ing more solid and satisfactory and tender at the same time, and whiter at the center, and crisp in their maturity. Lettuce, like conversation, requires a good deal of oil to avoid friction, and keep the company smooth; a pinch of attic salt, a dash of pepper, a quantity of mustard and vinegar by all means, but so mixed that you will notice no sharp contrast, and a trifle of sugar. You can put anything, and the more things the better, into salad as into conversation; but everything depends upon the skill of mixing.-Warner's "My Summer in a Garden."

"BE good, my child, and let who will be clever;

Do noble deeds, not dream them all day long :
And so make life, death, and that vast forever
One grand, deep song."-Charles Kingsley.

WITH them a fire is always " the devouring element;" it never burns a house, but it always "consumes an edifice," unless it is got under, in which case "its progress is arrested." A railroad accident is always a "holocaust," and its victims are named under the "death-roll." A man who is the first to do a thing 66 takes the initiative." Instead of loving a woman, a man "becomes attached to her;" instead of losing his mother by death, he "sustains a bereavement of his maternal relative." A dog's tail, in the pages of these writers, is his caudal appendage ;" a dog-breaker, a "kunopaedist;" and a fish pond they call by no less lofty a title than "piscine preserve." Ladies, in their classic pages, have ceased to be married, like those poor, vulgar creatures-their grandmothers; they are "led to the hymeneal altar.”—Matthews, in "Words, Their Use and Abuse." A GOOD name will wear out; a bad one may be turned; a nickname lasts forever.-Zimmerman.

THE

PRIZES IN SCHOOLS.

HE benefits supposed to result from the practice of offering prizes for superior scholastic attainments, are more than offset by its pernicious effects. The practice is generally pernicious in its effects on the successful pupil. The prize is often won, not only at the expense of subsequently weakened faculties, but also, mayhap, by the forfeiture of those physical abilities which are the basis of all mental activity, and without which intellectual acquirementsare of little avail.

In the second place, the practice fails to secure the desired end in the case of many of the unsuccessful contestants. The greater number of those competing, long before the struggle is ended, become aware of their own inability to secure the prize, and lose all interest in the contest. For this reason, they often fail to do the work, which they would easily perform, if left to themselves. Schools, engaged in such competition, are not unfrequently divided into two classes-an unfortunate majority, discouraged and spiritless; and a very unfortunate few, struggling for that which can never repay them for the loss sustained.

Again, the prize system is unjust. The possession of mental faculties of a higher or lower order does not render the possessor worthy of praise or con

demnation. The only fitting reward for mental greatness is its own improvement.

Finally, if there are any qualities which render one pupil worthy of reward in preference to another, they will be found in the spirit with which he undertakes his work in what he seeks to accomplish, not in what he actually accomplishes; and of these things the teacher should not assume the responsibility of judging.-New York School Journal.

I

PERSEVERANCE.

M. P. C.

HAVE been watching a wasp, to-day, and the English language presents no word equal to his persistence. There was a lesson in every bump of his hard little head on the wall, in every patient turn-away from a comfortable footing! It was not time misspent to watch him, for what could not be learned in this direction by a patient study of his movement! Incessantly the little wings buzzed and hummed in their numberless vibrations; persistently came the thud, thud, over my head, and regardless of an abiding place, still flew and bumped my wasp. Robert Bruce's immortal spider was but as one to ten in the scale of perseverance when compared to him, and the Pyramids and the Sphynx pale before the might of his persistence.

Now, could one in any degree tending toward a reflective turn of mind, look upon even so insignificant a thing among the works of creation as a wasp, and not see, with half an eye, how the lesson might be employed to advantage? I wish now to speak exclusively of our own profession.

'But," you will tell me, our little fellows are not wasps, who will sting, as would they, were they disturbed in their endless flitting and fluttering." No, my lesson is not to be turned in their direction, but it is to our advantage as teachers that we might apply it, and it is we who may derive the benefit.

Perseverance is an attribute, or rather one of the Christian virtues, of which too many fall short. The word "discourge" has far more votaries than "persevere," and no known class of humans know the conditions better than the same little folks with whom we are dealing. It is astonishing how quickly they can detect the state of mind in which the teacher is, and how amazing is the reflection on themselves!

In the old times, when the things to be learned were beaten and branded in, not by persistence on the part of the teacher, but merely by the force of circumstances, the poor little delver among the opaque ores in the dark mines was gladdened very seldom by finding a nugget, and if he were so unfortunate, it was, as one might say, an accident; but in these later years, when knowledge is as a tree full of ripe, golden fruit, which only awaits the persevering hand to pluck it, it rests with the teacher, mainly, to give the example and impetus. Many a little fellow only waits, and unconsciously, too, for the encouraging word persistently adhered to, to make himself master of some knotty subject; and let us feel full sympathy, for experience teaches us that the toughest and

roughest things to handle are those which are laid at the foundation. Let us not be impatient with the obtuseness of some poor plodder over what seems to us only a small thing, because, perchance, we know it so well, and have for always, so we think; there is a crook or a corner in that little brain which, perhaps, makes a sharp angle; how do we know. There wasn't, maybe, just such an angle in our brain, and the thing under consideration might have come to us intuitively; no matter how. But, be that as it may, this child has got to learn this thing, and there is nothing for it but for the teacher to apply herself perseveringly to the task.

Listlessness and indifference will never accomplish anything, much less in that active workshop-yclept a school-house-whose tools, unlike the inanimate ones of the workshop, are self-acting and capable of accomplishing something of themselves; and it depends entirely upon the teacher, and her perseverance, whether the work accomplished shall reflect to her credit, and the best, highest good of her pupils.

To a teacher deficient in this one most essential attribute, what can be more annoying and really discouraging than to see before her half a hundred restless impatient little specimens of humanity, anxious and eager to be up to something, and she herself lacking in the element which shall reduce all this turbulence to order! But, then, where is the next point? They can't and musn't be idle; little limbs are too active naturally to be still and quiet, and nothing more; no, her task does not end here; there are the things whose name is legion, to be ingrafted on those ductile minds; and, as there are half a hundred bodies, no two of which are exactly alike, so there are half a hundred different qualities of mind and brain to be impressed.

Conceding, then, the variety to deal with, it is clear to see that "perseverance" is the great moving power; and as the pendulum cannot do all its swinging at once, so only by patient endurance can the teacher hope to accomplish anything. Thus, as I said, I watched my wasp, and watching, applied the principle. Query Was it an "object" lesson ?-New England Journal of Education.

:

INTELLIGENT TEACHERS.

[OT least among the many essentials in the make-up of a progressive teacher is

Na good fund of general information. Twenty years ago, in our pioneer days,

very moderate intelligence sufficed a common school teacher. If he had the rudiments of "readin', writin' and figurin'," and plenty of sledge-hammer muscle, he was eminently qualified to instruct the hardy young pioneers who congregated in the log school-house during the winter months.

But these days are rapidly passing away. The log school-house has entirely disappeared in many parts of our State, and the old-time pedagogue who worked on the farm in summer and presided over the destinies of the "district school" in winter, is also vanishing from the scene. We do not under-estimate the labors of these hard pioneers; they have nobly served their time, and must now make way for a more intelligent and scholarly class of teachers.

Our schools have made greater progress during the last decade than some suppose, and many who were considered good teachers twenty years ago, were far

below the standard required by a third-grade certificate of the present day; and I have now in my mind a certain town Superintendent who informed a teacher, when he was examining, that there were "five parts of speech, three active and two passive." We smile at such ignorance, but it serves to show how much we have advanced. While our teachers of to-day are far in advance of their prebe decessors, yet many of them are behind the times in many respects. They may well posted in arithmetic, grammar and other branches on which they are examined, yet many are fearfully ignorant upon general subjects, because they do not read. To be a successful teacher now-a-days, one must keep up with the times, and be wide awake to all that transpires around him. He may study and pore over text-books, and master their contents, but an important part of his practical knowledge must be derived from newspapers and current literature. He should keep posted in the great events that are constantly agitating the world, that he may be able to lead his pupils to take an interest in them and read for themselves. Every teacher should be a subscriber to one or more good newspapers-not a subscriber only, but a reader also. Teachers must consult taste and means in the selection of their reading matter. In this age of cheap literature, no one need want for books or papers; but let them be pure and elevating, and not trash.

In the first place, every teacher should read an educational journal. In it he will find much information which he cannot well afford to do without. Then he must take a good general newspaper, of which there is an almost endless number; and, if he can afford it, he should take at least one of our literary monthlies, such as Harper's, Scribner's or the Atlantic. The cost of the outfit is but small, and many of our teachers, who are so illiterate upon general topics, will be amply repaid for the outlay in the increased amount of useful information they will derive, benefiting them for more faithfully performing the important duty of instructing the young.- Wisconsin Journal of Education.

OPENING EXERCISES.

S. W. PAISLEY.

ENTERBA

NTER the school-room with a sunny countenance. Let your first words be uttered in pleasant tones. There may be little noise in the room-the slamming of a book upon the desk, or the dragging of a boot over the floor. ́ Wait silently until all have become quiet, then proceed quietly.

If you have charge of a school which is graded, listen to the roll-call by grades, writing, at the same time, the numbers of all absentees, on the board. Leave the numbers undisturbed until the close of the session; from these make up the record accordingly. Everything should be conformed to a previously prepared programme. Next sing one or two stanzas, after the page has been announced by the chorister. Just here let me write my testimony in favor of singing in public schools; indeed, no school ought to prosper unless singing is enforced in all its grades. It is not very difficult to enlist every child in this exercise.

Then ask all to repeat with you, or alternatively, some previously assigned Scripture lesson, say the Beatitudes, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," etc. These few verses should be learned by all, so that no book shall be needed.

It may be that some unfortunate little boy or girl belonging to the school has been maltreated by his superiors. If such a case comes within your notice, stop short when you have repeated, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Now is the moment of all others for the application, and it may be the grinding in of a valuable lesson—a great humanitarian doctrine which touches bottom in all ranks and conditions of society. Say a few words, and to the point. Tell the boys how infinitely contemptible it is to abuse an inferior, be it man or beast. Then sing one stanza bearing upon the thought in the morning lesson. Perhaps the fifteen minutes assigned for this work have by this time been consumed; if so, close at once.

It would be well to vote the Bible out of our schools altogether if no point is to be gained by the reading of it. In many schools the few minutes set part for devotional exercises are periods of supreme delight to the mischief-makers, and even those pupils who participate in it, do so in a careless, listless way. So dull is it, indeed, in many cases, that both pupils and teachers regard the schoolmaster's "devotion mill" as a humdrum machine, with the water always low in the sluice. A change would come over the spirit of such a school if some definite words were assigned-say the ten commandments; then ask the entire school to learn them. Perhaps ten children may prepare the exercise before the next session. Never mind; call upon them at each succeeding session; soon all, or at least a majority, will have learned it. Do not, however, continue the same lesson until it becomes monotonous, for this is just the criticism made upon the average Scripture reading. Introduce a new exercise as often as may be desired. I have in mind a special lesson which was used with good effect in my own school. It was necessary to impress the children with some regard for superiors, and especially did it seem desirable to inspire a due regard for the aged. Having this in view, the following and similar verses were collated from various parts of the Scriptures: "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the old man." "Honor thy father and thy mother," etc. The whole lesson consisted of seven or eight verses, and, after being learned by the entire school, was repeated with a heartiness which never results from the reading of a Hebrew geneology in 1 Chron. Then we sang, "Don't forget the old folks." The good impression made by this lesson will not soon be forgotten, even by the writer. A few words of prayer, at an opportune moment, may be well; even the reading of the Lord's prayer is sometimes effective, yet the railroad speed at which it is delivered by many teachers, and even preachers, renders the performance exceedingly dubious, to say the least.

"Words without thoughts never to heaven go." A real prayer is a human thought melted into the sentiment of the heart, and doubtless the most effective petitions were never translated into words. The twenty-third psalm makes a very good lesson when learned, as does also the first. Many other similar lessons will be suggested to the thoughtful teacher, and, if carried out judiciously, they will add a charm to the opening exercise, which is exceedingly desirable in many of our country and graded schools.--Illinois Schoolmaster.