makes children think. Words follow thoughts; and the expression of ideas means power. The lessons may be very practical, or they may be full of sentiment. Did you ever try the accuracy of a poet of nature? Try one of Wordsworth's poems, one of Bret Harte's or Joaquin Miller's descriptive poems, and see if true to nature. Interesting lessons may be learned in this way. Take this description of the southern part of the State:

"Where the mountains stop just short of majesty,
And the rivers creep like cowards to the sea."

a legal document to teach anywhere in the State. 2. That teachers salaries must be paid when earned, and making it compulsory upon the Board of Supervisors and the Treasurer to provide a suitable fund. 3. Α uniform course of study for the State. 4. The establishment of an arbor day. 5. Providing for less textbooks, and those provided to be edited on the basis of correlation of subjects. 6. No political Boards of Education in cities. 7. More normal schools and fewer penitentiaries and asylums. 8. A law to simplify the clerical work in the office of Superintendent of Schools. 9. A law providing for the State to insure its own schoolhouses.

*

The Teachers' ONE of the most useful funds is that of Library and the Teachers' Library Fund, when propSchool Libraries. erly handled. Superintendent J. P. Greeley, of Orange, has made a special study of making the library useful to teachers, and as a result he has upwards of one thousand books on the phases of the professional work of the teachers. During the past few years other Superintendents have taken the matter. up, and as a result the Teachers' Library is a success. The country school district library is too often loaded. up with large encyclopedias, costly books, and expensive apparatus. It should be used to supply good books to the school district, parents, and pupils. This journal is in thorough sympathy with the Boards of Education that exercise great discretion in the adoption of books and apparatus for the schools.

Extract from a schooloy's composition: "It was a forest where the hand of man had never left its footprints."-Punch.

Traveler. "May I take this seat?" Madam (from Boston, icily).-"Where do you wish to take it, sir?" - Ex.

She. "I wonder what makes the Mediterranean look so blue?" He.-"You'd look blue if you had to wash the shores of Italy."-Punch.

APPROPRIATE FLAG DAYS.

[Cut this out and paste in a conspicuous place.] Jan. 1, 1863-The Proclamation of Emancipation, issued by President Lincoln.

Jan. 8, 1815-The Battle of New Orleans.

Feb. 2, 1848-The Treaty of Peace with Mexico, by which the territory of the United States was greatly enlarged.

Feb. 23, 1847-Victory of General Taylor at Buena Vista.

Feb. 24, 1779-Surrender of Fort Sackville, at Vincennes, to Colonel George Rogers Clarke, which secured to the United States the region of the Northwest Territory.

March 4-Inauguration Day.

April 19, 1775-Battle of Lexington.

April 30, 1789-George Washington inaugurated first President of the United States.

May 13, 1607-Founding of Jamestown.

May 20, 1775-The Mecklenburg (N. C.) Declaration of Independence.

May 30-Memorial Day.

June 15, 1215-Magna Charta, the great charter of liberty of the Anglo-Saxon race, signed by King John of England.

July 4, 1776-Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Sept. 3, 1783-The Revolutionary War ended by the Treaty of Paris, which recognized American Independence.

Sept. 10, 1813-Perry's victory on Lake Erie.

Sept. 16, 1847-The City of Mexico occupied by the American army under General Scott.

Oct. 12, 1492-Columbus landed at San Salvador. Nov. 25, 1783-The British evacuated New York. Dec. 10, 1832-Jackson's Proclamation against Nullification.

Leslie A. Jordan has been promoted to special teacher in physics in the San Francisco schools.

The institute for teachers in Indian schools will be held in San Francisco Aug. 3-8. Professor Hailman will be here.

Professor Edward P. Cubberly, President of Vicennes University, has been elected City Superintendent of San Diego. There were twenty-one applications. Professor Cubberly was recommended by President David Starr Jordan. Professor De Burn leaves the schools of San Diego in a most excellent condition. Superintendent Cubberly will be a welcome addition to the educational force of the State.

Kicksy."Wife, can you tell me why I am like a hen?" Mrs. Kicksy.-"No, dear. Why is it?" Kicksy. "Because I can seldom find anything where I laid it yesterday."- Ex.

Wood Questions.

Make a list of woods used for making furniture. Make a list of trees that produce edible fruits. Make a list of trees that produce edible nuts. Make a list of woods used for fuel.

How to Use Pictures.

Pictures are cruelly abused in language work. Pictures must not be used as things. They merely represent things.

The child must never talk of the dog in the picture, but of the dog in real life, which the picture suggests. The picture should suggest action.

The child should think of and talk of what the boat, goat, boy, squirrel, etc., of which he sees a picture, can do, will do, or, in imagination, is doing.

T

SUGGESTIONS FOR NATURE STUDY.

BY ALICE ROSE POWER.

HE best season for lessons in natural science is the spring, when all nature is awakening. This is the season that is particularly adapted for the study of botany, when hill, valley, and dale are covered with beautiful wild flowers supplying an abundance of specimens, which is a very important consideration.

By the study of botany it is not intended that a text-book should be placed in the hands of the pupil, assigning so many pages to be learned and incidentally to have him "examine" a few specimens, but it is to have talks with the child,-such talks that will arouse his interest, cultivate his observation, train him to habits of comparison, classifying, etc., and, above all, to awaken in him a deeper love of the beautiful in

nature.

The district schools particularly ought to do excellent work in this line of nature-study. Every morning the children come to school laden with collections of California State flower, the golden eschscholtzia, violets, creamcups, buttercups, iris, larkspur, columbine, and countless others.

With so much material at hand, and the child's enthusiasm aroused (and it is aroused--for he is only too delighted to tell teacher what he knows about this flower and that flower), there cannot be anything but good results.

Suggestive Outlines.

When a lesson is to be given on some plant, have each pupil bring in a number of specimens; be sure to have roots and all.

In giving a description of a plant, the parts should be given in this order: (1) roots, (2) stem, (3) leaves, (4) flowers, (5) fruit.

Questions somewhat like the following should be

is position of stem? Surface? Color? Flexible or brittle? How are leaves placed on the stem (opposite, alternate, or in whorls)? Form of leaf (linear, oblong, cordate, etc.)? What is calyx? Corolla? Many other important questions will suggest themselves.

Below is a very good description of the mustard flower given by a pupil.

The most conspicuous part consists of four yellow leaves; each leaf is called a petal, and together they form the corolla; outside of these are four smaller, greenish yellow leaves in pairs. They are called sepals, and together form the calyx. Inside of the petals are the stamens; the stem of the stamen is called the filaments and the head the anther. The yellow powder found in the anthers is the pollen. In the center of the flower is the pistil, and inside the pistil is found the ovary, containing the little ovules which are the beginning of seed.

1.

Observe the roots and stems.

2. Notice that there is no difference in color between the three sepals and the three petals.

3. Find the location of the three stamens and notice how the anthers open.

4. Carefully remove the parts which lie around the three petal-like branches of the style, and under the apex of these petal-like stigmas find the true stigmas. 5. Cut the ovary and notice the arrangement of seeds.

A small magnifying-glass should be in the hands of every pupil if possible, as it is an excellent help in the examination of plants. Pupils should always make drawings of every plant examined. First of the plant as a whole, and then the different parts.

In securing plants for preservation it is generally better to get the plant entire, and in the drying of specimens care should be taken to preserve the natural color and form of the plant. color and form of the plant. In order to effect this, it is essential that the moisture be absorbed before there is any decomposition.

When pressed, specimens should lie a natural position; crooked stems should not be straightened.

The pressed specimens should be mounted on thick paper; a scrapbook answers the purpose excellently.

Many tales does our old flag tell of brave deeds on land and sea, of heroic endurance, of sublime self-sacrifice. It

PATRIOTISM.

BY EDWARD HYATT.

AN patriotism be taught? Is the flag of use?

Certainly," would be my answer to both questions. No one who knows schools will hesitate for an instant in saying, "Yes." The teacher who understands children and who feels patriotism herself can create patriotism in her pupils-and she does, in a thousand ways. The sparkle of her eye, the expression of her face, her whole daily walk and conversation, her inflections, and her expressions, and her opinions in reading, in geography, in history,—these are the lessons that count; these are the things that change the little foreigners and the indifferent little Americans into loyal little citizens proud of their country, and anxious to prove their devotion.

But teaching patriotism is like teaching good morals. and gentle manners -- hard to do by set lessons at specified times, impossible to do by precept alone. The slightest cant, or hypocrisy, or insincerity is instantly detected by the keen-eyed youngster, and the whole lesson falls flat. I know nothing more dreadful than perfunctory lessons on would-be patriotism-a longdrawn-out, hopeless dragging of uninterested children through a flag-drill, or a memory exercise, or a lengthy ceremony that is too hard or too long, or that is not felt! Whatever happens, we must not make our children tired of patriotism or disgusted at our lessons. They must be short, sharp, decisive, heartfelt, genuine! And as for the flag-yes, indeed, let us use it! I have driven far and wide over the plains, and hills, and valleys, and mountains of Riverside county, and I have seen in all its length and breadth no sight so fine, so free, so inspiring, as the rich folds of our national banner floating over the district schoolhouse. Many a time, as I have gained some overlooking eminence, I have gazed long upon the silent schoolhouse with the red-white-and-blue waving bravely over it, an object lesson in patriotism to young and old alike in all the country round; for, when an American sees the Stars and Stripes waving in the breeze, his whole being is aroused, and the spark of patriotism dormant in his heart is kindled into a flame. Who has not, upon seeing our flag run aloft, filling, and rising, and falling in the free winds of heaven--who has not felt his breast swell with proud emotion, his eyes fill with gateful tears at being an American? What can be more beautiful, more inspiring, more appropriate than to have the colors flying over Victoria, over Moreno, over San Jacinto, Temecula, and every other school in all this fair country?

Jones, of Franklin, of Lincoln, of Grant, of many another name that America must never forget! It tells of suffering at Valley Forge, of victory on Lake Erie, of bravery on a hundred fields. Never will we find so poetic, so striking a way to bring our country's history before the minds of our citizens! Who will not be the better for dwelling on the pure and noble lives brought up by the fluttering folds of "Old Glory"?

Fling the flag to the breeze! Let us resolve together that the American flag shall go up over every school represented in this assemblage to-day! And let us resolve that we will do more than that; that we will make it felt in the minds and hearts of the boys and girls the republic has entrusted to us-the boys and girls of today-but the citizens of to-morrow.

D

TEACHING PATRIOTISM.

BY LOUISE WILBUR.

OUBTLESS, patriotism is one of the most important of the innumerable virtues we as teachers are in duty bound to inculcate. And the question at once arises, How shall it be done? Will a flag floating over every schoolhouse, and its daily salute by our pupils, with the singing of our national airs accomplish the desired result? Emphatically, No,-though all these are well enough. What a relief from responsibility it would be, if we could administer to our pupils a pellet of patriotism each morning in the shape of a salute or a "gem," and feel that their love of country was sufficiently stimulated and nourished, and there our duty ended! But it takes more than such homoeopathic doses of sentiment to make of a child a true lover of his country. His regular diet, morning, noon, and night, should be patriotism. Every lesson should go toward making him a better citizen.

What does it signify that he should loudly proclaim, "I give my head, my hand, my heart to my country "'! If his country had regard for its own welfare, many times the gift would be declined with thanks. She has no use for empty heads, for idle or mischievous hands, for hearts who love what is impure and evil. There are enough of such already. Let it be our first duty so to influence these hearts, that they will love what is good and pure, to train these hands that they may be of use, to educate these heads that they may be able to discriminate, to control, to reason.

The child who goes from your school with a respect for labor, a spirit of reverence, and a habit of self-control, will not be lured by the red flag of the anarchist, nor will he be found among the "Weary Walkers " and "Wandering Willies." He who has learned, through his geography and history, something of what

our country is what it has cost, what opportunities and advantages it offers, as compared with others,he who has a reason for the faith that is in him, will be a good citizen, whether the muscle of his right arm involuntarily contracts at sight of the stars and stripes

or not.

Let us avoid giving the impression that being a patriot necessarily means fighting for one's country. The Jingo spirit is too strong already in Young America; but it is so much easier to interest him in bloodcurdling accounts of battles, than it is to make him. realize that it is his duty to mind his own business and get his lesson.

When we teach the national airs-and every child should be familiar with them, let us at least endeavor to have them sung with understanding as well as spirit. How soul-inspiring it must be to sing, 'Thy banners make tyranny tremble," when tyranny means to the child that they were crying because they had to fight." And, alas! that "America" should ever inspire a child with the question, "Mamma, why do they call our country a V? Is it like a V? what they sing at school

"My country, 'tis a VOf V I sing."

That's

WHY WE SHOULD TEACH CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

IN

BY J. D. SWEENEY, TEHAMA, CAL.

"A great nation is made only by worthy citizens."-C. D. WARNER. N the art of photography the artist blends a number of negatives of different persons into one. The result is a composite photograph, resembling no one of the original, yet having the most prominent characteristics of all. Such is the American nation: to-day, American; yesterday, English, Scotch, Irish, Welsh, Swede, Latin, and Teuton. Wrought into a new composite type are the stern Puritan, the thrifty German, the hardy Swiss, the gay Frenchman, the adventurous Norseman, and the impulsive Irishman. The result is the nervous, rustling, energetic, good-natured, independent American-a surprise to the easy-going, slow old countries, ever moving from place to place, with a constant hope of a future never realized.

Into this restless mass is poured yearly thousands of children from foreign lands and of parents bred under the shadow of monarchy, who understand not our laws and customs. These enter our schools, and we, as teachers, must prepare them to become Americans. Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army. The teacher must sow the seeds of loyalty, fidelity, and patriotism in the hearts of these little foreigners, as well as of countless little natives that shall be reaped in a harvest of loyal American citizens.

patriotic teaching than at present, when there are rumors of wars abroad. The spirit of '61 that triumphantly bore the Stars and Stripes through that awful struggle has almost passed away. The veterans are few in number. A new generation has taken the place of the old, and to train these to understand patriotism is our duty. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." To realize this end, we must make our pupils familiar with our history and with the principles of our Government. The boys of to-day will be the rulers of to-morrow, and we must lead them to realize that the highest type of government, as worked out by ages of thought and experience, is these United States"the government of the people, for the people, and by the people."

Never in the history of man has been seen such a throng of brilliant intellects, such self-sacrificing patriots, as those who laid the foundation of our nation and those who ably aided in rearing the noble structure of to-day. The names of Washington, Lincoln, Franklin, and Jefferson shall live down the ages and shall ever cause the free American heart to thrill in patriotic admiration of these noble heroes--" the first representing virtue in politics; the second, humanity in politics; the third, good sense in politics; the fourth, democracy in politics."

Study the necessity and progress of political parties as well as of vital questions. We need more citizens who are literal politicians, rather than partisans. “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman, of the next generation." Our ideal citizen is a master, not a slave. Hence blind partisanship with the mottoes "Our party, right or wrong," and "To the victors. belong the spoils," is incompatible with true Americanism. The immortal Clay and Webster are true types of our ideal with these utterances: "I would rather be right than President," and "I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American." Let us then be Democrats, Republicans, Prohibitionists, or Whigs; but first and always Americans.

Besides the general facts about our Government which all citizens should know, there are open questions upon which public opinion is divided which, yet unsettled, should be familiar to our intelligent voters. Among these are tariff, protection, prohibition, woman suffrage, government control of railroads, and national education. Discuss impartially both views of such. questions. Lead pupils to see why law is necessary, and that all good comes from the conformity to law of some kind-physical, moral, social, or divine; that all evil is the result of breaking law. Discuss the primal conditions that led to the first laws. Do not enter into minute details in grammar grades.

While showing the superiority of our form of government, do not neglect to notice its defects and failThe pupils will be future statesmen, and may

ures.