In Mr. Holloway's "Mental Geometry" will be found many things which will be welcome to all lovers of the science, and useful to all teachers. He has given us many improved demonstrations; a collection of very interesting problems in spherics; the correct solution of the problem of the volume of a pyramid by the method of indivisibles, which is blundered at in Davies and Peck's Mathematical Dictionary; a simple expression for the volume of a spherical segment, which, however, is not as the author seems to think, new; and, finally, a simplicity and neatness of expression which, considering the difficulties to be overcome, are really commendable.

A

's

A too common fault in our text-books is this lack of precision in the language employed,-I may call it a muddiness in the use of words. This is so often the case in primary text-books, where most generally the language is not adapted to the understanding of the youth of "tender years" for whom it is intended. few days since I was examining a class of little fellows in Primary Geography. When I asked the question, as found in the text-book, "Of what use is a river?" a boy very promptly replied, giving the answer as in the book, "It is useful to convey articles of commerce from point to point." I asked him if he could think of any other use for a river. He thought a moment, then, brightened with the idea, replied: "Yes, sir! it is used to carry goods from one town to another."

LETTER FROM OL OGY.

MR. EDITOR: The article "Among the Institutes" in your November number, if I may judge from a letter before me, has excited fiery indignation in the bosom of at least one of the classes enumerated by the writer as not attending teachers' institutes the class which he speaks of as teaching for pin money, and anxiously looking forward to escape from thralldom through the natural gap provided for such-marriage. The best advice I can give brother Zed, is to keep out of the way of "the women folks" for a time. I sincerely trust he is already married. If not, his matrimonial chances, it strikes me, are rather slender.

But I have an infantile crow to pick with Mr. Zed myself. I see he classes me among the opposers of institutes. Now, though I am an old fogy, and not disposed to celerity of movement, it does not at all follow that I believe in standing stock still.

I believe with another of your correspondents, that in order to climb the highest steeps of the profession, one must be a born teacher-just as the poet or general is born. But there is not a sufficient supply of this born teaching genius to go round. If none but Dr. Arnolds are to attempt "to form the common mind," I very much fear the greater number of our school-houses would remain vacant. There have not been many Homers or Shakspeares in the world; but is that any reason the Miltons, Thomsons, Woodsworths, Tennysons, Longfellows and Whittiers should tune no lay to instruct and delight mankind? There is no profession or vocation that is not under the necessity of using a good deal of mediocre material, and the teacher's profession is no exception to the rule.

I have often heard it argued against institutes and normal schools by older fogies than myself, that as teachers must be born such, it is perfectly useless to attempt to make them by the aid of a machine. I grant there are too many of those knotty sticks of timber attempting to ingraft themselves into the profession, out of which there is no more possibility of making a teacher than there is of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It is the experience of every examiner that dozens upon dozens of young men and young women come before him for certificates to teach, who never could, without the express intervention of a miracle, become even tolerable school-keepers. But shall we on this account sit idly by, in a sort of dumb despair, and do nothing? Not so. I care not how great one's natural abilities for teaching may be, culture will give him ten-fold more power. He may be a blind Samson, feeling around for years for the methods which an experienced instructor could place in his hands within an hour. And where one's natural powers are but mediocre, culture will develop the germ, and make out of it, if not a California pine, at least a tall and very respectable sapling.

Then, again, these impracticable "chunks," out of which nothing can be made, are found in all our training schools-they are very abundant in the military school at West Point and in

the naval academy-and the question arises what plan shall we hit upon to keep them out of our normal school? (You may say, "Better wait till you have caught your rabbit, before you discuss the method of cooking him!" but I think we may regard ourselves so close upon the normal school that we may consider it caught.)

I propose, then, that the State shall not be put to the expense of trying to work up this useless timber. "But," it may be asked, “how are we to avoid it?" I will give you my plan: Let no one be admitted into the school, whose tuition shall come from the State, unless recommended by the county examiners, who shall specifically set forth the grounds on which their recommendation is made. This power should also be extended to the county superintendents, when we come to have them, which, I think, is not far in the future. Or the responsibility might be joint, and a recommendation be required from both examiners and superintendent. But, it may be urged, this would greatly restrict the number in attendance on the school. To which I would reply, better have a small school of good material than a large school of poor material. The number of dunces in a school gives it no strength. A State normal school should send forth no failures to mock and afflict an expectant community, so long and so severely tried with that kind of teachers.

Yours, hopefully,

Sleepy Hollow, Nov., 1866.

OLD FOGY.

EDUCATIONAL WANTS OF MISSOURI.

BY J. M.

1. An appreciation of the importance of good schools. My observations have been limited to the eastern part of the State, where this condition of the public mind is very general. I have no reason to think it is less so in other parts. But many of the native Missourians seem to be waking up to the importance of better educational facilities, and an eastern population is rapidly coming in to help mould public opinion, and give it an impulse in the right direction.

2. Good school-houses. Many towns are destitute of a school house of any kind. Such is the case in Ironton, the county seat of Iron county, with a population of 1,000, and in Memphis, the county-seat of Scotland county, with a population of 2,000; and it is difficult-yea, impossible-to obtain suitable school-rooms in those places at present. On the other hand, in towns of much less size there are respectable school-houses, though the latter are, I think, exceptional cases, the buildings being generally far from respectable. During three days' travel through the north-eastern part of the State, I recognized but one country school-house; and that was surrounded by a play-ground co-extensive with the beautiful prairie on which it was situated.

3. Good teachers. During the war many teachers enlisted in the rebel army, and, consequently, are now unable to take the oath required of teachers, viz., that they have never, by word or deed, given encouragement to the rebellion. I would not like to say, however, that this accounts for a want of good teachers. No doubt the war drew off many that were not very much needed in the profession. From all that I have been able to learn of the schools of the State, I doubt whether many of them are well calculated to produce an intelligent and skillful class of teachers. I hear of male teachers in towns receiving from $40 to $80 per month, so long as the public money lasts. In private schools pupils are charged from $5 to $10 per term of three months.

4. A sufficient school fund. It suffered materially from the rebel-governor Claib. Jackson's operations, but the present excellent school-law, passed last winter, will go far towards supplying the deficiency. It provides that one-fourth of the State revenue. shall be appropriated to the support of schools, besides the proceeds of swamp lands, fines, etc.; also, that if these various sources of revenue shall fail to support a school four months, the (township) board of education shall report the deficiency to the proper county officer, who shall cause the required amount to be collected the same as other taxes. Four months of free school are thus secured, if school officers do their duty. The law further provides, that any town may vote a tax to keep a school in operation so long as they choose. If good teachers will come to this State with a missionary spirit, they will find a wide field of use

fulness, and will, I think, sooner or later, receive a liberal compensation for their services.

A few words concerning the freedmen. Whenever thirty, between the ages of five and twenty-one, can be found in one subdistrict, they are entitled by law to a school separate from the white youth. If that number can not be found, the law makes no provision for them. Teaching the white and colored children together would not be tolerated. It would be as shocking to the sensibilites of the superior race, as for white and black to eat at the same table. Some even refuse to patronize a teacher who is guilty of teaching a colored school. Need any thing be added to prove that we need teachers with a missionary spirit? UNION, Franklin Co., Mo., Oct. 20, 1866.

SIX QUESTIONS.

EAST CLEVELAND, O., Oct. 20, 1866.

EDITOR ED. MONTHLY: Will you please answer the following inquiries in your journal?

1. Which is correct in numbering pupils in a class, to say one, two, three, etc., or first, second, third, etc.?

2. Should pupils be taught to read the numbering of lessons and chapters, as, Lesson 2, Chapter XIV, etc., Lesson Two, Chapter Fourteen, or Lesson Second, Chapter Fourteenth?

3. Should the usual form of dates, as Oct. 10, 1866, be read Oct. Ten, or Oct. Tenth?

4. Should the common citation of texts, as Heb. xii: 21, be read Heb. twelve, twenty-one, or Heb. twelfth, twenty-first?

5. Should the designation of kings, etc., as Charles XII, be read Charles Twelve, or Charles Twelfth?

6. In the last four queries, what good and sufficient reason can be given for reading the numerals differently from the printed form? INQUIRER.

[In numbering pupils, verses, pages, chapters, or what not, the speaker or writer may use either ordinal or cardinal numbers; but the reader should follow the written or printed form. The Arabic and Roman numerals alike repre sent cardinal numbers. 5 and V are each to be read five; 5th and Vth, fifth Roman numerals used in the designation of kings, may form an exception. What says W. D. H. ?-ED. MONTHLY.]