Now when you go home ask your papa to let you take his knife while you tell him the parts of it.-N. A. Calkins. A GOOD EXERCISE. ONE reason why some teachers succeed so well and have so little disciplinary trouble is, that they keep their pupils busy. If a school is made pleasant and the time and attention of the scholars fully occupied, all temptation to idle mischief will be removed. It is not the dull and indolent boy that makes the most trouble,—but the active and intelligent one for whom no work is provided by the teacher. The very nature and temperament of such a boy demands employment, and employment of some kind he will have. If the teacher don't furnish it a certain other personage will,-and that personage is no friend to order or propriety. If our position is true, every wise and judicious teacher will make it his aim and study to give his pupils enough to do. To this end he will endeavor to devise a variety of miscellaneous exercises additional to their regular lessons, for the faithful *performance of which they should receive credit. - We recently visited a school in which the teacher was acting upon the plan alluded to. On the blackboard was written this question,-" What is the difference between a fish and a bird." As we suppose this question was written there with the understanding that if pupils had time after learning their regular lessons they should write an answer. When called upon to state how many had written, a few hands were raised and the pupils were called upon to read what they had written. One girl read nearly as follows: "A bird flies in the air but a fish swims in the water. A bird has feathers and a fish has scales. A bird has wings. and a fish has fins. A bird can hop but a fish cannot. A bird could not live in the water and a fish could not live out of the waser." etc. Now this was a good exercise in com position writing, and a pleasant one for the pupils. gave them employment and kept them from mischief. It Teachers, try it,—and that you may do so we will suggest a few questions for the purpose: What is the difference between a horse and an ox? What is the difference between a field and a garden? What is the difference between an apple and a peach? What is the difference between a potato and an ear of corn. But we will not enlarge. The active and earnest teacher will find no difficulty in furnishing questions. An exercise of this kind not only "fills up the time" but it causes pupils to think and observe and give expression to their thoughts and observations. SPHINX AND EDIPUS. Why poets should sing of this War The Sphinx by the way-side, I see, Is it "Freedom, that Bondage may live," Whose business is murder and blood, "Our Flag," the conservative says, But still 'tis a riddle to me, All fettered, imbruted and blained, And wail the sad plaint of the chained,— Continental Monthly. SCHOOL GYMNASTICS.-BY DIO LEWIS, M. D. I selected the bean bag games to appear first in these contributions, because they are very simple, and the apparatus cheap. Besides they are very fascinating and will serve to overcome suspicions and criticisms which all new things must encounter. I trust the suggestions in the previous article, on the care of the bags may not be forgotten. No. 18. Turn your back to your partner, and bend backwards, so that you can see him. He bends back, so that he may see you, and then you throw the bag to him as represented in Fig. 11. Always cry ready! that he may not be kept waiting too long in an uncomfortable position. No. 19. Face your partner, and throw from the position represented in Fig. 12, holding the bag on the back of the hand. No. 20. Same as the last, except the left hand is employed. No. 22. Same as the last except you use the other hand. No. 23. Each couple having ten bags; you throw to your partner, and he catches as many as he can hold, folding his arms. (Fig. 14.) This one will not ordinarily be played in class, as the number of bags will scarcely be sufficient. No. 24. The two classes will stand as represented in (Fig. 15.) Place ten bags on a chair or box at the feet of the first player of each class. The leader gives the word one, two, three! and the two classes compete in passing the bags over their heads backwards, to the foot of the class, when they whirl round and immediately pass them back. The class which has the entire ten on the chair or box at its head, first, counts one in the game. It is usual to make the game three, five, or ten. No. 25. Let the two classes face each other again, and pass the bags as in the last, except that they are carried along in front and as high as the chest, being careful not to stoop forward. No. 26. Let the bags be all placed at the head of one of the classes. We will call this class No. 1; the other class No. 2. The first player in class No. 1, throws a bag to the first player in class No. 2, who throws it back to the second player in class No. 1, who throws it back to the second player in class No. 2, who, in turn, throws it to the third player in class No. 1, and so on, working it down to the foot of the class. But one bag is not allowed to make the trip alone; all follow, one after another, in rapid succession. In this game, the bags are all thrown from the chest with both hands, as represented some pages back in No. 1, of the bag exercises. No. 27. The whole company may now be divided into trios, each trio playing with three bags, as represented in (Fig. 16.) Each one throws the bag to the player at his right hand, and at the same time catches the bag thrown from the player at his left. Fig. 16. To secure the proper distance between the players for this game, they should take each other by the hands, and pulling hard, they will have the right positions. Each player must look constantly at the one from whom he receives the bags, and never for a moment at the one to whom he throws. If they forget this rule, the bags will soon fall to the floor. No. 28. Same as the last, except the bags are passed the opposite way. No. 29. The company is again divided into couples, and each couple plays with two, three, four, or more bags. A throws a bag with his right hand to B, who catches it with his left hand, and immediately changing it to his right, throws it back to A, who catches it with his left, and who changing it to his right, throws it back again to B. (Fig. 17.) Two, three, four, or five bags can be made to perform this circle between two players at the same time. |