insert noble and beautiful words respecting the Bible, from the pen of one whom New England is beginning to honor as one of her truly great men, Theodore Parker.

We know of no books of the kind that contain so much true life as these. The eloquent prose all tends to nourish a love of freedom and of truth; the poems are selected with a very just notion of the taste of school-boys for what is lively and vigorous. We know of no books better calculated to be popular with school-boys or whose influence would tend more strongly to inspire just and noble sentiments. They are in striking contrast to a rather notorious series, not much used, we are happy to say, in New England, which, if report speaks true, were carefully constructed to give no offence in Southern latitudes.

O Novo GUIA da CONVERSAZAO EN PORTUGUEZ E INGLEZ, par José da Fonseca e Pedro Carolino. Paris: Ailland Monlon e Ca. 1855. The New Guide of the conversation in Portuguese and English. Paris: Ailland Monlon & Co. Booksellers to their Majesties the Emperor of Brazil and the King of Portugal. If complaint should be made that we are late in noticing this invaluable assistant in learning that too-much-neglected tongue, the Portuguese, we can only plead that till very recently, though we had heard much of the fame of the work, it had never been our fortune to set eyes on it. It lies now, we assure our readers, upon our desk, and we hasten to give them some idea of the boon which Don José da Fonseca and his friend have bestowed upon the world.

It would be in vain for us to impart the plan of the work in terms half so graphic as are contained in the preface: "A choice of familiar dialogues clean of gallicisims and despoiled phrases it was missing yet to studious portuguese and brazilian youth and also to persons of other nations who wish to know the portuguese language, we sought all we may do to correct that want composing and divising the present little work in two parts. The first includes a greatest vocabulary proper names by alphabetical order: and the second fourty-three Dialogues adapted to the usual precisions of the life. For that reason we did put with a scrupulous exactness a great variety own expressions to english and portuguese idioms: without to attach us selves (as make some others) almost at a literal translation; translation what only will be for to accustom the portuguese pupils or-foreign to speak very bad any of the mentioned idiotisms. . We expect then who the little book (for the care what we wrote him and for her typographical correction) that may be worth the acceptation of the studious persons and especialy of the Youth at which we dedicate him particularly.”

This, to use an "idiotism" which we recommend to the ingenious authors for their next edition is "as clear as mud." Our space will only allow us to give one dialogue and one story. We only hope the Portuguese is half as rich as the English.

"Dialogue 18. For to ride a horse. Here is a horse who have a bad looks. Give mi another i will not that. He not sall know to march, he is pursy, he is foundered. Dont you are ashamed to give me a jade as like? he is undshoed he is with nails up: it want to lead to the farrier. He go limp he is disable he is blind. That saddle shall hurt me. The stirrups are too long very shorts.

"Your pistols are its loads?

"No: I forgot to buy gun-powder and balls. Let us prick. Go us more fast never i was seen a so much bad beast; she will not nor to bring forward nor to put back.

"Strek him the bridle hold him the reins shorters. Pique strongly make to marsh him.

"I have pricked him enough but I cant make march him.

"Go down i shall make march.

"Take care that he not give you a foot kick's."

66

From among the stories we select that touching one of the two friends: "Two friends who from long they not were seen meet one's selves for hazard How do is thou? told one of the two.-No very well told the other and i am married from that i saw thee" "Good news!" "Not quit because i had married with a bad woman"-" So much worse!"-"Not to much great deal worse; because her dower was from two thousand louis"-" Well, that comfort."-" Not absolutely; why i had emploied this sum for to buy some muttons which are all deads of the rot."—"That is indeed very sorry."-" Not so sorry because the selling of hers hide have bring me above the price of the muttons."-" So you are then indemnified "—" Not quit because my house where I was deposed my money finish to be consumed by the flames."—"Oh! here is a great misfortune!" "Not so great nor i neither because my wife and my house are burned together." A striking story! We think no more unique volume ever proceeded from the Paris press. But lest our readers should all rush immediately into the study of the Portuguese, in order to avail themselves of its assistance, we are sorry to be obliged to inform them that, as might be expected, the work had an immense success, and is already become scarce, doubtless to the great satisfaction of the worthy authors, and the reward of their learned philological labors.

MARTYRIA: or, Andersonville Prison. By Augustus C. Hamlin, late Medical Inspector U. S. Army, Royal Antiquarian, etc. Illustrated by the author. Boston. Lee & Shepard, 12mo, pp. 254.

-

Another version of the terrible story of Andersonville. It is a painful task to read such books, and yet it may be a wholesome and necessary one, for it is the fiends in human shape who committed these atrocities, atrocities which cannot be paralleled in the history of civilized, if indeed they can be in that of savage, warfare, it is fiends like these that the brutal and treacherous man who now accidentally disgraces the presidential chair is laboring to restore to place and power.

The book is finely printed, and contains seventeen wood-cuts illustrative of the horrible slaughter-pen.

AIDS TO SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. Schermerhorn & Co., New York. A box containing "100 certificates, 150 checks, 250 cards, and 100 single merits and half merits," a sort of currency, each different kind of card having ten, twenty, or a hundred times the value of the other. They are prettily printed in red, white, and blue, and are intended "to secure the results of school records, weekly

and monthly reports, and stated prizes, with a great economy of time and labor." We should think they would be very convenient for teachers who make use of such methods in the discipline of their schools.

DRAWING FROM OBJECTS. A manual for the Teachers and Pupils of Common Schools. By John Goodison, Instructor in Drawing and Geography in the Michigan State Normal School. New York. Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman & Co. Small 4to, pp. 54.

This is a cheap little guide for the acquirement of the only kind of skill in drawing that is of any value, drawing from real objects. "The lessons are almost literal reproductions of those given to the author's classes for the past seven years," which is the right way to make a good school-book. We hope the time will come when the art of representing objects by drawings will be considered to be as much a part of a really good common school education as the art of representing words by writing. Drawing in its higher departments must of course remain a luxury, but the mere power of sketching the forms of simple objects is much more within the reach of all than many would be inclined to imagine. GUYOT'S GEOGRAPHICAL SERIES. Common School Geography. New York. Scribner & Co. 4to, pp. 147.

We noticed the elementary volume of this invaluable series in our last number, and then printed the learned author's explanatory preface. Since then we have received the beautiful book whose title we have given above; and without disparagement of any other similar work, we think it may safely be asserted that it far excels any other school geography now in the market. The learning of Prof. Guyot combined with the practical skill of Mrs. Smith and the liberal efforts of the publishers have combined to produce a book of very great and very permanent value. Want of space forbids a detailed examination, but we would especially point out the beauty of the maps (colored like Prof. Guyot's wallmaps upon a rational principle to represent the surface), and would recommend to all teachers a careful perusal of the "Teacher's Guide" which is to be found in the Teacher's edition.

We try to be chary of praise of all books of doubtful value or merely ordinary merit; but we think this is one which presents extraordinary claims upon our attention, and so far as we can honestly do it without the test of actual use, we earnestly recommend the book to all good teachers.

INTELLIGENCE.

JONATHAN KIMBALL, formerly Principal of the High School in Dorchester, has accepted the office of Superintendent of the schools of Salem.

JOHN KNEELAND, late of the Washington School, Roxbury, and well known to our readers from his connection with the "Resident Editor's Department," has opened a school for young ladies in that city.

JONATHAN TENNEY, recently of New Hampshire, has taken the school prop

erty in Newton Centre, lately occupied by Mr. J. W. Hunt, and opened it as a Family and Day School for young ladies.

Miss CUSHING, Assistant in the Roxbury High School, now receives a salary of $1,500.

THOMAS HUNTER, Esq., Principal of Grammar School No. 35, in New York, receives a salary of $4,150. Grammar-School Masters are looking up.

Miss HOWARD (colored), who recently graduated at the Girls' High and Normal School in Boston, has been elected as teacher in one of the colored schools of New York, with a salary of $550.

In a former number we noticed the retirement of J. W. Allen, Esq., one of the most successful teachers of New England, from the Principalship of the Schools of the Centre District of Norwich, Conn. The following, from the recent report of the Board of Education of that city, shows how Mr. Allen's devotion to his profession was appreciated:

"Every effort was used to retain his services, which have been so satisfactorily rendered to the District since its formation. The high standing of the several grades, the honorable mention of so many of the graduates, the general good feeling among the teachers and scholars, and the harmony that has existed in all the Boards during his connection with the schools, from the inception of the graded system to its successful completion, make a proud record for the city of Norwich."

The TEXT BOOK ASSOCIATION,

OF PHILADELPHIA,

Will Remunerate a Competent Writer, for

PREPARING A

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES,

FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS,

ON A SPECIAL PLAN.

Applications will be received, and particulars furnished by

JOSEPH WALTON, Sec.,

No. 413 WALNUT ST.,

Philadelphia.

SARGENT'S

ENTIRELY NEW

SERIES OF READERS,

AND PRONOUNCING SPELLER.

Send for the Latest and Best before making a Change.

In consequence of the great success of Mr. EPES SARGENT in his specialty of preparing Readers for schools, there has been a large demand for new books from him; and he has consequently prepared an entirely new and improved Series of Readers, which have been carefully and elegantly electrotyped, and are now ready.

The smaller books are beautifully illustrated, and all those improvements, which constant consultation with our best teachers has suggested, are included.

We defy contradiction in saying that the Series is the Best, the Handsomest, the most Carefully Prepared, and, we may add, the Cheapest, ever published.

Mr. Sargent's long experience, careful scholarship, high culture as a literary man, and acknowledged taste, added to his admitted success in ONE Series of Readers, of which millions are sold annually, are a guaranty that committees will find it for the interest of schools to examine his New Series before making any change.

The most striking evidence of his previous success may be found in the extent to which the latest compilers of Readers and Speakers have made use of his original labors in selection; his works appearing to have been

The magazine from which compilers have taken nearly two-thirds of their pieces.

The New Fifth Reader,

just issued, is the greatest book of its class before the public. The ELOCUTIONARY INTRODUCTION embraces all the instruction of any practical value; and the Reading Lessons com. prise the best elocutionary pieces in the language. It is eminently a book FOR THE TIMES, AND UP WITH THE TIMES-far in advance of any competing work.

Sargent's New Pronouncing Speller

has among its features a NEW AND IMPROVED SYSTEM OF NOTATION, and is exciting the greatest interest among teachers for the thoroughness and ingenuity of its system of indicating pronunciation.

Copies for examination furnished on application to the Publisher.

JOHN L. SHOREY,

13 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.