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▸ objects were intended to be accomplished by this ; to enable the student to use clear, vigorous, apate, and elegant language in conversation and in g; secondly, that he might enjoy literature as a of interpreting the thoughts, the feelings, and >wer of the greatest writers, and to look at the ms of life and destiny as others viewed them. A Better Way.

ore one can write with any degree of success, 1 points must be mastered, and these things I now proceed to explain. It has been previously oned that the usual method is to assign subjects, ps the same subject to a class of from twenty to oys and girls, and they are directed to read up, p, and fill up from various sources, and then to this unassimilated mass of crude ideas, faulty arment, flabby construction, and weak expression on sheets of paper, and label it an essay or a compoThe teacher takes the literary performance to om and blue pencils it, and in due time returns it author for him to contemplate in silence and his vretchedness, but the chances are that he will consider it seriously, and certainly not thru acher's eyes. Suppose this process be reversed, at the first step be an exposition of how to collect al for a composition, and how this material should uped under the one heading of Material or Ideas: he kinds of material that seem to be closely reshould be grouped under appropriate sub-headings. one is collecting material his mind should be trated upon this species of work exclusively, and uld search intelligently and industriously for such and arrange them so that they can be easily reto when needed. Suppose now that one has red all the material needed, perhaps more, he next give his entire attention to assorting and reg whatever may not be appropriate for the presscussion. The selected portions that are used now be arranged, and the order of arrangement is pon which the writer must balance many things. snow to consider especially his hearers or readers; to put the strongest arguments and how one paraor topic should support and strengthen what is to e or to follow it, and how connections or transiare to be made, and, above all things else, to make beginning and an impressive and strong endingtwo ideas apply to the sentence, the paragraph, apter, or the essay. The question of just how to material after it has been collected, is perhaps st test of the literary judgment that can be given. rds a wide scope for the full exercise of one's taste, kill, and literary insight. The material must be ly proportioned by giving to each paragraph, or ad, its due space, weight, and position. These are preliminary, and each should be worked out ail by the teacher drilling the pupils thoroly, ely considered, on one step at a time till it is masThere now remains another factor, after the · has been arranged and tabulated on slips of

Chose rules, regulations, suggestions, and

that are usually given in the best grammars for using the English language correctly, e effectively in the expression of thought, action. The very opposite plan is almos pursued from the one indicated. The pu finishing work at first, and out of this back he is expected to evolve a good rational syst sition writing. It is very much as if one finishing a house before material has bee the foundation laid, or the walls built, or parts of the framework fastened, to one and all things else the pupil should be trained plan a composition, how to collect and ass how to put its parts together, and how to f acceptable manner. By proceeding along dicated the pupil will, I am persuaded, beg stand how to go about the business in a rational manner.

All these things must be basis than to spend four years on the wrong it is far better to have pupils begin work the pupil is made aware of as soon as hel college or university, and he is then thro out on his own resources to pick himself u and as gracefully as possible.

I have endeavored to state the problem and to suggest how it may be attacked and in detail by those of you engaged in teach and girls in our high schools how to talk an avoid confusion and contradiction, the pith cussion is to do the best thing at the right have the pupils write on subjects chiefly choosing.

(To be continued.)

Memorable Quotation

In the School-Room.

By EMILY CLARK WEBER, Californ

The judicious use of noble quotations i room is a simple and efficient means of givin impulse to the young lives under our ca words may be neatly written or printed as on the blackboard, or artistically arranged o letters and placed above it, and there rema as silent, uninsistent, but constant reminde

Some boys and girls resent that whi preaching; others hear it without heed they can be led to think over noble and bea ments, a good result must certainly come various devices for securing this attention.

One can have several maxims placed and let the class select which they will co memory books. A little conversation abou for the choice may become a lesson of worth. Again, the pupils may select wh memorize.

What can we do better than instil into thei of the best and truest words which have bee men? Certainly these thoughts will be rec years as an inspiration, a solace, or a wa the memorizing can be done joyously, a school-room task then its mission will be beneficent.

The school society or the class division. motto, with the opportunity of enthusi among good and true and beautiful" say

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-BYRON.

-P. T. BARNUM.

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-EMERSON

-TENNYSON.

-LONGFELLOW.

nothing more than do11 whatever you do,LONGFELLOW.

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-COLERIDGE.

è future."

-ZOROASTER.

the rounds of love to -WHITTIER.

-KINGSLEY.

noney as his time." -HORACE MANN.

meneas of teaching geography.

It is now well understood that the observing and imagining faculties are most acute in the primary grades, the memorizing faculty in the lower grammar grades, and the reasoning faculty in later years; accordingly, those phases of the subject that most closely correspond with the predominating faculty are recommended for corresponding grades; the child is led by means of his observational power to familiarity with forms and forces within his environment. He commences with what is nearest his interests and proceeds gradually toward what is remote. When he reaches beyond what he can observe the imagining faculty is actively prominent and by means of pictures (the picture is always next best to the object itself), conversations, experiment, and manual processes, and from his understanding of facts and principles gathered by observing his environment he is led to a concept of distant geographical forms and to the forces at work upon them.

From a study of a mound in the school-yard he can be led to visualize the distant mountains and to understand the natural forces at work upon it.

The stream by the roadside furnishes all of the fundamental principles necessary for an understanding of the phenomenon of the distant river. True, when the child comes to see the mountain or the river for the first time, many surprises will await him, but fewer than if a gradual mental growth had not been provided.

If, in early youth, the child forms a general concept of geographic facts, forms, and processes, that concept will be the foundation of a constantly growing superstructure, which will, in turn, be the foundation for a greater growth that has no limit. The distant thing, when finally seen, will simply enlarge the gradually and normally developing idea.

He will, by this process, approach each phase of the subject with keen intellectual enjoyment, and he will be enabled to apply his knowledge of facts and principles to every-day life with understanding and with little trouble.

Altho there has been marked improvement in the anything beautiful. instruction given in geography in the school during the last decade much more may be accomplished to better the condition. From hundreds of schools I have visited I have been led to conclude that the foundation work in the lower grades is done too loosely and unsystematically. The child is too often allowed to go alone in his observing and imagining and thereby forms narrow and erratic judgments. These insufficient ideas remain with him as steadfastly as would correct ones and he proceeds to build his superstructure on an unstable foundation.

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Foundations of Geography.

A well systematized course of nature study and ele-
mentary science in the primary grades will do much
toward laying a good foundation for geography.

The subject is as broad as the earth itself; it is the
subject which treats of the earth as the home of man. It
is closely related to all the natural sciences. When we
are studying the heavenly bodies we are studying astron-
omy, but the moment we see any relation between the
heavenly bodies and Iman's life we have touched upon
one phase of astronomy that is geographical.
name it geographical astronomy or astronomical geogra-
phy or one phase of mathematical geography or what-
ever else we choose-the correlation exists.

We may

When we study the strata that make up the earth's crust we are studying geology, but when we see the rock layers crumbling into soil, when we dig into the

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ences nave uneir corresponding relations.

Correlation with History and Other Studies.

graphy correlates also with history. An event e recorded as historical, but it had a geographical and was more or less affected by geographical con3. Geography furnishes material also for lanexercise and vocabulary building in the primary . From this we see that geography is a broad t and demands broad handling. Moreover, I behat every phase of it should be started in the lower . Hitherto, we have usually left physical geogrand other branches of the subject to the high and college and thus sprung them upon the indiin all of their intricacies, expecting him to unnd them without that foundation building so necto normal and healthful development.

more rational way is to plant the seed of all phases subject in the lower grades and keep the growth uous and well balanced, so that, when the child to the high school or goes out into life he will n all-round symmetrical related knowledge of the as the home of man, which knowledge shall be a ng basis for higher attainments and for practical

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Relation to above.

Interdependence of people.

ill be a good mental discipline for the teacher to pt the placing of different phases in the right catWe suggest that every teacher make from this tline for herself, which shall include all grades, first to high school. Even tho she have the of outlines to follow she should make one which be adaptable to her grade. The conditions of no rades of the same city are exactly similar. It folthen, that each teacher should make an outline able to her children and the condition under she is teaching. In doing so she may, of course, the general plan of work suggested by the course dy. Certainly teachers, who have no course of should make an outline.

excellent plan, and perhaps the best one, is to ge a program for each year in columns-one column ch school month-and in the column suggest the that can best be accomplished in that month. If st grade teacher will see that every phase of the herein given is started in the first grade, and the and third grade teacher will provide a further hought out and systematized development of the phases there will be little trouble when the child up the study of geography as such.

each year, which snail provide for all-round healthful growth. It will be found helpfu gether the best outlines and also as many as a basis of reconstruction. These usually cured from any school which has adopted asking and a postage stamp. We have no and importance of each teacher making her an outline here, for we fully realize the edu hope that the suggestions herein containe some to see the advantage of such applicat suggest a method of procedure. Having th outline before her the teacher will find it he down all of the activities by which the sul may be presented to the children, for instan be developed by means of

1. Field work (out of doors).

2. Observation lessons (in the house).
3. Conversations.
4. Experiments.
5. Memory gems.
6. Songs.

7. Games.

8. Picture reading and making. 9. Map reading and making. 10. Stories.

11. Text-study.

12. Supplementary reading, etc.

See if you can think of other activities a which geography may be taught. If the thought out and worked over it will much fa teacher's power of adaptability. It will as comprehending the scope of the subject to plete list of the correlating branches, i. e., botany, geology, etc., and of the different ph subject, i. e., mathematical, physical, politic cial, etc. If she will find a few illustration they will give her an appetite for more and s herself developing as fast and joyously as t in this large and most interesting subject.

Simple Experiments to Illustrate Formati

The experiment of freezing water by its o tion is more often described than performed ceeds only with an unusually good air pun ple experiment can be made with melted ca temperature required to freeze the camphor low, besides, the experiment is very showy, hibited to a large number of people at once, easy to perform. Prof. W. P. White, of the of Wisconsin, gives the following direction slight diminution of pressure brings the b below the freezing point, so that if a flask o of melted camphor be connected to an air but one or two strokes taken, the liquid will the reduced pressure, and almost immediatel a bulky, porous, solid mass, puffed up by the was coming off during the act of solidificatio

By heating the camphor under diminished ing pressure it is easy to change at will fro tion to distillation. If a cold rod is thrust tube in which camphor is boiling, the cool the upper part of the tube condenses on sparkling crystals, like frost, while lower dow ter vapor is condensing to liquid. In fac may be made to illustrate not only the appe the true cause of formation of frost, snow, in its pleasant odor, it has an advantage over

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corners.

9. Draw the diagonals of this inner square.

10. On each diagonal, half an inch from center of square, place a dot.

11. Draw, in heavy lines, a square of which these dots shall be corners.

12 Strengthen all lines connecting the central square with the 3-inch square.

13. Strengthen the sides of 3-inch square for a distance of inch from each corner.

14. Find the square that is second in size. Into how many parts is each side divided? Strengthen the outer thirds of

each, leaving the middle light.

15. Shade all of the 3-inch square that is free of the other figures.

16. Outside of the 3-inch square draw another in heavy lines, so as to leave a space of inch between.

17. Now copy your drawing carefully, using ruler.

It is a good plan to have the pupils finally design original patterns and have a wall exhibit at which they may vote upon the best designs and give reasons for their preference.

September 26 will be school day at the Fall fair held under the auspices of the Agricultural Society of Queens-Nassau counties at Mineola, L. I. An interesting educational exhibit has been arranged, and the school children will be admitted free.

Dr. James A. Cooley, the well-known school commissioner, has asked THE SCHOOL JOURNAL to announce that the Nassau County Institute will be held October ith lower dot on left 20-24, at Great Neck, on the North Side railroad, instead of at Glen Cove, as announced by the schedule issued from the State Department, at Albany.

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nt suggestion for their classes.

eral years ago a gentleman in Ohio took me to his y home. From his door I noticed a hill of considsize on a flat meadow. My friend told me that this i was the work of the mound builders of early Amhistory. Their work was done by hand. Looking t mound I thought that ant hills were even more rful than this work of man. They are much largnpared with their builders, than the Indian mounds. to the ant, thou sluggard," is poor advice to the nan, for it requires hard study to learn the ways ant. We usually think the biggest things in the are found near our own homes, so when a friend d me to go to see larger ant hills than I had ever anywhere before, I was inclined to hesitate in acg his invitation; but when he told me that he and cCook were going out to study the ants I immey decided to go with them. I would break stones Dr. McCook. I am always glad to do any work the man who knows more about a subject than ther man knows.

found on a patch of land of fifteen or twenty a great number of active and deserted mounds. k exactly of sizes. The hills were generally cirin shape. The largest one was fourteen feet long, eet wide, and thirty-one inches high.

John Lubbock tells us that ants do not hear s that we hear. I experimented on them with a -dant bicycle whistle, and found that the little ures paid no attention to its shrill noise. They ɔt even come out of their mounds. Then I patted e hill and they came out and immediately began xing me. They have two little horny jaws which from side to side. A tender spot on my finger he chief point of attack. One would bite me and deposit formic acid from glands at the extremity e abdomen, on the spot he had bitten. Frank Iton Cushing, who lived and studied among the ns was often mistreated by them, but he says he red more from being placed naked on an ant hill he ever did from hunger or thirst.

our study we took a saw and cut down thru a hill. half of the floor between the galleries was exposed. e galleries are built in wet weather and extend as elow the ground as above it.

find out what they would eat we threw down the 8 from our lunch. They would not touch cold roast Ham fat proved to be an attraction. A pear core soon hidden by their black forms. But a large pillar drew them more than anything we could give

e naturalist has said that he found two quarts of in one hill. From their home well marked ant ways led. These were followed to oak trees. Tracheir paths up the trees it was found that they led e underside of leaves where the ant-cows or lice feeding. These lice secrete a sweet substance, ed by scientists, honey dew. The ants would get belouse and tickle him with his feelers until the antgave off the sweet food for the insect. The ants d go thus from one to another of the lice until their tites were satisfied.

How to Study Ants.

you study ants at home keep them as nearly as posin their natural conditions. Take a board and cut tter about it near its edge. Then lay a sheet of glass he island thus formed. Around the edge of this make nce of small strips of glass. Inside the fence scatter

for without them ants feel no responsibili Their mental equipment is the first thing to and we must observe this by the manner in use their senses. Try first their sense of hea a grain of sugar near the ants, make as m you please, and the insect will not move. T clusion to which one can then come is that distinguish sounds audible to the human ear the sense of sight. Altho an ant is well s eyes he cannot see any more than to distingu light and dark. Many insects seem to be ston taste is remarkable in its power of discrimina is his greatest gift. By this sense he re members of his own colony, no matter wh come upon them. An ant in a strange co torn to pieces. Cover an ant with a solu any odor and place him in his own colony is sealed.

There is more warmth in the dark of th trum than there is in the bright colors. Th imperceptible to the human eye. Place a ultra violet shades, which tan us but do n nerves and the heat drives the ant wild. have sense of which we know nothing.

T

In closing, Dr. Schmucker recited the story told the famous naturalist, of the ant which was fed on in whisky. Soon his six legs were deplorably mi nally he fell in a drunken stuper. His companion body up, smelled it, carried it to the edge of t threw him in.

A Resemblance.

By MARGARET L. COLLINS, Pennsylvan
The school-room was quiet save for the no
Of pencils, as over the slates they flew ;
The school had a visitor that day-
The superintendent had come to stay
A short time, to see the tots at their work
And no one seemed inclined to shirk,
But each was trying his best to do,
When the teacher noticed one little maid
Whose gaze from the lesson before her st
To the visitor's face, and lingered there;
Little maid Marian, the pride of the schoo
Who never had disobeyed a rule.
There she sat as one entranced,

Till the guest, conscious of her childish st
Laid his hand gently on her golden hair
And looking at the eager, upturned face,
Kindly asked. "What is it, my little girl'
Caressing the while a golden curl.
Then with breathless voice and cheeks glo
"Please, sir, I've the nicest grandpa !
And you look just like him!" the little o

THE SCHOOL JOUR

NEW YORK, CHICAGO, and BOSTO Is a weekly journal of educational progress for superir cipals, school officials, leading teachers, and all others w plete account of all the great movements in education. 1870 it is in its 33rd year. Subscription price, $2 a ye professional journals THE SCHOOL JOURNAL is sent to s specially ordered to be discontinued and payment is ma From this office are also issued three monthliesINSTITUTE, THE PRIMARY SCHOOL, and EDUCATIONAI (each $1.00 a year,) presenting each in its field valuable teachers of all grades, the primary teacher and the educɛ also OUR TIMES (current history for teachers and school 50c. a year. A large list of teachers' books and aids is pu others kept in stock, of which the following more import published:

KELLOGG'S TEACHERS' CATALOG. 144 large pages, des trates our own publications,-free.

KELLOGG'S ENTI RTAINMENT CATALOG. Describes the literature, over 700 titles,-free. KELLOGG'S NEW CENTURY CATALOG.

Describes and

the leading pedagogical books of all publishers. A uniq list 2c. Send all orders to the New York office. Book periodicals may be examined at our Chicago (266 Wa Boston (116 Summer St.) offices. Send all subscriptions office. E. L. KELLOGG & CO., Educational ] 61 East Ninth Stre

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