in writing by means of the chalk and slate pencil; thus rendering the motions of the hand and their natural proneness for action, auxiliaries to the mind and memory. As we can perceive no objection to the practice, it is intended, at this early stage, to introduce easy lessons in drawing, and to encourage, by occasional instruction, that turn, which is so natural to children, of endeavoring to make graphic delineations of objects which attract their notice. This practice will be continued through the different departments, but limited probably to line drawing, as the main object is to strengthen the judgment, with respect to correct proportion, figure, attitude, dimensions, and distance, and, at the same time, to render the hand expert in tracing resemblances. A talent of this kind is deemed to be of far greater importance in a variety of occupations, than is generally imagined."

"As a relief to the occupations of learning the alphabet, spelling, reading, and writing, and as beneficial to the mind even in those early stages of its advancement, it is intended to introduce the first and easiest notions of arithmetic. To learn to count 10, 20, 30, and so on to 100, is surely as easy to a child at any age, as to learn in succession the 24 letters; and by the aid of sensible objects, the first ideas of addition, subtraction, and other primary rules, may be advantageously introduced, and the little scholar be advancing in mental arithmetic at the same time that he is making progress in the art of spelling or reading.""The art of ready reckoning, or of performing calculations rapidly in the mind without the aid of pen or pencil, forms a most valuable and interesting part of the instructions which children ought to receive."

MONITORIAL INSTRUCTION.

The Journal of Education contains an interesting account of the Boston Monitorial School, under the superintendence of Mr. Fowle. The system of Lancasterian, monitorial, or mutual instruction (for the terms are all used as synonymous) has become quite popular of late in this country, and appears to be doing much good. We intend hereafter to say more on the subject; but must content ourselves at present with making an extract from a note annexed to Mr. Fowle's Report.

"The system of mutual instruction owes its origin to Lancaster and Bell, two Englishmen. Dr. Bell informs us that the large number of pupils in his school at Madras, obliged him to employ assistants. These were, at first, adults, well acquainted with the particular branch they were required to teach; but he found it impossible to produce that concert of action, which is indispensable in large schools; and, as an experiment, he dismiss

ed the adults, and employed the older pupils, whose conduct and operations he could completely control. The experiment succeeded to his entire satisfaction. While this was doing in the East Indies, Joseph Lancaster, moved by the gross ignorance of the lower classes in England, proposed a system, in which the saving of expense was the most important consideration. Bell's sehool, like ours, (the Boston Monitorial School,) was composed of children, whose parents were more anxious to procure the best than the cheapest system; but Lancaster proposed to educate the poor and destitute; and, as he was himself a poor man, this was to be done at the least possible expense. We cannot enumerate all the modes by which this end was attained, and therefore shall only mention two: viz. the employment of monitors, by whose assistance 400 or 500 children were easily taught by one master; and the use of cards or sheets printed in very large type, instead of books. If a book contained 100 pages, each page was pasted on a board, and hung up against the wall; so that a class of ten children could stand around, and read it. As one card was enough for one class, a single book of one hundred pages was sufficient for 1000 pupils; the classes exchanging the cards as fast as they had read them. The same economy was used in every other department of teaching. This is the system which has made such unexampled strides towards becoming universal. The system of Pestalozzi, not less valuable, is more philosophical, and very different. Embracing the popular theory of ideas, Pestalozzi wished to illustrate every thing to the senses; and charmed with the philosophy of Bacon, who reasoned only from facts, and carried illustration by the side of theory, he wished every child to begin with the elements of knowledge, and advance no faster than he understood the facts and propositions presented to his mind. This system, requiring unusual information, labor, and perseverance in the teacher, it may well be supposed could not rapidly spread. But, in the hands of its founder, it obtained the admiration of the learned and philosophical, who flocked to Switzerland in thousands to witness its operations. We look forward with confidence to the time, when a better acquaintance with the science of teaching, and a more accurate knowledge of the nature and operations of the youthful mind, will show this system is fitted for general use; and that Pestalozzi, far from being a visionary enthusiast, was only born a century too soon. We believe that ours was the first attempt to unite, however imperfectly,-the systems of Lancaster and Pestalozzi. The former we adopted in the full persuasion,

a persuasion founded on the experiments made in Europe,-that it was a more industrious, orderly, and pleasing, as well as a cheaper mode; and the latter, because the prevailing modes not only appeared to us very superficial, but to have begun at the wrong end,

INTELLIGENCE.

COMMON SCHOOLS IN ALGIERS.

Common schools are, however, numerous in Algiers, where boys of the age of five or six years and upwards, are taught to read and write. From the invariable character of the customs of these countries, I am induced to believe that their practice is the probable origin of the Lancasterian system of tuition. Each scholar is provided with a board, upon which any thing may be fairly written with chalk, and easily effaced; a lesson from the Koran is transcribed in fair and legible characters upon one of these boards, which is then copied upon all the others, the scholars mutually teaching each other, both in the meaning and in the formation of the letters of the text. These lessons are loudly rehearsed to the pedagogue, who sits upon his heels in a corner with a long rod, through the terror of which he maintains order and due attention among his scholars. Thus reading and writing are taught simultaneously, and the beautiful uniformity that characterizes the Arabic hand writing, is probably owing to this method of tuition. The education of the Algerine youth is completed when, having learned to read and write the Koran, he is duly instructed by the same preceptor in the forms and modes of prayer. The expenses of this course of education are very trifling, and I am informed that similar schools are kept by women for the instruction of young girls.-Shaler's Sket. of Algiers.

New Plan of Instruction.—The following statement relating to a plan of instruction for the poor, is from the Monthly Repository, of August 1825. The experiment here alluded to, was made at Linfield, in the county of Sussex, England.

"Some benevolent individuals, conceiving that the labor of children might be made to pay for their education, have united and built school-rooms, at the above place, of sufficient capacity for 200 boys and 200 girls. During one part of the day, (from 9 to 12,) the children are to be taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. In the other part, (from 2 to 5,) the boys will be instructed, in classes, in agricultural labor, when the weather permits, and in some of the most useful mechanical arts; while

the girls will be employed in needlework, the duties of the household and dairy, making butter, knitting, strawplaiting, and, in short, every species of domestic industry that will contribute to make them valuable servants. At the commencement, the parents or friends of each child will pay three pence a week for its education; but the projectors of the undertaking are confident that experience will soon confirm their theory, that the produce of three hours' labor of each child per day, will pay the expenses of the establishment; in which case the weekly charge will altogether cease."

Promotion of Elementary Education in Germany.—It is remarkable how many journals are published in this country for the advancement of elementary education. The following catalogue is given as those which were in progress in 1825 :

1. Annals of the elementary schools of Germany, by Schwarz, &c. Heydelberg. 2. Critical Review of new works of education, by Seebode, Hudesheim, (Hanover.) 3. The Schoolmaster, by Harnisch Halle. 4. Literary Gazette for primary schools, published at Ilmenan, (Saxe Weimar.) 5. Universal Gazette of Schools. This also includes notices of Colleges, universities, &c. and is edited by professor Diethey, of the college of Darmstadt, and the Rev. Mr. Zimmerman, court preacher at Darmstadt. 6. The Lower Rhine Journal of education and primary instruction, by Rossel, Aix-la-Chapelle. 7. Gazette of Youth by Dolz, Leipsic. 8. The friend of German Youth, by Reban, Carlsruhe.

Increasing attention to the subject of Education.-The increasing interest which the subject of education is exciting in the public mind, is evinced by the increased frequency with which articles on this subject appear in newspapers, those thermometers of public sentiment. Several have assigned a considerable portion of their columns to this department; among which may be mentioned the Family Visiter, of Richmond, Virginia; the Christian Monitor, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and the Ontario Repository, of Canandaigua, New-York.

Education of Instructers.-In the laws of Cumberland College, in Nashville, Tennessee, published some time since, a promise is given by the Trustees, that "adequate provision shall be made, as soon as practicable, for the developement of the science of Education, and for the philosophical training of such students as may be destined to the highly important and honorable profession of teaching."

WORKS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

A Philosophical Essay on Education.-By the Rev. W. NEWLANDS, A. M. The author of this essay is evidently well qualified for the work of tuition, in which we understand he is very successfully engaged. The principles laid down by Mr. N. are these-1. That exercise is the chief means of cultivating and improving the mind. 2. That the knowledge already in the student's possession should be employed as the means of conducting him to some higher attainment. 3. That association is a consideration of great importance in tuition. The concluding observations of the essay are these.-1. That the Christian religion should form a part of every system of education. 2. That care should be taken, in an academical education, not to weaken the influence of filial and parental affection. 3. That in every system of education, pains should be taken to prevent loss of time.-Lond. Evan. Mag. Geography for beginners: or the Instructer's Assistant in giving First Lessons from Maps, in the style of Familiar Conversation. Accompanied with an Atlas. Being intended as the first, or Introductory Book, to a series of Geographical Works, by William C. Woodbridge and Emma Willard; of which, the second book is entitled The Rudiments of Geography,' the third book, Universal Geography By Emma Willard, Principal of Troy Female Seminary. Hartford, 1826. 12 mo. pp. 110.

"This little work," says the editor of the Journal of Education, "in the hands of an intelligent mother or primary teacher, may put a child in possession of more useful information, than is to be found in most of the larger geographies;-not that it offers such a multitude of facts, but that it selects the familiar, the intelligible, the important,-those which will make practical readers, practical thinkers, and useful agents on the stage of actual life" "This work," says Mr. Willard," is large enough to begin with. A child of good abilities, with the opportunities of instruction afforded by a common school, will do well to learn it thoroughly in a year; and by this time his book will be worn out."

An Epitome of Geography, with an Atlas. By J. E. Worcester, Boston, 1826. 18 mo. "The object of the author in preparing this Epitome," says Mr. Worcester in his preface, "has been to furnish a manual adapted to the use of pupils of an early age, who may afterwards study the larger work, and also to a numerous class of young persons of both sexes, whose means of education are too limited to admit of their studying thoroughly, while at school, a more extended treatise." The Epitome,' it appears, is not intended for children at so early an age, as Mrs Willard's Geography for beginners.'

Leessons in Simultaneous Reading, Spelling and Defining. By a Teacher. Portsmouth, 1826. 12mo. pp. 144.

In the preface to this work, the author has the following judicious remarks:

"The evil consequences arising from the practice of compelling children to read what they do not understand, have led teachers to adopt one of the only two modes which have as yet been invented for avoiding them. They either place in the hands of their pupils books reduced to the level of their capacities; or the pupils are compelled to seek the definitions from the columns of the common dictionaries.-The design of the present volume is to unite the advantages of both these plans: the difficult words are rendered intelligible by the definitions and by learning the definitions, the minds of the scholars are exercised, and their knowledge of language increased.

The common mode of teaching the definition of words is also very objectionable; the pupil is obliged to commit to memory the definitions of a certain number of insulated and unconnected words in a dictionary; this is a mere exertion of the memory, and that it is a tedious, and often a most fruitless labor, both teachers and pupils we believe will concur in admitting; the difficulty grows out of the fact that by this exercise the association of ideas is not called in to the assistance of the memory; when the pupil strives to recover the evanescent idea, there are no circumstances with which it is connected, there is no train of ideas on which he can rely for assistance.-The plan of the present work is to relieve the scholar from this difficulty; it presents the word to be defined in connection with others, and supplies a train of ideas with which the particular one may be associated.

In regard to Orthography, it occurs to the Compiler, as he thinks it must to every instructer of youth, that when a child is taught to spell words without knowing their meaning, it is a dry and laborious task; one which affords neither pleasure nor mental improvement to the scholar, and which requires to be often repeated without perceptible benefit. If, when the pupil is taught to spell a particular word, he is likewise taught to read and to define it, it would seem that he must retain a clearer idea of its orthography than when he has repeated it by rote from the columns of a spelling-book."

This No. of the TEACHER'S GUIDE is sent out as a specimen of the work. The second number will appear as soon as a sufficient accession is made to the list of subscri bers. Those, therefore, to whom copies of this number are sent, and who are not already subscribers, are requested,-if they wish to subscribe, or if they feel sufficient interest in the work to induce them to obtain subscribers in their vicinity,-to send on names without delay, either to ARTHUR SHIRLEY, Portland, Me. or to JOHN L. PARKHURST, Wiscasset, Me.

PORTLAND: A. SHIRLEY, Printer-J. L. PARKHURST, Editor.