that is to have qual- ified teachers. The State has a right, when she contributes her funds, to require this by some sjstem of exaiuinations and certificates. What we need most of all, \^,fun«h; give us a plan by which, through the State, the county, and the parents, a liberal salary for the teacher, and means for the incidental expenses of the school can be realized, and we will not find the want of Superintendents, should the new law abolish them, so distressing. From the "various educational contrivances" on hand we hope, yes we are sure we will have a good system. There never was good system that somebody somewhere could not find another. Let us have friendly discussion. T- 1" ^ School and Family Monthly. 267 For the Young Folks. Jg^^'WnoM to tell about this Jourual, — KT. mi. LN, ON, m, ^EY, li, LA , JJXIJ Wil, -«.^S^ JJ, >.V^XIXJ XI*iA, XJXi, Puzzle. — The following shows what is scorned on the battle field : — '•There, now," cried a little girl, while rmnaging a drawer in a bureau, "there now, graudpa has gone to heaven without his spectacles." A Puzzler. — A little friend of ours, a few days ago, while coming- down stairs, was cautioned by his mother not to lose his balance. This (•[uestion which followed was a puzzler : "Mother, if I should lose my balance, where would it go to ?" Jg@=Solve this : If the B mt put : If the B . putting : If the grate be empty, put coal on. If the grate be full, stop putting cotil on. A lady told her little five-year old brother to "go to mother, and give her my respects, and ask her for my thimble." The little fellow being slow in returning, was asked what he was doing. " I am looking- for your respects," was his reply. A7est Virginia Normal. — The building for the West Virginia State Normal at Fairmount is progressing, and is to be the largest and most elegant in architectural style ever built in that place. CHEAr Houses. — Thousands of people in town and couutrj- would like to build tasty, yet cheap and comfortable houses if they knew how 8. T. Fowler, of Brooklyn, N. Y.. issues a manual of instruction at 40 cents for an improved method of building with concrete, which all who contemplate building should read. 268 Maryland EducationalJournal. Notices of Various Publications. Harpers' Mouthly 3Iagazine — magnificent — tlie king of magazines. Harpers' Weekly — we would think it hopeless to compete with it. Harpers' Bazar — the best weekly fashion paper published in America, The Medical Eclectic Magazine, by Dr. Buchanan, Philadelphia — good, American Artizan — an invaluable companion to all practical men. 3Iasonlc Review, Balto. — We wish the craft plenty of esprit (hi corpt^. Phrenological Journal — one of the most liberal and readable published. The New Eclectic Magazine, has moved from Richmond to Baltimore. American Agriculturist, N. Y.,a superior and superbly illustrated paper. Family Treasure, Cincinnati — an excellent family magazine. Riverside Magazine, N. Y. — a splendid and sprightly illustrated paper. Demorest's Fashion Magazine and Young America are superb. Daughaday's School Visitor, Phila. — very fine and pushing with energy. People's W^eekly, Balto. — Devoted to literature, news and odd-fellowship. Little Corporal, Chicago — Alive and kicking as ever, won't be outdone. Southern Boys and Girls, Monthly, Richmond, has been improved. Student and Schoolmate, Boston — our favorite among the juveniles. Our Young Folks, Boston, is amongst the most attractive for the young. Little Chief, Indianapolis, shows the Hoosier State to be up to time. Mother's Journal, Chicago, deserves a much njore extended circulation. The Nursery, Boston, is the only thing of the kind published in America. American Naturalist, Salem, Mass., issued in supeior style, and is good. The Post is a new daily penny paper in Baltimore, and is very clever. Littell's Living Age, Boston, still holds a high place amongst its rivals. Sunday School Teacher, Chicago, is a monthly magazine of merit. Sunday School Times, Philadelphia, is a weekly paper of talent. 3Lissachusetts Teacher is the model school journal. JMichigan Teacher is rather superior to its model; now in its third year. Illinois Teacher is one of the very best. Minnesota Teacher, shows that the people of this new State are awake. N. Y. Teacher and American Educational Monthly promises success. Ohio Educational Monthly is an excellent school journal. Pennsylvania School Journal, Lancaster, appears to be improving. Pennsylvania Educator, Williamsport, can only be improved in dress. The New Eclectic, Baltimore, sliould have the support of Marylanders. Scott's Journal of Information, N. Y., is a grand advertising dodge. Rural Gentleman and the American Farmer, Balto., are good journals. ''The U. S. Mail" is a valuable postal paper, $1 a year. New York. A School and Family Monthly, 269 Local School Intelligence. City Superintendent. — Wm. R. Creery, Esq., has been chosen Superintendent of the Baltimore city public schools. An excellent appointment. Somerset County. — Henry A. White, Esq., President of Somer- set County Board, in his excellent second annual Report, which we regret we have not space to print entire, says of the present school system as follows : — While my official connection with the present system, as a wliole, has convinced me that it is equal to that of any other State — it has not failed to convince me also, that it should be amended in many of its details. We would have the system amended, but not destroyed — amended by retaining its good features, and rejecting the bad — so amended, that it will possess all its present advantages, W'thout its disadvantages. Let this be done, from time to time, as experience may dictate, and in the process of time we shall have a system as perfect as human legislation can make it. Allegany County. — At the recent meeting of the county teacher's Institute or Association for this county abundant evidence was given that, as a class, the teachers of Allegany county are not second to those of any other county in the State, and that in the person of James M. SiiOBER Esq., they have an efficient and popular county Superintend- ent. We can add our testimony to that of others by saying that during our official intercourse we have ever found President Shober courteous, wide awake and fully absorbed in the business of his office and devoted to the educational interests of the county. Prince George's. — In upper ^Marlboro' a gentleman has presented to the Female Public School of that town a donation of upwards of a 100 volumes of books, — -an example worthy of imitation. " Harpers' School and Family Slate Card. " — These cards conveniently attached to a slate, ingeniously ruled for the purpose, are valuable aids in helping the tyro to learn to write and draw, and should be generally introduced. "A Text Book of Ethics," for Union schools and Bible classes by Joseph Alden, D. D., LL. D — A. S. Barnes & Co. The importance of moral culture in schools cannot be over estimated, and this book will be a valued aid in this deparment. 270 Maryland Educational Journal. Dialogue fijjy ETWEEN a friend of this Journal, and one of the many good jpj School men and pretended friends of a State Educational yZ^^ Journal who have stood aloof (instead of subscribing and i^^^ helping on) so that they might have to say in their prophetic Q^ vrisdom, '• Aha !" Talking of this Journal : A. — ''That editor is bound to cheat his subscribers." B. — " No. Zevely happens to be an honest man." A. — " If that be the case, and he is really honest, he is bound to go up the spout ; there is no alternative." The above is a true and veritable conversation that occurred some months since; and we would respectfully ask, if even the Journal were to suspend, (as above intimated) who would be the most cheated party? Certainly not those subscribers who have failed to pay their dues! Neither those who have not subscribed at all ! Many who called themselves good school men in Maryland, and who pretended to want to see a school journal published, acted towards this from the first as if it was bound to fail, and therefore they refused to help it along! instead of combining together in its support and thus' securing success. But this Journal is not dead yet — it "still lives," and Zevely does not expect to "cheat" anybody — he rather expects to be cheated I "Public Instruction." — We have'received a very w^ll and temper- ately written article from Bev. Samuel K. Stewart, President of the Worcester county school Board, in reply to the article under the above head in the November number signed "T. Lj" which we will publish as soon as we can find room for it — as it covers nine closely written page.« MSS. This is the only communication per contra received by us for publication, though we have received a few testj private notes on the subject, in very bad taste. "Elementary Arithmetic for the Slate," in which methods and rules are based upon principles established by induction, by John H. French, LL. D., is put out in the Harpers' usual attractive style — 220 pps. The series consists of five books : First Lessons, Elementary, Mental, Common School, and Academic arithmetic. ^ School and Family Monthly. 271 An Oasis. — {The Dawn ?) — as reported to us by Robt. F. Dodson, Esq., Secretary, at a meeting of the Teachers' Association of the third School district of Anne Arundel county, in Anapalis, recently, a Reso- lution commendatory of this Journal was unanimously passed. We make our most profound salaam for this, and ask others to do likewise. JS^^'We also chronicle with pleasure the fact that latterly we have been cheered with other tokens of appreciation. "The best Paper in the World," is the title which certain pub- lications arrogate to themselves; but we opine that the question as to which is really "the best paper in the world" is still an open one — quite as much so as which is the icorst, though we have never yet seen any paper that was not worth its subscription price. "ScoTTs' Journal of useful Information for the People," is a beautifully printed pamphlet of 50 pages to be issued quarterly at $1 per annum. The first number is before us and is worth a quarter — containing a variety of valuable information. "The Rural West Virginian & Monthly Journal," is a six- teen page pamphlet to be issued at New Creek, W. Va., at $1 per annum by Messrs. Gosorn, devoted to the Educational and Agricultural interests of West Virginia. Success to it. Query. — Why was the resolution referring to the Maryland Educa- tional Journal passed at the late meeting of the School Commissioners in Baltimore suppressed in the published proceedings of that conven- tion ? Apparent — at Last ! — At the recent farewell meeting of the State School Commissioners in Baltimore, one thing was evidently apparent in the remarks made, that the present school system is not perfection, as has heretofore been assumed b? certain ones ! B@°°The irreducable school fund of the State of West Virginia is stated to be §175,000, and annually increasing — of which the interest alone can be used for school purposes. S^^'There is to be a college for freedmen at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. 272 Maryland Educational Journal. Dignity. IKE the doctors, preachers, and other professional men who carry canes — gold, silver or ivory-headed, or the plain shep- herd's crook, as they happen to have means or liberal friends — to add to their dignity^ the so-called Educational or School Journals of our land seem to stand much upon that scholastic dignity which is thought to comport best with a literary character. The consequence is, their contents are usually heavy, dry and uninteresting to the general reader; and consequently, also, they address themselves for patronage solely to teachers as such, who for the most part are so poorly paid that they cannot afford to pay for many such journals. This of course restricts their circulation, and every way cripples such publications. Whereas if they were to present a greater variety, by enlarging their views of " Education," it might be better not only for themselves, but also for the people, who would thus be induced to be informed upon matters now quite a sealed book to them : — the labors, difficulties, trials, disappointments, the joys and sorrows, the lights and shades of a teacher's life. As the world goes, many things highly useful to all must still be like pills, "sugar-coated" or gilded to induce the people to "take" them. There ought to be a closer bond of union and sympathy between parent and teacher, and the reading of such a journal would promote this. Three Hints about Schools. The appearance of a large school is astonishingly satisfactory if it be Tery still. Visitors praise the quiet school. But teachers know that folded arms compress the chest, and tip-toe steps are very awkward, and quiet idleness is stupid. Hence no teacher should allow himself to spend time and strength upon perfecting a faultless school. Examinations and public exhibitions redound very much to the credit of a school. They catch the eye and ear of a careless public. But every teacher knows their cost. They cost more than they come to, if the welfare of the scholar be the paramount consideration. The benefit which a scholar gains from study at school is of two kinds : — 1st, discipline and strength of mind, and 2nd, valuable prepa- ration for a life of labor. Thus algebra is much studied, but it gives no preparation for life or labor, because no one uses algebraic notation in any of the common labors of life. Not so with geometry. THE ECLECTIC MEDICAL JOIIML,, , of Pennsylvania, published monthly, contains forty-eight pages of original matter. Price $1 per annum. The contents are suited to the masses. Pre- niium engravings valued at $2 given to all subscribers. Specimen copie.i free. Please address JOHN BUCHANAN 337 North 11th street, Philadelphia, Pa. ANNOUNCEMENT. After much delay and many disappointments, the Publishers are happy to announce that they are now able to furnish in their best style of manufac- tare, New Dlffsreitial aii IiitBiral Galciiliis. E'lital hy I. F. Qumhy. A. 31., L. L. D. Single copiea sent hi/ mail, prepaid, for cxaminalion, wilh reference /» i.itrodiictio/i, on receipt of $2- oO. A first snjiphf fianif'/ied for introdnctioyi, h>/ Express, freiffhi paid hy Uie '•■HrvkaHer, at $2.50, less Jive p/vr cent. cash. The design has been to prepare a Text Book adapted for use in the High Schools and Colleges of the country — TJiorouffh aiitt Coniprehtnsive in its t'ltaracter^ and while it does not cover the whole ground of this branch of Mathematics, yet so far as the subject is treated, it is PROORKHSIYK AKO COMPI^KT3S. and it is confidently believed that in literary and scientific merit the work will inore than justify the expectations of those who have waited long and patiently for it. The Keij to the above is in preparation, and will be ready in March, 1868. Address the publishers, Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman & Co., 47 null 49 Grerne Slrfet, ^>V»r J'ovh. ilioMl Jomft Ih SCHOOL mo F^IVIILT MOMTIriLfi BY IJ. S. ZEVELY, liultimoie ; $ l.r»0 a Yeirr. The publisher of this Journal has concluded to make the '■ Family'' de- jutrtment more promineut, and its pages will hereafter be illustrated with fr-ngraviiigs. Several distinct departments will be maintained, and distinctly marked with sijf>arate headings : — one will be devoted strict]}' to School matters — another to Literature — another to the Fine Arts — another to the Fashions for the ladies — another to Fun and Fancy — another for the Little Folks — while also there will be an /'Jditoriul head for familiar chit chat with the reader, and to promote mutual acquaintance. |I^°"No publication of the kind now in Maryland or elsewhere. Now is the time to subscribe. Money remitted by mail at publisher's lisk. (ireat inducements to agents and liberal deduction to clubs. Original articles of an interesting character from prominent writers. . j8'#'°Specimen copies sent free to all who will act as agents. THE NORWICH SONG ROLL. PATENTED BY H. V, EDMOND. The Norwicii Song Roll is a recent invention, designed primarily to increase the interest and improve the singing in the Sabbath School ; it can, however, be used with equal advantage in the Day School and Lecture Room. By the Song Roll scholars are trained to sing in a posture most favorable for tlie voice, the eye« of all being concen- trated upon a common object. With the aid of the Stencil plates any hymn or song can be readily printed, so that a school can be fu)"nished with new pieces without the expense of ncAv books. The Roll itself is an ornament no less than a convenience wherever set up, and being on castors can be easily moved. PRICES — No. 1. Mammoth size, easily read at a distance of 90 or 100 feet, 10 feet high by 5 feet Avide, each $45. It includes 50 yards of paper 56 indies wide, a set of sten- cil plates with capital and small inch and a 1ialf letters, and two cups of colored paste, sponge & brush, with two hymns as starters. No. 2 — Common size, easily read at a distance of GO feet. Nine and a half feet high, by 4 feet 8 in. wide, each |35. - - This includes everything as above, with paper 48 inch wide, jmd Stencils one a quarter inch letters. No. 3 — Small size, for infant classes, 6 feet high by 3 ft. wide, each |25. This includes 25 yards paper of 30 inches, stencils of 1 inch letters and the rest as above. Boxing, each $1,50 to $2. Address AUG. 0. VAN LENNEP, General Agent, 54 Cedar street. New York. Cumherland, Md., Weekly Papers. Civilian and Telegraph, by AVm. H. Lowdermilk, $2 per annum — Republican. Cumberland Union, by Mattingly & Steiner, $2 per an- num — Republican . Democratic Alleganian, by W. E. Weber, $2 per annum — Conservative. 0) O O u2 i ^ O 00 CO d o 00 CO P Q !^ o pq c5 r— .' S-l Ph O r/3 W O o s 1^1 O rr' — H C^T ,-> *^^ -J J— j o r^ CS ■- ^-fJ >-j^ c X? FOR SALE. A complete STEREOPTICOX, or Dissolving View apparatus, with gas fixtures, a variety of sliders, etc., all in good order and nearly new — will be sold cheap. Address the publisher of this Journal for particulars. A NEW BOOK ! —Everybody should read H. M. CRIDER'8 Hiimoroiis Poem on Schoolmasters. 8ent by mail, on receipt of 75 cents. Address Kephart, Crider & Bro., York, Pa. Are unsurpassed for Completeness, SimpUcity and Econointj. These School Eecords are the result of practical exi)eri- ence as a Teacher and Superintendent. They are specially designed for the use of Teachers who prefer to avoid the ex- pense and inconvenience of more than one hook, and yet desire to keep a complete record of each pupil. Universal Records for Pupils, 24 pages, style 1* % 08 Universal Records for Pupils, 24 pages, style 2 10 Universal Records for Teachers, 48 pgs folio thin sides I 00 Universal Records do. 192 pgs foli*^, heavy sides 3 50 Universal Records for Professors, 48 pgs folio thin sides 1 00 Universal Records do. 192 pgs folio, heavy sides ?> 50 Universal Records for Superintendents 144 p cap heavy 1 25 Universal Records do. 288 p cap, cloth sides 2 2v5 Universal Records for Examiners 48 p folio, heavy sides 1 75 Universal Records for do. 48 pages folio cloth sides 2 50 Blank Certificates of promotion per thousand 3 50 Blank Reports to Parents , per thousand 3 50 I'lank Reports to Superintendents, per liundred 2 25 '"''Has si»aces for punctuality, attendance, deportment, and recitation. No. 2 has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment and five separate recitations. Anv of the above sent prepaid on receipt of retail price. HAMILTON S. McRAE, Muack, Ind. Or Ben Franklin Book and Printiug Co., Indianapolis. ( )n receipt of t>5 cts I will send by mail ]n-epaid a specimen copy of either the teachers' (,>r ])rofessors" record><. n. s. m. THE^URAL QBiNi TLEMAN, A JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, RURAL ECONOMY, ot.. I'uhlished on tlie First of each month, by J. B. Robinson ^- Co., No. 2. North Entaw street, Baltimore, Assisted by a. corps of able contributors. ^1 a year in advance. HARPER & BROTHERSj Publishers, New York City. The Objects aimed at in their Compilation. The leading objects aimed at in the i^reparation of the School and Family Series of Eeaders have been, 1st. To prepare a Series that shall furnish all possible means which books can afford for cor- rect and successful instruction in the "art of reading," and, especially, for the formation of cor- rect HABITS of reading at the very beginning of the pupil's course. Connected with these objects, the plan of the lessons in the early Keaders involves, more than in any other series, the constant cultivation of the perceptive faculties, as being those which are first and prominently called into exercise in the Natural Order of Development. For the manner in which these important ends are sought to be attained in the early Keaders, see the following six pages. 2d. To impart, as far as may be consistent with giving prominence to the rhetoric of reading, as great an amount and variety of interesting and useful information as possible. To this end the author has aimed to popularize, to the capacities of children, many of the Higher English Branches of study, especially the Natural Sciences and the Departments of Animal Life; and. in order to impart interest and give variety to these subjects, he has sought to throw around them all the charms which poetry, and vivid description, and incident, and anecdote, and the best illustrations can lend. This plan, which is fully carried out in the Higher Keaders, aims at Important Educational Results, far beyond the design of ordinary reading-books. We ask the attention of all who are interested in the subject of Popular Education — as all should be — to the following considerations : It is well known that it is utterly impossible to introduce at all, as subjects of study and reci- tation, into our Common or Public Schools, or, to any great extent, into our Academies and Sem- inaries, what are usually called the Higher English Branches of study, such as Human Physiolo- gy and Health, Ancient and Modern History, Natui'al Philosophy, and the various Departments of Natural History and Natural Science, including such subjects as Animal and Vegetable Life, Agricultural Chemistry, Physical Geogi-aphy, Geology, Astronomy, Moral and Intellectual Phi- losophy, etc. ; and yet all of these subjects contain many things of great utility which children can understand, and which they will be deeply intei"ested in, if presented in a proper manner. jiU of these subjects, indeed, treat of matters of every-day life which are constantly falling under tfic observation of children, such as their own bodies, their curious structure, and their conditions of health and disease ; the jDlants and flowers which they meet with by the way-side ; the pebbles which they gather from the brook ; the animals they see ; the birds to whose music they listen ; the insects whose curious forms and habits they notice ; even the stars which they gaze at with childish wonder ; the actions of their OAvn minds ; and the questions of right and duty which even children are daily discussing. Although it has long been customary to cloak all these com- mon things under the garb of " Science," and debar a knowledge of them from all but the favor- ed, liberally educated /ez«, yet these are the very subjects which all ought to have, and may easily have, some knowledge of: they are subjects which every intelligent parent who does his duty fre- quently talks about to his children, and some familiarity with which forms one of the marked dis- tinctions between the children of intelligent and those of ignorant families. If we would make our schools real nurseries of intelligence, we inust make them conform more to the chai-acter of intelligent families ; and if we would impart some knowledge of the subjects here referred to — if we would open their beauties and treasures to all the children in our schools and instruct the teachers in them also, and thereby incite to a more liberal and far more extend- ed mental culture, it must be done through the medium of the reading-hooks, which all use. There is no other possible way of attaining the object in view ; and if the reading-books can be made to subserve this end, while they fully answer their own legitimate purposes, they will pos- sess thereDy a double utility. Can any reading-books be made to seciire this two-fold object — a complete adaptation to reading purposes, and instruction ? Do Willson's Keaders accomplish the desired results ? That they do, the testimony which we offer in these pages seems to us full and satisfactory ; but if any additional testimony is required, send for our Educational Pamhpi,etS which contain numerous additional and far more extended notices and testimonials. JTarper'^s School and Family State Adoptions of Willson's Readers. The State of Indiana, by the action of her State Board of Edncation, officially adopted WiUson'a Headers iu Marcli, 1SG3. The Board ^'"'■riie books and charts of the School and Family Series, by Marcius Willson, and published by liarper & Broth- el's, are decided improvements in the line of_ Educational Agencies. They are new in plan, and new iu the appli- cation of Natural Principles to the art of instruction ; and they differ widely from all other Charts and Readers in 11S3 in our schools. But new though they are, they have been fairly and extensively tested in a large number of the best-conducted schools of the country mth highly sat- isfactory results. The lessons which the Readers contain are chosen with great discrimination and good taste, and they present a wide range and great variety of literary, scientific, and miscellaneous ma'tter. The several books of the series are not only appropriately graded and happily adapted to the progress of the pupil in the art of reading, but they intro- duce to him the Natural Sciences in so elementary and pleasing a way, that their principles, many of their details, and a tolerable knowledge of their application to the af- fairs of life, are acquired while learning to read. The wanner in which the whole is presented is as interesting as the matter is instructive and profitable. — Samuel L. RcGG, Superintendent of Public Instrriction and Presi- dent of the Board. From Hon. G. "W. Hoss, iyrexent State Superintendent of Public Instniclion, Indiana. AVillson's Readers are remarkable books. They raisea most important educational problem, namely, Can skill in reading and knowledge in the physical sciences be suc- cassfuUy acquired at the same timt> ? If pi'actico sliall answer this affirmatively, these books, iu my judgment, stand without a rival. The State of Kansas cfiicially adopted Willson's Reai'ers in May, 1S62. From the first subsequent Report of the State Superin- tendent, Hon. Isaac T. Goodnow, M-e extract the following : Willson's Readers have been substituted for M'Guffey's. This is a change eminentl3' fit to be made. The series stands head and shoulders above all others. To examine these Readers is to be convinced. While they possess all the excellences of other Readers, they contain, in the most attractive form, a synopsis of Literature and Science, illustrated in Harper's best style •with beautiful engravings, which present to the eye, on the Object System, the subjects of the lessons. The Natural Sciences, divested of technicalities, enlivened by incident and anecdote, and adorned by poetic selections, are liere presented in a new and attractive light. From the Seco7ul Rejiort of Mr. Goodmow. Never has a change met with a more hearty approval. A Spartan king, when asked what a child should be taught, answered, " What he needs to know when he becomes a man." Willson's Readers are an embodiment of this idea. Considering the amount of reading-matter, illustrations, paper, and style of binding, they are the cheapest Readers e.vtant. The State of California also adopted Willson's Readers in 1SG3. Extract from the jntblished Report o/IIon. John Swett, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of California., lS6i. Willson's Readers, Chakts, and Spellers. No other books adopted are destined to work so radical a change for the better, in methods of instruction, as Will- eon's Readers. They are in reality a series of elementary books on Object Teaching or on Common Things. No oth- er books were ever hailed by children with such delight. They fill a great want hitherto existing in our public- school education. While our scholars have been crammed to repletion with rules of arithmetic, rules for parsing, and lists of names in geography, the whole natural world has been to them comparatively a sealed volume. They have gone from school ignorant of physiology and hygiene ; ig- norant of botany; ignorant of the wonders of the vegeta- ble world ; ignorant of the animals by which they are "uiTonnded ; ignorant of birds, fishes, minerals — mere ba- bies, in fact, in all which it concerns them most to know. onUga f'lcnUip.j. rmhrarin.'T sensation, nercen- tion, attention, and observation, have never been system- atically trained. The expressive faculties, comprising feeling, affection, emotion, passion, imagination, fancy, association, imitation, and description, have been left to their own unaided development, or sutfered to remain ut- terly dormant. The reiiective faculties, whose proper sphere it is to be called into play when facts have boLU ac- cumulated by other faculties, have been ridden to death on the hobby of arithmetic, as if children were only cal- culating machines, and were capable of comprehending only mathematical abstractions. Willson's Readers con- tain tlie elements of Natural History, Natural Philosophy, Physiology and Hygiene, Chemistry and Slineralogy; birds, beasts, flowers, insects, reptiles, minerals, aud veg- etables are talked about in a familiar way; and all hand- somely illustrated. They arc., in mi/ opinio7}, the most valuable books that can be placed in the hands of our school-children. The illustrations in the Readers are ex- quisite. No other school-books have ever been published which can compare with them in this respect. Veiy few of the larger and more costly scientific books arc so fully and elegantly illustrated. An objection has been urged by some martinets in elocution that they contain ton few declamatory and rhetorical selections. It is one of the chief merits of the books that the stereotype speeches and st.igo extracts which have gained a residence in all School Readers since the days of the old " English Reader" have been superseded by sensible reading, capable of being un- derstood by children. From the more recent Report o/Mr. S\\tltt, aspvUlished in the California Teacher of Jamiari)., 1S65. Willson's Readers and Spellers have stood the test of the school-room, and have exceeded the most sanguine ex- pectations of those who favored their adoption. A great majority of the teachers are fully satisfied that Willson's Readers make a new era iu common-school instruction. By the children, whose keen perceptions, unbiased by prejudices, often lead to the veiy best conclusions, these Readers have been hailed with universal delight. The State Board of Education of California have re- cently READOPinm ir;7?.s-o)i's Readers for a period of four years from Dec. S, 1SG6. The State of Maryland adopted Willson's Readers in 1SC5. Fi-om Hon. L. Van Eokkelen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction., Maryland. During my visits to schools, and in conference with School Commissioners, I have carefully inquired concern- ing these Readere, and find them acceptable both to teach- ers, parents, and pupils. My apprehension lest they should prove better adapted for teaching Natural History than for elocutionaiy read- ing has been removed, and it gives me pleasure to say that I am convinced that, while making good elocution- ists, valuable information is imparted to the children by the use of this Series. The larger proportion of Public School pupils do not at- tend long enough to pursue the several branches of Nat- ural Science as "distinct subjects of study. To such Will- son's Readei-s are invaluable, and help to develop the in- telligence of our children to a degree not only gratifying, but astonishing. Reading-lessons are now among the most interesting and instructive school exercises. Under the guidance of a qualified teacher, they become suggestive of topics of thought and discussion which furnish themes for conversation at home as well as at school. The Readers are extensively used in the families of the state, having a charm for mature minds, recalling most pleasantly interesting facts and principles. By the addition of the Third and Fourth Intermediate, sufficient emotional reading is supplied to satisfy those who desire an increased number of such exercises. I most cheerfully recommend the Willson's Series not only for public and private schools, but for use in every family. Utah adopted AVillsoa's Readers in 1S64. The State of Nevada adoDtcd Willson's Readers in ISGG. SUCCESS OF WILLSON'S READERS. TESTIMONY FROM MARYLAND. OCTOBEE, 1867. Willson's Headers were adopted by the State Board of Maryland in 180^. The following cor- respondence with the State Superintendent of rublic Instruction of Maryland and the super- intendent of schools in Baltimore City shows conclusively that they have proved a complete success : Letter from Haepee & Beothees to Eev. L. Van Bok- KELBS, D.D. " October 10, 18GT. " Rev. L. Van Bokkelen, State Superintendent : "Deae Sie, — We have had our attention called to a circular headed ' Willson's Readers a failure — tried and found wanting,' purporting to represent the result of their use in your state since their adoption by the State Board of Education. "May we ask whether you have on file in your office any expression from the school trustees or the teachers of the state that would indicate their opinion of said Readers ? If so, we would consider it a great favor to receive copies of the same, or their purport, as we can not believe that they will justify any such circular as the one referred to. "An early answer will oblige Yours truly, Haepee & Beotuees." To which Superintendent Van Bokkelen re- plies as follows : ^^ Slate of Maryland, Dept. of Public Instniction,\ SiqierintemlenCs OJjice, Baltimore^ Oct. 1867. / "Messrs. Haepee T>S, Principal of Gram- mar School No. 33. I have used Willson's Second and Third Eeaders in my school during the past three years, and agree with the above in every re- spect. From Mart A. Simms, Prin. of Fern. Dept. of Grammar School No. 11. I have used Willson's Third Eeader in my school for the last two years, and take great pleasure in endorsing the foregoing. From J. Elias Whitehead, Prin. of Gi-ammar School No. 38, 3Imj 30, 1865. We have used Willson's Eeaders in three classes of this school, and bear willing testi- mony to their excellencies as reading-books. I am free to say that they contain a great amount of useful information not generally found in reading -books, and that they have devel- oped, to a very great extent, the elocutionary From Mart A. Downs, Prin. of Fein. Dept. of Grammar School No. 38. Having used the books in this Department, I can heartily endorse the above. Mart A. Downs. From N. P. Beers, Prin. of Grammar School No. 15, Maij 20, 1865. The classes in which Willson's Eeaders are used in my school compare most favorably, as regards style and elocution, with those classes using other Eeaders. I have been induced, after two years' trial of Willson's Third Eeader, to introduce his Fourth Eeader ; and I am confident the pupils will exhibit no falling off in the style of their reading, while at the same time they are becom- ing familiar with some of the most important facts of physical science. From A. F. Gallagher, Prin. of Grammar School No. 31, May, 1865. I have used, and continue to use, Willson's Fourth and Fifth Eeaders, and consider them worthy of general adoption in our Public Schools. From Alon. Hopper, Prin. of Grammar School No. 11, May 17, 1865. I am now using in this school Nos. 3 and 5 of Willson's Eeaders. In so far as they contain scientific subject-matter they are the best read- ing-books, on the best jilan, that I have ever seen. The educational demands of this age are sci- entific, and these books meet the wants of our time fully in this respect. They are compiled on the infallibly true principle of popular edu- cation — that the most appropriate branches of study are those which fill the mind with useful facts while they fully develop the thinking fac- ulty. Willson's Eeaders present the facts in such a manner that they are easily understood, and so that they will be interesting to the pupil in spite of the stupidity or indifference of an in- competent teacher. What a child can under- stand he can be taught to read with spirit and correctness ; what he can not understand he may be taught to repeat, but not to i-ead. Standard Text-Boohs. The miscellaneous lessons are well chosen, and aiFord abundant material for the cultivation of rhetorical and elocutionary reading. With these hooks an energetic, intelligent, and con- scientious teacher can make as spirited, stylish, and "beautiful" readers as with any other books that I know of; and, what is a higher and bet- ter result, they will be something more than ' ' readers" when it is done. From John W. Botce, Prin. of Grammar School No. 37, May 19, 1865. I have used Willson's Headers in the different classes in my school with the most gratifying results. The beautiful pictures, scientific illustrations, pleasant stories, and agreeable anecdotes, with which the whole series abounds, commend them alike to parents and pupils. They are, in my opinion, the only series of Readers I have seen possessing originality enough to redeem them from oblivion. From H. A. Duncan, Prin. Fern. Dep. Grammar School No. 37. I have used Willson's Fourth and Fifth Read- ers in classes with entire satisfaction. From Stl. G. Penfield, Prin. of Grammar School No. 8, Ma2/ 17, 1865. I have used Willson's Third and Fourth Read- ers in my school for the past four years. I am pleased to say that the scholars, while acquiring the very valuable scientific information contain- ed in them, have also shown great improvement in reading and elocution. At the successive examinations made by the City Superintendent and his Assistants, the class- es using Willson's Readers have exhibited as great proficiency in elocutionary reading as those using any other Readers. I am satisfied that whenever fairly tested Will- son's Readers will always prove a success. From Arthur Mdrpht, P)-in. of Grammar School No. 16, Maij 19, 1865. Willson's Readers have been used in this school for nearly two years, with more than or- dinary success. In the amusement and instruc- tion afforded to children no other series can compare with them. I have used nearly all the prominent " Read- ers" now in tlae market, and have had at least as good success in teaching elocution with Will- son's Readers as with the books of any other compiler. The best reading-class in this school was trained in Willson's Fourth Reader. From La Fayette Olnet, Prin. of Grammar School No. 14, May 17, 1865. Willson's Third Reader has been used as a text-book in one of the classes of the school un- der my charge. Such is the interesting character of the mat- ter it contains, and the variety of reading it em- braces, that it attracts and secures the attention of the pupils, and produces the most satisfactory results. As a proof of this, and as an evidence of the merit of the book, I deem it justly due to state that this class showed a greater proficiency than any other class in the Department in Reading, Spelling, and Definitions, and obtained the high- est mark in the same at the recent examination by the Assistant Superintendent. From H. Willia-mson, Prin. of Male Dep. of Grammar School No. 53, May 26, 1865. Willson's Third Reader has been used for the last twelve months in one class of this Depart- ment, and with results so very satisfactory that I shall introduce the other numbers of the series as soon as practicable. At our recent annual examination the class in which it was used excelled in reading. The introduction of historic and scientific matter, with illustrations, is a distinctive feat- ure in Willson's Readers, and one which makes them particularly attractive and interesting to the pupil, and which must commend them to the intelligent teacher. I am of the opinion that the reading-books heretofore in general use contained too much oratorical matter, to the exclusion of that which is didactic and instructive. From John D. Robinson, Prin. of Grammar School No. 17, May 18, 1865. It gives me great pleasure, after using Will- son's Third Reader in my school for several months, to testify to its excellence. Its fine selections of interesting and instruct- ive reading matter, and the variety of style, render it a valuable auxiliary to the teacher in making good readers. I cheerfully commend it to my fellow-teachers. From G. B. Hendrickson, Vice-Pnn. of Gram- mar School No. 8, and late Hector of St. John's School, Trinity CJiurch, N. Y., June 2, 1865. I have used Willson's Series with the most gratifying success. Elocutionary reading is a specialty in my school ; and for making natu- ral, fluent, correct, and accomplished readers, I prefer Willson's to any other reading-books ex- Harper's School and Family Series of Standard Text-Boohs. tant. While the early books are very happy in their adaptation to the wants of beginners, the "miscellaneous" selections throughout the whole series exhibit so much taste and judgment, are so versatile and comprehensive, and at the same time have so much point, that nothing better can be desired for reading purposes. Of the " elocutionary parts" in the several books there is just enough, and not too much. Most of the Eeaders formerly in use here were filled with a vast amount of fragmentary matter, not one quarter of which was ever used by any teacher of my acquaintance for the purpose oi finished drill. Of the scientific portions embraced in the higher numbers of the series I can speak only in terms of the highest praise. Indeed, the use of these Eeaders has awakened in my pupils such an enthusiasm for the different branches of Natural Science that the Trustees of the school have kindly given me permission to take my boys on a scientific excursion once a month, for the purpose of obtaining Botanical, Geolog- ical, and other specimens for our cabinet of Natural History. It is most gratifying to me to witness not only the pleasure the pupils take in these excursions, but the eagerness with which they study the leaves, flowers, pebbles, shells, fossils, &c., which fiiU under their no- tice, and the very considerable knowledge they have already acquired of some of the branches of Natural Science. Simple justice obliges me to say that it is the use of Willson's Keadera alone that has made these excursions either profitable or possible. In conclusion I would say, that a fair and full trial of Willson's Series has convinced me that by their use my pupils will become not only far more intelligent, but better readers also, than by the use of any other series with which I am acquainted. Additional Testimony from New York City. You have happily supplied just what we want in all our public and private schools, and in ev- ery family — sensible, interesting, beautiful, and, at the same time, highly instructive and pro- gressive Eeaders. You have succeeded most admirably in presenting the truths of Natural History and Physical Science in a manner so plain, simple, and attractive that the young stu- dent can as easily comprehend them as the ad- vanced scholar. — H. M. Pierce, Prin. of Rut- gers Institute, New York City. In my estimation no school-books of the kind have ever before been given to the American pub- lic that can compare with them, either in typo- gi'aphical execution and artistic skill, method- ical arrangement, simplicity and pmity of style, or clearness of explanation. A correct style of reading is secured, and throughout the inter- esting and the beautiful are happily blended. — Prof. DocHAETT, New York Free Academy. While these books systematically and truth- fully develop and apply the essential principles of good reading, they contain a diversified fund of the most useful knowledge, presented in style and dress so attractive as irresistibly to win and captivate the young. Though notices of school-books are too often written without serious thought or due care for results, I have yet to see an overwrought com- mendation of this series, or one that equals my conception of their merits. — Eev. D. C. Van Norman, LL.D., Prin. of the Van Norman In- stitute, New York City. An intelligent community will appreciate their value ; but their reforming, moral, and purify- ing influence is their crowning excellence, which commends them to the heart and conscience of every one. — Solomon Jennek, Prin. of Hemy Street School. The use of the complete series of Willson's Eeaders, faithfully, according to the plan of the author, can hardly fail to give the pupils an amount of useful knowledge and intellectual and moral cultivation which has never been ex- pected, much less realized, from a series of reading-books. They are the more acceptable to me because I have always been of the opinion that our Common School education is weakest in those points in which these books are stron- gest — that is, the elementaiy, scientific knowl- edge of objects and their characteristic qualities • — those objects which pass imder the observa- tion of children in their daily labors, studies, and amusements. — Hon. Erastus C. Bene- dict, Member of the Com. on Text-hooks of the New York City Public Schools. PUBLISHED BY HAEPER & BROTHEKS, FEANKLIN SQUAKE, NEW YOSK Headers^ Spelters, and Primer. Testimonials as to the Elocutionary Merits of Willson's Readers. The objection is frequently raised by those not familiar with the books of this Series that thev do not contain sufficient material for the cultivation of elocutionary reading. To proA^e that this supposition is erroneous, we subjoin the following testimony : From, the Report of Mr. Swett, as published in the Cali- fornia Teacher of January^ 1S65. TVillson's Eeaders and Spellers have stood the test of the school-room, and have exceeded the mo.^t sanguine expectations of those who favored their adoption. From Samttel L. Eugg, Superintendent of Public In- struction in Indiana and President of the Board. The several hooks of the Series are not only appropri- ately graded and happily adapted to the progress of the p-.ipil in the art of reading, but they introduce to him the Natural Sciences in so etementary and pleasing a way that their principles, many of their details, and a tolera- ble knowledge of their application to the affairs of life, are acquired while learning to read. The manner in which the whole is presented is as interesting as the matter is instructive and profitable. From the Second Reijort of Siipt. Goodnow, Kansas. Never has a change met with a more hearty approval. A Spartan king, when asked what a child should be taught, answered, '■• What he needs to know wlien he becomes a man." Willson's Readers are an embodiment of this idea. Considering the amount of reading-matter, illustrations, paper, and style of binding, they are the cheapest Readers extant. From Hon. L. Van Bokkelen, Slate Superintendent of Public Instruction-, Maryland. My apprehension lest they should prove better adapted for teaching Natural History than for elocutionary read- ing has been removed, and it gives me pleasure to say that I am convinced that, while making good elocution- ists, valuable information is imparted tc/ the children by the use of this Series. Willson's Readers were adapted for use in the Public Schools of New York City in November, ISGO. The school system of New York City presents peculiar advantages for testing the comparative merits of Read- ing-Books, inasmuch as the teacher is allowed to select from nine different series, and the Superintendents annu- ally examine every class, and mark its comparative de- ficiency. The following question was submitted to the Superin- tendents : " In the examination of the schools under your super- intendence, in which there are so many series of Readers in use, have you discovered any comparative deficiency in elocutionary reading in those schools or classes where Willson's Readers are used?" To which Superintendent Randall replies, under date of April 26, 1865: " In reply to your inquiry, I have to state that in the examination of the scholars under my charge, among the great variety of Readers in use, / Imve never disconered any comparative deficiency in elocutionary reading in those schools or classes where Willson's Readers are used.'" Xt. Kiddle replies, under date of AprU 22, 1S65: "I would state that the undersigned has not noticed any comparative deficiency in elocution or reading in the numerous classes which are now instructed by means of the Readers to which you refer. " On the contrary, I liave uniformly found these classes as expert and proficient in the art as any I am required to examine." Mr. Jones replies to the same effect, April 24, 1S35. The following are the expressions of a few of the best teachers in New York City, based upon the use of Will- son's Readers in their schools. From Thomas Huutek, Principal of Ward School 2w. 35, ilfay 11,1866. There is abundance of elocutionary matter in Willson's Readers. From 3. Eltas WmTEUEAD, Prin. of Grammar School No. 3S, May SO, 1S65. We have used Willson's Readers in three classes of this school, and bear willing testimony to their excellence as rcading-books. They have developed, to a veiy great ex- tent, the elocutionary reading of our scholars. In this re- spect the classes in my school using these Readers com- pare favorably with those using the Readers of any other series. From Syl. G. Penfield, Prin. of Grammar School No. 8, May IT, 1865. I have used W^illson's Third and Fourth Readers in my school for the past four years. I am pleased to say that the scholars, while acquiring the very valuable scientific information contained in them, have also shown great im- provement in reading and elocution. At the successive examinations made by the City Su- perintendent and his Assistants, the classes using Will- son's Readers have exhibited as great proficiency "in elo- cutionai-y reading as those using any other Readers. From La Fayette Olney, Prin. of Grammar School Ko. 14, May IT, 1865. Willson's Third Reader has been used as a text-book in one of the classes of the school under my charge. As an evidence of the merit of the book, I deem it justly due to state that this class showed a greater proficiency than any other class in the Department in Reading, Spelling, and Definitions, and obtained the highest mark in the same at the recent examination by the Assistant Superintendent. From H. Williamson, Prin. of Male Bept. of Grammar School A'o. 53, May 26, 1865. Willson's Third Reader has been used for the last twelve months in one class of this Department, and with results so very satisfactory that I shall introduce the oth- er numbers of the series as scon as practicable. At our recent annual examination, the class in which it was used excelled in reading. From N. P. Beeks, Priii. of Grammar School Ko. 15, May 20, 1865. The classes in which Willson's Readers are used in my school compare most favorably., as regards style and elo- cution, with those classes using other Readers. From Alon. Hopper, Prin. of Grammar School j\'o. 11, May IT, 1865. The miscellaneous lessons are well chosen, and afford abundant material for the cultivation of rhetorical and elocutionary reading. With these books, an energetic, in- telligent, and conscientious teacher can make as spirited, stylish, and "beautiful" readers as with any other books that I know of; and, what is a higher and better result, ' they will be something more than "readers" when it is done. From Aethite Muepiit, Prin. of Grammar School No. 16, 3Tay 19, 1865. I have used nearly all the prominent "Readers" now in the market, and have had at least as good success in teaching elocution with Willson's Readers as with the books of any other compiler. The best reading-class in this school ivas trained in Willson's Fourth Reader. From G. B. Hendkickson, Vice-Prin. of Grammar School iVo. 8, and late Rector of St. John's School. Trinity Church, N.y., June 2, 1SG5. I have used Willson's Series with the most gratifying success. Elocutionary reading is a specialty in my school ; and for making 7iatural, fluent, correct, and accompilixhed readers, I prefer Willson's to any other reading-books ex- tant. "The use of these Readers has awakened in my pu- pils such an enthusiasm for the different branches of Natural Science that the Trustees of the school have kindly given me permission to take my boys on a scien- tific excursion once a month, for the purpose of obtaining Botanical, Geological, and other specimens for our cabinet of Natural History. It is most gratifying to me to wit- ness not only the pleasure the pupils take in these excur- sions, but the eagerness with which they study the leaves, flowers, pebbles, shells, fossils, etc., which fall under their notice, and the veiy considerable knowledge they have al- ready acquired of some of the branches of Natural Science. Simple justice obliges me to say that it is the use of Will- son's Readers alone that has made these excursions either profitable or possible. In conclusion I would say, that a fair and full trial of Willson's Series has convinced me that by their use my pupils \'rill become not ou\y far more intelligent, hut bet- ter readers also, than by the use of any other series with which I am acquainted. Harper'' s School and Family Headers, etc. some cf tlie Bistinguislied Educators ''S wlio Iiave indorsed Hon. Edwakd Ballaed, State Superintendent, Maine ; E. T. Qtjimby, Principal of Appleton Academy, New Hamp- shire; E. Con ANT, Randolph Academy, Vermont; W. J. Eolfe, Cambridge High School, Mass. ; David Caiip, State Superintendent, Conn. ; J. B. Chapin, State School Commissioner, Rhode Island ; J. H. Feekcu, State Normal School, New York; Prof. A. A. Willis, Freehold Institute, New Jersey; J. V. Montgomeey, Principal of State Model School, Penn. ; Hon. L. Van Bokkelen, State Superintendent, Maryland ; Hon. Akson Smyth, State School Commissioner, Ohio ; Hon. G. W. Hoss, State Superintendent, Indiana ; Prof. J. V. N. Standisu, Lombard University, Illinois ; Prof E. A. Steong, Grand Rapids, Blichigan; S. M. White, Principal of Waukesha Seminary, Wisconsin ; D. Feank- LiN Wells, Principal of Normal Department, State University, Iowa; W. F. Phelps, Principal of State Normal School, Minnesota ; Hon. I. T. Goodnow, State Superintendent, Kansas ; Hon. W. E. Haevet, School Commissioner, Nebraska ; Prof. Feanz Sigel (General Sigel), St. Louis, Missouri ; Prof. W. O. Goodloe, Lexington, Kentucky; Prof. R. O. Ccteeey, Collegiate Institute, Knoxville, Tenn. ; Prof. T. A. Crenshaw, Edgewood Seminary, Virginia; Prof. B. W. FosTEE, Columbia, North Carolina ; Prof. Geo. T. Beowne, Georgia Female College ; Prof J. A. Mel- CHEE, Eutaw Female Academy, Alabama; Prof. W. R. Richaedson, Oxford, Miss. ; Hon. Jno. M'Naie, Superin- tendent of Education, Louisiana; Prof F. L. Yoaku.m, Larissa College, Texas; Hon. John Swett, State Superin- tendent, California; T. M. Gatch, President of Wallamet University, Oregon; Rev. B. C. Lipplnooit, A.M., Super- intendent of Instruction, Washington Ter. ; P. B. H. Stekhouse, Regent University of Utah. THEY HAVE BEEN FAVORABLY NOTICED BY ALL OP THE EDUCATIONAL JOURNALS OF THE COUNTRY, and by the Press generally. We append a few extracts : This is an admirable Series, aiming not only to instruct in the noble Art of Reading well, but at the same time im- parting a great amount of useful knowledge in the way of facts iu science and art, and giving admirable selections and numerous pictorial illustrations. The Series is well worthy a place in every School and Family. — American Theological Jieview. We unhesitatingly pronouncs this Series to be far su- perior to any other of which we have any knowledge. It is as far ahead of Town's, Sargent's, and Hillard's, as those are in advance of the old English Reader. The au- thor aimed to step outside the beaten track, and most ad- mirably has he succeeded. — Aroostook (Me.) Herald. In the preparation of this valuable Series Mr. Willson has shown a degree of discrimination, judgment, compre- hensiveness, and system, that is rarely united in the same person, and his works are therefore eminently practical and useful. — Cincinnati Presbyterian. Of this Series we can speak in terms of the highest com- mendation. When tlie whole is finished, it ivill unques- tionably furnish by far the most attractive and complete system of School Readers ever offered to the American public. All teachers, as it seems to us, will do well to give the Series a careful examination, and then we are sure they will adopt it. — Western Christian Advocate. We like the entire Series. We have seen nothing that seems to us so well adapted to teach children to read and to think at the same time. — Christian Herald (Cm., O.). The Harpers have never produced any better books than this Series of School and Family Readers. — Phila- delphia Press. As a series we prefer them to any we have yet seen. — New Hampshire Patriot. We have never examined a set of school-books with so much satisfaction as this series by Mr. WiUson. — Luther- an Observer (Baltimore). The best works of the kind that have ever fallen under our notice. — Baltimore American. Among the multitude of school-books that have been issued of late years, we have seen none equal to Willson's Series of School and Family Readers. The peculiarity of these Readers is that the reading-lessons teacu something, and convey instruction upon the leading facts and princi- ples of science, with such illustrations as can not fail to convey a deep and lasting impression. They are not merely and exclusively elegant extracts which show the skill and taste of the writers, although such are not want- ing in the course of the work. The author is deserving of great credit for what he has done to promote the cause of popular education. — Exeter (N. H.) News Letter. To most children the hours spent in the school-room are irksome, for the reason that the sympathies are not enlisted ; but these books are so arranged that, with ordi- nary minds, this can not long be the case, for at every step the scholar finds some new idea presented to view in such a manner as to be easily comprehended, thus caus- ing satisfaction, and stimulating to renewed exertion. At every step pleasure is blended with instruction on such points as can not fail to be useful to the chUd, the scholar, and the man. — Newport Mercury. In the first volumes of the Series the selections are specially designed to promote naturalness of intonation ; and it is almost impossible for the child to read them in that dry, measured, artificial manner which is so com- mon. — American Quarterly Church Review. ' ' ' hnnks .are Tenllv ilh/jif.rr/.tinns of the reading lessons, and not me}-e pictures. — Bethlehem Advocate (Penn.). The best adapted to their pui-pose of all the school read- ing-books that we have ever seen. — Salem Register (Mass.). We have never seen reading-books with half the num- ber of "pictures," and yet we do not believe that there is one too many. Nothing adds more to the attractive- ness of a book for childi'en than well-executed pictures. The lessons are a general mixture of the attractive with the instructive. He who reads tliese books as they should be read will not only have acquired the art of good read- ing, but wUl have collected a large fund of useful knowl- edge Toioa Instructor. We -insh once again to call the attention of the School Trustees and Teachers of Northern Indiana to this beau- tiful and instructive Series of school-books. We hazard nothing in saying they surpass all other readers in use. We do not wish to derogate in the least from the labors of Sargent and M'Guffey, but Willson's Readers as far surpass these as they surpass those read twenty years ago Fort Wayne (Ind.) Times. This Series of Readers has an idea in it that we have often wondered has never been attempted before. In our school-boy days school readers were nothing more than a series of elegant extracts made from the range of the com- pilers' reading, selected without any reference to the ca- pacity of those for whom they were intended. The idea of Mr. Willson is to Tnake the reading-books teach the ele- ments of the higher branches, instead of selecting read- ing-lessons at random. The idea is most excellent, and, if successfully carried out according to the plan proposed, loill effect a revolution in this department of school liter- ature. — Iowa School Journal. The best progressive Series with which we are acquaint- ed. The arrangement of subjects, the variety of matter, the careful training to correct habits of reading, the ar- tistic excellence of the numerous engravings, the great amount of useful information, and uncommon attractive- ness in all respects, should establish them both in public and private schools as the standard works in this depart- ment. — New Bedford (Mass.) Mercury. This Elementary Series foi-ms a ladder of learning for the young, and by regular gradation is adapted to re- spective ages of learners, commencing with the Primer. It appears to be very carefully and judiciously prepared, and very complete in its variety of subjects. AVe have met witli no series of the kind which is more desu-able both to schools and families. The paper, printing, and embellishments are all excellent, and greatly superior to the ordinary school-books.— .Pe»i"S2/foa)iM Presbyterian. Although heartily opposed to the innovations and rev- olutions in school-books, which entail a new set at the commencement of every quarter, we commend the intro- duction of this Series of Readers into every school in the land, and an auto-da-fe of all previous ones, with total disregard to their cost. — Neiv York Times. The child who finds these attractive school-books dull will be a dunce to the end of time Worcester (Mass.) Daily Spy. Of all the "juvenile" books with which we are ac- quainted, we know none more interesting, or more useful in their influences, than the Primer and First and Second Readers of this Series ; while, as books designed to teach children the art of reading, we believe them to be far in advance of any other Primary Readers. — Baltimore Chris- tian ArJnnr.af.e. THE CORNELL SYSTEM. I^f This painphlet contains specimen pages of the Maps and text of Cornell's Kevised Intermedla.te Geography, showing the hind of paper' used, the gnality of printing^ and style of map coloring. The volume contains ttventy-one pages of Maps., f'^^y equal to specimen in sharpness and distinctness of lettering and beauty of coloring. Oblige u^ hy showing this pam- phlet to other Teachers. om! "Wafehui^ton CORNELL'S rmST STEPS IN GEOGRAPHY. Intended to precede Cornell's Geographical Series, and to introduce the little pupil pleasantly and profitably to the rudiments of Geography. One beautiful volume, child's quarto, with numerous Maps and Illustrations, 72 pages. Price, 45 cents." CORNELL'S GEOGRAPHIES. ORiGnisrAX. EDia?ioisr. L PRIMARY GEOGRAPHY. SmaU 4to. 96 pp. 14 Maps. Beautifully illustrated. Price, 90 cents. n. INTERMEDIATE GEOGRAPHY. Large 4to. 96 pp. 16 Maps. $1.26 GRAMMAR-SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY. Large 4to, with numerous Maps and Illustrations. It includes Physical and Descriptive Geography. 108 pp. Price, $1.50. The chief difierence between the Intermediate and Grammar-School is, that the latter, though no more elevated in style, is fuller in detail, presents a greater variety of Map Questions, and a larger number of localities to be memorized. m. HIGH-SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY AND ATLAS. Geography, large 12mo. 405 pp. Richly illustrated. Price, $1.25. Atlas, very large 4to. Containing a complete set of Maps for study ; also a set of Reference Maps for family use. Price, $2.25. REVISED EDITION. The text thoroughly revised, the Maps colored according to the latest improvements, and all the recent geographical changes in both continents noted and embodied. Now Meady. PRIMARY GEOGRAPHY. Small 4to. 96 pp. 15 Maps. Beautifully illustrated. This book can easily be used in classes with the previous Edition. INTERMEDIATE GEOGRAPHY. Embracing a Summary of Physical Geography, a complete set of New Maps, the most beautiful ever offered to the American public, and magnificent Pictorial Illustrations by our best Artists. Large 4to. 96 pp. 1*7 Maps. $1.50. In Preparation, GRAMMAR-SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY. HIGH-SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY AND ATLAS %* A copy of any of the above works, for examination, will be sent by mail, post-paid, to any Teacher or School Officer remitting one-half its price. D. APPLETON & CO., Publishers, 443 & 445 Sroadway, New York. Lii, jxcvtew. I aavance oi any otuer iTimary Headers. — Ballimore Chris- REVISED EDITION OF ' COENELL'S INTERMEDIATE GEOGRAPHY. In this Edition, the text has undergone a rigid re- vision, and the many geographical changes of the last few years in our own country, as well as in the Old World, have been carefully noted and embodied. The Map Questions have been brought in all cases directly opposite the Map to which they refer, and have been curtailed sufficiently to admit (without increasing the size of the volume) of a SUMMARY OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, embracing the most important elements of that department of the science. The engravings are mostl}' new, and executed by our best artists ; they, as well as the tj^ography, will speak for themselves. One of the great features of this Revised Edition is its Magnificent Maps, the result of much experiment and labor, to which the Publishers point with pride as the most heautifvl specimens in this line of art ever offered to the American public — accurate in their outlines, sharp and distinct in their lettering, admirable in the arrange- ment of names, tasteful in their coloring, and in all respects unexceptionable. As the original Cornell Series was the pioneer in all those improvements in execution which have characterized the Geographies of the last twelve years, so we believe this New Edition of the Intermediate will be found still foremost est the FIELD, whether attractiveness of appearance or intrinsic merit be regarded. om! "WafehinSton CORISrELL'S SERIES OF SCHOOL GEOGRAPHIES. A knowledge of Geography is very properly considered indispensable to the commonest education. It is therefore made a prominent branch in our schools ; and when we consider how many are devoting to it a large share of their time and attention, some idea may be formed of the vast gain that will result from saving each scholar a few moments every day, or facilitating his geographical course, be it ever so little. If any particular system gives a clearer insight into the subject than the rest, the advantage of using it, though it may be but slight in each individual case, becomes in the aggregate a matter of great moment. When, moreover, it is remembered that Geography is the first study to be memorized ; that, in the case of many who leave school prematurely, it is the only study thus pursued ; that, if found distasteful, it will inevitably give the pupil a dis- like for all learning, and deter him from trying to educate him- self further after entering on the business of life, — it will be real- ized that much depends on employing the best mode of present- ing the subject, and that the claims of those who profess to have made it clearer and more attractive should be carefully exam- ined by the friends of education. Such a claim is here put forth. We believe that the Cornell ^,v,^, ^,- iict/ij-iK. I auvu,uce oi any omer rnmaiy Keaders.— iiaJJimo?-e Chris- bnaks fl.ra_ really ■ilhistrntinns nf I /inir Aflnnrntn Sekies has made an important advance on other systems. The features that distinguish it are numerous and clearly defined. They entirely revolutionize the mode of teaching Geography. If other systems are right, ours must be wrong. If ours is right, they should be abandoned. This is the issue we make. We hold that the pupil instructed according to other sys- tems, toil as he may, labors under all the disadvantages of one who runs a race without keeping the goal in view. He knows not where he is standing at each stage of his progress, or what relation one thing that he learns bears to another. He commits a mass of facts, but without any thing to bind them together, or fix them in his memory. There is no beginning, no middle, no end. There is no analytical arrangement of the difierent branches of the subject ; no systematic presentation of facts. What wonder, then, if the pupil himself cannot tell what he has learned; that the examiner is equally at a loss? What wonder that dry details, committed with difficulty, and with no attractive surroundings or mutual relations to make them remembered, vanish from the mind almost as soon as learned ? What wonder that the little which is retained becomes a confused and worthless medley — a chaos " without form and void " ? What wonder that years of patient study result, as we find in every community they have done, in a few crude, indistinct, superficial ideas of what, properly presented, could have been indelibly impressed on the mind in one-half of the time ? Such has been the mortifying experience of the most assid- uous and competent teachers, whose hardest labor has failed to produce any other result. Such has been the experience of examiners, who have often wondered that, with the attention they knew to be given to this branch, greater progress was not made. !N^ow view, in contrast, the system presented in the Cornell Series. It begins at the foundation, and lays one stone at a time. It takes nothing for granted. It uses no undefined from' Wakhm^ton 6 technical terms. It anticipates nothing that has to be sub- sequently explained. It avoids overloading the beginner with matters which he cannot understand, and thus distracting his attention from what is really within his reach. It first awakens his curiosity, and then satisfies it. One question naturally leads to another, but no faster than the scholar's mind develops. Every thing essential to a full comprehension of the subject is given. There is no demand on the teacher's time for oral in- struction, or on his ingenuity for clearing away difficulties. Taken one at a time, and in their proper order, all difficulties can be readily surmounted; presented promiscuously and together, they involve the whole subject in confusion, and too often prevent a lucid comprehension of it when the mind is sub- sequently matured. The Scries is preceded by a little child's quarto, called " First Steps in Geography," which is intended to introduce the pupil who has learned to read words of two or three syllables, to the rudiments of the subject, and informally and pleasantly prepare him for its study. This book is adapted to very young beginners, and is not regarded as forming a part of the Series. It will be found useful in infant schools and with the smallest primary classes, as an auxiliary to the Reader. The first Part of the Cornell Series is the Primary Geogra- phy. This volume is confined to things which the beginner of seven or eight years can readily master. After some general instruction respecting the earth, he is taught the points of the compass, and how to ascertain, them in space, as well as locate them on the map. The natural divisions of land and water are next defined ; and to insure that they are understood, he is shown them successively as they appear in pictorial illustrations and on the map. "Without this, experience proves that the child, learn the abstract definitions as he may, often utterly fails to re- ceive any clear idea of their meaning. Thus prepared, the pupil is introduced to a few of the lead- pj.nrpg in t.hp.sA hnnlr^i nrA rpnll^T 'in-j/Qfv/if-j/\nQ nf ti'nrt. Af7nnrr/.fp. Taavanue-or any oxner rnmary Keaaei-B.—TSaltimore Chris- tin ing natural divisions — but eacli in its place. The oceans are taken first; then, all the seas that are to be mentioned; then, all the gulfs, the rivers, the islands, &c. JSTor is this the only precaution taken ; in two other ways is the young student's task facilitated : — 1. By always beginning at the same part of the map, and observing a certain order in naming them ; and 2. By having nothing on the map except the places mentioned in the text. Thus the pupil easily finds the place of which he is in search, and distinctly locates it in his mind — two things which are impossible with the overcrowded maps that encumber most of the so-called Primaries. # After going through with the chief natural divisions in this way, and by causing them to be looked at in every possible point of view insuring that they are firmly fixed in the mind, the author puts some promiscuous questions, and then in what is called " Memory's Aid " presents a summary of all that has been learned. Here every place mentioned in the text and in- troduced into the map is given in the same order that has been previously followed. The pupil now sees at a glance all that he has learned ; and the examiner has an unerring gauge by which to test his progress. Having already met with each place men- tioned in " Memory's Aid," the pupil can now readily commit the whole, each, as named in order, successively appearing to his mind, where it has been daguerreotyped by previous drilling. The panoramic view which thus passes before his mind can be obtained in no other way. Ask, for instance, the best of your pupils instructed by other systems, to enumerate the rivers of America, and you will find them, after naming a few, now in this part of the continent, now in that, hesitating, in vain striv- ing to recall them, and finally coming to a full stop, leaving half unmentioned. Put the same question even to the veriest beginner who has been drilled in Cornell's " Memory's Aid," and he will give you the whole without pause or error. Stamped on his mind by the simple process described above, from! Wafehm^toji 8 he simply calls off' the names as they successively appear to his mental vision ; and ten, twenty, fifty years hence, he can do it with the same facility that he can to-day. This course is pursued with every map in turn, none being laid aside till it becomes as familiar as the alphabet. The little geographer soon finds that the M'hole map is to be learned ; and it is surprising to see with what ease it is learned, when thus systematically presented, one of its features at a time. And this point we insist upon as one of great moment. Cornell's map is not a mere illustration, to be referred to or not ; it is an essential, living part of the system, to be memorized in all its details as exactly as any other part of the work. It is mastered by the eye as the text is mastered by the mind ; and the impression made by this combined action of eye and mind time itself can- not efface. The Primary goes but slightly into details. It is not there the aim to fill the mind with facts, but rather to prepare it for their reception. Only after the natural divisions of the world have passed in review before the pupil, are political divisions introduced to his notice. Nor then does the author descend to minute particulai-s, but gives general descriptions, and, in most cases, the capital cities only, leaving the filling up, both in the map and in the text, for the higher Parts. Nothing is said about governments, nothing about Mathematical Geography ; it is deemed injudicious in the extreme to introduce abstract matters which at this stage are as unnecessary as they are unintelligible. Thus much for our Primary. It differs from others iti that it really is what it is called — a Primary, it begins at the be- ginning, and contains nothing beyond the comprehension of a child of ordinary intelligence. Other Primaries, we respect- fully submit, are primary only in the amount of matter they contain, and not in the quality of matter. Their facts are as heterogeneous, their technical terms as incomprehensible, their definitions as difficult, their maps as much encumbered, as aie „.>„.. .V ^>, ,-1, „ . I jiuMuii-i^ in !uiv oiuer iTimiuy Kcaaei'fi.— /j'iiif>»k))t' Chris- from' WaBhuigton ' 8' ffj ; I& '■■ td < \ ^ EH s 1 ^$. m^ O 1 fe^ 1 " (4^ \ A /^ i ^n "^ c^ / / T ' 'l \ -V ^ i lOpelofc^hA^ PAToIro U G \^Cp^LjXj^ ^sn^. ? MISSISSlPfl M. U L F M J$ ^ Scale of Miles 9 the facts, the technical terms, the definitions, the maps of the higher Parts by which they are to be succeeded. They are a little smaller, but this is the only feature that constitutes them Primaries. Having failed in their Primaries to glean out what should naturally have precedence in studying the science, and taken things hard and easy just as they happen to come, it follows that the next higher Parts of the other systems can be nothing more than reproductions of their Primaries, a little more ex- tended. Mathematical, Political, and Descriptive Geography having been all introduced in the first few pages, there is noth- ing to hold in reserve for their Intermediate Books, except a still more overwhelming array of facts. And so in the advance from the Second Book to the Third. There is nothing new to be unfolded, but the same medley of facts, with a little more added. The maps, of course, show a proportionate increase of names. It seems to be a matter of emulation with the respect- ive authors, to see who can crowd the greatest number into a given space. Hundreds of names not mentioned in the text, which can only embarrass and discourage the pupil in searching for what is really needed, are scattered with a prodigality which almost bafiles the engraver in his endeavors to find room for them. To sum up the whole matter, we claim that the three Parts of other Series are simply different editions of the same thing, different in their form and size, but substantially the same — the same in their want of arrangement, the same in their formidable array of facts, the same in their unmtelligible style and language. ISTot so with the Cornell Series. Kot a line of the three books composing it was written without an ever-present sense of the age and understanding of those for whom it was de- signed. Having, as already described, embodied the rudimen- tal branches of the subject in the Primary, the author proceeds to build on the foundation there laid. There is no necessity of 8 10 repeating the Primary, for the subject is not exhausted. The pupil can appreciate what is meant by government, and dis- tinguish the different kinds ; to these, therefore, his attention is next directed. The leading principles of Mathematical Geog- raphy are also unfolded. The maps no longer being new to him, he is prepared to learn about circles and zones, latitude and longitude. He can receive a little moi-e detail with ad- vantage ; and new cities, rivers, &c., are introduced. Kothing already fixed in the mind, is displaced. There is no confusion, for one uniform order is followed. As in the Primary, the maps contain only the places mentioned in the text. " Mem- ory's Aid " is perpetuated in what are now called " Map Studies," which here again from time to time furnish guides for the stu- dent and tests for the teacher's use. When the descriptive matter is reached, heterogeneous de- tails are not blended together, but are systematically analyzed, and presented under different heads. This system pursued with each country in turn enables one thing to be learned at a time, and affords conveniences for comparing two different parts of the world in any particular respect ; its importance will be obvious to those who bear in mind that the ease with which we remember is proportioned to the distinctness of the impression made on the mind. The Grammar-School Geography has been prepared for such classes as need a comprehensive course, embodying the less prominent as well as the more important localities on the earth's surface, and exercising the student in every profitable variety of map studies. It may with advantage be placed in the hands of those that have completed the Intermediate, or, where the saving of time is an object, it may be used instead of the latter work as the Second Part of the Series. The chief difference between the two works is that the Grammar-School, though no more elevated in style, is fuller in detail, and pre- sents a greater number of places to be memorized. It also 11 contains lessons on Physical Geography, and a practical plan by which the pupil can easily memorize the comparative size of all the countries on the earth. It presents, opposite each sectional map of the United States, a table of the principal railroads, with their termini and length in miles, and similar lists of the navigable rivers. These tables are not to be com- mitted to memory, but are introduced for convenience of refer- ence, and to give the youthful pupil an idea of the great com- mercial and travelling facilities of our coxmtry. They are made available by questions, which direct the pupil's attention to the most frequented routes of travel by land and water. Throughout the volume, the distinctive features of the author's plan, as exhibited in the Intermediate, are faithfully carried out. Finally, in our High-School Geography, we put the key- stone in our geographical arch. Here again we are not reduced to the necessity of an encumbered repetition, but have full space for the more abstruse parts of the subject. The author extends the vocabulary of places, and presents an advanced course of Mathematical Geography, combined with instruc- tions for the use of globes and the solution of problems con- nected therewith. Room is also found for comprehensive chap- ters on Physical Geography and Meteorology. The maps are still in this Highest Part made to accord strictly and exclusive- ly with the text. We furnish in the same Atlas, however, for purposes of reference, another complete set of maps on a large scale, in this way consulting the wants of the family without sacrificing the interests of the learner. We have thus described the Parts that make up the Cornell Series. Let us recapitulate the poiijits on which, among others, they rest their claims to superiority : — 1. They teach one thing at a time. 2. They teach that first which is simplest. 3. They teach only as much as can be digested.^. 12 4. They teach with a dh-ect view to the age and grade for which their instructions are designed. 6. They teach inductively, from the rudimental to the ab- struse. 6. They teach consistently ; the same plan being followed in all the Parts. 7. They teach analytically; the matter being arranged under appropriate heads. 8. They teach economically, as regards the instructor's time and labor. 9. They teach intelligently, enabling the pupil always to measure his own progress, and to keep in view the end proposed. 10. They teach interestingly, awakening curiosity as the pupil advances, and rendering the subject attractive with appropriate illustrations. 11. They teach completely, embracing all parts of the sub- ject, and leaving nothing to be orally added. 12. They teach the maps as thoroughly as the text. Other important peculiarities are not wanting, some of which are entirely original with the author, and appear in other works only where, from a sense of their importance, they have been plagiarized. In the first place, explicit directions are given for describing the natural divisions of the earth. Secondly, the subject is stripped of irrelevant matters that belong to other sciences. In the third place, the engravings are not only numerous and executed in the highest style of the art, but they are also appropriate and authentic. Fourthly, the pronunciation of every place likely to be mistaken is given according to the latest and best authorities. Fifthly, the maps are accurately drawn, clearly lettered, carefully printed, and tastefully colored — beyond question the most beautiful specimens in this line of art ever offered to the American public. The exclusion of all places not mentioned in the book is believed to be one of their 13 greatest advantages. It is no longer necessary for tlie pupil to spend hours over a lesson, wearying his brain, straining his eyes, overtasking his memory, confusing his perceptions, wasting his time, exhausting his patience, losing his courage, groping in a maze as complicated as human ingenuity can make it. The smallest child can find every place for himself, and with such readiness and certainty that he feels a satisfaction in doing it. Such are the prominent features of the Cornell Series ; it remains for intelligent teachers to decide to what degree of con- sideration they are entitled. The strongest indorsements have been received from those who have tested this system with their classes. The Teachers' State Convention of California have pronounced it " far superior to any other now in use." A for- mer State Superintendent of Wisconsin declares it "incompara- bly in advance of all others that have been prepared," adding his belief that from either our " Intermediate, Grammar-School, or Higher Geography alone, a far better idea of the earth and the localities on its surface will be obtained than by going through the whole series of any other author." The Board of Education recently appointed by the Legislature of Maryland, for the purpose of selecting Text-Books for the common s^chools of that State and insuring uniformity in their use, after a long, searching, and impartial examination and comparison of all the .School Geographies now before the public, have unanimously declared their decided preference for Cornell's. To hundreds of such commendations we care not to ask the attention of gen- tlemen charged with the selection of school-books, feeling that they can appreciate the points which have thus approved them- selves to others, and that these points are too clearly defined to escape their notice. To induce a teacher to try these Geogra- phies, we have had, as a general thing, only to get him to ex- amine them ; and, when once tried, they have not only held their place, but gradually made their way into neighboring in- stitutions. So, where an experiment has been made with on© u Part of the Series, the others have beeu sure to follow in its train. We mention these facts simply to show that whatever theoretical merits the Cornell system may possess are fairly car- ried out, and that the practical working of our Geographies in the school-room is satisfactory to those who have introduced them. We would respectfully solicit of those having charge of the selection of Text-Books, a careful examination of these works. D. APPLETON & CO., Publishers. 443 & 445 Broadway, New Yoek, 1867. TESTIMONIALS. JVb other JSchool-BooTcs have received such general and unqualified commendation as has been awarded to the Cornell Series by the Press, by State, County, and Town School Officers ; by Presidents and Professors of Colleges, Prineipah of Academies, and Teachers of Public and Private Schools throughout the whole country. From thousands of Letters of Cominendation, we have room only for the foU lowing : — From tT. W, Sulhley, City Superintfiiident of Schools, Brooklyn. " Cornell's Series of Geographies bave been especial favorites in tbe Brooklyn Schools from the time of their first publication. Their exceEent method for memorizing the contents of the Maps, their judicious selection from a mass of unimportant details o^what alone is necessary to be learned, their inductive system by which one thing is presented at a time, and each in its proper order, have com- mended them to our Teachers beyond all other works on the same subject. In the New Edition of the Intermediate I find many additional features of great value, which place the work in my estimation far in advance of all competitors. Its magnificent Maps, with their sharp lettering and tasteful coloring, carmot be too highly praised ; its illustrations are spirited, and its typography is admirable. In every respect the volume meets with my hearty approval." From Rev. Chas. W. Cushitiff, Principal of Seminary, Auhumdale, Xass. "Your Revised Edition of Cornell's Intermediate Geography must certainly satisfv all reasonable expectation. I considered the original work the best of ita 15 class, but find in the volume you have sent me many material improvements. The curtailment of the Map Questions, and the addition of an Epitome of Physical Geography, contribute much to the value of the work, and I am glad to see that it is fully up to date as regards the numerous changes that have lately taken place in the geography of the world. The Maps will commend themselves to the most casual observer, as combining in the highest degree accuracy, clearness, and elegance. If your revision of the remaining Parts of the Series is carried out with equal liberality and care, you may rely on its receiving the unqualified approbation and warm support of the educational community." From E. Danforth, City Superintendent of Schools, Troy, JV. TT, " Many improvements have of late been made in our text-books on Geography ; but in point either of external appearance or intrinsic merit, none of them in my opinion equal the Revised Edition of Cornell's Intermediate. The admirable system of daguerreotyping the Maps on the mind of the learner peculiar to this author, the removal from the Maps of all places not named in the text, and the analytical pre- sentation of facts under appropriate heads, have long been known and appreciated by intelligent teachers ; it only needed the lucid Abstract of Physical Geography which I see appended to this New Edition, and a revision of the text with reference to recent geographical changes, to make it what I now regard it — a perfect text-book. The Maps are triumphs of art. I do not see how any improvement could well be made in the volume before me." From Duane Doty, City Superintendent of Schools, Detroit. " I take pleasure in calling the attention of teachers to the Revised Edition of Cornell's Intermediate Geography, recently issued from the Appletons' Press. It presents many strong claims to their consideration. The Maps are peculiarly distinct, and unequalled in the^elegance of their execution ; presenting only such places as are mentioned in the text, they are easy of reference, and if taught according to the Author's excellent method of memorizing their contents, will be thoroughly impressed on the mind. " I am glad to find in this volume a recognition of the changes in boundaries, &c., which recent events have produced, as well as of late explorations and discoveries. The selection of matter is judicious ; the text is well condensed, and illustrated with numerous fine engravings which will prove exceedingly attractive to the learner. The claims of Physical Geography are not overlooked, the volume closing with a brief, but clear and comprehensive, summary of that branch of the subject. The Map Questions are not, as in some of our text-books, unnecessarily multiplied ; they are in all cases placed opposite the Map to which they belong — the convenience of the student being carefully consulted in this as well as in other respects. " The merits of the former edition of this work being very generally known, it is only necessary to say that the Revised Edition embodies all its good features, with many minor improvements which experience has suggested. Teachers who desire in their selection of text-books to keep pace with the onward spirit of the age, will do well to examine this admirable volume." i^CET THE BEST..^ Cornell's Geographies surpass all others— 1st In philosophic arraDgement 2d. In the gradual progression of their steps. 8d. In presenting one thing at a time. 4th. In the adaptation of each part to its intended grade of scholarship. 5th. In the admirable mode they prescribe for memorizing the contents of a map. 6th. In their explanations and directions for describing the natural divisions of the earth. 7th. In their judicious selection of facts. 8th. In the appropriate and instructive character of their illustrations. 9th. In consistency between maps and text. 10th. In the introduction into the maps of such places only as are mentioned in the boo^. 11th. In the clear representation of every fact, and the analytical precision with which each branch of the subject is kept distinct. 12th. In being at once practical, systematic, and complete, philosophical in arrangement, and progressive in development of the subject. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of New Yokk. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of Bbookltn. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of Baltimore. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of Charleston. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of Rocbesteb. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of Columbus. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of Detroit. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of San Fbanoiboo. Cornell's Geographies are used in the Public Schools of the City of Cleveland. Cornell's Geographies are used in all of the Public Schools of Maryland. Cornell's Geographies are used in all of the Public Schools of VEEiaoNT. Cornell's Geographies bave been adopted for the Public Schools of New Hampshire. Cornell's Geographies have been adopted for the Public Schools of the State of MiOHiSAir. Cornell's Geographies have been adopted for the Public Schools of the State of Kansas. Cornell's Geographies have been adopted for the Public Schools ot the State of California. Cornell's Geographies have been adopted for the Public Schools of the State of Wisconsin. Cornell's Geographies have been adopted for the Public Schools of the State of Indiana, Cornell's Geographies are in general use in all parts of the United States. Cornell's Geographies are thorough, ststematic, rEOGRESsivE, and practical. Cornell's Geographies are printed on the best paper, are the best bound, and the best illus- trated, and have the BEST MAPS of any School Geographies extant. Millions of Cornell's Geographies have been Sold, Also Ihiblislied by D. AFPLETON" & CO.:— Cornell's Cards for the Study and Practice of Map-Drawing. Designed to accompany any Geography, but specially adapted to the scale of Cornell's Grammar-School Maps. Price, per set of 12 Cards, 50 cents. Cornell's Series of Outline Maps, of which a Descriptive Circular will be sent npoD apnileation. PEIRCE'S PATENT SLATES. Wan-anted Superior to anv others in use. MGHT! NOISELKSS! Dl'RABr-K! Improve* by use. Easily Cleaned. Cannot be Broken by Falling. NKVER BECOME <;I.OSSY! Pencils always write easily upon them. Are harder than real slate, and cannot be scratched, yet never crack or scale off. TESTIjVrON"IA.LS. The following is from "The Father of the Public School System of Pennsylvania," and foe nmny years State Superintendent. Lancaster, January 4, 1867. "From its origin to its present improved and satisfactory condition, I have watched tha progress of the artificial Slate (or Stone) Surface of Mr. I Newton Peirce I have seen it in- troduced in many schools and institutions, and have never known its use to be abandoned, or to fail of giving satisfaction In facility of application, rapidity of drying for use, cheap- ness and durability as a wall surface, in lieu of the old black board, it is all that can be de- sired. Its merits, in the shape of Portable Slates, Tablets, &c., need not he asserted. In this form it will speak for itself, on inspection." ' Tuohas H. Burbowes. Office City Superintendent of Public Instruction, Baltimore, April 5th, 1867. 1 have used extensively on the Black Boards of the public schools of this city. Peirce'a Pa- tent Slate Surface, and believe it to be the best material of the kind manufactured. J. N. McJiLTOir. Boston. January 31st, 1867. We have used Peirce's Patent Slates for some time in our schools, and from our experience, *nd their present improved character, we believe they are superior to all other slates we have • vcr seen, and shall favor their more extended use. JosHCA Bates, Principal Brimmer School. James A. Page, J'rincipal Dwight School. C. GoonwiN Clark, Principal Lincoln School, State yormal School, Trenton, N. J., February 11th, 1867. We have been using Peirce's Book Slates for some time in this Institution, and greatly pre for them to every other kind of slate. Johm S. Hart, Principal. Penn. State Teachers' Association, Bellefonte, August 8lh, 1867. Having examined and tested Peirce's Patent Noiseless Slates and Stone Slate Surface, dr. recommend them and their use in the school room, as being superior to all other Slates and surface we have ever seen : Z. Edwards, Dep't Education. Washington, D. C. ¥. A, Allen, Prin. State Normal School, Atanslleld, Pa. H. D. Walker, Prin. Orangeville Slate Soldier Orph. School. Chas. W. Deans, Prin. Harford State Soldier Orph. School. Edward Brooks, Prin. State Nor. School, Millersville, Pa. I. S. G'&lST, Professor in " " " " C. H. Hardiko, •' " " " " A. O. Newpher, Superintendent Schools, Columbia, ^'^ J. E. Thomas, Prin. Pin4 Grove Academy and Seminary, ' Joseph Wauou, Principal UoUidayibury Seminary, " M. B. Grant, " Greensburg Ada demy, " W. Henri Parkbe, " Ring. Gram. School, Phila. ' Wm. F. Wyers, " Wyer's Boarding School, " Andrew Bu»«T, " bth Ward School, Pittsburg, '* S. S. Jack, " Sewinckly Acad'y near Phila. '■ W. W. Woodruff, Superintendent Chester County, " S. C Gilchrist, ' Washiugton " " ^artin Mohleb, " Mifflin " '• B. .McPkvitt, " Huntington " ' K. T. Burqan, Sup' t Model School, Keystone State Normal School, Kutzlown, I'a. Jas. H. Raskis, Bellefonte, Pa. J. R. SVPHEB, N. y. Tribune. Office of Controllers of Public Schools, First Districl of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, December 2'2, 1866. At a meeting of the Controllers of Public Schools, First District of Pennsylvania, held iti the Controllers' Chamber, Friday, December 21, 1866, the following resolution was unani niously adopted : Ki-scived, That Peirce's Patent Slates and Slated Goods, be used in the public schools of t!ii« di.*ti'iet. [From the Minutes.] H. L. Halliwell, Secretary. These Slates have also been adopted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of Wasl»- inKtun, also for the public schools of Baltimore, and are used in the public schools of Sostoii Cincinnati, Chicago, St. l.ouis, and many other cities. ^S&^Bcicare of Imil.ilion Surface. Ask for Peirce's Patent. I. NEWTON PEIRCE & CO., Manufacturers, TfT O ?*'f ??*??¥ * February, 1868J>)1n THE A SCHOOL AND FAMILY MONTHLY, DEVOTED TO f ointlav guj^tvuttion and ^itevatutt* VOL. 1 NO. 10. SMITH BROS. & CO., CLOTHIERS, MERCHaNT UltORS, AND DEALERS IN GEKTS^ FUKNISHING GOODS, Always on hand the largest stock of Clothing and Piece Goods for Cuatom Work. ' Persons in want of Coorfand Fashionable Clothing sho\\\A be sure and coras to MARBLE HALL, 38 and 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. We have also a Inl .» Under the charge of HARRY NICELY, at No. 38. He will be pleased to seo hia friends. SMITH BROS. &, CO., Merchant Tailors and Clothiers, 38 & 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. ^artiUttd ^Educational llouvttal SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Single copies, per annum, in advance ^1 50 3 copies ^4 00 1 10 copies to one address VI 00 5 •• 6 -25 15 " " " 17 00 ADYERTlSli\« RATES. 1 mo. One Page $10 00 Half IV^ 5 00 Quarter Page | 2 50 $19 00 9 50 4 75 3 mo 6 mo. i 9 mo. 12 $27 00'$50 00'$65 00'$80 00 14 OOJ 25 OOi 33 00 40 00 7 00 12 50 17 00 20 OS ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, THIS INSTITUTION, easily approached from every part of the country, and iiavliig general telegraphic communication, under its thorough re-orgauiza'ion, I ffers unusual t'acilitits for Education. Its corps of well trained and effiiicnl instructors, with its highly literary and scientific President, is prepared to cduciUe the sons of Maryland as highly and thoroughly as anywhere in the country. Bein>j: liberally endowed by the Slate, it can afford to educate cheaply. The uIidU- cost of Collegiate Education is (without extras) two hundred and fifty dollars per annum. Two boys from each county and the city of Baltimore will be tniven for two hundred dollars per annum. MARYX^ANB EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL: A SCSOOL AJSTD FA3IILY MONTHLY. VOL. I. BALTIMORE, FEBRUARY, 1868. NO. 10. TKE INSTITUTE— TEACHING ONE ANOTHEE.t^ The Teachers' Institute was probably founded for the special purpose of mutual aid in the art of teaching. This is a good purpose ; but may it not be turned to even a nobler and a better ? We should certainly estimate it a higher one, if in such institu- tions the teacher not only learned the art of teaching others, but the philosophy, rather than art, of social culture. If we learn much in schools, we probably learn more in society ; and vastly more yet should we learn, were social intercourse wholly among those who could increase our ideas, excite our imagination, or sublime our thoughts. Of course, I do not mean to apply this to the common talk or business of life, but to such meetings and intercourse of educated men as admit of free, intellectual com- merce. The teachers' institutes ought to be of this character. Why not make them what Plato made the Athenian Academy — a place of resort to the young, the educated, and the aspiring? In a former article, I have spoken of the value and need of oral teaching, in opposition to the methods of routine lessons — the present fashionable mode in the schools. The lesson or rou- tine method has been brought to perfection in Prussia ; and cer- tainly it is very admirable when we look at it as an adaptation to business merely. But what follows? Every young man there moves in a groove. He is educated to be a soldier, a merchant, a lawyer, or a minister, and when he is that, he can be nothing else. That is not the American idea of capacity or education. The American mind must have versatility. American society re- quires adaptation to many things. America requires thought, philosophy, — a continual ascending towards something higher — * This and the succeeding six articles are taken from the Ohio Educational Monthly. — Ed. Jouekal. 1 290 , Maryland Educational Journal: a reaching out to an imaginary ideal beheld in the vision of an intellectual and spiritual perfection. A Prussian education -^vont furnish food for this appetite. It realizes the practical, but little of the possible in the future. Hence, in this country, we want something more vivifying than lessons only. "We want the inter- course of free and original thought not only in the schools, but among teachers ; and that we can only have by oral instruction — oral intercourse. "We can not have an original thought which has already been printed in a book ; and we can not have an original inquiry in a mere lesson. We must go beyond this. "We must have free questions and answers — a free jotting down of what the spirit brings back when it has been wandering up and down on the earth in search of some green and beautiful thing not found in its earthly house of clay. Now when I commend this oral teaching to the teacher in the school, it is not without knowing that, in most cases, this is not possible. "When the weary teacher, surrounded by classes, with hardly time to go through the course, comes to hear a class of dull boys in the Eule of Three, he certainly has little time for frequent flights through the world of thought, and yet occasion- ally, at intervals, he has a chance for some sudden and stimulating exercise of free thought. These are golden opportunities, and when he can, let him do what he can in bringing out the very mind itself. But let us suppose he can do little of this in school ; can he not do something for himself and something for others in the institutes ? Why should not the American Institute be equal to the Greek Academy ? It is true there will be no Plato there, but there may be a greater than Plato in some things. Certainly the additions to knowledge and thought, to religion and politics, in two thousand years, are such as make even a very common man greater than Plato in most of the ideas which distinguish the modern world. But let me here refer to the fact, that the ancients seem to have excelled us in this mode of instruction. Greece was not the only place which had its academies of philosophy. A most interesting article on the Talmud, in the London Quarterly, gives us a most valuable piece of information on the Jewish system of education. I had supposed (the idea drawn perhaps from the extreme exact- ness of the Levitical Law and the necessary education of every Jew in it) that Hebrew schools were conducted on the lesson method, and very precise in their instructions; but the following paragraph has given me a new view of the subject: A School and Family Monthly. 291 "Eighty years before Christ, schools flourished throughout the length and breadth of the land ; — education had been made compulsory. While there is not a single term for school to be found before the captivity, there were by that time about a dozen in common usage. Here are a few of the innumerable popular sayings of the period, betokening the paramount importance which public instruction had assumed in the life of the nation : ' Jerusalem was de- stroyed because the instruction of the young was neglected.' ' The world is only saved hy the breath of the school children.' " This is language which may well be used in our country. Jeru- salem before the captivity was ignorant ; and was it not because she was ignorant that the hearts of the people were turned away from God, and she incurred those prophetic denunciations which resulted in captivity and suffering ? But how were the schools taught ? In what methods did the teachers of Hebrew scholastics train the minds of the young scholars ? Hear again : " The ' high colleges ' or ' kallahs ' only met during some months of the year. Three weeks before the term, the Dean prepared the students for the lectures to be delivered by the Rector, and so arduous became the task, as the number of disciples increased, that in time no less than seven Deans had to be ap- pointed. Yet the mode of teaching was not that of our modern universities. The professor did not deliver lectures which the disciples, like the student in ' Faust,' could comfortably take home in black and white. Here all was life, movement, debate : question was met by counter question, answers were given wrapped up in allegories or parables, the inquirer was led to deduce the questionable point for himself by analogy — the nearest approach to the Socra- tic method. The New Testament furnishes many specimens of this contem- porary method of Instruction." Here we have a new idea of Jewish schools, and in it we see how it was that Paul became such an accomplished scholar and debater, and how the educated class of the Pharisees became in fact scholars, learned in the laws and customs of their day. But the interesting point of this information is, that the col- leges of the Jews were really philosophical institutes — debating societies engaged on the highest problems of education and re- ligion. A large part of all their instruction was oral, using largely, also, the Oriental mode of speaking in figurative lan- guage. That language was adapted to the earlier ages of society, when the human mind was not yet capable of that entire abstrac- tion which the description of historical events and philosophical ideas always implies. Language, as we now have it, is wholly abstract. In this respect, I think it better for teaching than the figurative style. Figures of speech are always cumbrous, and are incapable of expressing the operations of the mind. The Greek schools used the same oral-questioning method, but with the most refined language, dropping the figurative style alto- gether. 292 Maryland Educational Journal : But in the accounts of the Gfreek Academy and the Hebrew " Kallah ", -we see how well the classic nations understood the theory of giving and evolving ideas. The Hebrews were at the head of the religious and the Greeks of the scientific develop- ment of the world. Yet they both agreed in the Socratic method of questioning, debating, and orally evolving ideas. " All was life, movement, and debate." It was, in fact, bringing mind in contact with mind, and, as the steel strikes fire from the flint, evolving the light and brilliancy of the excited intellect. And now I would ask. Can we not make the Teacher's Insti- tute into something like the Academy or the Kallah ? It is true, we can not have Plato, nor Gramaliel, nor Paul, the most illus- trious pupil of the ancient schools, but we can have the best minds of our times ; for, be assured, all minds worth knowing will be glad to enter and take part in an assembly where all the highest problems of human nature are discussed in a free spirit. This is just what our country wants. It wants a free forum ; and we have it not unless educational discussions afford it. "We go to church, and one speaks our own sentiments. We go to a political meeting, and it is managed by one party and addressed by one side. We go to a concert, and we have music in which we have no part. We go to a fashionable party, and we hear nothing! We go to school, and we learn a lesson ; and when we don't learn, we hear one recited. Where is the com- munion of minds? Where is the evolution of ideas? Where is the sympathy of souls ? We are deficient in something — what is it ? We are too much of the earth, earthy. Can we not devise some- thing which, for a brief hour, on life's dusty road, will lead us to green meadows and pleasant waters ? It seems to me that there is a possibility that teachers' insti- tutes may become such a device. Perhaps it is only a possibility. But let us try it. The teachers began these institutes with a strong smell of the shop. Now that is to be avoided, except in purely business meetings, and there is plenty of time for them. In two or three meetings I attended, I observed that the meet- ings gathered strength just as the subject of discussion became general and the problems large. Now I would have teachers in- stitutes meet at an early hour, and transact whatever pertained to them as teachers. Then I would have them resolved into a forum for the discussion of all the great problems of human life, the institute preserving its own officers and rules for the preser- vation of order. All problems enter into the proper culture of A School and Family Monthly. ^ 293 the human mind. Some have been thought of, perhaps well studied by one class of persons ; another, by another. Let all educated people be invited, and let them come prepared, as in the formation of a library, each to lay his own book upon the table. Then all will gain something. All will be life, movement, de- bate. There is only one institution which corresponds to this plan, and that is forced into narrow limits. That is the British Association for the Advancement of Science. There is a similar one just established in this country. But they are neither so broad nor so useful or popular as will be a teachers' college for the discussion of great, social, and enduring problems of human life. We want something which will bring out the living thought and the immortal spirit. E. D. m. Morrow^ 0. THE OEGANIZATION OF SCHOOLS. BY PROF. WM. r. PHELPS. In a former article on this subject it was stated, (1) that pre- vious to engaging his services, a teacher should carefully con- sider the question of his adaptation to the particular locality and school which he proposes to serve ; (2) that this question should likewise be studied by the school officers ; and (3) that pending the negotiations for a school, teachers should not fail to make known to the employing officers the views which are to control them in its organization and management, while the contract should bind the officers to the support of such measures as may be in accordance with these views. IV. Our next proposition is, that one or more of the trustees should accompany the teacher to the school house on the opening day, and give him a suitable introduction to the school. When a school fails to teach good manners and the common courtesies of life, it fails to realize one of its most vital objects. A civil ignoramus is to be preferred, ordinarily, before a learned boor. No man is properly educated who is not a gentle-maxi. There is great force, too, in the maxim that "manners make the man." That kind of education which neglects to cultivate the personal habits and manners of the child, is of very questiona- ble utility. Our American schools, and especially our common schools, do not usually overburden themselves with this sort of 294 Maryland Educational Journal: teaching. The cultivation of those tastes, feelings, and practices, which belong to a refined social state, are, it must he confessed, by far too generally neglected. It is not uncommon, to speak frankly, for rowdyism to be rampant in these " colleges of the people." Eespect for superiors and equals, reverence for author- ity and the true amenities and courtesies of life, are virtues too rarely found illustrated among the children of our country. "We say, then, let the opening day of the school be made the occasion for at least one impressive example of propriety and good breed- ing. But there are other reasons which justify this step. The teacher thus accompanied by the authorities of the district, car- ties into his work the full weight of that authority as well as of his own. He is thus placed in a position to command, in the out- set, the respect of the children and their parents. It gives him a prestige which, unaided and alone, he can not enjoy. The occasion, too, may be embraced by the school officers to explain, briefly and pointedly, to the children the duties which they owe to the teacher, and which they are expected faithfully to perform. They may be made to understand that the teacher is to be sus- tained in all just measures for the welfare of the school and the progress of its pupils. V. This should be followed by a brief, familiar, and appropriate address by the teacher to the school. The aim of this address should be kindly to explain the mutual relations which exist between teacher and pupils, and to bespeak from the latter that cordial cooperation which" is so indispensable to the success of the work about to be undertaken in their behalf. The teacher should thus strive to produce a pleasing j^rsf impres- sion upon his pupils, and make them feel that he is to be to them a companion and friend, intent only upon making them better, wiser, and happier than he finds them. VI. The next step should be to engage in some appropriate gen- eral introductory exercises. These exercises may consist of singing some familiar pieces, or of such devotional services as may accord with the views of the teacher and the proprieties of the occasion. As we are ever de- pendent upon the care and protection of the Supreme Being, it is eminently proper that each day of school life should be begun with an acknowledgment of that dependence, and an invocation of the Divine favor upon the serious and solemn task of educat- ing the human heart and soul. ' If these services are wisely A School and Family Monthly. 295 adapted to the circumstances and condition of the school, they will become interesting and impressive, and will affect the hearts and consciences of the young, winning them to the ways of wis- dom and the paths of peace. They should be such as the children can participate in and appreciate. They may consist of singing, the responsive reading of scripture texts, and the simultaneous repetition of the Lord's prayer, or they may be varied to suit particular circumstances. Appropriate general exercises introduced at the beginning of the first day, are useful in dispelling embarrassment and in establishing that bond of sympathy between the teacher and pupils so essential to free and agreeable intercourse. It should be one of the first objects of the teacher's care to secure and maintain this sympathetic feeling, since it must constitute the key note of his success in the work before him. Eightly to enlist the emotional nature of children in their school duties, is to win the contest almost in advance. YII. As a preliminary to the permanent classification of the school, the teacher may, for the present, adopt as far as possible the classifi- cation of his predecessor, with the distinct reservation that he shall exercise the right to alter or modify it to suit his own views and cir- cumstances. This plan is recommended in order to avoid the danger of arousing the prejudices of the pupils by radical changes of clas- sification before the teacher has had time firmly to establish him- self in their confidence. This is a matter about which children are extremely sensitive, and there is great necessity for caution in these first steps. Assuming the classification as already speci- fied, the teacher may proceed to ascertain what studies have been pursued by the several classes and to what extent, preparatory to the assignment of lessons for the succeeding day. Under cover of these lessons, a careful and minute examination of the pupils may be carried on with a view to determine the real stand- ing of each and to make such modifications of the classification as the result may seem to demand. At this point, too, the names and ages of the pupils may be registered by classes, mainly for the purpose of assisting the teacher in learning the names and in recording the results of his daily observation of their standing as evidenced by the ex- aminations under cover of recitations. During the recitations, let questions in review of subjects pi-eviously passed over, be freely asked as well as tests of mental power be made, in order that a 296 Maryland Educational Journal: true diagnosis of each case may be carefuUj determined with reference to the permanent classification. This plan may be pur- sued for several days and until the teacher has become familiar with the standing of every pupil and has secured a complete record of the results obtained. He is thus prepared to take another step in the direction of a more nearly perfect organiza- tion. This with other steps we shall next consider. THE CLASS EO OM. INTEREST — LESSON I. Of late years I have succeeded so badly in assigning lessons for my pupils to learn and recite, that I have entirely abandoned the practice. I have no recitation, properly so called ; the pupil comes to the class to be taught and not to show what he has learned. In my teaching I aim to make the pupil the discoverer and not the mere receiver of truth ; to assist him to derive his knowledge of the subject under consideration from his observa- tion or from his reasoning, and to ally his newly attained knowl- edge with what he has before learned. I continue to question him upon the same point till the answers show that the subject is understood ; and these answers must be so complete and ex- plicit as to be intelligible without the question. ISTo other prepa- ration is required on the part of the pupil than his bright, thoughtful attention. This I secure by being in earnest and being myself. The following lesson on interest is given as an illustration of my plan. A few questions have answers appended in italic, thus showing the point aimed at. When the question requires a term for the idea just obtained, no answer can be given by a class totally ignorant of the subject, and, with such a class, the question had perhaps better be omitted : William Cook has intrusted me with a sum of money which I am to return to him in one year. Should I pay him for the use of his money, or should he pay me for its safe keeping? Why ? What evidence should I give him of my intention to pay at the end of the time agreed on ? Should my promise be oral or written ? Why ? A School and Family Monthly. 297 "What name have we for a written promise to pay money ? "What is a note ? Who in this case would be the maker of the note ? "Who would hold the note, I or the lender ? Why ? A note being a written promise to pay, my note must of course promise to pay William Cook the sum borrowed, one year after date. Must I promise to pay any thing besides this? Yes. You must promise to pay something for the use of his money. What shall we call this money paid for the use of money ? What is interest? Who pays interest? Why? Who receives it? When I settle with William Cook, will I pay him the same sum I borrowed or more ? Why more ? How much more ? Which will be the greater sum, the money borrowed or the in- terest? Which then will be the principal part of my indebted- ness ? What name then shall we give to the sum borrowed ? What is the principal ? What did you say would be the amount of my indebtedness at the year's end ? What shall we call the principal plus the in- terest? What is the amount ? Principal, $100; interest, ^15.60: what is the amount? Principal, $1,000; interest, $112.75: what is the amount? Principal, $a; interest, $6: what is the amount? What do I mean by a dollars ? By h dollars ? Would you write a note in pencil ? Why ? Would you think it safe to express the principal in figures ? Why ? Is it important to have the date of the note clearly expressed ? Why ? Would you take equal pains to designate the place. State, and county in which the note is made ? Why ? A note should always contain the words " value received," can you tell why ? What is the most convenient method of reckoning interest upon money ? To take a certain per cent, of the principal ? Can you tell why this is more convenient than to specify the sum to be paid as interest ? If I were to promise to pay five per cent, interest, how much would I pay for the use of $100? $1,000? $10? $1? $100a? $a? For what time will five dollars pay for the use of $100 at five per cent, interest? What would be the interest of $100 for 2 years ? 3 years ? 2J years ? J year ? f year ? What would be the interest for a years ? Now tell me what a note should contain ? What should be written first? Where shall we place the date? Where do you put 298 Maryland Educational Journal: the date of a letter ? What eomes first in the body of the note ? The time. "What time ? The time for which the money is borrowed. What comes next? The promise. What then? The rate per cent, interest. Where should the name be subscribed ? Is that the place to sign your name to a letter ? Write a note on your slates, promising to pay me $100 ninety days from date with seven per cent, interest per annum. Henry write yours on the board. I find most of your work correctly done. As an exercise we will work thirty miscellaneous questions in percentage, which please bring to the class to-morrow on your slates.* Excused. Marion, 0. w. w. WHEEE DOES SUNDAY BEGIN? BY W. D. HENKLE, SALEM, OHIO. If a traveller should leave Columbus, Ohio, at noon on Satur- day and go westward keeping pace with the sun, he would arrive at Columbus at noon on Sunday. His noon would continue for twenty-four hours, and Saturday noon would change to Sunday noon without an intervening night. Where would the change occur? If a man should start from Columbus at noon on Saturday and travel east one degree, he would hasten the first noon that would occur after his arrival, four minutes ; but if he should travel west one degree, he would delaj^ the first noon after his arrival, four minutes. Now if two men should start from Columbus and travel round the earth, one going east and the other west, and should meet each other at any point, whether half way round or not, it would be found that one would have set the hands of his watch forward four minutes for every degree that he had travelled east, and the other would have set the hands of his watch backward four minutes for every degree that he had travelled west. There being 360 degrees of travel, the sum of the minutes of change in the two watches would be exactly twenty-four hours. But the watches at the meeting-place would indicate the same hour of the day, and hence the travellers would agree as to the time of the * Is not this the assigning of a lesson to be prepared and recited ? — Ed. Monthly. A School and Family Monthly. 299 day but tliey would differ just one day as to the day of the week, the eastward traveller being a day ahead. Every additional 360° travelled jointly by the travellers would make another day's dif- ference in the week, until they should travel jointly seven times 360° when they would not only agree as to the time of day but as to the day of the week. They would, however, disagree seven days as to the day of the month. K they should travel jointly twenty-eight times 360° and meet on some day of February in a common year according to the count of the westward traveller, they would agree as to the time of day, the day of the week, and the day of the month, but not as to the name of the month, the eastward traveler calling it March. If they should travel ninety- one times 360° and meet on some day of April according to the westward traveller, they would agree except as to the name of the month, the eastward travelle]^, calling it July. If they should travel jointly 245 times 360° and meet according to the westward traveller in May, they would agree as before, except that the eastward traveller would call it January of the following year. Such discrepancies might occur in common years in a dozen other ways. For instance, for ninety-one times 360° we might also have the months September and December. In leap years about sixteen such instances might be given not going beyond 336 times 360°. If they should travel 2191 times 360°, they would agree as to the time of day, the day of the week, the day of the month, and the name of the month, but they would differ six years as to the number of the year of the century, provided there should be one intercalary day between their dates. To bring about such results, there need be no restriction as to the time of starting nor rate of travel. If the two supposed travellers should not live to carry out the plan, there would be the same results if the travel is finally completed by any of their immediate or remote descendants, provided they should retain the same mode of counting time. Now what have been the facts as to the emigrations of per- sons belonging to nations that designate days by seven distinct names. Starting from Europe the emigrants to India, China, Australia, ISTew Zealand, the Society Islands, etc., reached these countries and islands by eastward travel, and hence the time used by Europeans in all these places is in advance of that in Europe. All of both North and South America (except the late Eussian America) was settled by westward travel from Europe, and hence the time is behind that of Europe. Still more, American mis- 300 Maryland Educational Journal: siocaries travelled west in 1820 to Honolulu in Oahu, one of the Sandwich Islands, and thus made the time in the Sandwich Islands slower than that in California. The Society Islands lie between 151 and 152° west longitude from Grreenwich, and the Sandwich Islands between 155 and 161°. Hence the diiferenee in time between them is a little more than one day, or twenty- four hours — that is, there has been an overlapping of the waves of eastward and westward emigration. But this overlapping is still greater between the eastern part of Eussian America in long. 130° west and the westernmost of the Sandwich Islands. Eus- sian America having been settled by eastward travellers, the tim« is in advance of that in Europe and Asia. The time in the most eastern part of it is twenty-six hours in advance of that in the westernmost of the Sandwich Islands. It seems, then, that the first persons in the world that begin to count Sunday are the Eussians in Eussian America. If the proposed traveller from Columbus west with the sun, should be able to call for the day loud enough for all the persons for thousands of miles on his right and left to hear him, after leaving the United States the British fur-traders would answer " Saturday noon " until he arrived at long. 130°, when he would hear the Eussian answer " Sunday noon," and this answer would continue from the north for the remaining portion of the trip, but when arriving at 150° a like answer would be heard from the Society Islands south of the Equator. When he arrived at 155° he would hear from th€ Sandwich Islands " Saturday noon," but at the same time from Eussian America and the South Pacific Islands " Sunday noon." After passing the Sandwich Islands he would probably hear only " Sunday noon " for the rest of the journey. I should have stated that the traveller after reaching the longitude of the east- ern part of Eussian America, namely 130°, that there would be a double response until he arrived at 141°, because there is a por- tion of British America north of the eastern strip of Eussian America. The response from that region would be " Saturday noon," while from the Eussian country just south of it the re- sponse would be " Sunday noon." As Eussian America has been purchased by the United States, Congress will no doubt put back the time by legislation, and also abolish the Eussian calendar which is Old Style and twelve days behind ours in the month. A great deal has been said about the day -line, and some declare it to be at 180° of longitude. There is no day-line, as I have A School and Family Monthly. 301 abundantly shown. Navigators generally adapt their time of week to that of the port at which they stop. A ship sailing west from San Francisco to Hong Kong would leave the Sandwich Islands with the time of these Islands, but on arriving at Hong Kong would be a day behind. The adaptation to the anticipated Hong Kong time could be made at any time on the route after leaving the Sandwich Islands or after arrival. Travellers are under no necessity of changing their name of the day of week at ports at which they stop only temporarily. If they travel westward abd return home eastward, their count will be just right if they should preserve it throughout the whole trip. If they should complete the circuit of the earth and retain their count, they would find this count either one day ahead or behind that at home according as their travel has been eastward or westward. From what has been said the reader will be able to explain how a navigator might have six Sundays in February in a leap year, the last two coming together or in succession, and how he might have only three Sundays in February by being compelled to omit the fourth by counting Monday after Saturday. From what has been said it will readily be seen that Sunday lasts on the Earth at present 50 hours. THE TEUE TEACHEE. A true teacher loves his work. Instead of plodding through his duties, day after day, he goes about them with spirit and energy. Each day, as it comes, brings new attraction and opens a new life to him. He is continually searching for information that may be of interest and value to his pupils. His love for his work enables him to prosecute it without growing weary or becoming disheartened. Each step presents something of interest beyond, and the day is never too long. His zeal infuses life and interest into his pupils, and they catch his manner, his spirit, and his enthusiasm. The true teacher feels an interest in his pupils. He takes pleasure in pointing out to them the " better way " in all their plans and pursuits. He never helps them in preparing their lessons except when they absolutely need assistance, and then only by a few hints or questions which show the right direction. He shares 302 Maryland Educational Journal: their sports, and by this association finds out their weaknesses and faults, and, by gentle influence, aids them to overcome them and walk in the path that leads to a noble manhood or woman- hood. He feels an interest not only in their studies and pursuits but also in them personally. What child will not do all he can for such a teacher ? The true teacher is always firm. Having once taken a position he only yields when he finds he is in the wrong, and even then he changes in such a manner as not to indicate fickleness. His rules are few and simple, and he requires them to be promptly and cheerfully obeyed. But with all his firmness he unites a kind and mild manner which causes his pupils to love him while they obey his requirements. Even when corrected for misde- meanors, they feel that he is right. The true teacher is blessed with a large share of common sense. This guides him in times of trouble, and helps him to manage all things with tact and ability. The true teacher tries to understand what he teaches. He pre- pares himself faithfully for his recitations, never attempting to teach a principle which he himself has not mastered. He is care- ful to keep posted in what is transpiring around him, including discoveries, current events, etc., with a view of using the knowl- edge thus acquired for the good of his school. He also seizes every opportunity to add to his professional knowledge and skill. He searches for the best methods of instruct- ing his classes ; visits different schools to witness their working and methods ; attends teachers' institutes ; and strives to keep well up with the profession m progress. To this end he studies works on the theory and practice of teaching, and takes and reads educational periodicals. He also feels a fraternal affection for all his co-workers in the profession. He regards every earn- est teacher his brother, and is ready to give him a hearty grasp of the hand. These are some of the attributes or characteristics of a true teacher, and now let us see what are his motives. The grand motive of the true teacher is to do good. He seeks to make the next generation better than the present, and, to this end, he teaches his pupils to be good, wise, and honorable. He strives to develop and improve their mimds, and to lead them in the paths of knowledge and virtue ; to mould their characters and prepare them for a blissful future existence — and all with the hope that he may meet them in that better land beyond the grave. A School and Family Monthly. 303 He looks on his profession as second to no other, not excepting that of the minister. Another motive is his duty to God. This duty calls him to serve his generation, his country, and mankind, and this he feels he can best do by teaching. He, therefore, engages in this ser- vice as a duty. Unfortunately there are those engaged in teaching who are governed by other motives. Some are teaching solely to get their "bread and butter," and such are daily leaving the business to engage in something that pays better. Others make teaching a means of preparing for college or a stepping-stone to some calling which they like better. These teachers are in the pro- fession temporarily, and may not be governed by the high mo- tives I have named. But for the blunders they make, or the wrong they commit, they are held accountable. To those about to engage in a calling so high and noble as teaching, let me say look well to your motives. See that they are pure and undefiled, that the harvest which you shall gather may be sheaves of immortality, and that they may be garnered in Heaven. s. HOW A TEOUBLESOME PATEOIT WAS MANAGED. Soon after I commenced teaching in Marietta, O., in 1816, two bright and interesting lads, sons of Judge , entered my school. The father was one of the associate judges of the county, and was also a good blacksmith. He sent frequent messages to me relative to the teaching of his boys, to which, for a time, I paid no attention. As these messages became rather annoying, I sent a message to him by his oldest son, saying that, as I needed a little exercise, I wished that his father would make for me a nice light ax (saws were not used at that time), that I might cut my own wood. I told the boy to say to his father, by no means to heat the iron in making it ; that I would not receive the ax if he did so. A day or two after, I met the Judge in the street, when he inquired about the ax. I replied that I had sent him word to make me one. " And what was the message about not heating the iron? " he asked. I replied that 1 sent word not to heat it. *' How am I to make an ax without heating the iron ? " he impatiently asked. " 0," said I, " hammer it out ; I am aware 304 Maryland Educational Journal: that it will cost you more labor, for which I exj)ect to pay you." " And how am I to weld the steel ? " he still more impatiently inquired. " O pound away on it till it sticks," I answered, " and I will pay you well for your labor." At this point he lost all patience, called me a fool, and expressed his regret that I lacked common sense. "But can't you do it? " I asked. "Do it," said he ; " no one with common sense would ask such a question." "Please excuse me, Judge," I replied: "I presume I know as little about your trade as you do about mine." The whole mat- ter instantly flashed upon him in a new aspect : he stood silent a moment, and then turned from me with the remark, " Teach the boys in your own way." The boys were a long time in my school after that, but never another word from the father. Wm. Slocomb. A METHOD OF TEACHING SPELLING. The spelling begins at the head of the class, and passes down. When a word is " missed," the teacher pronounces tne next as though no mistake had been made, simply " dotting " the word misspelled. If the next speller notices the mistake, he takes up the word, and if he spells it correctly, is entitled to the "mis- ser's" place, and his word is repronounced to the next speller. If number two does not notice the mistake, and spells the word pronounced to him, the misspelled word is passed until it is taken up by some pupil below who, if he spells it correctly, is entitled to the place of the one who missed it. Should the word be missed at or near the foot of the class and pass by the head, and thence down, the person taking it up is entitled to the place at the head of the class as in other cases. Should any words remain at the close of the lesson, not having been taken up, they can be pro- nounced to the class as missed words and attention called par- ticularly to them, or a word having passed round the class can be repronounced to the one who missed it, or to any other. The method secures a thorough preparation of the lesson, close attention in the class, and makes accurate, careful, self-reliant spellers. James P. Mills. A School and Family Monthly. 305 Special Publisher's Notice. Attention is invited to the engraved title page of tlie cover of tliis number as foreshadowing improvements to be made in all departments of this Journal. We feel encouraged by various flattering demonstra- tions to hope that the second year of our enterprise, into which we shall soon enter, will be one of prosperity. That there is a necessity for an Educational Journal in our State, especially at this time, seems to be generally conceded, — quite as much so as to have a publishing house for school books. The publisher pledges, that, if encouraged by the State, this Journal shall be worthy of all patronage. In addition to the writers of ability who have thus far contributed to these pages, the publisher has the pleasure to announce that he will be assisted by Prof. Thomas Lucy, who, for twenty years, has been con- nected with the public schools of the State, and also with various literary journals. Professor Lucy will be the active resident editor and agent of the Journal in Baltimore, at the publication oflSce, the location of which which will be announced hereafter ; though, for the present, as heretofore, it is at the printing office of James Young, Esq., 114 West Baltimore st., who is also authorized to receive monies due on subscriptions or otherwise. The Teacher. A rare combination of qualities it requires to be a good teacher. It requires a rarer combination of excellences for a first-class instructor than for any other profession on earth, the ministry of the Gospel not excepted. And when you find a man who has a genuine sympathy with children, especially with boys ; who has the ability to enter into their feelings, into their hopes, and fears, and aspirations ; into their boyish pride and boyish sensitiveness, and into all the elements that go to make up a boy's life ; who has the power to arouse the dormant energies in boys, and awaken their minds to healthful activity; who has the power rightly to direct these energies, when awakened ; who has the ability to subject boys to a thorough intellectual discipline, 306 Marijhtnd Educalioudl J(/i/ni(/l. while, at the same time, he is calling out all the finer qualities of tho mind and heart, and cultivating their social aflections, and inspiring them with noble aims and generous sentiments; who has the abilit}' to lead out and symmetrically develop the powers of boys and make their student life a delight, so that, from day to day, they shall go to their tasks with spring, and alacrity, and bounding joy, as to the choicest recreation ; when you fiiul a man so endowed that he is able to so develop the minds of boys as to make them beautiful and gentlemanly in their deportment, the elements being so mixed that when they come to manhood, all shall rise up and say they are men — when you fiiul such a man, ycrtx will find one who is not only worth his weight in gold, but who is worth it ten times over — you will find a first-class teacher. And that community, down iu the midst of which is dropped such a teacher as that, in the providence of God, ought to get on their knees and thank the Great Giver for such a treasure. Such u teacher lays any com- munity under everlasting obliuation. Mnemotechny, No. 8. [See FiUKlamentul Basis or Key iu the July Nunibrr.] [One of the most ingenious uses of this system is its aj>plication to committing a series of isolated figures, even hundreds, in such a way as to repeat them either backward or forward, or in any numerical order, as called for — which cannot, under any circumstances, be accomplished by the natural unaided memory, while with this it can be done in an hour. As this exposition would require several pages, we do not care to occupy so much space now for that purpose, but will make this proposition : — we will seiul, postage pre-paid, a pamphlet containing this and many other matters to any one who will send us a subscriber and $1.50 in advance.] As a preparatory step to further developments, attention is now invited to the following three nomenclature tables. ]>y reference to the first fundamental basis and key it will be seen that each of these indi- cating w^ords — adjectives, common and proper names — contains the articulations of its place. The association between the three lists is intimate, so that with a slight degree of attention the whole may easily be retained in the mind, and will subserve many useful purposes, as will be shown hereafter. Ji School and Family Monthly. 307 1 wet hat ITayti 51 late lad Lodi '2 new honey Noah 52 lean lion Leon 3 hum home Ham 53 lame lamb Jiima 4 law haie Kio 54 lower lawyer Lear f) low hill Jichigli 55 lowly lily ]j0well (5 shy hedge Jew 56 yellowish lash Elijah 7 f^ay hawk Hague 57 lucky lock Jiuke 8 liouvy hive Eve 58 leafy love liovi 9 happy {jope Jlebe 59 allhappy lap Lybia 10 (Jizzy heads ] lades 60 joyous cheese Jews 11 dead debt i)eity 61 shadowy cheat Jeddo 12 downy den Eden 62 shiny chain Jane 13 dumb dame Adam 63 shame gem Shem U dear door Troy 64 showery shore Cheraw 15 dull dale Tell 65 chilly jail Chili IG dashy ditch Dutch 66 shewisb judge Joshua 17 decoy duck Dick 67 chalky j%' Jack 18 tough dove Davy 68 chafly chief Jove 19 deep dupe Toby 69 cheap ship Joppa 20 nice news Nassau 70 gauzy goose Guizot 21 neat night Nod 71 gaudy gate Quito 22 inane nun Union 72 keen agony Cain 23 numb name Naomi 73 calm game Como 24 narrow lienor Nero 74 irory car Cairo 25 anneal knell Nile 75 ugly_ gale Goliah 26 newish niche Nash 76 anguish. couch Ogeechee 27 knowing knack Yankee 77 quick gyg Cook 28 enough knave Nauvoo 78 coughy cave Wykoff 29 nappy knob Nubia 79 gobby cape Cuba 30 mazy niusc Messiah 80 fussy face Fez 31 mute mate Matthew 81 fat fight Fayette 32 mean men Maine 82 fine fun Finn 33 mum mummy M aumec 83 foamy fame Fam 34 mii-y moor Amour 84 free fare Pharaoh 35 mellow meal Malay 85 full fuel Fayal 30 meshy mush Michaux 86 fishy fish Feejee 37 meek mug Mecca 87 foggy offing Fuego 38 miffy move Mi fa 88 five fife Vevay 39 hempy mop Amboy 89 foppy fop Ph(jebe 40 racy rose Ross 90 pious boys Boaz 41 rid road Herod 91 bad bed Booth 42 rainy ruin llhine 92 puny bone Eoone 43 rheumy rhyme Home 93 balmy palm Bahama 44 rare roar Aurora 94 poor beer Hebrew 45 real rail Kaleigb 95 able blow Abel 4G rash rage Ilush^ 96 boyish beach Bush 47 rocky rogue Yorick 97 big peak Pico 48 rough roof Harvey 98 buff beef Buffo 49 ripe rope Europe 99 baby booby Pope 50 lazy lass Louisa 100 disuse hot-houses Deseez 308 Maryland EducalionalJournal. School Journals. In addition to what was stated on page 264, January number of this Journal, in reference to the Massachusetts Teacher, we now have the following from the Pennsylvania School Journal, referring to the recent suspension of the New York Teacher, or, more properly, its mergence into another periodical : *'At first view this looks badly for the teachers and the cause of education in our neighboring State ; but we rather suspect the cause is to be found, less in a failure of the educational energy and interest of New YorV, than in the wrong basis upon which the Teacher — as well as several other State periodi- cals — was established and conducted. It will probably be found that when a State periodical is started by and as the organ, and is dependent upon the means and support of a State Association, it cannot long sustain itself; and that, even if afterwards conditionally committed to individual ownership, it will ultimately fail. Like every other business enterprise, a School Journal, to be useful and permanent, must have a responsible owner and manager, or it will die from lack of support. ' ' "VVe have an illustration of the same difficulty, says the Ohio Educa- tional Montlilif, in the history of the Ohio Journal of Education^ the predecessor of the Monthly. No State Association is competent to con- duct, for any considerable time, a school journal. It can encourage and sustain private talent and enterprise, and this, as all experience shows, is its wisest course. Deferred Articles. — The following original contributions are on file for use in future numbers of this Journal, viz : "Sketch of Rev. Dr. Spencer," "Public Instruction," "Professional Courtesy," &c. School Mottoes. — Much good may be accomplished and lasting impressions made by the use, on the walls of the school room, of good mottoes; and we know of none better or cheaper than those furnished by J. P. McCaskey, of Lancaster, Pa. He furnishes a series of large cards, beautifully printed on both sides, containing twelve excellent mottoes, which he will send by mail, postpaid, to any address for only one dollar. JS@» See advertisement of Fay's great Outline of Universal Geography, by Gr. P. Putnam & Sons, 661 Broadway, N. Y. g®* See page 305 for a special publisher's notice. w3 School and Family Monthly. 309 Book Notices. =*ToM Miller; or After Mavy Days:' J. C. Garrigues & Co., Pliiladelphia. This is a story of an emigrant family : the mother, a quiet woman of strong faith : the father, a person devoted to the world, and hard a.s the nether mill stone. The children follow the father, and not the mother; but she never faints, hut labors uncomplainingly until, in her western home, she meets death as only a Christian can. This event is blessed to her husband, and to all the children. The characters are not overstrained, and the moral is unexceptionable. '•WiLLiAiLs' Readable Dictionary," or Topical and Synonymic Lexicon, published by A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. This is another one of those practical books for schools and private students, for which these publishers are famous. The objection against the ordinary dic- tionary, as a reader, that the subject changes too frequently, or the stories are too short, does not hold good against this. 350 pages. '•' A Summary of English ami of French History'' for the use of schools, by A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. More easily learned than a mere chronological table, and of infinitely greater value. 32 pages. The Good Man's Legacy. An excellent sermon, by Rev. Samuel Osgood. D. D. With portrait and sketch of Dr. Richard Rothe, of Heidelburg. Price 25 cents. Consumption; Its cause, and cure by the Swedish Movement. With illustrations and directions for home application, b}' David Wark, M. D. Price, 30 cents. Education of the Heart. The necessity of moral culture for human happine.=s. By Hon. Schuyler Colfax. Sent post-paid for 10 cents. Address the publisher, S. R. Wells, 389 Broadway, N. Y. The Kew Eclectic for March, is upon our table. It is embellished with a portrait of the English statesman, Hon. Wni. E. Gladstone, besides being freighted with choice selections of literature. Turnbull & Murdoch, publishers, 49 Lexington street, Baltimore. Virgil's ^Eneid.— Messrs. Eldridge & Brother, 17 South 6th st., Philadelphia, publish a Latin series of which they will send copies for examination, gratis, to every teacher of Latin in the United States, on application, accompanied by a catalogue of the institution with which he is connected, or of which he is the principal. 310 Maryland EducationalJournal. Local School Intelligence. School Exhibi'iton. — The total nett proceeds of the recent series of three school exhibitions, held in Cumherland, at the close of the public schools, for the purpose of raising means to purchase an instru- ment and library, as reported to President Shober by the connnittee of teachers having it in charge, was $143.85, which has been appropriatetl to the purchase of an organ for the schools. Ji@" The proceedings of the Teacher's Institute of Anne Arunde] county, recently held, as also other local mattei*s, are unavoidably omitted ; but hereafter, in the new volume of this Journal, we shall specially report all such meetings. JIS@°" The number of students at St. John's College is steadily on the increase, and the success of this venerable institution, under its present organization, is regarded as certain. The course of lectures now in progress of delivery by the different professors, escites much interest, especially among members of the legislature. Dull scissors easily sharpened by the use of the " Ladies' Gem,'' consisting of sharpener, ripper, button-hole cutter, and nail cleaner, to be had of J. Ahearn & Co., 63 Second st.^ Baltimore, for 50 cents, by mail. Ink. — For a good article of black ink powder, anti-corrosive and frost-proof, send 25 cents to Box No. 77, Shiremantown, Pa. " Shemariah." — We have received several copies of pamphlets con- cerning educational subjects, which we have not had time thoroughly to examine. Address, " Shemariah, 84, Nassau St., New York. A Fine Art. — If we had ever had a doubt as to whether printing was an art, such doubts would have been removed by an inspection of No. 1, Vol. 3, of Messrs. Conner's Sons' N. Y. " Typographic Messen- ger," a publication of interest not only to printers. g@=" If all the money wasted in destructive wars should be expended in works of improvement, what a Paradise the world would become. THE ECLECTIC lEDIGAL JOURNAL, ryf Pennsylvania, pu])lished monthly, contains forty-eight pages of original matter. Price, $1 per annum. The contents are suited to the masses. Premium engravings, valued at $2, given to all subscribers. Specimen copies free. Please address JOHN BUCHANAN, 337 North llth street, Philadelphia, Pa. THE MOWT-HLY BULLBTIIT. CUMBERLAND, MD. Bj- E, S. Zevoly, oftho Md. Educational Journal, — formerlv ofihc Cum- l)erliind Weoklv Bulletin, N. C. Beacon, Greensboro Patriot, Cincinnati O. Daily News, Washington Correspondent, Teacher, Artist, and so forth, Ac, etc. Are unsurpassed for Corivpleteness , Simplicity and Economy. These School Records are the result of practical experi- ence as a TeacliBr and Superintendent. They are specially designed for the use of Teachers who prefer to avoid the ex- pense and inconvenience of more than one hook, and yet desire to keep a complete record of each pupil. Universal Records for Pupils, 24 pages, style 1* | 08 Universal Records for Pupils, 24 pages, style 2 10 Universal Records for Teachers, 48 pgs folio thin sides 1 00 Universal Records do. 192 pgs folio, heavy sides 3 50 Universal Records for Professors, 48 pgs folio thin sides 1 00 Universal Records do. 192 pgs folio, heavy sides 3 50 Universal Records for Superintendents 144 p cap heavy 1 25 Universal Records do. 288 p cap, cloth sides 2 25 Universal Records for Examiners 48 p folio, heavy sides 1 75 Universal Records for do. 48 pages folio cloth sides 2 50 Blank Certificates of promotion per thousand 3 50 Blank Reports to Parents^ per thousand 3 50 Blank Reports to Superintendents, per hundred 2 25 *Has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment, and recitation. No. 2 has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment and five separate recitations. Any of the above sent prepaid on receipt of retail price. HAMILTON S. McRAE, Muncie, hid. Or Ben Franklin Book and Printing Co., Indianapolis. On receipt of 65 cts I will send by mail prepaid a specimen copy of either the teachers' or professors' records, h. s. m. ■ — "Now, then^ fust boy in 'rithmetic, how many white beans are ther in ten black ones ?" ''Ten, sir^ ef you skin 'em," was the reply. THE NOR^VICH SONG ROLL. PATENTED BY H, Y. EDMOXD, The Norwicli Song''Roll is a recent invention, designed jtiimarily to increase the interest and improve the singing: in the Sabbath School ; it can, hov,-evev, be used with eipial advantage in tlie Day School aiul Lecture Kooni. By the Song Roll scholars are trained to sing in a posture most favorable I'or the voice, the eyes of all being concen- trated upon a common object. With the aid of the Stencil plates any hynni or song can be readily printed, so that a school can be furnished with new pieces without the expense of new books. The Roll itself is an ornament no less than a convenience wherever set up, and being on castors can be easily moved. PRICES — No. 1. Mammoth size, easily read at a distance of 90 or 100 feet, 10 feet higli by 5 ieet wide, each $-^5. It includes 50 yards of paper 50 inches wide, a set of sten- cil plates with capital and small inch and a half letters, and two cups of colored paste, sponge t^' brush, with two hymns as starters. No. 2 — Common size, easily read at a distance of 00 feet. Nine and a half feet high, by -1 feet 8 in. wide, each $35.- - This includes everything as above, with paper 48 inch wide, and Stencils one a quarter inch letters. No. 3 — Small size, lor infant classes, G feet high by 3 ft. wide, each $25. This includes 25 yards ])aper of 30 inches, stencils of 1 inch letters and the rest as above. Boxing, each $1,50 to $2. Address AUG. 0. VAN LENNEP, General Agent, 54 Cedar street, New York. CuinherlancL McL, Weeldij Fojicrs. Civilian and Telegraph, by Wm. li. Lowdermilk, $2 per annum — Republican . Cumberland Union, by Mattingly t^' Steiner, $2 per an- mim — Republican . Democratic Alleganian, by W. E. Weber, $2 per annum - — Conservative. The Sunday School Teacher .aiL i'j - Q:ii , , . • . / A , . Inters upon its Third v far under the most proinising (.irciinistances. •" Its circu- lation has oouiJiJil) during tlie past year. It has received the highest encomiums from ])ractical Sunday School men in all parts of the land. During the coming year no effort will be spared to majce t!ie improvement in its. character correspond witi) its increased ]5rosperity. ' ' •• • It is the ONLY Magazine in ihe United States devoted to the interests ()i- Sunday Schooes. It is published under the auspices of the Chicago Sunday Sciioor, Union, and its Catliolicity is guaranteed by the fact that it is edited under liie supervision of a commiitee ov eminent clergymen, representing five of the leading denominations. Its Manac;ing Editor is Rev. Edward Eggle.ston, well known as a writer and Sunday .School worker. Its corps of contributors comprises all the eminent Sunday School men, East and West, Vjesides several in Euro])e. Its s|)ace is loliclly given to matters of interest to Sunday School laborers. The Course of Lessons has attained a remarkable success. In each nuTiber of the Sunday School Teacher are lessons for each Sabbath in the rrionth, comprising a Passage ok ScKiPiUKE, an Analysis, a Golden T£xt, a Central Thought, a Topic eok Medi'iation, a Series of Que.stions and carefully prepared Notes with Sugges- tions to TEAC'7t;RS as to the best mode of giving the lesson. All of these exxept the Notes and Suggestions are also published on a "Lesson PaI'ER" of four page* issued monthly for the use of scholars. No course of lessons so complete in all rc- s])ects has ever before been published. The Lessons eor 1868 will be entitled A YEAR WITH THE APOSTLES, and will be superior in every res])cct to all previous ones. See second page of this Prospectus. Infant Class Teachers will find a Model Infant Lesson in each number. Infant Class Outlines ar« also published for each lesson of the course. Th"e Blackboard is kept prominently in view and Outlines of Exercises .-iie given for each Sabbath in the year. Sunday School Concerts will receive especial attention during the coming year. Directions for conducting them will be given, and exercises appropriate for use will be inserted. The Library. Valuable jjapers are given from time to time upon the selection and management of the llbrarv. JEVERYTMING connected with Sunday School management and teaching, everything relating to Childhood Conversion and Children's Meetings, everything relating to the great Convention Movement and the conduct of Ins'i ii ittks is embraced in the scope of this Magazine. Sunday School Music. -A new piece of i\lusic in each number. In short it is our intention fo render the Sunday School Tea'JHek indispensible to all connected with Sabbath Schools in any way. rERM.S— Single Subscrii-iions $1.50 per vear, inv.iriabJy in advance. Chibs numbering 10 or iiiort-, will receive 6 Lesson Papers each month for each subscriber, sent to one address. Ex- tra Lesson Papers will be furnished at the rate of ?j.co per hundred. .Specimen numbers 13c. !!l^r' St-nd fw Speehnen number before deehUiiff ii2>on your LessMin for IHGH. .\ddrc>«« \\i iOT.S, BIi.lCKinE:R, gc LYOIV, Piibll^lieriK, Cliiea««i. A Year with the Apostles. Xjis^r. ol'I^essoias for the "Yeai' 1 S08, PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER. 1. Peter and John at the Sepulchre. — John xx : i-io. 2. Emmaus. — ZL?//v xxiv : 13-35. 3. Jesus in the Midst. — Ljihe xxiv : 36-4S. 4. Doubting Thomas. — John xx : 24-31. 5. Jesus by the Sea. — John xxi : 1-14. 6. Lovest Thou Me ? — John y.-^w 15-23. 7. Preach the Gospel, — Mark xvi : 15-20. 8. The Ascension. — Acts'w 1-14. g. Matthias Appointed. — Acts'w 15-26. 10. Pentecost I. — Acts ii : 1-13. 11. Pentecost II. — Acts ii : 37-47. 12. The Lame Man Healed. — Acls'vS.: i-ii. 13. Peter's Sermon on Repentance. — Acts iii : 19-26. 14. The Prayer and its Answer. — Acts iv : 23-33. 15. Ananias and Sapphira. — Acts v : i-ll. 16. In Prison.— y^^^i- V : 17-32. 17. Stephen Stoned, — ActsViw 54-60. 18. Simon the Sorcerer. — Acts viii : 9-24. 19. Philip and the Eunuch. — Acts viii : 26-40. 20. Saul of Tarsus. — Acts'xs.: 1—20. 21. Eneas healed and Dorcas Raised to Tife. — Acts ix : 32-43. 22. Cornelius the Centurion. — Acts x : 1-8. 23. The Gospel Preached to the Gentiles. — Actsx : 34-45. 24. The Prison Opened. — Acts 12 : 1-19. 25. Death of Herod. — Acts xii : 20--25. 26. Elymas the Sorcerer. — Acts xiii : 4-13. 27. The Gospel Rejected. — Ac^s xiii ; 42--52. 28. The Cripple of Lys'cr,-?.. — Acts xiv: S--18. 29. The Stoning of Paxil and His Arrival at Antioch.— /f r/j- xiv : 19.-2S, 30. Lvdia — Acts w'l: 9- -15. 31. The Spirit Medium. — Acts xvi : 16--24. 32. The Jailor of Philippi. — Acts xvi : 25--34. 33. Thessalonica and Berea. — Acts xvii : 5—15. 34. Paul at Athens. — Acts xvii : 16--34. 35. Corinth. — Acts xvi'ii: 1--16. 36. The Sons of Sceva — Actsxix: 11--20. 37. The Uproar at Ephesus. — Acts xix : 24--40. 38. The Long Sermon.— Acts xx : I--I2. 39. Paul's Farewell Address. ~^ superintendent, has been the selection and arr:in!i,etiient of subjects for study. This is more than obviated by the a(lmiral)lc system of lessons in the 'I'eacher'! — I'lic. C. /.ruu'x, Si//>. />\r/'. S. S.. LfuVi'/iwori/i, h'ai/sas. Th'.'y all unite in saying that the plan pursiKd is atlmiiMbk-, and the best tliev liaescen. The effect produced upon our scholars has been very beneficial.' It we were deprived of the plan jmrsucd by the Teacher, we should substitute, in its ■ uad, siv.nething very similar, as it is a fa\i'riiv with both scholars ami teachers. 1 1 h is b»cn a great assistanie 10 the ot'ticers ol the schnol in securing discipline, attention, punctuality, anil last, but surely the most imixu'limt, assisting inateriall\ in the leading- of our scholars to Christ. — li'iirn-ii C/ionh; .l.rs'/ S/(A. li't\^/,'\' Chapd S. S., Washm^lon, J\ C. I most heartily reconmicnd the .'-!. S. Teacher. The plan of teaching and the s\-.->iein '.f lessons it presents, ai'e eminently fitted to reach the gi.ind end of .Sun- day School instruction, .\fter t\vi,i years of accjuaintance with the Ttaciier, and with scores of scholars that iiave used it, I feel safe in conunending it to others. I ha\-e i\ot yet foimd a school I)ut testilics tt. i*^s suoerior merit. — A'cr'. //. . /. /l/zV/.v, SA!,{' J//SS. for ]]'isio>isiii. It has been my privilege to visit a good nundjei of Sabbath Schools during the ,.a>t lew month.s, and tt) introduce the Teacher to many wlio had not previously used it- Wherever I have found it in use, its influence was marlietl tor good in e\erv particular, training and improving tlie teaclicrs and officers in nietliods and spirit!! ilitv, and elevating the standard of Sal)l)ath School ii\struction. 1 .-';cerel\- wish that it might f)e adopted in every Sabbath School in tiie land as a text book inil a guiile.— />/•. ( '. K. Blackall, /ris.audS. S. Sa'y for Ihc Stahs of Illinois, Mich- ■i;\ni and Wisconsin, for Am. Haflist J'lik Society. The introduction of the S!inday School Teacher into eveiy school in the laml wou'd i\o more to !.k\ ati .md improve the system of instruction than any others, means with which 1 am ac(p!ai!ited. My personal ol)servatit)n and iutercom-sc with superintendents and teachers throughout the -State, have brought me to the abow conclusion. I almost invariably find those schools and cominunities whcie the Teacher is taken, more earnest and eflicient in their Sutiday School work, than ii\ those where it has not beeiA introduced.— A", r\ 11'. /.'. 'D-nox, Slalr Miss. .ijn. S. .S'. / 'iiion for III. It gives me pleasure to be per!nitled to s.vy a word i!i lavoidl'the Snnd.!\ School Teacher. First, it \s\\:oitlc a7cal\: Sui\day School journal, tliorougtily i!p with the limes, and meets a want amongst the teaciiers of our Sunday Schools \wX. hereto- fore met. No Sunday School teacher, or superintendent, who is wide awake to his dtily, and desires to be up with the times iti Sunday School mallcis, as well as in inhers, will be hmg without this journal, after becoming accpiainted with its mciits. --/'. /•;. 'Jillin^liasf, Siif. /-irsl /urflisl S. S..I\i:o!i!c':c/. A'. A We havebeeii m!ich gratitied with the si!ccess <.>i the S. S. Teai-lui- In oin- oun school, it has been productive of very good results. A weekly Teachers' meeting iias been establisheil for the study of the lessons, which constantly grows \\\ interest. We intend to continue the coiusc next year, satistied that we can ha\e nothing better tor the p!!rpose. — yolni .V. M.i/.'/iiJs, .Is.^'/.S'nf. M. A'. I'l/nrcl/, .\c:o l/orcn. Conn. We have used the Teacher antl (^)!iestion Tapers in niu- scliool the past year, .!nd i can sav, from close obscrvalio!!, aiul particular iu(p!iry ol teachers and scholars, that good satisfaction has been given ; in fact, I am sure better than any other plan \vc have ever adopted. I notice this peculiar fact, that the greater the worker in the cause is the teacher, the better he is satisfied, and his or her class satisliei! with the lessons. — //. 6'. A'our.v. Sn/. Mr.^f h\iptist S. S., /^nrltlchro, I 'I. NEW AND IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL WORK. Fay's Great Outline of Geography FOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES. The text book in i2mo ; the Atlas in large folio. Retail price, $3.75 ; Library edition, in cloth, $4.25. Liberal terms for sch ools. Teachers supplied with a copy for examination at half price. "The author of this work presents the puWio with an entirely new Bystem of studying; Geog- raphy. We confess the plan strikes us with ^eat favor. Without disparaging other text books, we must say, this seems to us to be more exactly adapted to its purpose than any. It is announced as being designed for ' High Schools and Families.' It certainly Is well advanced. But it is equally, we might even say better adapted, for rudimentary learners. It is at once simple and comprehensive. Its grand merit consists fully as much in what it does not contain, as In what it does. The student of any science needs first of all to master its salient truths, before attempting to learn its minor fea- tures. All details, therefore, are fittingly dismissed, as only confusing. The maps only note the promi- nent points and localities of the world's surface. The aim is to fix the gener.il appearance of the globe firmly in the mind, with nothing to distract or bewilder. This accomplished, knowledge of minor facts is easily acquired. Astronomical and physical geography are conjoined In this system. The student, first of all, sees the world In its most general exterior. » • « « The chief towns of the world are given, nnobscur«d by any other detail, and the teacher, text book _t iuind, accom- j)anies the scholar, each with his Atlas, in voyages by water and journeys by land, around the earth. Committing to memory is no part of the plan for studying Geography on Fay's system. It is rather the purpose, from accurate and distinct maps, to photograph on the mind of the student the surface of the earth, and even its orbit in the heavens. It thus becomes a pleasing recreation in the midst of school exercises; not an arduous task. Having thus engraved on his memory every distinctive phase of the globe as a whole, the student now takes it up Yjy sections. * * * The map in view gives no place to unimportant towns, but every city and locality of which the student has heard is presented to him, and he cannot help but know just where they are located. And then we have Europe in the same vivid manner, Ibllowed by the United States. The Plates close with one representing the Earth and other planets In their courses round the Sun, and other astronomical features. The mechanical execution of the Atlas deserves strong praise. If you have a child who is hard to learn geography, or one who wishes to learn it easier, or If you wish to undertake a r6sum6 of your own knowledge, or add to what yon already know, Fay's system is the way to do It, and his Great Outline the means. The most stupid will find that knowledge would be in- stilled into them In spite of themselVes." — Albwny E/vening Journal. " The other work to which we referred as well wnith attention Is the 'Outline' of T. S. Fay, and ihf Atlas by which it is accompanied (New York: G. P. Putnam & Son). These have been prepared by a gentleman well known as the representative for many years of the United States Government at Berlin and at Berne. He Is well acquainted -with the progress of the science oa which he writes, and his plan is so original as to deserve some explana- tion. While the books of Guyot form a series of books intended to be used one after the other, by the same scholar, as he advances from the age of six or seven years to that of thirteen or fourteen, the treatise of Mr. Fay is complete in itself. He gives a well-constructed atlas of the globe, and with It a little manual containing a series of lessons on the maps, with occasional illustrative comments. This careful map-study, embracing physical as well as political characterifitics, may serve either as an in- troduction to geography or as a final review or re- Hvmi. of one's knowledge. In either case it Is adapted to the older scholars of our ordinary schools. The plan which it proposas seems to us very well carried out; and simple as the 'Outline' at first appears, we have been surprised to discover its comprehensiveness and completeness. Obviously the book may be used advantageously before or after other books. There is one feature of the book which has particularly interested us, bearing, as we presume, the impress of Mr. Fay's long acquaint- ance with German schools. It Is Intended that the scholar shall learn his lessons under the eye and with the aid of his teacher, who is to d/nll the class. Most of our American teachers do not teach, but hear recitations. Mr. Fay would have thern go over each lesson with the class, and see that all its contents are mastered. Mr. Fay's maps and text are brought down to the latest moment. Alaska belongs to the United States, the reconstructed North Germany is delln- eateil, and the statistics are gathered from Behm's admirable 'Hand-book,' and other recent publica- tions."— 77te Nation, N. 7. Boston, Dec. 24th. " The Atlas is better In execution than any School Atlas I have ever seen." — W. P. .Atkinson, Prof, in Mass. Inst, of TecJmology. "Fay's Geography seems to meet a want not met by any existing works, and its execution is highly creditable to author and publishers."— Abnbb J. Phipps, Agent of Mass. Board of Education. " Of the mechanical part of the work, maps, print- ing, &c., there can be but one opinion. Nothing of the kind yet published surpasses it." — Eebn 8. Stbaens, N. T. State Normal 8>:hool, Albany. " I think Mr. Fay's Geography ought to supersede all others now in use. The opinion of Baron von Humboldt Is enough to stamp Its value anywhere." ^JoHN Catlin. " I have carefully examined it with the large and beautifully executed Atlas, and cheerfully com- mend It to Teachers and Principalfl of Public and Private Schools, as well worthy In all respects of their confidence and regard." — 8. 8. Randall, Supt. Public Schools, N. Y. City. P. PUTNAM & SON, Publishers, New York. IMPORTANT BOOKS OF REFERENCE. G. P. Putnam & Son have now ready. X. Haydn's Dictionary of Dates; relating to all Ages and Nations: for Uni- versal Reference. The new (English) edition by Benjamin Vincent. To which is added an AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT containing about 200 additional pages, including American Topics and a Copious Biographical Index. By G. P. Putnam, A. M. In one very large volume of more than 1,000 pages. Price, $8.50. Half Russia, $10.50. %* This is the most comprehensive and reliable book of reference in this department ever published. The last English edition of the original work is given entire, together with American additions which were essential to the completeness of a volume which is marvellous for its fullness and accuracy. No good library can dispense with this volume. The English edition heretofore imported by Messrs. Apple- ton will by special arrangement be hereafter published by Putnam & Son with the American Supplement. II. The American Supplement to Haydn's Dictionary of Dates, Including a Copious Biographical Index. By G. P. Putnam. 8vo. f 1.50. - III. A New and Thoroughly Revised Edition of 1867. The World's Progress : a Manual of Dates connected with the History of Every Age and Nation, and the Progress of Society in Knowledge and the Arts. Both alphabetically and synchronistically arranged; continued to August, 1867. With a colored chart. Designed for the counting room, for teachers, students, and for universal reference. By G. P. Putnam, A. M. In one vol., large i2mo, cloth, $3.50. Half calf, $5. %* More than 10,000 copies of this manual have been sold. Notices of the Press. A more convenient literary labor-saving machine than this excellent compilation can scarcely be found in any language. — New York Tribune. It has been planned so as to facilitate access to the largest amount of useful information in the small- est possible compass. — Buffalo Courier. The best manual of the kind that has yet appeared in the English language.— -BosFroTO Letter o/Dr. A. Thomson, Delaware, Ohio. Evidently embodies the results of long practice and experience As regards the relations of wine-grow- ing to public morals, Mr. Mead thinks that as men will drink wne of some kind, it is best to accept the fact and to teach them to drink only that which is pure. By striving for this result, he is convinced that grape culture may be made " the handmaiden of the temperance cause." The principal part of Mr. Mead's treatise opens wiih suggestions regarding the proper climate for grape-growing, and the right location for vineyards. It then takes up in succession all the questions, the discussion of which would be looked for in such a work, and treats them in a plain, prac- tical, and sensible manner. The last chapter in the work is devoted to directions for wine-making.— iV. Y. Times. A most complete work on a most important subject —Philadelphia Press. Mr. Mead is one of our best known horticulturists ; he writes like one who knows whereof be treats. He handles his subjects thoroughly, and every vineyard- ist will be well repaid by reading his hook..— Far iner's Advertiser, St. Louis, Missouri. The work is by a practical man, and is a record of actual experience and observation. The whole field is carefully gone over.— iV. Y. Commercial Advertiser. It is simply, intelligently written, abundantly and excellently illustrated, and gives every possible pre- cept on all phases and processes of the business, and will be found equally useful to the amateur gardener or the professional gardener and manufacturer. — Springfield Republican. The subjects in all their branches are carefully and elaborately treated. It is so elementary that one en- tirely ignorant of the subject may rely upon it as a simple and safe guide, and it is so thorough and com- plete that few have so practical acquaintance with the subject that they can not learn something new from this Yolmae.— Methodist. Thoroughly practical. — Pittsburg Chronicle. A most concise and complete handbook. — Pitts- burg Dispatch. Supplies a need long felt by amateurs and horticul- turists.— JVo?/ Whig. It shows unmistakably, so that none can fail to un- derstand, what good grapes are, and how to obtain them for home and for the market, and what good wine is, and how any one can obtain it for family use in its purity and fineness, from the simple, unaided juice of the grape.— Newburg Journal. Baepee & BsoTHEEB inll sand the above work by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on the receipt of $3 00. IPponcli' s • -A_pitliiiie tic i This Series, when completed, will consist of Five Books, viz. : I. FIRST LESSONS IN" NUMBERS. 16mo, 40 cents. IL PRBIARY ARITHMETIC FOR THE SLATE. 16mo,60 cents. in. MENTAL ARITHMETIC. {Bi Press.) IV. COMMON-SCHOOL ARITHMETIC. {Li Press.) V. ACADEMIC ARITHMETIC. {In Preparation.) First Lessons in Numbers, in the Natural Order, First, Visible Objects; Second, Concrete Ntimbers ; Third, Abstract Numbers. By Johk" II. Feench, LL.D. Handsomely Illustrated. 16mo, 40 cents. This little book of 120 pages is divided into fifteen sections, embracing the subjects of Count- ing, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division ; the Fractional Parts of ISfumbers, Halves, Thu-ds, and Fourths ; Tables of the Denomination of Money, Weights, and Measures iu common use ; the Tables of Combinations, arranged upon a ncAv plan ; and a manual of sugges- tions for the use of Teachers. Elementary Arithmetic for tlie Slate, in which Methods and Rules are based upon Principles established by Induction. By John H. Feench, LL.D. Handsomely Illustrated. 16mo, 50 cents. The object of tins book, designed especially for beginners in Written Arithmetic, is twofold, viz. : 1st. To give to young learners a good foundation for the study of the Science of iSTumbers, by basing all Methods of Operation upon Principles ; and 2d. To give them as much knowledge as possible of the business affairs of life, by the introduction of business transactions stated in cor- rect business language. The plan of the work differs, in most of its essential points, from that of other works of a like grade. To these points of difference — and it is confidently befieved of superiority — the attention of parents and teachers is particularly invited. B^~ The other books of the s&fies will contain many new and valuable features that will especially coviviend them to tlie practical wants of'tlie age What New York City says about them as Compared with Othei*s. The School System of New York City presents peculiar advantages for testing the comparative merits of Reading-Books, inasmuch as the Teacher is allowed to select from nine different Series, and the Superintendents annually examine every class, and mark its comparative deficiencv. Teachers, therefore, select the Books with which they can produce the best results ; and as their reputation would suffer by comparative failure, none can afford to use an inferior Book as a favoi' to Publisher or Agent. Willson's Readers were adopted for use in the Public Schools of New York City in November, 1860. That they surpass aU other Series in the amount of valuable information imparted is con- ceded by all Teachers, and we have heretofore pubhshed a large amount of testimony from those who are using the Books, to show that they are not excelled by any other Series as manuals for Elocutionary Reading. More than one fifth of aU the Readers selected by the Teachers, during 1S6G, from the nine Series on the list vrere from WiUson's Series — many more volumes than of an v other Series, HARPER & BROTHERS, Publishers, Feanklin Square, New Yoek. A NEW ERA IN THE AKTS OF PENMANSHIP AND DRAWING ! HARPER'S WRITING-BOOKS, COMBINING Symmetrical Penmanship with Marginal Drawing -Lessons. In Tea Numbers. The First Four Numbers now Keady. Price per Dozen, f 2 00. Liberal Terms for Introduction. "/ Idieve a child wzU learn both to draw and u'ritc sooner, and icith more ease, than he ^eill learn iwitittg alone." H0K.VOE Mann. The idea of embracing in the same series of Copy-Books a system of Practical Penmanship and a coarse of Lessons in Drawing is a new one. Teachers and pai-ents are well aware that children are fond of making pictures, and that exercises in DraAving impi-ove a person's hand-writing, and vice versa. Dramng has not been generally introduced into schools, because no suitable books could be obtained, and most teachers are not competent to give instruction in the art without a book. This series contains a Symmetrical System of Penmanship, easily acquired and rapidly written. The "helps'" to the acquisition of this system are simple and valuable, and the system is what its name indicates, "symmetrical" — every letter being fonned upon geometrical principles, and of un- varying proportions. The Writing and the Marginal Drawing-Lessons occupy the entire width of each page. The Drawing-Lessons commence with straight lines of the saine slope as the main lines of the writing, and progress, step by step, through straight and curved lines, geometrical forms, architecture, foliage, perspective, figm-es of animals, persons, etc. l\ules and directions are printed upon the covers of each book, making each Number complete in itself. In connection with the above, we would caU attention to Harper's School and Family Slate, WITH ACCOMPANYING CAKDS, FOR EXERCISES IN WRITINa, PRINTING, DRAWING, AND NUMBERS, the whole forming an excellent and economical introduction to the Writing-Books. The sj-stem of Penmanship is the same in all respects, the sirrface of the Slate (on one side) being carefully ruled with horizontal and oblique lines, to guide the pupil m attaining a uniform length and slope for the letters. This ruling, while perfectly distinct to the eye, is not sufficiently deep or broad to offer the slighest obstruction to the free use of the pencil. The Cards (twelve in number) contain- ing the Copies also contain Primary Lessons in Drawing, the copying of which is greatly focilitated by other lines — oblique, vertical, and horizontal — ruled on the surface of the Slate. The Cards also give instructions in the art of making distinct and properly-proportioned figures, and in mak- ing Roman letters. The Copies and Models are printed in white, on a black ground, so that the exercises may be made exact fac-similes, in color as well as in line, of the Copies ; and the Cards are protected, when not in use, by a casing in the upper portion of the Slate-frame. One side of the Slate is free from ruling, and can therefore be used in the same manner as the ordinary School-Slate. Slates, -witli Full Set cf Cards accompanying Each, $9 00 per Dozen. HARPER & BROTHERS, Publisheks, Fbanklin Square, New Yoek, WILLSON'S READERS A SUCCESS. Our attention has lately been called to a circular headed "Willson's Readers a Failure," and purporting to be published by Messrs. Sargent, Wilson & Hinkle, the publishers of McGufFey's Readers. Being fully convinced, by the rapidly-increasing circulation of Willson's Readers, that their superior merits will gradually and surely recommend the Series to all competent and impartial persons examining them, we have deemed it unnecessary to reply to the various weak criticisms which have from time to time been made by incompetent teachers and by parties pecuniarily interested in other series. When, however, a paper filled with misrepresentations, and devoid of a single word of honest criticism, is industriously circulated among those who may never have had an opportunity of examining "Willson's Readers, and of judging for themselves, we consider it simply fair that these misstatements be corrected. Of the twelve pages covered by this McGuffey circular, eight are occupied by a statement purporting to be made and signed by teachers of the Baltimore City Schools, asserting their preference for McGuffey's Readers over Willson's, and giv- ing their reasons for such preference. Some of the teachers whose names are ap- pended to the aforementioned circular state that it was not written by the teachers, nor was it the result of any deliberation on their part. The circular was brought to them by the McGuffey agent (possibly written by him), and, as they supposed McGuffey's Readers were to continue in use, they were willing to sign any paper which would rid them of the wearying solicitations of persistent agents. The Su- perintendent of Public Instruction in Baltimore says of the teachers who have a decided preference for McGuffey's books : " The pupils read them (McGuffey's Readers) without effort ; this is the reason why a number of the teachers desire their use." The true history of the two series in Baltimore is thus : Willson's Readers, after two years' successful use in the city, were adopted by the Maryland Board of Ed- ucation as the Official List of Readers for the State. About a year thereafter the agents of McGuffey's Readers, by appealing to sectional and political feelings, suc- ceeded in having his Readers substituted for Willson's in the City of Baltimore. The State authorities tested the right of the City Board to make such change, and were sustained by the courts ; but before the mandamus could be served, after a very few months' trial of McGuffey's Readers, Willson's were readopted by the same Board which had displaced them ; and the City Superintendent stated in a letter to the State Board of Education that while using McGuffey's Readers, " So far from making progress in their reading, the classes had deteriorated in a consider- able degree." (Read Dr. Mcjilton's letters, on pages 3 and 4 of this circular.) Willson's Readers are still the only ones used in Baltimore. This McGuffey circular informs the people of Ohio that "a number of book ped- dlers are in their midst, endeavoring, by a variety of misrepresentations, to sell Willson's Readers." As we have never received a single co?nplaint of misrepre- sentations having been made by our agents, we are compelled to believe that their statements and arguments are confirmed by the experience of those to whom they sell the books. This McGuffey circular gives the names of about seventy cities and towns from which Willson's Readers have been displaced. Of these towns, scattered through a number of States, not twenty are places of 10,000 inhabitants, and the whole seventy do not contain as many pupils in their school's as the schools that are now using Willson's Readers in Ohio. In this list is the name of Baltimore, whose history in connection with Willson's Readers we have already given, and whose schools contain one third as many pupils as the entire number of towns on the list. The list gives the names of places where Willson's Readers were never used, and of others where they are still in use. From this pitiful show of disapprobation the publishers of McGuffey's Readers profess to infer " that they (Willson's Readers) are wholly unfit for use in the school-room, and can not be successfully employed to teach reading." This inference is any thing but complimentary to the school Willsoiis Readers a Sticcess. 84: 132 40. 154 100 60. 216 77 80. 264 142 90. 312 65 1 10. 360 164 1 35. 540 208 1 80. officers, teachers, and parents of Ohio ; for, notwithstanding the large numbers of Willson's Readers used in that State, we have not for a long time received a single complaint against them : on the contrary, we receive many letters from school of- ficers, teachers, and parents, expressing great satisfaction with the matter contained in the books, and with the progress of the children in the acquirement of elocution- ary ability and useful information. It is impossible to suppose that the people of Ohio can be so completely misled as to the comparative merits of the two series, after having used McGufifey's for years previous to the adoption of Willson's. The McGuffey circular farther states that, owing to the expense of Willson's Readers, and other still more serious objections, some people in every district will not buy them, and a partial introduction breaks up the classification of the school, and renders the teachers' efforts almost fruitless." In reply to this we would say that in Ohio our Readers are in exclusive use in oJie Jmndt'cd times as many schools as use Willson's combined with some other series. The manner in which Willson's Series is graded gives the McGuffey publishers an opportunity — which they embrace — to make a partial and unfair exhibit of our prices. Below we append a correct list of our books, according to gradation, with our highest prices : Primer (First Book of Reading Series), 48 pages, 107 cuts, $ 25. First Reader (Second " " Second Reader (Third " " Int. Third Reader (Fourth " " Third Reader (Fifth " " Int. Fourth Reader (Sixth " " Fourth Reader (Seventh " " Fifth Reader (Eighth " " The Primer is not a simple toy-book, as in some series, but is a Reader contain- ing elocutionary instructions, and was expressly made to be the first book of Will- son's Reading Series. Willson's Fifth Reader is a book adapted to High School use, and is, with the Fourth, largely used in a number of the best High Schools in the countr}^, with very satisfactoiy results. The first six reading books of Willson's Series are as cheap as the six books of McGufifey's Series, and are far superior in gradation, in diversity and appropriateness of matter, and in quantity and quality of illustration. The publishers of McGufifey's Readers evidently seek to create an impression that our Readers are sold exorbitantly high, and that the publishers are reaping enormous profits on the first cost of the books, whereas the fact is that the proportionate profit is smaller than on any other series of Readers. The single item of illustratio?i has cost more money than the publishers of McGuffey paid for the artistic work, the type-setting, and the electrotyping of their entire reading series. The publishers of McGufifey finally appeal for Ohio patronage on the ground that their books are written, printed, and bound in the State. No honest educator will be misled by such an appeal. While we admit the obligation to patronize home productions, every thing else being equal, the proper education of the youth of our land is of so great importance that the pecuniaiy aggrandizement of a par- ticular business firm sinks itito comparative insignificance when compared with it. The rising generation, for their own individual good, for the welfare of the commu- nity in w^hich they reside, and for the interest and well-being of the commonwealth, must be allowed the best possible opportunities for thorough education during their short school time. If, while acquiring elocutionary ability and a taste for literature, they can at the same time learn the rudiments of Natural Science, acquire a taste for investigation, and lay a foundation for future additions of valuable knowledge, it is criminally foolish to deter them from doing so for the sake of nourishing sec- tional or political feeling. Among the States using Willson most extensively is Massachusetts, though two series are published in that State ; and of the entire number of towns in Massa- chusetts into which we have introduced them, but one town has ever displaced them. The Western States, ever on the alert for the best of every thing, purchase immense Willsofis Readers a Sttccess. numbers of them. California, the State which takes the most pains and spends the most money to obtain good teachers, enthusiastically endorses them, and has re- cently adopted them for another period of four years. We invite your candid, unprejudiced, and impartial attention to the following pages of testimony. Very respectfully, HARPER & BROTHERS, Publishers, New York. From the Report of Mr. Swett, as published in the California Teacher of Jan. ^ 1865. Willson's Readers and Spellers have stood the test of the school-room, and have exceeded the most sanguine expectations of those who favored their adoption. From the Second Report of Superintendent Goodnow, Kaiisas. Never has a change met with a more hearty approval. A Spartan king, when asked what a child should be taught, answered, " What he needs to know when he becomes a man." Willson's Readers are an embodiment of this idea. Consid- ering the amount of reading matter, illustrations, paper, and style of binding, they are the cheapest readers extant. From Hon. L. Van Bokkelen, State SiiperzJitendent of Public InstriictioJi, Maryland. My apprehension lest they should prove better adapted for teaching Natural History than for elocutionary reading has been removed, and it gives me pleasure to say that I am convinced that, while making good elocutionists, valuable inform- ation is imparted to the children by the use of this series. Letter from the Superintendent of Public Instruction in the City of Baltimore to the Maryland Board of Education. Office of the Commissioners of Public Schools, Baltimore, Jicne 27, 1867. Gentlemen, — As an effort is in progress to effect another change in the series of Reading Books used in the public schools of the State, including those of the City of Baltimore, it becomes my duty to address you upon the subject. The effort is designed to remove Willson's Series of Readers and to introduce McGuffey's. As Superintendent of the Public Schools of Baltimore City, I have had opportunities of testing the value of both series, and I object to the removal of Willson's and the introduction of McGuffey's Readers for the following reasons: ist. Because the standard of literature in McGuffey's books is the lowest of all the Readers I have examined, while that of Willson's is the highest. Our schools have passed that period of their history when they could have received benefit from such Readers as McGuffey's. The pupils of the schools read them without effort. This is the reason why a number of the teachers desire their use. 2d. As a series, McGuffey's books are badly graded. If you will examine, you will find that the fourth book is very little in advance of the second. There is but little opportunity for progress in this arrangement. Books which can be read without any effort are of no use to the pupil except so far as they teach sound moralit}^ 3d. There are six books in the series, and such is the low character of their literature, and the imperfection of their grading, that four of them must be used in Primary Schools, leaving but two for use in the Grammar Schools, unless the same books used by the pupils in the Primary Schools be continued in their hand in the Grammar Schools, subjecting the pupils to the same books in both grades of schools, much to their annoyance and little to their profit. A large number of the teachers require the introduction of the fifth book in the Primary Schools, leaving Willsons Readers a Success. but one for the Grammar Schools. This, of itself, is sufficient evidence of the low standard of the literature of the series, of the imperfection in their grades, and of their unfitness for schools of the standard of proficiency attained by ours. Books> as readers, that require no effort on the part of the pupil, and no interposition on the part of the teacher, are useless in the hands of the pupils. 4th. The change from Willson's to McGuffey's Readers did material damage to our schools. Of this I have most positive evidence in the result of the last an- nual examination of the Grammar Schools. So far from making progress in their reading, the classes had deteriorated in a considerable degree. 5th. The pupils that read McGuffey's books readily and without effort can not read Willson's, or any series of reasonable grade, without great difficulty. The in- terposition of the teacher is required in order to enable the pupil to overcome every difficulty. After using Willson's books, they are able to master any others without difficulty. Such is the effect of Readers of an elevated standard of literature. Objections are urged against Willson's Readers on account of the department of Natural History. It is said to be too scientific and too difficult for the pupils to master. The difficulty, not the scientific feature, must be the ground of the objection. The scientific feature^ however, is said to be the cause of the difficulty. The objection works against a rote system of instruction, but not in any sense against an intelligent system. With but little effort on the part of the teacher, the difficulty can be removed, and such effort is necessary in any successful method of instruction. Pupils read McGuffey's books without effort on the part of the teacher. They can not so read Willson's. Nor can they make proper progress in the use of any such material as that supplied by McGuffey's books. The department of Natural History I conceive to be of great advantage to our pupils. It is one of the features that induced me to favor the introduction of Willson's Readers into our schools. The Readers are superior to others without this department, and it can be omitted if desired. This, however, my judgment can not consent to. The most difficult scientific words are well mastered by our pupils with but little assistance from the teacher, and when mastered the pupil has made progress not attained by ordinary reading. The advantage appears irrespective of the knowledge secured by the pupil in one of the most interesting and profitable departments of his study. In many instances all the knowledge of Natural History the pupil may obtain will be secured to him by the use of Willson's Readers in the schools. I ought not to omit the opportunity of presenting thus briefly my experience in a matter of so much importance to our schools. It is my duty, if possible, to pre- vent the degradation of the status of our Public Schools, which is inevitable in the change of Readers from Willson to McGuffey. We have labored diligently and constantly in the effort to attain our present standard. A single movement in the direction proposed will throw us back many years. We should hold on to what we have attained, and secure progress by the use of the very best text-books. We have now reached a position and character which have been secured by the use of such books, and are acknowledged the best reading element in the country. It has been secured by the use of Willson's Series. Shall we lose this high posi- tion and honorable character by any retrograde movement ? We certainly can not consent to any such action without a most earnest protest My judgment as thus expressed is based upon an experience of more than twen- ty-five years. Eighteen of those years have been passed in the superintendence of the Public Schools of Baltimore City. I hope the status secured in the progress of our system may be maintained by the employment of the very best material that can be secured both of books and teachers. I have no interest personally in the books, the use of which I desire in our Public Schools. I would provide the best possible agencies for the cliildren of our schools. Respectfully, J. N. McJilton, Superintende7it of Public Instruction in the City of Baltimore^ 1 SUCCESS OF WILLSON'S READERS. TESTIMONY FROM MARYLAND, OCTOBEE, 1867. Willson's Readers were adopted by the State Board of Maryland in 1865. The following cor- respondence with the State Superiatendent of Public Instruction of Maryland and the super- intendent of schools in Baltimore City shows conclusively that they have proved a complete success : Letter from Haepeb & Beothees to Kev. L. Van Bok- KBLKN, D.D. " October 10, 1867. " Eev. L. "Van Bokkelen, State Superintendent : "Deak Sik, — We have had our attention called to a circular headed ' Willson's Ee.iders a failure — tried and found wanting,' purporting to represent the result of their use in your state since their adoption by the State Board of Education. "May we ask whether you have on file in your office any expression from the school trustees or the teachers of the state that would Indicate their opinion of said Readers ? If so, we would consider it a great favor to receive copies of the same, or their purport, as we can not believe that they will justify any such circular as the one referred to. *" An early answer will oblige Yours truly, Haepee & Beothees." To which Superintendent Van Bokkelen re- plies as follows : " State of Maryland, Dept. of Public Instruction,\ SuperinteiidenVa OJice, Baltimore, Oct. 1S67. / " Messrs. Haepee & Beos. : "Deae Sies, — I have your communication informing me that your attention has been called to a circular headed 'Willson's Readers a failure — tried and found wanting,' purporting to represent the result of their use in the pub- lie schools of Maryland since their adoption by the State Board of Education. " You ask whether there is on file in this office any ex- pression from school trustees or others that; would indi- cate their opinion of said Readers. " In reply, I have the pleasure to refer you to the follow- ing extracts from letters received of the county superin- tendents of public schools, and from the superintendent of the public schools of the city of Baltimore. " Very respectfully yours, " L. Van Bokkelen. "P. S. — I send expressions from Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Howard, Kent, Prince George, Queen Anne, Som- erset, Talbot, Washington, Worcester, Harford, Frederick, Montgomery, Cecil, and St. Mary counties. " From Anne Arundel I will have no response. Dr. An- spach, the superintendent, died lately, and Mr. Thompson, his successor, has had no opportunity to judge. " I will have letters from the other five counties soon." From J. N. M'JiLTON, D.D., Superintendent of Baltimore City Schools. "The change from Willson's to M'Guffey's Readers did material damage to our schools. Of this I have most positive evidence in the re- sult of the last annual examination of the gram- mar-schools. So far from making progress in their reading, the classes have deteriorated in a considerable degree." From J. N. Cheibt, Superintendent of Carroll County, Maryland. " After using at different times most of the prominent series of Reading Books, I have no hesitation in saying that I consider Willson's Readers better adapted to the requirements of our Public Schools than any other I have ever used. They are now receiving the unqualified ap- proval of eveiy teacher in the county." From J. W. Thompson, Sux>enntendent of Queen Anne County. "As to the acceptability of Willson's Readers, I can say that they have been universally approved by our teachers. In my judgment they are all we want as Read- ers. They not only contain every variety of reading, and rules as to the proper manner of teaching it, but there is so much instruction contained in them that they are very interesting to the pupils. They are also much used by the members of the family who are too old to go to school, as amusing and instructive reading." From Thomas A. Bouxt, Superintendent of Washington County. "I consider Willson's Series of Readers superior to others, because they are arranged according to the ' Ob- ject LessoQ' theory, and the Primary Readers are thus better adapted both to teachers and pupils. To the child with ordinary capacity it is a pleasure to leam to read in them. " The higher numbers are preferable to those of other series on account of the vast fund of general infonnation in the natural sciences that they contain, and of which very many pupils would remain totally ignorant through life did they not obtain it from these Readers at school. "By a proper use of this series the reader learns to read correctly and understandingly, and escapes con- tracting that monotonous drawl so common to school- boys. We have been using this series of Readers in our county with marked success." From H. A. White, Superintendent of Somerset County " Willson's Readers have given very general satisfac. tioE ia our county, and have proved eminently success ful in our Public Schools. The First and Second Readers have elicited special commendation from our teachers as being the best for young beginners they have yet seen." From Howaed Mebks, Superintendent of Kent County. "I believe the main objects of any series of books of^ this kind are better attained in Willson's than in any other of which I have any knowledge. "These objects are to make good readers and to im- part useful information. The first is sought to be accom- plished in the first numbers of the series and in the ear- liest stages of the child's progress, while the latter is cer- tainly gained in the higher numbers. "I have used M'Guffey's, and was always impressed with the lack of suitable exercises for beginners." From Saml. A. Haeeison, Superintendent of Talbot County. " I have heard no complaints from the teachers of the Willson's Readers, which are now in general use in our county. Those lowest in the series are most commonly in the hands of our children, and we are using them ad- vantageously. " The beauty of Willson's Readers is not equaled by any school books with which I am acquainted, and the material qualities of whiteness of paper, clearness of typography, and elegance of illustration are not to be lightly esteemed." Success of Willson''s Headers. Prom S. K. Dabhiell, Superintendent of Howard Oounty. " Willson's Series of Eeaders, now in use in tlie schools of the state, are veiy acceptable to the patrons of the schools in this county. They are approved by the teach- ers and interesting to the pupils— much more so than M'Guffey'c would be. As a practical teacher of twenty- one years' standing, I decidedly approve of these books." From R. C. M'Ginn, Superintendent of Baltimore County. " The Eeaders of Willson's Series have been in use ia the public schools of Baltimore County for the last two years. "The teachers have almost unanimously expressed themselves as well satisfied with those Readers, believing that in variety of matter, in methodical arrangement, and in general adaptation to the wants of the scholars, they are equal to any text-book now in use." From, Saml. K. Stewart, Superintendent of Worcester County. " I think Willson's Readers admirably adapted for use in schools. I am confident that they have proved so in our county. "They begin with those simple sentences which the child just learning the sounds of the letters may readily read, while they are at the same time such as will inter- est him. Advancing gradually, they tend to make the pupils thorough in the correct principles and rules of read- ing. "Another advantage of these Readers is the valuable Information imparted by the reading exercises of the ad- vanced numbers. "I think WiUson'B superior to all others that I have Been." From John H. Bathe, Superintendent of Prince George County. " I decidedly prefer Willson's Series of Readers to any I have seen. I think it may be- said that the series is uni- versally acceptable to the teachers and useful to the pu- pils." From John R. Quinan, Superintendent of Calvert County. " I have no hesitation in saying that, whether we re- gard the typographical execution and beauty of illustra- tration, tlie variety and interesting character of their contents, or their practical utility as text-books in tlie art of reading, they surpass any readers that I have ever ex- amined or seen employed in this county. • " In this opinion I am sustained by the experience of all our teachers, who have frequently declared to me that their best and tnost naiiwal readers are their younger pu- pils, whose instruction has been confined to Willson's Se- ries." From Rev. T. S. C. Smith, Supierintendent of Harford County. " It is not enough to say simply I am pleased with Will- son's Eeaders, but I am free to give as my opinion that they have few equals. Teachers whose opinions are worth more than mine say they have used them with better suc- cess than any other series. I have made special inquiry of well-educated and successful teachers in reference to books generally, and no one has yet failed to praise ' WiUson's Readers.' " From Vf. H. Faequhab, Superintendent of Montgomery County. " In regard to Willson's Series of Eeaders, I answer that, measured by the test of the scliool-room, their value stands unquestionably high. They have given more satisfaction to the patrons than any of our books. Patrons seem to think that their children are getting something of value in the mass of knowledge therein contained. We have never been able to keep tlie schools suificiently supplied with the Eeaders." From Dr. L. H. Steinek, Superintendent of Frederick County. "You ask the comparative merits of Willson's and M'Guffey's Eeaders. This question is startliag, quite as startling as though asked to give an opinion on Pike's Arithmetic as compared with Davies's, Greenleafs, or Eobinson's. I had looked upon M'Guffey's books as so utterly dead that no one ever thought of their introduc- tion at the present day. When Eeaders were carelessly compiled, imperfectly illustrated, and badly printed on in- ferior paper, then M'Guffey's had some right to be consid- ered not as had as their competitors for public favor ; they never could be called good. "We have used Willson's First and Second Eeader in our schools with very great satisfaction to the teacher and scholar. The scholars are very much pleased with the Readers, and their progress is as great as could he expected. " The Third Eeader is quite well adapted as a successor to the Second. We do not use the Fourth and Fifth." From Eev. Dr. James Bitnting, Superintendent of St. Mary^s County. "We have used the Willson's Series of Eeaders with great acceptability to the teachers and advantage to the pupils." From F. A. Ellis, Esq., Sicperintendent of Cecil County Schools. "With regard to Willson's Eeaders, I feel well assured I speak the sentiments of a large majority of the teachers of this county when 1 pay that they are preferred to any other series heretofore used. "With reference to a comparison between the Willson and M'Guffey series, I have inquired of Mr. Newman, one of our very best teachers. His reply was that he greatly preferred Willson's Readers. He regards them, especially the lower numbers, as the best he has ever seen." FAETHER FROM BALTIMORE. Dr. M ' Jilton further writes, in reply to a let- ter sent October 10th, of the same character as the one addressed to Dr. Van Bokkelen on the same day and copied above, as follows : Office City Superintendent Public Instruction., ) Baltimore., October IBth, 186T. j . " Messrs. Habpek & Beotuees : " Yours of the 10th has been received. In I'eply I have to state that my examinations of our schools have proved that Willson's Readers, so far from being a failure, are a decided success. We never had as perfect reading in our schools as has been produced by Willson's Series. The Readers have been tried, but they have not been found wanting. " I was accompanied in my visits to the schools by the chairman ot the joint committee of education of the two brandies of the City Council. His testimony corresponds with my own. In their grades the Readers are well adapt- ed to the classes in which they are used. With but little assistance from the teacher, they enable the pupils to feel their progress, and thus they encourage their advancement. "In regard to the evidence given by our teachers in favor of another and much lower series, it is not unlikely that it was procured by interested agents as a matter of per- sonal favor. Signatures are frequently obtained in this way, while those who give them are not informed of the use that is to be made of them. Respectfully, "J. N. M' Jilton, " Superintendent of Public Instruction." "As a personal witness of the examinations referred to in the above, I am obliged to state that my experience fully accords with that of the superintendent. "Samtjel a. Ewalt, " Chairman of the Joint Committee of Education of the First and Second Branches of the City Counoil of Baltimore." Willson's Readers a Success. WHAT NEW YORK CITY SAYS ABOUT THEM AS COMPARED WITH OTHERS. The School System of Nevr York City presents pecnliar advantages for testingr the comparative merits of Reading-Books, inasmuch as the Teacher is allowed to select from nine diSferent series, and the Superintendents annually examine every class, and mark its comparative de£ciency. Teachers, therefore, select the Books virith which they can produce the best results; and as their professional reputation would sufier by comparative failure, none can afford to use an inferior Book as a favor to Publisher or Agent. Wiixson's Readers were adopted for use in Public Schools of New York City in November, 1860. That they surpass all other series in the amount of valuable information imparted is conceded by all teachers ; and we have here- tofore published a large amount of testimony from those who are using the books, to show that they are not excelled by any other series as manuals for Elocutionary Reading, We here ^^resent the testimony of the New York City Superintendents on this point, as deduced from an experience of more than four years in the use of Willson's Readers. ' ' The Board of Education employ a corps of competent Superintendents, whose duty it is to decide upon the qualifications of Teachers, to issue to them certificates or licenses, and to keep themselves and the Board thoroughly acquainted with the results of the labors of these Teachers, Hon. S. S. Randall has held the position of City Superintendent since June, 1854. He has associated with him Messrs. Henrt Kiddle and William Jo^N^ES as Assistant Superintendents, the former since May, 1856, and the latter since December, 1856. The following question was submitted to these gentlemen in April, 1865 : " In the examination of the schools under your superintendence, in which there are so many series of Readers in use, have you discovered any compara- tive deficiency in Elocutionary Beading in those schools or classes where Willson's Readers are used ?" To which they respectively responded as follows : Superintendent Rakdall, under date of April 26, 1865, says: " In reply to your inquiry, I have to state that in the examination of the schools under my charge, among the great variety of Readers in use, I have never discovered any comparative deficiency in elocutionary reading in those schools or classes where Willson^s Readers are xtsedP Mr. Kiddle, under date of April 22, 1865 : " I would state that the undersigned has not noticed any comparative de- ficiency in elocution or reading in the numerous classes which are now instructed by means of the Readers to which you refer. On the contrary, I have uni- formly found these classes as expert and proficient in the art as any I am re- quired to examine," Mr, Jones, April 24, 1865, says : _ " I have examined Mr, Kiddle's testimony as given above. My experience entirely corresponds with his." Daring the year 18SS the Teachers called for 20,300 volumes of Willson's Series, and only 8092 volumes of McGuffey's, although the latter were on the list at least ten years before Willson's were published (1860). NAMES OF SOME OF THE DISTINGUISHED EDUCATORS WHO HAVE INDORSED WILLSON'S READERS. Hon. Edwakd Ballard, State Superintendent, Maine. E, T. QuiMBY, Principal of Appleton Academy, New Hampshire. Hon. J. S. Adams, State Superintendent, Vermont. E. CoifANT, Principal of Randolph Academy, Vermont. Hon. A. J. Phipps, Agent of the Massachusetts Board of Education. W. J. RoLFE, Cambridge High School, Massachusetts. Hon. David Camp, State Superintendent, Connecticut. Hon. J. B. Chapin, State School Commissioner, Rhode Island. Prof. David Beatie, Dunkirk, N. Y. Hon. S. S. Randall, City Superintendent of Schools, New York City. Heney Kiddle, Assistant " " " " Prof. Thomas Hunter, Principal of Ward School No. 35, New York City. Prof L. B. Hanaeoed, Brooklyn, N. Y. Rev. 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AMERICAN LAW REVIEW ADVERTISER. 1 UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY AS AN AUTJIOIilTV IN COURTH OF JUSTICE, Perhaps the highest test of the exoellerifie of the definitions of a Dictionary is found in the frequency with which they are cited, as the leading authority on this point, in Courts' of Justice, where important pecuniary interests, and even life itself, often depend upon the precise and true meaning of a word, as employed in a statute or contract. No other English Dictionary has such weight of authority, or is cited so frequently in Legislatures, Courts of Justice, or in determining the meani.ng of contracts, as Webster. A very large number of Reported Cases, arguments of counsel, &c., might be quoted to prove this. Below are given a few of the cases found in the Reports, and the list might be almo'^t indefinitely extended : — " Unquestionably the very best Dictionary of our laugua^e extant. Its great accuracy in the defi- nition and derivation of wonts gives it an authority that no other work on the subject possesses. It is constantly cited and relied on in our Courts of Justice, in our Legislative bodies, and in public discus- Bions, as entirely conclusive." — Hon. John C. Spencer. '• l/ak'ly one of the most important suits of modern times, in the highest court of England, turned Bolely on the definition of a single word. It is significant of Dr. Webster's reputation in England as a definer of words, that, in the Alexandra case, tried in the Court of Exchequer, at Westminster Hall, under purely English Jaw, no other Dictionary, English or American, was quoted or alluded to, than his. We quote from the Lord Chief IJaron's decision, June 24, 1833 (page 233 of the lleport of the trial) : — " ' \ have looked, so that I might not go wrong, (as we have the advantage of having it here,) at Webster's American Dictionary, a work of the greatest learning, research, and ability.' " — Boston Journal, The following are from the Reports of the State of Nevv York, and are furnished by Austin Abbott, Esq., Author of Abbott's Digest, who remarks: "I presume I could collect five or ten times as many on an examination of the Reports of other States." The precise language of the definitions cited in the following Reported Cases, is that found, in some instances, in the earlier editions of Webster, and which may have been some- what modified in the present revised edition. Yet in this revision it has been the aim not only to maintain, in this respect, the former precision and accuracy, but, where possible, to render them even yet more precise and accurate. . 1. Bmr. A fermented liquor made from any farinaceous grain ; but generally from barley, which is first malted tind ground, and its fermentable substance then extraclied by hot water. This extract or infusion is evaporated by boiling in caldrons, and hops, or some other plant of an agreeable bitterness, added. The liquor is then suffered to ferment in vats. Be.er is of different degrees of strength, and is denominated imail beer, ale, porter, hrown sto ■/ i, &c. , according to its strength or other peculiar qualities. [Adopted, as being a "strong ami spirituous liquor."'] Supreme Court, 1846. Nevin w. Ladue, 3 Den. 4.3; 18.55. People i;. Wheelock, .3 Park. Cr. 9. 2. House. Jn a general sense, a building or shed intended or used as a habitation or shelter for animals of any kind, but appropriately a building or edifice for the habitation of man ; a dwelling- place, mansion, or abode for any of the human species. It may be of any size, and composed of any materials whatever, — wood, stone, brick, &c- [Adopted.'J Supreme Court, 1856. . Thompson v. People, 3 Park. Cr. 208. 3. Willfully. 2. By design ; with set purpose. [Adopted.] Supreme (Jourt, Sp. T. 1850. Northern Railway Co. v. Carpentier, -i Abbott's Pr. 259; S.C. 13 How. Pn 222. 4. Tliorouglifare. 1. A passage through ; a passage from one street or opening to another ; an un- obstructed way. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1851. Wiggins v. Tallmadge, 11 Barb. 457. 5. Assign. 1. To allot ; to appoint or grant by distribution or apportionment. 4. In law, to transfer ; to make over to another the right one has in any object, .as an estate, choie in action, or reversion. To assign dower, to make over a life interest in lands to the widow of the one from whom the assignor inherits. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1852. Bump v. Van Oi'sdale, 11 Barb. C34. AMERICAN LAW REVIEW ADVERTISER. 6. Character. 4. The peculiar qualities impressed, by nature or habit, on a person, ■which distin- guish him from others : these constitute real character, and the qualities which he is supposed to pos- sess constitute his estimated character or reputation. Hence we say, a character is not formed, when the person has not acquired stable and distinctive qualities. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Carpenter «;. People, 8 Barb. 603. 7. Benefit. 2. Advantage ; profit ; a word of extensive use, and expressing whatever contributes to promote prosperity and personal happiness, or adds value to property. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1851. Fitch v. Bates, 11 Barb. 471. 8. File. 2. To arrange or insert in a bundle,. as papers, indorsing the title ©n each paper. This is now the tnore common mode of filing papers in private and public offices. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Bishop v. Cook, 13 Barb. 326. 9. Injury. 1. In general, any wrong or damage done to a man's person, rights, reputation, or goods. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, Sp. T. 1856. Northern Railway Co. v. Carpentier, 3 Abbott's Fr. 259. S.C 13 How. Pr. 222. 10. Interest. 1. Concern; advantage; good; as ^?-rea(e interest ; pmMjc interest. 3. Share; portion; part; participation in value. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1851. Fitch v. Bates, 11 Barb. 471. 11 . Jobber. 4. A merchant who purchases goods from importers and sells to retailers. [Adopted.] V. Chan. Ct. 1847. Steward v. Winters, 4 Sandf. Ch. 587. 12. Lend. 1. To grant to another for temporary use, on the express or impUed condition that the thing shall be returned ; as, to lend a book. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1855. Elton v. Markham, 20 Barb. 343. 13 . Lottery. 1. A scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance, or the distribution itself. [Adopted.] Court of Appeals, 1852. Almshouse of New York v. Am. Art Union, 7 N.Y. (3 beki.) 228. People v. Payne, 3 Den. 88. 14. Meet. Tit; suitable; proper; qualified; convenient; adapted, as to a use or purpose. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Woodburn v. Mosher, 9 Barb. 255. 15. Proceeds. 2. In commerce, the sum, amount, or value, of goods sold or converted into money. The consignee was directed to sell the cargo and vest the proceeds in coffee. The proceeds of the goods sold amounted to little more than the prime cost and charges; [Adopted.] Court of Errors, 1831. Dow v. Whetten, 8 Wend. 160. 16. Prostitution. 1. The act or practice of offering the body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men ; common lewdness of a female. 2. Tlie act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power ; as, ihe prcstitmion of talents or abilities ; the prostitutio7i of the press. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Carpenter v. People, 8 Barb. 603. 17. Purchase. 2. In common usage, to buy ; to obtain property by paying an equivalent in. money. It differs from Barter only in the circumstance, that, in purchasing, the price or equivalent ^ven or secured is money ; in bartering, the equivalent is given in goods. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1853. Hoyt v. Van Alstyne, 15 Barb. 568. 18. Residence. 1. The act of abiding or dwelling in a place for some continuance of time ; as, the residence of an American in Trance or Italy for a year. [Adopted.] N.Y. Superior Court, 1857. Bartlett v. City of New York, 5 Sandf. 44. Crawford v. Wilson, 4 Barb. 504. 19. Team-worh. Work done by a team, as distinguished from personal labor. [Adopted.] N.Y. Superior Court. Chambers. Harthouse v. Eikers, 1 Duer, 606. 20. Team. 1. Two or more horses, oxen, or other beasts harnessed together to the same vehicle for drawing, as to a coach, chariot, wagon, cart, sled, sleigh, and the like. [Adopted.] N.Y. Superior Court. Chambers, 1853. Harthouse v. Rikers, 1 Duer, 606. 21. Shave. 6. To strip ; to oppress by extortion ; to fleece. [Adopted.] Court of Errors, 1845. Stone v. Cooper, 2 Den. 293. 22. Security. 5. Any thing given or deposited, to secure the payment of a debt, or the perfor- mance of a contract ; as a bond with surety, a mortgage, the indorsement of a responsible man, a pledge, &c. [Adopted.] A. V. Chan. Ct. 1845. Storm v. Waddell, 2 Sandf. Ch. 494. Judge Dillon, of Davenport, Iowa, furnishes the following, from the Iowa Reports, in which Webster has been cited as authority, in the Courts of that State: — 1. Over. Webster's fifth and sixth definitions approved and adopted as basis of decision in Car- penter V. Cedar Rapids R. R. Co., 12 Iowa Rep. 105, per Loive, C. J. 2. Surprise. Webster's first definition expressly adopted and approved in WiUard's Equity Jurisp. p. 205. 3. Effected. In law frequently synonymous with enforced. Thus a lien may be effected, that is enforced, by bringing an action, &c. 9 Iowa, 154. 4. Used. Legal meaning of the word, see 9 Iowa, 155. 5. Prudent. " The prudent man is a cautious man — practically wise." — Webster. Per Wright, C. J., 9 Iowa, 236. AMERICAN LAW REVIEW ADVERTISER. 6. Judiciously. "To act judiciously is to exercise good judgment." — Webster. Approved and adopted. 9 Iowa Rep. 236. 7. Skillfully. "To act skillfully is to act with discretion or wisdom — prudently." — Webster. 9 Iowa, 236. 8. Resident. Webster's definition ("to dwell permanently," &c.) expressly approved, and the legal meaning of the word fully considered in Hinds v. Hinds, 1 Iowa, 36. 9. Believed. Substantially the same in law as the word considered. 1 Iowa, 153. 10. Expert. " A person instructed by experience." 1 Iowa, 167. 11. Homestead. " A place to abide — a place for the family ; and to be a homestead the premises must be used as a home." 1 Iowa, 435. 12. Surety. "The word ^surety' is defined by Webster, in his dictionary, to mean 'certainty, indubitableness, security, safety.' ' Security against loss or damage — security for payment ; and in law, one who enters into a bond, or recognizance, to answer another's appearance in court ; or for his pay- ment of a debt ; or for the perfoi-mance of some act, and who, in case of the principal debtor's failure, is compellable to pay the debt or damage, as a bondsman ; ' a bail." Quoted and approved, per Williams, C. J., Pitkins v. Boyd, 4 G. Greene, 259. 13. Completed. " Finished, ended," &c. Webster's definition adopted in State v. BisseU, 4 G. Greene, 334. 14. Being. . The one is present. The present participle "6«'«g-,'' means "existing in a certain state." — Webster. Adopted and approved, 4 G. Greene, 333. 15. Carelessness. This is not a legal term ; but is equivalent, in law, to negligence. 8 Iowa Kep. 92. 16. Permit. A failure to prevent does not amount to a. permission siithin the meaning of a crimi- nal statute. 4 Iowa Eep. 543. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 377. 17. Character. "The peculiar qualities impressed," &c. This definition adopted, 5 Iowa Rep. 394; where Woodward, J., says : " Character signifies that which a person really is, in distinction from that which he may be reputed to be." Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 378. 18. Chaste. A woman who delights in lewdness and indecency is not of chaste character in legal estimation, though she has escaped actual unlawful intercourse. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 378. 19. Coivard. Not a legal term, and should not be used by a judge in charging a jury. 5 Iowa, 481. 20. Sodomy. This crime not indictable unless there is an express statute against it. 10 Iowa Rep. 400. , 21. Inhabitant. Not synonymoiis with the word citizen. Spragues v. Houghon, 2 Scam. 414. 22. Until. In a contract or in law, it may have an exclusive or inclusive meaning. Hence, where a law provides that bids may be received until a certain day, none can be received on that day. Webster V. French, 12 111. 305. 23. Harbor. Has the legal definite meaning of " fraudulent concealment." Chambers v. People, 4 Scam. 354. 24. Coupon. ZjiZaw, is essentially the same as a promissory note. 5 Iowa, 15 ; 6 i6. 265. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 318. 25. Prostitute. Webster's definition adopted. 8 Iowa Rep. 454. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 362. 26. Prostitution. AVebster's definition adopted. Hence held that criminal intercourse confined exclusively to one man, did not amount in law to prostitution. 6 Iowa Rep. 447. 27. Steal. Its legal meaning is the same as its common meaning. 2 Greene Rep. 308. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 365. RlCHAED CoBDEN's DICTIONARY. — In a recent correg|)ondence between Mr. Cobden and the Editor of the " London Times," the following passage occurs in one of Mr. C.'s letters, — " You wUl observe in the above passage from my speech taken from your own report, that I use the words, ' I don't want any agrarian outrages by which we should change all this; ' and now we must . appeal to the tribunal of the lexicographer. If you turn to Webster's (quarto) Dictionary, you will find the word ' agrarian ' interpreted, on the authority of Burke, as follows : — " ' Relating to lands. Denoting or pertaining to an equal division of lands ; as, the agrarian laws of Rome, which distributed the conquered and other Public lands equally among all the citizens, limiting the quantity which each might enjoy.' " Again, in the same dictionary, the word ' agrarianism ' is given as 'an equal division of lands or property, or the principles of those who favor- such a division.' Thus, in repudiating the agrarian system, I repudiated in pure and unquestionable English, according to Burke, the principles of those who favor an equal division of land," &c. So it seems that our English cousins rely upon Webster, as a standard for definitions, from which no appeal is thought of. —Republican. You are invited to send us any cases in addition to or like the foreg;oing, where Webster has been cited as authority in courts, on important trials, specifying the case, the court, and the date. Also, Just Published, WEBSTER'S NATIONAL PICTORIAL DIGTIONARY. 1040 pages, octavo. Price, $6. Spkingfield, Mass., January, 1868. G. & C. MERRIAM. GET THB BEST. ¥EBSTEfi'S UIABRIDGED DICTIONARY. NEW ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Thoroughly revised and much enlarged. Over 3000 fine engravings. Is a well-nigh indispensable requisite for every lawyer, clergyman, and other professional man, as well as every intelligent family. It contains 1 0,000 WOKDS and MEANINGS not found in other Dictionaries. It is now believed to be by far the most complete, useful, and satisfactory Dictionary of the language' ever published, as it is by far the largest single volume ever issued in any hiuguage. The possession of any other EngUsh Dictionary, or any previous edition of this, can not compensate for the want of this very full and complete one. In its present perfected state it must long remain the. BEST ENGLISH DICTIONAKY, and, once possessed, remain of constant and abiding value. No other English Dictionary has such weight of authority, or is cited so fi?eqiiently in Legislatures, Courts of Justice, or in determining the meaning of contracts, as Webster. A very large number of Reported Cases, arguments of counsel, &.C., might be quoted to prove this. _ "Unquestionably the very best Dictionary of our language extant. . Its great accuracy in the defi- nition and derivation of uords gives it an authority that no other work on the subject possesses. It is constantly cited and relied on in our Courts of Justice, in our Legislative bodies, and in public discus- sions, as entirely conclusive." — Hon. John ,C. Spencer. Lately one of the most important suits of modern times, in the highest co"rt of England, turned solely on the definition of a single word. It is significant of Dr. AVebster's reputation in^Englatid as a definer of words, that, in the Alexandra case, tiied in the Court of Exchequer, at ■Westminster Hall, under purely Eng'.ish law, no other Dictionary, English or American, was quoted or alluded to than his. We quote from the Lord Chief Baron's decision, June 24, 1863, (page 232 of the report of the trial) : — '• I have looked, so that I might not go wrong, (as we have the advantage of having it here,) at Web- ster's American Dictionary, a work of the greatest learning, research, and ability." ''I think it not only a great improvement upon former issues of the same work, but superior, in most respects, to any other English Dictionary known to me. The labors of the recent editors and con- tributors have made it iindoubtedly the best general etymologicon we yet possess of the language ; its vocabulary is as ample as could well be given in the compass of a single volume; its definitions are, in general, sufficiently c-iiact and discriminating ; and its pronunciation is apparently conformable to the best usage." — Hon. George P. Marsh, Florence, Italy, March 7, 1836. "Etymological part remarkably well done. • • ■ We have had no English Dictionary nearly so good in this respect." — North American Rcvieiv. " In our opinion, it is the best Dictionary that either England or America can boast." — National Quarterlij Revieio. " No Enghsh scholar can dispense witli this work." — Bibliotlieca Sacra. "In its general accuracy, completeness, and practical utility, the work is one which none who can read or write can hence/oncard afford to dispense loith.''' — Atlantic Monthly. " The New Webster is glorious — it is perfect — it distaYices and defies competition— it leaves nothing to be desired." — J. H. Raymond, LL. D., President of Vassar College. "All young persons should have a standard Dictionary at their elbows. And while yoa are about it GET THE best; that Dictionary is Noah Webster's— i!Ae great ic'crk. unabridged. If you are too poor, save the amount from off your back, to put it into your head." — Phrenological Journal. " 'Eyevy farmer should give his sons two or three square rods of ground, well prepared, with the avails of which they may buy it. Every mechanic should put a receiving box ia some conspicuous islace in the house to catch the stray pennies for the like purpose. Lay it upon your table by the side of the Bible; it is a better expounder than many which claim to be expounders. It is a great labor saver ; it has saved tis time enough in one year's use to pay for itself; and that must be deemed good property which will clear itself once a year. If you have any doubt about the precise meaning of the word clear, in the last sentence, look at Webster's nine definitions of the v. t." — Massachusetts Life Boat. In One Volume of 1,840 Koyal Qnarto Pages, cad in various Common and Fine Bindings. "GET THE LATEST." " GET THE BEST." " GET WEBSTER." Publislied by G. & C. MERRIAM, Springfield, Mass. Sold by all Booksellers. Specimen pages of Illustrations and other new features will be sent on application to the publishers. WEBSTER'S SCMOOL DICTIONARIES ; viz., I THE PRIMARY. III. HIGH SCHOOL. V. COUNTING HOUSE. II. COM-MON SCHOOL. IV. ACADEJitC. VI. UNIVERSITY. These popular School Dictionaries, having been thoroughly revised, and extensively regarded as the standard authority in Orthography, Definition, and Pronunciation, and as TiI3 BSST Dictionaries in use, are respectfully commended to teachers and others. Thej' are much more extensively sold and used: than aU others combined. S^^ Webster's School .Dictionaries arc published by IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO., 47 and 49 Greene St.. New York; J. B. LaPPINCOTT & CO., Philadelphia; and sold by S. C. GRIGGS & CO., Chicago; SARGENT, WILSON & HINKLE, Cincinnati ; and by aU EookseUers. IJJ^^C^7' EOOX-SIS. CJiitf.ff's Pleadings, 3 vols., with American Kotes by J. C. Perkins, Esq. New' Edition. 1883. Chiffj/ on Contracts, greatly improved by ih& adtlition of American Notes by J. C Persixs, Esq. Chitty on Mills. Edited by J. C. Perkins, Esq. The above standard Law Books, so indispensable to every ]awyer"-3 library, continue to be published by G. & C MERRIAM, and are sold by all Law Booksellers. PEIRCE'S PATENT SLATES. Warranted Suiterior to any otheis >n use. MGHT! N'OISEI.ESS! nCRABLE! Improved by use. Ea.sily Cleaned. Cannot be Broken by Falling. NEVEK BKCU.VI K GLOSSY ! Pencils always write easily upon them. Are harder than leal slate, and cannot be scratcheil, yet never crack or scale off. TESTIiVrONIA^LS. The following is from ''The Father of the Pulilic School System of Pennsylvania," and for many years State Superintendent. Lancaster, January 4, 1867. "From its origin to its present improved and satisfactory condition. 1 have watched the progress of the artificial Slate (or Sto;ie) Surface of Mr. 1 Newton Peirce I have seen it in- troduced in many schools and institutions, and have never known its use to he abandoned, or to fail of giving satisfaction In facility of application, rapidity of drying for use, eheaj)- nesB and durability as a wall surface, in lieu of the old black board, it is' all that can be de- sired. Its merits, in the shape of Portable Slates, Tablets. &c., need not he asserted. In this form it will speak for itself, on inspection." ' Tho.ma8 H. Burrowes. Office City Superintend- nt o/ Pvblic Instruction, Baltimore. April 5th, 1867. 1 have used extensively on the Black Boards of the public schools of this city, Peirce's Pa- tent Slate Surface, and believe it to be the best material of the kind manufactured. J. N. Mc.TlLTON. Boston, January 31st, 18'67. AVe have used Peirce's Patent Slates for some time in our scliools, and from our experience, .and their present improved character, we believe they are superior to all other slates we luive ever seen, and shall favor tht-ir more extended use. Joshua Bates, Principal Brimmer School. J.^MES A. Page, I'rincipal Dwiyld School. C. GoorwiN Clark, Principal' Lincoln School. State Normal School, Trenton, N. J., February 11th, 1867. We "have been using Peirce's Book Slates for some time in this Institution, and greatly pi-e I'er them to every other kind of slate. John S. Hart, Prinvi'pal. Penn. State Teachers'' Association, Bellefonte, August 8th, 1867. Having examined and tested Peirce's Patent Noiseless Slates and Stone Slate Surfacf, ilt recommend them and their use in the school room, as bting superior to all other Slates ai.i' t'Urface we ha/e ever seen : Z. Edwards, Dep't Education, Washington, D. C ¥. A. Allen, J'rin. State Nurmal Schiiol.MansUeld, Pa. H. D. Walker, Prin. Orange'ville State Soldier Orph. School. Chas. W. Oeans, Prin. Harford St'ite Soldier Orph. School. Edward Brooks, Prin. State Nur. School, Alillersville, Pa 1. S. Heist, Professor in " •• '' " ('. H. Harding, " " " " " A. O. Newhher, Superintendant Scliools, Columbia, ' J. E. Thomas, Prin. Pine Grace Academy and Seminary, ' Joseph V/'AViiU, I'rincipal Holiiday.-iOury Seminary, " M. B. Grant, •' Grrensbarg Adodemy, " W. Henry 1'arkee, " Ring. Gram School, Phila. ' Wm F. Wyers, " Wyer^s Boarding School, ' AnI'REW BuuTT, " Mh Ward School, Pittsburg, " S. S. Jack, " Sewinckly Acod'y near I'hila. W. W. Woodruff, Superintendent Chester County, " S. C GiLCHKlsT, • Washiugton " " Martin Mohleh, " Mifflin " '• K. McUevitt, " Huntington " ' E. T. BURGAN, Sup't Model School, Keystone State Normal School, Kutzlown. Pa Jas. H. Hak Kin, Belief unle, Pa. J. R. SVPHER, JV. V. Tribune. Office of Controllers of Public Schools. First District of Pennsyloaniu, Philadelphia, December 22, 1866. At a meeting of the Controllers of Public Schools, First District of Pennsylvania, IkIiI ;:I the Controllers' Chamber, Friday, December 21, 1866, the following resolution was iin^iui inously adojited : Resolved, That Peirce's Patent Slates and Slated Goods, be used in the imblic schools if t'.is district. [From the Minutes ] H. L. TIalliwell, Secretary. These Slates have also been adopted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of W^iih ington, al>o for the public schools of Baltimoie, nnd are used in tiie pub'ic schools of Pnsion Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and many other cities. JJcuare of Imitaiion Surface. Ask for Peirce's Patent. I. NEWTON PEIRCE & CO., Manufacturers, 427 Worth Eleventh street, Philadelphia. ^A^AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA CUSHINGS & BAILEY, « ''9 '« 'lia '« w 'fta 'to « ''«ii6 « *Bi 'w '«a 'iSffl ''ia « 'a '*« '« '« s& 'i« s i;^ 363 Baltimore st*^ opposite Hanover BALTIMOBE. The largest and best assorted Stock in the citj, of School, Law, Medical, Dental, Classical and miscellaneous BOOKS. STATIONERY Of all kinds, — Bank, Counting-House and general. BLANK BOOKS made to order, in an}- style. BALTIMORE & OHIO RAIL-ROAD. Three through passenger trains daily, hetween Baltimore and Wheeling and Parkershurg, Daily trains to Frederick, Hagerstown, Winchester and Ellicotts' Mills. Seven daily trains hetween Washington and Baltimore. J. T. England, Agent, Camden Station, L. M. Cole, General Ticket Agent. John L. Wilson, Master of Transportation. FOR SALE. A complete STEREOPTICON, or Dissolving View apparatus, with gas fixtures, a variety of sliders, &c., all in good order and nearly new — will be sold cheap. Address the publisher of this Journal for particulars. OUR SCHOOLDAY VISITOE, The very best Boys' and Girls' ]\I;iga.zine in tlie World Prcminms for everybody Terms $Ij2o a year, Specimen numbers with premium lists and full instruction to Agents 10 cents, Address J W DAUGllADAY A Co 424 Walnut st Philadelphia Pa v i> ty v>y T f v v f v? ?t vyvvti'»yv Ti f y'r »T''*vv y^r>y »v>vww'^^^ SMITH BROS. & CO., CIOTHIERS, MERCHANT UltOES, A5D UEALKRS 11* GEJNTS' FURNISHING GOODS^ Ahvavs on hand the largest stock of Clothing and Piece Goods for C'tiatom Work. Persons in want of Good and Fasfiionable Clothing should be sure and tome to MARBLE HALL, 38 and 40 W. bALTLMORE STREET. We have also a Under the charge of HARRY NICELY, at No. 38. He will be pleased to 9ef» his friends. SMITH BROS. & CO., Merchant Tailors and Clothiers, 38 & 40 W. BALTIMORE STREET. ^avnUud iirtlucatiDnal |ouvttal SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Single copies, per annum, in advance $1 50 3 copies $4 00 I 10 copies to one address 12 00 5 " 6 25 15 " " " 17 00 ADYERTISli\G RATES. 1 nio. 2 nio. 3 nio 6 mo. 19 mo. 12 mo. One Page $10 00 5 00 2 50 $19 00 9 50 4 75 $27 00 14 00 7 00 $50 00!$65 00 25 00 33 00 12 50 17 00 $80 00 40 00 Half Pac — five lessons per week. English Composition j 4 Latin and Composition. \t f' y \ — ^^® lessons per week. SECONDTEAR. 1. Geometry and Trigonometry — five lessons per week. 2. Physiology and Botany — five lessons per week. {English Literature.... 1 General History V — five lessons per week. English Composition j 4. Latin and Composition, -j j t E f — ^^^ lessons per week. THIRD TEAR. 1. Chemistry — five lessons per week. 2. Latin and Composition — five lessons per week. 3 j Elementary Astronomy | _g^^ j^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ( Gepmetry (reviewed;.... ) ^ {General History ] Mental Philosophy... > — five lessons per week. English Composition J It will be noticed that each term's course embraces only three branches which require hard study. History and English litera- ture should be taught by reading and conversation between teacher and pupils, as a pastime. The text should not be memo- rized. A fourth year, embracing Latin (continued), Greek (begun), Logic, and Geology, might be added, but these studies properly belong to the college course. — Ohio Educational Monthly. A School and Family Monthly. 331 BE YE PEEFECT. BY W. H. TENABLE. The greatest of philosophers declared, centuries ago, that edu- cation consists in giving the body and soul all the perfection of which they are susceptible. And this is a grand truth that needs to be reiterated from age to age. It were well if all men could be convinced that their master obligation is to strive towards the highest and the best. It becomes a teacher especially to enter- tain and advocate broad views of the possibilities of human nature, and the sublime purposes of education. It is true that no one can hope, in this short life, to realize Plato's idea of edu- cation in giving body and soul all the perfection of which they are absolutely susceptible. Nevertheless perfection should be the aim of all. A lower aim will not suffice. He who makes perfection his object will accomplish all that others of lower aim do, and something else besides. Various are the motives which call forth human energy. Some struggle for what is called " suc- cess in life." Some endeavor to attain the result of culture that Matthew Arnold calls " sweetness and light." Some cultivate their faculties that they may render important service to their fellow men. Some develop their powers that they may live to the glory of God. But he whose motive is perfection, is on the direct way to " success in life," " sweetness and light," " service of man," and obedience to God. Whatever faculties or powers have been manifested in any human being, probably exist in every complete person. The development of these is approxima- tion to perfection. Individuals appear destined, in this life at least, to only a partial development of their faculties. This fact should not deter us from a constant effort to make the most of every element of our nature. We know not our special destiny, and if we neglect any faculty, it may turn out to be the very faculty we need to use. The best way to bring out particular talents is to stimulate all the talents, and give them full scope. There is no danger that nature will neglect our aptitudes. That which we call genius, like murder, will out. But even the glory of genius depends upon the general strength and health of the faculties, as the perfection of a flower depends upon the strength and health of leaves, branches, roots, and all the other organs and parts of the flower-bearing plant. This familiar figure of the plant suggests the word culture, which, in its broadest sense, 332 Maryland Educational Journal: indicates, as far as they may be indicated, the processes of edu- cation by which perfect development is sought. What is the cul- ture adapted to man — ^the " infinite in faculties? " What station, what soil, what pruning, what heat and light are demanded by this noble perennial, which, like the Igdrasil of northern my- thology, has its roots in the depths of the earth and its branches in the sky of heaven. What country, what society, what teach- ers, what schools, what labor, what reading, what amusement must it be supplied withal ? Any and every influence is good for man which seems to advance him toward " that perfection which is a harmonious expansion of all the powers that make up the beauty and worth of human nature, and is not consistent with the over-development of any one power at the expense of the rest." We must shun an education exclusively physical, intellectual, or moral. A good heart can effect but little without the coopera- tion of a good head ; and even if head and heart are good, a bad stomach may defeat them both. We must not break the human chain. Each link reinforces the others. Each faculty helps and is helped by its associates. It has been demonstrated that the exact form and proportions which constitute human beauty, also supply the conditions of perfect health and strength. If this is true of the body, why not of the soul ? The beginning of all development is aspiration and resolution. The desire to do or become something, is the father of faithful endeavor. "Where there is a will, there is a way." It is hard to prescribe rules of education. The music-composer extempor- izing on the piano succeeds best when, forgetful of all scientific directions, he throws himself into a rapture of musical emotion, and follows the strong impulse that, like an unseen magnet, draws his fingers to harmonious chords. He can not prearrange the movements by which the silent keys are made to yield strains whose melody may charm the world. He can not tell how his faculty for music was educated. The poet can not tell you how in the fine phrensy of the creative mood, he strikes into poor common words lightning out of the empyrean, so that they burn, and throb, and glow forever. He knows not by what pro- cess the power of conceiving sublime and beautiful ideas was reached. The musical faculty, the poetic faculty, are developed by their exercise. So are all the faculties. Nature has hidden in each of them a latent longing to act and expand. All they need is something to act upon. The whole material and spirit- A School and Family Monthly. 333 ual universe is destined to react forever upon human nature. It was a suggestive fancy of the Alchemists that in the body of man is to be found something corresponding to every different sub- stance in the world. In a deeper sense than the Alchemists knew, man, body and soul, is, as Lord Bacon intimates, the microcosm^ reflecting in his mysterious constitution the infinity of creation. — Ohio Educational Monthly. TOO MUCH AEITHMETIC. The discussion on Higher Arithmetic at the meeting of the State Association in Zanesville in July, 1866, took me by sur- prise. It developed a unanimity of opinion in regard to arith- metical instruction, which was as unexpected as it was gratify- ing. My own convictions, that much more time was allotted to it than was consistent with the claims of other branches, had long been held and had often been expressed in conversation ; but I was not prepared to find that so many others had reached the same conclusion. This opinion is not peculiar to Ohio. It comes to us now from various quarters. Earnest teachers are becoming greatly dissatisfied with the prominence given to arith- metic, and are giving utterance to their conviction that the school period can be made much more profitable than it is. Let us look at the facts in our own State. According to the last report of the School Commissioner, the total number of pupils enrolled in the schools was 728,990. The report gives thirty-six branches of study, with the number of pupils attending to each. Omitting from the list the alphabet, reading, spelling, and writing, also composition, declamation, drawing, vocal music, map-draw- ing, and oral lessons, and also German, which was studied mainly by German children, there are left twenty-five different branches, with the number of pupils engaged in the study of each. These branches are mental arithmetic, written arithmetic, geography, grammar, history, algebra, physiology, physical geography, nat- ural philosophy, geometry, trigonometry, surveying, chemistry, geology, botany, astronomy, book-keeping, natural history, men- tal philosophy, moral philosophy, rhetoric, logic, Latin, Greek, French. The numblr of pupils pursuing these various branches is as follows : Mental arithmetic, 210,036 ; written arithmetic, 247,552 ; geography, 156,851 ; grammar, 96,553 ; the twenty-one other branches, 32,746. This gives a total of 743,738. 334 Maryland Educational Journal: The smallness of this total is surprising. If the pupils were studying each two branches, on the average, the total would have been twice the number of pupils enrolled ; that is, 1,457,980, in- stead of 743,738. Making all due allowance for the number of children that are too young to learn lessons of any kind, one can not but be surprised at the results stated above. A very large number of the pupils in the public schools are studying each but one study. If we notice the distribution of the pupils among these various studies, we are still more surprised. Counting mental arithme- tic and written arithmetic as one branch, we find that the twenty- five branches mentioned above occupied the attention of the pupils in the public schools in the following proportions : Arith- metic, 61 per cent. ; geography, 21 ; grammar, 13 ; the twenty- one other branches, 5. Could anything be more astounding? Here are twenty-one branches of knowledge, nearly every one of which is considered indispensable to a well-educated man, to all of which is given only one-twelfth the attention that is paid to arithmetic alone ! If other States show statistics like these from Ohio, the assertion which the writer made before the Na- tional Association of Teachers at Indianapolis in 1866, was fully warranted by the facts : " That in the case of a majority of the lads in the United States, time enough was wasted in the study of arithmetic to give a very fair knowledge of Latin." Unquestionably, there is a large number of pupils in our schools that study nothing but arithmetic. Some take geography in addition, and a few others study grammar also. In our high schools, and to a limited extent in our grammar schools, the range is wider ; but in very many of the ungraded schools the education obtained is most meagre and narrow, as our statistics show. In arranging a course of study, two questions need to be con- sidered with regard to each branch that is to be introduced. The first is, How much time can be devoted to it ? The second is, How can that time be most profitably employed ? Besides read- ing, writing, spelling, etc., and besides the exercises in declama- tion, composition, vocal music, etc., there are, say, twenty-five branches of knowledge to which it is desirable for the pupil to attend, and a fair knowledge of which not a few do obtain in the twelve years from six or eight to eighteen or twenty. But to accomplish this no one study must receive a disproportionate amount of time. The work must be properly laid out ; the field A School and Family Monthly. 335 must be carefully surveyed. It is evident that in the mass of our schools, arithmetic has monopolized the ground. Eelatively to other branches, this one is largely in excess. "With any just re- gard to the claims of the twenty and odd departments of knowl- edge whose aggregate time is five, while that of arithmetic is sixty-one, this last should not occupy the pupils in our schools more than one-third of the time which it now receives. But if a proper regard to other studies makes it imperative on us to reduce the amount of time now bestowed on arithmetic, the duty is not less manifest from a consideration of the pupil's at- tainment in arithmetic itself In answer to the second question propounded above. How can the time which may properly be devoted to a particular study be spent most advantageously ? it may be said that so far as arithmetic is concerned, a part of the time should be given to something else. Too much time is spent on arithmetic absolutely, as well as relatively. Not only is time devoted to it which ought to be given to other things, it is also studied too much without reference to other branches. Our public schools are divided into two classes. Those of one class have the same teachers through the year j they are graded schools. In these arithmetic is taught systematically and con- tinuously, till the pupil is supposed to be familiar with it. Usu- ally, the pupil goes through a number of books on the subject. He goes over the same ground again and again, though not with the same book or in the same grade. In this way an undue pro- portion of time is given to this branch. Time is also wasted by keeping the pupil at the higher parts of it, when he has not suflS- cient maturity of years to enable him to comprehend them. In the ungraded schools the loss arises in a different way. The pupil does not usually study so many arithmetical works in suc- cession, but he goes over the same ground again and again in the same book. In many cases the pupil attends school three or four months in the winter only. During the summer he forgets par- tially what he had learned the previous winter, and on the com- mencement of the next school he begins back. Probably there are thousands of lads in the State who have studied arithmetic for half-a-dozen winters in succession, an^ yet have never finished the book. The evil in the ungraded school could be remedied by the teacher more easily than in the graded one. In the latter, the teacher must conform to the course, substantially, though the course may be a bad one. But in an ungraded school the teacher 336 Maryland Educational Journal: should not allow the pupil to repeat the same work year after year. If the pupil wished to go back, because he had forgotten, still he could be taken rapidly along. In a multitude of cases it would be better to drop the arithmetic entirely for the winter, and substitute something else. This, however, would be re- garded as an innovation. Arithmetic is almost sacred in the eyes of many parents. Algebra, geometry, natural philosophy, they know nothing about, and they do not believe they will be of any use to their boys, who expect to be farmers, or business men of some sort. The mass of our schools are narrow. They offer scarcely any variety. Eeading, spelling, arithmetic — these are the staples. Sometimes a little geography is added, and more rarely a little grammar. Parents and children seem hardly to have dreamed of the possibility of doing anything outside of this meager range. And thousands of teachers, I fear, are as ignorant as parents ; or, if not absolutely ignorant, have not force sufficient to enlarge the course. In the graded schools the difficulty is different. The course of study, as a whole, may be broad enough ; but usually that part of it below the high school is narrow. The pupil is expected to pass an examination well-nigh perfect in arithmetic, geography, and grammar before he can enter the high school. In order to do this he is compelled to drill and drill and drill on these ; whereas, if he could have dropped them, at least arithmetic, and taken elementary algebra in place, and after an interval returned to his arithmetic, he would in a much shorter time have obtained a much better knowledge of arithmetic, and secured very con- siderable familiarity with algrebra in addition. Eegarding, then, the knowledge of arithmetic alone, we ought to abridge the amount of time given to it. When the ground rules have been so well learned that the pupil can add, subtract, multiply, and divide with accuracy and rapidity, and to these have been added denominate numbers, reduction, and fractions, let the pupil take up elementary algebra. The study of this will helj) him amazingly when he comes back to arithmetic. He will understand better the portions which he has already studied, and his progress in interest, proportion, etc., etc., will be facilitated to an extent almost incredible to one who is ignorant of algebra. * * ^ — J, jf. A. in Ohio Educational Monthly. v2 School and Family Monthly, 337 Spelling. By Mrs. Maev Boegman, Principal of the Model School Department oF the Maryland State Normal School. I believe it is an undisputed fact tliat no one ever learns to spell after the age of fifteen. Whatever pictures have been formed on the mind's eye during that period, are fixed indelibly. But, in the case of those unfortunate persons who have never been drilled in the spelling book, the probabilities are that pictures of any kind are " few and far between." For, that organ, by which they should have collected these images of words, has not been used at all. And this suggests one of the most common errors in the manner of teaching spelling. Teachers too often depend on the ear alone, while the eye is left uncultivated. One of the greatest philosophers of the present century says, "In teaching, never appeal to one sense if you can appeal to two." This rule should be carried out in teaching spelling, as well as in other subjects. For, in many words, the sound gives no clue to the letters. How can we tell, from the sound, that chrysalis has an ^, and crystallize has none ? or that either should have a ?/ when i would do as well ? Who could tell that dough needed the last three letters ? or that cough was not cofF? And now, in what particular manner shall we cultivate this additional organ, that it may be of service to us in our search after truth ? Cer- tainly not as I have known it to be done a few years since in a Northern village. Visiting a friend's house, I enquired of her little girl what she was writing. She said she was correcting bad spelling. Looking over her shoulder, I discovered that the bad spelling was actually printed in the book, and her teacher required her to copy the wrong way, and then correct it ! That the wrong way was the one that would most probably be fixed on the mind, no one can doubt who has noticed children's propensity for remembering the wrong way rather than the right one. If a teacher ever makes a mistake, she may take great pains to impress the correction on the minds of her pupils ; but, if she happen to question them next day, she will find, to her chagrin, that they have repeated the mistake at home, as the real sentiments of their teacher. We should prevent, as far as possible, their seeing or hear- ing what is wrong. Habits of observation should be cultivated, by asking them to spell the names of the streets through which they pass every day ; common words found in advertisements ; and all the words they use in conversa- 338 Maryland Educalional Journal. tion. Try to convince them that it is disgraceful to use a word they cannot spell. Their spelling should keep pace with their writing, on no account allowing them to pass over a reading lesson till they can spell evei-y word in it. Four or five words out of the daily papers, added to the regular lesson from the book, awakens interest, and gives the recitation a practical turn. The lesson from the book should be rather short, to allow time for miscellaneous words, and to teach the regular lesson in a proper manner. How to do this, will be the next question. In the first place, we should teach them how to study the lesson. This should always be done by wi'iting. If they are too small to write, they can print. And, if the teacher has not acquired some proficiency in this art, she will be astonished to find the attempts of some ol her little ones equal to her own. The recitation may be either oral or written. The latter mode is, of course, preferable, on the principle before laid down. But a spelling match occasionally, to show them how they compare with each other, and thus excite emulation, is very useful. When the recitation is oral, every pupil may be made spell every word, by requiring them to raise liands and agree or disagree. — votes on the wrong side, or on neither Bide, being counted failures. Or they may be required to criticise in turn. If a word is misspelled, the teacher should give no indication that it is wrong, but give out the next. The first one who observes the mistake, corrects it and goes up. Those who allow it to pass uu- noticed, fail just the same as the one to whom it was first given. It is not fair to allow one to go up who merely spells it right, because every variety of wrong ways has been exhausted by those who had the first trials. To pass a word when it is correctly spelled, and try to make them spell it difi"erently, makes them watchful. They do not know the word if they can be puzzled. Teaching them to discover and criticise their own mistakes is a very useful habit in this as in other lessons. But the most important part of the subject remains. Much of the teacher's labor will be lost if she do not take some means of fixing the missed words in a correct form on the memory. If they are dropped each day, they will probably be forgotten. They should be written on the blackboard after each recitation, and every pupil required to copy them. The teacher should also keep a copy of them, that she may drill them every day on these and the miscellaneous words which have been added to the list. Regular, daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews are absolutely necessary; and pupils should be directed to Ji Schxiol and Fumily Monthly, 339 study with refereuce to some distant point in the future, else the lesson will be forgotten as sooa as recited. Words that are frefjuently mis- spelled, should be left oo the blackboard a week at a time, till the eye Ijecomes so familiar with them that they cao't be mistaken. If any teacher thinks spelling can be taught with less labor, let her try how loog it will take to perfect a class of Ibrty ia one hundred words. A t..acher of great experience says, " A whole year." But I hope ?;ome of my young friends will prove this to be an exaggeration, by actually making the experimen^^^. If they succeed in less time, they will prove not only their " aptness to teach," but their disposition to. iearH, which is a higher virtue. Ealtimcre City Schools. The school system ia Baltimore uwder the new Superintendent, W. 11. Crsery, Esq., is working very effectively, aud to the general satis- faction of the School Board. ]Mr. Creery has shown himself quite efficient. He has been some twenty-three years connected with the public schools, which has given him much valuable knowledge of the best modes cf cotiiucting them ; and he has gone into the work with an earnestness that bespeaks well for his industry and the advancement cf education. He visits the schools every morning, and in the after- noons he attends to office business at Holliday street. During the last twenty days, he visited thirty schools, and examined the classes to ascertain their progress and efficiency, an amount of labor that can only he appreciated by those who try it ; for it is not so much an examina- tion of the children as it is an inquiry into the abilities and zeal of the several teachers in imparting to their classes the whys and wherefores of what they learn from the text books, and thus the aptness to impart instruction is known of every teacher employed, and due praise can be awarded to all those able teachers whose merits entitle them thereto. In our next issue we hope to give some fuller account of the progress of education in the city schools. School Mottoes. — In our February No. alluding to McCaskey's Lancaster School Mottoes, we stated that the set consisted of twelve mottoes. It should have been thirty. Thirty mottoes and the Lord's prayer on twelve cards for $1. Address J. P. McCaskey, Lancaster, Pa. Erratum. — On page 307 of February No., forty-first line, should be red, not " rid." A NATrONAL SERIES, TTiis term is noia ajrpViecl mtli great propriety to tlie Series of SCHOOL AND COLLEGE TEXT-BOOKS PUBLISHED BY A. S* BAM2fES & CO., New York, COMPRISING T7ie National School Headers. BjrpAREEu & Watsoit. Remarkable for the "Word Building System'''' (copyrightecJ] — tBeaHalyti- cal anrd p'ro^es&ive exercises in P>o??M»c?a. Revised editions, based upon the experience of thirty-fi-Te years teaching and book-making. They constitute the only complete series presenting uni- formity of merJt throughout. Tbe entire system is built up by one uniforni and unbroken process, based upon The (Jnit at th« foundation. The Course is the basis of Instruction in the National Schools at West Point and An- napolis, is used exclusively in tbe publie schools of the National Capitcdf has received the quasi endorsement of tbe National Congress, and is more widely used throughout the Xationcd domain than any other series — hence is indisputably entitled to the name National Course. From. Hon. L. Van Bokkelek', State Supt. Public Instncdion, Maryland. The series of Arithmetics edited by Prof. Davies, and published by ycur firm, have been used for many years in the schools of several counties, and the city of Baltimore, and have been approved by teachers and commission- ers. Under tbe laws of 1865. establishing a uniform syfrtem of Free Public Schools_^ these Arithmetics were unanimously adopted by the State Board of Education, after a careful examination, and are now used in all tbe Public Schools of Maryland. These facts evidence the high opinion entertained by tbe School xiutborities of tbe value of the series theoretically and practically. FULL DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGDE. Frek to Teachers. EDUCATIONAL BULLETIN. The Pcislishek's Organ. Twenty Cents per Auuum. THB BCLECTIC MEDICAL JOURISrAL, of Pennsylvania, published monthly^ contains forty-eight })ag-es of original matter. Price $1 per annum. The contents suited to the masses. Premium engravings valued $2 given to all new subscribers. Specimen copies free. Address JOHN Buchanan, 337 n. 11th st. Phiia'a, Pa. GET THE BEST. 10,000 icords and meanings not in o- tlier Dictionaries — A necessity to ev- ery intelligent family, student, teach- er, and professional man. 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Or Ben Franklin Book and Printing Co., Indianapolis. On receipt of 65 cts I will send by mail prepaid a specimen copy of either the teachers' or professors' records, ii. s. m. FOR SALE. A complete STEREOPTICON, or Dissolving View apparatus, with- gas fixtures, a variety of sliders, &c. all in good order and nearly new — will be sold cheap! Address the publisher of this Journal for particulars. mmmMmmm The S S Index, by R G PARDEE, A. M, published by J G-arrigues & Co 148 South Fourth st, Philadelphia Pa, is a directory that should be f ead by all Sabbath school and other teachers — 1 vol 16mo. il,25. J^^ See adv. of I Newton Peirce & Co 3d page of cover. THE NORWICH SONG ROLL. PATENTED BY H. V. EDMOND. PEICES — jSTo. 1. Maramotli size, easily read at a distance of 90 or 100 feet, 10 feet high by 5 feet wide, each |45, No, 2~-Coinmon size, easily read at a distance of 60 feet. Nine and a half feet high, by 4 feet 8 in, wide, each |35, — This includes everything as above, with paper -iS inch wide, and Stencils one a quarter inch letters. No. 3 — Small size, for infant classes, 6 feet high hy 3 ft, wide, each $25, This includes 25 yards paper of 30 inches^ stencils of 1 inch letters and the jest as above. Boxing, each $1,50 to |2, Address AUG. 0. VAN LENNEP, General Agent, 54 Cedar street, New York, HARPER. BY BE, WOETHINGTON HOOKER, Late Professor of Medicine in Yale College. THE CHILD'S EOOK OF NATURE, three parts in one volume, small quarto, cloth $2, seperately 75 cts FIRST BOOK IN CHEMISTRY, sq 4to cloth 90 cents: NATURAL HISTORY, 300 engravgs 12mo cloth $1,50, NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, do 12mo cloth 1,50. CHEMISTRY, science for the school and family, 1,50. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY, engravings, 1,50. HARPER & BROTHERS, Franklix Square, New York. Oumherland, Md., JVeeMy Papers. Civilian and Telegraph, by Will H. Lowdermilk, |2 per annum — Republican . Cumberland Union, by Mattingly & Steiner, $2 per an- num — Republican , Democratic Alleganian, by W. E. Weber, $2 per annu^i^ — Conservative. By E S Zevely^ sent to all parts of the Union — Advertising. How to Teach Writing to Primary Pupils. You will find the best method fully explained in ^'■The Teacher of Fenma^i- sJiip" published monthly at Sandusky, Ohio. Only SI per year ; contains from 30 to 40 engravings of letters every month, showing the right and wrong way to make them. If you desire to examine the paper, before subscribing, send 25 cents for it, for two months, and you will receive as a premium, a photographic likeness of fifteen of the Presidents of the United States, arranged in an oval form, with Washington in the centre, all taken from a large Pen-Drawing, 31 by 51 inches, executed by the publisher. If you subscribe now, you will receive all the back numbers from the begin- ning, October, 1867, and all the numbers of 1868, making^ fifteen numbers for the Small sum of $1. If these fifteen nufnbers were printed in a book of ordi- nary size, it would contain 400 pages and perhaps 500 engravings. Can you get one-t<3nth as much instruction on the subject of penmanship'any where else for $1 ? WJiat JEmlnent JPennien and .Educators say of ^'The Teacher of JPenmansniiy.^' "I am much pleased with your paper. It is just the thing that is needed at tho_ pres- ent day, and should be in the hands of every teacher, as well as every pupil in the conntry." — S. B. STEAR^'s, Penman, Concord Business College, Concord, N. H. "lam convinced, from a careful examination of your paper, that it will do much good." — J. J. DixsMORE, Penman, SmalTs Business College, Zauesville, Ohio. "Dear Sir: ' The Teacher of Penmanship' received. I think it will stand upon its; own merits." — A. S. Parish, Principal Business College, McGregor, Iowa. " I highly esteem your paper. I find something new and u.seful in each and every number." — A. W. Smith, Principal Business College, Meadville, Pa. "I have had the pleasure of reading the last numbers »f your fine little paper, 'The Teacher of Penmanship.' We have long needed a journal devoted to this beautiful art, and penmen will doubtless feel themselves greatly indebted to you for the enterprise shown in starting this work. As for myself I shall take pleasure in assisting you all in my power." — ^J. E. Soule, Superintendent Penmansliip Department, Boston Busi- ness College, Boston, Mass. " I beheve your publication is well adapted to the wants of all who would become good penmen, all engaged as instruct ors, and highly important to the teacher of penman- ship" — Wm. H. Si'rague, Teacher of Penmamshi^), Youngstown, Ohio. "I am much pleased with its design, and the way in which you have begun to carry itout."— John 11. Scott, Pe?!wia»m Wheeling Business College. "It seems extremely well adapted to the use of both teachers and learners of the Art of Penmanship, and tp such will be found worth for more than the subsciiptioo price." — Lancaster [0.) Gazette. ^v,-'' " It is illustrated with cuts, and yet aflPorded at the low price of $1 a year. We heartily commend it to teachers."— Hox. E. E. White, Editor of Ohio Educational Monthly., Spencerian, Payson, Dunton & Scribner's, and Ellsworth's Charts are offered as premiums to those who raise clubs. Also their Copy Books and Text-Books. Any teacher can raise a club among his own pupils and thus secure a text- book or set of charts. • Six monthly numbers of " The Teacher of Penmanship " are now ready, which may be had for 50 cents, or fifteen numbei'S for $1. Address, L. S. THOMPSON, Teacher of PenmanBhip ii^ the Public Schools of SANDUSKY, O. (Jlimature Sampl'.) AND "Free Movement Exercises." Without good pen-hording and free movement we cannot expect to secure good rapid writing. ^ It is not so difficult a matter to recog- nize the proper .form of letters by the eye, as to educate the nerves and muscles of the arm, hand and fingers to do the bidding of the mind. We recognize form by the sense of ,...,,,.,... ......... ., touch as well as that of sight ; and we make a great mistake in teaching writ- ing if we do not spend much more time in feeling out the forms of letters rather than in loohing at them. Good writing is a hahit and habits are formed by repeating the same act again and again in the same way. For the purpose of making this repetition exactly the same every time, wa have had a series of "Free Movement Exercises" stamped upon metal so as to form a hollow groove in the metal. Then by moving any sharp-pointed instru- ment, held in the position of a pen in writing, in these grooves, the hahit of correct movement is invariably formed. Reader, whoever you may be, are your laovements in writing irregular^ nervous, or uncontrelled ? A little practice upon this instrument according t Address. , Teacher of Peumanship in the Public Schools of SANDUSkY, ; OF This treatise oa Map-Brawiug, illustrated with enaravings, has lately beeni prepared by Mr. Cowdery, a life long educator and" Superintendent of Sam- i dusky Public- Schools for the last twenty years. ! Of late we have had many works on Map-Drawing. Map-Drawino- hj squares, Map-Drawing by circles, Map-Drawing by triangulation, etc. "" If you desire to see the simplest and most common sense method of all, or desire to compare it with. any or all others, send 25 cents at 07)cr to ' ■ L. S. 'HOMPSON, Sandml-7/. Ohio. %trrKi«wy im ' j viv { 'V Is taught in '-T/te Teach i nj Ftny^iaiiship'' by means of such gradual and easy lessons, tlmt any oim can learn it easier than to become a first-class busi- ness writer. You can get more copies in Flourishing , and explanations of the same, from "The Teacher of Penmanship" for $1.00, than from a living teacher for $10.00. Flourished birds, fishea, and other animals, make the most attract- ive "Rewards of Merit" that teachers can possibly offer to their pupils in writing, or, indeed, in any study. Children never tire of lookingat such things, and their tastes are cultivated thereby. We have given away many thousands of fiourished pieces to our own pupils and always with the best of results. We will send you six different kinds for examination for ten cents. If you wish to tise them in your schools we can sell them much cheaper afterwards. As for ourselves, we always offer rewards in such a way that every pupil may obtain the prize if he strives for it. Please send 10 cents for samples rot , while you think of it. We will take it as a favor if teachers will show our advertisement > fo their pupils. We know some of them will be interested. Address, I.. S. THOMPSON, Teacher c! FfXiuianehip in the Public Schools cf SANDUSKY. 0, AMEBIC AN LAW REVIEW ADVEBTISER. UNABRIDGED DICTIONAHY AS AN AUTHORITY IN COUMTS OF JUSTICE. Perhaps the highest test of the excellence of the definitions of a Dictionary is found in the frequency with which 'they are cited, as the leading authority on this point, in Courts of Justice, where important pecuniary interests, and even life itself, often depend upon the precise and true meaning of a word, as employed in a statute or contract. No other English Dictionarj' has such weight of authoritj', or is cited so frequently in Legislatures, Courts of Justice, or in determining the meaning of contracts, as Webster. A very large number of Eeported Cases, arguments of counsel, &c., might be quoted to prove this. Below are given a few of the cases found in the Reports, and the list might be almost indefinitely extended: — " Unquestionably the very best Dictionary of our language extant. Its great accuracy in the defi- nition and derivation of words gives it an authority that no other work on the subject possesses. It is constantly cited and relied on in our Courts of Justice, iu our Legislative bodies, and in public discus- sions, as entirely conclusive."' — Hon. John C. Spencer. '■ Lately one of the most important suits of modern times, in. the highest court of England, turned solely on the definition of a single word. It is significant of Dr. Webster's reputation iu Kngland as a definer of words, that, in the Alexandra case, tried in the Court of E.xohequer, at Westminster Hall, under purely English law, no other Dictionary, English or American, was quoted or alluded to, than his. We quote from the Lord Chief Baron's decision, June 24, 18S3 (pige 232 of the Ueport of the trial) : — " ' I have looked, so that I might not go wrong, (as we have the advantage of having it here,) at Webster's American Dictionary, a work of the greatest learning, research, and ability.' " — Boston Journal. The following are from the Reports of the State of New York, and are furnished by Austin Abbott, Esq., Author of Abbott's Digest, who rernarks: "I presume I could collect five or ten times as many on an examination of the Report.s of other States." The precise language of the definitions cited in the following Reported Cases, is that found, in some instances, in the earlier editions of Webster, and which may have been some- what modified in the present revised edition. Yet in this revision it has" been the aim not only to maintain, in this respect, the former precision and accuracy, but, where possible, to render them even yet more precise and accurate. 1. Beer. A fermented liquor made from any farinaceous grain ; but generally from barley, which is first malted and ground, and its fermentable substance then e-xtracted by hot water. This extract or infusion is evaporated by boiling in caldrons, and hops, or some other plant of an agreeable bitterness, added. The liquor is then suffered to ferment in vatl. Beer is of different degrees of strength, and is denominated small beer., ale, porter., brown sto.-t, &c., according to its strength or other pecuHar qualities. [Adopted, as beina; a "strong and spirituous liquor."] Supreme Court, 1846. Nevin i?. Ladue, 3 Den. 48; 1855. People v. Wheelock, 3 Park. Cr. 9. 2. House. . In a general sense, a building or shed intended or used as a habitation or shelter for animals of any kind, but approfiriately a building or edifice for the habitation of man ; a dwelling- place, mansion, or abode for any of the human species. It may be of any size, and composed of any materials whatever, — wood, stone, brick, &c. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1856. Thompson v. People, 3 Park. Cr. 208. 3. Willfully. 2. By design; with set purpose. [Adopted.] Snpreme Court. Sp. T. 1856. Northern Railway Co. v. Carpentier, 3 Abbott's Pr. 259; S.C. 13 How. Pr. 222. 4. Thoroughfare. 1. A passage through ; a passage from one street or opening to another : an un- obstructed way. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1851. Wiggins v. Tallmadge, 11 Barb. 457. 5. Assign. 1. To allot ; to appoint or grant by distribution or apportionment. i. In lato, to transfer ; to make over to another the right one has in any object, as an estate, c?iose in action, or reversion. To assign dower, to make over a life interest in lands to the widow of the one from whom the assignor inherits. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1852. Bump v. Van Orsdale, 11 Barb. 634. AMERICAN LAW BEVIEW ADVERTISER. 6. Character. 4. The peculiar qualities impressed, by nature or habit, on a person, which distin- guish him from others : these constitute real character^ and the qualities which he is supposed to pos- sess constitute his estimated character or reputation. Hence we say, a character is not formed, when the person has not acquired stable and distinctive qualities. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Carpenter v. People, 8 Barb. 603. 7. Benefit. 2. Advantage; profit; a word of extensive use, and expressing whatever contributes to promote prosperitj' and personal happiness, or adds value to property. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1851, Fitch v. Bates, 11 Barb. 471. 8. File. 2. To arrange or insert in a bundle, as papers, indorsing the title en each paper. Tliis is now the 7)iore cominon mode of filing jpapers in private and public offices. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Bishop v. Cook, 13 Barb. 326. 9. Injury. 1. In general, any wrong or damage done to a man's person, rights, reputation, or goods. [Adopted.] Suprerne Court, Sp. T. 1856. Northern Railway Co. v. Carpentier, 3 Abbott's Fr. 259. S.C 13 How. Pr. 222. 10. Interest. 1. Concern; advantage; good; as ^r/faie interest ; pudZjc interest. 3. Share; portion; part; participation in value. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1851. Fitch v. Bates, 11 Barb. 471. 11 . Jobber. 4. A merchant who purchases goods from importers and sells to retailers. [Adopted.] V. Chan. Ct. 1847. Steward v. Winters, 4 Sandf. Ch. 587. 12. Lend. 1. To giant to another for temporary use, on the express or implied condition that the thing shall be returned ; as, to lend a book. [Adopted] Supreme Court, 1855. Elton v. Markham, 20 Barb. 343. 13 . Lottery. 1. A scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance, or the distribution itself. [Adopted.] Court of Appeals, 1852. Almshouse of New York v. Am. Art Union, 7 N.Y. (3 held.) 228. People v. Payne, 3 Den. 88. 14. Meet. Fit; suitable; proper; qualified; convenient; adapted, as to a use or purpose. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Woodburn v. Mosher, 9 Barb. 255. 15. Proceeds. 2. la Lonnnerce, the sum, amount, or value, of goods sold or converted into money. The consignee was directed to sell the cargo and vest the proceeds in coffee. The proceeds of the goods sold amounted to little more than the prime cost and charges. [Adopted.] Court of Errors, 1831. Dow v. Whetten, 8 Wend. 160. 16. Frcstiiution. 1. The act or practice of offering the body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men ; common lewdness of a female. 2. The act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power; as, the prostitution of talents or abilities; the prostitution of the press. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1850. Carpenter v. People, 8 Barb. 603. 17. Purchase. 2. In common usage, to buy ; to obtain property by paying an equivalent in jnoney. It differs from Barter only in the circumstance, that, in purchasing, the price or equivalent given or secured is money ; in bartering, the equivalent is given in goods. [Adopted.] Supreme Court, 1853. Hoyt v. Van Alstyne, 15 Barb. 568. 18. Residence. 1. The act of abiding or dwelling in a place for some continuance of time; as, the reside7ice of an American in France or Italy for a year. [Adopted-] N.Y. Superior Couit, 1857. Bartlett v. City of New York, 5 Sandf. 44. CrawtorJ v. Wilson, 4- Barb. 504. 19. Team-tvork. AYork done by a team, as distinguished from personal labor. [Adopted.] N.Y. Superior Court. Chambers. Harthouse v. Eikers, 1 Duer, 606. 20. Team. 1. Two or more horses, oxen, or other beasts harnessed together to the same vehicle for drawing, as to a coach, chariot, wagon, cart, sled, sleigb, and the like. [Adopted.] N.Y. Superior Court. Chambers, 1853. Harthouse v. Eikers, 1 Duer, 606. 21. Shave. 6. To strip ; to oppress by extortion ; to fleece. [Adopted.] Court of Errors, 1845. Stone v. Cooper, 2 Den. 293, 22- Security. 5. Any thing given or deposited, to secure the payment of a debt, or the perfor- mance of a- contract ; as a bond with surety, a mortgage, the indorsement of a responsible man, a pledge, &c. [Adopted.] A. V, Chan. Ct. 1845. Storm v. Waddell, 2 Sandf, Ch. 494. Judjre Dillon, of Davenport, Iowa, furnishes the following;, from the Iowa Reports, in which Webster has been cited as authority, in the Courts of that State: — 1. Over. Webster's fifth and sixth definitions approved and adopted as basis of decision in Car- penter 'V. Cedar Eapids R. 11. Co., 12 Iowa Kep. 105, per Lowe, C. J. 2. Surprise. Webster's first definition expressly adopted and approved in Willard's Equity Jurisp. p. 205. 3. Effected. In law frequently synonymous with enforced. Thus a lien may be effected, that is enforced, by bringing an action, &c. 9 Iowa, 154. 4. U.^ed. Legal meaning of the word, see 9 Iowa, 155. 5. Prudent. '■^ 1'ae prudent man is a cautious man — practically ivise." — Webster. Per Wright, C. J., 9 Iowa, 236. AMERICAN LAW REVIEW ADVERTISER. 6. Judiciously. "To act judiciously is to exercise good judgment." — Webster. Approved and adopted. 9 Iowa Rep. 236. 7. Skillfully. "To act skillfully is to act with discretion or wisdom — prudently." — Webster. 9 Iowa, 236. 8. Resident. Webster's definition (''to dwell permanently," &c.) expressly approved, and the legal meaning of the word fully considered in Hinds v. Hinds, 1 Iowa, 36. 9. Believed. Substantially the same in law as the word considered. 1 Iowa, 153. 10. Expert. " A person instructed by experience." 1 Iowa, 167. 11. Homestead. " A place to abide — a place for the family ; and to be a homestead the premises must be used as a home.^^ 1 Iowa, 435. 12. &urety. "The word ^surety' is defined by Webster, in his dictionary, to mean 'certainty, indubitableness, security, safety.' ' Security against loss or damage — security for payment; and in law, one who enters into a bond, or recognizance, to answer another's appearance in court; or for his pay- ment of a debt ; or for the performance of some act, and who, in case of the principal debtor's failure, is compellable to pay the debt or damage, as a bondsman ; ' a bail." Quoted and approved, per Williams, C. J., Pitkius V. Boyd, 4 G. Greene, 259. 13. Completed. " Finished, ended," &c. Webster's definition adopted in State v. Bissell, 4 G. Greene, 334. 14. Being. The one is present. The present participle " being,''^ means " existing in a certain state." — Webster. Adopted and approved, 4 G. Greene, 333. 15. Carelessness. This is not a legal term ; but is equivalent, in law, to negligence. 3 Iowa Eep. 92. 16. Permit. A failure to prevent does not amount to a. permission •within the meaning of a crimi- nal statute. 4 Iowa Eep. 543. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 377. 17. Character. "The peculiar qualities impressed," &c. This definition adopted, 5 Iowa Rep. 394; where Woodward., J., says : " Character signifies that which a person really is, in distinction from that which be may be reputed to be." Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 378. 18. Chaste. A woman who delights in lewdness and indecency is not of chaste character in legal estimation, though she has escaped actual unlawful intercourse. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 378. 19. Coward. Not a legal term, and should not be used by a judge in charging a jury. 5 Iowa, 481. 20. Sodomy. Tliis crime not indictable unless there is an express statute against it. 10 Iowa Ren. 400. 21. Inhabitant. Not synonymous with the word a'fefn. Spragues !■. Houghon, 2 SJkm. 414. 22. XJntil. In a contract or in law, it may have an exclusive or inclusive meaning. Hence, where a law provides that bids may be received until a certain day, none can be received on that day. AVebster V. French, 12 111, 305. 23. Harbor. Has the legal definite meaning of " fraudulent concealment." Chambers v. People 4 Scam 354. 24. Coupon. 2n Zazy, is essentially the same as a promissory note. 5 Iowa, 15 ; 6 i6. 265. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 318. 25. Prostitute. Webster's definition adopted. 8 Iowa Rep. 454. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 302. 26. Prostitiitinn. Webster's definition adopted. Hence held that criminal intercourse confined exclusively to one man, did not amount in law to prostitution. 6 Iowa Rep. 447. 27. Steal. Its legal meaning is the same as its common meaning. 2 Greene Eep. 308. Dillon's (Iowa) Digest, 365. KlCHAKD CoBDEN's DiCTiOKAET. — In a recent correspondence between Mr. Cobden and the Editor of the "London Times," the following passage occurs in one of Mr. C.'s letters, — " You will observe in the above passage from my speech taken from your own report, that I use the ■words, ' I don"t want any agrarian outrages by which we should change all this ; ' and now we must appeal to the tribunal of the lexicographer. If you turn to Webster's (quarto) Dictionary, you will find the word ' agrarian ' interpreted, on the authority of Burke, as follows : — " ' Kelating to lands. Denoting or pertaining to an equal division of lands ; as, the agrarian laws of Rome, which distributed tlie conquered and other Public lands equally among all the citizens, limiting the quantity which each might enjoy.' " Again, in the same dictionary, the word ' agrarianism ' is given as ' an equal division of lands or property, or the principles of those who favor such a division.' Thus, in repudiating the agrarian system, I repudiated in pure and unquestionable EngUsh, according. to Burke, the pirinciples of those who favor an equal division of land," &c. So it seems that our English cousins rely upon Webster, as a standard for definitions, from which no appeal is thought of. — Republican. You are invited to send us any cases in addition to or like the foregoing, where Webster has been cited as authority in courts, on important trials, specifying the case, the court, and the date. Also, Just Published, WEBSTER'S NATIONAL PICTORIAL DiOTIONARY. 1040 pages, octavo. Price, $6. Springfield, Mass., January, 1868. G. & C. MERRIAM. GET TMM BEST, WEBSTER'S UMBRIDGED DICTIONARY. NEW ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Thoroughly reTised and much enlarged. Over 3000 fine engravings. Is a well-nigh indispensable, requisite for every lawyer, clergyman, and other professional man, as well as every intelligent family. It contains 1 0,000 WOKDS and MEANINGS not found in other Dictionaries. It is now believed to toe by far the most complete, useful, and satisfactory Dictionary of the language- ever published, as it is by far the l&rgest single volume ever issued in any language. Tiie possession of any other English Dictionary, or any previous edition of this, can not compensate- for the want of this very full and complete one. In its present perfected state it must long remain the BEST ENGLISH DICTIONARY, and, once possessed, remain of constant and abiding value. No other English Dictionary has such weight of authority, or is cited so frequently in Legislatures, Courts of Justice, or in determining the meaning of contracts, as V/ebster. A very large nvimber of Reported Cases, arguments of counsel, &c., might be quoted to prove this. "Unquestionably the very best Dictionary of our language extant. Its great accuracy in the defi- nition and derivation of words gives it an authority that no other work on the subject possesses. It is constantly cited and relied on in our Courts of Justice, in our Legislative bodies, and in public discus- eions, as entirely conclusive." — Hon. John C. Spencer. Lately one of the most important suits of modern times, in the highest court of England, turned solely on the definition of a single word. It is significant of Dr. Webster's reputation in England as a definer of words, that, in the Alexandra case, tried in the Court of Exchequer, at Westminster Hall, under purely English law, no other Dictionary, English or American, was quoted or alluded to than his. We quote from the Lord Chief Baron's decision, June 24, 1863, (page 232 of the report of the trial) : — '• I have looked, so that I might not go wrong, (as we have the advantage of having it here,) at Web- ster's American Dictionary, a work of the greatest learning, research, and ability." " I think it not only a great improvement upon former issues of the same work, but superior, in- most respects, to any other English Dictionary known to me. The labors of the recent editors and con- tributors have made it undoubtedly the best general etymologicon we yet possess of the language ; its vocabulary is as ample as could well be giv(in in the compass of a single volume ; its definitions are, in general, sufficiently e«xact and discriminating; and its pronunciation is apparently conformable to the- best usage." — Hon. George P. Marsh, Florence, Italy, March 7, 1866. "Etymological part remarkably well done. • - . We have had no English Dictionary nearly so good in this respect." — North American Rcvinv. "In our opinion, it is the best Dictionary that either England or America can boast." — National Quarterly Revierv. " No Eifglish scholar can dispense -with this work." — Bibliotheca Sacra. " In its general accuracy, completeness, and practical utility, the work is one which none icho can read or lerite can henceforward afford to dispense with.'''' — Atlantic Monthly. "The New Webster is glorious — it is perfect — it distances and defies competition— it leaves nothing to be desired."—/. H. Raymond, LL. D., President of Vassar College. "All young persons should have a standard Dictionary at their elbows. And while you are about it GET THE best; that Dictionary is Noah AVebster's — the great xoork, unabridged. If you are too poor, save the amount from off your back, to put it into your head." — Phrenological Journal. " 'Every farmer should give his sons two or three square rods of ground, well prepared, with the avails of which they may buy it. Every viechanic should put a receiving box in some conspicuous place in the house to catch the str.iy pennies for the like purpose. Lay it upon your table by the side of the Bible ; it is a better expounder than many which claim to be expounders. It is a great labor saver ; it ha,s saved us time enough in one year's use to pay for itself: and that must bo deemed good property which will clear itself once a year. If you have any doubt alaout the precise meaning of the word clear, in the last sentence, look at Webster's nine definitions of the v. t." — Massachusetts Life Boat. In One Volume of 1,840 Eoyal QEarto Pages, and in Tarious Common and Fine Bindings,. "GET THE LATEST." " GET THE BEST." " GET TTEBSTER." Published by G. 8z C. MERRIAM, Springfield, Mass. Sold by all Booksellers. Specimen pages of Illustrations and other new features will be sent on application to the publishers. WEBSTER'S SCMOOE DICTIOWAMIES ; vi^j,, I THE PRIMARY. III. HIGH SCHOOL. V. COUNTING HOUSE. II COMMON SCHOOL. IV. ACADEMIC. VI. UNIVERSITY. These popular School Dictionaries, having been thoroughly revised, and extensively regarded as the standard authority in Orthography, Definition, and Pronunciation, and as THE BE.'ST Dictionaries in use, are respectfully commended to teachers and others. They are much more extensively sold and used, than all others combined. J^^ Webster's School Dictionaries are published by IVISON, PHINNEY, BLAKEMAN & CO., 47 and 49 Greene St.. New York; J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., Philadelphia; and sold by S. C. GRIGGS & CO., Chicago; SARGENT, WILSON & IIINKLE, Cincinnati; and by all Eooksellers. Ij^^-V^ BOOX-SIS, Cliitty's Pleadings, 3 vols., ivith American Notes by J. C. Perkins, Esq. New Edition. 1833. Chitt]j on Contracts, greatly improved by the cddition of American Notes by J. C, Pee.k»'s, Esq. Chitty on JBills. Edited by J. C. Perkins, Esq. The above standard Law Books, so indispensable to every lawyer"-3 library, continue to be published, by G. & C. MERRIAM, and are sold by all Law Booksellers. (Mew and Brilliaiitly Colored Editions.) A PICTORIAL TEMPERANCE ALLEGORY, Grapjiically exhibiting to the eye By sho'wing the several stages of the % DRUNKARD'S CAREER TO DESTRUCTION, Being a cheap, permanent and powerful For use in Sabbath and CoTnmon Schools, Families, Halls, <^c. In the background of the picture, upon the left, a train is seen leaving the region of churches, fountains, and hovermg angels, for the Black Valley country. Further down faster trains are seen. In the foreground, a crowded train is seen at Drunkard's Curve, the last stopping place. In the saloon, one conductor is emptying the i)ockets of travelers while another is ejecting them from the train. Forvvard of the saloon is the fireman, who is feeding grain into the engine, which is a DISTILLERY. On the left, in the foregi-ound, some travelers, who have been caxviedfurther than they intended to go, are leaving the train in rags and wretchedness, to return by the Temperance or Cold Stream Hirer Stages. On the right, some philanthropists are helping into ambulances the disabled and dying who have been thrown out along the track of the road. Beyond is seen a part of the Black Valley Forest, whose leafless and fruitless trees are leaning and breaking in the coils of a huge serpent. Farther on is Beggarstown and Prisonton, beyond which a train is disappearing into Deliriumton and Demonland, and the stormy regions toward thelower terminus of the road, from which the only telegi-am that comes is— 'M« the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder." At the ends of the picture, upon a scroll, are the names of the places through which the trains move on their way to the regions of serisents, demons, storms, fire and darkness, viz : Sippington, Tippleton, Topersville, Drunkards'' Curve, Roiudyville, Quarrelton, Riot- ville, Beggarstown, Woeland, Gamblersville, Fighthigton, Brothelton, Pitfall, Robbers' Den, Prisonton, Deliriumtnn, Demonland, Hornets'-Xest Thicket, Screech-Oivl Forest, Horror- land, Serpentland, Mania cville. Idiot Flats, ninck Valley Stormland, Thunderland, Tornado Gorge, Flood-crossing. UFSTRUCTIO:'. Under each name upon the scroll, an appropriate text of Scripture is printed, the whole being arranged so that the eye at a glance takes in the whole idea of THE DRTUvKARD'S ROAD TO RUIN I have never seen any document^ tract, book, or illustration, that, as a powert'ul exhib- itor of truth, is at all comparable with it. — John B. Gotigh. Should induce all, young or old, to pause before entering the train leading to this vaUey of horrors. — Hon. Edward C. Delavan, Albany. Your ideas of Intemperance, as embodied in the Picture of the Black Valley Railroad, I think adapted to produce a great moral eflect in the minds of the young. The little folks take great pleasui-e in tracing out the truth written all over it. I wish every school in the land might have one of those pictures in it. It attracts the eyes of the young, and instru- raentally avIIj save many of them from a dninkard's life, death and eternity. — JRer. M. Par- son.f, Springfield, Mass'. I tliink the picture is eminently calculated to arrest attention and nuike an ineffaceable impression in favor of total abstinence. It has been explained before our High and Gram- mar Schools, and is now suspended upon the wall. The pupils aie reminded by it of the progress of the wretched victims of Intemperance to Destruction. There is not a teacher in the country that could not make a tellmg speech from this picture. If it could be intro- duced into all our schools it would be the cheapest, most impressive and most successful way of teaching temperance to the rising generation— 7?er. ^f. A. Stevens, Bellows Falls, Vermont Tiie pictorial was doubtless the original, most simple and natural mode of writing, and, perfected as the art now is has become the most pleasing, beautiful and impressive. It sliows a volume at once, and not onlj' so but the thing itself, as well as tlie idea, which last some are too slow to grasp. Your picture represents tlie thing so forcibly that the dullest capacity cannot fail to understand and retain it with the happiest results. " I have explained it to our Sabbath School, and the interest continues unabated. It hangs by the side of the Sabbath School Library where it continues to interest and iusti-uct from its silent but alarm- ing illustrations. — Rev. Daniel Wight, desig^ier of the picture of I'ilgrim's Progress The pupil of the eye takes in knowledge with great readiness. Men whose other senses are destroyed by tlie paralysis of appetite or greed, open Made their eyes when they see the " engine," with the Evil One for stoker and grain for fuel, crashing'down to Drunkard's Curve (in its steep, crooked way to Destruction. — Boston Recorder. Excellent in word and arrangement. I only wonder you have gotten so mucli into it. I am sure it is imequaled. — Rev. R. D. Pardee, New York. The whole argument stands out so distinctlj' that he " that runs," and even lie that stag- gers may reail. — The Congregationalist. One can read the -whole history of the drunkard here at a single glance. — Boston Ad- vertiser It gives at a glance a correct illustration of the evils of Intemperance. — Connecticut Courant. It is of itself a deeply interesting and powerful Temperance Lecture, which should be con.spicuously placed in "all public rooms. — Western Temperance Advocate. A capital picture for temperance meetings and mission rooms. One look at that terrible train rushing on to Destruction is enough to frighten every tipler from the fatal glass. — Na- tional Temperance Advocate. Pastors and Superintenednts can use this document to great advantage — Well Spring. It ought to be exhibited and lectured upon in everj' Sabbath and Day School in tlie land. — Journal of Health and Education. It is an excellent Temperance Lecture in itself. — Merry's Museum. There is n world of meaning in this delineation of the downward course of Inteni- lieranee. — Christian Mirror. 1 have seen many a soldier's and now and then an officer's face grow sober and thought- ful, as they traced out the track, and I have no doubt it has sent many a man to his tent se- riously pondering the question of becor" ""' " ""■■ ^ " "'"'-■■"■ ""' '""■—•"■'•■■ — Convention, Army of the Cumberland. riously pondering the question of becoming a sober man." — Rev. E. P. Smith, Del. Christian ' the Cu ' ' We\yish that on the walls of eaoli Sabbath School were hung up the- powerful and tei- riflc picture, the Black Valley Railroad, which maps out the whole tour of thetipler trom Sippington to Topersvile, clear on to Dcnionland and TJestniction.—Tiid€2ieiHlent,hy Rev. T. L. Ciiyler. One of the most wonderful thing:^ of the age, vividly exhibiting the way to ruin by in- temperance. — Quincy (llLj Republican. One of the most eniph;itic temperance lectures that couM possibly be addressed to either eye or ear. I have seen its effects upon an intelligent audience, and am persuaded that it contains the laraest variety of admonitions compressed into the smallest compass. It would seem as if no'man could look on that picture and still dare to keep his seat on the B. V. R. R. train. — Prof. .f. S. Sewall, Botvdoin College. Admirably adapted to remind the observer of the terrible consequences of Intemper- ance, and thus to aid the great cause of total absteminence, especially for schools among the freed people of the South, Sabbath Schools, etc.— iViryor Gen. O. O. Hoioarcl, WasMng- ington, D. C. A new, cheap Temperance Lecturer, who eats nothing, drinks nothing, requires no sal- Hrj. ***** The friends of Temperance woud do a most valuable service to the cause, at a cheap rate, by placing this picture in railroad depots, post offices, public schools and all other public "places where it could l)e admitted, constantly to read its fearful lessons and give its much needed warnmg. — Chri.'itkui World. One of the niost truthful allegorical pictures ever printed. It represents the wa3' to - nun in as vivid colors as does Biinyan i^ortray in words the path of Christians from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Both are progressive — the one upward, the other downward. **** It is intended, by presenting a truthful picture of the downward tend- ency of vice and its fearful and awful results, to deter the young from entering the paths of the destroyer Could children see and understand this picture, and seeing is understand- ing, but few would risk their lives and souls upon such a dreadful career. Hung in the school-room, to be seen daily by the children, it would do more good than many temper- ance lectures, however eloquently presented. Friendly advice is sometimes forgotten, btit the picture never fades from the memory of a child. The heart may become hard, but this- is an image painted on the soul which cannot easily be effaced. This picture shows to the - inebriate "where he is and his means of escape. He may read volumes at a glance in this wonderful scene. A man must be hard indeed who would pursue the fatal course when once it has been so vividly portrayed. We recommend this picture to our teacher friends as a most valuable aid in establishing good morals and correct habits in the minds of the young. — The Rhode Island School Master. Probably the most successful temperance lecture in the country is the picture of the Black Valley Railroad Not a few young men who have been coquetting with the intoxica- ting cup have shuddered and drawn back as they looked upon this representation of the drunkard's course. The wheels of the distillery red Mith the blood of its victims, the dem- ons welcoming the train to its last station, Destruction, the darkness of the Black Valley, the enormous serpents in the path, the strong walls of Prisonton, all tend to fix firmly in the mind the terrors and dangers of intemperance. If a copy of it had a place in eveiy house- ■ hold, it would do much to keep young men from the first step in the dntnkard's career. — Free Press, Northampton, Mass. "A happy conception. Catches the eye and arrests attention, and must awaken thought. I hope it wilfbe widely circulated." — Samuel Harris, Pres., Boivdoin College. "Excellent! T hope it will be scattered wherever English can be understooon them. Are harder than real slate, and cannot he scratched, yet never crack or scale oil'. TESTIjVIOiSriA.LS. The following is from "The Father of the Public School System of Pennsylvania," and for many years State Superintendent . Lancaster, January 4, 1867. "From its origin to its present improved and satisfactory condition, I have watched the progress of the artificial Slate (or Stor.e) Surface of Mr. 1 Newlon Peirce I have seen it in- troduced in many schools and institutions, and have never known its use to be abandoned, or to fail of giving satisfaction In facility of application, rapidity of drying for use, cheap- ness and durability as a wall surface, in lieu of the old black board, it is all that can be de- sired. Us merits, in the shape of Portable Slates, Tablets, &c., need not be asserted. In this form it will speak for itself, on inspection." ' Thomas H. Burrowes. Office City Superintendent of Public Instruction, Baltimore. April 5tli, 1867. 1 have used extensively on the Black Boards of the public schools of this city, Poirce's Pa- tent Slate Surface, and believe it to be the best material of the kind manufactured. J. N. McJiLTON. Boston, January 31st, 1867. We have used Peirce's Patent Slates for some time in our schools, and from our experience, a«d their present improved character, we believe they are superior to all other slates we have ever seen, and shall favor their more extended use. Joshua Bates, Principal Brimmer School. James A. Page, J'rincipal Dwight School. C. Goodwin Clark, Principal Lincoln School. State Normal School, Trenton, N. J., February 11th, 1867. We have been using Peirce's Book Slates for some time in this Institution, and greatly jire fer them to every other kind of slate. John S. Hart, Principal. Penn. State Teachers'' Association, Bellefonte, August 8th, 1867. Having examined and tested Peirce's Patent Noiseless Slates and Stone Slate Surface, dc. reconimeod them and their use in the school room, as being superior to all other Slates ant' surface we liave ever seen : Z. Edwards, £>ep't Education. Washington, D. C y. A. Allen, Prin. State Xormal School, MansUeld, Pa. H. D. Walker, Prin. Oro.ngeville Stale Soldier Orph. School. Chas. W. Ueans, Prin. Harford State Soldier Orph. School. Edward Brooks, Prin. State Nor. School, Millersville, Pa 1. S. Geist, Professor in " ■' ■' " C. H. Harding, " " " " " A. 0. Newfher, Superintendent Scliools, Columbia, '-' J. E. Thomas, Prin. Pine Grove Academy and Seminary, ' JosEPa \X A-Vaa, Principal Hollidaysbury Seminary, " AI. B. Grant, " Greensburg Adademy, " W. Henry Parkee, " Ring. Gram. School, Phila. ' AVm. F. Wyers, " Wyer's Boarding School, ' Andrew BuBTT, " bth Ward School, Pittsburg, " S. S. Jack, " Sewinckly Acady near Pkila. " AV. VV. Woodruff, Superintendent Chester County, " S. C. Gilchrist, ' Washington " '' Martin Mohleb, " Miffiin " " R. McDevitt, " Huntington " ' E. T. BuRGAN, SupH Model School, Keystone State Normal School, Kutztoxvn, Pa. Jas. H. Hkvki^, Bellefonte, Pa. J. R. SiPHER, N. Y. Tribune. Office of Controllers of Public Schools. First District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, December 22, 1866. At a meeting of the Controllers of Public Schools, First District of Pennsylvania, held nt Uie Controllers' Chamber, Friday, December 21, 1866, the following resolution was unaui niously adopted : Resolved, That Peirce's Patent Slates and Slated Goods, be used in the public schools of t'.iis ■ iistrict. [From the Minutes.] H. L. Halliwell, Secretary. These Slates have also been adopted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of Wasl>- iagton, also for the public schools of Baltimore, and are used in the public schools of Boston Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and many other cities. JSM^ Bacare of Imitation Surface. Ask for Feirce' s Patent. I. NEWTON PEIRCE & CO., Manufacturers, uov-6t 427 Worth Eleventh street, Philadelphia. >MAA AAA A A 4A A A AA,Uk^AA A A A A AAA AAAA A A A A A Aj ^.^ A AA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A <■ A A A A A A A A A a A A A^ , I CUS KINGS & BAILSY, i I SGsS Maliunore si., opposite Hanover t BALTIMORE. The largest and best assorted Stock in the city, of School, Law, Medical, Dental, Classical and miscellaneous BOOKS. STATIONERY Of all kinds, — Bank, Counting-Hoase and general. BLA^'K BOOKS made to order, in any st^de. BALTIMORE & OHIO RAIL-PvOAD. Three through passenger trains daily, hetwcen Baltimore and Wheeling and Parkershurg. Daily trains to Frederick, Hagerstown, Winchester ami Ellicotts' Mills. Seven daily trains between Washington and Baltimore. J. T. Englaxd, Agent, Camden Station, L. M. Cole, General Ticket Agent. JoHX L. WiLSOX, Master of Transportation. I . F O H. S A L S . I The sscdiid ciisj 'fi s^Ti^lansl, ^ Large lot well stocked with fruits, A'ines, shrubs, c^'C. — (xood brick liouse, back building, outdiouses, cistern, »i POSSESSIYE CASE.— JSTo. III. BY W. D. HENKLE, SALEM, OHIO. Oliver B. Peirce, in his " First Lessons in Grammar," p. 78, writes "Mr. Fox's [property] ", and appends the remark, "Ee- member that such a name, followed immediately by an wwaccented syllable, has only the apostrophe ; as, Mr. Fox" imprwdence." It is not certain what Mr. Peirce means by " such a name ", for on the same page he writes " Felix' [property]." "Whatever he means, we are able to confute his assertion by the following ex- amples : "Mr. Fox's sa^'acity." — Gent's Mag., vol. 2, p. 333. " Fox's Prometheus." — Gent's Mag., vol. 5, p. 105. "Fox's extreme reverence for Dryden." — Ibid., vol. 6, p. 576. "Mr. Fox's collection." — Macaulay's Hist, of Eng., vol. 1, p. 223. "Mr. Fox's historical work." — Ibid., p. 444. " Mr. Fox's opinion.'' — Phillips's Curran. p. 451. "The Fox's concealed intentions." — Smart's Horace, vol. 2, p. 421. " Mr. Fox's East 7?idia Bill." — Macaulay's Essays, vol. 5, p. 107. If Mr. Peirce meant monosyllables ending in x, we have the following additional examples : "Dix's UnAoly Alliance." — Harper's Mag., vol 1, p. 5. "Mr. Wix's complaint." — Gent's Mag., vol. 14, p. 141. "Le Keux's memorials of Cambridge." — Ibid., p. 141. If X is not pronounced in Keux, this example is inadmissible. If Mr, Peirce meant only words ending in ox, all these last ex- amples are inadmissible, but we might include "Madox's excursions." — Gentleman's Mag., yo\. 2, p. 561, Mr. S. W. "Whitney, who has been writing a series of excellent grammatical notes for the American Educational Monthly, said in the October Monthly for 1867, after having written two pages of directions as to the writing of the possessive case, " From the 368 Maryand Educational Journal : above class we unhesitatingly except, and write without an addi- tional s in the possessive, all names ending in rs, as Ayres\ Beers', Manners', Waters', Withers'." He says he doeis this " on the score of euphony, sustained as it is by usage." He quotes from G. P. Marsh, " Lord Berners' Froissart ", and from C. Knight, " Dr. Chalmers' knowledge." Now I see neither the euphony nor the prevailing usage. He does not cite the work of Marsh's in which '■'■Berners' " is found. My notes show that it is on p. 651 of Marsh's " Lectures on the English Language " ; but these notes also show the following : " Lord Berners's Froissart." — Marsli s English Language and its Litera- ture, pp. 336, 337, 498, 501. " Lord Berners's Translation." — Ibid., pp. 7, 495. "Lord Berners's translation." — Ibid., pp. 497, 537. "Lord Berners's orthography." — Ibid., p. SOL " Chalmers's Apology." — Craik's English Literature and Language, vol 1, p. 13. " Chalmers's Life of Ruddiman." — Ibid., pp. 84, 84. "Chalmers's collection." — Ibid., p. 34. " Mrs. Clavers's Western Clearings." — Diet, of Americanisms, pp. 34, 97, 212, 214, 287, 288, 322, 333, 362, 370, 387. " Mrs. Clavers's Forest Life."— J6id, 78, 86, 94, 202, 205, 236, 241, 271, 283, 308, 332, 343, 346, 353, 385. " Chambers's Encyclopaedia." — Harper, vol. 23, pp. iv, 262; Atlantic, vol. 8, pp. iv, 126. " Rivers's Moral Philosophy." — Harper, vol. 19, p. 4. " Saunders's Festival of Song." — Ibid., vol. 32, p. iv. " Chambers's Edinburgh Papers." — Atlantic, vol 7, p. iii. "Chambers's pamphlet." — Ibid., p. 125. " Rogers's Introduction to Burke's Works." — Buckle's Hist, of Civilization in England, vol 1, pp. 321,336. "Chalmers's Biog. Diet"— Ibid., 305, 513. It should, however, be stated, that in the second volume, Chal- mers' is found very frequently, as well as Chambers'. There are in the first volume more than two hundred examples of the posses- sives of nouns ending in the sound of s or z, comprising about fifty different nouns ; in the second volume there are only about a dozen different nouns so used. Since we have Adams's, Jones's, etc., in the first volume, and Adams' , Jones', etc., in the second, I conclude that either the author or American proof-reader did not exhibit the same care in the second volume as in the first. " Olbers's hypothesis." — An. of Sci. of Disc, 1855, p. 376. My notes show numerous other examples of Chalmers's, Cham- bers's, Eogers's, Eivers's, and Olbers's, as well as of Nares's, Peters's, Powers's, Eodgers's, Akers's, etc. The preceding sixteen pages are taken from that excellent school journal, the Ohio Educational Monthly. A. StJtooI and Famili/ Montldy. 369 The Ne-w and the Old School La-ws. In taking a rapid view of tlie law passed bj tlic last Legislature we propose at the present time merely to contrast it with the one super- ceded, to show the special differences. In the old law we had a Board of Education and a State Superintendent and Secretary composed of five individuals; in the ne^o are three Trustees of the Normal School and a clerk v?ith somewhat similar but more restricted powers, and no pay except ^$300 a year to the Secretary, a saving of over $400. In the old law we had a president. Treasurer and Board of County School Commissioners appointed by the State Board of Education — now we are to have County School Commissioners elected by the people, who appoint a person to be Secretary, Treasui'er and Examiner for the county; whether this will be much less expensive than the former plan can hardly be told yet, but it will be much more satisfactory, not that the former Commissioners did not do their duty faithfully, but because the people wish to have something more to do than pay the school taxes. In addition to this, the people in each school district have the power returned to them to elect annually two trustees. This is really what the people do want, but Mr. Van Bokkelen says in his second annual Report that "what the people do want may not be what they ovglit to loant,^' so it may not be satisfactory to some now, however, the main thing, after all, is to get good men for the office and then it won't be so mvich matter the mode of their appointment or election. Text Books. — In the old law we had a uniform set of school books furnished through the State Superintendent to all the counties, and selected by the State Board of Education. It was supposed, this formed a very pretty little profit to somebody as it was not so important that every child in the State should use the same kind of book, so in the new law the Trustees of the Normal School merely recommend a list of books, and what is better have to give a reason for their recommenda- tion, each Board of County School Commissioners can select such books as they choose from the list recommended, and purchase them where and from whom they choose, restricted only that the books contain nothing partisan or sectarian. This if no saving in dollars and cents will be much more pleasing to parents, who ought to have some say in what their children shall learn. It was more the dictational powers of this State Board in everything, that made the system so unpopular, than any lack in the faithful performance of its duties. 370 Maryland Educational Journal. The Normal School as now organized reverses matters somewhat ; in the old law the State Superintendent was Principal of it, ex officio^ as it is called ; in the new one the Principal of the Normal School is e^- officio again, the State Superintendent, but the Principal's salary then was paid separately from the appropriation of 18000 for the school ; BOW, it comes out of that sum. The old law provided for two male and two female Professors, the new one for a Principal and two male and two female Professors, but forgot to increase the appropria- tion for the new Professorship. The old law made the State Superin- tendent and Principal of the Normal School prescribe the course of study and supervise the general curriculum in every particular, and pro- vide for model schools, this is all now taken from him and placed in the hands of the three Trustees which may probably lead to some improve- ments in the organization and plan of the Normal School and enlarge the sphere of its usefulness. The mode of sustaining the school system is far better than in the old law, by that we had a State tax of 15 cents in the $100 and an uncer- tain and varied plan of separate county taxation; by the present law we have a State tax of but 10 cents in the $100, but the balance required by the County School Commissioners to keep the school open ten months in the year is fully provided for by a clause requiring the County Tax Commissioners to levy collect and pay over whatever sum the School Commissioners find absolutely necessary for the proper support of the schools, so that if now any county has not a good working system it is its own fault. We will refer to some other parts of the law in our next. State Normal School Commencement. On the 13th inst., the Third annual commencement of this Institution was held at the Front Street Theatre, generously placed at the disposal of the Principal by John T. Ford Esq. There was a large and intelli- gent audience present and the exercises gave great satisfaction evincing as it did the value of the school to the State system of Education. The Normal school differs very materially from all other schools of public instruction, inasmuch as it is not a school of mere study but one of forms and systems, modes and ideas of teaching. There is no fixed specific course or time required for graduation, any one admitted can A School and Famlli/ Monthly. 371 participate in the examination, and if he or she can attain the minimum S;;andard required a diploma is awarded. The necessary training, with all the books and stationery, and the diploma are given free. Any one of not less than 17 years of age from any part of the State can have all the advantages of this school without any expense whatever on signing a pledge that he or she will teach in the Public Schools of this State- The examinations for diplomas are conducted in writing with much care and fairness 90 per cent being the present requirement, a rather severe ordeal for young ladies, but 9 out of the senior class of 29 pupils reached it triumphantly to their honor, and of the 90 pupils in the school at the time of the examination 20 reached the average required for a lower grade of diploma to teach in Primary Schools. The examinations lasted three loeeks and the written results fill many quires of paper. How would some of the old time teachers have liked such a test ! The junior class were examined in Spelling, Grammar, Geography, History, Map drawing, Arithmetic, Writing, Composition, Vocal Music, and the Theory of Teaching, while the Senior class in addition were examined in Logic, Algebra, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and Book-Keeping. There are also some more strictly professional parts of the requirments as on the History of Public Schools and Popular Education ; the Phil- osophy of the Mind in Educational Theories, Teaching as an Art, Classification and Government &c., so that a training in this school ought to produce teachers well qualified in every respect. There is a model school held now at 144 W. Fayette Street, in connection with the Normal Schools presided over by Mrs. Borgman assisted by ten of its students who are detailed weekly to practice what they have been taught. This school is a success and pays its own expenses, not being a free school. There is also belonging to the Normal School a small Library — an extensive Chemical apparatus, and a very good Philosophical one, with maps, charts, blackboards and other necessaries, so that nothing is wanted for a most excellent training of young persons for our Public Schools if they will attend it, unless, indeed it be a more suitable build- ing than the present, which is nothing more than one large Hall. The Normal School is still in session. "The Monthly Bulletin," Cumberland, Md., by E. S. Zevely is still continued, as is also the business to which it is more especially devoted : — Stamps^ 372 Maryland Educational Journal. Notices. Phonetic Charts, Calkins; Harper Brothers. — A set of these charts should not only grace the walls of every school room, but should be studied and understood by all. Penmanship. — L. S. Thompson, Sandusky, Ohio, publishes "The Teacher of Pennmanship," monthly at 81 full of practical hints on the subject of Caligraphy. Liberia. — Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co., publish a useful book of information about Liberia which should have the attention of a certain class of philanthropists, and it would be well if they could annually ex- port a few thousand "freedmen" to the land of their fathers. Independent Fifth Reader. — Watson — A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. — of School Readers it may be said "their name is legion," and while each difff^rs from another each has some excellence peculiarly its own, as has this, which is well worth the careful attention of all interested. Olmsteds' School Astronomy.— Snell-Collins & Bro., N. Y.— This attractive study is made especially so by this improved edition, with new engravings, &c. See Advertisement. Heavenward — Earthward. — G-. C. Garrigues & Co., Philadel- phia. — This is a thrilling story now put up in attractive book form ; originally published as a prize serial in that excellent paper the "Sun- day School Times." Modest Merit. — "The Student and Schoolmate," Boston, is not one of the boasting, bombastic, clap-trap puffed journals, yet is never- theless in our opinion about "the best" publication for juveniles in the LTnion. ^?p"Third annual county Union Sunday School Convention for Alle- gany county, convenes in Cumberland Tuesday and Wednesday 12th and 13th May, prox. .^^"Eldredge & Brother, of Philadelphia, have in press a new work, by Professor Hart, of the New Jersey State Normal School, entitled, "In the School room; or. Chapters on the Philosophy of Education." A Scliool and Family Monthly. 373 The B. & O. R. R. Notwitlistanding the sneers of our venerable and learned liypereritical friend heretofore alluded to, we still adhere to the opinion that great works of internal improvement are educators, and as such, if for no other reason, may well be mentioned. And without wishing to be un- derstood as paying a questionable compliment, we farther venture the opinion, in the face of the sneers of the aforesaid writer, that if John W. Garrett would could or should be induced by any consideration to allow himself to be placed at the head of any system of public schools he would without doubt very soon make his mark in that sphere as he has as President of our great rail road. To him Baltimore and the whole State of Maryland owe a lasting debt of gratitude. All men of liberal and enlarged views are begining to admit this, we hope the time will soon come when we shall cease to hear of the little, snarling opposi- tion which has sometimes been heard. Baltimore bids fair soon to make rapid strides in the onward march of wealth and improvement by reason of the far reaching and far seeing wisdom of the B. & 0. R. E.. direction. With lines of ocean steamers to Liverpool and Bremen and other European ports, fostered and owned wholly or in part by the B. & 0. E,. R., the shortest route from the sea- board to the great West, with connection to the Southeast and North- west, who can foretell or calculate the advantages which shall result to us all. Long live the B. & 0. R. R. and its present excellent Presi- dent ! An Offer — Back Numbers. — We have on hand full sets of all back numbers of this journal, which we will mail to any address on receipt of One Dollar, and all who subscribe and pay in advance for the second volume may receive the back numbers free. It is expected and hoped that this "Maryland Educational Journal'' will be continued under more favorable auspices during the coming or second year, than has been its fortune for the past or first year of its existence. Prof. Thomas Lucy, A. M., is the resident Baltimore editor and agen^ of the Journal. 374 Maryland Educational Journal. Can our many delinquent subscribers (and those school officers too who sent us lists) look in the face of this innocent child and say with a clear conscience that they have acted right towards the publisher of this journal ? It is not too late yet to make amends. In the several counties there are delinquents as follows: — In Allegany 5; Washington 8; Frederick 6; Carroll 19; Queen Ann 13; Baltimore 26; Harford 3 ; Kent 12; St. Mary's 6; Somerset 21; Howard 7 ; Montgomery 4 ; besides some others. Special attention is invited to the advertisement of Messrs. Selby & Dulaney of 332 "West Baltimore Street, — they publish an unsurpassed series of Readers, Arithmetics and Greographies. "En- courage Home Enterprise." A more comprehensive notice will be given in our next. Tobacco and Rum — what twin brothers ! what mighty agents of Satan ! What a large share of the Aaaerican people they are destroying ! We liave been cogitating liow to bid a dignified adieu to the readers of the Maryland Educational Journal, in phraseology that might escape the animadversions of hypercritics, but have come to the conclusion that dignity must stand aside, when dollars, or rather, as in this case, the want of dollars are in consideration ! Hence we speak as follows : — [after saying apologetically — though no apologies are due — that the Journal has not been what we had hopM. to make it, for two reasons : first, we depended too much on others to write for it; and, second, when we found that the " others " would neither write for it nor pay for it, — neither seemed to care whether it lived or died, — we felt too much disgusted to write for it ourself, especially as we had moreover much other and more profitable business to attend to. We thus rest- ed satisfied with merely getting out some sort of numbers to complete the year, and thus disarm the slanderous tongues that had prophecied an earlier suspension.] When the Journal was first issued we believed there was sufl&cient esprit de corps among the school oflScers and teachers of Maryland to sustain it, in so far at least as to prevent loss. We believed they would make some effort to contribute to its pages items of general in- terest, and the result of their experience and difficulties for the general good. We believed, further, that they would at least meet their en- gagements. In all of these points we have been disappointed. i|@°" Not ten men in Maryland have heartily seconded our efferts to establish a School Journal in the State ! Not ten ! yea, this number may still be reduced, and yet include all those who have heartily responded to our appeals for help, personally, by letter, by circular, and in these pages ! After having issued some consecutive numbers of the Journal, and finding the above state of facts to exist, we (fortunately for them) gave them some excuse for standing aloof ^/ie?'eq/i!er, by very gently intima- ting our want of implicit faith in the infallibility of both the school system and the Superintendent. This has been taken advantage of by many, who should have paid their subscriptions in advance, according to agreement, not to pay at all! Officials who furnished lists of names have with the utmost coolness given to us to understand they did not care a straw whether we were paid or not ! And so, as the newly ap- pointed Principal of the State Normal, who is by law required to com- municate information and instruction through an Education Journal, is not by that law provided with the means to do so, we bid all a final adieu, and wish better luck to whoever essays to publish the NEXT School Journal in Maryland. We have fulfilled our engage- ments^ and leave the odium of unfulfilled engagements with others. We might, indeed, and coi\ld and would have fulfilled these engage- ments with greater pleasure, and to a tnore complete extent (as first above intimated), had we not been subjected to the blighting efiects of indiiference, by reflexion. We confess our ardor is somewhat damped, our zeal cooled off", and we " stam^o " the idea of publishing a school journal in Maryland as a very small aff"air, not worth any one's atten- tion, — conflicting interests and want of confidence making success almost impossible. Who will try it ? We will sell our subscription list cheap, — especially the delinquent portion of it ! N. B. — Cecil County is the only county in the State which came honestly and manfully up to the mark, having paid for fifty copies. All honor to Cecil, and her whole-souled, noble, and excellent school officers. Finally, it is unnecessary to enter into any further explanations oa this interesting occasion. Suffice it to say that, in common parlance, we have found publishing an educational journal in Maryland " a hard road to travel," and have concluded to abandon it ! The enterprise has received but few encouragements, and very many discouragements, while the mass of those who sliould have manifested some little inter- est in sustaining such a publication, treated it with the most sublime indifference ! Some special difficulties were alluded to in Number 9, and having since failed in securing Legislative aid, and, as already above stated, the Principal of the State Normal not having been able to afford tangible encouragement, we have finally reluctantly resolved to, (and hereby do,) yield to the force of circumstances ! E. S. ZEVELY. Sf^ Our '■'• MontMy B^iltetin" will be continued as usual; and those who are disposed to pay their dues to the Journal will do so at once, either to me or to James Young, Baltimore. " Please Notice." — Many very clever publications seem to want to condition an exchange with others as good by requiring frequent laudatory notices, while at the same time they never presume to return the favor. Daughaday's " Our School Day Visitor," Phila., is an ex- ception to this, being ever ready to do the fair thing, and is conse- quently deservedly prospering. A Treatise on Meteorology, by Elias Loomis, LL.D. ; Harper & Brother^ N. Y. There has not hitherto appeared in the English language any general treatise on Meteorology, which furnishes so com- prehensive a view of the present condition of any branch of this sci- ence, and in form adapted to use as a text-book. 300 pages, large 8vo, illustrated. 106 LEONARD SIREET, NEW YORK, HAVE JUST PUBLISHED SNELL'S OLMSTED'S SCHOOL ASTRONOMY, A CsMPKUDiDst OF AsTEONOMY, adapted to the use of Schools and Academies* BY DENISON OMSTED, LL. D., Late Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, Yale College. REVISED BY E. S. SNELL, LL. D., Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, Amherst College. This is an entirely new edition, thorougUy revised and re- written, printed from new stereotype plates and illustrated by many engravings, mostly drawn and engraved expressly for this edition. "Besides bringing the science more fully down to the present time," writes Dr. Snell in the preface, "I have made it my special aim to present the facts and principles of the subject in clear language and in few words, believing such a style most profitable to the pupil and most satisfactory to the teacher." The universal approval with which I)r. Snell' s edition of the ^'College A-Stronomy" has been received, is a guarantee for his fitness for the work he has undertaken in preparing this text-book, and the Publishers cordially invite an examination of its merits. . It forms one elegant volume, printed by Alvobd; good, clear type. Price $1.26 Teachers' copies for examination mailed upon receipt of 75 cents. Collins & Brother also publish ADAMS'S INPROVED ARITHMETIC. Adams's Improved Arithmetic, in which are combined the Analytic and Synthetic Methods of Teaching,re- written in a style much condensed,with the addition of new and interesting matter, designed for the use of Schools and Academies. By Daniel Adams, M. D., author of the "Scholar's Arithmetic," "Adam's New Arithmetic," etc. 12mo., pp. 280. Price, 80 cents. A Sey for the use of Teachers is published separately. Price 12mo, cloth, 80 cents. FROM BENJAMIN GEEENLEAF. (Author of Greenleaf's National Arithmetic, etc.) Bradford, Mass., June 17, 1864. "I have thoroughly examined Dr. Daniel Adams's Improved Aritli- nietic, as recently amended by himself and Prof. Joseph Perry. This work is remarkable for the philosophical arrangements of its subjects, clear and accurate statement of its rules, and for important and original matter not to be found in any other treatise. The improvements introduced by Prof. Perry in Fractions, Interest, Proportion, Rule of Three, and Equation of Payments are most ingenious, and add very much to the value of this most excellent text- book." SCOTT'S MANUAL OF UNITED STATES HISTOBT, A Manual of History of the United States; anew edition, brought down to the Administration of President Johnson, illustrated with Maps. To which is annexed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, with Questions. By David B. Scott, 16mo, pp. 217. Price, 67 cents. State Normal School, Brockport, N. Y., June 3, 1867. The Committee on Text- Books have examined the "Manual," and in- struct me to state that, if you will comply with the terms given to us by other publishers, your book can be adopted as a text-book for the Normal and Training School. M. McVICAR, Principal. OP Books, IN COMPKISES THE BEST WORKS FOR Jn every department of Study j For every grade of Scholarship / For every section of the Countrg ; For every shade of Religious opinion. The Volumes of this Series are selected with tte utmost care by the pub- lishers, from the productions of the most experienced Teachers. They em- brace everything to be desired by the Educator, while unobjectionable to any race, party, or sect of human beings. Their purpose is, not to disseminate Doctrines, but Facts. Their motto — Education, not Prejudice. The universal popularity and circulation attained by this Series sufficiently attests the success of this endeavor to establish a truly National Series. Among these unrivalled Text-books are the following — NATIONAL READERS AND SPELLERS— Parker & Watson; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL SYSTEM— Montieth & McNally; NATIONAL COURSE OF MATHEMATICS— Davies; NATIONAL COURSE OF IMPARTIAL HISTORY— Willard and others: NATIONAL METHOD of ENGLISH GRAMMAR by DIAGRAMS— Clark. NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COURSE:— PHILOSOPHY— Peck; I PHYSIOLOGY— Jarvis; , CHEMISTRY— Porter; \ BOTANY— Wood. ETC. ETC. ETC. Also— THE NATIONAL COURSE in the following branches:— MODERN LANGUAGE. I LITERATURE ; CLASSICS ; SCIENCE OP GOVERNMENT; MENTAL PHILOSOPHY; MUSIC ; PENMANSHIP; I ELOCUTION; BOOK-KEEPING; | DRAWING, &c. &c. &. ALSO THE NATIONAL TEACHERS' LIBRARY; THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARY. For further information consult Descriptive Catalogue, famished without' charge' by the Publishers. ,' Also the '■^Illustrated Educational Bulletin,^ ^ — Publishers' Official Organ, and the Cheapest Educational Journal published. No charge for sample copy. SELBY & DULANEY, ' • ; 332 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore* Are unsurpassed for Completeness, SiinpUeity and Economy. These School Eecords are the result of practical experi- ence as a Teacher and Superintendent. They are specially designed for the use of Teachers who prefer to avoid the ex- pense and inconvenience of more than one he ok, and yet desire to keep a complete record of each pupil. Universal Records for Pupils, 24 pages, style 1* | 08 Universal Eecords for Pupils, 24 pages, style 2 10 Universal Records for Teachers, 48 pgs folio thin sides 1 00 Universal Records do. 192 pgs folio, heavy sides 3 50 Universal Records for Professors, 48 pgs folio thin sides 1 00 Universal Records do. 192 pgs folio, heavy sides 3 50 Universal Records for Superintendents 144 p cap heavy 1 25 Universal Records do. 288 p cap, cloth sides 2 25 Universal Records for Examiners 48 p folio, heavy sides 1 75 Universal Records for do. 48 pages folio cloth sides 2 50 Blank Certificates of promotion per thousand 3 50 Blank Reports to Parents^ per thousand 3 50 Blank Reports to Superintendents, per hundred 2 25 "'■'Has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment, and recitation. No. 2 has spaces for punctuality, attendance, deportment and five separate recitations. Any of the above sent prepaid on receipt of retail price HAMILTON S. McRAE, Muncie, 'ind. Or Ben Franklin Book and Printing Co., Indianapolis. On receipt of 65 cts I will send by mail prepaid a specimen copy of either the teachers' or professors' records, h. s. m, FOR SALE. A complete STEREOPTICON, or Dissolving View apparatus, with gas fixtures, a variety of sliders, &c., all in good order and nearly new — will be sold cheap. Address the publisher of this Journal for particulars. SS. iN©EX The S S Index, by R G PARDEE, A. M, published by J C Garngues & Co 148 South Fourth st, Philadelphia Pa, is a directory that should be read by all Sabbath school and other teachers — 1 vol 16mo. |1,25. . M@^ See adv. of I Newton Peirce & Co 3d page of cover. THE NORl/VICH SONG- ROLL. PATENTED BY H. Y. EDMOXD. PRICES — No. 1. Maramotli size, easily read at a distance of 90 or 100 feet, 10 feet high hy 5 feet wide, each $45. No. 2 — Common size, easily read at a distance of 60 feet. Nine and a half feet high, by 4 feet 8 in. wide, each |35. — - This includes everything as above, with paper 48 inch wide, and Stencils one a quarter inch letters. No. 3 — Small size, for infant classes, 6 feet high by 3 ft. wide, each .$25. This includes 25 yards paper of 30 inches, stencils of 1 inch letters and the rest as above. Boxing, each |1,50 to |2. Address AUG. 0. VAN LENNEP, General Agent, 54 Cedar street. New York. HARPER. BY DB. WOBTHINGTON HOOKEB, - Late Brofessor of Medicine in Yale College, THE CHILD'S BOOK OF NATURE, three parts in one volume, small quarto, cloth $2, seperately 75 cts FIRST BOOK IN CHEMISTRY, sq 4to cloth 90 cents: NATURAL HISTORY, 300 engravgs 12mo cloth $1,50. NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, do 12mo cloth 1,50. CHEMISTRY, science for the school and family, 1,50. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY, engravings, 1,50. HARPER &■ BROTHERS, Franklin Square, New York. Cumherland , 3Id., Weeldy Bapers. Civilian and Telegraph, by Will H. Lowdermilk, |2 per annum — Republican . Cumberland Union, by Mattingly & Steiner, |2 per an- num — Republican. Democratic Alleganian, by W. E. Weber, $2 per annu^^ ■ — Conservative , By E S Zevely^ sent to all parts of the Union — Advertising. THE ECLECTIC MEDICAL JOUHNAL, of Pennsylvania, ])ul>li8lied niontlily^ contains forty-eight pages of original matter. Price |1 per annum. The contents united totlie masses. Premium engravings valued $2 given to all new subscribers. Specimen copies free. Address JOHN BUCHANAN, 337 N. 11th st. Phila'a, Pa. GET THE BEST. 10,000 ivords and meanings not in o- tJter Dictionaries — A necessity to ev- erv intelligent family, student, teach- er, and professional man, What li- brary is complete without the best English Dictionarv ? Published by G & C MERRIAM, Springfield, Ms, and sold bv all Booksellers, Also, WEBSTERS NATiONAl PICTORIAL BIGTiONARY. ^I^A%%u^ — Sacred and Secular : Or, The Extem- poraneous Speaker, 220 pages, $1,50. \li %^% ''^%%%—OY Stories of the Mis- issippi Valley, 360 pages, $2,00: HISTORY OP A MOUTHFUL OF BREAD, second edition, $2. IfEV/ PHYSIOG]S"OMY. or Signs of Character, in mnslin $5. Published by S. R. WELLS, 389 Broadway New York. Sent by mail, prepaid, on receipt of the price, THE PHPiENGLOGICAL JOURNAL, or I^ife lUustrmed. $3. Sample numbers sent by first post 30 cents. S Pv WELLS, EDITOPv, 389 BROADWAY, N Y SCHOOL FURNITURE. Teachers' Desks and Chairs, Tables and Camp stools, Lecture Room and Sabbath school Settees. Book Cases, Ink Wells, Src, Slates, a substitue for the Blackboard, of any dimensions required, Crayons, White and Colored, Blackboard Rubbers, &c. Manufatured by ROB'T BATON, 26 Grove st. New York. Send for Catalogue. The Maryland Educational Journal, A School iind Family Monthly, dcYoted to popnlnr Instruction and Litcrfituro, printed and pnhlished in BALTIMORE, t)y E, S. ZEVELY, -it -Sl,50 a year; aided editorially h3" a Corps of able contributors. Specimen copies supplied. — Business and editorial office at CUMBERLAND, MDi, where allletters, ex- changes, &c., should be addressed. No. of P. O. box,— Baltimore, 1072— Cumberland, 214. J|@" By the postal laAvs, any one who receives a period- ical from his post-offtce is liable to pay for it ; and if not taken out the Postmaster must inform the publisher, or he himself becomes responsible for the subscription. For readers of this Journal to say Avhether they will renew their subscriptions, and otherwise aid in properly sustaining it: Improvements will be made as patronage justifiCg. THE PRINCE AMONG JUVENILES! TWO HANDSOME STEEL ENGRAVINGS, SUITABLE FOR TRAMINQ The " Royal Children,'" and "• Willie the Newsboy." ^S- Given away for every new subscriber. -^^ GREAT SUCCESS OF VOLUME XII., 1868. Oil SOliiMII fISlTOl One of the Very Best, Cheapest and Handsomest Boys' and Girls' Magazines in the World. press everywhere has pro- and a COVEK I'KINTEE ED The Children are in rhapsodies over it. Tlie f^rown-np folks are delighted, and the nouncea it "THE VERY BEST AND CHEAPEST." BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED, IN COLOR EVERY MONTH. 4®" Oood, fre.sh MUSIC iu every number. (Some of the best and most popular writers in l/iis cimntry contribute regularli/, among whom are Jacob Abbott, S. G. W. Benjamin, Alice Cart, Geo. S. Burlkiqh, James Barron Hope, Luei.la Clark, Alex'b Clark, Sophie May, Geo. F. Root, Karl Reden, Mrs. C. H. Gildbrsleeve, August Bell, etc. CABINET ORGANS, for your Home Circle, Church, School-Room or Sabbath School. SEWING MACHINES, for your Families. BOOKS, MUSICAL, MATHEMATICAL and PHILOSOPHICAL INSTRUaiENTS, SILVER WAKE, etc, etc. For instance: ir^M^ PELOUBET'S latest improved Five Octave CABINET ORGANS, solid -walnut case, theregnlar retail price of whicli is $1.30, will be .'^ent for Fifty subscribers, at $1 each, and $6.^ iu cash ! jfiS= WHEELER & WILSON'S highest premium SEWING MACHINES, worth $55, will be sent for Fifty subscri- bers, at $1 each, and ^15 iu ca.sh, and many other useful articles in like proportion. JS^ terms — $1.25 a year, with the two Premium Engravings. To Clubs, $1 each subscription, with Premium., 4®°° Send Ten Cents for a Sample Number, and full instructions to agents. 4®=" AGENTS WANTED at every Town, Post-Oilice and School in the United States. Address J. W. DAlf(}]IADA.Y di CO., 424 Walnut St., rhiladelphia, Pa. SCHOOLD^Y DI^LOaXJES. A Book for the School, the Familt, and the Literary Circle. , Compiled by Alexander Clark, A. M., Editor of Our Schooldat Visitor. New Original Dialogues, Tableaux, etc. The most entertaining and instructive book of DIALOGUES yet issued. A valuable addition to the Family, Teachers' and School Library, ENDORSED BY THE LEADING JOURNALS AND EDUCATORS OF THE DAY. 12mo. 352 pages. Price, post-paid, $1.50. A liberal discount to Agents. j; W. DAUGSjLDAT & CO., Publishers, 434 Walnut St., Fhiladelphia, Pa. ISrO^TV laZE./^X)^'! J^ ■V^^O^^^DSI^:PTJXa BOOICI [Johnnie Dodge Shipwrecked. — Page 131.] JOHHIE DODfiE; OR, THE FREAKS AM FORTUNES OF AN IDLE BOY. Twelve full page Illustrations. 16mo. 274 pages. Beautifully bound in handsome cloth, gilt back, etc. This is a good story, well told, and abounds in good ]^ractical lessons throughout. It is intensely interesting front beginning to end, and is just the book for every boy and girl to read. Price, post-paid, $1.2.5. Sent as a Premimn for Five subscribers, at $1.00 each, for Our Schoolday Visitor. jr. W. J)A.TTGMA.DJ.Y & CO., Publishera, 4S4. Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. Book A neat, compact, strong, simile, durable and cheap article for carrying JSooJcs. It ivill outlast a dozen straps, and do the Jioohs no injui-y. Iteeom- mended, by all school teachers. am Xi X! u 03 .2 ^ r \v\ \ri n si^ptfueer 24ih, 1S67 BRASS $1.00. JAPANNED 50 CENTS. 1^ For sale by Booksellers, Stationers, Notion and Hardware dealers. Ash for the Tmjyroved Long Clamp. MILLEE & WATSON, Sole Manufacturers, 211 CENTRE ST., N. T. 'State and Cojinty Rights for sale secured bv *«o Patents. Guaranteed against infringementB. PEIRCE'S PATENT SLATES. \Vsn-aatteri«t-ii r Sto. e.) Suiface of .Vlr. 1 Newliio ftiiioe I have seea it in- 'ir()duce- fiess a«d ilur^Wlity *s a wall surface, in Ijeu of the old bla<;k board, it is all that can be dc- .~;ired. Its merits, ia the sliaj»e of Portable Slates, Tablets. e asserted. In this /form it v.iJl speak for itself; oii juspectaoa." ' Thomas II. Burrowes. OJ/ice City Superint-entlent of PubU-c Irstrtvction^ Baltimork April 5th, 1867. I h«ve used esteRsively on the Black Boards of the public schools of this city. Pcirce's Pa- &ei:t iSi«to Surface, «jn4 ijelieve it to be •ti)e best mateniiil of the kinroved character, we believe they are superior to all other slates we have ee« «sittK Pe«i'ce"'s Book Slates tVjr some time in this Institution, and greatly pre tfertheui to_every other kind of slate. JoUN S. Hart, Principal. Penn. State Tuac/iers' Association., Bellefonte, August 8Lh, 1867. Hitvic^' examine"* and tested Pcirce's Piitent Noiseless Slates and Stone Slate Surface, d-t fecomiaejid them and their use in the school room, jts being superior to all other Slates aud surtace we ha /e ever seen ; Z. Kd» A«Ds, /^ep'i EdwcaUnn, Washington., D. C. h\ A. Allen, Prin. Staie A'ormal School-, MaiiSiHeld., Pa. H. I). U'alkkb, Prill. Orangeville Stale Soldier Orph. ScltooK Chas. W. Oeans, Prin. Harford Stole Soldier Orph. School. : Edwaud Brooks, Prin. Stale JVor. School., Millersville, Pa I. S. Geist., Z'rofessor in '' " « u ' <.'. H. Hakding,'-* " '- " " A. 0. NEVfPHER. Superintendent Schools., Columbia, 'i i J. E. Thomas, Prin. Pine G-rove Academy and Seminary, ' JoszfuVi Kvaa, Principal Hollidayabmry Seminary, " M. B. Grant, •' Greenslfurg Adademy, " •• W. Hfi.NSV Parkee, " Ring. Oram. School, Phila, ' > Wm. F. Wvkrs, " Wyer''s Boarding School, * *' Ani'Rbw Burtt, " bth W