originally and see that the work up to a fair average is honestly done. No work can flourish over a series of years which is exposed to interference from local amateurs in authority."

When the teacher is as he should be, that view of his relation to the school board will be recognized and maintained.-Journal of Education.

School Discipline.

Naturally enough, the first effort of the young teacher is to secure good order in the school-room. Every energy is bent to secure good discipline, to harmonize the diverse elements and to bring the school into such a condition of order that will render the work of instruction possible. Let me give a word of caution here. In discussions of school work in teachers' journals and in institutes, discipline and instruction are treated separately, frequently as if they were separate and apart, distinct and disconnected subjects in the practical work of the teacher. Do not forget that in the school-room they are inseparable and inter-dependent. Under the old theory of school-keeping, discipline was required to facilitate study and instruction; discipline was simply a means. To-day the wise teacher reverses the order and makes use of study of pleasurable work as the most effective means to the highest type of school discipline. When the child is interested in his work, it is not a difficult task to secure and hold his attention. Good teaching is the prerequisite to all true, genuine discipline in the school-room. When the child becomes interested in the work assigned, and receives heartily and enthusiastically the instruction given, his mental attitude will permit the judicious pruning which the skilful teacher is disposed to give. The rebellious spirit of the child, or his predisposition to antagonize the authority of the teacher, will scarcely yield if a proclamation of war is issued by the teacher. Recognize the rebellious tendency of the child or the man, and it only strengthens that tendency and prolongs the period of willful insubordination. It is possible to force such a spirit into temporary subjection, but genuine discipline is not the result of force. Any direct effort to secure discipline implies the necessity of extraneous force. This means of discipline should be used only in exceptional instances and in sure emergencies. The highest type of order is found in that school where each pupil has been taught self-control; where each boy or girl yields voluntary and cheerful compliance to known requirements. Such discipline is a product, a result, and will be found, as a rule, accompanying the highest type of instruction. Uniformly courteous treatment on the part of the teacher, a

sympathetic voice, a genial demeanor, prompt and persistent attention to details, with good teaching ability, will, in a few days, reduce any school from a condition of turmoil and disorder into that of perfect discipline. If you would succeed in establishing order in your school look well to your teaching; put your school at work in earnest, get your pupils interested in doing something, and in a short while fair order will come as a result, and you will have time to perfect it at your leisure. Remember that a direct effort to get good order is likely to occupy a great deal of your time and energy, and even when obtained through sheer force, is very unsatisfactory and at best only temporary. A direct attack provokes antagonism, and the victory, if won, is a doubtful one. Let your discipline be the result, in the main, of strong, earrest, effective teaching; aim at voluntary self-control; reach down for the child's will; make that active and the discipline will be genuine. Under all circumstances be self-controlled, and never permit yourself to become fretful, to scold and upbraid the entire school for the disorder caused by the few. Be loving and kind, yet firm and self-possessed. By a word or even a look you may inspire the confidence and enthusiasm or mar the happiness and peace of your school. I have known teachers whose most signal success consisted in arousing hatred and antagonism, and sowing the seeds of suspicion and distrust and in reaping a harvest of personal aversion and open insubordination. We know some people whose very presence irritates and annoys us. You may remember some teacher in your school days who, by one imprudent word, one act of injustice, aroused your resentment, and made further study irksome, and anything but compulsory order impossible. Teachers should study themselves, and carefully note the character of their influence upon their pupils; some people are naturally attractive to the young; some are not. One thing is certain: to be a successful teacher and disciplinarian, you must establish a bond of sympathy between yourself and the school. Talk but little and always to the point. Waste no words by unnecessarily repeating your requests, or the child will conclude that you expect him to forget, and he will take delight in gratifying you. Always be bright and cheerful, and you will have bright and smiling boys and girls in your school. Speak softly, and cultivate that gentleness of tone and manner that will serve as a model for imitation. A loud, harsh, grating voice, a brusque, impetuous manner, a nervous, fidgety disposition-such possession on the part of the teacher will make the best child on earth disorderly. The teacher finds fault with the child; let him first examine himself. You must secure for your school-room a moral atmosphere, an atmosphere in which nothing impure or unrefining can exist, an atmosphere of habitual obedience, of habitual order. The moral tone of the school-room should be such that no child can resist its power; it should secure the voluntary practice of the highest

moral virtues. To the child the habitual is the right. Once establish the habit, and the child will feel that every departure is a violation of right principle.-Educational Exchange.

Pedagogical Vagabondism.

The schoolmaster, we hear it said, is a vagabond on the face of the earth, and in few States more so than in Wisconsin. When we inquire into the reasons for this we find many, but two are especially important. We place first the universal practice of contracting only for the term or for the school year. When June arrives the contracts expire; there is no discharging necessary-all are discharged, good and bad alike; some are not re-employed, but the circumstances determining who shall be omitted are so numerous and uncertain that for teachers unrest is characteristic of the early summer months. It may be difficult to remedy this, but certainly a remedy should be found. We need new interpretations of law, or new legislation on this matter, and new and more rational practices. After a year's trial a successful teacher ought to feel a tolerable assurance of permanency in his position. The law at least should favor permanency rather than changes as at present, and an indefinite contract after the first year would have this effect. Under such circumstances, some will urge, it would be more difficult to get rid of undesirable teachers. True, but this would result in greater care in hiring, which would be a gain. Besides, it is better to discharge a teacher than simply to let him drop. The discharge is a more serious matter, and therefore will be more seriously considered. The teacher will be more desirous to avoid it as well as the board, and thus stronger forces will be called into play to promote co-operation and thoroughness in work.

Frequently difficulties are avoided by a change of teachers, which it would be better to meet squarely and settle fully. Sometimes the board escapes taking decisive action, and sometimes the teacher slips away from a situation which he ought to face and settle. And this brings to view the second cause of changes-the restlessness of teachers. Some run away from the difficulties which they have created. It is easier to start over again-to try somewhere else than it is to correct their own errors and surmount the obstacles accumulating about them; let some one else try it. Sometimes this is wise, but unless clearly so the conduct must be called unprofessional and cowardly. The one who resorts to it repeatedly is a pedagogical sneak. More often by the change the teacher hopes to better himself financially or in rank. It is impossible to condemn this, but it is easy to see that mistakes are often made at this point. A slight

addition of salary is often more an apparent than a real gain; and rank is seldom got and held by chasing after it. The restlessness resulting from such a spirit destroys real enjoyment of the work, and so undermines those inward forces which make the really successful teacher. The balance between selfish and social motives is upset by repeated changes of this sort, and a deterioration of character as well as of teaching power results. Thus, in the spirit and character of his work, the vagabond ceases to be a teacher. One may have a just and worthy pride in building up a school, in seeing its increasing power to mould character and determine tastes, in fixing it more deeply in the hearts of a community, in broadening and elevating social life through its influence. But vagabondism is fatal to such aims, and thus works mischief to the schools and the school-teachers. Changes are sometimes necessary; they are wise only when necessary, and vagabondism is the prevalence of unnecessary changes.-S., in Wisconsin Journal.

Reading in Public Schools.

BY HELEN K. YERKES, PHILADELPHIA.

Reading and elocution, though often confused as synonymous terms, are in reality distinct arts. The latter, though a complete science, is less important than the art of reading, which is instrumental in its character. The former is, in fact, positively necessary to any pupil, whichever line of life he may choose after leaving school.

As teachers, we have nothing to do with the oratorical display of the elocutionists; but it is our duty to make of our pupils good, sensible, plain readers.

First, we must remember that it is our work to kindle a love of silent, as well as oral, reading. The busy workman of to-day must be a broadminded, intelligent man, in order to compete successfully with his fellowworker. He can obtain his knowledge principally through the quiet perusal of the daily press after the hard day's work is done. This exercise opens to his view new worlds of science and literature and enables our worker to think upon any question presented for his consideration. To accomplish this end let us encourage the children to bring to the class any bits of information gleaned outside of the school-room through the medium of the numerous periodicals. They quickly learn that the most prosaic recitation may be enlivened by a pupil's rising and saying, "Miss Jones, I read last week in the Youth's Companion," and stating some appropriate fact. Here, then, is the incentive for quiet reading; if the habit of looking for such information is acquired we have a good foundation upon which a superstructure of good oral reading may be rapidly built.

In order to conduct an oral lesson in the school-room, we should give the pupils sufficient time to read the entire selection. Their interest aroused, they strive to get a thorough understanding of the selection. All the class have found difficulties which they bring to the class to be answered by the other pupils in their "talk" upon the lesson. This is carried on under the supervision of the teacher, and its success or failure depends entirely upon her. Draw on the children's imagination and actual experience, if they have been brought in contact with the subject under discussion. Ascertain their views from different standpoints. If possible have them paint, in harmonized colors, a word picture. that all in the room may see and admire. Now let them turn to the the words of the author in order to get his thoughts upon the same subject.

Just here a difficulty may appear and tower up into formidable proportions before an inexperienced teacher. Most children have, from the age of ten to sixteen, a very limited vocabulary, and many of the author's words are therefore practically new. This trouble need not appear, however, if the teacher will, at some time previous to the assigning of the lesson, select such words and allow the class to use them in a language lesson, or pronouncing bee, or some similar exercise. If the pupils are old enough, it is well to call their attention to the origin of many words, that they may learn to recognize others from the same root.

All these preliminaries having been dispensed with, it is well to call upon some naturally poor reader to give the author's words to a specified point, or upon a portion of the subject under discussion. If the reading prove unsuccessful, call quickly upon one or two good readers to give the same thoughts; thus the interest of the class is not allowed to flag.

Occasionally ask the class to state which was the best reading, or which sounded most nearly as though the boy were talking.

Scholars learn rapidly to criticise in this way with discretion, stating clearly just which sentence was unmeaning because badly read. Much more good is done by one such criticism than by many quibbling faultfindings, such as, "John held his 'voice up on broke.' He said 'knoo' for knew." This engenders a love of carping over details, and the main point is lost. Do all that you can to make the children understand that they are simply "telling "what the author has said. Let this be the aim and end of all class criticism.

One short poem, so treated, will furnish material for several lessons. But, lest some teacher be discouraged, let me add that classes which at first can study only two or three stanzas, before the end of a year will be able to understandingly read ten and twelve stanzas of our ordinary poems.

This does not presume to be an exhaustive account of all the work to be done in this line. Having once instilled these elementary ideas, all depends upon practice. Vary the exercises as much as possible, but have