A GOOD EXAMPLE.

(From the Hartford Daily Times.)

Ar the annual meeting of "Central School District, No. 1,—(of the New Britain School Society,") held Oct. 14th, 1854, the following resolutions were unanimously passed.

Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be, and they hereby are tendered to the Teachers of the several schools, and grades of schools of this District, for the zealous, faithful, and efficient manner they have conducted their several classes, and performed their respective duties during the year past, and that the flattering progress made, and the promising standing acquired in the cause of public school education in this village, is as honorable and creditable to them, as it is gratifying to us.

Resolved, That a copy of the above, attested by the Clerk, be presented by the chairman of the late District Committee, to each of the Teachers of the several Schools of this District.

The above is a true and correct copy of the original resolutions passed as aforesaid. Attest,

CHARLES W. LEWIS, Clerk.

The several grades of Schools in "District No. 1, of New Britain," constitute the Model Department, of the Normal School. They are under the immediate charge of J. W. Tuck, Esq.

THE National Association for the Advancement of Education, held its annual meeting at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, commencing on Tuesday the 26th of December. Many distinguished friends of education were in attendance, among whom were Bishop Potter, of Philadelphia, Prof. A. D. Bache, Prof. Hart, Rev. Dr. Proudfit, Prof. R. L. Cooke, Dr. Barnard, Alfred Greenleaf, Esq., and Prof. Loomis.

A paper was read by Dr. Cole, of Trenton, N. J. Bishop Potter, and others, spoke of the importance of uniting spiritual with intellectual culture. Prof. Hart read a paper on the relations of the English language to the Teutonic and classic branches of the Indo

European family of languages. The merits of the Anglo-Saxon as a branch of study in schools were discussed.

On Thursday, Dr. Barnard addressed the Association, giving an account of the Educational Exhibition in London, and the results of his observations on the educational establishments and movements in England. A copy of the address was requested for publication. On motion, it was

Resolved, That the Standing Committee be instructed to consider, and report specifically, at the next annual meeting, upon the important suggestions made by Dr. Barnard, in his report of his late educational tour in Great Britain re⚫specting the expediency of establishing, in connection with the Association, a National Museum, or depository of books, globes, charts, models, &c., of school apparatus; also a national educational journal; also a system of educational exchanges; also a plan for a series of educational tracts, adapted for circulation throughout the United States, and the employment by the Association of a permanent Agent.

The Association then made choice of the following officers for the ensuing year, and adjourned.

President, Hon. HENRY BARNARD, Connecticut.

Corresponding Secretary, P. P. Morris, Pennsylvania.
Recording Secretary, R. L. Cooke, New Jersey.

Treasurer, J. Whitehead, New Jersey.

Standing Committee, Prof. Proudfit, Hon. E. C. Benedict, Hon. Joseph McKeon, Z. Richards, John D. Philbrick, Conn., Hon. E. R. Potter, R. I.

The next meeting is to be held in New York.

CITY AND TOWN ASSOCIATIONS.

WE say, let them be organized everywhere. Let committees teachers, parents and other friends of educational progress, meet and discuss the interests of our schools, and improvements will follow. This has already been done in some places. An Educational Society has been organized in New London. The Mayor, Henry P. Haven, Esq.,,is the President. In New Canaan, by the enterprise of Mr. J. Cannon, a Common School Association has been formed.

SUPERINTENDENT OF COMMON SCHOOLS.

MR. PHILBRICK has entered upon his duties as Superintendent of Common Schools. All communications intended for that department should be addressed to him, at New Britain, Conn.

PERSONAL ITEMS.

REV. E. B. HUNTINGTON, who recently resigned the Principalship of the Waterbury High School, has taken charge of the Stratford Union School. We are glad the State is not to lose the services of so valuable a member of our profession, and of our Editorial Corps.

PROF. CHARLES F. DowD, late of the University of Maryland, has been appointed Principal of the Waterbury High School. Prof. Dowd is a true son of Connecticut. Two years ago he accepted the appointment in Baltimore. We regretted his departure from the State. We now give him a cordial welcome back. He relinquishes a larger salary and an easier birth, for the sake of the love he bears to the good cause in Connecticut.

MR. F. T. RUSSELL, the popular Elocutionist, has been appointed Professor of Elocution in the Berkeley Divinity School in Middletown. He still retains his place as Instructor of Elocution in Trinity College.

MR. E. H. COLE has been appointed Principal of the new Union School in Bristol. Mr. Cole has already done good service in the State. When there is a meeting of the teachers he is present. If there is a subscriber for the Journal to be secured in his neighborhood he finds him.

MR. F. B. BRIGHAM has been appointed Principal of the Union School in Norwalk, and has already given the school a good impulse.

MR. A. A. BAKER, a graduate of the Normal School, has been appointed Principal of the Graded School in Bethel.

MR. WALTER R. KINGSBURY, a graduate of the Normal School, has been appointed Principal of the Graded School, (West District,) in Rockville.

MR. GEORGE E. GLADWIN, of Haddam, has been appointed Instructor in the Normal School, of which he is a graduate.

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

Dictation Exercises. By CHAS. NORTHEND, Superintendent of the School of Danvers, Mass. Published by A. S. Barnes & Co., New York. A new edition, enlarged and improved. This is an excellent little manual for interesting and instructing scholars in the art of Spelling. It is not designed to supersede the spelling-book, but to be its companion and sequel. It is especially adapted to the upper classes in our District Schools, as well as to the use of classes in High Schools and Academies. It is emphatically a practical speller. Besides, it contains much that should be learned in school, but not supplied by other school-books.

The Parent and Teacher. By CHARLES NORTHEND. The book for every Teacher to own and read. Every teacher, even if he does not expect to continue in the business more than four weeks, should get it and read it. It will help him in governing and in teaching his school. Published by A. S. Barnes & Co., New York.

National Education in Europe. By HENRY BARNARD, LL. D. For some idea of the estimation in which this great work is held by competent judges on the other side of the water, we would refer our readers to the extract in another part of this number, taken from the Westminster Review. A certain number of copies are to be distributed in this State, for the mere nominal price of one dollar, about one-third of the retail price. We shall not here enlarge upon its merits, but only advise every teacher, professional man, school officer, literary man, and in fine, every one who wishes to be posted up on the great subject of popular education, to lose no time in securing the possession of this volume, before it is too late to get it for a mere trifle. Orders for not less than five copies can be addressed to George Sherwood, Agent of the State Teachers' Association, New Britain.

Preservation of Health and Prevention of Disease, including practical suggestions on diet, mental developement, exercise, ventilation, bathing, use of medicines, management of the sick, etc. By B. N. COMINGS, M. D, Prof. of Physiology, &c., in the Connecticut State Normal School. Published by D. Appleton & Co., New York.

We would earnestly commend this book to the attention of Teachers and Parents. Many a faithful teacher, through ignorance of the laws of health, and consequent violation of them, is constantly breaking down, and obliged to quit the business altogether. But this is not all. From the same cause, many pupils in our schools are sowing the seeds of a premature death, and while they think they are rapidly fitting themselves for posts of honor and usefulness, they are more rapidly digging their own early graves. If they wish to preserve their health and prevent disease, let them procure this book, and practice its excellent rules.

The First Book of History, combined with Geography, for the use of Schools. By the Author of Peter Parley's Tales. Illustrated by engravings and Maps. Jenks, Hickling & Swan, Boston. This little work is "got up" in good style, and will be found an interesting and useful book in schools. It is well calculated to cultivate in the young the love of profitable reading, especially upon the subjects of history and geography, without a knowledge of which no person can be called intelligent or well informed.

Elements of Agriculture. A Book for Young Farmers, with questions prepared for the use of Schools. By GEORGE E. WARING, Jr., Consulting Agriculturist. New York: D. Appleton & Co., Broadway. Our young men are everywhere deserting the farm and rushing to the cities and villages, to seek employment in other branches of business which are deemed more genteel or more lucrative. Mercantile business especially, is regarded by young men as the most attractive field for the exercise of their talents, and the shortest road to wealth. Hence the enormous over trading of the country, which may indeed bring a golden harvest to the fortunate few, but certain ruin to thousands. The remedy for this evil must be found in a right education.

Farming should be made an attractive business. We hail the publication of this excellent little book as the dawn of a reform in the right direction. It should go into our schools. It has already been placed in the nine thousand school district libraries in the State of Ohio.

GENTLEMEN: The Laws of Connecticut pertaining to public schools, embracing all the provisions upon our statute book, relating to schools and the education of children, as compiled and prepared for publication in pamphlet form in accordance with a resolution of the Legislature passed at its last session, I herewith transmit to you through the medium of this Journal.

In this my first official communication, I beg leave respectfully to make some suggestions respecting the provisions of the law.

That our system of public instruction is perfect in all its parts and incapable of further improvement, no one probably would venture to affirm. The tree is known by its fruits. The best test of a system is the actual results which its operation produces. The multitudes of inferior schools still existing among us are so many proofs to warrant the presumption that there are defects somewhere. But whatever imperfections may be justly chargeable upon our system, it must be obvious to any one who considers the subject with any degree of attention, that under a vigorous administration, it might be made to produce vastly higher results than have yet been reached. If the mass of the people were thoroughly determined to have as good schools as the provisions of the law would permit, they would find but few legal obstacles in the way which they could not surmount.

One of the prime causes of poor schools, is the scantiness of the means provided for their support. Beyond the proceeds of the public and local funds, the law as it has stood from the year 1821 down VOL. X., No. 2.

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