There seems to be a proper system throughout the whole school, and the teachers and pupils are well furnished with tools to work with. Each department is supplied with black-boards, crayons, outline maps, globes and other conveniences.

Connected with the high school, is a valuable library, useful philosophical, astronomical and chemical apparatus, and various instrumentalities to assist the teacher, in making his instruction in the highest degree interesting and useful. The people of Naugatuck may well regard their school as the pride and boast of their village. While one is struck with the beauty and grandeur of the elegant church near at hand, he can also feel that the church and the school-house, “twin sisters," sometimes bear something of a resemblance.

Naugatuck has done nothing more than most of the towns in the County have the facility for doing. There are already not less than nine union or graded schools within the County, and the number is increasing.

Some of them in larger places, are composed of a greater number of pupils, and of course are established at a greater expense.

On the bright side we find, first and foremost, New Havon City. Probably there is not a finer building in New England, not in the City of Boston, than the "Eaton school-house" which is just completed. There are brilliant lights of a lesser magnitude in Waterbury, Derby, Meriden, Fair Haven, and a few other places. The dark spots we will notice at another time.

G. S.

NAMES OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.

The remains of the religion of the ancient people of Great Britain are seen in the names of the days of the week. These people were Scandinavians, who carried into Britain with them their arms, their deities, and their religious rites. The Anglo Saxon superstition came from their progenitors, the Danes and Norwegians, and Northern mythology was once the established religion of Great Britain. The names of the days of the week were called after the deities of this Northern worship. Sunday is the day of the Sun; Monday of the Moon; Tuesday of Teucer, the god of hunting and archery; Wednesday the day of Woden, the God of war; Thursday the day of Thor, the god of thunder; Friday, the day of Friga, the god of love and marriage; Saturday, the day of Satur, the god of fruits.

With many, the Numeral Frame is regarded as adapted only to Primary Schools; and there it is only used for counting. It may not be a waste of words to suggest some other ways of employing it.

First, in the Primary School. It may be a profitable aid in teaching addition and multiplication, after counting has been thoroughly acquired: e. g. the teacher standing before the class holding the Frame, requests all to see how many balls he moves-of course the close attention of every one is required, and it will be cheerfully given; he then moves out two each time, and the class count in concert-two-foursix, &c. Next time more rapidly, till the counting by two's, or adding, is performed as fast as the teacher can move the balls. To give life and pleasure to the exercise, as well as to secure close attention, require the pupils to count with precision when the balls move, and only then; and occasionally stop when they do not expect it. If any are counting mechanically, or without attention, they will be "caught,"which should be treated as a joke, not a sin. You will not catch them many times.

If it be said the teacher cannot move balls rapidly enough and yet be accurate in the number, we reply that the scholars, as soon as they can answer fast, will not count the balls, and it will make no difference with them whether two or four are moved at a time-they have begun

real mental addition, and the teacher, without being aware of it perhaps, has accomplished just what was wanted-just what is done by memorizing the addition table—and the scholars have understood and enjoyed it.

At leisure times let one of the class take the frame and try to “ zle" the rest.

'puz

But what shall the scholars study? They will need no tables it it would seem in this way :

The exercise on two's has been given them to day. Don't expect them to learn it in one day. Mark on the board like this | || one short mark and one long, and, pointing at the long ones, have them add, two, four, six, eight, &c., and require them to bring on their slates at the next recitation, marks in the same way to a certain number, say 100, and to be able to add them; this will incite them to study, as may be found by a short trial. Begin sometimes with the long mark, and add one, three, five, &c. What will do for two, is equally good for three, or four, etc.

The same method with a little adaptation may be used to teach Multiplication. If afterwards the Multiplication Table is desired, it will be found an easy task to memorize it perfectly.

But you are in a Grammar School. Your class in Reduction can't see why "144 sq. in. make one sq. foot," or "9 sq. feet, one sq. yard." You take the numeral frame and move out three balls on each of three adjacent wires, making a square, tell them to call each ball a foot, then three feet (or balls,) make a yard one way, and the same the other way,-ask if it isn't a square yard, then count how many feet in it? How easy! how much quicker than to mark it on the board, and the illustration will be equally clear as well as less imperfect.

Your class is beginning fractions,—move out twelve balls compactly, below twelve more divided into halves, below twelve in thirds, and so on to twelfths; what pupil will not see plainly that a third is larger than a sixth, and also why it is, even if he cannot explain why, he knows it most fully.

Or, let them add a third and a sixth,—cannot !—well, you didn't suppose they could,-show them by the frame that the third can be changed into, reduced to sixths, then they will add them readily and wonder they didn't think of it before, it seems so plain. Are there other uses for this simple instrument? Think.

F. C. B.

MASSACHUSETTS.

STATISTICS RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Number of persons in the State between five and

fifteen years of age,

306,625

Number of scholars of all ages, in all the Public

Schools in summer.

186,627

Number of scholars of all ages, in all the Public

Schools in winter.

199,447

Average attendance in all the Public Schools in

summer.

141,226

154,277

Average attendance in all the Public Schools in winter.

Ratio of the mean average attendance upon the

Public Schools to the whole number of children between five and fifteen, expressed in decimals.

Number of different persons employed as teachers in the Public Schools during the year males, 1,932; females, 5,166; total

Average length of Public Schools, seven months and sixteen days.

Average wages of male teachers per month, including board.

Amount of money raised by taxes for the support of Public Schools, including only the wages of teachers, board and fuel.

Increase of the year.

,72

7,098

$15,88

$1,018,472 26

49,341, 01

38,061 30

42,806 30

Amount received by the town and cities as their share of the income of the State School Fund. Aggregate returned as expended on Pub. Schools

46,908 10

1,140,132 68

Amount of voluntary contributions of board, fuel, and money, to maintain or prolong Public Schools. Amount of money appropriated to schools as income of local funds.

for wages, fuel and superintendence.

Amount raised by taxes (including income of surplus revenue), for the education of each child in the state from five to fifteen, per child.

Per-centage of the valuation of 1850, appropriated for Public Schools.

4,96

,001,75

1

The law requires each town or city to raise by tax at least $1,50 per child between five and fifteen, as a condition of receiving a share of the income of the State School fund.

All the towns and cities returned have raised $1,50 or more for each child between 5 and 15. Number of towns that have raised the sum of $3,00 or more per child, between five and fifteen. Number of High Schools supported as Public Schools, by taxation.

Amount expended in 1853, in erecting and repairing school-houses for the use of Public Schools. Value of Public School-houses as returned by School Committees, April, 1854.

Amount annually expended, exclusive of the support of Collegiate Institutions and Professional Schools, to promote popular education in Massachusetts, not less than

225

80

402,609 90

4,576,457 26

$2,283,554,00

EXPANDING THE CHEST.

The Scientific American says that those in easy circumstances, or those who pursue employments within doors, use their lungs but little, and breathe but little air in the chest, and lay the foundation for the loss of health and beauty. All this can be obviated by a little attention to the manner of breathing. Recollect the lungs are like a bladder in their construction, and can stretch open to double their size with perfect safety, giving a noble chest and perfect immunity from consumption. The agent, and only agent required, is the common air we breathe, supposing however that no obstacle external to the chest, such as twining it about with stays, or having the shoulders lie upon it. On rising from bed in the morning, place yourself in an erect posture, with your head thrown back, and your shoulders entirely off from the chest, then inhale all the air that can be got in; hold your breath, and throw your arms off behind; hold your breath as long as possible. Repeat these long breaths as often as you please. Done in a cold breath is much better, because the air is much denser, and will act much more powerfully in expanding the chest. Exercising the chest in this manner, it will become flexible and expansible, and will enlarge the capacity and lungs.