plebian! Faithless and unfit pedagogue!! He ought to be ban- every thing be told, if told correctly? Would it not do away very ished to Shet-land, where by day he should battle with Boreas, and much of the existing suspicion, already spoken of, if it were underteach A B C to the posterity of Triptolemus Yellowley's ass ;-and stood, that there was no mystery about the school? Let this be the where by night his bedchamber should be the un-shut North,—his case, and the teacher would be careful never to do anything or say bed the summit of a snow drift,-his sheets nothing but arctic mists, anything which he would not be willing to have related to the parents, and his pillar the fragment of an iceberg!! Away with the traitor or even to be witnessed by them. We would that the walls of our to Shet-land! O most merciful American masters and mistresses! school-rooms were transparent as you look inwards, so that any indiShut has no relief or safety from the miserableness of Shet, but in U. vidual unperceived might view with his own eyes the movements Told—is a round, sounding preterite, that is real music in a sing-within. We believe there has already been much mystery within ing school, it will bear such a round-mouthed thunder of voice. our school-rooms, and the sooner we have daylight the better. He feels the dignity of his vocation, and asks not to be kept out of should encourage the frequent visitation of his school, by the parents In this connection it may be proper to suggest, that the teacher use by such bad grammar as this-Telled. "He telled me so-andPshaw! that renowned talker and servant of old Peter Parley, that he does not, in any instance, deviate from his accustomed usages of his pupils. When this takes place, let him be exceedingly careful Tell, declares that no one has ever derived existence from him by on their account. Let all the recitations and explanations be attended the name of Telled. Pray, masters and mistresses, don't now to, all praises and reproofs, all rewards and punishments be as faithforget what you have been-Told. visitations, it is believed, would be highly useful under such circumfully and punctually dispensed as if no person were present. Such stances. But if the teacher make them the occasions for the exercise, before the school, of ostentation and hypocrisy, then no good results may be expected. 80." Yes, that good natured personage, affirms that were he not of so complying a disposition, he would henceforth be no to every body who should call him-Yis. To this pleasant hint, ye kindly ones, you cannot but say, Yes! Yes!! Finally, hearken! There is a voice from the past. It is the complaint of departing Yesterday. He cries aloud-Give ear, O, To-day, and hear, O To-morrow! Never, never more, call me Yis'erday! We have thus presented you, Sovereign Owners, with the complaints and groans of a considerable number of our race. There are, doubtless, many others, who are also in a state of suffering, but who have uncommon fortitude, or too much modesty, to come forward publicly, and make known their trials to our whole assembled community. Should the abuse of any such happen to be known to you at any time, we pray that the same consideration may be given to them as to the rest. Now, Sovereign Masters and Mistresses, and Rightful Owners, shall these visions of hope be realized? Shall the condition of our suffering brethren be ameliorated? Shall the era of good grammar, correct spelling, and proper pronunciation, be hastened forward by some benevolent exertions? Shall the present abuses be transmit ted to the future or not? Shall the Golden Age of Speech speedily come, and last evermore? That such improvement in their condition may be vouchsafed, is the humble prayer of your supplicants;-all whose names, being too numerous to be here subscribed, may be found recorded in Web. ster's great dictionary. DUTIES OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS.-CONTINUED. 1. He should imbue himself with a feeling of the importance of his work. If he would gain the confidence of his employers, he must be prepared to show to them evidence of a living interest in his preses sion. But this cannot be shown unless it be deeply felt. In contemplating his duty, the teacher should form elevated conceptions of his sphere of action, and he should aim at nothing less than such an ascendancy over the minds of his pupils as will enable him to govern, to instruct, and to elevate them as moral beings, as these several acts should be done. 2. He should seek frequent opportunity of intercourse with the parents. Though the advances toward this point, by the strict rules of etiquette, it would seem should be made by the parents themselves, (as by some it is actually and seasonably done) yet, as a general thing, taking the world as we find it, the teacher must take the lead. He must often introduce himselfuninvited to the people among whom he dwells, calling at their homes in the spirit of his vocation, and conversing with them freely about his duty to his children and to themselves. Every parent of course will feel bound to exercise courteous civility in his own house, and by such an interview, perhaps, a difference of opinion, musial good understanding may be laid-if done in a right spirit it cera prejudice, or a suspicion may be removed, and the foundation of tainly will be laid-which many little troubles cannot shake. 4. The teacher should be frank in all his representations to parents concerning their children. This is a point upon which many teachers most lamentably err. In this, as in every other case, "honesty is the best policy." If an instructer inform a parent during the term, that his son is making rapid progress, or, as the phraze is "doing very well," he excites in him high expectations; and if, at the end of the term, it turn out otherwise, the parent, with much justice, may be expected to load him with censure instead of praise. Let a particular answer, and a true one, always be given to the enquiry" How does my son get along?" The parent has a right to know, and the teacher has no right to disguise any of the facts. The main duties which the teacher directly owes to his pupils, we think we have now noticed. He should study faithfully and feelingly the relations he sustains to his pupils and their friends; he should carefully perform every known duty in its time and after its manner, he can be happy in his own mind. Yet, when he has done all he can according to the dictates of his own conscience. Let him do this, and do, the question of his success will depend very much upon the PARENTS OF HIS SCHOLARS, The people of this state have always been distinguished for the respect with which they have regarded common education. The Pilgrims, who were the first European settlers of their territory, and the founders of their institutions, were men distinguished by their learning, as well as by their attachment to freedom and religion. They understood fundamental truths, which, notwithstanding all that has since been discovered, are still but little understood even by the wisest men not educated under the institutions which they founded. They believed, what had nowhere been taught independently of the Holy Scriptures, that all men are capable of great intellectual improvement; and that the care of the mind is a great and general duty,―important to the public welfare; and not only so, but indispensable to the existence of a good government. They declared that one of the great and leading motives which induced them to leave Holland, after they had become for some time residents there, and to cross the Atlantic in search of a new home, was their desire to secure to their children a good education, to which the state of society in ions on education as mere points of argument. Far from it. Holland was unfavorable. The Pilgrims did not regard opinThey were among their most powerful practical grounds of action. Indeed, it appears highly probable, from their own declarations, that if they had regarded the education of their children with less interest than they did, they would have lived and died in Europe, and the colony of Plymouth would never have been planted. 3. He should be willing to explain all his plans to the parents of his pupils. If they had implicit confidence in him, and would readily and fully give him all the facilities for carrying forward his designs without explanation, then perhaps this direction might not be necessary.— But as the world is, he cannot expect spontaneous confidence. They wish to know his designs, and it is best that they should be informed. The readiest way for the teacher to interest them in the business of education, will be freely to converse with them concerning the measures he intends to adopt. If his plans are judicious, he of course can show good reasons why they should be carried into effect; and parents in general are ready to listen to reason, when it is directed to the benefit of their children. Many a parent, upon the first announcement of a measure in school has stoutly opposed it, who, upon a little conver-cates of education. Wherever a New Englander is found, sation with the teacher, would entertain a very different opinion, and ever after would be most ready to countenance and support it. It seems to us a teacher may safely encourage enquiry into all his movements in school. There is an old saying, in our opinion a mischievous one, which enjoins it as a duty upon all, to tell no tales out of school." We see no objection to the reverse of this. Why may not If the opinions which they held, and to the plain and practical manner in which they exhibited them, it is owing, that their descendants are almost always found to be the adro there is found a mind prepossessed in favor of schools,—not of high schools, merely, not of colleges or academies,-but of common schools, town schools, district schools, the very name of which implies their nature, viz., that they are pla Prayer by the Rev. Dr. Field, of Haddam. of instruction multiplied and scattered wherever they are STATE COMMON SCHOOL CONVENTION. wanted. Such institutions appear to the New Englander, from habit, if not from an intelligent perception of their worth, Hartford, August 28th, 1839. as one of the indispensable necessaries of life. He has no of the Secretary of the Board of Commissioners of Common Schools, The Convention assembled agreeable to the notice in the invitation idea of a comfortable, or even a tolerable state of society within the Hall of the House of Representatives, at 10 o'clock, A. M. and out them. He cannot feel at home in any place where he was temporarily organized by the appointment of Nathan Johnson, misses the common school house; and there is a blank in the Esq. Chairman, and Jesse Olney, Esq. Clerk. enjoyments of the day, unless he sees the gay and interesting movements of the school-going train. Habit is too long fixed, and consequently too strong in the people of Connecticut to allow them to feel indifferent to common education. They think differently from the inhabitants of most other countries, they act differently, and their habits have powerful and pervading effects on the condition of society. Travellers of all nations who visit this state, are struck with the general appearance of good order, industry, comfort and intelligence among the people; and it is impossible for any person to deny, that such inhabitants are not a better safeguard to their country than navies, armies, and castles. On motion of Mr. Barnard, a Committee consisting of Mr. Barnard, The following gentlemen, were then nominated and chosen offi- cers: Hon. THOMAS S. WILLIAMS, } Rev. DR. FIELD, Vice Presidents. Rev. D. H. SHORT, Danbury, Secretaries. On taking the chair, the President gave a brief history of the severBut a descendant of the Pilgrims, and especially an inhabit-al efforts which have been made since 1826, in the Legislature and out ant of Connecticut, must be better able than other persons, to of it, to ascertain and improve the condition of the Common Schools comprehend the benefits which flow from general education. of the State, and expressed his belief that the general spirit of inquiry, The happiness of every member of society is increased by it, which was now abroad in Connecticut, and the labors of those who The rich cannot be too high to be independent of them; the were entrusted with the supervision of the subject by the Legislature, poor cannot be so depressed as to be placed beyond their reachwould lead to the happiest results. Quite the contrary. The good order, active industry, and general comfortable circumstances of the neighborhood, are what give to the property of the rich almost all its value, while they afford to it a degree of security unknown amidst an ignorant, idle, and vicious population. So the poor become objects of proper interest, and commiseration, and receive tokens of sympathy, and acts of kindness from those who are intelligent enough to understand their case, and know how to lend a helping hand to a brother, without degrading him, or wishing to degrade him, to the level of a beggar. It may not be necessary to enlarge on the benefits of com mon education, when addressing an inhabitant of this intelligent state and yet there is some reason to fear, that they are too often overlooked, because they are so numerous, and so generally enjoyed. Those nations which possess a peculiarly fertile soil, or genial climate, seldom value it so highly as to make the best use of it in their power. And the same is true of other blessings, natural and moral, which Providence bestows on mankind. E. Stowe, of Ohio, Hon. A. H. Everett, Thomas Cushing, Jr. Esq. of The Committee of arrangements reported in part, that Prof. Calvin Boston, and Rev. Emerson Davis, of Westfield, had been invited by the Secretary of the Board of Commissioners, to deliver lectures before the Convention and had kindly consented to do so. On motion of Gen. Johnson, it was voted, to assign 24 P. M. to a lecture from Prof. Stowe, and 4 P. M. to a lecture from Mr. Cushing. Prof. Stowe, at the request of the Committee, gave an account of the history and condition of the public school of Cincinnati, which he considered equal to those of any large city in the country. into the Common schools, in which Mr. Emerson, of Boston, Rev. The Convention adjourned to meet at the Lecture Room of the Centre Church, at 2 P. M. Afternoon. Prof. Stowe delivered a lecture on "the necessity of increased efforts in the United States, to sustain and extend the advantages of Common School education." After a recess of 15 minutes, Mr. Thomas Cushing, Jr. of Boston, delivered a lecture on the "division of labor as applied to the business of teaching." It is of great importance to the people of this state, that they should well understand the nature and value of their advan-tance of a gradation of schools, especially in the populous districts, After the lecture Mr. Barnard presented some views on the importages with respect to common education, that they may be in- and recommended strongly to such districts as were conveniently locaduced to cherish, foster, and extend them. It might, there- ted for this purpose, to associate and form a union district, so that the fore, be desired that every reader should give the subject younger children of each could be taught where they are now under a particular attention, and ask: female teacher, and the older scholars of the uniting districts be placed in a Union School. "What would have been my condition if I had lived among a society where there were no public schools, and where there never had been any?” Instead of these honest prejudices in favor of universal useful learning, which prevail around me, there would be prejudices against it. Instead of finding around me persons ready to understand and appreciate the value of knowledge, and to discriminate between good and evil, virtue and vice, I should be surrounded by people incapable of forming intelligent opinions on many important subjects, and liable to be mistaken, or misled by bad and designing men. The want of good laws, the insecurity of property and life, the absence of social and family enjoyments, the prevalence of bad men over the good, would have made a totally different state of society. The Committee on business, presented the following question for the consideration of the Convention. "What can be done to improve the condition of the common schools in our cities and populous villages ?" Adjourned to 7 o'clock. Evening.-Mr. Everett read an Essay prepared by Mrs. L. H. Sigourney at the request of Mr. Barnard, on the importance of cultiSchools. The essay dwelt somewhat on the necessity of making our vating more widely "the perception of the beautiful," in our Common school houses not only neat and comfortable, but every way attractive and beautiful. The Rev. Mr. Bacon, then exhibited a plan of a school house about to be erected in New Haven, as in some respects the School house as it should be. Mr. Barnard read an amusing [description of "the district school | Baker of N. Hartford, Webb of Middletown, and the Rev. Mr. Short house as it is," of Danbury. resolution, to embody the sense of the Convention on the subject Thursday evening. Rev. Mr. Burgess introduced the following which had occupied so much of its deliberations-which was adop The question proposed for discussion by the Committee was then After a short recess, the subject of making some provision for taken up. The Secretary of the Board, by the way of introduction the education of teachers was presented by Mr. Barnard, and the stated, that the deficiencies of our school system with two exceptions, Convention adjourned. were more apparent and more alarming in the cities and populous districts, where there were the more abundant means, and the strongest necessity to maintain good schools than in the country-that 5-6ths of all the non-attendance at any school in the State, was found here-that a larger proportion of the children who draw public money were in private schools, and that the greatest indifference as to the improveResolved, That in the judgment of this Convention, it is of primaments of the schools prevailed. Mr. Barnard insisted on the estab-ry importance for the improvement of the public schools in our cit lishment of a more vigorous and generous system for large towns, be so graduated as to form a system, which shall afford to all childies and populous villages, that in all such places, the schools shall which should result in making the public schools the best schools, other-ren in the community, not only the first elements of knowledge, but, wise, they could not compete with the private schools. He concluded so far as may be possible, the best education which their age, lei. with alluding to the system of public schools in Boston. sure, and intellectual powers will qualify them to receive. Mr. Everett, then gave an account of the public schools in Massachusetts, dwelling on the Grammar schools, or schools of a higher order, which every town containing 500 families, are obliged to maintain. This order of schools supplied a want, which otherwise would be met by expensive private schools, and yet was as free asthe district school. Mr. Emerson of Boston, followed with a more particular account of the public schools of Boston. ted unanimously. The committee of arrangements introduced the following resolutions, as embodying the sense of the Convention on several topics which were discussed incidentally during the session. school committees, to look more carefully into the condition of the Resolved, That it be earnestly recommended to parents and school houses, and see if such improvements cannot be made in the ventilation, warming, seats and desks of the school rooms as to make them in all respects, not only healthy and convenient, but also attractive both to teacher and pupil. tion of our schools, and to admit of the application of the great prinResolved, That for the purpose of securing the proper classifica. ciple of the division of labor in the work of instruction, the younger children of a district should be taught by themselves, in distinct de. partments, and more advanced pupils be placed under the constant care of a well qualified teacher: Resolved, That the establishment of Libraries for the use of child. ren, teachers and parents in the several school districts, as authorized by the late act of the General Assembly, is recommended to the immediate attention of the friends of popular education in the State. They consist of three grades - Primary Schools for children from 4 to 7 years of age: Of these there are 90, and are calculated to accommodate 50 scholars each. These schools are taught by females. The number of children in 1838 was over 5000. Grammar and Writing Schools are the second in order. Children are admit. ted at the age of seven years, who can read easy prose, and continue And to this end, it be recommended, to such districts, as admit of in them, if boys, until they have arrived at fourteen years of age-to unite and form a Union school, as provided for in the "act conif girls, until they are sixteen. Of this grade of schools there are cerning schools." 14. Each is accommodated with a school house, built at an average cost of $15,000. Each school has two departments. And each department has two divisions. The Latin Grammar School and the English High School constitute the third grade. In the former, scholars are fully qualified for college; and in the latter, they have means of completing a good English education. Instruction is given in most of the branches pursued in colleges, with the exception of the classics and the higher branches of mathematics. These schools, taught by persons who receive as liberal compensation as they would get in either of the Professions, and supported at an expense of $100,000 or more, out of the city tax, are as free as the public roads to the children of the rich and poor. Over 10,000 children are in these schools. The superintendence of the public schools is given to a Committee consisting of two persons, elected annually, in each ward of the city, together with the Mayor and the President of Common Council. This committee appoint a sub-committee, consisting of one for each Primary School. ques On motion of Rev. Mr. Bacon, the further discussion of the tion was postponed until to-morrow morning. 10 A. M. of Thursday was assigned to a Lecture from Rev. Mr. Davis, of Westfield, Mass. Adjourned. Thursday, Aug. 29. The question respecting Common Schools in cities, &c. was resumed and discussed, by the Rev. Dr. Field, T. S. Perkins, Esq., N. Landon, L. Kennedy, Esq., Hartford; Rev. Mr. Bacon, W. G. W. Fitzgerald, and Mr. Lines, New Haven; Rev. Mr. Burgess, Prof. Stowe, and Mr. Barnard. In the course of the discussion, the necessity of a gradation of schools-of a more liberal appropriation of money to their support-of higher moral instruction of the Lancasterian system-of better qualified teach. ers-of Teachers' Seminaries-were severally dwelt upon. The Convention then listened to a Lecture from the Rev. Mr. Davis, on "the Philosophy of Mind as applied to Teaching. Adjourned. Thursday afternoon. The discussion of the morning was resumed and carried on by Dr. Field, Rev. Mr. Bushnell, Gen. Johnson, Rev. Mr. Brewer, Messrs. Barnard, Kennedy, Peirce of New York, Resolved, That in the opinion of this Convention, provision should es, of the right character and talents, to devote themselves to the be made for the better encouragement of young persons of both sex. work of Common School Instruction, and to prepare themselves for this responsible field of labor, and that by the establishment of Teacher's Seminaries, or by annexing a department for this purpose cient efforts should be made for the accomplishment of this object. to some of the academies, or in some other way, inmediate and effi After a brief review of what had been said on these topics, by Mr. Barnard, the resolutions were adopted. A Lecture was then delivered by Hon. A. H. Everett, on the progress of Moral Science. On motion of Mr. Barnard, the thanks of the Convention were voted to the several gentlemen from other States, who had favored the Convention by their presence, and delighted and instructed all by their Lectures. On motion of the Rev. Mr. Short, the thanks of the Convention were returned to Mrs. L. H. Sigourney, for her beautiful Essay which was read last evening. The following resolutions were then presented and adopted: Resolved, That an association of Teachers, for the purpose of mutual instruction, and the visitation of each others schools, be formed in each school society throughout the State. of music into Common Schools in this and other States, warrant is Resolved, That the success which has followed the introduction more general introduction throughout the State. Resolved, That the minutes of the proceedings of the Convention be signed by the President and Secretaries, and that the publishers of the several Newspapers in the State, be requested to copy the same. VOL. II. Published under the direction of the Board of Commissioners of Common Schools. PROSPECTUS TO VOL. II. THE CONNECTICUT COMMON SCHOOL JOURNAL will continue to be published under the direction of the Board of Commissioners of Common Schools, and the editorial charge of the Secretary of the Board. NO. 3. to rest on the floor, should be provided. If nothing more is done, the discomfort and unhealthiness of the present mode of seating in school, can be done away with by a workman, with a saw, a plane, a few boards and hammer and nails, in the All communications intended for the Journal, may be course of a single afternoon. Fuel, whether it be coal or wood, addressed to HENRY BARNARD, 2d., Secretary of the can be supplied in season and in sufficient quantity, and the Board of Commissioners of Common Schools, Hartford-disgrace of having the school suspended "for the want therepost paid. of," be guarded against. TERMS. The Connecticut Common School Journal will be issued every month, making at least twelve numbers in the year, including title page and index. Each No. will contain 16 quarto pages, and the twelve numbers will make a volume of 192 pages, which will be equal to 500 octavo pages. The price is one dollar per year for a single copy; but packages will be forwarded to a single address on the following terms: Packages of 10 copies for $7 00 20 :6 12.00 25.00 All subscriptions must commence with the first number, and be WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE COMMON In making a few suggestions by way of answer to this question, we shall only recommend a more general and vigorous prosecution of measures already in progress, or in agitation in some of the school societies and districts of the State. First. The places where these schools must be kept, can be improved by making them more comfortable, attractive, and healthy. In some districts, new ones should be erected immediately—not on the old sites, for these are too often the bleakest and most inappropriate that could be found-but out of the public road, or rather roads, away from noisy trades, and places of idle resort; shaded, if possible, from the heats of summer, and the blasts of winter, and large enough to afford a play-ground, or at least room for a wood-house, and such other out-door arrangements as a civilized people never forget, except it would seem here in Connecticut, in reference to their school-houses. Let them be painted and provided with blinds, and stand forth to the children and the traveller a visible and attractive manifestation of the interest which the districts feel in the physical, intellectual, and moral culture of all the chil dren of the district. We will say nothing of andirons, shovel and tongs, a broom, water-pail and cup, a scraper and a coarse mat, and a suitable place to hang over-coats and hats, for if we should dwell upon these as connected with the comfort, the convenience, the every-day habits and manners of childhood, we should be thought "too particular," and as aiming above the "essential" wants of our common schools. To be sure, these things are provided in "select schools," and are considered indispensable in every human dwelling, except the school-house, and although neighbors are annoyed by borrowing, and the schoolroom is dirty, nay filthy, if scholars suffer in their manners, and in what may be termed the minor morals of life, in consequence of the neglect of these and similar appendages, still these are the natural consequences, and are, or should be expected. We say nothing of black-boards, skeleton maps, globes, and other cheap apparatus for illustrating the studies, by the aid of which every well-qualified teacher knows he can teach much more, in a shorter time, and to more practical purposes, than without them; or of school libraries, by which the habit of reading can be fostered, and the natural and eager curiosity of children, to know, can be gratified; although every school district in the State of New-York, to the number of more than ten thousand, will, within two years more, be supplied with an average, of near one hundred volumes. In the second place. The quality and quantity of instruction cominunicated in the winter schools can be greatly increased, and thus the schools be improved, by a gradation of schools in one or more district. What are the principal obstacles to rapid and thorough progress in our winter schools? Independent of the qualifications of the teacher, and the irregularity of attendance, these obstacles are, the number of children, of all ages, the variety of studies, and the variety of text books. It is enough for most teachers to govern most of our winter schools, without atIn districts which are not prepared to build new, much can tempting much in the way of instruction. But there is much be done in the way of repairs, and those not expensive, to more expected, and attempted. Now, the irregularity and make the school-rooms comfortable and healthy, which in want of punctuality in attendance, can be remedied by the nineteen cases out of twenty, are not now. The floors can be teacher setting a good example, and the co-operation of the attended to, and the underpinning repaired, so as to guard parents. The variety of books, can and should be obviated, against the rush of cold air from beneath. The cracks and by a judicious selection on the part of school visiters. The crevices and breaks in the sides of the room, can be filled up. variety and number of studies now attended to in the winter Ventilation can be secured by providing for the escape of the schools is not in itself an evil. Not one of them ought to be foul air, through an opening in the top of the room, or by an omitted, or need to be omitted, in the course of the school life arrangement so that the upper sash of one or two windows can of every boy and girl of the state-nay, even more can be taught be lowered at pleasure. New desks, more appropriately arran- under judicious arrangement, and well qualified teachers, and ged, so as to enable the pupils to face the teacher at all times, taught thoroughly, than is now attempted. But not as the and do away with the indelicate and noisy changes of position schools are now arranged. If there is to be but one school in required from the present arrangements, can be built. Seats a district, we have no hesitation in saying that the number of with backs in all cases, and of heights varied to suit the ages studies should be diminished, and the chief attention of the and sizes of scholars, and in every instance, to allow the feet teacher given to those indispensable branches, the instruments of all future progress, reading including spelling, writing and calculation. With a perfect mastery of them the scholar can work out something for himself in the varied fields of knowledge. But there is no absolute need of limiting the attention of the pupil and teacher to these. By the arrangement which we now propose, all that is now taught, and more, can be attended to, and that thoroughly. And first, if the district is large and numbers over 45 or 50 children as the average attendance, let a female assistant be engaged to take charge of the younger children. By means of this arrangement the teacher can give his undivided attention to the studies of the older scholars. The scholars can be better classified, and the government of the school can be better secured. If the district is not large enough to authorise this arrangement, cannot the older boys and girls of two or more adjacent districts which lie within a circuit of two or three miles, and centering in some point convenient to the associating districts, be brought together, and thus a union school be maintained? The younger children of each of the associating districts can be left where they are now, under the same teacher who taught the summer school, provided the same teacher was found qualified and can be obtained. By this arrangement, the employment of a female assistant in the larger districts, and the formation of a union school for the older children of two or more adjacent districts, many of the difficulties, apparently insurmountable in the winter schools as they are too often conducted, can be obviated. Provision will be made for the instruction and governinent of the small children by methods adapted to their age and capacity. They can be occupied the whole time. Their spirits will not be broken down by that severity of discipline which is generally found necessary for the order of a school composed of all ages. They can be doing something besides sitting still, which is no easy matter to secure from restless children on seats without backs and so high that they cannot rest their feet on the floor. If our readers are credulous on this point, we beg of them to go into some of our city schools, intended for small children only, and see the happy, radiant group, all busy and all learning something. By this arrangement the older children can be better classed, and carried forward into the higher branches of knowledge more rapidly and thoroughly. But there is another most important consideration. The same means, now devoted to schooling in two or more adjacent districts, where summer and winter school are taught, can be more efficiently employed in the mode suggested. The calculation can be easily made with the facts as they may exist in such districts, and it will be found, that female teachers can be employed the year round for the smaller children at an advance on their present wages, of one third, and a male teacher secured for all of the older children, for a longer time than is now done, and at a more liberal compensation. But we must leave this topic for the present. We shall resume it in our next, and show how the winter schools can be improved by the intelligent and faithful discharge of their duties by school officers, and the co-operation of parents. teachers in the instruction and discipline of their pupils. To these he would add one other consideration-the happy influence which this will exert upon the children themselves. In every family which is governed and instructed at all as it ought to be, and where the parents maintain a consistent character for moral worth and practical wisdom, their opinions on all subjects, and especially of individuals around them, have great weight with their household. The manner in which they speak of their friends and acquaintances, and treat them, will pretty much determine the manner in which these persons will be spoken of and treated by the younger members of the family. It will readily be seen, therefore, that the degree of respect which the children will entertain for the profession of school-teaching, and for the particular instructer whose school they attend, must depend greatly on the views that their parents hold on this subject, and the conduct they pursue with regard to it. If they take occasion frequently to express their high sense of the value of our schools, and of the business of teaching; if they let it be seen that the teacher of their children has their confidence and especially if they endeavor by a daily and practical co-operation to aid him in carrying into effect his plans for the proper management and the improvement of his pupils, the latter in those families where such a course is pursued, cannot fail of being greatly benefitted by it in all that relates to their progress in knowledge at school, and in the formation of good principles and habits. On the other hand, what will more certainly tend to make a disrespectful, wayward, and indolent pupil, than for a child to hear nothing from his parents favorable to the school which he attends, or the individual who has the charge of it, and to witness no efforts on their part to sustain and encourage him in his labors? Children very early begin to have their peculiar views of men and things, and, as their intellectual and moral powers gain strength, they act more and more from settled principles, and form established habits of thought, feeling and conduct. This is true to a greater extent than we are apt to imagine. Hence you will find, just as it is among older persons, that there is a public opinion belonging to the men and women in miniature in the family, in the neighborhood, in the school, and not unfrequently in the village and town. We must mould this youthful public opinion aright, and then use it for important and worthy purposes. Much can be done in this way to promote the cause of popular education, to elevate the profession of teaching; and to give respectability and influence over his scholars to the teacher. It is an instrument of good that has been too much overlooked. Parents have too much overlooked it. Let them begin practically to take a deeper interest in our schools; let them co-operate daily and steadily with the teacher; and let the children and youth see that they are doing this, and the good effects of such a course will be as visible in the better deportment and more rapid improvement of the scholars, as in the renewed zeal and enterprize of the instructers. A failure here will present constant and great obstacles to the successful working of our common school system. Children will always fall very much short of thinking and acting as they ought to do in this important T. H. G. CO-OPERATION OF PARENTS IN IMPROVING COMMON matter, till their parents set them the example. SCHOOLS-CONTINUED. In the preceding numbers, the writer has endeavored to state some of the reasons why it is of importance to the cause of popular education, that parents and the guardians of our children and youth should afford their cordial co-operation to INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING. There is danger of our becoming wedded to our customs and practices, although there is danger also of being too anxious after novelties. The only rule for our guidance of course |