exercise of five minutes; the pupils required to take turns in leading the class.

Object Teaching.—Sheldon's Elementary Instruction.

Moral Lessons.-Cowdery's Lessons, twice a week, conducted by pupils in rotation.

General Exercises.-Half an hour each day must be devoted exclusively to methods of teaching, and exercises relating to the State course of study for the 6th, 5th, and 4th grades, and to the State Training School.

JUNIOR CLASS.

Arithmetic.-Eaton's Common School, completed.
Algebra.-Robinson's Elementary, begun.

Grammar.-Quackenbos', begun. Exercises in ex tempore compositions on assigned topics, once in two weeks. Exercises in writing, folding, and addressing letters. Compositions on subjects selected by the pupils once a month.

Geography.-Clarke's, completed. Exercises in map drawing and use of the globe.

Physiology.-Hooker's, begun; 2d term.

History of United States.-Quackenbos', completed; 1st term. Reading.-Russell's Vocal Culture, alternating with Willson's Speller. Vocal exercises adapted to the State course of study.

METHODS OF TEACHING.

Half an hour daily to be devoted exclusively to the art of teaching. Sheldon's Elementary Instruction, used as text-book. Page's Theory and Practice, read in the 2d term. State course of study for 3d and 2d grades. Use of Willson's Charts.

Calisthenics.-Mason's Manual.

utes, conducted by pupils in rotation.

Daily exercise of five min

Penmanship.-Exercises on slate, blackboard, and paper, adapted

to 2d and 3d grade classes.

SENIOR CLASS.

Arithmetic.-Eaton's Higher, alternating with Algebra. Algebra.-Robinson's Elementary, alternating with Arithmetic.

Grammar.-Quackenbos'.

Natural Philosophy.—Quackenbos'.

Physiology.-Hooker's Larger, completed, and studied in con

nection with the manikin.

Botany.-Second term; Gray's.

Normal Training. Russell's.

Vocal Culture.-Russell's and Murdock's, completed, alternating with spelling.

Physical Geography.-Guyot's Wall Maps; Second term.
Penmanship.-Twice a week.

Methods of Teaching.-State course of Study. Rules and Regulations. Use of State Registers. School Law. Half an hour each day to be devoted exclusively to methods of teaching, and school management.

General Exercises. Select Readings; Declamations, and reading of Compositions weekly in each class-room on Friday, and monthly as a general exercise for the whole school. Exercises in free Gymnastics, with dumb bells, rods and rings, etc., daily, fifteen minutes.

TRAINING SCHOOL.-Pupils shall be detailed to teach in the Training School, one week at a time, in the following order: Two from the Senior Class, and two from the Junior Class, detailed each week in alphabetical order.

Two pupils each day shall be detailed from the Sub Junior Class, to visit the Training School, and observe methods of teaching. The Principal of the Normal School shall visit the Training School half an hour daily to observe the methods pursued by the pupil teachers.

The Assistant Teachers in the Normal School shall visit the Training Classes at least once a week, for a time not less than one hour each visit. The credits obtained in the Training School shall be kept by the Principal of the State Normal School in a record separate from the term record of the pupils, and shall form an important part of the graduating standard.

STATE TEACHER'S INSTITUTE.-A State Institute will be called in the City of San Francisco, early in May, 1867.

NORTHERN DISTRICT INSTITUTE. A Grand Union County Institute will be held in the city of Marysville, next October. The

following counties will unite, viz: Yuba, Sutter, Butte, Tehama, and possibly Sacramento, Sierra, and Plumas. An examination for State Certificates will be held by the State Board of Examination. Under the management of the able corps of County Superintendents in the northern counties, the Institute will undoubtedly prove interesting and instructive.

AN ACT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES OF THIS STATE.

The People of the State of California represented in Senate and Assembly do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. The Superintendent of public schools in the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda, and Contra Costa, shall, on or before the first day of September in each year, furnish to the Board of Trustees of each school district in their respective counties, an estimate in writing of the amount of public money, both State and county, to which their district shall be entitled during the year.

SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of each Board of Trustees in the counties mentioned in this act, to employ an efficient and competent teacher, who shall hold a certificate from the county Board of Examination, and to keep open the public school for at least eight months in each school year, provided a majority of the Trustees so desire, and when the State and county money to which any district is entitled, is not sufficient to keep a school open in such district for at least eight months in each school year, the Trustees are authorized, and it is hereby made their duty, to levy, and they shall levy a direct tax upon the taxable property in such district, sufficient to raise an amount which together with the State and county money to which such district is entitled, to keep a school open eight months, and such tax shall be assessed, equalized, and collected in the manner prescribed for assessing, equalizing and collecting taxes voted for district school houses, excepting that the Trustees may appoint the Assessor and Collector, and also, excepting that if a fractional part of a cent is sufficient, the whole cent need not be levied in lieu thereof. The tax so levied shall include a sum sufficient to pay the cost of assessing and collecting.

SEC. 3. The Collector shall pay over the money so collected to the County Treasurer, who shall credit it to the district paying it in, and it shall constitute a special school fund, which shall be paid out on the warrant of the County Superintendent, who shall draw his warrant on this fund for the payment of teachers' services, and for no other purpose whatever. No per cent. shall be charged or received by the County Treasurer for receiving or paying out this fund.

POSITION WHEN WRITING.--The most important consideration, when acquiring the knowledge and practice of this valuable and indispensable accomplishment, is the position which the learner assumes and retains during the exercise.

In some of our public schools the scholar is required, when writing, to sit in such a position as to cause the book or paper to be at his side, instead of in front of him.

It is asserted in favor of this position, that it secures to the writer a freer play of the arm, and that the person is less liable to bend the body over the task in an unhealthy and unnatural manner.

But there are some serious objections to this position, which those who advocate and practice the plan thus briefly alluded to would do well to consider. We will suppose that a young man obtains a situation as a book keeper, or is employed as a copyist, who has, when writing, always taken the position referred to above. It is now simply impossible for him to sit in his accustomed manner; or if he has a high desk, he may, if he chooses, stand sidewise, but he must write up hill, and at the same time it will greatly inconvenience him in regard to the arrangement of his books, papers, etc. If he stands or sits square to the front, he finds that he cannot write so well, nor so comfortably, as when in the position in which he had learned to write.

All this may be obviated by causing the scholar to assume the position, when learning to write, that he will afterwards be obliged to take, whether book keeper, copyist, or man of business, unless 'there should be an entire change in the present shape of desks, which is not likely to take place. The best directions are these: Stand, or sit erect and square to the front, then place the book or paper a little to the right of the body.-Mass. Teacher.

Resident Editors' Department.

A MONTH AMONG THE SCHOOLS-(Continued from the July number of the TEACHER).

Siskiyou County.-At Red Bluff we took the stage coach for Shasta ; but, finding the school at the latter place not in session, and the County Superintendent twenty-five miles away, we continued our trip straight through to Yreka, a nice little stage trip of night and day riding of more than a hundred miles over the Trinity and Scott mountains. At Yreka the Public School is united with the Yreka Academy, taught by Mr. Stone, the County Superintendent, and Mr. Worth. Yreka is still a very pleasant town, but the glory of its placer mining days has departed. In company with the County Superintendent we visited several of the surrounding schools; and with Ex-Senator Foulke, devoted a day to Scott Valley, Oro Fino, and a school picnic of three of the Scott Valley Schools united. The schools of this county are taught by excellent teachers, thanks to the care of Superintendent Stone and the County Board of Examination. Superintendent Stone is a graduate of the New York State Normal School; and the fact that he is now holding his office for the second term is proof positive of his fitness for the place and of his faithful discharge of his duties.

A week's visit in the northernmost county of the State passed too quickly, and we took the stage at midnight, for Oroville, a solitary passenger, accompanied only by our pleasant recollection of the schools and citizens we left behind. A heavy snow storm swept over the summit of Trinity Mountain when we crossed, and the long night ride without company, shivering with the cold, was anything but agreeable. In the Sacramento Valley the snow storm was succeeded by rain, and at Red Bluff taking in three more passengers, we whirled along through mud and wet to Oroville. Speaking of Red Bluff reminds us that we are indebted to the polite and gentlemanly editor of the Red Bluff Independent, Mr. Chalmers, for several little editorial courtesies, and if he will call at our sanctum in this city, we will present him with a copy of Cowdery's Moral Lessons, with a leaf turned down at the lessons on "Lying and Slander." Verb. Sap. Sat. We are used to such things, and our cuticle has grown tougher than that of a rhinoceros.

Yuba County.-At Marysville we visited the Public School taught by D. C. Stone, who has taught the same school for eleven years in succession. This school has the best school cabinet in the State, collected by Mr. Stone, who