macadamize it, and remove all unnecessary obstacles; he will not create difficulties for the mere sake of trying the strength of his pupils, nor tax their endurance for the purpose of inculcating patience and humility. The little, pedantic mind delights itself in trifling with difficulties and in making difficulties of trifles; the superior mind invests every subject with its own comprehensiveness and logical simplicity. A good teacher never darkens counsel by words, or obtrudes the intricacies of a subject for the purpose of exhibiting his own power.

Why has mathematics hitherto been considered too difficult for ordinary boys to understand? Simply because some Pons Asinorum is thrown in their way at an early stage of their progress; because abstract propositions are taught apart from their application; and because, in place of having to learn the simple fundamental laws of quantity, the boy is required to deal with symbols involved with roots. upon roots and operations within operations. You may as well teach boys history from Lingard, grammar from Horne Tooke, or drawing from the cartoons of Raphael, as attempt to teach them geometry from Euclid, or arithmetic and algebra from some learned work, which professes to be at once a class-book of the university and a manual of the schoolroom.

No man will teach a subject thoroughly if he restricts himself to the use of a particular class-book, more especially if it be a so-called perfect class book, for a complete work upon any subject is certainly not the best book to begin with. Alas for education if ever the examinations of our schools and training colleges should be based upon an invariable order of text-books! Under such an arrangement education would become a recognized system of cramming; a prescribed amount of knowledge would be got up, no matter by what means, provided the end should be attained. We hold that examinations should test the development of power, rather than the acquisition of knowledge; but such a plan of examination would ignore this development. The mind filled with knowledge in this way has been compared to a well-filled granary, but bears no resemblance to the fruitful field which multiplies a hundred-fold that which is thrown upon it.

This overweening attachment to text-books, and to a so-called thorough education, leads to the neglect of general knowledge as well as of the development of power.* Its tendency is to confine general edu

*"I hold that sort of teaching to be in the highest degree immoral which crams the heads of our children with the unusable pages of text-books, and leads them to suppose they are gaining real knowledge."--F. W. PARKER, in "Talks on Teaching."

cation within very narrow limits, and to restrict elementary instruction to the mere rudiments of knowledge. It gives us the dry bones of the body of education, without the flesh, and the warm blood, and the vital principle-the principle of intellectual and moral life, of growth and development. Instead of cramming his pupils with all the minute details of a subject, the truly methodical teacher will rather seek to develop in them a power of working out the details of a subject for themselves; he has a far sublimer object in view than the slavish adhesion to the cut-and-dried forms of a text-book; he may not teach any particular science thoroughly in all its technical details, but he seeks to effect a far higher end-to develop in them that power which may, at some future period, not merely enable them to know a science, but to create a science. The drudgery connected with the details of some departments of knowledge often exercises an unhealthy influence upon the mind; for example, the committing to memory long catalogues of words, the exact dates of historical events, the lengths and breadths of countries, etc., tend to stultify the intellect of the pupil, and to withdraw him from the contemplation of more interesting facts and principles.

It must, however, be admitted that if a boy is to remain only a short period at school, he had better learn a little well than a great deal badly; the first rudiments of knowledge, comprising reading, writing, and arithmetic, should, above all things, be fairly learned by him before he leaves school; for a knowledge of these first rudiments becomes to him the great instrument of future development and acquisition.

One of the most obvious, and probably one of the most simple, means of teaching a subject thoroughly, is by repetition.-Tate's Philosophy of Education.

A Model School.

By SUPT. C. W. SPRINGER, Webster county, Nebraska.

AN IDEAL SCHOOL.

Our model school is an ideal one to some extent, and ought to be while improvement and progress are the watchwords. It is a neat school-house, pleasantly located, and thoroughly furnished, making it a home for the teachers and pupils. At the opening of the term

everything is found in its proper place, the children are clean, hair and clothing neatly arranged; they take the seats assigned them by the teacher pleasantly; every convenience for a thorough ventilation of the room has been provided; the small children sit on the seats suited to their size and comfort; pupils are taught how to keep the air in their room at its proper temperature; the teacher oversees and controls everything quietly, yet with a firm hand. At least once a month, a physician whose judgment can be relied upon, visits each room and inquires into the sanitary condition of the school and reports to the school board his approval or recommendation for changes to be made. Outbuildings are carefully watched that no obscene writing is found or nuisances committed upon the premises, and disinfectants are freely used at proper times. Parents send their children to school properly clothed and instructed to avoid those things detrimental to health, as wet feet, damp clothing, etc.

OPENING OF SCHOOL.

As there is a proper place for everything, so there is a proper time for everything-opening and closing, studying and reciting, leaving the seat or asking questions. Our school does not open in the morning at half-past nine or ten o'clock, and close at three, or at some time when a friend calls, anxious to take us out riding, but at regular and stated hours. Every pupil understands this and aims to be prompt, or brings a proper excuse. The opening exercises consist of the reading of some portion of Scripture from which the teacher impresses some moral lessons of benevolence, kindness, truth, sobriety, etc., or by singing by the school, or both. Sectarian instruction as such is carefully avoided, but the great moral truths that regulate humanity and make men's lives more beautiful, good, and true are zealously promulgated.

WHAT SHALL BE TAUGHT.

The teacher is now ready to impart instruction. We will not discuss the preparation, qualification, and character of the teacher, suffice it to say he or she is deemed qualified to conduct our model school. Now, what shall be taught? A smattering of arithmetic, grammar, geography, and reading? We say emphatically, NO! A young lady in the east returned from boarding school, and related the sum of her accomplishments to a gentleman friend, when he retorted with more truth than was flattering to the young lady's

vanity: "Yes, a little French, a little music, a little German, and you know nothing of either." John Stuart Mill said, "The aim of all intellectual training for the mass of the people should be to cultivate common sense." We are to leave those things we have no time to teach; and, whatever the special branch of investigation, we are to pursue that long enough to give us power to comprehend it, and a breadth of thought to enable us to grapple with other things for ourselves. Not how many problems solved, how many pages of grammar recited, but how much power of mind has been attained, i. e., how much have the perceptive faculties been developed, how much have the reasoning powers been increased, and how strong are the retentive faculties. These are the great things to be sought after, and to be found in our model school.

THE RECITATION.

The teacher assigns a lesson, not long, but one of which the pupil already has some comprehension; but if not sufficient, then the teacher by a series of questions or explanations so leads the mind of the pupil that he can get a clear idea of the subject and its relation to what has gone before. This calls forth the judgment of the teacher, but our teacher is equal to the emergency, and says the right word at the right time, leaving the pupil encouraged to investigate for himself, and he begins to study. We confine our study. for the present to knowledge derived from books, so that we assume that we have a uniformity, and are as near what we need as the times allow.

So that having begun within our comprehension, we go on from the "known to the unknown," taking but one thing at a time, and thoroughly mastering that in its related order to other things, endeavoring to fix it in the memory, in such a manner that the next thought shall not crowd it out, but complement and broaden it, with the whole attention fixed, and the world shut out for the time. That is study!

Five objects may be noticed as making a perfect recitation: First, testing the pupil's knowledge of the subject under consideration; secondly, illustrating and proving his statements; thirdly, an opportunity for the teacher to give further information on the subject; fourthly, to correct any errors that may have arisen in the mind of the child; fifthly, preparing for future study. Manner and position of teacher is worth a great deal. In Germany a teacher does not sit during the recitation, or hold a book in his hand. Use the black

board freely for everything. Require pupils to speak distinctly. Induce your pupils to think, then to express their thoughts clearly. Let definitions and rules be recited with exactness, other matters in the pupil's own language. In questioning, let the teacher be care. ful not to recite the lesson for the pupil.

PERSONAL INTEREST.

Give individual attention to each pupil, and thus develop every power possible; the human mind is not a cup to be filled to the brim and then hold no more, but it is a bud, continually unfolding and expanding, and like the fish, growing as long as it exists. Let us then strive to develop the faculties, rather than store the mind with isolated facts.

EXAMINATIONS

may be held regularly, but not too far apart. If a pupil has five recitations a day (which are too many for ordinary pupils) let one of them be specially devoted to examination, four advance lessons and one review during the week. If the work is written, then let everything be examined, and the pupil's attention called to his mistakes, also his good points in the work, and in some cases let the review be reviewed and fully corrected. Never allow an examination paper to pass without this care.

MEMORY EXERCISES

should be frequent; select passages from authors of merit may be recited each day. This will fill the pupil's mind with good thoughts and ennoble his actions. The boy who learns that "It is faith in something and an enthusiasm after something that makes life worth looking after," has gained a wonderful stride toward true manhood.

Use drill tables in addition every day in every department of the school to develop rapidity and accuracy. It is wonderful what a three months' course will bring out in this respect.

A WORD TO PARENTS.

Parents should learn that reading in the fourth reader before the child is fitted for a third reader is detrimental to his progress, and so in other studies. They should also remember their own failings in the government of their families; they have time to think, and whether they punish or not affects but one; the teacher must act often