DU BOIS-Supt. Greene: A district institute for Du Bois and the surrounding townships was held here February 14 and 15. Prominent educators were present, among whom were Dr. R. H. Holbrook, late of Lebanon, Ohio, and Co. Supt. A. M. Hammers, of Indiana. Supt. Hammers delivered one of his illustrated lectures on Friday evening to a large audience. With the proceeds of the lecture a $56 set of Johnson's Universal Cyclopedia was purchased for the high school library. There were in all about sixty teachers present at the meeting, which was perhaps the best district institute ever held in this part of the county. Very satisfactory work is being done by teachers in all departments. We have an earnest and conscientious corps of teachers throughout. Their aim seems to be to work in harmony with the superintendent and each other in promoting the welfare of the schools. I must say, the prosperity of the schools is beyond expectation. During the past month a teachers' elocution and training class was organized and conducted by Mr. A. C. Lindsey, of the Emerson School of Expression, Boston. About twenty teachers took advantage of this opportunity of increasing their ability to teach reading. The improvement in the teaching of this branch is very apparent.

It

ERIE-Supt. Missimer: One of our school buildings, destroyed by fire a year ago, was rebuilt and enlarged from eight to ten rooms. was re-opened this month. The building is one of the finest in the country-ventilation, light, and interior arrangements perfect; contract price, $26,800. Another building of the same plan will be finished in June, and so be ready for use next September.

FOSTER TWP. (Luzerne Co).-Supt. Gabrio: Our percentage of attendance has been reduced by sickness. Our local institutes are well attended by the teachers and citizens. The Dr. Burrowes Memorial Fund received attention at our last session. After some discussion it was decided to make a contribution, which will be sent in later. The walls of some of our schoolrooms are shabby from age, but the teachers and pupils have come to the rescue with appropriate pictures and decorations. Mental arithmetic, primary history, and primary geography are being pushed to the front. These are new branches in this township.

HARRISBURG.-Supt. Foose: Plans have been adopted for the erection of a twelve-room school building in the eastern part of the city, for a twelve-room building in the northwestern part, and for a four-room annex to the Downey building in the northern part. Steps have been completed for the annexation of a large portion of territory lying northwest of the city. This will add several thousand to our present population, and will considerably increase the enrollment of the schools.

HAZLETON-Supt. Harman: On the 22d of February we dedicated our handsome new building. Hazleton has honored herself in the erection of two modern and complete buildings within three years. The latter is a twelve-room brick structure, and cost something over $50,000; the High School building erected two years ago cost about $45,000. About 5000 persons were present at the dedication; the day was perfect for such an occasion, and enthusiasm and patriotism combined to give us a "high tide"

in educational affairs. The "A" grammar school of the new building gave an entertainment in their auditorium which was attended by nearly 600 persons; the net receipts were $129.77, which will be used to purchase books for their library.

HAZLE TWP. (Luzerne Co).—Supt. Mulhall: The month of February offered exceptional opportunities to teachers and superintendents having the proper desire to stimulate in pupils the sentiment of patriotism and the nobility of good citizenship, as exemplified in the lives of the great Americans born in this month-Washington, Lincoln, Longfellow, and others. The history of these illustrious men is rich in material for talks and lessons on American patriotism; and yet in how many schools is the occasion entirely ignored or the events altogether unthought of. In the course of my visits during the month I referred to these incidents in a number of schools, and it was a pleasure to note the interest that was manifested by the pupils in those little off-hand talks. The following questions have been assigned to our teachers to discuss at our next Institute: "How you introduce common fractions and how you teach the subject." "Your plan of teaching writing and how you secure good, careful writing, mentioning the most difficult points met with in teaching it." "Features and matters connected with discipline, methods, and general school-room work which you have found to give most trouble." "Busy work, the kind you use, how you use it, and when its valne."

HOMESTEAD-Supt. Kendall: A teachers' Institute was held during the month, with a Friday evening session and two sessions on Satururday. Dr. R. H. Holbrook, of the Clarion State Normal School; Prof. J. D. Meese, of the California State Normal School; J. Q. A. Irvine, Principal Etna schools; Supt. Samual Hamilton, and others, delivered addresses. Class drills in reading and beginning fractions were given by local teachers, forming one of the most interesting parts of the proceedings. The meeting was pronounced the best ever held here.

HUNTINGDON-Supt. Benson: School visitations to the number of 476 were made during the month by directors, superiutendents and citizens. Many of the rooms were beautifully decorated on the 21st of February, and programmes suited to the day following were rendered. A delegation from the G. A. R. Post visited the rooms and favored many of the schools with interesting and instructive talks. The Board is rapidly completing arrangements preliminary to the erection of a new High School building.

MAHANOY TWP. (Schuylkill County).-Supt. Noonan: The attendance of pupils in our evening schools is quite encouraging, the average attendance since their opening two months ago being 310. Fourteen teachers are employed at a salary of $25 per month. The length of sessions is two and a half hours. Our "penny contributions" by the pupils on February 25th, in aid of the Dr. Burrowes Memorial Fund, netted $20.50, to which $10.25 was added by the teachers, making a total of $30.75.

MIDDLETOWN.-Supt. Weber: The Board has asked the voters of Middletown for authority to increase the bonded indebtedness of the district $20,000 for the purpose of building an annex,

Sox40 feet to our High School building. The proposed annex will give us six additional school rooms and a High School room on the third floor. As we have now four schools in rented rooms, the improvement is needed. The pupils of our High School bought the Century Dictionary and Encyclopedia in ten volumes, to be paid for out of the funds of the Literary Society. A year ago the society furnished the school with the International Encyclopedia in fifteen volumes. "Heaven helps those that help themselves." Our commencement exercises

will be held on Tuesday evening, May 19th, when twelve girls and four boys will receive High School diplomas. Between forty and fifty will be promoted from the Grammar rooms into the High School. During the past three years, over ninety per cent. of the pupils entering the high school, complete the course. Three pupils of the class of '96 entered the Junior Class of the C. V. N. S., with the expectation of graduating in 1897.

MT. CARMEL-Supt. Dean: Profs. M. C. Ihlseng and H. H. Stoek, of the Mining Department of State College, spent two days with us giving talks to our schools and educating our miners in evening talks made very plain by experiments. They are both hard-working men, full of life and interest, capable of inspiring a desire to secure more comforts for the miner, and showing how it may be done at less expense to the operators. Their visit to us will enable us to induce our pupils to remain longer in school, and, we hope, be the means of urging some to push up into higher education. Crowded rooms again force us to build this summer an eight or ten-room building, and the necessary steps have been taken to push this work. During this year music has been taught in all grades. Our teachers are trying to work up in music, feeling that the higher part of our nature should be cultivated as well as the moneymaking power. It is to be hoped that some arrangement can be made with neighboring towns, whereby we can have the benefit of a trained supervisor of music one week in a month. Churches are doing a certain work to elevate, and music in the schools has also a very important mission and becomes one of the strongest means of discipline.

NEW CASTLE.-Supt. Kane: At the February meeting of the Board a committee was appointed to secure plans for a new ten-room build

ing. It is the intention of the Board to get the building under way as soon as possible, in order that it may be ready for occupancy by September. Our teachers are becoming interested in the subject of “Child Study," particularly with reference to the sight and hearing of the children in the schools. This subject was discussed at the general teachers' meeting, and many have expressed a desire to form a Round Table for the discussion and study of this important subject. We hope to enlist some of the mothers and physicians in this work.

NEWPORT TWP. (Luzerne Co.)-Supt. Dewey: The teachers of Newport joined the Nanticoke teachers and held an interesting Institute, Febfuary 29th, in the Nanticoke high school building. On Friday evening, Prof. Geo. P. Bible, of East Stroudsburg, delivered his lecture on "Elements of Success," to a large and appreciative audience. He also recited several selec

tions. Miss Jeannette Jones, of Nanticoke, gave a vocal selection that was well received. The audience seemed well pleased with the evening's entertainment. The instructors on Saturday were Co. Supt. T. B. Harrison, on "Some Factors in Education;" Prof. Bible, on "The Teacher's Experiences;" Prof. Chas. A. Albert, on "Educational Unfolding,' and "Moral Culture "-two talks; Mrs. Lucy Booth, supervisor of drawing in Newport township and in Scranton, a recitation and an address on "The Public School and its Influence," and Prof. T. J. McConnon, of Wilkes-Barre, who performed a number of experiments in elementary science. Several prominent teachers from neighboring districts were present. The several addresses were rather practical than theoretical, and the teachers will undoubtedly

be benefited.

SUNBURY-Supt. Oberdorf: At the February election the two boroughs, East Sunbury and Sunbury, by a practically unanimous vote decided to consolidate, so that we now have a population of about 10,000, with a school population of about 2,000. The School Boards of the two boroughs will hereafter meet in joint session, but by a series of resolutions unanimously adopted at a recent meeting of the united Boards, it was decided that the directors of the two districts should constitute a Board of Supervision, each in its own district, until the end of the present school year; that each high school should have its separate commencement exercises as heretofore; that each Board. should have charge of its own finances, issue orders, and settle all accounts up to June 1st, 1896, the auditors of each district auditing accounts to said date; and that after June 1st, the consolidated Boards should organize and make all necessary arrangements for the work of the next school year. It was unanimously agreed also to proceed at once to the selection of a site for a Central High School building, and to make all necessary arrangements for the erection of the same during the coming summer. Dr. Clarke Robinson is now delivering his University Extension course of lectures on "The Poets of the Revolution." The lectures are well attended, and so well liked that it is proposed to have a second course on Shakespeare.

TYRONE-Supt. Kauffman: Quite a number of our teachers are making arrangements to attend summer schools, that they may be better equipped for next year's work. For the benefit of teachers who for various reasons cannot attend school elsewhere, there will be organized special classes in vocal music, drawing, methods, psychology and school arrangement. Those desiring a review of the common branches will have the opportunity to do so. Our schools are doing excellent work. During the month the initiatory steps were taken for the organization of anti-cigarette and anti-tobacco leagues in our schools. Mrs. Frances B. Wharton, superintendent of Narcotics in the W. C. T. U. work, and Mrs. Jacob Boger, of Tyrone, aided us by their co-operation. Very many of our boys, in fact, the majority of them, joined the league. We are gratified and encouraged by the outlook in this important phase of our work. Our high school is doing excellent work. The opposition to our four years' Latin course is gradually dying away. Fourteen of senior class are studying Greek.

Again, it would be hard to write an arithmetic that would be considered practical by any two men engaged in the same kind of business. Should you go

six representative business men and get the method by which each computes interest, and ask each his opinion as to the method used by any one of the others, not letting him know but that it is a schoolmaster's method, and ten to one he will urge that it is not practical. This illustration will, I trust, in part answer the question, "Why are our arithmetics not more practical?"-Shoemaker.

"Two teachers may have each a half hundred boys and girls of all ages. Each has the same amount of knowledge as far as an examination can disclose it, but one does a work a thousandfold nobler than the other. One addresses the spiritual side of the pupils, the other leaves it untouched. It may be that this is done unconsciously; it may be that he is as needy for the money stipend as the other; but the fact remains that he has touched springs of motive wholly unknown to the other." This is admirably said. It would be a grand thing for the future of the schools and of the country if every teacher could be led to test the value of his or her own work by the springs of motive that are daily being touched, the impressions that are being made and left upon the spiritual side of each of the pupils.-N. Y. School Journal.

IN a recent lecture at New Haven on Lincoln and his Cabinet," the veteran journalist, Charles A. Dana, spoke of the several members of that body as men of superior qualifications for their respective positions, who were not always satisfied with Mr. Lincoln's decisions; "but he was always master of the house," because "the greatest man of modern American history, perhaps of all mankind."

Ir may not be generally known to our readers that the old Liberty bell has been taken down from the place where it was suspended in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, and placed in a handsome square pavilion made of quartered oak and glass. It is now in the middle of the east room of the old Hall, occupying seventy-two square feet of floor space, and is the most striking of all the Colonial and Revolutionary relics there exhibited. The case is made of selected quartered white oak,

is 5 feet 10 inches square and 10 feet high, with a front of 12 feet in height. On each of the four sides is a large plate glass over 4 feet wide and 7 feet high in the centre. At each corner is a bronze pillar surmounted by neat carved work, while over each of the glass sides is an arch with the names of the thirteen original States carved, that of Pennsylvania being on a keystone. The bell and its columns rest on a truck which fits snugly inside the case and appears to be simply a floor. The top of the truck is of polished quartered oak, and is four feet square. Beneath are four rubber-tired wheels. supports are on the north and south sides, so as to give a clear view of the bell from the entrance. On the north side the whole side of the case is made to swing open, and a key to it is held by the man in charge of the room. The rail on that side is left unfastened, so that in case of fire it can be thrown out at once, the door opened and the truck with the bell dragged quickly from the building.

The

THE essence of Christianity is not to love holiness for happiness, but to love holiness more than happiness, to choose sorrow to win purity, to obey as if there were no hell to fear or heaven to gain, simply because in harmony with God.

THE difference between opinions and convictions is the same as that between a steamship without the fires under her boilers, and a steamship with a full head of steam on. The first may float for a time toward the haven, but it is because the wind or tide chances to be in her favor; the other drives her prows with conquering force against wind and wave and tide toward the home port because there is a mighty energy within.

WHEN I was a small boy at school, sixty years ago, all the scholars had to read aloud twice a day; the several classes studying while they read, and toeing a chalk line. The books used were the New Testament and Lindley Murray's English Reader. The standard instruction imparted was very limited, but very good so far as it went, namely, "Speak distinctly, and mind your stops. Every boy read, at a time, but a single verse of the New Testament, or a single paragraph of the English Reader; the "master" himself first reading a verse or a paragraph each time the reading went