108 ness of disqualification for their duties, creates a Here then opens a fair field for the exertions of But why should not the Journal be more widely circulated? A single copy to a district, can hardly supply the trustees. from each other, and communication is not easy. They often live remote Who is there to see the copy circulated? what will it be worth to the library, (its intended And destiny) after passing three families? That paper is invaluable to all the parents and guardians who send children to the district school. They have the deepest stake in its pages, and should be the first to subscribe for it. see how much the good order of the school and Here they will the progress of the children depends on them. Here they often learn where the real fault lies, whether in the teacher, the pupil or the parent, when difficulties arise, or the school does not prosper. It should be extensively known that 3 copies of the Journal for one year, sent to one address, may be had for one dollar, provided a town superintendent will send the money in advance, and name the post-office to which the papers are to be sent. The Post-master will enclose all such subscriptions without charge; and I am convinced the town superintendent cannot lay a broader and surer foundation for his future usefulness and success, than by means of circulating the Journal widely among the families of his several districts. Oneida. SENEX. WHAT IS DOING. Never was there a period more full of promise to the State. Our schools are beginning to fulfil the object of their creation-are becoming the great preventive institutions of society, and will do more to redeem the moral and social condition of the people, than all the associations that philanthropy has formed and sustained. An educational movement has begun, wide as its influence will be felt by every household in our the State, and deep as the wants of its citizens; and borders. County and town conventions, teachers' and the opening of temporary normal schools, are associations, school celebrations, teachers' drills, but a few of the cheering indications that the system is doing its great work, and our schools becoming nurseries of a virtuous and happy people. [ED. CONVENTIONS. ERIE. Charles Taintor, Esq., of Black Rock, President. among other excellent resolutions the following was Examining Teachers. "Committe on examining Teachers, reported as fol lows. venience to a particular district, of favor to individu"Resolved, That no considerations of temporary conals, or of regard to the prejudices or preferences of the inhabitants, ought to be permitted to sway the judgment of the examining officer. qualifications of a teacher, it would be proper for the officer to ascertain by appropriate inquiries-First: "Resolved, That for the purpose of ascertaining the His moral character and deportment. Second: His temper and disposition. Third: His ability to govern himself. Fourth. His love for the business of teaching and whether he designs making it a temporary or per manent employment. Fifth His experience and success in teaching. Sixth. Whether he has obtained a proposes to adopt in teaching each branch of elementary science. Eighth: His knowledge of the various specific preparation. Seventh: The method which he branches that he may be required to teach. Ninth: His ability to communicate instruction in the manner best correct habits of thought, to make the studies of the va adapted to develope the faculties of the mind, to form and, above all, to inspire them with a love of order and rious branches interesting to the minds of his pupils, moral precepts without which our schools would be didecorum, and to inculcate, in a befitting manner, those vested of a large share of their usefulness. only give the concluding paragraph on An admirable address was adopted, of which we can among the evils which paralyze the efforts of the teachThe undersigned would also respectfully suggest, that er, none causes such an irreparable loss to the pupil, ly demands a remedy as irregularity of attendance. It creates so much inconvenience in schools, and so loud discourages the pupil to be detained from school, while and enthusiasm which he would otherwise feel in his studies, diverts his mind to other matters, and ultihis class is continually advancing, diminishes the zeal mately, perhaps, causes a disrelish for study. It is a serious annoyance to the teacher, interrupts his ar rangements in regard to classification, multiplies the number of classes, and thus lessens the privileges of other students. It would, therefore, be far more profitable to the pupil, and the rest of the school, to keep only half the term, than to send him irregularly through the whole term. him at his studies regularly while he does go, if it were Irregularity of Attendance. H. H. Barney, Aurora, Hudson, the Hon. John Martin, was called to the chair, E. S. ELY, County Sup't. The Town Superintendents having assembled at On motion of Mr. Wooden, County Superintendent, it was ordered that a committee of three be appointed to report resolutions expressive of the sense of the con vention. tion by the children. The address of the Rev. Mr. Gray was peculiarly affecting. On the banner of the primary department of the People's School, was the motto "Our Country's Hope." The proceedings were very interesting and exhibit showed conclusively that our country has no other From this text, he much enlightened zeal in the cause of education. abiding hope than the education of her youth, and his Text books were recommended, and J. W Fairfield, admonitions to his countrymen to attend to that subEsq. one of the Superintendents of the excellent ject were truly thrilling. I must say a word about the schools of Hudson, addressed the meeting at length.-"People's School." In the village of Arcade, they We regret that we cannot transfer his remarks to the have been troubled like all other villages with select Journal. Among the resolutions we call particular and private schools or miniature aristocracies; but attention to the sound doctrine of the following on the some months since, after properly investigating the subject, they wisely concluded to abandon all of them, now united in one Common School, called "The Peo and go for the Common School. The whole village is ple's School," with two departments, primary and senior. All the branches of science usually taught in our academies are there taught. And I have no doubt in saying it is the best regulated and taught school in the county, and is what the schools in all our villages should be. Formation of School Districts. Resolved, That we deem it a duty of the Town Superintendents, to use their influence in enlarging small districts or uniting them, as such districts may thereby be able to erect good houses, and support competent teachers. That Common Schools can be rendered more efficient by congregating a sufficient number of scholars to support a first rate teacher by the year, and as sistant, when necessary: that the inconvenience of sending children a mile and a half to school is small, in comparison with the beneficial results of a good school. WYOMING COUNTY COMMON SCHOOL CONVENTION. A meeting of the officers and friends of Common Schools in the county of Wyoming, convened at the court house in Warsaw, pursuant to a call of the Coun. ty Superintendent, at ten o'clock A. M., on Tuesday, the 5th of September, 1843. President.-Augustus Frank, of Warsaw. Secreta ries-Alanson Holly, of Warsaw, and C. A. Huntington, of Perry. The Convention being thus organized, Judge Stevens, the County Superintendent, made a brief but conprehensive statement of the objects for which the convention had been called. Among the resolutions is one expressive of the seutiments of the Convention on Select Schools. That we recommend to the several villages in this county to use their endeavors to abolish select and private schools, and make an effort so to improve and elevate their common schools as to render them the only necessary schools for the education of all classes of the community, and in which merit shall form the only distinction among scholars. The SCHOOL CELEBRATION IN CHINA, WYOMING. Attica, Sept 15, 1943. F. DWIGHT, Esq.-Dear Sir:-Imust give you some account of what we are doing in Wyoming. We have lately had a Common School County Convention, and a Common School celebration. The day was beautiful, and the arrangements such that everything was done in order, and all passed off in the most happy manner.Although the exercises were somewhat lengthy, still there was the deepest attention, and strict attendance daring the whole day. Col. C. O. Shepard acted as President of the day, and Col. A. Smith, assisted by Capt. C. J. Parker, as marshals. Between 9 and 10 o'. clock the schools began to assemble. The manner of their coming together showed excellent taste in the arrangement. They met first at the Presbyterian Church. Each school came in a large wagon or carriage prepared for the purpose, drawn by four horses. scholars and teachers were surrounded by green trees set in holes in the sides and ends of the body of the carriage, so that the whole school appeared riding in a grove. As they drew up in succession, they assembled in the church, each school and teacher by itself. As soon as all had arrived, they were formed by the ⚫ marshals in a hollow square on the green in front of the church. The ceremony of presenting banners to each teacher was then gone through with. This was a most interesting part of the celebration; upon each banner was inscribed an appropriate motto. They were presented by the County Superintendent, and by the Town Superintendent of Perry, Mr. Huntington. As they, with the committee and marshals, passed round, preceded by a band of music, each teacher and school advanced in turn and received the banner with remarks by the Superintendent. The remarks in one instance were replied to by Mr. Sedgwick, the teacher of the "People's School, (Dist. No. 1,) in Arcade, in a very brief but exceedingly appropriate manner. Three young gentlemen belonging to the People's School" at Arcade, Messrs. Enos, Pierce and Calkins, addressed the assembly a few moments each, in vivid and affecting terms, and were listened to with marked atten. Such a display as the school celebration in China, emanating from such a source, and prompted by such motives, presents a subject for reflection and congratu lation for every philanthropist and statesman, who is a friend of the rights of the people. Truly yours, A. STEVENS, County Sup't. . OTSEGO. A County Convention assembled on the 21st. We A County Convention held on the 27th. No report. A Teacher's Convention held at Glen's Falls. An as- On the Claims of Teachers. Resolved, That teachers of common schools should receive a fair and liberal compensation for their services, and that they hold a rank and receive the respectwith their moral, literary and religious claims upon an ful attention of parent and guardian, commensurate intelligent and liberty loving people. ALBANY. Common School Celebration at Coeymans. On the 13th day of Sept., pursuant to notice, Isaac McCarty Esq., the able and zealous Town Superintend ent of Coeymans, assembled the schools for examination in the church at the Hollow. The exercises were deeply interesting, the church thronged with children and parents, and an impulse given to the schools that will be long and widely felt. schools, the County Superintendent addressed the meetAfter the interesting examination of the several ing, and was followed by the Rev. Mr. Rogers, in an appeal of much power and beauty. It was we trust a white day" for Coeymans. F. DWIGHT, Esq. Dear Sir-I wrote you on the 15th ult. by private conveyance, and gave you an account of some of our doings in this district, &c. I have now to add to the list two more celebrations; one at Angelica on the 31st ult. the other at Almond, on the 5th inst. Our meeting at Angelica out-did any thing of the kind ever held in this part of the State; hetween three and four thousand persons assembled in the Park, where an excellent collation was served, which had been got up by the inhabitants of the village-in this they certainly showed much generosity and kindness-their hospitality being equaled only by their courtesy. A procession was formed and marched to a beautiful grove. Each school dis played at its house a splendid banner with an appropriate motto unfurled to the breeze. The procession was nearly one mile in length, and the scholars numbered nealy 1700. At the grove several interesting addresses were delivered, which were well received by the people. The Angelica Band contributed much to the inter est of the day. Every thing passed off well, and I trust a fresh impulse has been given to the glorious cause of general education. At Almond, over 1500 persons were in attendance the right spirit prevailed-the hospitality and kinduess of the people of that place, were fully evinced by an excellent report, and afte, the exercises at the grove, departed for their several homes, determined (I an willing to believe) to have better schools. These Celebrations have already done much good— the right feeling is aroused. No other subject can call people out in such numbers, in this County, as the subject of Common Schools. They rush to these meetings in such vast numbers, that in all cases we have been obliged to take to the grove. The worst evils we encounter here, are small inetficient districts.-Will you point your artillery at this subject;-our people are nearly ripe for consolidation. Yours truly. H. WILSON, Co Sup't. of Southern District. Little Genesec, September 14, 1843. CONVENTIONS TO BE HELD IN OCTOBER. DUTCHESS Holds her county convention on the 14th inst. ALBANY On Thursday the 5th of October. A TEACHERS' DRILL will be held at Bethlehem, on Friday, the 6th at Sloansville for Guilderland; on Saturday the 7th, at West Troy, for Watervliet on Monday, the 9th, at the Hol low, for Coeymans; on Tuesday, the 10th, at Chesterville, for Westerlo; on Wednesday, the 11th, at Rens. selaerville; on Thursday, the 12th, at Bern; on Friday, the 13th, at Knoxville, and on Saturday, the county meeting will convene at Bradt's, in New-Scotland. The drills will open at 9 A. M. On each evening there will be a meeting of the trustees, and inhabitants of the several towns, and addresses may be expected. Professor Davies, of West Point, has kindly offered his aid to make the Drills useful to our winter schools. Normal Schools Will be opened by the superintendents of the follow. ing counties, to continue from two to four weeks, to aid the teachers in acquiring a knowledge of their duties. FULTON AND TOMPKINS Open their schools in October. CAYUGA. The school will be opened on the 3d of Oct., at Au burn, for two weeks, by Hon. Salem Town, J. B. Thomson, Esq, and Mr. Storkes, the County Supt. ORLEANS. On the 4th of October, for two weeks, by the Rev. Messrs. French and McHarg, E R. Reynolds, Esq., County Superintendent, Messrs. W. Tillinghast, N. W. Bates, S. Bates, S. B. Taylor, W. Reynolds, G. H. Stone, A. Thomas and H. C. White. A visiting committee also appointed. WASHINGTON. At Cambridge for the Southern section on the 10th of Oct., and at West Granville for the Northern Division on the 3d of Oct. The former to continue three, the latter two weeks, by the able County Superintendents, the brothers Wright. Has not an educational movement began? Will not every lover of his country wish it God Speed? Youth's Miscellany. ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION. [Composition, orthography and grammar, are all agreeably and successfully taught by the following method: we have tested it. Let the pupils parse what they write, and they will thus learn both to analyse and compose sentences. It is not enough to know how to take the watch to pieces-the watch maker is able to put it together.-ED.] Mamma. I have thought of an amusing and improving exercise for you to-day, my dears; and you must each try to make the best choice of words, and do it as well as you can. Fanny. Do tell us what it is, mamma. Mamma.-I will give you six substantives, and you must form them into sentences. I leave' it to yourselves entirely to choose the subject on which you write. Albert. I think we shall like that very much; but do, dear mamma, write also, because we shall then see how we should have expressed ourselves. Mamma.-I will do so, my dear, with plea sure. The nouns I give you are, friend, wool, inkstand, weather, yesterday, and picture. Fanny-Really, mamma, there does not seem much connection between those words, but we will try. After some time the children produced their slates: Mamma.-Now, Lucy, you are the youngest, read your sentence aloud first. Lucy. I am afraid you will think it very badly done, mamma, but perhaps I shall write the next better. Mamma.-When I see you give your mind to any thing, Lucy, I am never dissatisfied, even if you should not have succeeded to my wishes :read it, my love. Lucy-Yesterday, the skies were the picture of bad weather; and I put wool into my friend's inkstand, to prevent it from spilling. Mamma.-That will do, Lucy; I see you understand what I meant you to do. Albert, what have you written? Albert.-The wool was yesterday brought in. my friend, for it would have been a sad picture to see the sheep, from the bad weather, as black as my inkstand. Mamma.-Right, my dear; but try in future not to introduce any substantives, but those I have given you. Now, Fanny, what have you for me? Fanny -No friend, yesterday, could have braved the weather, unless he was clothed in wool, for the skies were the picture of my inkstand. Mamma-You have all fallen into the same mistake, by introducing a substantive too much; but our next sentence will be better, I have no doubt. I will read you mine. Yesterday, being rather rainy weather, I took my inkstand, and wrote to a friend, of whom I have a picture, worked in wool. Albert. Oh, mamma, that is much better than ours; do give us some more words. Mamma. Here are six,-head, hand, truth, person, flower. Let us try again thought, what we can make of them. Mamma.-Yes, Lucy. Lucy-My hand, and head, and person, and every thought, as well as every flower, are made by God;-this is a truth. Mamma.-Very well. my dear; but still you have not avoided the error I pointed out to you in the last sentence. Let me hear yours, Albert. Albert.-Every person who plucks a flower, and lifts it, with his hand to his head, will find it a truth, that is worthy of thought. Mamma. That is better, Albert; what have you written, Fanny? Fanny. It is a truth, that my hand, and my head, and indeed my whole person, resembles a flower, which fades away as swift as thought.Now, mamma, let us have yours. Lucy-Really, mamma, that is difficult; but I do not despair of making a sentence. I have just thought of something. Pray do not speak, sister, till I have written it down. Mamma, I shall soon have done. Lucy shortly produced her slate with great complacency, and her mamma read aloud :Air is as necessary for birds, as bread is for for us in this world; pardon me, but I should not like to live in a wilderness. Mamma-My dear Lucy, here is an error I should like you to discover for yourself. What parts of speech were those which I gave you? Lucy-Substantives, mamma. Mamma. Then read your sentence, Lucy, and stop at each of the six words, and ask your. self if they are substantives. Lucy. No mamma; pardon is a verb, as I have used it. Mamma. It is so, my dear; how can you correct the sentence? Lucy. Will this do, mamma? He could scarcely obtain pardon, who should prefer to live always in a wilderness. Mamma. That is better, certainly, Lucy; but I should have liked the different members of the sentence to have been more connected than they are. Albert, are you ready? Albert. Yes, mamma, I have written: Some birds live in the wilderness, their world is the air, and they need no pardon for taking their bread wherever they can find it. Mamma. Very well, my dear; what has Fanny written? Fanny. The world is surrounded by air, the birds fly through it, even across a wilderness; they never want for bread, nor need ask for par don. Pray, mamma, read us what you have writ. ten. Mamma. The world is a wilderness, bread is provided for us whilst we are in it, and pardon is offered, free as the air, through which birds fly. Albert.-How much I like mamma's sentence! Is it not strange, that though we have all had the same words, we have none of us written at all alike. Mamma.-Because, my dear, our minds are so differently formed: there is in all the works of God an endless variety. You have never met with any two individuals exactly alike, either in person, or disposition, and in nature every thing is beautifully diversified. SINGULAR PROPERTIES OF THE FIGURE 9. Multiply 9 by itself, or by any other of the digits, and the figures of the product added together will amount to 9. The component fig ures of the amount of the multlpliers, (viz. 45) when added together, make 9. The amount of the several products or multi pliers of 9, (viz. 405) when divided by 9, gives a quotient of 45; and the component figures of either the dividend or quotient added together make 9. Multiply any row of figures either by nine, or by any one of the products of nine multiplied by one of the digits, as by 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63. 72. or 81, and the sum of the figures of the product added together will be divisible by 9. Multiply the 9 digits in the following order. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, by nine, or by any other of the products of nine mentioned in the last paragraph, and the product will come out all in one figure, except the place of tens, which will be an 0), and that figure will be the one which multiplied into 9, supplies the multiplier; that is, if you se lect 9 as the multiplier, the product will be (except the place of tens) all ones; if you select 18, all twos; if 27, all threes, and so on. Omit the 8 in the multiplicand, and the 0 will also vanish from the product leaving it all ones, twos, threes, &c. as the case may be. MUTATIONS OF THE ALPHABET. As this volume may be often used in schools, it is but fair that we should give out an exercise in arithmetic, occasionally, for the older children in schools and families. In many schoolbooks on arithmetic there is a rule laid down by the name of Permutation of Quantities. It is a mode of ascertaining how many different ways any given number of things in a different position with respect to each other. can be so changed, as to stand, at every change, six different ways with respect to each other; Thus the figures 1, 2, and 3, may stand in as follows. 1. 2. 3 1st.. The number increases surprisingly at the addition of every figure; for though 1, 2, and 3, are susceptible of but six mutations or changes, 1, 2, 3 and 4, can be changed 24 times; and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, no less than 120. The nine digits can be changed 362,880 times. the nine digits. Take the twenty-six letters of The same is true of anything else, as well as the English Alphabet, for example. We find, ceptible of the six following mutations. in the same manner, that a, b, and c, are sus Before the Reformation, young men were ed All this is plain; and there is nothing very EDUCATION IN KING HENRY THE EIGHTH'S REIGN. startling about it. But when we come to ascertain the changes of which a much larger num. ber of letters or figures is susceptible, the re-ucated in monasteries, and women in nunneries; sults are more surprising. The number of changes any given number of things will undergo, is found by multiplying all the terms of the given series of numbers continually into each other. Thus 1 the first of the series, is multiplied by and the product by 2 the second of the series, 2 where the latter were instructed in writing, drawing, cookery, and needle work, and what were then regarded as female accomplishments, in physic and surgery. The acquisitions of the former, were limited to writing, and a tincture probably of barbarous Latin; but ignorance was so common, that Fitzherbert recommends to gentlemen unable to commit notes to writing, the practice of notching a stick to assist their mem3 the third of the series, &c.ories. When removed from these seminaries to the houses of their parents, both sexes were 6 treated in a manner that precluded improvement. Domestic manners were severe and formal; a haughty reserve was affected by the old, and an abject deference exacted from the young. Sons when arrived at manhood, are represented as standing silent and uncovered in their father's presence; and daughters, though women, were placed like statues at the cupboard, nor permitted to sit and repose themselves till their mothers retired. We confess that we are almost startled at the result, ourselves; and we beg our readers in the schools, to repeat the process, and see if we have made no mistake. A very small mistake only, in the early part of the process, would lead us very far from truth in the end; just as a small departure from the path of virtue, in early life, may lead us—we know not whither-before we are old. THE LAW OF KINDNESS. If we have made no mistake in multiplying, the mutations or changes of the twenty-six letters of the Alphabet are no less than 139,421, 257,797,501,000,840,000,000. Now suppose these changes all to be made out, as we made out those of the first three or four, and those let ters, either printed or written, were so placed that each should take no more space than the 1-100 part of a square inch, which would be somewhat more close than the printed lines of this page. As the square inches in a square yard are 1,296, this number, multiplied by 100, would give the number of letters which would "Don't speak so cross," said one little boy stand on a square yard, viz. 129,600. Divide yesterday in the street to another. "Don't the whole number of changes of the alphabet, speak so cross-there's no use in it." We hapby this last number, and you have a quotient of pened to be passing at the time, and hearing 1,075,781,310,165,902,784,259; the number of the injunction, or rather exhortation--for it was square yards of space which these changes made in a horatory tone and manner; we set would require. But the whole earth's surface the juvenile speaker down as an embryo philois said to contain no more than 617,197,435,008, sopher. In sooth, touching the point involved 000 square yards; and if so, it would require in the boyish difficulty which made occasion for 1,759,213 such globes as this, on which to write the remark, he might probably be considered as all the changes of the twenty-six letters of the at a maturity. What more could Solomon have alphabet! said on the occasion? True, he hath put it on record, that "a soft answer turneth away wrath," and this being taken as true-and everybody knows it to be so-it is evidence in favor of the superiority of the law of kindness over that of wrath. But our young street philoso pher said pretty much the same thing substantially, when he said, "don't speak so crossthere's no use in't." No indeed, there is certainly no use in it. On the contrary, it invariaThere is one moral consideration to which bly does much harm. Is a man angry? it inthis subject may lead us, independent of its val- flames his ire still more; and confirms in his ue as a lesson in arithmetic. Many have won- enmity, him who by a kind word, and a gentle dered that among so many millions of the human and forbearing demeanor, might be converted race, there should be so few whose features are into a friend. It is in fact an addition of fuel exactly or nearly alike. Now it seems to us to a flame already kindled. And what do you wonderful, on the contrary, that we see so many gain by it? Nothing desirable, certainly, unstriking resemblances. Think of the various less discord, strife, contention, hatred, malice parts, if we may so say, which go to make up and all uncharitableness, be desirable. face! Why, there are vastly more of them than speaks the "words of truth and soberness." of the letters of the alphabet. Then why should Don't speak so cross-there's no use in't.” we not expect as many mutations ?-Think of the shades of the complexion, the eyes, and the hair; the many forms and relative distances of the eyes, eyebrows, cheekbones, nostrils, lips, &c; the various forms of the chin, and various Is published on the 1st of each month-Office New degrees of prominence of the different muscles of the face, which last are very numerous ;and shall we not wonder, rather, that any law of the Creator should bring the features to resemble each other as much as they often do in families? If chance gave direction, (for even chance is subject to laws) should we ever witness any such results? a District School Journal. State Hall For a single copy for one year, ...... He $0.50 12 copies to one order, for one year, each................. 0 33 Steam-Press of C. Van Benthuysen & Co. |