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2. Mathematics.-As in Elementary Course; Higher Algebra; Trigonometry; Analytical Geometry.

3. Natural Science.-As in Elementary Course; Geology; Chemistry; Physics; Zoology; Botany.

4. History. As in Elementary Course; General History; History of Virginia.

5. Arts. As in Elementary Course.

6. Teaching-As in Elementary Course; Mental Philosophy; Moral Philosophy; Logic; Lectures on the History of Education and the Philosophy of Education; Observation and Practice in Teaching.

Special arrangements for studies not included in the regular

courses.

Persons who enter well prepared on the branches of general study will be allowed to graduate in one year.

At the end of each course a diploma and degree will be given to graduates.

Among the extra studies to be provided for as soon as practicable, will be French and German, Instrumental Music, Painting, and higher grades of Drawing.

Special instructions respecting the mode of conducting examina. tions will be sent to School Superintendents in a few days.

Students will bring with them such text-books as they have. Any others which may be needed can be gotten in Farmville.

The creation of this Normal School is a most important advance in the education movement of the State: for in such an Institution we have the most powerful of all means for increasing the actual value of the education given in the schools.

The Normal School is to the teachers what the grindstone is to the mechanic's tools-it prepares the teacher for effective work. Happy the girl who gets to the Normal School and improves her privileges. She will make herself felt in after life, and be always in demand. Her pay as a teacher will be better; and she will have a vocation for life on which she can depend for a living, and with which she can make herself highly useful to the community.

Happy, too, the Superintendent of Schools who surrounds himself with trained teachers. They will be the strength and glory of his administration. Though but few, they will send their influence throughout the county or city. They will teach other teachers. Their schools will be as light-houses for the guidance of all. Some Superintendents, who themselves are but little skilled in such matters,

have been known to strengthen themselves amazingly by recognizing the advantage of normal training, and giving themselves earnestly to the promotion of this spirit among their teachers. In fact, there is no better test of the public value of a Superintendent than the zeal with which he throws himself into the work of securing training for his teachers.

Happy the parents, also, whose children are taught by one who understands the mind that is in a child, and how to develop it; who thoroughly understands the best way to teach each branch of knowledge, and who understands how to form good habits, and to round out the character and manners of the child.

And happy the State whose teachers communicate, not simply the forms of education, but also the power thereof. The higher class of statesmen know this, and have long known it. The teacher is recognized as largely the author of the State and the creator of the future. Education is the vital force in men and women, derived from teachers; and as is the teacher, so is the power of the education in the State. Hence, the economy as well as importance of these schools. When ordinary statesmen learn this fact, Normal Schools will become the most favored institutions supported by public funds.

A caution must be given to those cities and towns where high schools and academies exist, lest it be supposed that such institutions may be regarded as substitutes for Normal Schools. This is far from the case. The Normal School is different from every other school in its mode of instruction, as well as in having a strictly professional course.

The academy or high school teaches knowledge to the pupil for the sake of the pupil; the Normal School teaches its pupil how to use knowledge so as to teach and train others. Those who have been thoroughly taught by good methods in academies and high schools, may go through the Normal School in one year; but that one year is indispensable to give professional fitness for teaching.

Be it observed, also, that each and every county and city of over five thousand inhabitants is entitled to send at least one State student to the Normal School, whether it send a separate delegate to the Legislature or not. And the larger cities and counties, which have not only one but more than one delegate, may send as many State students as they have delegates.

Teachers already in the field are invited to attend the Normal School free of charge.

School Trustees are requested to assist actively in spreading notices of the Normal School.

Persons desiring special information about boarding in Farmville are requested to address their inquiries to Rev. James Nelson, D. D., Farmville. If information be wanted as to boarding in the school-building, or as to studies or other details, persons may address Judge F. N. Watkins, Farmville, or the undersigned, whose post-office will be at Lexington, Virginia, until October 20th, afterwards Farmville.

Superintendents will please note that their efforts must be put forth so promptly that notice of the coming of girls can be received at Farmville, if possible, by the 20th of October. A paragraph in the local newspaper would greatly assist in calling attention to the Normal School.

FARMVILLE, VA., Sept. 22, 1884.

W. H. RUFFNER,

Principal.

Three Hours' Work in a Primary School.

If you care to spend an afternoon with us, with the "little ones" of the system, you may take a place in our ranks, as we march silently into the school-room and seat ourselves at our assigned desks. At the signal of one, two and three, the slates are taken from the desks and placed on them, and the home-work inspected—the monitor passing around with a pan of water, in which the sponges are wet and the work erased. Now, children, all will put their hands behind their backs; there the busy little fingers will be out of the way of temptation to touch or to finger, and we all will look at the board, and we will say together our lists of hard words, up and down and across, saying the new ones three times each. Mary may rise and read this word to which I am pointing. She reads, "Pan,” and makes a sentence on it. "My mother bakes bread in a pan." And so does every child, in succession, read a word and give its definition by a correct use of it in a sentence. Fanny fails to recognize the word which comes to her, so she must print it ten times when this exercise is over. For convenience my school is divided, for special instruction, into two divisions-one of these will remain at their desks and copy the lists of words which are printed on the board in large, legible letters, so that those children in the rear will

not have to strain their sight to see-the other division, with their "First Readers," pass in single file to their positions, the boys to the west, and the girls to the south side of the room, as from these points comes the light from the windows behind the class. The children may open and hold their books in the left hand, and point to the last word on the bottom line. "Charles may read this line backwards." He reads without hesitating-rat a at ran cat A. Florence reads the next line, and May the next, and another child reads a line, and so on until our five lines, which compose our lesson for to-day, have been read several times. Now, to test the knowledge of every one in class, each child in succession reads one word, passing around the class some four times. Those who failed to recognize one word will make it ten times, and as Kate and George missed two words each, they will say the lesson to me at some other time. the lesson very well, so we will read the story about this pretty cat. "Who will tell the name of the stop or mark at the end of the first line?" Annie answers correctly, "A period. I let my voice fall at a period." A stroke on the bell causes the class to turn and pass down the aisles to their places.

All knew

The school will turn up the clean sides of their slates and take their pencils in position. Little Fred has been holding his pencil in the right way while he was printing, so I shall put his name on the Roll of Honor. There are several others who do quite well; I shall notice them tomorrow, when they don't know that I am looking, and if I find that they do not hold their pencils out of position, I will put their names on the Roll too. The class will make the figures which they've learned while I write them on the board. I want straight columns, and figures of the same size. Willie has an 8 turned the wrong way; I set him a copy which he will imitate eight times. Kate has the o on the left side of the 1. Frank may tell her how ten should be written. "One on the left-hand side of the nought;" which Kate repeats, and makes the correction on her slate. Every one has a nice, even column, so now fold your arms and read the numbers as I point to them. Ten, eleven, twelve, &c., up and down and skipping about. "Now, I want to know who will read these columns in which the numbers are set out of order?" A forest of hands express willingness and ability. "Fred may come to the board, for he opens his mouth and lets his words come out distinctly and loudly." comes forward, and with radiant face and clarion voice reads: eighteen, thirteen, nineteen, sixteen-and, stops. Who will tell him the name of this number? I on the left side of a 2? Mattie is correct;

that is twelve; we don't call this number teen, so that put Freddie out. "If you went to the grocery and bought one dozen eggs, how many eggs would you get?" Joe says: "Twelve." That is right, there are twelve things to a dozen; so try to remember that 12 is the dozen number. Mattie may read this column which I have just made, while the class will make twelve 12's. On to-morrow I will have an examination, and all those who will read all of the numbers up to twenty will have their names put on the board as masters of the difficult teens.

All but two have obeyed the signal for "hands behind,” and an investigation proves that the apple has a strong attraction for one of Mother Eve's daughters. I tell her to go into the hall and eat it; she protests that she does not want it; is not hungry; she is inclined to be inattentive and wilfull; I send her from the room to finish the repast. She, for one, will not be tempted to eat again during class.

If you will listen, I will tell you a story. Many, many years ago, in a country far away from here, the little children who went to school had no slates, no nice, smooth slates like yours, on which to make figures; instead, they used small boards on which was a layer of wax; on this soft wax they wrote figures and words with a sharp piece of iron, the shape of your pencils. When a figure was wrong or crooked, it could not be sponged off, but the children rolled the wax smooth with a tiny roller. Those people did not have figures like ours; they used letters to represent their numbers. "What are letters? You have been in school almost two months, and you have not heard about letters." George answers: "They are a, b, c's." You are right. You all may learn the letters in the first part of your Reader, and some time I will let you say them. Well, these little Roman boys and girls made letters to show numbers, and the first one was this, I. Ella may tell us the name of this letter. One I stood for 1, two II's for 2. All who have seen such numbers may hold up their hands. Annie says: "I see them now on the clock." On to-morrow others may tell me where Roman Numbers are to be found, and now all may copy these on their slates.

Every one give attention and we will have some addition. Those children who answer quickly and correctly may go to the board and write their marks, and put underneath them the proper figures and signs. "What is this sign called?" "Plus." "What does plus tell you to do?" "Put together." Put five cents and two cents together, how many cents will there be, Willie? "Seven cents." He goes to the board, and writes + =, and all others who

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