Resident Editor's Department. useful, by contributing to its pages? And now that the County Boards are beginning to circulate the Journal among the school districts, we hope that many of our contributors will write with special reference to the wants of Common Schools. Gov. SWAIN'S ADDRESS.-We the Journal more interesting and have the pleasure of announcing that Gov. Swain will prepare, and furnish, for publication in the Journal, an article on the early history of North Carolina, embodying the substance of the address delivered by him at the meeting of the Association in Newbern. This article will appear in the October or November number, should nothing occur to prevent; and while it will probably occupy the greater part of one Number, we feel sure that our readers will consider it a treat. All who had the pleasure of hear-perintendents, calling their special ing the address will agree with us attention to the privilege granted in saying, that this alone will be them, by an act of the last General worth a year's subscription to the Assembly of the State, of introduJournal. cing the Journal into every school district in their respective counties. We think that too little attentión has been given to the collection of interesting facts in our early history, and we hope to give here after other articles of the same character, from the pen of Gov. Swain. It may be said that this is going beyond the ordinary range of such a Journal, but we feel that no apology is needed, for such information is important to the teacher, as a teacher; and within the range of such articles, there is much that relates to the history of education. Will not others aid us in making PROSPECTS OF THE JOURNAL.In this number we publish a letter, from the General Superintendent of Common Schools to the Chairmen of the County Boards of Su We hope the Chairmen and members of the Boards will consider this matter at once and not allow it to pass out of their minds or defer acting upon it until some future time. It is a matter of great importance to the schools under your supervision that this means of information and improvement should be placed within the reach of teachers and school officers; and it is important that this aid should be given to the Journal, that we may be enabled to place it upon such a foundation as to secure its permanent existence. The committee, appointed by the Educational Association to attend to the interests of the Journal, look with interest for the result of your action on this subject. They are making every exertion to do their duty in regard to it and with your co-operation every difficulty in their way will soon be removed. Some of the Boards have already subscribed for a copy of the Journal for each of their schools and others are moving in the matter. Now let all who feel an interest in the improvement of our Common Schools see that their counties are not behind others in acting. QUESTION. The hands of a clock are all working on the same pivot; they are all together at 12 o'clock; At what time will the minute hand be equidistant between the hour and second hands? At what time will the hour hand be equidistant from the other two? And at what time will the second hand be between the hour and minute hands? A young teacher sends the above question and requests some one to give a solution that young children can understand, since he has found it difficult to make them understand his own explanation of it. He also sends us the following solutions of two of the questions in the August No. with the remark that they were "worked by a schoolgirl not twelve years old." 1st. As the circumference of the field is 268 rods, A. and B. on opposite sides of it, must be 134 rods apart. A. walks 11 rods in a minute and B. 11 rods; therefore B. gains of a rod every minute, and having to gain 134 rods he will overtake A. in 3 times 134 minutes =402 minutes: now since he walks 11 rods in one minute, in 402 minutes he will walk 402×11} 4556 rods; then 4556÷268= 17, the number of times B. will go around the field. 2nd. A. and B. can build a boat in 20 days, in one day they can build of it; with the assistance of C. they can build it in 12 days or 12 of it in one day then the difference between 2 and 20-30 is the part that C. can build in one day, it would therefore take him 30 days to build the whole boat. 1 THE TEACHERS OF WILKES COUNTY.-The Chairman of the Board of Superintendents of Wilkes Co., has sent for 50 copies of the Journal, subscribed for by the teachers of his county; and he expects to add at least ten more to the list. The teachers of Wilkes are ahead of those of any other county in the State, in this respect, and from the spirit of improvement, thus manifested, we prediet that the schools of Wilkes will soon surpass all whose teachers are content with the improvements of the past.Let other counties imitate Wilkes and the other counties that we have mentioned in previous Nos. of the Journal. A correspondent sent us the fol- perintendents" have authorized lowing, too late for the August No. him to subscribe for a copy of the Mr. Editor:-I notice in the Journal for each of the 68 Districts N. C. Journal of Education of June in his county; and that he is now three examples for solution by sim- making out a list of the offices to ple Arithmetic, I would submit the which he wishes them sent. This following as solutions of the second and the third without saying anyis encouraging and we learn that thing about the old lady's churn: other counties are moving in the In the second Prop., we view the matter. If the friends of the Jourfield as being square containing nal will exert themselves to secure an equal number of panels on each the same result, in their respective counties, we will feel no hesitation in making arrangements for its continued publication. side. A piece of land one rod or two panels wide extended along one side must contain eight acres, and to find the length of this side we have 160×8=1280 rods or 2560 panels on each side or 10240 panels THE LAND QUESTION.-The in the whole fence. (1280)2160 following Arithmetical solution of =10240 acres in the field which this question, received some time is equal to the number of panels since, was unintentionally overin the fence, and is according to the conditions of the proposition. looked. We now insert it, and at the same time remark that there is, among our correspondents, a great diversity of opinion, as to the true answers to this question. Example third.-In this example the horse is allowed to graze upon one half a circle whose area is two acres. We first find the area of a circle whose diameter is 30 rods to be 200×3.00–600.00—whole cost. 4.41786 acres, (understand a 3.00+.373.37 and 300-.371⁄2 circle of other dimensions would 2.62 prices paid. answer the same ends) then, as taught by Emerson, part third page 173, we have 302 X 4.41786 the ratio and then extracting the square root we have 20.18514+ rods the diameter of the circle one half of which is the length of the rope in rods. 2 600: 3.37 :: 200:112 A's land. 600 2.62: 200: 87 B's land. 112:1 :: 300.: 2.663 price of A's per acre. 87:1:: 300.: 3.42; price of B's per acre. These operations are merely indicated, but they are easily understood, if compared with the conditions of the question and performed. * "Wisdom is the olive branch that springeth from the heart, bloometh Chairman of Chatham County in- on the tongue, and beareth in the forming us that the "Board of Su-actions." BOOK TABLE. THE NATIONAL ORATOR; a selection of pieces for the use of young students in schools and academies. By Charles Northend A. M. author of 46 Teacher and Parent," "Teacher's Assistant," "Little Orator," "Entertaining Dialogues, "&c. N. York: A. S. Barnes & Burr. This new work consists of three parts. Part I. contains a variety of poetical selections, some of which posses the highest poetical merit, others are of a humorous character, while others derive interest from association. Part II. consists of prose pieces, admirably suited for declamation and at the same time inculcating valuable les sons. Part III. Is a selection of dialogues well calculated to lead the minds of the young into profitable channels of thought; and whether they are used in school exercises or not, they are sure to be read. Such a book placed in the hands of a boy will certainly contribute much to his mental improvement, whether it makes him an orator or not. CESAR'S COMMENTARIES on the Gallic War; elucidated by English notes, critical and explanatory, and illustrated by maps, plans of the battles, views, and a Lexicon of all the words contained in the text. By N. C. Brooks A. M. New York; A. S. Barnes & Burr. The notes and explanations are of such a character as to aid the student in understanding the full meaning of the author, without being so copious as to do away with the necessity of study. We consider English notes beneficial to the young student of the Ancient Languages, only when they are such as are calculated to encourage him to study, by explaining what he cannot understand withont reference to books which he is not expected to have always at hand, and by aiding him in keeping a connected view of the subject before his mind. When too much assistance is given, indolence is encouraged, and mental improvement retarded. Few pupils will study hard when they can acquire, what appears to them to be the object of such study, without mental labor. The Life of Cæsar, prefixed to the Commentaries, in this edition, shotild be carefully read by every student, as an introduction to the man whose works he is about to study. PROGRESSIVE PRACTICAL ARITHMETIC; containing the theory of numbers, in connection with concise analytic and synthetic methods of solution, and designed as a complete textbook on this science; for common schools and academies. By Horatio N. Robinson, LL.D., author of works on Algebra, Geometry and Trignometry, Surveying and Navigation, Astronomy, Differential and Integral Calculus, &c. New York: Ivison & Phinney. This is a comprehensive work, including all that is of practical utility, among which we find some things that are omitted in many of the arithmetics in common use. Within a comparatively short period, much improvement has been made in text-books on this science. In this work, the author claims to have introduced all the improvements of his predecessors, as well to have added some that had not been introduced by others. The arrangement of the subjects is good; the examples are numerous and of a practical character; and many of them are given without answers, so that the pupil will be required sometimes to exercise his own judgment in regard to the correctness of his operations. We have often seen pupils in arithmetic appear perfectly satisfied with having obtained the answer given in the book, without having performed any part of the operation correctly, or having bestowed a single thought on the nature of the question. Teachers of this or any other branch of mathematics may well rejoice in the possession of a text-book that will aid them in making their pupils think, but still much more will depend upon the teacher than upon the book. ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH WORDS, designed for the higher classes in schools and academies. By Chas. W. Sanders, A. M., author of "A Series of School Readers," "Speller, Definer and Analysis," and Elocutionary Chart.' New York: Ivison & Phinney. The character and design of this work will perhaps be better understood, by giving the subjects of the different sections, than from any remarks we might make, without having had time to examine it very thoroughly. 1. Deriva op There are fifteen sections. tive and compound words. 2. Rules for Spelling. 3. Explanation of the prefixes. 4. Observations on the prefixes. 5. Exercises illustrating the use of prefixes. 6. Derivatives made posite in meaning by means of prefixes. 7. Derivatives formed by means of prefixes. 8. Explanation of suffixes. 9. Observations on the suffixes. 10. Exercises illustrating the use of suffixes. 11. Radicals and derivatives defining each other. 12. Radicals and derivatives opposite in meaning. 13 Radicals combined with a variety of sufflxes. 14. Compound words. 15. Miscellaneous derivatives and compounds. NATIONAL ELEMENTARY SPELLER; designed for public and private schools, and to accompany the National series of Readers. By R. G. Parker & J. M. Watson. New York: A. S. Barnes & Burr. This book is gotten up in good style and is well arranged. The plan proposed by the authors, and to which the exercises in the book are specially adapted, is certainly the true method of teaching orthography. The object of learning to spell is, to enable us to write the words correctly, and the only sure way to accomplish this object is, to learn to spell words by writing them. THE ORTHOGRAPHICAL HOBGOBLIN.— By Philorthos. This is a pamphlet of 14 pages, published by G. & C. Merriam of Springfield, Mass., vindicating the orthography of WEBSTER and comparing those words in regard to which he differs from WORCESTER. Since so much has been written for and against both of these standards, let those who wish to see a comparison, in a few pages, showing the words about which they differ, send to the publishers for the Orthographical Hobgoblin. THE SOUTHERN TEACHER.-We have the pleasure of adding to our list of exchanges another periodical, devoted to the educational interests of the South, called "The Southern Teacher." It is edited and published by W. S. Barton; Montgomery, Ala. We are much pleased with the first number, and hope it may be widely circulated and accomplish much good. VERMONT SCHOOL JOURNAL.-Although this Journal has been in existence for several months, it did not make its appearance úpon our table until recently. It is the organ of the "State Teacher's Association," and is published at Montpelier, by a committee of the Association. It promises to be equal to almost any of the many educational Journals that visit us every month. We hope the teachers of Vermont will support it. |