LESSONS ON COMMON THINGS..

We gave, last month, a minute of two or three matters which came up for attention at a meeting of the Principals of the District Schools of Cincinnati, at which we were present. One of the items was the Object Lesson agreed upon for the two ensuing weeks. It was " Things to be seen." This is the lowest form of the Object Lesson, and was assigned to classes of the fifth and sixth grades, reading in the first and second Readers of McGuffey's series. The next subject will be "Things to be heard." This will not occupy so long a time as did the last topic.

For the sake of illustration, we give the exercise of one of the schools. The school is of the fifth grade, reading in McGuffey's Second Reader. We are compelled to omit about one-fourth of the matter, on account of the limited space of our Journal. Sufficient is given, however, to show the nature and extent of these lessons.

After the pupils have been trained to observe things, and to give their names, they will be practiced in predicating of them class, quality, and action. The exercises will then be what the Germans call "Exercises in thought and expression." Their variety will be tenfold greater than it is now. They will elicit greater interest on the part of the children. They will furnish the most valuable training in the use of language, and afford a natural basis for the study of grammar.

It will be observed that of all the "Things to be seen," the teacher selected those which appear upon our tables for the gratification of the appetite. Other teachers selected other fields. We wish we could give other specimens. One contains a thousand names, arranged under the following heads:

Beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, insects, domestic animals, game, fruit, vegetables, nuts, mills, houses, drinks, vehicles, colors, flowers, trees, metallic substances, spices, fuel, perfumery, bushes, furniture, stores, factories, vines, meats, cakes, different kinds of bread, confections, fancy woods, produce, trades, clothing, jewelry, nations, men. This list is too extensive for us to attempt publishing. It is of the highest class as to its arrangement, its naturalness, and its useful

ness.

We should add, before dismissing this subject, that it is the design of the Superintendent to carry out this instruction to its highest forms. He will recommend that it be incorporated as an essential part of the course of study. It is highly approved of, and cordially prosecuted by the Teachers and Principals of the schools.

The pupils having been requested, on coming to school, to repeat to their teacher the names of as many objects "to be seen" as they can think of, at the time devoted to the exercise, give their successive answers, spelling the word as it is given, which are written on the blackboard by the lady teacher. The following replies were given by the pupils themselves:

One hundred and fifty articles of food, in addition to the above, were given by the children, but we omit them for want of space. What an illustration of the profuse bounty of our Creator! When the black-boards on every side of the school room were covered with the names of common articles of diet, all suggested by the children themselves, how such an exclamation would sink into their hearts.

CLASSIFICATION.

Bread-its ingredients: Flour, yeast, lard, water, milk, baking-powder, alum,

We omit a list of about 25 different kinds of pies, the ingredients, and manner

Their ingredients.-Flour, milk, salt, eggs, spices, flavoring, fruit, butter; baking which, little Lucy says, is very important.

The different kinds.-Plum cake, sugar cake, ginger cake, bride's cake, cream cake, drop cake, almond cake, tea cake, sponge cake, fruit cake, lady fingers, loaf cake, Aunt Nancy's cake, jumbles, gold cake, silver cake, honey cake, dough-nuts, seed cake, black cake, lemon cake, crulls, pound cake, macaronies, ice-cream cake, snow-balls, ladies' cake.

SPICES.-All-spice, pepper, nutmegs, maze, cloves, cinnamon. GREENS.-Spinage, dandelion, turnip, radish, asparagus, sour dock, beet. CHEESES-Pine apple cheese, cottage cheese, head cheese. VEGETABLES, MANNER OF COOKING.-Cabbage, boiled, hot slaw, cold slaw, soup; spinage, boiled for soup; tomatoes, stewed, cold with vinegar, baked; paragus, boiled for greens; radishes, cold with salt; carrots, boiled for soup; turnips, boiled, used for soup; Irish potatoes, boiled, fried, roasted, pie; lettuce, served with eggs, vinegar, sugar, gravy; peas, served with butter and salt, boiled;

as

sweet potatoes, boiled, baked, fried, roasted, pie; rhubarb, sauce, pie; bunch beans, stewed; butter beans, stewed; corn beans, boiled with meat or corn, pickled; egg plant, fried; celery, served uncooked with meat; mushrooms, fried; parsnips, stewed, boiled and fried; beets, boiled served with butter, pickled; onions, boiled in milk, fried, used for flavoring other dishes; parsely, used with fresh meat and in soup.

A large number of vegetables found in the list before us are omitted for want

- Teachers out of employ, or those who have leisure to travel during vaca. tion, should read the advertisement of Mr. Foster.

-Mr. J. R. Parker, one of the Assistant Secretaries of the State Teachers' Association at Columbus, lately of the Clermont Academy, has entered upon the duties of Principal of this Institution, at Tawawa, near Xenia, Greene county, vice M. P. Gaddis.

Inland.-Henry Barnes, for some time past Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science in Greensburgh Seminary, Summit county, has been appointed Principal of the same Institution.

-

- Mr. A. Samson retains his place as Superintendent in the Zanesville schools until September. He has become one of the firm of Samson, Beers & Co., booksellers.

May, sweet May, again is come;

May that frees the land from gloom;

Children, children, up and see

All her stores of jollity.

The remembrance of faithful teachers and educational pioneers to surviving friends in Ohio, is awakened in the imaginative breast,

"When Spring, with dewy fingers cold,

Returns to deck their hallowed mould."

Lewis, Guilford, Ray, your virtues are embalmed in our hearts!

THE LIBRARIES AND THE LEGISLATURE.

On the 25th of February, a caustic speech was made in the last General Assembly of this State, by Mr. Gatch, of Greene, a member of the Legislature, on the proposition to amend the bill reported by Mr. Monroe, from the standing committee on Schools and School lands, by striking out all after the enacting clause, and inserting a section repealing the laws relating to the School Library; in which we find the "library" spoken of, as "that useless appendage to the school system "" an excrescence" of "little profit to any body, except, perhaps, a set of speculating book-sellers, linked in with a trained band of mercenary pedagogues. And here, permit me to say," he continued, "that of all the legislation on the face of the earth, that of demagogues and tyrants not excepted, I would pray to be delivered from the legislation of a set of mercenary pedagogues." "I am for striking at the root of the evil, by striking the Library clause from our Statute book." We would like to know what all this means? The same member of the House, who perhaps had in the mean time consulted with his constituents, on the 31st of March presented a Bill recommending that the law should authorize Township Boards of Education, when petitioned by thirty or more qualified Electors, to call a meeting of voters, who should determine, by a vote, whether they would have a library, and if one was determined upon, to designate a sum not exceeding one tenth of a mill on the dollar, to be levied for the purchase of books.

He then contended he was not opposed to free public libraries, but was in favor of them, only that he was opposed to the purchase of books by the State Commissioner, and their distribution by County Auditors,

This proposition did not meet with favor.

A few days before the Legislature adjourned, when there was no time for thoughtful examination and discussion of the whole library question, the Editor was in the Senate chamber, and while listening to the monotonous reading of an apparently uninteresting assessment bill, presented by Mr. Kelley, chairman of the Finance committee, his ear caught the sounds of a brief sentence repealing outright the Library sections of the school law. A few of the Senators were spoken to, and by them was assured that it was suspension, not repeal. But before taking the vote, which without reflection would have been an unanimous one, pro-forma, as reported by the committee, the language of the bill was examined at the clerk's desks, where it was found that indeed the whole library system had been marked out as "anathema-maranatha."

Whereupon, Senator Heaton of Butler arose, and called the attention of the Senate to the great wrong that would be wrought against the people by summarily cutting off an important public institution, in so indirect and uncalled for a manner, and moved that the bill containing this repeal, be referred back for amendment, with instruction to strike out that part proposing a repeal.

Mr. Kelly, who had reported the bill, stated that it had been framed under a tacit agreement of the friends of the library, that it should so be done if the Reform School appropriation was made. A general expression of disagreement to this statement was made, denying that any understanding was entered into. It was stated that some were willing to forego the revival this year, of the library clause, if the Reform School was established, but no agreement was made on even that point.

Mr. Canfield, chairman of the committee on Schools, expressed himself ready to submit to suspension for one year longer, that in the mean time popular

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