I know of no other work with which I am so well pleased.-Superintendent Cooper, Ricbmonel. Have proved to be the delight of both pupils and teachers.--Superintendent Kummer, South Bend. Almost beyo.d the reach of criticism.--J. P. Funk, Corydon. Ot superior exce lence in every respect. -- ounty Superintendent Marlow. The nearest to perfection or any I ever saw.-Allen Moore, Washington. I think we are sale in saying it is the best.--President Prune, Hartsville. The best suited to our wants. Unanimously adopted-County Superintendent Thompson. Superior to any other.--Professor Houghton, State University. No other geography of which I have any knowledge can equal them.-Superinten dent Trissler, Lawrenceburg. Most complete and accurate geography of the State I have seen.-Superintendent Stout, North ernou. The best on every point.-County Superintendent Ewing. A long step in advanes of anything of the kind.-Dr. Henderson, Salem. An examination ought to convince any teacher of the superior merits of the system. The maps are the best.-J. C, Chilton, Principal, Orleans. superior in many respects. Used in our Normal Department with extire satisfaction.-Prof. Beattie, Bedford College. The best ever offered.--C. Whitted, Principal, Owensburg. Certainly ahead of others in every respect.-Superintendent Carr, Adams. A household necessity.-tounty Superintendent caress. I regard them the best, having used them for some time.--Superintendent Britton. The most accurate and applicable to modern methods of teaching.-Superintendent McGree. We find more in two books than we formerly had in five.--Superintendent Dunkle. The geography of Indiana makes the work indispensible to Indiana schools.-Superintendent Harlan. The best treatment of our State geography I have seen.--Superintendent Barnes. The best yet.--Superintendent Gamble. Unrivaled in any text-book hitherto published.--Superintendent Goodwin, Jeffer sonville. REDUCED PRICES. The Indiana Edition of the Eclectic Geographies will be furnished at the same prices as the regular edition. Eclectic Primary Geography. Eclectic Intermediate Geography Indiana Edition). INTRODUCTION. FXCHANGE. $0.83 66 78 Single Sample Copies, for examination with a view to first introduction, sent postpaid by mail, to teachers or school officers, on receipt of introduction price, VAN ANTWERP, BRAGG & CO., Successors to Wilson, Hinkle & Co,, PUBLISHERS ECLECTIC EDUCATIONAL SERIES, CINCINNATI AND NEW YORK. We do not wish to seem officious, but a sense of duty impels us to say a few things, by way of suggestion, to school officers in the matter of the gradation of the schools. To come to the point, at once, we will say that, in our opinion, grading will never be a success until school officers undrstand it, take hold of it, and see that it is enforced in the schools. We are very sure of the correctness of this position. School officers have in their hands the only le gitimate authority to do this work, and unless they exercise it, the whole matter of grading will fall to the gronud. Teachers, let alone, cannot and will not, to a large extent, keep their schools well graded. They cannot, because they need the moral support of the proper school officers to enable them to do so; they will not, because, in many cases, they think it is of little or no use, curtailing their rights as teachers to conduct the school on an independent basis. Now, we maintain the doctrine that the teacher is an employe, and, as such, has no natural right to claim any exemption from the control of his employer. It is simply a matter of business, in which he, as teacher, is to do as he is directed by his employer, for which he is to receive a stipulated salary. This idea of a teacher's independence in the conduct of the school is a relic of the schools of "ye olden time," now quite out of date. The intelligent teacher knows that he has full enough to tax the resources of his genius in conducting the school without burdening himself with the extra task of dictating the steps by which the pupils are to pass from one grade to another until the common branches are finished. He has enough to do to administer-to execute-without any attempt at legislating. This all good teachers know and readily acknowledge. This being the case, we now turn to our school officers, and with their permission we wish to make them a few suggestions on the subject of the gradation of our schools. 1. We begin with the State Superintendent. How can he help in this matter? Much every way. He has a general control of all the schools in the State. He has the same kind of control that a Superintendent has in any city or town school. As a town or city Superintendent must see that the children of the town or city are systematically carried along through the successive grades of the school or schools over which he presides, so the State Superintendent ought to do. But some one replies: "The State is so much larger than any town or city in it that the State Superintendent cannot do it; it is too big an undertaking. Besides there is so much difference in different counties that any system of gradation that he might present would not suit all." We reply that the size of the State is no obstacle in this matter. Through the County Superintendents, reporting to him, he could, in his office without leaving it, superintend every individual school in the State, know all about it necessary to be known to keep it in grade, just as well, if not better, than if he was on the spot. We reply to the objection that no system can be gotten up that will suit every county or locality in the State, by saying that, in our opinion, it is not true. A system that will work well in Lawrence county will work equally well in Monroe, or in any other county of the State, and for this simple reason, the children within the school age throughout the State are about equally smart and equally dull-they are about the same in every respect. But if the State Superintendent does not wish to give a general system of gradation to the counties of the State, but prefers to leave it to each eounty to grade its own schools through the County Board of Education, then let him see that the system adopted in each county is carried out. Let him encourage it, and, if need be, let him see to its enforcement Let it be under stood that he is not indifferent whether it is carried out or not. When teachers in a county feel that the State Superintendent is taking cognizance of this matter they will be more careful to keep their schools in trim and perfect grade. 2. Having made this suggestion to the State Superintendent, we turn now to say a few words to the County Superintendent. And, in order to be as brief as possible, and at the same time say all we wish to say, we remark that the County Superintendent can do more thany any other school officer to bring the schools of his county into perfect grade, and maintain them in that position. And why do we say so? First, because the County Board of Education will adopt, as a general thing, any system of gradation he may present, and make rules for its enforcement. Second, because he need not license any teacher unless said teacher agrees faithfully to carry out the system adopted. Third, because he meets the teachers in the township Institutes where he can instruct them how to carry out the system. He also meets them in the county Institute once a year where he can give them general and particular inst uction on this subject. And fourth and last, because he, in his visits to the schools, can see and ought to see that the schools are kept properly graded. He ought to impress teachers with the idea that the main object in visiting schools is to see that they are in proper grade, and that any failure here is a grievous fault which must be speedily corrected. It is plain, then, that the County Su perintendent can do more, perhaps, than any other school officer in sustaining gradation in the schools. Ought he to do it? Most assuredly he ought. He ought to assume the responsibility and do the work this responsibility imposes. This is our suggestion. The reports from the schools ought to fully show their gradation, and from these reports the County Superintendent ought to make a report to the State Superintendent. 3. But we have a suggestion or two to make to the Trustees. You employ the teachers, making contracts with them requiring them to do several things for the performance of which you promise to pay them so much money. Among the many things that you require them to do you may require them, and ought so to do, to pay strict attention to the grading of their school, and that no final settlement will be made with them until a report is made showing that the school is left graded, so that the next teacher will have no trouble in taking the school. He takes it just as it was left by the former teacher. If every trustee would pursue this course there would be very little trouble in this matter. But we have another suggestion to make to Trustrees, viz., visit the schools of your respective townships and see that they are kept right. To this end, Trustees ought to learn the system adopted in the county, and become so conversant with it that they can tell, in a short time, when visiting a school whether it is in grade or not. The County Superintendent ought to take the Trustees along with him in his visita tion of the the schools, and let them see how he inspects the grades. Witnessing this inspection a few times, the Trustee will see just how to do it, and will be able to judge ef the true condition of the school full as well as the Superintendent, and in many cases far bet ter. 4. But we have a word of suggestion to directors. We are aware that the office of a director of a school is considered as almost next to no office, but this is a mistake, and a grievous one, too. If the law means anything this officer has a very important function to perform in the school. He, of all school officers, stands nearest to the school. He has more direct control of the school than any other one. He, it is true, is a representative-a representative of the Trustee, yet not entirely so, for he can do many things on his own individual judgment. The director, then, ought to understand the system of grading adopted, and in his visits to the school see that the teacher carries it out. This implies more knowledge of school-teaching than most directors have, some may say, but we are sure that this much knowledge could be acquired by almost any director by paying only ordinary attention to the subject. Certainly, if directors were able to inspect their schools intelligently, and teachers understood that they would do so, there would be more care in keeping the schools in grade, and the great benefit of grading would be fully realized. We might make some suggestions to teachers, for they are, in a very important sense, school officers; but we forbear for the pres ent. Teachers A few general remarks, and we will conclude the present article. And, first, it will be seen from what we have said in this article that we consider that the success or failure of gradation depends largely upon school officers. So we think. It is customary to think it depends almost entirely upon the teachers. have a large share in the matter, but their share is that of a proxy. They do the work they are employed to do. It depends upon the employers to say whether they want the work done, and whether they will insist that it shall done. If they take the position that it must be done, then the teachers will do it. Teachers are generally willing to do what the County Superintendent, the Trustee and and Director wish them to do. The question we wish to urge upon school officers is, will you take the matter in hand and insist upon the faithful gradation of your schools. If you will, the thing will |