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upon to supply its own teachers. In some places the greatest recommend a person can have is to live within the township or city.

All these evils and their attendant results comes in part from the personal responsibility of the officer and work harm to the schools. So it seems to me that all school officers would be pleased with some law that would relieve them personally. The teachers' wage law is such a step. I do not mean to say that our school system is in very serious condition. There is no doubt but there has been marked improvement in our schools and the teaching force during the last twenty years, and any institution that shows continued growth and improvement must be healthy. Neither do I expect the schools. to be revolutionized and become ideal in a few days or months. But if our improvement is to continue to be as constant and rapid in the future as in the past there must be some rational changes made that will insure a higher degree of efficiency in the teaching force. We can hardly read a school journal but this subject is presented for discussion and solutionshowing its importance in the minds of educators. Many solutions are presented. Some are urging the teachers to form into a union and so command the situation. Some believe in raising the standard of grades. Others believe that more stringent requirements in the way of schooling-high school, college and training, should be made.

Even this association, and numerous county institutes, pass resolutions for higher grades and more requirements in schooling.

These ideas, while of much advantage in their place, do not seem to me to get at the real problem.

A member of the last State Assembly 'sent to each county superintendent a letter in which he asked if the standard of teachers should be raised. I for one answered, "No; the standard is high enough if there be any grading of manuscripts." I have had county superintendents tell me that if they graded fairly closely they could not get teachers enough for their schools.

So it seems that what we need is not resolutions and regulations making higher averages and requirements as much as we need means to put into force the spirit of those already made. Our schools, I take it, will never reach the highest summit until there is some change that will insure certain qualities in the teaching force.

If possible some means should be found that would cause the schools to attract as teachers men and women who had completed their education at least through the high school and who expect to make the work a life profession. Do away with the idea that the schools are a stepping stone to something else-marriage, medicine, law, etc. To accomplish this

(1) Some measure should be employed that would insure a degree of permanency to the work. There is nothing that detracts more from the vocation of teaching than the temporary nature of the position. It is discouraging to a teacher who may be well prepared to have to hunt for a position all over a county and the adjoining counties because the township lines are drawn around the schools.

(2) Some means should be found to increase the official responsibility and lessen the personal responsibility of offi

cers.

(3) Merit should have the preference in positions.

I believe that it must be conceded that if there were permanency in the profession and if merit should regulate the appointments the problem would be mostly solved.

Of all the plans that have presented themselves to me there is one that has met with signal success in other departments of public work, and that is the civil service. There is no plan that would give permanency and at the same time give merit a chance as would a modified forin of the civil service. I shall not attempt to give the plan in law terms or be very particular with its arrangement, the aim being only to present the idea.

A law to this effect might be passed. The county auditor shall issue under his hand and seal the licenses and reports of

xaminations held and graded by the superintendent under certain rules and regulations, as follows:

(1) The superintendent shall provide for examination envelopes having in each a card for general questions and a number. The applicant shall take an envelope, ascertain the number, fill out the questions and seal up the envelope. At the close of the examination the envelopes shall be given to the keeping of the auditor.

(2) Manuscripts shall be numbered according to number in envelope and name of applicant not appear.

(3) Manuscript to be graded by superintendent, reports and licenses filled out and then given to the auditor, who shall open envelopes and fill in names according to numbers, and affix seal of his office.

(4) Superintendents shall from the enrollment of the examination make out and give to the auditor the grades of success of those who have taught, these to be filled in by auditor.

(5) After the results of the June examination are known the superintendent shall post in his office a list of all licenses, ranking them according to the general averages.

(6) If there be vacancies in the teaching force of the previous year in any corporation the trustee shall select from the ten highest unemployed in the list.

(7) If there be not licenses enough in the county the auditor and superintendent shall from the June examination issue certificates to those whose averages were nearest to license, these to receive minimum wage salary.

(8) The manuscripts shall be open to inspection to all in the superintendent's office.

Other conditions might be or rather should be considered. It might be decided to give all who had taught a place on the list before those who had not taught. But these will suffice to show the plan. These may seem on paper rather tedious, but in practice would be easy to work and most of these regulations are used in different places. I have named the county auditor. The clerk or re

corder might be used. About a quarter of a day would be required of the auditor or his deputy to report each examination.

Along with such a plan would be the necessity for fewer examinations. Four examinations a year would answer every requirement of the school system and give those who make the questions and those who grade them more time to do the work. That number would be entirely often enough for the applicant. The person who fails on one examination should spend three months in study before taking another.

Now the whole summer is given up to examinations. The same applicants appear time and again. Every superintendent knows with what courage he enters upon this work in January but by the time this series is half over the sight of a manuscript turns his stomach. Then with fewer examinations some attention could be given to weak places in the plan. There are two classes of teachers who take the examination under disadvantages. They are the fifth and sixth grade teachers in town and city schools and the primary teachers in villages.

The high school teacher is examined in what he teaches. The district teacher takes the common examination, which covers the work he is expected to do. The primary teacher in city and town employing a superintendent may take the primary examination, an examination very properly arranged for their work. The primary examination might be extended to village schools where there is no work above the fourth year.

Then there might be an intermediate examination for the fifth and sixth year teachers. Again the nature of the questions might be changed if thought necessary. Instead of being entirely technical or general some definite line or method work might be introduced. This would answer for the requirements of training. I do not mean to criticise the questions we have now. It is a wonder to me that with so many examinations anybody finds questions enough to ask.

There is another feature that may be added to our examination rules-a feature that would prove very beneficial

whatever the plan used. The state department should be given the power and be required by law to call in a few manuscripts chosen at random from the different counties and regrade them.

I have not attempted to cover all the ground of this subject. There are a great many points that come up. It seems like a great undertaking to put the schools on such a basis, but no greater than to place the postal service and other departments of the government under civil service rules.

What I have tried to say is that the value received from the vast sum of money spent for the public schools depends upon the teachers employed; hence any means that will raise the standard of teachers is to be used. I recognize the demand for better teachers, trained teachers, and experienced teachers. We need closer supervision. We need better wages so men can afford to become teachers. But it seems to me that to obtain these we should remove the cause which leads to so much changing and shifting about in the teaching force. We have been trying for at least the last twentyfive years under present laws to remedy. the evil effects resulting from so much. inexperience and unpreparedness.

Last year one-fifth of my township teachers were beginners; next year onefifth will be beginners. Last year nearly one-half had taught three years or less.

That means that half of the general work -the teachers' reading circle books, the township institute and the county institute is lost from year to year. The teachers' reading circle books we had six or eight years ago could be profitably adopted again in the townships, for three-fifths of our teachers have never heard of them. And this condition will continue as long as the laws continue to say you may.

A young man graduates from the State Normal and his diploma does not weigh much-not as much, in some instances, as a six months' license. Young men come to me and say, "I like to teach school, but I can't afford to. I'm not even sure of a position the next year." And so the question arises, Are there not educators enough in Indiana to determine what should be the exact qualifications of a teacher? And having determined that, is there not some way that those who are willing to enter the service may have the law thrown about them so as to give merit the preference in appointment?

It did not take long when civil service reform was adopted in the government to find men qualified to take and keep the places. And I would predict that if something of the kind was tried for the schools we would find thousands of persons willing to qualify themselves for life work.

THE SCHOOLROOM.

A STUDY OF Leaves. Nothing could be more pleasant than the observation of leaves on trees, bushes and flowering plants. Why not have pupils busy about it during vacation? They would all be eager to tell in the fall what they have found out about leaves. It should not be made an actual study, but simply "using their eyes." They will be interested to note the three following peculiarities of leaves: Veining, arrangement, compound or simple. It would be

well to make the result of their observation the basis of several lessons in the fall. If your pupils know absolutely nothing about botany, a single specimen, illustrating each peculiarity, should be shown.

Oak leaves are net-veined, i. e., the veins cross and re-cross, similar to the meshes of a net.

Lily leaves are parallel-veined,

The leaves of an elm are alternate,
The leaves of the maple are opposite,

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THE SOURCE AND COURSE OF RIVERS.

Let pupils tell all they observe from a neighboring brook or river. Define clearly the meanings of the terms rise, course, bed, channel, banks, and mouth. Rivers rise, flow, and fall.

Source.-Rivers have various sources. Give instances. Rivers flow from (1) lakes, (2) springs, (3) glaciers. Show by diagram, the relative heights of source and mouth of a river. When a large stream issues, what do we conclude? There is a large internal reservoir. The

flow varies, being steady or intermittent. Why? Intermittent flow comes from surface springs which are affected by rainfall.

Course and Channel.-Distinguish between the terms.

(a) The Course. On what does it depend? Show that it is determined primarily by the general slope of the country. Show also, that mountain spurs change their direction, because of the obstacles they offer.

(b) The Length.-Show that it depends on the configuration of the land and also on the area it drains. Show also that according to the character of the soil or strata in its way there would be more or fewer bendings or windings.

(c) The Channel.-The channel of a river often varies in width at different parts of its course. Why?

ADDITION, AND HOW TO TEACH IT.

Pupils are first taught to know what 1 added to each one of the digits equals. Place the combinations on the board in two ways, sometimes with the 1 over the others, and sometimes with it under. Drill on these till pupils know the sums as they know the words "in" and "to" without thinking of the letters that compose those words. 1+8, or 1 under 8, or 1 and 8, always spell 9; 7 and 1 always spell 8, as "t" and "o" spell "to."

Next take up the combinations of 2 with the other figures. Thus proceed with the combinations of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, reviewing all of the previous combinations until pupils do not really add, they see the sum. Ask them to spell different numbers, thus: "What numbers spell 9?" "4+5, 3+6, 7+2, etc." "What two numbers spell 17?" Ans.: 8+9, etc. It may aid pupils when studying 9, to show them that that number added to any other number will give the same unit figure that 1 subtracted from that number will give: thus, 9+8= 17, unit figure 7: 8-1-7, etc. Also 8+6 =14, with figure 4: 6-2-4, making the same fact true of 8+2.

As early as possible have pupils add columns of figures that will embrace only the combinations already learned. For

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example, after having learned the spelling of 1 and 2 with the other 3 digits, the following, or similar columns could be taken. 2 Pupils add "four, five, seven, 3 nine, ten;" second column, 2 "one, seven, nine one," or 21 whole sum; third column, "five, seven, eight, one," or 10 21 11 11 whole sum. After all the combinations are learned, pupils will take such examples as below. Teach them that in any combination that makes more than ten, although only the unit-figure is named, one ten is added to the tens, and that more than one ten at a time can not possibly be obtained.

Pupils add, "one, naught, nine 989 (immediately seeing that 7+2= 245 9), seven, naught, four," (seeing 643 that 9+5=14) and they have 54, 468 keeping the tens in their minds. 420 Write down the 4, begin with the 832 five to carry. Pupils, "five, as 647 6+1=10) three, naught, (as 4+3 4897 and 7+3 spell naught) eight, 144 six, four," combining two figures 867 when possible before adding

unit's figure, and they have 54; 5744 "three, eight, four, two, naught, eight, seven, fifty-seven." It is astonishing how rapidly pupils will learn to add by this method, and what combinations they will see at a glance.

none.

THE TRUE TEACHER.

I hold the teacher's position second to The Christian teacher of a band of children combines the office of the preacher and the parent, and has more to do in shaping the mind and the morals of the community than preacher and parent united. The teacher who spends six hours a day with my child, spends three times as many hours as I do, and twentyfold more time than my pastor does. I have no words to express my sense of the importance of your office.

Still less have I words to express my sense of the importance of having that office filled by men and women of the purest motives, the noblest enthusiasm, the finest culture, the broadest charity, and

the most devoted Christian purpose. Why, sir, a teacher should be the strongest and most angelic man that breathes. No man living is intrusted with such precious material. No man living can do so much to set human life to a noble tune. No man living needs higher qualifications for his work. "Are you fitted for teaching?" I do not ask you this question to discourage you, but to stimulate you to an effort in preparation which shall continue as long as you continue to teach.— J. G. Holland.

IF I WERE YOU.
If I a little girl could be,
Well, just like you,
With lips as rosy, cheeks as fair,
Such eyes of blue, and shining hair,
What do you think I'd do?
I'd wear so bright and sweet a smile,
I'd be so loving all the while,
I'd be so helpful with my hand,
So quick and gentle to command.
You soon would see

That everyone would turn to say:
""Tis good to meet that child today."
Yes, yes, my bird, that's what I'd do,
If I were you.

Or, if I chanced to be a boy,
Like some I know,

With crisp curls sparkling in the sun,
And eyes all beaming bright with fun—
Ah, if I could be so,

I'd strive and strive, with all my might,
To be so true, so brave, polite,
That in me each one might behold
A hero-as in days of old.
"Twould be a joy

To hear one, looking at me say:
"My cheer and comfort all the day.”
Yes, if I were a boy, I know
I would be so.

-Independent.

RINGING WORDS.

The school has more to do than to teach the arts of reading and computation, although there are many who would like to limit its range to these. Attention has been called before this to the lamented Maltbie D. Babcock, as one who took a true view of the teacher's field of work.

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