North-Carolina journal of education

              THE lORTH-CAROLINA
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
Vol. hi. JULY, 1860. No. 7.
COMMON BRANCHES.
We estract from the report of Mr. Pliilbrick, the able and. efficient
'•' Superintendent of Public Schools of the city of Boston," the follow-ing
practical and sensible remarks, on the best tcodes of teaching some
of the -common branches. Many of our teachers seem to think that
but little labor, and no special preparation, is necessary to enable them
to teach these things successfully : yet these constitute the foundation
of all education; and will they contend that a good and du<rable edifice
can be built on a badly laid foundation ? The foundation may indeed
be re-constructed, after the house is erected, but this ia done with
great difficulty, especially if the building is one of much weight, and
it is by no means the natural order of proceeding.
PENMANSHIP.
This branch, to which I gave special attention, is evidentlj-- in bet-ter
condition than it was last year, and probably it has never, on the
whole, been taught so well in all the grades of our schools, as during
the present year. In this practical branch, the proficiency ef the f)u-pils
in the Latin and English High Schools has been very remarkable.
As I stated in a former Report, the writing in most of the first and
second divisions of the Grrammar Schools is good, and now having ex-amined
six or eight thousand of the writing-books of the lower divis-ions,
I am prepared to speak definitely of their progress also. The suc-cess
of the lower divisions appears to be generally better than hereto-fore;
still, the exceptions are more numerous than they need be, and
the difference between the best classes and the poorest is greater than
should be tolerated. I found some teachers, though I am happy to
say the number was not large, who did not seem to understand the
first principles of teaching this branch. They had evidently taken
little or no pains to inform themselves on the subject. In consequence
of this neglect on the part of teachers, the pupils suffer a great loss.
Some divisions could be named, where the pupils have been using
writing-books for a year or more, and yet have made no more progress
M
194 l*r. C. JOURNAL OP EDUC'A'I'IOK.
than they might have made, under proper instruction, in a single
month. These, of course, are extreme cases, but they are cases which
seem to admit of no justification.
The most successful teachers in this department rigidly insist upon
four or five points.
1
.
Every pupil must sit in the right position 'and hold his pen cor-rectly.
2. All the members of the class write the same copy at the same
time.
8. They mslke constant use of the blackboard for illustrating every
step in the formation of the letters, showing how all are built up from
a few simple elements, and exhibiting the common faults which are to
be avoided.
4. After giving the necessary instruction and illustrations, they re-quire
with the utmost strictness an ea;ac^ hniialion of the copy.
It may not be expedient to require all teachers, without regard to
their taste or previous habits, to pursue precisely the same method,
"chough in the diiferient grades of the same school uniformity is desira-ble.
Practice in writing should not be limited to the copies in the
writing-book. In .3,11 the classes, pupils should have exercises in writ-ing
on their slates. In the elementary copybooks used in the lower
classes, there are no capital letters, and pupils who have not been re-quired
to write additional exercises, sometimes leave school, after hav-ing
attended 'One or two years, 'without being able to form the capitals
in script. I have -observed that in some cases, teachers require their
pupils to write long spelling lessons on their slates before they have
learned how to form the letters with even an approach to correctness.
This coui'se is decidedly objectionable. It tends to counteract the ben-
'sfit derived from more -careful writing in the writing-book.
GEOGRAPHY.
Map-drawing is now practised to a greater or less extent in all the
'iarammar Schools, fo most of the upper divisions fine copies of maps
have been executed with the pen. This kind of map-drawing has its
utility, but its value is apt to be over-estimated. I would not have
'it discontinued. Indeed, some schools might, with advantage, carry
it farther than they have. But there are other schools which have
'ilevoted full as much attention to it as it deserves. While I concede
the utility of the method of drawing maps by copying them with the
pen or pencil, and approve of its practice to some extent, there is an-other
species of map-drawing which I regard as vastly more profitable
;
I mean the drawing of maps on the slate or blackboard, from memory.
'This mode of drawing maps seems to mc essential to good teaching in
(jreography. Nor should it be reserved for the first class. It should
be commenced with the first lessons, or even before a text-book is put
into the hand of the child. I have no doubt the masters of the Gram-mar
Schools would readily make arrangements for introducing this
method into all the divisions of their schools, if they were satisfied
that the Committee desire it. It is now practised to some extent in
a number of schools. In the English High School, the Girls' High
and Normal, and the Phillips Grammar School, it is taught with great
success.
COMMON BRANCHES. 195
ARITHMETIC.
This branch is, on the whole, in a good condition. The change in
the system of arithmetical text-books which was effected last year, has
produced good results. The plan of permitting the use of but one
test-book on written arithmetic, and one on mental, works well. It
saves both time and expense. Because it may be desirable to have a
series of text-books on one branch, it does not follow 'that it is neces-sary
to have a series on every branch. To require a series of written
arithmetics in a Grammar School is as unnecessary as to require a se-ries
of spelling-books, unless the object be to benefit authors and pub-lishers
who make and sell books, rather than the pupils who buy and
study them.
By the new arrangement respecting this branch, the lowest divis-ions
are required to commence numerical operations upon the state m
connection with mental arithmetic, and for this purpose, exercises in
the four ground rules were appended to Colburn's First Lessons as a
condition of its adoption as a text-book. This part of the plan has not
yet been carried into effect in all the schools as fully as could be de-sired.
In those cases where this deficiency was observed, it did not
seem to be so much the result of a want of ability or disposition on the
part of the teachers to remedy it, as of a want of information respect-ing
the wishes of the Committee. But as the plan is now well under-stood,
I trust that it will in future be thoroughly executed.
A thorough drilling in mental arithmetic with the four fundamen-tal
rules will be found nearly or quite sufficient for most of the practi-cal
purposes of life, while it forms an admirable basis for a complete
'knowledge of the science of calculation, and a higher course of mathe-matics.
This is what we should aim to accomplish in this branch in
'the lower divisions of the Grammar Schools, and our present facilities
and arrangements for doing this are ample and judicious.
Written arithmetic is generally well taught in the upper divisions.
There are of course degrees of excellence in the methods pursued, and
of ability in applying the methods adopted. In this, as in every work,
success depends not so much upon the amount of time and strength
devoted to it, as upon the skill in directing the efforts. One teacher
may require his class to perform a hundred examples involving the di-vision
of a fraction by a fraction, and to repeat the rule for the opera-
'tion with the utmost accuracy. Another will occupy the time in
•-analyzing the principles on which the rule is founded, giving a few
well-chosen examples to illustrate and fix in the mind the principles.
Both teachers may work with equal zeal and fidelity, and they may be
equally successful in securing industry on the part of their pupils, but
the results they produce will be very different. The most successful
teachers of arithmetic make very frequent use of that brief but very
important interrogative, why.
SPELLING.
The introduction of the new spelling-book (Worcester'.s) has given
.a fresh impulse to this dry but important branch of study. Two op-
,posite extremes have been observed in teaching spelling, both of which,
in my judgment, should be avoided. One consists in requiring a// the
196 N. C. JOUimAL OF EDUCATION.
words of the spelling lesson to be written, and the other, none: Oral
and written exercises in spelling should go hand in hand, and in the
lowest divisions of the Grammar Schools, as soon as pupils are admitted
from the Primary Schools, they should at once be taught, if they have
not been taught already, to write on their slates, all the script letters,
small and capital, in a fair, legible character. When this is accom-plished,
which in the hands of a skilful teacher will be the work of
only about twenty lessons, the pupils should be required to write a
small part of their spelling lessons, good ivriting being as rigidly ex>-
acted as correct spelling, and the same rules being observed as to posi-tion,
pencil-holding, and style of letters, as when writing in copy-books.
As faeilitj in writing is acquired, the number of words to be written
may be increased. In some classes which I visited, pupils weie re-quired
to write, in a very limited period of time, whole pages from the
spelling-book, when they could not write a single letter in a fair hand.
The consequence was that the children were compelled to cover their
slates, in great haste, with what they called writing, though the char-acters
which composed it bore but a faint resemblance to thcjse found
in tbeir copybooks. Every branch should be taught so as to pro-mote
progress in all kindred branches, and spelling should always be
taught with reference to reading and writing. There are two other
extremes to be avoided in spelling. The one is that of requiring ev-ery
word to be defined, and the other, that of requiring no definitions.
READING,
Among the branches taught in our Grammar Schools, reading has
long held a very prominent place- Childi-en are not permitted tO'
throw aside their readers as soon as they have learned to call words at
sight. Eeading aa usually taught in the highest classes, is made the
instrument of a broad and liberal culture. The ear is trained to an
accurate perception of sounds; the habit of distinct eniinciation is-formed;
the vocal powers are developed; the understanding is excr--
cised in comprehending the thoughts, and the sensibilities in appre-ciating
the sentiments, of the author. Collateral and illustrative in^-
formation is communicated by the teachers, and sought by the pupils-themselves
in the books of reference. It is needless to say that read-ing
thus taught becomes the vehicle of a large amount of useful
knowledge, as well as the means of the best kind of intellectual and
moral culture. It is to be hoped that this high standard of reading
will be maintained in our schools, and continue to be their pride and
ornament.
In some divisions too much attention seemed to be bestowed on the
mechanical part of reading, and too little on the intellectual ; while in
other divisions the reverse of this was true. The truly skilful teacher
avoids such extremes,—neglecting nothing that is essential, and over-doing
nothing.
GEMMAE.
Practical grammar should begin early, that is, pupils should be
taught to speak and write correctly, to a very considerable extent, be-fore
they study the theory of grammar, and its application in parsing
and analyzing. To ascertain what had been done in this direction, in
COMMON BRANCHES. 197
several schools, I required one of the divisioira of the third class to
write a sentence. In some cases a sentence was dictated. The fol-lowing
was given as a erood test.
" Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, thy God's, and
and truth's."
The child who could write such a sentence from dictation, with
perfect accuracy, I considered already initiated into practical gram-mer.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE GEORGIA INSTITUTION FOR THE
DEAF AND DUMB.
BY JOE, IHE JERSEY MUTE.
The readers of the Journal will remember a short article of mine ou
the Institution aforesaid. I offer no apology for troubling them with
another communication on the same subject, believing as I do, that
they wish to know more of the character of such a school. A few days
after the publication of the previous article, I received, per mail, a copy
of the tenth report of the Georg'a Institution presented to the Legisla~
ture of that State, July 1, 1859. I regret to record the resignation of
Miss C. E. Sparks, of whom mention was made in the article. Mr.
Dunlap, the principal, says that she has won for herself a deserved re-putation
for scholarship and success as a teacher—and has qualities, in-deed,
which would have insured her eminent success in her sphere of
labor. Love, I fear, is at the bottom of the affair. Fair winds, smooth
seas, and blue skies attend and bless you, Miss Sparks, r arriage is
the sweetest flower in the path of life. I, even poor little I, know it
by experience. I am itching to see every unmarried girl of to-day turn
out a happy Mrs. A wild, thoughtless Miss transformed into a quiet,
considerate Mrs. ! And so the world wags.
It appears from the report that since Mr. Dunlap was placed at the
bead of the Georgia Institution, he has devoted his time and energies
to active labors in the cause of deafmute education—suggesting im-provements
in the discipline and management of his school, and look-ing
out and bringing into bis fold all the mute children he can find in
Georgia. He intends to introduce a deafmute teacher into bis school
as soon as practicable. This is a good move in the right direction.
Seeing that he sets about placing his school upon elevated ground, I
beg leave to present to his consideration the propriety of choosing a
teacher from umong the most gifted of the deaf and dumb, as an act of
justice to the more intelligent portion of the deafmute population. The
practice of employing mutes of moderate talents in the department of
instruction, with the view of p;iving them low wages, obtains in all the
Institutions for the Deaf and Dumb in the United States (with^one ex-ception.)
And more than this, the Trustees of these Institutions en-deavor
to make it appear that the great inequality in the compensation
of the hearing and deaf teachers is justified by the limited information
198 N. C. JOURNAL OP EDUCATION.
which the latter possess," and by the fact that their hearing colleagues
have the advantage over them in acquiring knowledge through the me-dium
of the ear.
My friend Mr. Emery, assistant teacher in the Indiana Institution;
deaf and dumb, and who has been created A. M.,—this deafmuto, I'
say, is a happy dog. How happy he looks ! and how full of hope, too !
His future, he feels assured, will be bright. He is bold' of face andi
gait; not that he thinks himself some pumpkins—far from that, he is
perfectly willing to bend the knee before true merit; but the secret of
bis happy looks lies in an equality of wages given to him despite his
deafmuteism, and the consequent consciousness of the manliness of his
aature. Mentally and morally he is oa a par with the hearing portico
of the community, with this difference that he cannot hear. His want
of hearing is no obstacle whatever in the way of making money, for his
cultivated intellect can plan, direct and decide how and where to pro-cure
the wherewithal to k'eep body' and soul together. Think of this,
je who manage the affairs of the Institutions.
,
j
Should it be deemed^advisable to employ a deafmute teacher in the I
Georgia Institution, leljiODe be chosen i who possesses sufficient boole-learning
to entitle him to the degree o-f'A. M., which, without any det:«-
riment to the reputatioQ of that institution, can be conterred'upon him
98 soon as-h,e enters upon the duties of his office, ftl. Laurent Clero,
late Professor in .the Hertford Asylum, deaf and dumb from birth, is an
A. M. He is a foreigcer, a Frenchman.. The late M. Berthiera, teach-er
in the Paris Institute,- born deaf, was made a Knight by Napoleon III.
His superior education was the reason why, he was knighted.. This is
no more than fair. Mr. Emery, so far as I know, is the only mute bora
on American aoil, who has taken the degree of A. M. Mr. G-eorge, as-sistant
teacher in the Missouri Institution 5. Mr. FTournoy, of Georgia,
planter; Mr. Carlin, of New York, artist; Mr. Conrad,- of Philadel-phia,
printer; Mr. Darlington, of New York, book agent; Mr. Booth,
editor of the " Eureka" in Iowa ; and Mr. Backus, editor of the Cana-ioharie
(N. Y.) " Radii;" all are entitled to the degjee of A. M. Why
ijot confer this degree upon them ? Let Mr. Dunlap place a deafmute
skilled in. the difficulties of the English language to direct the studies
of mute children in that language, and make him an A. M., and the
ball will be set in motion, or to drop enigmas, the officers of the other
institutions will follow his example. Should he choose a teacher from
among the more talented and deserving of the deaf and dumb, and con-fer
the degree of A M. upon him, in addition to giving him equal
wages with the hearing and speaking instructors, his school will be famed
over the whole world for a JUST REGAKD TO the best good of this
class of beings. Mr. Dunlap has it in his power to elevate the deaf"
mutes under his care to a condition of intelligence, prosperity and re><
lioement, such as the other Institutions have never yet seen.
The principals of'thp deaf and dumb schools in the United States
employ deafmute assistants at half-price, giving as a reason that they
are not safe guides in the acquisition of idiomatic English. Almost all
the annual repurts of these principals which I have read, abound in
vnljul murders committed by them or the Eno;lish of Lindley Murray.
Eor example : " Some are careless and indifferent. Other some are
GBJRGIA INSTITUTION FOR DEAF AND DUMB. 1&9
desirous of educating their unfortunates, but are not able to defray their
traveling expenses to the Institution."
Again : " Should it be thought advisable, at any time, to introduce
a deafmute teacher in our school, we would be compelled to look- to
some of the other institutions ; none could be found among our pupils
sufi&ciently educated."
The phrase " defray their traveling expenses to the Institution," is,
if not incorrect, at least strange. Defray the expenses of journey to
the Institutiori, would be a better form of expression. The principal
of one of the leading Institutions is sometimes guiltj of grammatical in
accuracies, as here for example, " Young men are sometimes found in
our literary Institutions who exhibit uncommon powers of mind, and
such decided marks of genius as make it desirable for them to enjoy
superior advantages for improvement ; advantages that can oruy be en-joyed
in foreign- universities." It is strange that so talented a man as
he really is, should have failed to see how much of sense is lost in the
inversion of the "only enjoyed." Why not have written, enjoyed oaly
in foreign universities ?
These are merely a few taken at random from among a multitude of
offences committed by the principals against the rules of grammar.
'• People who live in glass-houses must not throw stones." I make
these remarks in no spirit of unkindness.
In the Hartford Asylum mute teachers are liberally paid, and the
same justice is done to them at the Ohio Institution. The Directors of
these Institutijns deserve the thank-offering of every educated mute in ^
the land for treating the deaf teachers as tneu. Let Mr. Duulap cut off
all distinction in remuneration between the hearing and deaf teachers
employed in. his school. If he only does this, it will be an occasion of
great rejoicing; and his name will be embalmed in the hearts of multi
tudes of mutes yet unborn. Let the generous spirit which glows in the
bosoms of the ma-nagers of the French Institute for deafmutes, stimulate:
his actions. No distinction exists with regard to the wages of the in-structors
in the French Institute, as also in a similar establishment at
Montreal, W. C.
I had the pleasure, last spring, of talking with a deaf and dumb gen-tleman,
by name Joseph S. , who had come to Philadelphia from a
flourishing town in the interior of Pennsylvania, on business connected
with a large mercantile firm, af which he is a member. By close atten-tion
to the minutiae of business, be has realized a fortune, it is said, of
forty thousand dollars, and this,. too, when he is still in the prime of
life. [His brother, also a mute, is engaged in the lumber business, and
I have been assured by those who know him, that he is driving a good
trade.] I never shall forget the emotion with which I saw Joseph's
daughter, (about verging into womanhood,) dressed in the extreme of
fashion, yet with a strict regard' to the rules of good taste. Mr. Booth,
to whom reference has already beea made, is in part proprietor of the
paper he edits. Mr. Backus, as I have said, is editor and proprietor of
the Kadii. Mr„ Compton, deaf and dumb, owns property to th .'.amount,
of about §160,000, and has been engaged in the fishery for many years
All'these mutes were formerly low-salaiied teachers, and resigned their
profession on account of insufficiency of salary. They know exactly the
200 N, C, JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
" when " and " <9vhere " to provide the necessaries of life for themselves.
It is to be hoped that Mr. Dunlap will not imitate the principals of
the other Deaf and Dumb Institutions, in employing deafmute teachers
at a low rate of compensation.
THE SILENT ACADEMY, OR THE EMBLEMS.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.
There was at Amadau, a celebrated Academy, the first statute of
which was couched in these words. '' The Academicians shall think
much, write little, and speak only the least possible," This was called
the Silent Academy ; and there was not in Persia a truly wise man,
who had not the ambition of being admitted there.
Doctor Zeb, author of an excellent little work, entitled •' Le Baillou,"
or " The Gag," learned, at a reaiote part of his province, that there was
a vacant place in the Silent Academy. He immediately set out. He
leached Amadau, and, presenting himself at the door of the hall where
the Academicians were assembled, he requested the door-keeper to de-liver
a note to the President. Dr. Zeb humbly asked the vacant place.
The door-keeper immediately esecuted his commission, but the Dr.
and his note arrived too late. The place was already filled.
The Academy was desolate at this disappointment. They had re-ceived,
a little in spite of themselves, a person of good mind, and whose
lively and flippant eloquence, had gained the admiration of the Court,,
and now saw themselves compelled to refuse Dr. Zeb, the scourge of
boasters—a bead so well formed, so well furnished. The President
being appointed to announce to the Doctor the unpleasant news, could
scarcely bring himself to the point and knew not how to introduce the
subject. After having considered the matter a little, he caused a large
cup to be filled with ^ater, but so full that one drop more would make
it overflow. Then be gave the signal to introduce the candidate. He
approached with that simple and modest air that almost always accom-panies
true merit.
The President arose, and without uttering a single word, with a look
of grief, he pointed to the emblematic cup, that cup so exactly falL
The Doctor comprehended the rest,—that there was no place tor him
in the Academy.
But without losing courage he considered how he might make them
understand that a supernumerary academician would not at least de-range
them. He saw at his feet a rose leaf. He picked it up and pla-ced
it delicately upon the surface of the water, and did it so nicely that
not a single drop of the water escaped. At this ingenious reply, they
all clapped their hands, and left their rules to sleep for that one day,
and Dr. Zeb was received by acclamation.
They immediately presented him the register, wherein those received
should inscribe their names. He did so therefore, and there remained
nothing more to be done, except to give, according to custom, an ex-pression
of his gratitude.
THE SILENT ACADEMY. 201
But like an Academician, trulysilent, Dr. Zeb returned his thanks
without sayinz one word. He wrote upon the margin the number 100
It was the number of his new aspociates. Then placing a cipher be-fore
the number, he wrote underneath, " They are worth neither less
nor more for it."
The President replied to the modest Doctor with as much politeness,
as presence of mind. He placed the figure 1 before the number 100
and wrote, " They are worth ten times as much tor it."
—
Mich Jour.
Education.
WHAT SHOULD THE TEACHER STUDY.
Every Teacher should be a student. Unless he is, he cannot be
successful in his business. The knowledge which he would impart to
the eager minds of his pupils must be fresh and bright in his own. It
will not do to present it to them mouldy and rusty from the repository
of a treacherous memory. The teacher's mind must be full of what
lie would teach, he must, therefore, be constantly learning and review-ing.
No matter how great the attainments of any one may be in learn-ing,
he is no teacher at all if he does not do this. But, perhaps, the
kind of advice often given to teachers with r^^gard to this matter, is
not calculated to do them much good. On reading certain works, and
listening to certain persons professing to give valuable information, as
to what teaching and teachers should be, we are inclined to think that
our advisers are not giving us the results of a successful experieuee,
but are merely saying something which everybody says, and which
they think they are expected to say. The popular idea of a teacher,
gathered from these sources, is, that he should know everything. The
range of studies marked out for him, and which he is assured cannot,
be dispensed with, would startle Humboldt himself. He must be per-fectly
at home in every department of natural and mathematical science;
be familiar with several languages ; is inexcusable if he does not know
all history, and must at the same time be well acquainted with what
is going on in the world about him. Men, whose mental abilities were
of the highest order, have devoted their lives to one of these depart-ments
of knowledge, and have scarcely been more familiar with it than
the teacher is expected to be, by these wiseacres, with all. These re-quisites
are absurd, and would not deserve to be even noticed, but that
they are found connected with much really excellent advice in our most
popular warks on teaching, and are likely to do mischief, especially
with young and zealous teachers, at once ambitious and conscientious.
Teac'jers ought to know that it is not their business to crowd their own
brains or the brains of their pupils, with facts gathered from all the
vast realms of knowledge. Their work is to develop the latent powers;
to stimulale the thirst to know, which is the peculiar characteristic of
every child until it is destroyed in him by mistaken methods of educa-tion.
If the young student, on leaving school, feels not that he has
learned everything, but that he has only commenced to learn some-
202 N. C. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
tiling of the mysteries which surround him, his instructor may be sat-isfied
that he has dose his work well. If a teacher has ever succeeded
in teaching one principle in scienee, or in explaining one of the-' num.-
bcrless phenomena of Nature, so that his pupils shall understaad it^
and feel its beauty, he has taken a great step in giving- life and pur-pose
to the young energies of their minds. The quantity of.seed that
produces au abundant harqest, bears but a small proportioR .to -the har-vest
it selfi
"What the teacher should study, is the art of teaching. He shouild
not toil to acquire more knowledge when he cannot communicate well
what he already possesses. It is not wise for him to commence the
study of the dead languages, when he has not yet succeeded in teach-ing
his own ; or to desire to become a profound mathematician, when
he cannot explain simple interest so thathis class shall thoroughly un-derstand
it. And yet, it is too true, that a great many teachers are
much more desirous to obtain a reputation for high attaioments in
scholarship, than to understand and teach well those branches which
they profess to teach. All such petty vanity should be Uid 'aside by
any person who honestly intends to do his duty in his profession. He
should study to make hiaiself a skilful instructor, not a mere pedant.
Whatever' he attempts to teach, he should first know well himself, and
then endeavor to convey it to his class in the best manner. His aim
should be to keep his school busy, animated, interested, enthusiastic :
to keep from their minds the idea that to undertake a great many
studies, with sounding names, and to carry to school and back a vast
pile of books, is education ; to embue them with the principle that, to
learn a little well is to learn much ; that to understand one page of their
books thoiX)ughly, is bettor than to go over fifty in a superficial man-ner.
It bas often been impressed upon the teacher's mind, by those who
offer him advice, that his position is a fearfully responsible one. It
has been urged upon him never to forget this fact, but, out of school
as well as- in school, forever to labor for the good of his scholars. If
he would do all that is requested of him. he would burn his midnight
oil into the morning hours, and be carried, before a very great period,
cither to his grave or to the insane asylum. It is not my purpose to
speak lightly of the great responsibility of the teacher, but the advice
given by these persons is the worst possible for any one to follow who
wishes for success in the business of teaching Every one who is
himself a teacher, knows how trying, even under the most- favorable
circumstances, are the duties of the school room. " The price ofgood
order," it was once remarked by an experienced teacher, " like that of
liberty, is eternal vigilance." The eye must never cease watching,
relax but for a short time and your labor will be only made greater.
You have all kinds of character among your pupils: some afiectionate
and docile, the majority well disposed, but thoughtless ; some impui-
.sive and restless, and, perhaps, one or two positively vicious. These
must all be controlled with a firm and steady hand. And, besides this,
yourself—sometimes a rebellious subject—must be governed. The
temper must be watched, that the tongue may be moved to no impa-tient
expression—always detrimental tc rule. You must guard even
WHAT SHOULD THE TEACHER STUDY. 20^
good-nature, that it may not degenerate into weakness. Add to this
the life which you must expend in school daring the day, the energy,
the enthusiasm, which, if you would succeed, you must keep alive in
yourself, because your scholars must, if possible, be possessed with
them ; and you have summed up only a part of your work. The tired
teacher! How naturally these words go together, how many have
felt their meaning on leaving school at the close of the day, during
which every nerve has been unnaturally strained, and the mental pow-ers
overtasked !
In this state, we are requested to consider our fearful responsibility,
and to spend our leisure hours in studying something which can be of
no possible use to us, or in puzzling oar brains over some curiosity in
science. To do anything of the kind, would be far worse than use-less.
Always we should prepare carefully ihe lessons for the coming
day, always know exactly what we are going to do, but, this duty
performed—and it need not and should not be permitted to occupy 3
great length of time—we should forget school, forget even our
responsibility, act as if we had nothing to do but to live and enjoy
life, and we shall certainly go to school the next day much better
fitted for our work, than if we had taken the advice, to the letter, of
the author of " The Theory and Practice of Teaching." The teacher
needs especially the qualification of sound health. Every one who
has studied this matter, knows what an intimate relation exists be-tween
disordered nerves and disordered views of things; between bad
digestion and bad tea''per. An invalid cannot be a successful teacher
because he is every way weak; physically, mentally, and morally.
No one, therefore, who has the charge of a school, should ever un-dertake
any work in his leisure time which will interfere with the
proper care of health. It should' be the special business of every
teacher, out of school hours, so to spend his time that he should pre-sent
himself before his pupils the next day, not depressed and fretful
from too much study and want relaxation, but well, cheerful, and self-possessed.
We must, sometimes, do nothing in order to be able to do-much,
some one once remarked that " the most eontemptibk object ii>
creation is a lazy teacher.'' iJut, ill directed indtistry, is almost as bad
.
ae idleness. When we study—and, as has been said before, the teach-er
should study—it should be with direct reference- to the improve-ment
of our schools. No knowledge is worth anything to us as teach-,
e'rs, which cannot be vised for this object. Vv^hat we want in out -
schools, generally, is not profo'under scholarship, but better teaching .
All of us know more than we can communicate well. Howto awakeri
enthusiasm in our pupils, and give them a real love for study; how to
keep them busy, and yet not overburdened ; how to keep ourselves
firm, patient and clear-brained'; these objects it should be our constant
endeavor to attain. If we can succeed in doing all this, we may well
afford 'to be ignorant of many things. On the other hand, if we
oould boast the highest scientific attainments, and are yet poor teach-ers,
we have utterly failed in the true purpose of life, which is, so U<
do- our work that the world may be the better of our having made our
appearance in it.
A pedantic schoolmaster is thua described by Charles Dicken.-!
204 N. C. JOURNAL OP EDUCATION.
" He and some one hundred and forty other teachers, had been lately
turned, at the same time, in the same factory, on the same principle,
like so many piano- forte legs. He had been put through an immense
variety of paces, and had answered volumes of head -breaking questions.
Orthography, etymology, syntax and prosody, biography, astronomy,
geography and general cosmography, the sciences of compound pro-portion,
algebra, land surveying and levelling, vocal music, and draw-ing
from models, were all as at the end of his ten chilled fingers. He
had taken the bloom of the higher branches of mathematics and phy-scial
science, French, German, Latin, and Greek. He knew all about
all the Water Sheds of all the World and all the names of all the
rivers and mountains, and all the productions, manners and customs of
all the counties and all their boundaries and bearings on the two and
thirty points of the compass. Ah, rather over done. If he had only
learned a little less how infinitely better he might have taught much
more!"
—
The Educator.
DISCOURAGEMENTS OF TEACHERS.
Much of the labor of man proves in the end destitute of beneficial
results. He bestows it, if of ordinary prudence, where he has a reason-able
prospect of succoss, but he cannot tell which shall prosper, this or
that expenditure of time, strength and money ; which Divine Provi-dence
will favor, and which it will frown upon.
The fost may blast his early blossoms; the floods wash away his
crops; the hail beat them into the ground. Or when gathered, the
lightning ; the ordinary casualties of life, or the torch of the incendiary
may deprive him in an hour of the rewards of months of toil. Fire
and chance happen to all. But the business of the world goes on
;
many, and the great majority, gain their end, or at least a competency.
This illustrates teaching. They who give instruction sometimes get no
pay and no thanks; and they upon whom their efforts are spent, get
no benefit. They pay no attention ; they seek no profit to themselves.
It is like planting corn upon a flat rock. It is discouraging to a faith-ful
teacher, when he is wearing out his mind and heart and body to
benefit his pupils to see some of their minds after all utterly blank
:
they have been in the midst of knowledge where it would seem as
though it would require a possitive efi'ort not to gain something ; and
that they must purposely cultivate ignorance, not to know more than
they do. Sometimes, after parents have spent a great sum of money to
carry a son through college, he could not enter again. Except the ac-quirement
of habits of indolence, drinking and smoking, and others
still worse, he is as he was before. And perhaps we may saj that of
all the money spent upon collegiate educations, nearly one half is lost as
to any beneficial results. But,
1. The teacher may have the consciousnesss of trying to do his duty
and throwing the responsibility on the pupil.
2. He cannot tell till after trial, and it may bo somewhat protracted,
which will do well in the end. Those who are dull at first, and per-haps
for a long time, make good scholars, at last. The world is full of
such examples.
DISCOtJRAGEMENTS OP TEACHERS. 205
3. This is according to the analogy of nature. The object of rain is
to benefit the earth ; lout it falls on the sea; on deserts and so,much fruit
grows where it benefits no one. Much seed sown rots in the earth.—
•
How many millions of animals dies at their entrance on life; a large
part of the human race die in infancy. Much of preaching is to ap-pearance
lost. " Full many a flower is bora to blush unseen and waste
its sweetness on the desert air/' OBWIBETIC.
From the Vermont School Journal.
VIEWS OF THE REFORMERS ON POPULAR EDUCATION.
One of the biographers of Luther remarks •/—Schools arc an es-sential
part of Protestantism. It admits of no Church to think and
decide on all matters of religion for its members, no Priesthood to
interpope as interpeter of the Divine will for the laity, no Pope or
Council to settle the authority. The Reformers, in giving the Bible
to the people, in relying on its grammatical interpretation as the. true
and only authority in religion, made the study of the Bible, and what-ever
other studies are preparatory to it, indispensable. Not only the
education of the clergy, but a high degree of intelligence among the
people, is involved in the very theory of Protestantism. No man evei'
felt this more deeply than did Luther. The education of the young,
next to the preaching of the Gospel, lay nearest his heart.
As early as 1520, three years after the beginning of the Reforma-tion,
he had laid special stress on the necessity of reforming and im-proving
the schools, in his eloquent address to the Christian nobility
of the German nation. In 1524 he wrote a remarkable production,
entitled "An address to the Common Councils of all the Cities of
Germany, in behalf of Christian Schools."
In what estimation he held the teacher's office, we have from his
own lips. " The diligent and pious teacher," he observes, '• who pro-perly
instructeth and traineth the young, can never be fully rewarded
with money. If I were to leave my office as preacher, I would nest
choose that of school-master, a teacher of boys ; for I know that, next
to preaching, this is the greatest, best, and most useful vocation ; and
I am not quite sure which of the two is the better ; for it is hard to
reform old sinners, with whom the preacher has to do, while the young
tree can be bent without breaking."
In pleading so earnestly for public " Christian Schools," Luther
by no means overlooked the importance of domestic education, but
rather insisted on it no less strcnously. He thaught that the begin-ning
in education needed to be laid at home, and than domestic influ-ences
must constantly be employed in support of the discipline of the
schools. Indeed, with Luther education consisted not merely in the
acquisition of knowledge, but also in the formation of character. The
former stood in the relation of means to the latter. His views on some
of these points may be easily gathered from the following truthful ob-servation
; " Where filial obedience is -wanting, there no good morals.
306 N. C. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
no good government can be found ; for if in families obedience be not
maintained, it is in vain to look for good government in a city, or
province, or kingdom, or empire. For tlie family is the primary gov-ernment,
whence all other government and dominion on earth take
their origin. If the root be not sound, then neither the tree nor the
fruit will be good."
In 1527, a visitation was made of the churches and schools in the
Electorate of Saxony, in which more than thirty men were employed
a whole year. The result, in respect to education, was, that " the
Saxony school system," as it was called, was drawn up by the joint
labors of Luther and Melancthon, and thus the foundation was laid
for the magnificent organization of schools to which Germany owes so
JTKich of her present fame. The Keformers were the fathers of the
German system of education, improved indeed, but never radically
changed, by their successors, till the present day, a period of more
than three centuries.
Besides the schools were kept seven days in the week ; or, in other
words, there were regular Sunday Schools then, as now, only the
teachers were the same as on other days of the week, the studies be-ing
varied and adapted to the Sabbath.
From all this it will appear that the nineteenth century has made
less advance than is commonly supposed, upon the sixteenth, in re-spect
to the education of the young. In respect to books and organiza-tions,
there is a great difi"erence. In repect to the thing itself, the
object sought, the comparison would not be discreditable to the R^e^
formers.
The foregoing extracts I have .made from President Sears's Life of
Luther, thinking they may be of interest to your readers, as giving
some glimpses of the history of popular education—who were its most
liberal-minded and zealous promoters, if not its orginators. Other ex^
tracts might be made from Luther's letters, given in the same biogra-phy,
showing that he regarded the education of the whole mass of the
young as so closely connected with the public welfare, that rulers
should see to it that schools are provided for all at the expense of the
State, and that all the young should be trained in the schools.
A. Farmer.
MAP DRAWING.
Map drawing should be practiced in teaching Geography. No oth-er
exercise is so serviceable in imprinting upon the mind of the pupil,
that mental picture of the shape and relative position of the different
countries and divisions of water, which is so necessary for a profitable
knowledge of Geography. Much of the instruction given in this
branch, is like water taken up in,a basket—soon lost forever. A great-er
part of the early instruction should be done with the globe, and by
exercises in Map Drawing. Not Map-tracing or copying, of course,
but independent Map Drawing. The exercises should be such that
the pupil shall be able to draw any country, without a map " to copy
from," so that the size, shape, and othar important features shall be
MAP DRAWING. 207
-eorrect. Practice and judicious instruction will give almost any pu-pil
that ability in a short time. When once acquired, it is worth
volumes of " descriptions " arbitrarily and parrot-like committed to
memory, soon to be forgotten.
THE POWER OF IT.
A little boy, aot six years old, asked his papa this question :
'' Is not
it a very important word ?" '' Why do you think so my boy ?"
"Why," says he, " it is time to milk, and time to eat, and time to go
to sleep • and it is a great many things." And so it is, and what could
we do v/rthout z7? 'It is God who makes the sun rise; and it is the
sun that shines by day; it is the moon that shines by night. It is the
earth on which we live. It \5 the food we eat. It is the water we
drink. It is the air we breathe. It is the body that dies; it is the
soul which thinks. It is Queen Victoria who reigns in England. It
is plain Mr. Buchanan who isour President. Paul says, Rom. 8:34,
'* It is Christ that died." Where can we look, either in English, or
Latin (id) without seeing z7.^ /Ms everything ; it is everywhere; it
is always with us; we cannot escape z7. And yet, though it is very
ancient; and Z6 snows, and rains, and hails; and performs other re-markable
phenomena, alone; and some porsoosybof it, when they can-not
ride ; and the .poet, Pope, " sinners it, and saints it sometimes ; and
though it is found in the first and the last chapters in the Bible, it pos-sesses
nothing between, dt did not begin to own, the least thiny; it
was so small, but so .powerful, till a late period in the world. What
is now its was formerly his, and in 1611 when the present version of
the Bible was made there was no its in the language, but it had be-longed
iQfhitr... Marsh in his Lectures on the English Language, page
398, says: '• The precise date and occasion of the first introduction of
its is not ascertained, but it could not have been far from the year 1600.
I believe that the earliest instances of the use of the neuter possessive
yet observed are in Shakespeare, and other dramatists of that age.
Most Eoglish writers continued for some time longer to employ his
indiscriminately with reference to male persons or creatures, and to
inanimate impersonal things. For a considerable period about the
beginning of the seventeenth century, there was evidently a sense of
incongruity in the application of his to objects incapable of the dis-tinction
of ses, and, at the same time, a reluctance to sanction the in-troduction
of the new form tVfi as a -substitute. Accordingly, for the
the first half of that century, many of the best writers reject theai
both, and I think that English folios can be found, which do not con-tain
a single example of either. Of it, i!/iereq/, and longer circumlocu-tions
were preferred, or the very idea of the possessive relation was
avoided altcgctber. Although Sir Thomas Browne, writing about 1660,
sometimes lias its five or sis times on a single page, yet few authors of
an earlier date freely use this possessive, and I do not remember meet-ing
it very frequently in any writer older than Thomas Heywood. Bon
Johnson neither employs its in his works, nor recognizes it in his gram-mar.
It occurs rarely in Milton's prose, and not above three or four
times in his poetry, Walton commonly employs his instead. Ful-
208 N. C. JOURNAL OP EDUCATION.
ler has its in some of his works, in others he rejects it, and in the
Pisgah sight of Palestine, printed in 1650, both forms are sometimes
applied to a neuter noun in the course of a single sentence. Sir Thomas
Browne on the other hand, rarely, if ever, employs his as a neuter, and
I think that after the Restoration in 1600, scarcely any instances occur
of the use of the old possessive for the newly formed inflection.
Now, if you print this, and the public are not satisfied with it, we
shall get it. for our iM-its unless thereis a ti-e in the vote, and it will
be reversed, and we will all exclaim, Q,U-ITS !
UNION OF THE SEXES IN COMMON SCHOOLS.
Mr. Stowe, a celebrated Glasgow teacher, in advocating mixed
schools, or the union of males and females in the same room, says
:
" It is stated on the best authority, that of those girls educated in
schools of convents, apart from boys, the greater majority go wrong-within
a month after being let loose in society, and meeting the other
sex. They cannot, it is said, resist the slightest compliment or flat-tery.
The separation is intended to keep them strictly moral ; but
this unnatural seclusion actually generates the very principle desired to
be avoided. We mav repeat that it is impossible to raise the girls as
high, intellectually, without boys as with them—and it is impossible
to raise boys morally as high without girls. The girls morally elevate
the boys, and the boys intellectually elevate the girls. But more than
this, girls themselves are morally elevated by the presence of boys,
and boys are intellectually elevated by the presence of girls. Grirls
brought up with boys are more positively moral, and boys brought up
in schools with the girls axe more positively intellectual, by the soften-ing
influence of the female character."
MORAL INSTRUCTION,
To make our schools what they should be, the conservators and
stimulators of all goodness and enterprizc, they must be made redo-lent
of moral influences, they must at all time^ be filled with the all
pervading presence of virtuous instructions.
It must be the teacher's duty to study daily in what manner he can
best form his scholars to the manners of good, law abiding citizes, and
brave hearted, energetic defenders of the weak and defenseless. He
must remember that no external ornaments of learaiug—no mere
polish of refinement—can atone for the possession of a debased and an
unworthy soul.
We must insist on this high unsectarian moral instruction in all the
school'-rooms which the State sends its money to support and its
ofiicers to oversee.
We must insist that a moral character, is the first requisite in a
teacher and that an ability to teach the same morality, is a matter of
higher importance thau any amount of secular knowledge.
—
Boanolce
'iyt.
PROMPTNESS. 209
PEOMPTNESS.
The first virtue in a seliool exercise is, of course, accuracy • but
scarcely less important, in its bearing, not only upon the process of
education in school, but upon its working value in life, is promptness.
If knowledge is power, how manifestly does the extent of one's availa-ble
power depend upon the readiness with which his knowledge can be
summoned to use. The power which knowledge brings to some men,
is only such as is latent in a sword locked in the cabinet or rusting in
the scabbard. What though it be of the finest Damascene, if it be
too heavy or too costly to wear and use, it is of less value in the battle
of life than a weapon joffar inferior temper kept always sharp and
burnished and by the side.
New, when we remember that the,main pui'pose of elementary educa-tion
is, not so much to impart a little knowledge, as to form good habits
of acquiring and using knowledge, we shall see the importance of cul
tivating Promptness as one of the cardinal virtues of the school-room.
I am afraid we do not estimate duly the influence which the exerciset
of school necessarily have in the formation of mental habits in young
minds, and how much they might contribute to the formation of good
habits. Some pupils are allowed to get into the habit of taking a
question as leisuTely as if one should say,
—
" At some convenient fu-ture
time, sir, I will take that question into consideration :" the teach-er
and the class sit in expectation, the one paring his nails, the others
scribbling on the blank leaves of their text-books, as though they
would say.— " Please to favor wi at your earliest convenience. '•' I am
tempted to say, in spite of the assertion I began with, that, even if a
correct answer come at last, (which is quite improbable in such a stag-nation
of the faculties,) a good, prompt, downright blunder would have
been better. It certainly would have been more hopeful. It is plain
enough what such scholars will come to. Their knowledge will always
be " to seek,^' according to the old expression, when it is wanted.
They will be of that stupid class who " know, but can't think." When
on examination, or in any emergency, in scIiool or in life, where a lit-tle
knowledge is wanted impromptu, they will always be confused, em-barrassed,
nonplused, good for nothing.
I know a teacher who tells his scholars that if ho were to go to
them when they were asleep at night, and shake them, and thrust a
book into their face, and say,
—
'' Here—translate this," they must be
ready to doit on the instant. And I verily believe they would. I be-lieve
the sound of that sharp voice, that never tolerates the tick of
a watch between question and answer, if heard in the midst of the
deepest sleep, would impel them, instinctively, to "rouse and bestir
themselves, ere well awake."
The teacher's success in securing promptness in his pupils will de-pend
very much on his own promptness. There is a wonderful con-tagion
in all mental operations. In ordinary conversation, we almost
unconsciously talk faster and think faster than our wont, with a man
who speaks fast to us, and we take our time with a man who is himself
deliberate. The teacher must be as prompt as his own standard. He
N
210 N. C. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
must ''know what he knows." If he expects ready answers, he must
be ready with his questions. Every appearance of hesitation or doubt
in him, sanctions and reproduces hesitation in them. To maintain this
alertness will require preparation on his part—but what teacher can
expect to succeed in anything without it ?
The teacher to whom the writer was indebted for his early education,
had an exeelle-nt scheme for stimulating his scholars to rapid performances
in Arithmetic. A problem was r«ad to the whole dlass. If one in Men-tal
Arithmetic, the answer simjply was to be written on the slate. If it
required an operation, it was to be wrought oat and the result under-scored.
The first who finished his work laid his slate, face down-ward,
upon ti table, the others piling theirs upon it as they severally got
ready. When all were done, the pile was turned over and the results
read in their order : the first correct answer entitled its author to the
head, and so on. It by no means turned out that the quickest
were the surest —but the general effect of the exercise was to
stimulate the quick to be surer, and the sure to be quicker.
Other exer^cises we had in other l^ranches, with the same intent.
x\mong others, we had, regularly, on Monday morning, a half-hour's
exercise in turning up texts in tlie Bible, chapter and verse being
given by the master, and the first finder reading the passage aloud.
—
These exercises were always immensely enjoyed by the school. Any
teacher can invent schemes of this sort for himself,—such as best fall
in with his own plans. But something of the kind, now and then, I
believe to be very useful in quickening the faculties.
Of course there is a judicious way of cultivating promptness. Some
minds are naturally quicker tlian others, and can safely be required
to react upon a question with more rapidity. But we are not to en-courage
and commend promptness in a way which will imply that the
quickest minds ave necessarily the best. We must not so manage our
exercises as to discourage those slower but perhaps finer intellects,
that will excel where judgment and reflection are in request. We
must not force any mind to undue haste, for this will result in a habit
of guessing, and jumping at wrong conclusions. But, remembering
that the faculties will grow in proportion to the demand made upon
them, i(p to a certain point, we must seek to secure in every one the
greatest possible promptness consistent with other requirements.
Vermont School Journal.
Effect of Emphasis.—Lord Edward Fitzgerald made a statement
in the British House of Commons that was offensive to the majority.
After a long time spent in inducing him to apologize, he submitted
the following words, which, according as they are emphasized, appear
as an apology, or a repetition of the objectionable statement :
'' I am
accused of having declared that I think the lord-lieutenant and the
majority of the House the worst subjects of the Kin». I said so, 'tis;
true, and I am sorry for it.''
PHYSICAL EXERCISE. 211
THE BEST PHYSICAL EXERCISE.
After all the inventions, erections and temporary eulogizicg of the
gymnasium—after the costly experiment, for a time, of horseback rid-ing,
nine-pin rolling, and other games—after the novelty of military
drilling, too exacting on the time and purse of the student, too starch-ed
and mechanical in the style of carriage it gives, and too demoraliz-ing
in its associations—after all devices, the wise man comes back to
the simple thing of walking. In the old beaten track the man of per-fect
hetflth and physical development hale and -hearty, holds on the
even tenor of his way, till, staff in hand, he steps into his grave. The
history of this branch of education is most instructive. The empirical
Greeks, especially the dreamy among their philosophers, first intro-duced
gymnastics. The end sought by these exercises was not one
practical with us. Then men were to fight hand to hand, and the
gymnastics of the Greeks seemed to be adapted to train men to this
mode of combat. Diodorus, however, the Roman historian, in the
Augustan age, writes from Egypt: " They think that from daily gym-nastics
in the palaestra youth will gain not sound vigor, but only a tem-porary
strenth, and that at great risk of injury." It was not, then,
from Egypt that Pythagoras and Plato brought gymnastics ; and when
they had introduced them into their schools, the piaetical followers of
Arifitdtle so preferred the round-about town ramble for physical cul-ture,
that they received the name of " Peripatetics," while the ultra
conservative stoics were satisfied with promenading and lounging upon
their porticos.
It is refreshing, almost invigorating in itself, to the robust peripatetic
of our day, panting and with the thrill of his morning and evening
walk, running through every fibre of his frame, just to think of the
men that have preceded him in this line which he has marked out for
himself. He is the companion cf Abraham, rambling over the hills of
Palestine, of Jesus, walking two miles out of Jerusalem every night,
and back in the morning, of Paul, " minding himself to go afoot;"
and he is the fallow partaker with a long line of men in secular life,
most masterly in their power of mind in every age and land, because
the framework of mind's mighty enginery has been kept in its strength
by the renovation%f walking.
It is instructive to the educator ,when travelling in Europe, to observe
the students in the German Universities spending their summer vaca-tions
in tramps among the Alps, with their knapsacks on their backs,
their stout shoes on their feet, and strong staves in their hands; gaining
thus a vigor and health which is kept up during the severe tasks of
their sessions of study by evening promenades on the shady walks
around most of the cities of Europe. In fact, all experience shows
that, while other resorts may be valuable as temporary restoratives, the
location of an institution of learning where long and pleasant walks are
not only possible, but necessary, with the addition of a covered prome-nade
for inclement weather^ is the best provision for physical education.
Bves, Samson.
212 N. C. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
WANT OF MORAL EDUCATION.
This will be allowed by all who observe the vice and depravity whicll"
reign in towns and villages. Consider, for instance, the common spirit
and practice of our trade. Its dishonesty h:is become a proverb. Many
a heathen would repudiate with indignation, habits not uncommon
among christian Englishmen. Every one knows, for instance, how
prevalent are the practices of adulteration. Many who assume an air
of devotion on the Sundays, think it no crime to God and man, to spend
six days of the week in selling false goods. They will poison their
neighbors in their haste to be rich. They will sell adulterate food to
the healthy, and adulterate drugs to the sick : and even to brave
soldiers abroad, who have shed their blood for their country; and while
they are selling their souls for their daily bread, will often be offended
if they are denied the name of Christian. This corruption of trade is
generally imputed to the incorrigible depravity of human nature. But
it may be too easily assumed to be incorrigible by those who do not look
for its causes in the deficiency of moral education.—R. A. 'Pliompson',-
TONIS AD RESTO MAEE.*
Ai&:^- Oh, Mary heave a sigh for me.'*
mare seva si forme,
Forme ure tonitru;
lanibicum as amandum,
Olet Hymen prompti ;
Mihi is vetas an ne se.
As humano erebi;
Olet mscum marito te,
Or eta beta pi.
Alas piano mors meretris^
Mi ardor vel Tino
;
Inferiam nre artis base,
Tolerat me urebo.
Ah me ve ara silicfet, ^
Vi laudu vimen thus ?
Hiatu as arandum sex,—^•
Illuc lonicus.
Heu' sed heu vix en imagO;
M-i' missis mare sta;
eantti redit in mihi
Hibernas arida ?
A veri vafer heri si
Mihi resolves indu
:
Totius olet Hymen cum,
—
Accepta tonitru.
* To be understood by the sound, not by the sense in Latin.
COMMON SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 213
Cammon Scljaol gi^partment.
DISTRICT COMxMlTTEES AND THEIR DUTIES.
By Rev. C. H, Wiley, Superintendent of Common Schools for the
State.
As our common school system is at present organized, no part of its
machinery is more important than that relating to District Committees.
The duties of this class of officers as defined by law are neither nu-merous
nor laborious—yet they are of such a character that ansman-agement
and carelessness in their discharge may cause the greatest in-jury.
It is not essentially necessary to be a good scholar in order to make
a good committee man.
These committees more immediately represent the people, in theory
at least, than any other class of officers; and their duties are such as
the people themselves, or parents and guardians might perform.
Those duties, as defined by law, are mostly embraced in the follow-ing
summary, to wit:
First. To make an annual return, in writing, to the chairman of
the Board of County Superintendents of Common Schools of the num-~
ber and names of the white children in their District over 6 and un-der
21 years old.
Secondly. To select sites for school-houses, and to buiid, repair and
keep in order these houses.
Thirdly. To select teachers from the number of those licensed ac-cording
to law, agree with them for the length of school, and the wages
of teaching—fix the time for holding schools, and at the end of the
sessions make a report in regard to them to the chairmen, accompanied
with drafts on them for the teachers' salaries.
Fourthly. To ivisit the Schools from time to time, to see how they
are progressing and what is the condition of the houses, &c., as an
encouragement to both teachers and pupils.
Now, all that is here required can be faithfully performed without
a greater sacrafice of time and labor than any parent ought to be wil-ling
to make for the education of his children; nor does the proper
discharge of these obligations demand any great amount of learning.
It is very true that it requires sound judgement and discriminating
taste properly to locate, construct and furnish school-houses; and un-der
ordinary circumstances, it requires an educated man to judge of
the intellectual attainments of others.
But it must be remembered that few, even of the educated, have a
talent for architecture ; and that in all communities when it is designed
to construct an important building, they have to apply to those who
have special endowments for such matters. All that is wanted in an
individual or a committee having it in charge to constuct a private or
214 N. C. JOURNAL OP EDUCATION.
public edifice is good sense, and a disposition to learn ; andi m. gucb
cases men will be hunted outand found, who can^ furnish proper plans.
No District Committee in North Carolina, however obscure their
ncighbom-hood, need be- without judicious- advisers of this kind ; for
if, which would hardly ever happen, no one in their own region could
furnish them a plan, they could easily apply to the General Superin-tendent
who would, take much pleasure in furnishing complete plans
and details. He keeps himself well informed as to the progress of
school architecture in all parts of the country—has the leading, books
on the subject, and' a great many drawings and descriptions of chairs,
stools, desks, stoves &c. &c.
And' so in regard to the selection of teachers, committees, though
themselves uneducated, may have the most reliable information as to
their moral character and their mental qualifications.
There is, in every county, a committee who examine and pass on the
claims of those who wish to teach ; and it is very seldom the case
that there is not at least one man on the committee whose intelligence
and weight of character is acknowledged by all.
Now, the District Committee wishing a good teacher, though the
members of it may have little education, has the following means (gen-erally
efi"ective) of enabling it, to make a judicious selection :
In the first place all whoare allowed to teach have certificates from
the examining committee ; and^ these certificates are so given as to
show on their face, in a very plain way, the relative rank of the holders .
Again: the committee can easily call on: the examioiag committee, an d
look over the lists of all who have been examined during the year, and
see what is the character and standing- of each.
This would cause little trouble, and in a matter of such great im-portance
no honest; reasonable and liberal man would refuse it.
In the third place, the committee could talk with those members of
the examining committee who are known to be m-en of intelligence —
and- finally, they could easily call on others in- their vicinity whom th ey
know to-be good scholars, to aid them in- selecting, or enquire as to the
character and standing, of the diS'erent candidates, among the educated
classes in the communities where these teachers had taught or lived.
Thus it will be seen that it does not require education merely to
enable a district committee to perform, in a judicious manner, the most
important of its duties, and that the plea of ignorance is not valid.
Besides all this, every district committee is authorized by law to
obtain, at- the public expense, a copy of the N. C. Journal of Educa-tion—
and^ a year's reading of this periodical could not fail to enable
tany committee to act with prudence, and would at least and certainly
each it how to obtain needed information.
The real diffi^culty, then, is not ignorance : it is something a great
deal worse, it is prejudice, bigotry, and carelessness.
Some committee men are wedded to old prejudices—some are like
other men, egotistical and bigoted—soma are careless and indiflPerent
—
a.nd some are inflaenced by all these at the same time.
There are alas ! many such men among all classes; and it is neither
impossible nor uncommon to find even educated men who are so bound
COMMON SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. 215
to certain forms, usages, ideas and ways that it would take a moral
earth-quake to shake them loose.
Vast numbers, in all the walks of life, mistake mere usages for prin-ciples—
and they vainly imagine that they are conservators of unchang-ing
truths, while they are the mere slaves of habits which have no
inherent principle of life.
The chief cause of all this is man's innate pride. He is unwilling to
learn because he will not believe that he is fallible ; and thus, while he
appears to be standing up for old truths, he is merely opposing all truth
which in any way wounds his own self-love.
Often, parents are opposed to the education of their children at all,
for the same reason ; and while their ostensible cause of opposition is,
the fear that instruction may spoil their off-spring, their real governing
motive is a dislike to do for their children anything that will look like
a confession that their fathers were not as wise and perfect as men
aught to be.
The same principle underlies much of the opposition to new methods
of teaching—and they are discountenanced not really from any honest
opinion as to their merits, but because their addption would seem to be
a reflection on the manner in which the parent: was instructed.
Here is the great secret spring of human action, and the cause of
untold difficulties in this fallen world : it is the inherent selfishness and
vanity of our nature, leading us to self^deification, and to hostility to
all other sources of wisdom or of good.
Far this reason man does not, by nature, like to retain the knowledge
of God in his heart; and he rebels against, flies from and hates hir
Creator, because the first step towards God is one Jrom himself
Thus prejudice generally arises from selfishness—and bigotry, as
Tised in this article, has a similar origin. Ordinarily, we use the word
bigotry in a sectarian sense—applying the term to those who are blindly
and obstinately attached to any religious creed, and unreasonably hostile
to all others.
But all who are unreasonably attached to any class, social, political or
religious, without being influenced merely by principle, and who are
opposed to other classes, sects or parties may be defined as bigots.
This feeling exists wherever our depraved' nature is found ; but it
may be dormant, or at least the public may not be made to feel its
effects until some cause lays it bare, and d'evelopes it into action.
Any public interest, founded on genuine philanthropy, and aiming at
the equal good of all, would be sure to run foul of this great obstruc-tion
in the way of the elevation of humanity, and thus the Common
Schools being such a cause, were soon made to feel its power for evil.
As soon as the system went into operation it encountered a serious
diflaculty in this matter—and. to this day, this is one of its greatest
troubles.
It would be tedious to show the many ways in which this principle
of human nature has injuriously affected the Common Schools; >and it
will be sufficient for the purposes of this article merely to allude to its
influence on the action of Committees.
Is it not a familiar fact that District Committees, in selecting teach-ers,
are olten influenced by social prejudices ? Do they not eften judge
216 N. C. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
of the character of particular kinds of studies from the fact that they
are or have been more generally pursued by children of one class than
^'y those of another?
And do not Committees sometimes oppose improved methods of in-
•truetion, and teachers of reputation too, because the more wealthy or
he more aristocratic have heretofore enjoyed these things?
Good education will suit a poor man as well as a rich one ; and the
onest laborer ought to rejoice that the aristocracy can no longer enjoy
monopoly of the best teachers, and the most improved methods of
istruction.
But instead of this will not a Committee-man sometimes, to use
I very common phrase, bite off hia nose to spite his face ? Will he
ot refuse to let a blessing come to his own house, for fear the stream
lay run over and water his neighbor's garden also? In short, will he
lot set his face as a flint against the higher class of teachers, because
lis educated neighbor wants such for his children ? Will he not let
lis own children mis-spend their time in going to a wretched botch
jf a pedagogue merely because lawyer, or doctor, or parson B. C. or D.
will not send to such and may thus be " spited ?"
And on the other hand, do not the educated, the aiistocratic and
he wealthy refuse to act as Committee-men, or take on them the care
f pushing on the Common School System in their vicinity, because,
they allege^ its chief benefits are for what they call the Comjaon
eople ?
Will not rich men often spend hundreds of dollars per annum to
ducate sons from home, when a fourth of the amount would have
aade their Distiict School a good one, and have enabled them to have
heir children instructed at home—while they have failed to use this
conomy, and to consult the morals of their offspring because their out-ly
at home would have conferred common benefits on the common
leople ? (To be continued.)
Keeping a Secret.—The Newport (E.I.)Mercury relates a story of
Stuart the painter, which illustiates finely the power which a secret has
to propagate itself, if once allowed a little airing aud to reach a few
-ars. Stuart had, as he supposed, discovered a secret art of coloring,
•ery valuable. He told it to a friend. His friend valued it very
iighly, and came sometime afterwards to ask permission to communi-cate
it, uoder oath of eternal secrecy, to a friend of bis who needed
3very possible aid to enable him to rise.
" Let me see," said Stuart, making a chalkmark on aboard at hand,
' I know the art, and that is'^
—
"Ooe,'^ said his friend.
" You know it," continued Stuart, making another mark by the side
){ the one already made, '• and that is"
—
''Two," cried the other.
'' Well, you tell your friend, and that will be"—making a third mark.
" Three only," said the other.
" No/' eaid Stuart, " it's one hundred and eleven !" [HI]
RESIDENT editor's DEPARTMENT. 217
lesibtitt QiiUxs ^qmimml
Popular Interest.—Nothing seems to attract more general at-tention,
at the present day, than the piiLlic exercises, at the close of
the sessions of our numerous Colleges and High Schools. It is always
gratifying, to those who are toiling, day after day and year after year,
to educate the rising generation, to see the whole community manifest
a lively interest in the results of their labors ; to feel that, even amidst
the political excitements that are agitating our country, from north to
south, from east to west, the popular mind can yet be turned from the
arena of hostile strife to the quiet shades of our Academian groves, to
enjoy their less exciting but more rational pleasures.
There certainly never was a period, in the history of our State, when
all classes of our citizens were so completely aroused on the subject of
education, when the closing exhibition, at a village Academy, even in
the midst of harvest, would draw together a thousand of our rural pop-ulation,
a scene that we witnessed but a few weeks since. This mode
of showing their zeal for the cause, might however be attributed to the
peculiar character of our people, as every where exhibited in the vast-ness
of our j)opular assemblies ; but we have other means of showing
that the subject of education has a strong hold upon the affections of
our people. Nothing can afford a stronger evidence of this fact than
the readiness with which they furnish the means necessary for erecting
large, convenient and, in many eases, beautiful buildings, for schools.
And when the house is built, whatever may be its capacity, it is at
once filled with pupils.
But in calling attention to this subject, our principal object is, not
to show how great the popular interest really is, but to request those
who have charge of our schools and all who feel an interest in them, to
inquire, seriously, what is the ultimate influence, of the great popular-ity
of these public exhibitions, on the character of the education of
the pupils. What is your candid opinion, as a conscientious teacher ?
By way of placing the subject before your minds in some of the
lights in which it has presented itself to our own, with the hope that
you will, at some time, give us the benefit of your reflections, we con-clude
by proposing a few questions for consideration.
"What are the principal objects aimed at. in public school exhibi-tions
?
218 I*- C. JOURI>fAL OF EDUCATIOr^.
Can these objects be attained in any other way ? Can the timeusu--
ally devoted to special preparations for an exhibition be as well em-ployed^
in the regular studies, or.otherwise ?
A*re these exhibitions calculated to pi'oduce, in the minds of pupils^
false ideas in regard to the true objects and aims of education ?
Does the teacher, while preparing his school for a public display,
feel that he is bestowing: his labor in accordance with his own judge-ment,
or that he is, thiough necessity, complying with the custom of
the age ?
We might propose many other questions, on this subject, but if
these are fully answered and acted upon, by all. who are interested in
the matter, it will probably produce all the reforauation that is neces-sary.
Bad B'JOKS.—Bad books are- to be shunned even- more carefully
thtin bad company. You may pass an hour with a bad man without
receiving injury, but you, cannot spend an hour in reading a bad book
without injury. The celebrated' John Ryland said, "It is perilous to
read any impure book ; you will never get it out of your faculties till
you are dead. My imagination was tainted young, and I shall never
oet rid of the taint till I get to heaven."
American Normal School and National Teachers' Associa-tion.—
A Joint Meeting of these Associations will be hv-^ld at Buffalo,
N. Y., commencing on Tuesday, the 7th of August next, and continu-ing
through the week.
The Normal Association will organize on Tuesday, at 10 o'clock, A.
M, Introductory Address by the President.
The National, on the following day, at the same hour and place.
Introductory Address by the President.
Lacturcs will be delivered, and papers presented by the following
gentlemen, viz : Messrs. B. Or. Northrop, of Mass. ; J. P. Wicker-sham,
of Penn. ; D. N. Camp, of Conn. ; E. North, of Hamilton Col-lege,
N. Y. ; John Kneeland, of Mass. ; Wm. H. Wells, of Illinois ;
E. L. Youmans, of N. Y.; Mr; , of the Soirth, and' Mr. ,
of the South-west.
We are not able to name all the gentlemen, who are to lecture, nor
the subjects upon which they are to speak, as definite information has
not been received, in relation to these particulars.
It is expected that papers will be presented for discussion on the
most important theme:, pertaining to the several departments of in-struction,
government, and discipline, from the Primary School to the
University.
The Order of Exercises will be announced at the meeting.
In view of the character of the gentlemen who are to lecture; the
subjects to be presented; the sections of country and departments of
Instruction represented; the general interest felt for both Associations
throughout the States, and the locality of the place of meeting (within
ETESIDENT editor's DEPARTMENT. 219
an hour of Niagara,) it is expected that this will be the largest and
most important Educational Meeting ever held in the United States.
The Local Committee at Buffalo, are making all necessary arrange-ments
for the meeting. The citizens of B., will entertain the ladies
gratuitously. A reduction in the charges will be made to those who
put up at the hotels.
Persons on arriving in B., may receive all necessary information, by
Calling on the Local Committee, at the Library Rooms of the Young ^
Men's Association.
On some routes of travel, a reduction of fare has been secured.
Negotiations are in progress with others, which we hope may be suc-cessful.
For further information address Oliver Arey, chairman of local
committee, Buffalo; W. F. Phelps, Trenton, N. J. ; J. W. Bulkley,
Brooklyn, N. Y. ; B. Cr. Northrop, Saxonville, Mass.; Z. Richards,
Washingtoa, D. C. ; W. E. Sheldon, West Newton, Mass., and James
Cruikshank, Albany, N. Y.
Educational and other Journals throughout the oountry, are respect-fully
requested to insert this notice.
By order of Committee on publication, of Programme.
W. F. PHELPS, President of the A. S. N. A.
J. W. BULKLEY, President of the N. T. A.
Brooklyn, Jtine 13, 1860.
As the annual meeting of our State Educational Association has
been postponed, and delegates cannot therefore be regularly appointed,
the Executive Committee, having charge of the general interests of
the Association during the interval, will commission, as representa-tives,
any members who may find' it convenient to attend. We hope
tiiat some of our members will go ; and that any one who thinks of
attending these meetings will apply for a regular commission.
Teachers' Associations :—We copy the following from the Spirit
of the Age and commend the subject to the attention of teachers every
where. Such associations should be formed in every county :
Being a teacher of the Common, Schools, and a lover of whatever
tends to promote the cause of education, I have concluded to submit
a. few feeble remarks to teachers and the friends of education in gen-eral,
upon the above named subject.
There are certain disadvantages attending the teaching of Com^ion
schools which can be remedied only by the association and consultation
of the teachers.
In the first place, we want uniformity in text-books. All teachers
are well acquainted with the disadvantages to which themselves, as
well as scholars, are exposed from the want of proper and uniform
text-books. Now, teachers only can remedy this defect. By associa-ting
and adopting some popular text-books, they may bring about thi.s
uniformity The good that would result from this alone, would more
than reward us, in forming Associations.
220 N. C. JOURNAL OP EDUCATION.
Also, In tliese associations we could excliange views as to tlie 'raost
efficient modes of teaching and governing schools ; and, as experience
and observation are the ground-works of all advancement, we may sup-pose
that much good would result from such deliberations.
I would solicit the special attention of the teachers and friends of
education of my native county (Cleaveland) to this subject. Friends,
let us lend a helping hand to the noble cause of Education ; let us
take all practicable mea^s to promote the diffusion of general intelli-gence
; for by this means we will promote the cause of humanity and
religion. J. J. H.
Forsyth County Ebucational Association.—The Association
met in Winston, according to previous notice, on Saturday, June the
7'th. T. M. Hunter, Esq., was called to the Chair ,a»d C. J. Wat-kins
requested to act as secretary Pro tern.
On motion of J. H. Coprad the Association proceeded to ballot for
a suitable person to deliver an address at their next annual meeting,
which will take place on the last Saturday in August next. J. H.
White, was selected as the choice of the meeting to make the address.
The Committee appointed at the last meeting to visit the Schools in
the county, during the winter, made a report, which,while it appeared
highly creditable to many, was nevertheless to several of the teachers
not commendatory. In some instances good order had not been ob-served,
aiid the Register had not, as the law requires, been kept. The
Examining Committee in the county, were ordered to be notified of
these fiicts.
II. H. Linville, Esq., offered the following resolutions^ which^metthe
unanimous approval of the Association :
Resolved, That the Association highly appreciates the compliment
paid it by the Educational Association of the State, in having selected
J. W. Atwood, Esq., one of its members, to fill the vacant position of
one of the Editors of the North Carolma Journal of Education, and
hopes that his temporary absence from the State will afford no cause
for resigning his position.
Eesohed, further, That the tjianks oi the Association are due to
Mr. Atweod for the manner in which he has discharged his duty, as a
member of the Examining Committee, and as a friend and laborer in
the cause of general education in the State.
After the passage of the resolutions, Mr. Atwood came forward and
in a few brief remarks took leave of the Association, promising, at his
earliest convenience, to deliver an address before the Association upon
The 'Life and Character of Sir V/alter Raleigh.'
On motion, the Association adjourned to meet on the last Saturday
in August, at which time certificates will be awarded to the successful
teachers in the county.
RESIDENT editor's DEPARTMEEVT. 2?1
Alamance Educational Association.—During tLe instructivi
and interesting lectures of Prof. W. H. Dolierty, President of Gra-ham
College, an educational association was organized. John Trol-inger,
Esq., was called to the chair and Wm. S. Long was appointed
secretary protempore.-
The chair then appointed a committee of three, viz : Prof. W. H.
Doherty, J. D. Cam'pbell and Wm. S. Long to draft a constitution ;
and in a short time the committee reported one which was adopted.
The following officers were then elected: President, Prof. W. H.
Doherty ; for vice Presidents, Rev. Thos. J. Fowler, John Trolinger,
Esq., and J. W. Faucett for Secretary, Wm. S. Long and for Treas-urer,
Miss Callie McMurray. Prof. W. H. Doherty, John Trolinger,
and Wm. S. Long were then appointed to draw up and report by-laws
for the government of the association, at its next regular meeting.
The association then adjourned to meet Saturday, June 9th, two
o'clock, p. M. JOHN TROLINGER, Ch'71.
Wm. S. Long, Sec'y.
Graham, June 1, li^60.
The above was alluded to, in the June No., of the Journal, but was
not received in time for insertion.
We would be pleased to have brief reports of all of the meetings of
county Associations : it is interesting to the friends of education, to
know what others are doinu-for the advancement of the cause.
BOOK TABLE.
"The School and Family Series of Readers: By Marcius Willson,
author of Primary History ; History of the LTnited States; Ameri-can
History j Outlines of Greneral History. New York : Harper &
Brothers.
This series consists of a Primer and four Readers,and three others yet
to be issued.
The Primer is an attractive little book, of 48 pages, beautifully il-lustrated.
The lessons are well arranged.
The First Reader is also well calculated to attract and entertain
the child, both on account of the superior illustrations and the easy and
natural style of the lessons.
The Second Reader, besides its value as a reading book, contains
much good morality and useful information. We are particularly struck
with lessons designed to improve the perceptive faculties. The con-cluding
lesson of the book, on colors, illustrated by a colored plate re-presenting
twenty different colors, is very valuable.
The Third Reader contains lessons on the followiuo; subjects :
stories from the Bible; Moral lessons; Zoology; and Miscellaneous
lessons.
The lessons on zoology are especially interesting, and constitute an
entirely new feature in school readers.
The Fourth Reader treats of Human Physiology and Health ;
Ornithology or natural history of birds; Vegetable Phvsiolo^y, or Bot-any;
Miscellaneous; Natural Philosophy • and Sketches from Sacred
History,
222 N. C. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.
We have seldom, if ever, examined a series of school readers with so
much pleasure. After having around us so many series, some differing
widely and others resembling* each other, we were agreeably disappoint-ed
in finding here something almost entirely new, and at the same time
embracing so much that is both entertaining and instructive.
Should the remaining volumes of the series prove equal to these, we
can see little more to be desired in school readers.
The Elements of Practical Arithmetic ; Being an explanation of
the fundamental processes of Aritmetic, with their application to
compound numbers; comprising copious exercises. By William
Vogdes, LL.D. and Samuel Alsop. Philadelphia: B. C. & J. Bid-die
& Co.
It is important that we should have good text-books in Arithmetic,
but much more important that our teachers should be qualified to ex-plain
the principles of the science, whether they have a good book, or
no book at all.
York's English Grammar.—An illustrative and constructive G-ram-mar
of the English Language, accompanied by several original Dia-grams,
exhibiting an occular illustration of some of the difficult prin-ciples
of the science of language ; also an extensive Glossary of the
derivation of the principal scientific terms used in this work ; in two
Parts: By Kev. Prof. Brantly York. Raleigh, N. C: W. L.
Pomeroy.
The Author of this work is extensively known, in our State and else-where,
not only personally, as a preacher and lecturer, and by the hun-dreds
who have been his pupils, as a teacher, but also as the authorof
a previous edition of this Grammar. But having the two Books before
us at present we are rather inclined to call this a new work : for, while
it pursues the same general plan, it is so much enlarged and improv-ed,
that even its old friends would scareel}' recognize, in this full-grown,
full-dressed Grammar, the plain little familiar acquaintance of other
years.
There is much in Prof. York's method of teaching English Gram-mar
that we are inclined to approve; and we are confident that a class,
using his work, under a competent instructor, would become thorough
grammarians.
Those who use this Grammar, will be pleased to learn that the au-thor
has an introductory Grammar, in manuscript, which we presume
will be published very soon.
School Teacher's LIBRARV^—Published by A. S. Barnes & Burr,
New York.
In addition to the works previously noticed, we have j ust received,
from the Publishers, the following valuable Books, which constitute a
part of their Teacher's Library: Bates' Institute Lectures, Hol-book's
Normal Methods of Teaching, Dwight's Higher Chris-tian
Education, Barnard's SciHooL Architecture, and Bar-nard's
History of Normal Schools.
RESIDEKT Eml'Oa''s DEPARTMENT. 223
"This valuable Library now consists of thirteen volumes. Some of
them are too well known to need a woVcl of comm'endation and the ma-jority
of them should be in the hands of every teacher. The three
first named, of the above works, have been recently published and con-ijtitute
a very important addition to the Teacher's Library. The Nor-mal
Method's is perhaps the most practical book, on the subject of
teaching, that has ever been published and would doubtless give many
valuable suggestions even to our best teachers.
We will take pleasure in procuring any, or all, of the volumes of
the Teacher's Library, for such teachers as may desire to have them,
and will furnish them on as reasonable terms as possible. We are
anxious to see more of our teachers availing themselves of this meaaf?
of improvement.
School RECORfO: Designed for keeping a simple but exact record of
Attendance, Deportment, and Scholarship; containing also a calen-dar,
list of topics for compositions, &c. By J. L. Tracy, New York:
A. S. Barnes & Burr.
This is a convenient little record book and while we do not consider
it equal to one that we noticed, some months since, published 'by the
same firm, yet it has the merit of being less costly.
We have also received, from these enterprising Publishers, the Na-tional
School Diar}-, with which we are much pleased.
It is often difficult for the teacher to induce parents to manifest a
regular and continual interest in the progress and conduct of their
children ; but if each child were furnished with a copy of this well
arranged Diary and required to return it to the teacher, weekly, with
the signature of the parent, in the place provided for it, showing that
the record for the week had been examined, the c'hild would
feel that his parents were not altogether indifterent in regard to what
he was doing, at school, and he would naturally be stimulated to im-rorove.
Literary.—One of the most interesting and useful publications
which comes to our sanctum is the Scientific American, aweekly pub-lication,
devoted to popular science, new inventions, and the whole
irange of mechanic and manufacturing arts. Each number contains
16 pages of Letterpress, and from 10 to 12 original Engravings of
New inventions, consisting of the most improved Tools, Engines, Mil!.«,
Agricultural Machines and Household Utensils, making 52 numbers
IE a year, comprising 832 pages, and over 500 Original Engravings,
printed on heavy, fine paper, in a form expressly for binding, and all
for $2 per annum.
A New Volume commenceson the 1st of July, and we hope a large
number of our readers will avail themselves of the present opportuni-ty
to subscribe. By remitting $2 by mail to the publishers, Munn &
Co., 37 Park Row, New York, they will send you their paper oneyeh,r,
at the end of which time you will have a volume which you would not
part witli for treble its cost. The publishers express their willingness
to mail a single copy of the paper to such as may wish to see it with-out
charjre.
224 N. C. JOURNAL OF EDUCATIOX.
SCHOOL LA^VS.
For the benefit of District Committees, Teacliers, and others, we have condensed from the SchooJ
Laws, a statement of their principal duties ; giving, in full, the law in regard to the election of
Committees. This we propose to keep in the Joiu-nal as standing matter, for the convenience of
those, who may wish to refer to it.
Scliool Committees.
HOW ELECTED.—The free white men of the several school districts, OHtitled to vote for mcm-toera
of the House of Comraons. shall, on the lii-st Saturday in April in every year, vote by ballot
for three men, to be styled '• the School Committee," whose term shall commence on the first
Monday in May following, and continue for one year, and until others are chosen; such election
Hliall be h«ld at such convenient place in the school district as the board may desig-nate; and the
three persons having the highest number of votes shall be declared elected " the school com-mittee;"
and the board may fill any vacanc)' which may occur in the committee by death, re
inoval or otlier cause. The chairman of the board shall give notice in writing, at three or more
public places, of the elwtion, at le;ist ten days before the same; and the board sliall appoint tw.'
freeholders of the disti'ict to conduct the election. The said freeholders shall give to the board,
whose term of service commences on the third Monday of April thereafter, on the day of their
first meeting, a certificate under their hands, of *he number of votes received by each person ; and
the board shall declare the three persons receiving the highest number of votes "the school com-mittee."
Provided, nevertheless, tliat whenever the districts fail to make an election, the bearcj
shall ajipoint the school committees, who shall continue in oflice until others are chosen; and
whenever any of the citizens may consider themselves aggrieved by the committee, or any one of
the committee-men of their district, an appeal may be made to the board of superintendents, who
shall hoar and decide on the merits of the complaint, and remove aay committee-roan who, in
their opinion, has violated his duty.
Dnties of" Committees.
Tt is the duty of the' committee to hold all ijroperty l>elonging to the district foi- school purposes;-
to provide suitable school-houses ; to report, within one month after their term of oifice com-mences,
to the chairman, the number and names of all white children in their district, from six to
twenty-one years of age, under a penalty of five dollars each: to employ a suitable teacher, ivho-has
a regular certificate, and at the expiration of the term for which he is employed, to pay him.
by an order on the chairman; provided he presents a regular report of his schools, with the School
Keglster properly filled—but never to receive any of the school money into their own hands; to
7uake out a full account of the expenses of the district school, for fuel, repairs, &.C.. and give a
draft for the same; to make a ftill report, to the chairman, of the school taught in their district
;
to visit the school from time to time, and see how it is conducted, aid in securing good order and
promote the gencr.ll welfare of the school, so far as they can. Tliey may admit pnpils into the school
from other districts, provided the children of their district will not thereby be injnretl. Any person
having accepted the oflice of committee-man, and failing to perform these duties, is liable to a fine
*,f fifty dollars.
Teacliers of Common &9claools.
No person shall be employed as a teaclier, without a certificata of good moral character, anr?
Hufficient mental qualifications, sigiied by a majority of the committee of examination, whiclf
certificate shall be valid for but one year, and only in the county in which it is given. At the en'?
of the term of his employment, he shall report to the commiittee the number and names of the
children wlio have attended his school, specifpng the number of days that each one was present,
aud the studies taught ; and no committee-man shall be teacher of a district school.
Before commencing his school, it is his duty to get, from the committee of the district, an order
on the chairman for the Register belonging to said district, and on receiving it, he shall give a re-ceipt
for the same and be responsible for its safe keeping until the close of the school. And in no
case shall a teacher be paid until he returns the register to the Chairman, in as good order as
when received and with blanks properly filled with an account of his school, according to the in-structions
of the General Superintendent for the State.
Examining; Committees".
The Board of Superintendents, in each county, shall appoint a committee of examinatfon. of no
Tuore than three persons (thv chairman to be one) wlio shall meet not less than tliree times during
the year, at some central point in the county, for the purpose of examining into the qualifications,
both mental and moral, of such persons as may apply for certificates. And the General Supeiin-teudent
is.retiuired to issue to these committees, annually, a letter of instructions and suggestions,
by which tlicy are to be guided.
OTHER OFFICERS.—It is presumeil that all the other officers of the school system, have-
Slvr-ays at hand a copy of the School Laws, and that they make themselves feniiliar witli the duties
required of them, since they are all liable to heavy penalties for all cases of npglect.