THE "INDEX," this year, appears to its readers in a slightly different dress. Instead of publishing it as a paper by itself, the Senior classes have decided to co-operate with the editors of The Pacific Coast Teacher," and, henceforth, they will spend all their latent energies in making "THE TEACHER," combined with the INDEX, the leading educational journal on this coast. The INDEX Department should fully represent the Normal; and careful, accurate accounts of the work done here, will, without doubt, be gratefully received by many a former fellow-student. Those interested in the welfare of the INDEX should not feel that the paper has gone from them or from the school. It has simply spent the vacation tailoring, and is ready to appear before its readers in garments, bright and new. AMONG the surprises in store for returning Normalites, was the notice of the marriage of Miss Mary J. Titus, our former preceptress, to E. H. Hazelton of Philadelphia. Although the ceremony took place at the residence of Mr. Irving Fish, Martinez, Calif., the newly wedded couple intend to make San Jose their future home. Mrs. Hazelton has been connected with the Normal since 1872, where her work, both as a teacher and as a kind and generous friend, has left its impress of strength and nobility on many minds. The pupils of the school unite in extending to Mrs. Hazelton, their very best wishes. SINCE our good-byes last June, many changes have taken place in the Normal. A number of old faces are missing from the faculty and new ones are seen in their stead. Miss Bethell's position is being filled, during her five months leave of absence, by Miss Hamilton, a graduate of the Los Angeles Normal and also of the State University. As Miss Titus has resigned, Mrs. George is now our preceptress, and the position formerly held by her in the Training School, is filled by Miss English, who has, for two years, been inspectress of the San Francisco schools. Miss Mackinnon is not entirely new to us since she has taught here before, as a substitute. She is now a regular member of the faculty. Mr. Addicott, our new instructor in manual training, is also known to some of us. He is a graduate of this school, and has spent a year at St. Louis, studying the branch of work which he is, at present, engaged in teaching. IN rearranging the rooms of the building, the reading room has been transferred from F to O; Miss Walker's room from C to D, and Prof. Holway's from O to F. Room 54, a spacious apartment in the basement, is now the work-shop. It is fitted with pigeon holes, large enough and sufficiently numerous to allow each student a place for his work. The chemical laboratory is very attractive with its new paint and glass cases. These, however, are only an earnest of the improvements that are to come, and every day brings us tantalizing whispers of that new gymnasium which is soon to be built, and for which we have so long been wishing. THE plans for the new Training School have been drawn, and are already accepted by the Board of Trustees, and also by the authorities at Sacramento. Work on the building will commence within six weeks, and the present Middle A's will undoubtedly do their Senior teaching in the new schoolhouse, which is to be a handsome edifice of two stories and a basement. The plan shows sixteen recitation rooms and two assembly halls. Eight recitation rooms and one assembly hall on each floor. Additional rooms on the first floor are to be used for Kindergarten purposes. Student teachers surrounded by modern conveniences shall be enabled to accomplish work that at present is impossible. SCIENTIFIC. THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIFE. scientists, the first form of animal life was, undoubtedly, a creature made up of cells closely resembling the Amoeba, our lowest form of life. This "Dawn-animal" existed in Archæan Time when the temperature of the earth must have been very great; this is shown by its fossilized remains being found in the original Vshaped continent of North America. This creature marks the beginning of the growth of animal life on our earth. Plants probably existed before animals, as they can live at a higher temperature, but both plants and animals were aquatic, the former belonging entirely to the Algae or sea-weed type. After the "Dawn-animal," the next forms of animal life were Radiates, Mollusks and Articulates. Of the latter, the Trilobite was the earliest species; it was a strange looking animal having its body divided into three lobes. To these invertebrates are added, in the Lower Silurian Age, the scorpion and a few insects-the first land animals on record, although the sea was filled with low forms of life. In the latter part of the Upper Silurian Age, there appeared something entirely new in the way of animal life, the first of the vertebrates-several species of fishesbut these were much smaller than the other forms of life in that age. The Devonian Age was filled with forms of beauty in both animal and plant life. Brilliant corals and polyps filled the sea, while fishes of many hues swam among countless varieties of bright-colored sea-weed. There is probably nothing in the study of Geology more interesting to all classes of people, than the development of life, as indicated by the fossils found in the rocks of the earth. From the highly cultured, scientific scholar to the most ignorant coal-miner, all are excited at the discovery of a fossil in a mass of underground rock. Even the child has a deep interest in anything relating to pre-historic man, and prizes his collection of arrow-heads and ancient implements as treasures of great worth. According to the opinions of the best gives us comfort, and conveniences as The Carboniferous, or as the name indicates, coal-bearing Age next appeared, with its vast forests of tree ferns, pines and rushes. This Age is very important as it is from the fossilized remains of these ancient buried forests that we obtain most of the artificial heat which well as moves our ponderous machinery. In the words of Dawson, they "treasured up for our long winter nights the Paloozic sunshine, and established for us those store-houses of heat-giving material which works our engines and propels our ships and carriages" The land animals now began to develop rapidly, the snail and the scorpion being followed by reptiles, all of which had lungs, and were therefore of a higher order of life. Insect life was very abundant in this age, affording support for the fishes and reptiles. The order of Trilobites, which held so prominent a place in the preceding age, in this age is almost extinct, while other crustaceans that came into being almost at the same time prospered during this Age, and have continued to do so, until the present time, modified of course by the changing ages. Following the Carboniferous came the Permian Age, which was remarkable for its great upheavals and changes on the earth's surface, for the scarcity of its animal and plant life, and for its valuable mineral deposits. The greater part of the fauna of the preceding age, a few types excepted, was here destroyed by the disturbances on the earth; while plant life nearly all disappeared except the great tree ferns, forms of which have endured throughout the ages and are still found in the Tropics. We shall now consider a new epoch, the Mesozoic which differs from preceding ones in that, its fauna and flora were much more advanced than those of the preceding ages. It presented as the age It presented as the age advanced a marked variety of trees, resembling our pines and palms, and later a variety resembling our oaks, figs and walnuts: the latter being the earliest exogens of which we have any trace. From that time on to the present, our world has been decked with beautiful flowers and trees. The Jurassic Age of this era is called the Age of Reptiles, because at this time reptiles reached their highest development. They were found on land, in the sea, and in the air, and attained a great size, some being fifty feet long and ten feet in height. The reptiles of the air resembled birds in their structure, although they were furnished with teeth, and their wings were like those of a bat. The real birds, too, appeared in this age, and they, in turn, were somewhat like reptiles. The first Mammals appeared in Mesozoic Era, as little animals resembling the kangaroo and other Australian mammals of to-day. From this beginning has developed the class Mammalia, which has since reached so high a development The Tertiary Age, the first in the Mesozoic Era, is called the age of Mammals, because in this age were represented all the Mammalian types. The plants of this age are said to constitute more than three fourths of the present vegetation of the earth. At the beginning of the Quaternary Age, the climate of the northern hemisphere, which had been very changed to that of the present Arctic regions, and glacial action commenced in the mountainous regions. During this ice period many forms of vegetation were destroyed as were also those animals that could not change their habits or migrate to warmer climates. It is supposed by most scientists that the origin of man immediately followed the ice period, but no one is absolutely certain when his age began When man first came into existence, he lived in caves and, by his inventive powers, was able to make rude weapons to aid him in conquering the lower animals. Nature assisted him in his struggle for existence by introducing, at this time, the sheep and other useful animals, as well as the Rosacea order of plants, to which belong many of our common fruits. The Age of Man, the highest of the Creator's handiwork, is the last link in the Chain of Ages thus making the earth's history a grand harmonious whole. We cannot help thinking how aptly Hugh Miller quotes Dryden's words with respect to the Creation. "From harmony, from heavenly harmony This universal frame began, From harmony to harmony, through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapson closing full in Man." L. M. A. ASTRONOMICAL NOTES. Mercury is a morning star. It reaches greatest western elongation on September 28, rising then about an hour before sunrise-not quite far enough away to be easily seen. Venus is not in good position, being quite near the sun during the whole month. On the morning of the 18th, it changed from a morning to an evening star, but will probably be out of sight during the whole month. Mars is a morning star, rising about an hour and a half before the sun at the end of the month, but it is too faint to be conspicuous. Jupiter is in good position. It rises about an hour and a half before sunset. Saturn is a morning star, but is near the sun. The rings disappear on September 22, owing to the earth passing through the plane of the rings. They will reappear again on October 30, when the sun passes through the plane. From reports in our newspapers we have learned that there are five counties in the State that have the "first new high school." EDUCATIONAL. Ought Married Women be Allowed to Teach in the Public Schools. Among the questions of the day are some of special importance to educators. Pensioning of Public School Teachers" has been debated, and decided in the negative, and now like the return of migratory birds comes the old question, "Ought Married Women be Allowed to Teach in Our Public Schools!" Woman has been told from time immemorial that she has reached the summit of her ambition when she becomes a happy wife and mother. Perhaps this is true, but if, after she has married, she chooses to teach, to assist young minds to develop into beautiful characters, is she any the less capable for having watched the growth, and studied the needs of her own children? She knows a mother's love, and realizes to what an extent a mother's life is bound up in the welfare of her children, consequently, from this knowledge, from her love for her own children, and her loyalty to her country, she is better able to mould each little soul into a truly noble character. A single woman may be just as conscientious in her work, but she does not know human nature so well as a married woman. Most of her dealings have been with women, or if to any great extent with men, they have been in a purely business relation. "Married women should not desire a career." Why not? Men do not cease their attempt to climb the ladder of fame as soon as they marry. You say it is man's duty to work hard and support his family. So it is, but if he fails to do it for any reason, and the woman is particularly interested in any line of work, or has talent in any special direction, should. she lose all that interest, or hide her talents because she is married? The servants who used their talents to gain other talents were commended by the Master. The husband is away all day, or nearly all day, the children are in school, and the wife is left to her own devices. Nobody objects to her spending the time. with palette and brush, in writing if she has literary taste, or to her practicing four or five hours a day if she is musical, yet any one of these takes her mind from her family, and the result of the work may be, and often is, turned into money. Let us turn to the woman who has taught. She has been educated for a teacher, and enjoys teaching; but she is married. Instantly you lock the schoolhouse doors against her, and you say "She ought not to teach. We shall be encouraging her husband in his laziness, if we employ her," or "She should give her time to her family." In what does her case differ from the artist's, the author's, or the music-teacher's? Have you not the same right to say that these women support lazy husbands, or that their families need their attentions? It seems strange, in fact, a little unreasonable, to say that a woman who has taught school, or is capable of teaching, should have a family that requires so much more care than a dressmaker's, or milliner's, a glovemaker's, or a nurse's, a sales-woman's or a copyist's. Consider the statement "There are girls enough who have to support themselves, and the preference should be given to them." If you were building a fine residence would you employ an architect simply because he was poor, or a staff of carpenters because they have to earn a living? No. You would seek an architect that knew his business, and you would employ workmen that understood their trade. You would not accept a weak foundation, nor poor sanitary connections. Neither should you choose the builders of your children's characters for either of the above reasons. Consider the great amount of influence the teacher has over her pupils. One inopportune word may change the whole after life of your child. There is a saying that most men think more of their horses than of their children, and it seems true here. No man would think of giving a fine horse to the care of an incapable trainer, yet these same men act as if anybody would do to train their children. We country school-ma'ams have many anxieties as the last day of school approaches, trying to find something, simple and appropriate, for the little ones to do. Every parent naturally wishes to see his own child in some short exercise; and, as the pleasures of the people in the far away districts are few at best, it seems but right to have some form of entertainment at the close of school. The following is a little exercise that was prettily carried out a short time ago in our district; Arrange fifteen little girls, or boys, in a row. On each head place a cap made of bright tissue paper, with a tassel of the same, also a letter made of gilt paper on each cap, and let the fifteen caps spell, Last Day of School. |