THE CHEERFUL VOICE.-The comfort and happiness of home and home intercourse, let us here say, depend very much upon the kindly and affectionate training of the voice. Trouble, care, and vexation will and must, of course, come; but let them not creep into our voices. Let only our kindly and happier feelings be vocal in our homes. Let them be so, if for no other reason, for the little children's sake. Those sensitive little beings are exceedingly susceptible to the tones. Let us have consideration for them. KIND WORDS CAN NEVER DIE. 4 They hear so much that we have forgotten to hear; for, as we advance in years, our life becomes more interior. We are abstracted from outward scenes and sounds. We think, we reflect, we begin gradually to deal with the past, as we have formerly vividly lived in the present. Our ear grows dull to external sound; it is turned inward and listens chiefly to the echoes of past voices. We catch no more the merry laughter of children. We hear no more the note of the morning bird. The brook that used to prattle so From "DAY-SCHOOL BELL." ABBY HUTCHINSON. Arr. by H. WATERS. I. Kind words can never die, Cherished and blest, God knows how deep they lie, 2. Childhood can never die-Wrecks of the past Float o'er the memo ry, 3. Sweet thoughts can never die, Though, like the flow'rs, Their brightest hues may fly 4. Our souls can never die, Though in the tomb We may all have to lie, Lodged in the breast; Like childhood's sim- ple rhymes, Said o'er a thousand times, Bright to the last. Man y a happy thing, Man dai - sy spring, y a In win-try hours. But when the gentle dew Gives them their charms a - new, Wrapt in its gloom. What though the flesh decay, Souls pass in peace a way, Go through all years and climes, The heart to cheer. Kind words can never Floats on time's cease - less wing, Far, far away. Child - hood can never With many an added hue, They bloom again. Sweet thoughts can never Live through e- ternal day With Christ above. Our souls can never die, CHORUS. die, die, die, never die, never die, never die, never die, Kind words can never die, no, never die. no, never die. die, no, never die. no, never die. gaily to us, rushes by unheeded-we have forgotten to hear such things; but little children, remember, sensitively hear them all. Mark how, at every sound, the young child starts, and turns, and listens; and thus, with equal sensitiveness does it catch the tones of human voices. How were it possible, therefore, that the sharp and hasty word, the fretful and complaining tone, should not startle and pain, even depress the sensitive little being whose harp of life is so newly and delicately strung, vibrating even to the gentle breeze, and thrilling ever to the tones of such voices as sweep across it? Let us be kind and cheerful spoken, then, in our homes.—Once a Week. THE meaning of song goes deep. Who is there that, in logical words, can express the effect music has on us? A kind of inarticulate, unfathomable speech, which leads us to the edge of the infinite, and lets us for moments gaze out into that.-Carlyle. SANTA CLARA COUNTY TEACHERS' LIBRARY THE STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. SCHOOL JOURNAL ORGAN OF THE 4 Vol. 36. COMMON SCHOOLS AUGUST, 1887. HE object of school instruction is to dis Tcipline the mind and develop the mental faculties, to prepare children for the highest citizenship and the larger duties of life. The more intelligent and better educated society becomes the higher will be the standard required to meet the demands of such a position. But in addition to education, there is one more element which is essential to a proper development of the duties of a citizen, and that is character, which is the crown and glory of life. "It is the noblest possession of man, constituting a rank in itself, and an estate in the general good-will, dignifying every station, and exalting every position in society." If I were asked to formulate a maxim, it would be this: "Education is the most excellent attainment, and character, with the moral courage to do right, is the crown and glory of life." Let me say to those who are to receive the benefits of the school, that no virtue or achievement in this world, whether in society, art, science, literature, or the marts of trade, can be acquired in a moment, but step by step. THERE is no monument of brass or marble that can be erected in honor of any man which can compare in beauty, in character, or in permanence, with the honor of being identified for years, and perhaps for all time, with a system upon which the superstructure of our government is founded, and on which the free institutions of this country must forever rest-a system which we have inherited from our sturdy ancestors, who gave us the blessings of liberty, and declared No. 2. that all men are born free and equal. There is no law of the State or rule of the School. Board that gives the child of the rich any advantage whatever over the child of the poor man, even down to the color of the cover that shall be used on a text-book, for the legislature of Massachusetts has recently declared, in the form of a statute, that the: city shall furnish text-books to all alike, and free of cost. It only remains now for the pupil to take such rank and position as he or she may elect by personal application. and industry in the race for excellence,. which can only be attained by an honest. and upright performance of individual duty.. No two will travel the same road, or have anything like a similar experience. Each must build for himself or herself. It has. been truly said, "Every person has two ed ucations one which he receives from others,. and one, more important, which he gives to. himself." Education, whether self-acquired or imparted by others, is the most excellent attaininent, as it enlarges the capacities of the mind, promotes their improvement, and renders a man respectable in the eyes of society. 1 DR. HOLLAND, Cooper, and Mrs. Stowe are American writers of fiction whose productions can be read profitably. Two good: works of Cooper's are "The Spy" and "The Last of the Mohicans; two of Mrs. Stowe's are "The Mayflower" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin;" of Dr. Holland's are "The Bay Path" and "Arthur Bonnicastle." Ten books that might be recommended to a boy fourteen years of age (this would de- pend somewhat upon one's knowledge of the boy and of his "bent"): Holland's "Arthur Bonnicastle" and "Seven Oaks;" Kingsley's "Greek Heroes;" Scott's "Tales of a Grandfather;" Lamb's "Tales from Shakespeare;" "Robinson Crusoe;" "Gulliver's Travels;" "The Arabian Nights;" "The Swiss Family Robinson ;" Abbot's Histories, Higginson's History U. S., Weems' Life of Marion, etc. These are all standard works. It will not do damage to put in a liberal sprinkling of story-books of a simpler sort-anything that may tend to turn his taste away from the low, demoralizing and weakening works so freely put into the hands of the young nowadays. It is as important to keep bad literature out of the hands of boys and girls, as to put good literature in.-Indiana School Journal. THE late John B. Gough in one of his powerful addresses, tells the following most touching story: I was once playing with a beautiful boy in the city of Norwich, Conn. I was carrying him to and fro on my back, both of us enjoying ourselves exceedingly; for I loved him and I think he loved me. During our play, I said to him, "Harry, will you go with me down to the side of that green bank?" "Oh, yes," was the cheerful reply. We went together, and saw a man lying listlessly there, quite drunk; his face upturned to the bright blue sky; the sunbeams that warmed, and cheered, and illumined us, lay upon his porous, greasy face; the pure morning wind kissed his parched lips and passed away poisoned; the very swine in the field looked more noble than he, for they were fulfilling the purposes of their being. As I looked upon the poor degraded wretch, and then upon that child, with his bright brow, his beautiful blue eyes, his rosy cheeks, his pearly teeth, and ruby lips-the perfect picture of life, peace and innocence;-as I looked upon the man, and then upon the child, and felt his little hand convulsively twitching in mine, and saw his little lips grow white, and his eyes dim, gazing upon the poor victim of that terrible curse of our land -strong drink—then did I pray to God to give me an everlasting capacity to hate with a burning hatred any instrumentality that would make such a thing of a being who was once as fair as that innocent child. MEN who are tempted to make money suddenly are almost invariably obliged to traverse the canons of morality. It is almost impossible that they should keep themselves to moderation. The fatal fire begins to burn within them. Avarice in its earliest stages is not hideous, though at the bottom it is the same serpent thing that it is at last. In the beginning it is an artist, and the man begins to think, "I will redeem my parents. Oh! I will repurchase the old homestead. Ah! will I not make my village to bud and blossom as a rose? I will set my brothers and sisters on high. What will I not do?" How many things do men paint in the sky which clouds cover and winds blow away, and which fade out with the morning that painted them? I have noticed that men, when they begin to make money suddenly and largely, carry with them the instincts and generosities of their youth; but where do you find a man who begins to make money fast, who begins to pull it in in heaps, who begins to think of large interests from day to day, who shaves and learns to look upon men simply to see what they will bear when put under his knife and under his screw, who begins to live with money and to gloat his eyes upon money-where do you find such a man that does not begin to have narrower feelings, and baser feelings, and sordid feelings, and avaricious feelings? Avarice grinds a man like emery.-Henry Ward Beecher. REV. DR. JOHN P. LUNDY, of the Pennsylvania State Forestry Association, recently delivered a lecture at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, on the subject of the "Forestry Reform Movement." Dr. Lundy cited the fact that the absence of trees occasions the severe storms and blizzards so disastrous in our western and northwestern States. Tree destruction, he said, devastated the country. Speaking of Pennsylvania, noted for its magnificent forests, he said: "Once the State was as rich and lovely as any spot on the face of the earth. Now sudden changes of temperature are of almost daily occurrence. These conditions, destructive alike to health and agriculture, have been induced by continued and unrestricted ruin of the wooded areas of the country. Trees attract rain, and where there are no trees there is no water-there is nothing to attract the rain." Every farmer and landholder should take this lesson to heart and spare the trees that are yet left on their estates. IN the first place, if you want to make yourself miserable, be selfish. Think all the time of yourself, and your things. Don't care about anything else. Have no feelings for any one but yourself. Never think of enjoying the satisfaction of seeing others happy, but rather, if you see a smiling face, be jealous lest another should enjoy what you have not. Envy every one who is better off in any respect than yourself; Steer clear of all biliousness. Exercise. Go slow and go easy. Maybe there are other things that your special case requires to make you happy, but, my friend, these, I reckon, will give you a good life." Henry Ward Beecher's three rules of health were: "Eat well, sleep well, and laugh well." And he wisely obeyed them all. think unkindly towards them, and speak | creditors. Keep your digestion good. lightly of them. Be constantly afraid lest some one should encroach upon your rights; be watchful against it, and if any one comes near your things snap at him like a mad dog. Contend earnestly for everything that is your own, though it may not be worth a pin, for your rights are just as much concerned as if it were a pound of gold. Never yield a point. Be very sensitive, and take everything that is said to you in playfulness, in the most serious manner. Be jealous of your friends lest they should not think enough of you; and if, at any time, they should seem to neglect you, put the worst construction possible upon their conduct. Do some or all of these things, and success is certain. You will be, and you ought to be, unhappy. EITHER the songs of our birds do not affect us as they did when we were younger, or the singers have for the most part fled away; for our hedge-rows are not half so well colonized with the thrush and kindred tribes as they once were, nor are the thickets and moist spots in our woods half so melodious with the notes of the feathered songsters. Of many of the gentler and sweeter-throated varieties of birds none now remain to us, and in many localities only the larger birds of prey and the invincible, unconquerable English sparrows, remain as evidences that our climate will sustain bird-life. What has become of these vernal friends we were so long wont to welcome with the return of the daisies and buttercups? Where is the lively mocking-bird, and his cousin, the cat-bird? What has come over the sober thrush that she no longer builds in our hedges; and why does the friendly little wren become year by year more shy? Where is the wood-robin that we so seldom see him? Are we becoming so sordid, so blood-thirsty and so venal that the birds are no longer willing to trust us, or have our close farming and our trimming and pruning and our growing density of population left them no secret places for their nesting? But the hedge-rows of crowded, noisy England are alive with the chatter of birds through most of the year, and England too is the home of the sparrow to whose presence in this vicinity many attribute the disappearance of most of our old acquaintances of wood and fen. IT is said that President Lincoln once gave the following advice to a friend: "Do Eat three square meals a day. Say your prayers. Be courteous to your not worry. In his proclamation appointing Arbor Day, Governor Ames, of Massachusetts, throws out the additional suggestion that in each town a street or other public way should be selected for planting trees upon it in memory of Union soldiers who perished during the civil war. Probably this idea will enlist the co-operation of some in Arbor Day for its memorial features who might be less interested in its original purpose. Setting out rows of beautiful shade trees on a thoroughfare would be a very sensible and appropriate method of keeping green the memory of those who gave their lives for the country. It would also be easy to supplement the work by a simple and inexpensive tablet recording the purpose which had been thus carried out. GEOGRAPHY.-I recently observed a lesson in preliminary geography in a second year grade. The outline of work for the year was somewhat as follows: Lessons on Animals: That live on the land, in the water, in the air; that live in hot parts of the earth, in cold parts, in forests, in plains, in deserts, on mountains, etc. Vegetation: Same as animals. People: Their kinds of homes; what they wear, eat, and do; the animals they use; the distance and direction of their homes from the pupils' homes. The teacher began the lesson by saying, "I am thinking of a certain country.' The pupils then asked the teacher various questions regarding the vegetation, animals, and inhabitants of the country in order to determine from her answers what country she was thinking of. The following questions will illustrate the nature of those asked by the pupils: Does tea grow there? Does rice grow there? Does the black bear live there? Are there silkworms in that country? Do the people wear wooden shoes? etc. When a sufficient number of questions had been asked to indicate to the teacher that the pupils were thinking of the country she had in mind, she asked if any one could write the name of the country on the board. One pupil was chosen from the volunteers, and wrote upon the board the name "China," which the teacher stated was right. She then, in turn, questioned them closely on 'the vegetation, animals, and inhabitants of the region.-Illinois Teacher. The men to whom in boyhood information came in dreary tasks along with threats of punishment, and who were never led into habits of independent inquiry, are not likely to be students in after-years; while those to whom it came in the natural forms, at the proper times, and who remember its facts as not only interesting in themselves, but as the occasions of a long series of gratifying successes, are likely to continue through life that self-instruction commenced in youth. Herbert Spencer. AMERICAN CLASSICS IN SCHOOLS. THE BY HORACE E. SCUDDER. HE sentiment of patriotism must be kept fresh and living in the hearts of the young through quick and immediate contact with the sources of that sentiment; and the most helpful means are those spiritual deposits of patriotism which we find in noble poetry and lofty prose, as communicated by men who have lived patriotic lives and been fed with coals from the altar. It may be said, and with a show of truth, that it would be possible to bring into one compact volume the great, direct utterances of American poets, orators, and romancers upon the vital theme of our country, and that such a book as a vade mecum could be mastered in a brief portion of the school curriculum. But one feels instinctively that this end of patriotism is not to be attained by the concentration of the mind upon it for a given time; that the sentiment of patriotism is not something to pass a written examination upon, at the end of a course of study. The larger results are attained in this as in other pursuits by broadening, not by narrowing, the range. The book of patriotism which might thus be culled is an indiscriminated part of the whole body of American literature, and its power is greater as one comes into acquaintance with the whole, and not with selected parts. It is 'not the "golden texts," so called, which animate the religious mind; it is the free and full use of the whole Bible; and the literature of America, taken in its large and comprehensive sense, is worth vastly more to American boys and girls than any collec tion which may be made from it of "memory gems.' I have written as if a prime advantage of making much of American classics in school lay in the power which this literature has of inspiring a noble love of country. But in the spiritual universe there are no fences, and the fields of patriotism and righteousness lie under the same stars. Righteousness transmuted into the terms of patriotism is the appeal from lower, material good to that which is higher and over-arching. Now our schools, with their close relation to the business of life, demand a reinforcement on the side of spirituality. They have been more and more secularized, and it will only be as the people become largely at one on religious matters that they can ever recover a distinctly religious character. Meanwhile, literature and music remain as great spiritualizing forces, and happily no theoretic differences serve to exclude them from the common schools. It is to literature that we must look for the substantial protection of the growing mind against an ignoble, material conception of life, and for the inspiring power which shall lift the nature into its rightful fellowship with whatsoever is noble, true, lovely, and of good report. Mr. Parsons, in his thoughtful, warning paper on The Decline of Duty, strikes the keynote of our present peril when he says, "A materialist civilization can never be a safe one." He does not point out the preservative forces, nor intimate very distinctly to what we are to look for a corrective of present tendencies; but in the same number of the journal containing his paper is a glimpse of a boyhood which leaves strongly impressed on the mind the figure of a "boy reading Plato, covered to his chin with a cloak, in a cold upper chamber." It is not so much in the story of that life that we are to seek for influences counteracting material greed as in words which have flowed from the lips of the man whose boyhood knew privations. How many young minds have leapt at the words, "So nigh is grandeur to our dust, When Duty whispers low, Thou must, How many, also, have felt their pulses thrill with the exultant words of that declaration of independence, |