OUR LITTLE ONES and the NURSERY-a bright, entertaining child's magazine-published monthly by the Russell Publishing Committee, 16 Bromfield street, Boston, Mass., at $1.50 a year.

THE AMERICAN NATURALIST FOR MAY.-Contents: The Mezquit; The Larval Theory of the Origin of Cellular Tissue; The Naturalist Brazilian Expedition, paper III; The Exhalation of Ozone, by Flowering Plants, (Con..) The Creodonta, (illustrated,) E.'D Cope; A Walk Through the Natural History Museum at Florence; Construction of Ancient Terra-Cotta Pitch-Pipes and Flageolets, (illustrated;) Editors' Table; Recent Literature; General Notes-Geography and Travels, Geology and Palaeontology, Botany, Entomology, Zoology, Psychology, Anthropology, Microscopy and Histology; Scientific News; Proceedings of Scientific Societies.

THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW FOR MAY.-Contents: Defective Naturalization Laws, Justice William Strong; Matthew Arnold, E. P. Whipple; A Zone of Worlds, R. A. Proctor; The Railway and the State, G. L. Lansing: Illusions of Memory, Prof. H. F. Osborn; The Meaning of Song, H. K. Johnson; Workingmen's Grievances, W. G. Moody and Prof. J. L. Laughlin.

SOUTHERN HISTORICAL SOCIETY PAPERS FOR MAY.-Contents: Reconstruction" in S. C., by Prof. F. A. Porcher; Story of the Arkansas, by G. W. Gift; Letters from Fort Sumpter, by Lieutenant I. Jones; Diary of Rev. J. G. Law; Chickamauga-A Reply to Major Sykes, by J. M. Goggin; Report of Gen. E. W. Pettus of Operations at Lookout Mountain; Battle of Drewry's Bluff, May 16th, 1884-Report of General R. F. Hoke; Report of General J. Hagood; Wolsley's Tribute to Lee and Jackson; The Burning of Columbia-Affidavit of Mrs. Agnes Law; The Blue" and "The Gray," a poem, by Rev. J. G. Walker: "The Eclectic History," a Review, by Col. Wm. Allan; Editorial Paragraphs.

ST. NICHOLAS FOR MAY-Contents: Frontispiece, "Rocket' and 'Flyer;'" "Rocket" and "Flyer," poem, illustrated; The Scarlet Tanager, chapters I, II and III, J. T. Trowbridge, three illustrations; "Mr. Plantagenet Norman Dane, Jingle, illustrated; Supporting Herself, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, illustrated; The Philopena, Frank R. Stockton, four illustrations; Words Inclined to Jingle, verse, illustrated; Rosy Snow, poem; A Pic-nic, picture; The Land of Fire, concluded, Mayne Reid, two illustrations; The River-end Morey's Rab; The Doves at Mendon, poem, three full-page illustrations; Little Things, Fifth Spinning-wheel Story, Louisa M. Alcott, illustrated; The Song of the Roller Skates, verses; Our Roller Skating Brigade, Jingle, full-page illustration; Historle Boys, Olaf of Norway, The Boy Viking, two illustrations; "Look Out, There," picture: Marvin and his Boy Hunters, chapters I and II, two illustrations: A Meeting on the Rail, verses, two illustrations; Maidenhair, verses; Work and Play for Young Folk, XII; Leather Work, Charles G. Leland; For Very Little Folk, The Little Boy whom we call H'y, full-page illustration; The St. Nicholas Almanac, illustrated; Jack-in-the-Pulpit; The Letter-box; Agassiz Association; The Riddle-box, (illustrated.)

THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY FOR MAY-Contents: A Roman Singer, XXI, XXII, F. Marion Crawford; The Anatomizing of William Shakespeare, I, Richard Grant White; Linguistic Palæontology, E. P. Evans; The Arbutus, H. H.: En Province, VIII, Henry James; At Bent's Hotel, E. W. Bellamy; Dew of Parnassus, Edith M. Thomas; Matthew Arnold as a Poet, Harriet Waters Preston; In War Time, IX, X, S. Weir Mitchell; Governor Thomas Hutchinson, George F. Ellis; The Silver Danger, J. Laurence Laughlin; William H. Seward, Henry Cabot Lodge: Marechal Niel, T. B. Aldrich; The Progress of Nationalism, Edward Stanwood; Recent American Fiction; Tuttle's History of Prussia: Edward Bulwer, Lord Lytton; The Contributors' Club; Books of the Month.

LIPPINCOTT'S MAGAZINE FOR MAY.-Contents: The Hill-Suburls of Cincinnati, illustrated; The Perfect Treasure, four parts, III, by F. C. Baylor; How the Roman Spent His Year, two papers, II, by William F. Allen; Along the Columbia River and Puget's Sound, by James A. Harrison; Retaliation, a Story, by Lina Redwood Fairfax; Diary of the Last European who Rode Through the Desert from Berber to Suakin; At Last, a Story, three parts, II, by Annie Porter; Shakespeare's Tragedies on the Stage: Remarks and Reminiscences of a Sexagenarian, two papers, I; The Rev. Nahum, a story, by M. R. Francis; A Day in Early Spring, by Horace Lunt, together with other short stories, poems, and articles of interest upon current topics.

POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY FOR MAY.-Contents: The Eins of Legislators, by Herbert Spencer; The Beaver and His Works, (illustrated); The Progress of the Working-classes in the Last Half Century; An Experiment in Prohibition; The Milk in the Cocoanut: Longevity of Astronomers; The Chemistry of Cookery, by W. Mattieu Williams; How Flies Hang On, (illustrated;) Where Did Life Begin? Christian Agnosticism, by the Rev. Canon Curteis; The Beginnings of Metallurgy; Our New Skin and Cancer Hospital, by W. J. Youmans, M. D.; The Morality of Happiness, by Thomas Foster; Was He an Idiot? Sketch of Mary Somerville, (with portrait;) Correspondence-a Typical Experience; A Curious Case of Albinism; Insects and Disease; Grapes as Food; Editor's TableProgress and Social Improvement; Yale Professors on College Studies; Spencer on Parliamentary Influence.

THE MAY CENTURY.-Portraits of famous soldiers have been a feature of recent numbers of THE CENTURY, and the frontispiece of the May number (beginning a new volume) is a portrait of a famous warrior, "Chief Joseph, the Nez-Percé," whose character and valor are picturesquely described by Lieutenant C. E. S. Wood.

Henry James's new three part story is begun in this number. The short story of the number is "Rose Madder," an illustrated romance of artist life. Mr. Cable contributes the seventh part of "Dr. Sevier;" and Robert Grant's story of "An Average Man" approaches its conclusion.

Of special value among the popular illustrated papers is Julian Hawthorne's description of "The Salem of Hawthorne," which contains much new and vainable biographical analysis. The poetry is contributed by Austin Dobson, Rose Hawthorne Lathrop and others.

OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT.

R. R. FARR, Superintendent Public Instruction, Editor.

[The Journal is sent to every County Superintendent and District Clerk, and must be carefully preserved by them as public property and transmitted to their successors in office.]

HOW TO MAKE THE COMING INSTITUTES SUCCESSFUL.-Let every superintendent consider himself a committee of one to urge upon his teachers the importance of attending one or the other Institute, and let him show those who do attend, and return with certificates of attendance, such favors as may be in his power. The question was asked during the Conference whether the attendance of a teacher upon the summer Institutes should exempt him or her from the annual examination. We have no authority to establish such a rule; but it will be an easy matter for the superintendents to so arrange, that the Institute may virtually constitute the examination. The most practical way is for the superintendents to attend the Institute and there pass upon the qualifications of those of their teachers who are present: Superintendents Repass, James T. Taylor, Jennings, Hale, Alexander, Pendleton, Simmons, James, Porterfield, Havener, J. A. Taylor, and Gillespie, whose counties are near to or adjoin Wythe-and in whose counties are employed 678 white teachers-are expected to see that their counties are well represented at the Wytheville Institute, as their teachers will incur so small expense, comparatively, for traveling, that there will be no excuse for failure to attend.

Superintendents Funkhouser, Michie, Roller, McMullen, Broyles, Logan, Haden, Walton, Fry, Marshall, Buckner and Silman, whose counties adjoin or are near to Rockingham, and who employ 732 white teachers, are expected, for the reason stated in connection with the Wytheville Institute, to see that they have a large attendance of teachers at Harrisonburg.

Superintendents Crawley, Bristow, Eppes, Holman, Tucker, Hardy, Paris, Perkinson, Barksdale, Jones, Board, Coleman, Wilson and Deyer, whose counties are adjacent to Farmville, and who have employed 405 colored teachers—are expected to see that the attendance of their teachers on the Farmville Institute is large.

We have thus called the attention of the superintendents in whose counties Institutes are to be held and those whose counties adjoin the locations of the Institutes, to the importance of having a good attend

ance, without any intention of excusing the other superintendents in the State from the responsiblity of seeing that the largest number possible of their teachers are present at the Institutes. Nor do we propose that the superintendents named shall give their attention exclusively to securing the attendance of white teachers on their Institutes; but we expect them to use their influence to induce their colored teachers to attend the one at Farmville. Institutes will amount to but little unless the teachers attend.

THE NORMAL SCHOOL AT FARMVILLE.-We respectfully call the attention of school superintendents to the following article which was prepared by Hon. J. L. M. Curry at the request of the Board of Trustees, and published in the April number of this JOURNAL. We deem it of sufficient importance to republish the same in the Official Department. The article gives a brief history of the aims and purposes of the school that is to be established in Virginia. Let us hope that it is a harbinger of brighter days, and that its effort for good, though circumscribed by sex, may be so great as to con vince our Legislature that Virginia does need training schools for her teachers. It is not what we wanted, nor what we needed, but it is far better than nothing. The school is peculiarly fortunate in securing the services of Dr. Ruffner, whose early and long identification with the public school interest of Virginia, coupled with his great ability and fitness for the work, gives him many advantages over any other gentleman that could have been selected. We ask for him and the school the hearty and active support of every superintendent in the State:

"Under the provisions of the act of the General Assembly estab lishing a State Normal School for the training of white female teachers for public schools,' the trustees met and organized and elected Hon. W. H. Ruffner the principal of the school.

"They will reassemble at Farmville on the 10th of June to complete the organization of the school and take such other necessary steps as will result in the opening of the school early in autumn.

"At the session in June, besides determining the number and the work of the remaining teachers and appointing them, the Board will adopt needful rules and regulations for the government and manage. ment of the school and prescribe the preliminary examinations and conditions on which students shall be received and instructed.

"The law establishing the school allows to each city of 5,000 in

habitants a pupil and to each county as many pupils as it has representatives. These pupils will pay no tuition, and the Board is already taking steps to make the expenses as light as possible.

"It is desirable that the Board should have as much information as is practicable in reference to the number of young ladies who will apply for admission. The county superintendents will have much to do with determining the usefulness of the school. The faculty must have the best material to work upon, or they cannot return to the counties and cities teachers such as will conduct model schools, and in themselves personally embody so much force as to become a marked and elevating power in the communities where they live and teach. Every superintendent will find himself strengthened just in proportion as he can have raised around him teachers of ability and professional culture, and the value to the people of the public school system in any county will, in like proportion, be enhanced from year to year.

"The aim of the Board is to build up a first-class normal school. The school was authorized by the State 'expressly for the training of teachers.' It is to teach the pupils how to teach-to make each a skilled instrument for the education of children. The experience of the countries which have the best systems of education is that it is impossible to maintain an efficient and an improving system without connecting with it a plan for the education of teachers. The friends of the normal school have, in the acceptance by Dr. Ruffner, of the position of principal, the assurance and guaranty of the institution. In the selection of his associates, the object of the school will not be lost sight of, and only experienced and trained teachers will be admitted into the faculty."-Richmond Whig, April 28.

TEACHERS' INSTITUTES.-The location of these Institutes this year was left to the Superintendents' Conference, which, after a spirited contest, selected Wytheville and Harrisonburg as the places for the Institutes for white teachers, and Farmville for colored. Major Wm. G. Repass, the Superintendent of Wythe county, has charge of the local arrangements for the one at Wytheville, and reports that his "people are taking a deep interest in the approaching Institute, and will do their duty." He states that board can be had in private families at from $10 to $12 per month, and at the hotels for $12.50. Rev. A. P. Funkhouser, Superintendent of Rockingham county, has charge of the local arrangements of the Harrisonburg Institute, and reports great enthusiasm on the part of the inhabitants of that

town-all of whom are deeply interested in its success. Board there will be about the same as at Wytheville.

Mr. Thos. W. Crawley, Superintendent of Prince Edward county, has charge of the local arrangements of the Farmville Institute for colored teachers, and reports that he has had some trouble in getting the colored citizens of that town to realize its importance; but that he has succeeded, and all are now taking a lively interest in its success. Board will be furnished at from $9 to $10 per month.

We are in correspondence with the leading Institute workers of the country, and just as soon as suitable parties are secured, their names, with the dates of opening of the respective Institutes, will be published. But teachers need not wait for that, but should immediately begin to make their arrangements to attend one or the other of these Institutes.

The importance of these meetings is too well known and appreciated to need any argument in their behalf, and the teacher who thinks he can afford not to attend them, makes a grave mistake; for the day is rapidly approaching when the trained teacher will not only crowd out the unskilled, but when he will command and receive better situations and more pay.

We are again the beneficiaries of the Peabody Education Fund, and, but for that, would not enjoy these advantages. Our appeal to the last Legislature for help to carry on the great and important work of educating and informing the active teacher was met by worse than a refusal. That body passed a law, which, in effect, prohibits the Board of Education from holding meetings of teachers, and leaves it powerless to assist in their improvement. Even the effort of Dr. Curry, the friend of the Virginia teacher, and the upholder of the public free schools of the South, failed to prevent this great wrong, and the act stands upon the statute books of Virginia a disgrace to her name, and a living monument of the carelessness, or thoughtlessness, at least, of the Legislature by which it was passed.

Teachers can obtain full information as to board and other particulars by addressing the Superintendent in charge of the local arrangements for each Institute. These Institutes will probably not open before the middle or latter part of July. The best arrangements possible will be made with the railroad and other transportation lines in the State, and the usual transportation cards will be sent to the county and city Superintendents in time for distribution to the teachers on application. We hope the teachers will attend, as it costs no more to furnish the instructors and meet incidentals for an Institute of 500