Official Department. Believing that thus we shall add to the interest of the Monthly, and diffuse throughout the State important information, we have arranged with the State School Commissioner that he shall, every month, publish in our pages circulars, opinions, etc., pertaining to the operations of our school system, the just interpretation of its provisions, and whatever else he may deem important. In our next number he will address a circular to Teachers, explaining their duties in regard to reporting to the township clerks the statistics of their schools, as required in section 18 of the School law. OFFICE OF STATE SCHOOL COMMISSIONER, To the Auditors of Counties in the State of Ohio: HOUSE RESOLUTION, NO. 37. Resolved, That the Commissioner of Common Schools be, and he is hereby directed to correspond with the Auditors of the several counties [of this State], and ascertain and report to this House the amount of money paid to School Examiners, between December 1st, 1858, and December 1st, 1859, in each of the counties of this State. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Attest: B. R. COWEN, Clerk. Please state separately, the amount paid Examiners for their services, and the amount paid for printing, stationery and other incidental expenses, connected with examinations. If possible, please reply by return mail. Within ten days I shall send to the office of each of you, pre-paid, a package of Reports of this Department for the past year. Please furnish a copy to each of your county officers, including your School Examiners, and a copy to each Township Clerk in your county. The balance of the copies please distribute at discretion, or upon orders which I may give. Your truly, ANSON SMYTH, Commissioner. NOTES AND QUERIES. Suppose two ships, capable of sailing at bullet speed, be placed forty yards apart; both ships are sailing in the same direction; a loaded cannon is discharged from the hindmost ship. QURRY: Would the ball reach the foremost ship? J. H. W. In the sentence, "He received it as a signal," I should call "as" a preposition, since it shows the relation between "received" and "signal-" * THE OHIO EDUCATIONAL MONTHLY. (Successor to the Ohio Journal of Education.) OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE OHIO STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. COLUMBUS: EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY F. W. HURTT & CO. PAGE. WESTERN FEMALE SEMINARY. .33 THE TRUE TEACHER OF THE HIGHEST TYPE. BY BENJ. W. DWIGHT.........35 HINTS TO TEACHERS OF READING. BY M. T. BROWN...... .43 LIBRARY LAW. (SELECTION.)....... STATE SUPERINTENDENTS OF COMMON SCHOOLS....... THE POETS FRIENDS. (SELECTION.).. EXTRACT FROM GOV. CHASES MESSAGE. Do. DENNISON'S.. SPIGOT ECONOMY. (SELECTION.)................... EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT. Average Daily School Attendance... .54 ..55 56 ...57 ...58 .59 LIBRARY FUND..... ...60 MONTHLY NEWS...... .61 OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT. Circular to Teachers of Common Schools... 63 64 IT IS WELL RECEIVED. Read the following opinions of the UNIVERSAL SPEAKER. "The instructions in Declamation are so complete, and accompanied by such ample illustrations relative to position and gestures of the student, that the Universal Speaker' needs only to be seen to become what its name indicates-universal."-Rochester Repository. "The pieces are judiciously selected, and the book is very attractive in its appearance."-Connecticut School Journal. "We find, upon close inspection, that the work contains much fresh matter, which will be acceptable to schools and students, particularly in the department of dialogues, of which there is a great dearth of really good and fit matter in most Speakers."-United States Journal. "They are all school-like-the dialogues being illustrative of scenes in common life, including some first-rate conversations pertinent to school-room duties and trials. The speeches are brief and energetic. It will meet with favor."-Rhode Island Schoolmaster. "The selection has been made with a great deal of foresight and taste, by men who are highly esteemed as elocutionists, writers, or teachers. The notation, the direction and cuts appended to the pieces, will be found useful to those who use them."-Mass. Teacher. "In this they have succeeded, and have also been fortunate in the selec tion. The book contains a larger number of dialogues than any we have seen, and they are mostly relative to school children and school affairs."Penn. School Journal. In one Volume, 12mo. Price, $1 00. PUBLISHED BY BROWN, TAGGART & CHASE, 25 and 29 CORNHILL, BOSTON. The Western Female Seminary, located at Oxford, Butler County, was incorporated in July, 1853. During the following two years the beautiful edifice, of which we give an engraving, was erected. The institution was modeled after the Mt. Holyoke Seminary; and was designed to impart a thorough education at moderate expense the pupils performing most of the domestic labor. Under the efficient charge of Miss Helen Peabody and her assistants, the Seminary had acquired a high reputation. But Saturday morning, January 13th, the Seminary building was destroyed by fire. Says the Christian Herald : "About one o'clock last Saturday morning, a young lady, whose room was in the fifth story, was awakened by an unusual noise. Looking for the cause of it, she discovered that there was fire inside of the flue. She immediately went down and gave information to the Principal, Miss Peabody. The teachers and pupils were quietly aroused, and went to work to try to extinguish the flames. The most perfect order was preserved. No company of trained firemen would have shown greater coolness, judgment and energy, than was manifested by those young ladies aroused at midnight by the startling cry of fire. "Discovering at length, that the fire was making rapid progress in spite of their efforts to subdue it, they began, under Miss Peabody's directions, to save what they could. Most of the clothing was saved from the upper stories of the building, and from the lower stories nearly every thing, even the heavy furniture, was removed, though many articles, as pianos, were damaged. No one was injured, and we have heard thus far of no illness resulting from exposure. The teachers and pupils feel that they have great cause for gratitude, amid their grief for the loss of their beloved Seminary home. "One lady, whose room was in the fifth story, returned to it at a late period in the progress of the fire, to save something which she had forgotten. As she started to go out into the hall again, the smoke was so dense that she was afraid of being suffocated. She closed the door, tore up the bedding and made a rope with it, pushed her bedstead close to the window, tied one end of the rope to it, and the other around her body. Then she let herself out of the window, and down towards the ground. But her rope reached only to the second story. Hanging there some twenty feet from terra firma, she untied the rope from around her waist, and thus was able to lower herself far enough to fall to the ground unhurt. Springing up, as if nothing unusual had occurred, she ran to Miss Peabody and asked what she should do. This one instance shows the coolness and self-possession of that company of females, and the excellence of that system of training which Miss Lyon inaugurated at South Hadley, and which her pupils carried out in the Western Seminary." A correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial writes: "The presence of mind shown by the entire body of young ladies was remarked by every one. This was no doubt promoted by some remarks Miss Peabody had made the day before, commenting on the Pemberton mill accident, and desiring if any sudden casualty should visit them, if the College should take fire, or any other accident occur, they might act in a thoughtful and collected manner. The quiet demeanor and composed bearing of this lady and her teachers during the first excitement, did much to suppress any disposition of panic among the younger girls." Rev. Dr. Allen, Chairman of the Executive, has published a card, which concludes as follows: "It was found necessary to disband the school, except the senior class, who will remain at Oxford, and complete the course of study. The building was insured for $30,000, and the furniture for $3,000, in six different offices, all of which are believed to be good. The loss above insurance is probably not less than $25,000. "The Board are called to meet on the 7th of February next, when the necessary steps will be taken to rebuild and prepare to re-open the school at the earliest practicable day. Our Seminary though in operation less than five years, has gained a high reputation for thorough instruction and admirable discipline, and has |