'How happy when Innocence wings the bright hour.' Farnished for the Annals of Education, by LowELL MASON, Professor in the Boston Academy of Music. leads us through life on a pathway of flowers; Gold, silver and jewels are gay are the songsters when all the woods ring. But gayer the bosom where TO THE FRIENDS OF EDUCATION. 3 HE ANNALS OF EDUCATION for 1838 will be conducted on the same general principles as it has been heretofore, especially during the last two years while the present editor has had nearly the whole care of it. He regards the Bible and Experience as the two principal text books in all Education; though, like his predecessor, he will continue to exclude carefully everything partisan or sectarian. The work will if possible be rendered more interesting to Christian Parents and Teachers this year than formerly. For though a correspondence has been opened and is opening with some of the most distinguished friends of Education in the Eastern He nisphere, in order to draw forth everthing truly valuable in the institutions of the old rld, we shall never forget that our institutions of every grade, from the family and the infant school to the university, must be truly American, and adapted to the wants of the sons and daughters of a republic. In this view we shall increase our efforts to present in detail, the most improved methods of conducting the work of education among republican children, both in family and school. We intend to speak, with great freedom, of the character of existing instruments of education-school books, school apparatus, school houses, &c. We shall endeavor to set forth, what should be the objects and ends of the instruction of the Family, the In-" fant S. boul, the District School, the Sabbath School, the Teacher's Seminary and the higher Institutions. We shall insist more strongly than ever, on the correct education of the bodily senses and organs the eye, the ear, the taste, the lungs, the skin, the stomach and the brain; as well as on the right education of the temper, the conscience, and the affections. And while we regard mothers and schoolmasters as the more efficient and responsible educators of the human race, and intend to direct our efforts aocordingly, we shall insist that every person has something to perform in the great work of educating his fellow-men, and in the spirit of this sentiment, endeavor to point out some of the varied duties of School Committees, School Visiters, Ministers, Physicians, legislators, parents, brothers, sisters, &c.-In short, no pains or expense, within our means, will be spared, for one year, to render the first and almost only work on American Education what the cause of intelligence, virtue, and human happiness so loudly demand, especially at the present crisis. We have said for one year; for notwithstanding the receipt, the present year, of a much larger number of new subscribers to the Annals than during any previous year, and the fact that the whole number of subscribers is greater now than it ever was before, the work is not so well sustained as it should be. To those who may be surprised at this disclosure and refer us to our preface for the present year written in Switzerland, and, as was then supposed, with a desire that it should not be varied by the domestic editor- we need only say that it is owing, in part, to the deranged state of the currency, and the difficulty of transmitting payments. But it is also true that were our subscribers to pay us promptly, we still need and the cause of education demands it-a more liberal patronage. The former editor has sacrificed several thousand dollars, in establishing and sustaining the Annals; and the present editor nearly as much more. We do not indeed affirm that the Annals is valuable in proportion to its cost; but we do say, once for all, that those who regard it as valuable and wish to secure its existence beyond a year or two longer, must not only pay us promptly in time to come, but must each of them send us another responsible subscriber. To those who find the remittance of three dollars difficult, a five dollar bill will be received in payment of their subscriptions two years in advance, or in payment of their own subscription and that of another individual for one year. OTIS, BROADERS & CO. 147 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON, MASS., Supply the following works to persons forwarding the amount of one year's subscription: NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW. Quarterly. $5,00. This is the oldest and most valuable of all periodical works published in this country. It has been estab lished for upwards of twenty years. REPRINT OF THE FOUR QUARTERLIES, embracing the EDINBURGH, LONDON QUARTERLY, FOREIGN QUARTERLY, and WESTMINSTER REVIEWS. $8,00. "As organs of sound criticism, as repositories of literary reference and scientific information, these Reviews continue unrivalled, and are sought after and read, not only in Great Britain, but in every court and nation on the European Continent. They are acknowledged to be the most interesting of all European periodical works."-Boston Gazette. BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE. Edited by Professor WILSON. Monthly. $5,00. "Black wood is one of the oldest, and decidedly the strongest and ablest magazine in the world: its char acter is too well known to be reckoned any where below the first and highest standard of Periodical Lite rature."New York State Gazette. THE METROPOLITAN MAGAZINE. Monthly. $4,00. "The Metropolitan need not acknowledge an inferiority, within its peculiar field of enterprise, to any monthly in Europe or America."-L. I. Star. KNICKERBOCKER MAGAZINE. Monthly. $5,00. "This is indeed a charming, a delightful periodical. The 'Original Papers' are racy, spirited, and slo quent, happy alike in style and sentiment; while the Literary Notices' are distinguished by just and die criminating criticism."-Charleston (S. C.) Courier. ANNALS OF EDUCATION. Edited by WILLIAM A. ALCOTT. Monthly. $3.00. Few periodicals published in this country present higher claims to patronage than the "Annals." The present editor is abundantly qualified for the department he occupies. We have no hesitation in saying that it is the DUTY of every teacher to make himself acquainted with the contents of the "Annals of Edu cation." SELECT MEDICAL LIBRARY and ECLECTIC JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. by JOHN BELL, M. D. Monthly. $10,00. Edited This is an invaluable publication to the Medical Profession. Its object is to republish all valuable Eng Jish works. During the first year of its publication works were given for ten dollars that could not be pur chased in the usual books for less than fifty. American Medical Library and Intelligencer. Edited by Robley Dunglison, M. D. Semi-monthly. $10,00. American Journal of Medical Science. Quarterly. $5,00. British and Foreign Medical Review. Edited by Forbes and Conolly. Quarterly $5,00. Johnson's Medico Chirurgical Review. Quarterly. $5,00. American Monthly Magazine. $5,00. Waldie's Select Circulating Library. Weekly. $5,00. American Quarterly Review. Quarterly. $5,00. United States Magazine and Democratic Review. Monthly. $5,00. Christian Examiner. Every other month. $4,00. New York Quarterly Review. Quarterly. $5,00. Law Library, comprising reprints of the most valuable new English works. Monthly. $10,00. American Jurist and Law Magazine. Quarterly. $5,00. Gentleman's Magazine. Monthly. $3,00. Lady's Book. Edited by Mrs. S. J. HALE. Monthly. $3,00. Ladies' Companion. Edited by Mrs. ANN S. STEPHENS. $3,00 Parley's Magazine, for Children. Monthly. $1,00. Family Magazine. Monthly. $1,50. New York Mirror. Weekly. $5,00. Philadelphia Saturday Courier. Weekly. $2,00. Philadelphia Saturday News. Weekly. $2,00. New York Albion. Weekly. $6,00. OTIS, BROADERS & CO. give particular attention to all orders for Books or Periodicals. Individuals or Clubs in the country or abroad may be supplied regalarly with any publication they order. Packages are made up for foreign ports y every vessel that sails. CONTENTS. WHAT BRANCHES SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN COMMON SCHOOLS. New Studies may be introduced-New Exercise in Defining-A Second New Exercise, 145 PREPARATORY GEOGRAPHY. Errors in Teaching Geography-Illustrations of this Error-Preparatory Lessons-Practical Reflections, CONFESSIONS OF A SCHOOLMASTER, No. IX. Profound Silence in School-General Abuse of ERRORS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION. The Infant Early spoiled-Some of our Errors specified, REVIEW OF BURNHAM'S ARITHMETIC. Arithmetic on the Cancelling Plan-Mode of Applying it, WHAT IS A USEFUL EDUCATION? Few enter our Colleges-Knowledge seldom Practical, DISTRICT SCHOOL LIBRARIES. Selection of Books for Libraries-Its recommendations, MISCELLANY. Progress of Education and Instruction,-Intelligence from Ohio-Meeting at Columbus-Education in Michigan-Female Education in Illinois-Education in Tennessee-Education in Pennsylvania-Common Schools in New York-Report on the use of the Bible in SchoolsTeacher's Seminary in Maine-Movements in Georgia-Report of the Board of Education-Dr Woodward on Physical Education. TO OUR READERS. 1 149 154 158 163 164 169 172 175 177 179 181 Ir may not be uninteresting to some of our readers to see a brief statement of the views we entertain, and the principles we are laboring to inculcate in this work-to know, in few words, what it is which we desire, by our efforts, to accomplish. OBJECT OF EDUCATION. This we believe should be to develope and form character-physical, social, intellectual, moral and religious-in short, to make man what he should be. We take the bible, hunan nature, and human experience as our basis or text books. INSTRUMENTS OF EDUCATION. The parents, especially the mother. Other associates. The general temper of those around us. Physical and moral habits-stories- precepts. The objects we see, hear, taste, &c. Pictures. Books. The Family School in general. The Infant School. The Common or District School. The High School. The College or University. The Sabbath School. The Bible Class. The Church. The Library. The Lyceum, &c. In order to bring these instruments to bear most favorably on the cause of Education and accomplish its objects, we are in favor of the following measures; 1. LEGISLATIVE ACTION. Enough of this to give an impulse. Each State should have a small fund which should be available to every School district, on condition of contributing or taxing themselves to a certain extent or amount. Thus it should serve as a mere condiment, and not as a principal article of food. Legislatures should also appoint and pay a Superintendent of Schools, or else establish Boards of Education. 2. SOCIAL ACTION. We need intelligent School Committees, who should be paid for their services; Teachers' Seminaries; Teachers' Meetings or Associations, and Interchanges of Visits among Teachers. 3. INDIVIDUAL ACTION. We need Authors who will make better School Books We need parents who will furnish them, and furnish pupils duly prepared for the School, and sustain social and legislative efforts. We need Teachers who will be truly missionaries of education; who will not only visit each others' schools and labor assiduously to introduce improved methods of instruction, improved school books, apparatus, &c. but who will also educate as well as instruct; men of enlarged minds and warm hearts, who will labor to be moral teachers as well as intellectual ones; and who will not only look to parents and others to co-operate with thei and the pupils, but also look to themselves and the pupils to co-operate with parents; whose in |