sides there; of the wise cats whose decorous mein entitles them to membership in the household; of the miles of stone fence that have been constructed by the poet's own hands, of the different poems that were written in this retreat, etc., so that when the at last Superintendent Henry introduced to us Joaquin Miller, we were, in a measure, prepared for the conflicting ideas which the personal appearance of the "wandering poet' must inspire even in the minds of those who see him for the first time.

A figure, the perfection of muscular development; a carriage easily erect-these bespeak mainly vigor. But the head! The luxuriant beard, the flowing, perfumed locks are poetic softness. They belong to the age of romance, and are only saved from the charge of effeminancy by the face they adorn-a face unmistakably stamped with the light of good, pure, beautiful thoughts, and at the same time suggestive in some subtle way, of the retirement in which this lover of nature spends so much of his time. It was as though some picture of the old masters did, while we were admiring it, step from the canvas and instruct, plead, admonish. For his talk was given in those forms of address, and was made up of extracts from his lecture "Lessons Not Found in Books," and from poems appropriate to his themes. One of these, used in his exhortation to love-love the children in our care, because our lives shall thereby be enriched, and theirs made more lovable; love our friends and let them know it, that we, and the present be happier and therefore better, was the Ring dove's call to his mate to fly to her love and—

"Be happy to day my love, my love,
To-morrow may be too late--"

words will live, and do good with a mighty influence.

The Poet of the Sierras is deservedly popular, but for tender pathos, touching sadness, liquid sweetness, shining truisms, or cunningly-clothed invective, he can not quite compare with our own Riley.-Indiana School Journal.

CONTRIBUTIONS.

THE AIM OF THE INSTITUTE.

Two great purposes seem to animate Wisconsin institutes, to increase the fund of academic knowledge in the possession of the teacher, and to fill him with an enthusiasm, an inspiration, that will make that knowledge po

tent in the schoolroom.

The former of these was the more prominent in the early years of the institute work in this state. The institutes were few in number but of three, four, and even six weeks duration,-summer normal schools. This purpose fitted the pioneer condition of the commonwealth. Normal schools and high schools were few, and the people mainly not able to send their children to them. Now all this is changed. There is a good high school reasonably near every child in Wisconsin. A fair academic education is within his easy reach. Even normal schools are now accessible from all parts of the state. There is no longer a reason why the state should support institutes as schools for academic instruction. Often enough is heard the criticism that these schools provide instruction neither right in kind nor sufficient in amount to fit for teaching. This is measurably true, but the problem will be solved fi

The speaker made few gestures, one of which was inimitable because apparently so unstudied. It was a gesture of appeal, and began with an accusing finger shaken at us as if saying, "Now you know teachers have this fault," and ended with a quick, persuasive little beckon. The best practical thing the poet left us, was a solemn charge to promote, to teach, to compel cleanliness. Cleanliness of body first, then cleanliness of language, that it may naturally follow the mind shall acquire the habit of thinking clear thoughts only.

Joaquin Miller is a delightful and refreshing mixture of the old-time and modern poets. To some of Tennyson's power of writing delicate, subtle, beautiful, real poetry, he has added the art of philosophizing in rhyme. And his

tering the instruction in these schools, not by the academic institute. The many short institutes with the second purpose, inspiration, prominent have evolved from these changed conditions.

The teacher is liable to great losses of dynamic power, especially if he be a district teacher. This power comes mainly from the possession of a clear ideal. One who, in any

kind of work, sees clearly the result of his labor, has, in proportion to the clearness of that vision, power for its accomplishment. The builder who does not see the completed structure in its beauty and perfection during every moment of his labor upon it, is sure to lack power in controlling the many forces he must use. The spirit of mastery depends upon thus seeing in imagination the completed structure upon which we work. Now, in the

case of the teacher, the ideal is so far away, the better the ideal the farther away, that there is great danger it will lose distinctness and thus deprive the builder of his power. It is practically impossible for one to work in the isolation which the teacher in a district school experiences, and retain in March the enthusiasm that characterized his September work. This is not due either to a loss of physical strength; it is a simple exosmose with no accompanying endosmosis. In passing, let me say that I believe that the loss of physical strength and health on the part of the teacher is usually a result of this loss of enthusiasm, rather than a cause of it as is so often supposed. How necessary it is then that the teacher should be well supplied with this dynamic force, enthusiasm, at the outset of his year's work, and receive occasional renewals. throughout the year. Right here is the real purpose of the short institute, to establish or revive right ideals, to make them so clear and distinct that they seem near, to suggest rather than to direct, to inspire rather than to instruct, to send the teacher to his school with propulsive, well-directed power.

What should be the characteristics of the institute to attain this end? If it becomes prosy, stale, or commonplace, it is deadening rather than inspiring; yet it must not, in the effort to avoid this stagnation, become mere effervescent entertainment. There must be on the part of the conductor an anchorage to fundamental principles, a steadfastness in adherence to true ideals, coupled with a racy, pointed, vigorous presentation. Both of these conditions are necessary. The former alone, though sound, is tame and cannot inspire; the latter alone, though entertaining, is in the language of the fireworks, to which order it belongs, a "sizzle," and can neither direct nor endure. There must be on the part of the teacher a desire for growth, a responsiveness, a generous, hearty spirit of cooperation. In institutes when this spirit prevails, I believe one gets more from the institute body than he possibly can from the conductor.

E. W. WALKER, Institute Conductor for Superior Normal School.

THE TEACHERS' INSTITUTE FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT.

In the necessarily brief limits of an article for the JOURNAL, one hesitates to undertake the discussion of the teachers' institute from any standpoint. But there are certain aspects of the work which allure the county superintendent, even though they puzzle him.

The first great question which naturally arises is: What shall be the purpose of this institute? The second, How can the desired results be best attained?

With the increased number of our high schools and normal schools and the consequently better equipment of those who wish. to teach in the rural schools, the time for the long institute seems to have gone by. Sufficient academic instruction to serve the needs of a teacher cannot be furnished during three or four weeks at an institute, where the lash which compels attendance is the hope of a certificate or a better position. Of course academic instruction must be given in an institute, but it is one of the incidental rather than essential features. Our teachers are tolerably familiar with their subjects, as is evidenced by their ability to secure a certificate. the majority of them need is a new interpretation of the subject, and a clue to the best way of presenting a topic so as to develop the thinking and reasoning powers of the child.

What

To bring about these results the superintendent must know the needs of his teachers, and must employ a conductor who will appreciate them. The conductor with a hobby which he has ridden for years will scarcely be able to do the work. Nor will the inexperienced one whose acquaintance with his subject is superficial, who has little ability to teach, and who kills time with fine phrases and a personal trumpet. We have conductors whose presence before the institute is an inspiration, those who encourage the teachers and stimulate them to higher activity and earnestness of purpose.

The success of an institute is not necessarily in its numbers. The difficulties along certain lines of work are more or less local. It is the business of the superintendent to discover the weakest points, to bring together at some convenient centre the teachers of that locality, and to make the institute bear directly on their work. With well planned institutes of short duration occurring during the school year gratifying results can be secured.

Is it not too much to expect of our country teachers that they shall be willing to attend often long institutes at some distance from their homes? How many of us, earning on an average $25 per month, would be able or willing to invest much of it in an uncertain gain? Take to the teachers the things they are anxious for, put into their lives the tonic of hopeful thoughts, and under ordinary circumstances, their response is hearty and generous. During the work of the institute there must be frequent recesses. The personal talks

with conductors, superintendent and fellow teachers must be encouraged. The social side must be developed. That teacher who has a charm of manner and an easy way of meeting people will be looked up to in the neighborhood, and if made of the right material, she may accomplish much for the entire community. Do we attempt enough to develop the social and human sides of our teachers? Are we as keenly alive to their moral qualities as to their intellectual abilities? The institute should aim to give a high ideal of conduct, manner, appearance and morality. The institute is the greatest power in the hands of the superintendent. If he appreciates the needs of his teachers and secures the right conductors he may overcome much inertia and do genuine work. KATE L. SABIN.

READING.

In teaching reading, there was a time when nearly, if not quite, all of the effort was to get the form of the thought, the inflection, the pauses, and something of the expression. There has been an attempt, in more recent years, to break away from this method of teaching reading, and get the pupils to read for the thought contained. An evidence that we have not progressed far in this direction is the frequent occurrence of such requests as this: Read as though you were talking." This request immediately places the child in the position of imitator. He is thinking of how some one else would say it, rather than of the subject-matter of the selection.

66

Teachers often, by a few interesting questions and illustrations, direct the thought in the right channel at the beginning of the lesson, and the children start out with a degree of enthusiasm, a desire to know all that the lesson tells about, and to bring in all the collateral helpful matter they can. The lesson may progress in this way, while several have read, when some one reads, who seems to the teacher to need some drill in pronunciation or inflection, and the drill is given. Others are called upon to read the same lines, and possibly the class is taken back to the beginning, to read over the same matter. During this time, the interest of the class has been sinking below the starting-point. The interest of the class has been sacrificed for a possible assistance to an individual. At first, all were interested and rapidly assimilating the new ideas which they were gathering from the text and from the short, suggestive things said by the teacher, and drawn out from the class.

After the drill, the movement, the inertia, the interest, the enthusiasm, and their power

to bring further benefit are lost. A few corrections may be made, or a little drill given, without any appreciable sacrifice of these things which are most valuable in the recitation. Pupils will be able to rembember only a few corrections at a time, and a prolonged drill often merely confuses them.

The aim of the teacher should be to have the pupils not only get the thought of the selection they read, but also the sentiment and feeling that should accompany the thought.

The motive which causes people to read is found in the realm of the emotions, and the sympathetic, emotional element in the reading lessons is the one which will furnish incentives and motive power for further class-work, and for the life that comes after our school-years have passed. It is this element which determines literary tastes, and has the greatest effect upon character. M.

ARITHMETIC IN OUR SCHOOLS.

[Report of a Special Committee to Report on Arithmetic for Uniform Course of Study for Graded Schools, to City Superintendents' Association.]

In presenting its report in arithmetic, the committee wishes to express its approval of the suggestions to teachers given in the Manual of the Course of Study for District Schools of Wisconsin. The course of study

as there outlined we consider suitable for graded schools. We think, however, that certain limitations as to topics and scope of work should be understood, and we have endeavored to specify these in the outline herewith presented.

Much of the unsatisfactory work in arithmetic is due to the fact that the conditions of the problems lie outside of the pupil's range of experience or ideas. Illustrations of this may be found in bank discount and applications, problems of papering and carpeting, stocks and bonds, exchange, etc.

Some of these conditions may be brought to the pupil; thus it is very easy to let him measure lumber or match paper or carpet, and this exercise gives some of the most valuable training. Others of these topics are quite too far away. It is of little use to talk learnedly of U. S. 4's bought so as to yield 3 per cent. when the pupil knows so little of business that he has difficulty in understanding a bank check or draft. Bank discount is another illustration. It is one of the most simple topics, understood without any difficulty whatever where there is use for it in actual business, yet the majority of eighth grade pupils after struggling for the allotted time have a very imperfect appreciation of its real meaning.

Another difficulty very prominent in some text-books is the treatment of a principle in connection with complicated mechanical work; such as exercises in fractions with large denominators, multiplication and division of denominate numbers, using large multipliers or divisors. In business very few such problems occur, and when they are necessary the conditions are so thoroughly understood that the whole attention may be given to the mechanical work, and it becomes a matter of little difficulty. In problems in grade work, numbers should be small. A large number of easy problems involving a principle will give far better results than a few problems involving large numbers, requiring much attention to mechanical processes. The above statement is so self-evident that it would appear unnecessary; yet an examination of almost any of the text-books in use in our schools, reveals the most glaring mistakes in this respect. A great amount of work is given which would seem to have as its only justification, the fact that it supplies material to keep the pupils at work.

Some topics to which much time and attention are usually given have little justification in either practical application or discipline in mathematical reasoning. They are in our books probably in deference to the old time demand for a large amount of work, when arithmetic was the principal study of our district schools.

If the surplus material of arithmetic indicated in the preceding paragraphs could be eliminated from our courses, we should have a considerable saving of time and much more satisfactory results.

In view of these ideas we suggest the following as an outline of the extent of work for the eight grades below the high school, supposing the pupil to enter at six years of age:

1. Number work the first year confined to counting and objective work to give correct idea of number.

2. Work in fractions below the fifth grade mainly oral. No work in fractions below sixth grade giving results with denominators greater than 100.

3. No long division below fifth grade with divisors of more than two figures.

4. Omit greatest common divisor entirely, and use only so much of least common multiple as is necessary for addition and subtraction of fractions.

5. Omit longitude and time. Teach the principles of this in connection with geography.

6. Begin simple work in tables of denom

inate numbers in lowest grades and continue this work throughout the course, but omit reduction, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of denominate numbers as separate topics.

7. Omit examples of percentage with double commission, and those in which an agent receives a stated amount to cover commission and cost.

8. Limit taxes, insurance and duties to simplest cases and explanation of terms.

9. Give very little attention to problems in interest.

IO. Either omit stocks and bonds or limit to oral work.

II. Teach only U. S. Rule for partial payments, and limit to three payments.

12. Omit true discount, and take only first case of bank discount.

13. Omit compound interest, exchange and equation of payments.

14. Take first case in partnership without element of time.

15. Teach square root without requiring explanation. Omit cube root and applications except such as can be done by inspection.

16. Make problems involving proportion prominent throughout the course.

After the reading of the report a lively discussion followed, after which Sup't Williams of Fond du Lac moved that the recommendations of the committee with reference to subjects to be omitted, or the negative part of the recommendations, be adopted; also that superintendents include the recommendations in their annual reports and follow the same during the coming school year. After further discussion this motion was adopted.

The special committees appointed to report on other subjects made short reports and further time was granted to report on the entire Uniform Course of Study.

-THE STUDENT'S AMERICAN HISTORY, by D. H. Montgomery, (579 pp.; $1.55), may be safely pronounced an admirable modern high school text-book in the history of our country. The absence of pictures and the abundance of maps, charts, fac similes of documents, etc., proclaims at once to the eye, the more serious character of the book. Further examination brings this out more clearly. There are 523 pages of text, besides appendix, bibliography and index, and the history of the nation begins on page 219. Thus a good deal more than half the book is devoted to the nation, and in that portion the chief emphasis is put upon the material and social development of the people, their political experience and constitutional history. Only thirteen pages are devoted to the war of 1812, seven to the Mexican war, and sixty-three to the civil war, eighty-three pages in all. It may be said that the political history furnishes the guid

Vol. XXVII.

No. 9

READERS will appreciate, we feel sure, the four very suggestive articles on literature which we publish in this number. The extract from Charles Dudley Warner views fiction as an interpreter of life; that from Prof. Moulton presents fresh aspects of the study of fiction; the article on "The Elementary School as a Source of Culture," of fers practical illustrations of the value of such studies; and Miss Bert's admirable discussion of the "Classics in the Grades" shows how much higher the type of this work may be made by teachers of intelligence and courage. In all this, fiction must be interpreted in a large way, as imaginative literature, including poetry. In our time of course the novel is the most popular form of it, and therefore is at the heart of the discussions, but must not be allowed to crowd out the other sorts. All

these articles are worthy of careful study, and any teacher of reading or literature may profit largely by them. We shall make geography a prominent feature of our next issue.

ANOTHER very valuable report, that on Rural Schools, must be credited to the National Association. We are inclined to believe that the portion relating to supervision and the appendices on "The Country School Problem" and on "Hygiene and Health in Public Schools," will prove of the most immediate value. Indeed, we wish that every county superintendent in Wisconsin could at once make himself thoroughly familar with these suggestive and practical papers. Perhaps the most novel portions are those papers in the appendix relating to the closer adjustment of these schools to the life of the communities in which they exist. These are entitled "Enrichment of Rural School Courses,' and The Farm as the Center of Interest." Can the rural school be made an interpreter of rural life through the study of nature and of agriculture? This is the problem, which the committee and their helpers think should be answered in the affirmative. In all parts of the report we find information carefully gathered from every portion of the union, and thorough and intelligent study of the problems of these schools. Copies of the report may be had of Secretary Irwin Shepard, Winona, Minn., for twenty-five cents each.

PEDAGOGY in the high school ought to be taught much more effectively than it is. Text book instruction is well and important but practical teachers who are really interested in the betterment of our rural schools can make it productive of better thinking and better practice than it is. With such facilities for this instruction as now exist no one ought to be allowed to teach who has not given some thought and study to the subject. The branch ought to be elective, not compulsory, and those who do not take it ought not to be allowed to teach, even in district schools. In addition to the study of the Manual for common schools and some text on pedagogy it ought to promote reading of some valuable educational books, essays on assigned topics, observation of work in primary and grammar