of the same. A majority of the board of trustees is competent to transact business only when all the members have received notice of the meeting. The minutes of all meetings, with the names of those present, should be carefully recorded. 21. A relation being established between the trustees and the teacher, it becomes the duty of the former, on behalf of the people, to see that the scholars are making sure progress; that there is life in the school, both intellectual and moral-in short, that the great ends sought by the education of the young are being realized in the section over which they preside. All may not be able to form a nice judgment upon its intellectual aspect, but none can fail to estimate correctly its social and moral tone. While the law does not sanction the teaching in our public schools of the peculiar views which characterize the different denominations of Christians, it does instruct the teacher "to inculcate by precept and example a respect for religion and the principles of Christian morality." To the trustees the people must look to see their desires in this respect, so far as is consonant with the spirit of the law, carried into effect by the teacher. 22. Whereas,, It has been represented to the Council that trustees of public schools have, in certain cases, required pupils, on pain of forfeiting school privileges, to be present during devotional exercises not approved of by their parents; And whereas, Such proceeding is contrary to the principles of the school law, the following regulation is made for the direction of trustees, the better to ensure the carrying out of the spirit of the law in this behalf:: It is ordered, That in case where the parents or guardians of children in actual attendance on any public school or department signify in writing to the trustees their conscientious objection to any portion of such devotional exercises as may be conducted therein under the sanction of the trustees, such devotional exercises shall either be so modified as not to offend the religious feelings of those so objecting, or shall be held immediately before the time. fixed.for the opening, or after the time fixed for the close of the daily work of the school; and no children, whose parents or guardians signify conscientious objections. thereto, shall be required to be present during such devotional exercises. 23. In every section in which more than one teacher is employed, it shall be the duty of the school board to appoint one as principal of all the schools of the section, who shall be the advisory officer of the board with reference to the general management of the schools, and shall be responsible, together with the board and its secretary, for the harmonious co-ordination of the work of each school department in accordance with law, and for the accurate summation of the statistics of each teacher's return in the general return required to be made by the section. (u) When there is more than one school building in the section, the principal teacher in each shall be. appointed head master or principal of the schools in the building, but subordinate to the general supervising principal of the schools of the section referred to in the preceding paragraph. (b) The principal of the schools of the section and the principal teacher or head master in each school building must hold at least a first class license (class B); except in the case of the principal of the schools of a section with no more than two teachers, and in the case of a head master or principal teacher in a school building with not more than three teachers, when a second class license (class C) shall be legal if recommended by the inspector as justified by the emergency. (c) When the schools are so numerous as to require the whole time of the principal of the schools of the section in supervisory work instead of the regular teaching of a class, he may be known as the supervisor of the schools of the section. 24. The following shall be the proper form of bond for secretary of trustees: PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA. KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, THAT WE, (name of secretary) as principal, and (names of sureties) as sureties, are held and firmly bound unto our Sovereign Lord EDWARD VII., by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King, &c., in the sum of -dollars of lawful money of Canada, to be paid to our said Lord the King, his heirs and successors, for the true payment whereof we bind ourselves, and each of us by himself, for the whole and every part thereof, and the heirs, executors and administrators of us and each of us, firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals and dated this-in the year of our Lord one thousand nine -day of hundred andWhereas, The said has been duly appointed -school to be secretary to the board of trustees forsection No. -in the district of-Now the condition of this obligation is such, that if the said (name of secretary) do and shall, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, during his continuance in the said office, well and faithfully perform all such acts and duties as do or may hereafter appertain to the said office by virtue of any law of this province, and shall in all respects conform to and observe all such rules, orders and regulations as now are or may be from time to time established for or in respect of the said office; and if on ceasing to hold the said office, he shall forthwith, on demand, hand over to the trustees of the said school section, or to his successor in office, on the order of the trustees, all books, papers, mɔneys, accounts and other property in his possession by virtue of his said office of secretary--then said obligation to be void -otherwise to be and continue in full force and virtue. [Name of Secretary] (Seal.) 25. When the same secretary is continued in office from one year to another, it is not necessary that he should give a new bond, provided the existing one is drawn in a sufficient sum and the sureties are satisfactory to the trustees. 26. In every case where no provision is made for the secretary's commission by the school meeting, in its vote of any sum, it shall be allowable for the trustees to add the commission in levying the assessment. TEACHERS. 27. Every teacher or assistant or substitute (except a temporary substitute in an emergency too brief to allow communication with the inspector) when commencing to teach in any school, must on the first day of his or her incumbency, mail or otherwise directly send a notice in writing to the inspector of the district, intimating the fact, the class of license held, with its year and number, the period of engagement, the address of the secretary of trustees, and name of school section where previously engaged. (A teacher intending to compete for a class" A superior school grant or the local agricultural grant should also at this time, intimate the rank for which he is a candidate.) This intimation shall be put on file in the inspe tor's office; and any delay on the part of the teacher in giving such notice shall render him or her liable to the loss of provincial aid up to the date of proper notification. When there are more than one teacher in a section, such intimations may come through the principal or supervisor of the schools of the section. 28 The attention of teachers and trustees is specially called to the necessity of complying with the provisions of the law in relation to the disposal of the county fund. It would appear from report that in some cases teachers have, in their agreements with trustees in respect to salary, assumed all risk as to the amount to be received from the county fund. Such proceeding is contrary to the provisions of the law, and directly subversive of a most important principle of the school system, since the pecuniary penalty imposed upon the inhabitants of the section by the absence and irregular attendance of pupils is thereby inflicted upon the the teacher, while the pecuniary rewards consequent upon a large and regular attendance of pupils at school are diverted from the people to the teacher. These results clearly tend to prevent the growth and development of sentiments of responsibility and interest among all the inhabitants of each section, and thus measurably defeat the object of the whole system-the education of every child in the province. 29. All contracts and agreements between trustees and teachers must be in writing. The rate of pay to be received by the teacher from the trustees must be a fixed and definite sum or stipend, and must be distinctly named in the agreement. The amount which the trustees may become entitled to receive from the fund raised by county assessment being necessarily uncertain and unknown at the date of such agreement, it shall not be lawful for the teacher to agree to receive such unknown and uncertain sum as a portion, or the whole, of his or her remuneration from the trustees. 30. FORM OF AGREEMENT: .day of... Memorandum of Agreement made and entered into the A. D. 190.., between (name of teacher) a duly licensed teacher of the class, of the one part, and (names of trustees) trustees of School Section in the district of... .of the second No part. The said (name of teacher) on his (or her) part, in consideration of the below mentioned agreement by the parties of the second part, hereby covenants and agrees with the said (names of trustees), trustees as aforesaid, and their successors in office, diligently and faithfully to teach a public school in the said section under the authority of the said trustees and their successors in office, during the school year ending July next. And the said trustees and their successors in office on their part covenant and agree with the said (name of teacher), teacher as aforesaid, to pay the said (name of teacher) out of the school funds under their control, at the rate of.... ..dollars for the school year in equal instalments semi-annually.* And it is further mutually agreed that both parties to this agreement shall be in all respects subject to the provisions of the school law and the regulations made under its authority by the Council of Public Instruction. In witness whereof, the parties to these presents have hereto subscribed their names on the day and year first above written. Witness, [Name of witness.] *Or quarterly. [Name of teacher.] 31. As each inspector at the inspection of every school must examine the agreement between the trustees and teacher, or a true copy thereof, in order to report to the Superintendent of Education, each teacher should at such time submit the required document for examination. 32. The grant payable to the teacher from the provincial treasury shall be independent of, and in addition to, the sum or rate specified in the agreement with the trustees; and shall be paid by the Superintendent of Education through the inspector of schools semi-annually, after the end of the first half of the school year and after the close of the school year respectively. The first payment, which will virtually be a payment on account, shall be based on the scale of the previous year. 33. The law makes provision for the employment of assistant teachers. These, of course, will not expect so much remuneration as teachers upon whom is devolved the management of schools in departments. Trustees are empowered to employ any qualified person as an assistant, but those only who hold licenses received after due examination on the prescribed syllabus, and who teach at least four hours daily in a class-room separate from the teacher's school-room, can receive provincial aid from the superintendent, provided, however, each makes the regular affidavit required of teachers. It may frequently occur that some advanced pupil in the section would render valuable aid in the capacity of an assistant during a portion of the day, and trustees are empowered by law to employ such if they desire, even though he or she may not have a license. Such assistant, however, cannot receive provincial aid. (a) A class "A" principal of at least a three-depart- (c) A class "A" teacher employed in any school of the |