schools. The school property of the districts will at once pass into your hands for use for school purposes; old district boundaries, already inadequate because of changes in the centers of popu lation, will be obliterated; we shall be able to grade the schools more satisfactorily, placing younger pupils in schools near at hand, and placing older pupils in central schools, where their opportunities for progress will be enhanced; there will be no special taxes levied against individual districts, the support of the schools, and the expense of keeping up school property coming directly from the town. Experience has proved that the districts are too often indifferent in providing for the comforts and success of their school. In three districts no officers were elected for the ensuing year at the annual meeting; indeed no annual meeting was held. Further experience has proved to your Board of Visitors that the dual relation of Visitors elected by the town, and Boards of School Committee elected by the districts, is not a wise measure, not always resulting in harmonious action.

Nineteen towns in the State already manage their schools under the act for consolidation, resulting the past year in raising the average attendance four per cent. over the average as under the old system. This system has long been the one of some of our States distinguished for their superior schools.

As an experiment for any time the town shall so vote, we may return to the old system we urge that the town shall enter into the matter heartily, with the hope that it shall give us schools of superior excellence.— BETHEL, Rev. H. L. Slack, Secretary.

Town Management. In most of the districts it is difficult to find any one who is willing to act as a District Committee, and those who act as such take but little interest in the schools. The school registers show no visits from any of them during the past year. Perhaps the better way would be to leave the whole matter of our schools in the hands of our school visitors and selectmen. At present our committees only hire the teachers and procure the fuel. It seems as if these services could easily be performed by the joint board, and a saving of labor be made. A law tending toward consolidation was before the last legislature. We ought to hail any new method and be willing to attempt a trial of anything that promises good results, for we are, in our present indolent methods of doing, far from showing our children that the public is soon to look to them, or in impressing them that the public sentiment of the community will soon be reposed in them, and if it is to be a healthy sentiment it must not emanate from half-trained or ignorant minds. - OXFORD, Dr. L. Barnes, Acting Visitor.

Town Management. — According to reports of committees there is a strong feeling in favor of the consolidation of districts. It is argued that as the town pays most of the bills it should assume the entire responsibility of the schools. This would not greatly increase the present indebtedness, and would relieve the several

committees from petty amounts not allowed in incidental expenses. HAMDEN, Elias Dickerman, Secretary.

Town Management. A careful study of the condition of our schools in some districts of the town convinces us that the recommendation of the State Board of Education could be adopted with advantage, i. e., consolidation under town instead of district management. Under this plan a more advantageous expenditure of school moneys would result, better teachers would be secured, and the interests of children, especially in the smaller districts, be best considered. District politics and jealousies too often stand in the way of a school's best welfare, where, if the town had a general charge and supervision, better schools and buildings would be maintained. This now is a matter of local option, but we trust that the time is not far distant when the legislature will make this provision by law a part of our public school system. — ORANGE, Dr. J. F. Barnett, Acting Visitor.

Trained Teachers. In any other department of business a man's theoretical knowledge would not be accepted as filling the bill. The practical training in school work of the recent graduates of the Normal School gives assurance of success in their future engagements. The lack of such training accounts for the meagre success of so many who come to us with a college diploma. Such men would not think of entering the ministry or the legal or medical profession without special training for their specific work; and yet it seems supposable that the successful student within college walls will of course become a successful teacher without professional drill. No; give us trained teachers, full of ingenious expedients for arousing enthusiasm, or at least interest in their pupils. A moulding board and a measure of sand in proper hands will do more in training a class in a knowledge of . geography, than a full library of text-books. - PLYMOUTH, L. D. Baldwin, Acting Visitor.

Visitation of Schools. - The Center school received 85 visitors, Bedlam 27, Natchaug 50, and the Southeast 61. Surely parents and friends are to be commended for seeing for themselves how the scholars progress and whether the teachers should be continued in their office-work, or whether a change is desirable. Both teacher and scholar feel the encouragement thus afforded, and are incited thereby to do the best work possible. Surely parents who look well after their hired help, their farms and their stock, should manifest the deepest interest in the education of their children. CHAPLIN, Rev. Francis Williams, Acting Visitor.

Work at Home. The low average attendance is largely due to the fact that the parents of the older boys require their services at home during a portion of the spring and fall, while during the winter months the younger pupils cannot attend regularly, thus preventing a regular attendance of all the registered pupils. WOODBRIDGE, School Visitors.

Examinations cannot be given in the different branches at any other hours than those mentioned above.

Candidates desiring to take advanced studies are requested to confer with examiner.

Theory and Practice are given under the different subjects.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS AND INFORMATION.

1. Write the date and place of examination and your number on the outside of the envelope. Write the date and place of examination, and your number, name, and address on a slip of paper, and put inside of the envelope.

2. Write the date and place of examination, and your number and name of study at the top of each page of your work.

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3. Write only on one side of the paper.

4. Prefix to each answer the number of the question.

5. Leave a margin at the left.

6. In Arithmetic, write the operation as well as the answer.

7. The printed questions must be attached to papers containing answers. 8. The result of the examination will be communicated to you within one month.

9. Candidates for entrance to Normal School will be informed of the result of their examination within ten days.

10. Physiology is essential to Primary Certificate.

READING.
I.

1. For what purpose, if any, may "concert reading" be used in teaching reading?

2. Why do children read poetry in a sing-song way? How would you correct the habit ?

3. Give five reasons for teaching reading.

4. What means do you employ for cultivating a taste for good reading? 5. To what extent do you depend upon marks of punctuation for inflection? Why?

Give an example of a falling inflection after a comma; rising inflection after a period; falling inflection after an interrogation point.

1. Glorious New England! thou art still true to thy ancient fame, and worthy of thy ancestral honors. We, thy children, have assembled in this far-distant land to celebrate thy birthday. A thousand fond associations throng upon us, roused by the spirit of the hour. On thy pleasant valleys rest, like sweet dews of morning, the gentle recollections of our early life; around thy hills and mountains cling, like gathering mists, the mighty memories of the Revolution; and, far away in the horizon of thy past, gleam, like thy own bright northern lights, the awful virtues of our Pilgrim sires!

2. But, while we devote this day to the remembrance of our native land, we forget not that in which our happy lot is cast. We exult in the reflection, that though we count by thousands the miles which separate us from our birth-place, still our country is the same. We are no exiles, meeting on the banks of a foreign river, to swell its waters with our homesick tears. Here floats the same banner which rustled above our boyish heads, except that its mighty folds are wider, and its glittering stars increased in number.

3. The sons of New England are found in every State of the broad

Republic. In the east, the south, and the unbounded west, their blood mingles freely with every kindred current. We have but changed our chamber in the paternal mansion; in all its rooms we are at home, and all who inhabit it are our brothers. To us, the Union has but one domestic hearth; its household gods are all the same. Upon us, then, peculiarly devolves the duty of feeding the fires upon that kindly hearth — of guarding, with pious care, those sacred household gods.

4. We cannot do with less than the whole Union; to us it admits of no division. In the veins of our children flows northern and southern blood. How shall it be separated? who shall put asunder the best affections of the heart, the noblest instincts of our nature? We love the land of our adoption; so do we that of our birth. Let us ever be true to both! and always exert ourselves in maintaining the unity of our country, the integrity of the Republic.

5. Accursed, then, be the hand put forth to loosen the golden cord of Union! thrice accursed the traitorous lips which shall propose its severance! But no! the Union can not be dissolved. Its fortunes are too brilliant to be marred; its destinies too powerful to be resisted. Here will be their greatest triumph, their most mighty development.

6. And when, a century hence, the Crescent City shall have filled her golden horns — when within her broad armed port shall be gathered the products of the industry of a hundred millions of freemen when galleries of art and halls of learning shall have made classic this mart of trade, then may the sons of pilgrims, still wandering from the bleak hills of the north, stand upon the banks of the great river and exclaim with mingled pride and wonder: "Lo, this is our country; when did the world ever behold so rich and magnificent a city—so great and glorious a Republic!" 1. (a). Write five questions that you would ask a class on the subjectmatter of the above selection.

(b). State what you would teach in connection with this selection about pronunciation, articulation, and definition.

2. Tell fully what preparation you would make before having the above selection read.

3. What is Reading?

4. What is meant by oral reading, silent reading, supplementary reading?

5. Give four words, each containing e, the vowel to have the same value in no two words.

6. Name ten books that you would advise children under fifteen to read.

III.

1. (a). What is Reading? (b) Oral Reading? (c) Silent Reading? (d) Sight Reading?

2. What is meant by objective teaching of reading? Illustrate.

3. For what purpose would you teach marks of punctuation? How would you teach them?

4. How may the meaning of words be best taught to children? Give these methods.