ion between the subject of its preceding and its present studies, and to feel that it is continually receiving assistance from its past acquisitions, by which the more easily to accomplish its present objects. A sense of this mutual dependence of to day and to morrow is calculated to give the kind of animation and interest in our pursuits, which is most likely to make them useful to us. The plan of the First Principles is in strict conformity with these ideas. The author, we understand, was convinced that children would read more easily words in their Testament which they had learnt in their spelling lessons, and was also well persuaded that such as may acquire the habit of reading the various style of the different sacred penmen, with accuracy, would be little liable to stammer when put to other reading lessons. He therefore set about the task of selecting all the words of the New Testament, and arranging them in the order suited to his purpose. And for the accommodation of younger children, to whom it is inexpedient to hand a book so large, he has added a portion of reading lessons adapted to their age. The spellings are divided into forty three lessons, including the alphabet, which constitutes the first. Each lesson is marked by its proper number, both in figures and in letters, thus, XXXII. Thirty second Lesson. 32. This plan may serve to familiarize the learner with his figures and letters for numbers, which is no less a useful than pleasing portion of juvenile acquirements. We think our first perceptions of superiority or inferiority of talent, at school, were connected with the recitation of those lessons in the Child's Companion. The alphabet is presented in a variety of forms, the first of which occupying one page, gives the capital letters in one column, and the corresponding small letters in a parallel column, at sufficient distance to form distinct resting points for the eye, which is led from the one to the other by a line of dots. The apparent waste of space is more than compensated to the learner, by the greater facility with which he may fix upon the individual letters. The propriety of teaching a child the alphabet first in the established order of the letters has been doubted by some, fearing that it would be learned only by rote; to us it appears important that this order should be made familiar, even if it be before a single letter can be distinguished. The force of association is soon felt by the memory; the child will recollect that such a letter stands in such a place in the column; if when he is advanced to the second page where a table of similar letters is inserted, he fails to give a right name to the let ters, he should be turned back to his first page, and see its prototype; which if he cannot name at once, he should be led to it from A downwards.* The Italic letters,† so called, are arranged so as to give the capital and small letters in union, beginning with Az and ending with Za. We have all witnessed the pleasure of some promising child on being able to repeat his alphabet backwards: such things are small, but so is a drop of water or a particle of quicksilver. Another table follows, in which the small italics are arranged according to their powers, in fine lines, first the vowels, then the semivowels, mutes, liquids, and double consonants, in their turn. Being once fixed in the memory, time will not eradicate it; and the child will feel the advantage of it, when he enters upon the threshold of his grammar. In the lesson of words of two letters there is a deviation from the common routine of other spelling books. The two sounds of the two letters are brought in apposition, to show the learner at once the changes of which they are susceptible; and the capitals and small letters are duly intermixed, to familiarize him with both thus, we have Ab, Ba, Eb, Be, &c. instead of ab, eb, ib, ob, ub. A single inspection of this lesson, we believe, will convince instructers of the preference due to this plan; and if it is in reality better, there can be no doubt that for the use of children, it ought to be adopted. The third lesson consists of the words of three letters, found in the New Testament. They are arranged in fourteen sections, according to their vowel sounds. To avoid confusion, most of those words which are sounded alike or nearly alike, and variously spelled, are omitted here, and inserted in an appropriate table at the close of the book. The main point in early spelling lessons is to create a habit of accuracy in the young learner, and to furnish him with some criterion by which he may correct his own errors. On this account, perhaps, all such words would better have been omitted; but on reflection it will soon appear that so many of our monosyllables are in that predicament, as to leave the examples too few to answer the purpose of presenting the learner in due time with the words he would encounter in his readings. Hence are introduced here such as occur in the New Testament only in one form, such as tax, ark, boy, &c., *This familiarity with the order of the alphabet is found of special service in after life, when we are called to the use of dictionaries. Though occupying an early page, these letters should not be taught so early as to perplex the infant mind with too many objects at once. The fourth lesson exemplifies the short and long sounds of the vowels as produced by the final e; thus hat, hate, sir, sire, &c. and the fifth contains examples of the double letters, so called; as, fee, lee, fall, full, &c. Then follow in successive lessons the words of four, five, six, and seven letters, each arranged according to the vowel sounds. (TO BE CONTINUED.) INTELLIGENCE. COMMON EDUCATION IN MARYLAND. [In the legislative session of December, 1825, an act was passed, to "provide for the Public Instruction of Youth in Primary Schools, throughout the State." The date of this important event, will doubtless be often reverted to, as an epoch of vast moment in the history of Maryland. To intelligent and philanthropic minds, a regular provision for public instruction, is the most valuable of all internal improvements. The citizens of Maryland, in all future time, probably, will reap a substantial and durable advantage from this act. The object of our present article, is to furnish our readers with a sketch of its more important provisions, drawn from the First Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the same document from which the article on Primary Education in Maryland, was transcribed at p. 145 of last No. of the Journal, and from which the article commencing at p. 141 of our present number, is taken.] The first and second sections of the act relate to the office and duties of the Superintendent,* which are chiefly the following: to digest and prepare a plan or plans for the public instruction of Youth, throughout the state;†-to organize and improve such system as may be adopted, and such revenues as may, from time to time, be assigned to the objects of the institution;-to prepare and report estimates and expenditures;-to superintend the collection of the reve. nues appropriated as above. The third section requires of the justices of the levy court in each of the several counties, in the month of April, or at any special meeting, for that purpose to be called, to appoint nine commissioners of primary schools, for their county; and also a suitable number of discreet persons, not exceeding eighteen, who, together, with the commissioners, shall be inspectors of the said schools. The fifth section makes it the duty of the commissioners to divide their counties into a suitable and convenient number of school districts, and to alter and regulate the same as prsecribed in a subsequent part of the said act; and immediately thereafter to describe and number the same, and to deliver the description and number thereof to the clerk of the county, who is required to receive and record the same. The eighth section refers to the organization of the school districts, the elec * The efficiency given to the system of common education, by putting it under the charge of a Superintendent, may be farther ascertained by reference to the excellent results obtained by this arrangement in the state of New-York. See intelligence relating to common schools in the State of New-York-given in last number of the Journal. Of the able manner in which this duty has been discharged, by the present superintendent, our readers can judge, after perusing the interesting sketch of a primary school system, above mentioned.-ED. tion of a clerk, trustees, and collector-and the voting of a tax on the resident inhabitants for the purchase of a site for the school house, and to "build, keep in repair, and furnish such school-house with necessary fuel, books, stationary and appendages." The fourteenth section requires of the trustees a semi-annual report, on or before the first days of April and October in each year, to be made and transmitted to the commissioners of primary schools for the county, which report shall specify the length of time a school has been kept in such district; the amount of monies received by them; the manner in which the same has been expended by them; and, as near as may be the number of white children taught in such district, and the number of white children residing therein, between the age of five and fifteen years. The seventeenth section makes it the duty of the inspectors to examine all persons who shall offer as candidates for the teaching of primary schools in their counties respectively and in such examination, that they shall enquire, ascertain and inform themselves as far as may be practicable, of their character and qualifications; and grant certificates, as therein prescribed, to such as may be found worthy. The eighteenth section empowers the inspectors to annul any certificate given by them or their predecessors, under certain provisions; and enacts a forfeiture for employing a teacher without the proper certificate. The nineteenth section requires of the inspectors to visit the schools within their counties, once at least in every quarter, and oftener, if they shall deem it necessary to examine into the state and condition of such schools, both as respects the proficiency of the scholars, and the good order and regularity of the schools; and to give advice and direction to the trustees and teachers as to the government thereof, and the course of studies to be pursued therein. COMMON SCHOOLS IN RHODE-ISLAND. From an estimate of the number of schools in this State, published in the R. I. American, it appears that the subject of educating youth is exciting a very lively interest. Exclusive of the schools of different grades' in the town of Providence, which are probably about 100, there are in the other towns in Rhode Island over 300. Some of them, however, are not regularly kept all the year. The Legislature has passed a law for the encouragement and support of free schools, that the children of the poor may not rise into life wholly uneducated. The annual sum of $10,000 is to be apportioned among the towns, according to the number of population under 16 years. There are 31 towns in the State; and the supposed number of children necessary to be educated is 35,843. STATE OF EDUCATION IN NEW-JERSEY. It is a truth, mournful but undeniable, that there are many thousands of grown persons in this state, who cannot read, and many thousands of children that receive no education. In proof of this assertion, we would simply refer to the data which the reports from the counties of Sussex Warren, Cumberland, and Cape May have furnished. In these four counties, possessing a population of 49,685 at the last census, there are 2,506 adults unable to read, and 2,241 children that have not adequate means of instruction. Now if we assume these data as the ground of an estimation of the whole state, they will give us the appalling result of nearly fourteen thousand five hundred adult persons who cannot read, and more than twelve thousand children, most of whom receive no education at all. Report of the New-Jersey Bible Society. It is to be hoped that legislative measures will be speedily adopted to remove such a reproach to the state, and such a hindrance to its best interests. It is gratifying to learn that in the mean time this peculiar field for philan thropic effort is partly occupied by the labours of private beneficence, and that a contribution to the amount of $40,000 has been made for this object.] PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF PHILADELPHIA. From the Tenth Annual Report of the Controllers of the Public Schools of the First School THREE thousand nine hundred and three pupils now attend the schools. In the Model Schools, Chester-street, 632 1132 First Section, comprising the city of Philadelphia, 131 Total, 3903 At the Common Schools in the country parts of the District, seven hundred children have been taught, and these, added to those instructed on the Lancasterian method, give an aggregate of FOUR THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED AND THREE, who, during the official year now terminated, have been educated at the public expense. Since the present system was organized in 1818, 24,574 pupils have passed through the schools of mutual instruction, and 2,640 have been taught at the country schools; making the number of children between the ages of 5 and 14 who have partaken of the henefits of education in ten years TWENTY SEVEN THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN. From the annexed accounts, examined by the auditors, it will appear that the Controllers have drawn orders upon the County Treasurer for 29,515 dollars and 11 cents, of which sum 16,769 dollars and 79 cents is chargeable to the support of the Lancasterian schools; 5,742 dollars and 17 cents to real estate and school furniture, and 7,003 dollars and 15 cents to education in the country sections. The actual cost of instruction of each pupil, in the schools on the Lancasterian plan, is 4 dollars per annum-of those taught at the ordinary schools 10 dollars per annum, furnishing additional proof of the economy of the improved system, and which ought to recommend it to adoption wherever the population is sufficiently dense. The experiment mentioned in their last report as then recently commenced in the Model School, of furnishing several permanent monitors better educated than those usually employed in that service, has been amply made, and the Controllers satisfied of the utility of the arrangement, recommend it to the attention of the respective Sections. The indefatigable principal of the model school, prepared during the past year, a short, but comprehensive manual, by which the operations of the Lancasterian mode of instruction can be easily understood and conducted; the Controllers have had an edition printed for the use of this district, and can supply the work at a very cheap rate for other parts of the state. They would also again bring to the recollection of their fellow citizens of Pennsylvania, that individuals desirous of becoming qualified to teach on the system of mutual instruction, will be admitted free of expense for that purpose, into the model school. AMERICAN SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION. (From a late Circular of the Society.) The following table exhibits the past operations of this Society.-When it was instituted, there were in connexion with the Philadelphia Sunday and |