complished by a certain amount of labor. You regard everything taught as so much gained and thus take courage. Now, just as each one of us has within us the possibility of insanity, so each one of us is a blockhead in something, and we are compelled to recognize the limits of our own powers of acquisition. The successful teacher is he who recognizes the limits of each pupil's mind, and educates those powers that exist and doesn't worry over those that are not existing. I have known a teacher to worry herself into a nervous fit because a child eight years old couldn't add correctly columns of figures going up into the hundreds of thousands, when she herself had never once (in my experience with her of several years) gotten, unaided, her monthly report correct; an operation requiring only the addition and subtraction of numbers, mainly below one hundred, and a division with a divisor of not more than four digits. Just where to draw the line between a proper anxiety for the progress of one's pupils and unnecessary worry must be determined in the case of each pupil. A pupil of weak mind once begged me to keep him in after school as I did another pupil who was very bright but extremely lazy. I granted his request and found that the few minutes spent each day with him alone, listening to a statement of his difficulties, was of great service to me in the general instruction of the class. His Latin was always a trouble to him, but we managed to get through Cæsar respectably. There are a great many things that you and I are by temperament unfitted to accomplish. The sooner we find that out the better. Maintain order and teach in your own way, and don't worry because you can't teach arithmetic as Miss A. does, or geography as Miss B. does. The average lecturer to teachers draws the picture of an ideal schoolmistress to be found only in Utopia. She is expected to have the wisdom of Solomon, the energy of St. Paul, the kindly heart of St. John. If kindliness be your strong point, and you can obtain by the good will of your pupils respect and obedience, you will have good order and get good work with little strain upon yourself and the pupils, and yet never attain to that perfect order which a severer task-master might secure. -Keep thy temper, keep thy purse and keep thy tongue, if thou wouldst be healthy, wealthy and wise.-P. M. Andrews. -We have a right to keep what belongs to us, but no arguments can justify our retaining the property of another.-G. F. Graham. Prof. G. F. Holmes's Reply to Prof. N. B. Webster's Criticism of Holmes's "New History of the U.S." This morning I received the EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL, containing certain strictures on statements in the "New History." I am always glad to have my attention directed to actual errors, and to be afforded the opportunity of correcting them. Mr. Webster's criticisms are obviously "kindly intended," and they are very courteously presented. They are not only "kindly received," but thankfully entertained. It is fortunate and gratifying that so little has been found to merit reprehension, in the judgment of the writer, who has evidently been a close and curious student of the History of the United States. The objections are not very serious, nor do they always justify change. They will be noticed in the order of their presentation. P. 22. "John Ribault called the settlement on Port Royal harbor 'Fort Charles, or Carolina, after Charles IX.'" This is right. "munitionem Carolinam, de regis nomine dictam." Thuani Hist., cit. Bancroft, Vol. I, p. 62, note. P. 69. "The new colony (1663) was called Carolina, after Charles, the King." This is also right. * * "The patent to Sir Robert Heath was granted under the name of the Province of Carolana, in honour of Charles." (Ch. I.) Neill. Engl. Colonization, cit. Bryant's Pop. Hist., Vol. I, p. 487, note. When the new patent was issued by Charles II, the name of Carolina was retained, still in honor of the King. The French designation may have influenced (by attraction) the change from Carolana to Carolina. But the French term was never a territorial appellative, and was blotted out in a very few years. The phrase, "Charles, the King," is used to avoid error, and to allow all possible implications, instead of Charles I, Charles II, or Charles IX. P. 124. It is almost impossible to determine exactly what is right in regard to the exchange of Laurens, without having access to the military records of the Revolution, British and American. Moultrie had been living in Philadelphia, possibly all the time on parole, whence he had returned to Charleston before the exchange of Laurens. 17 Dec. 1782, "Mr. Burke informed the House that he had received a letter from Dr. Franklin, inclosing a resolution of Con gress, by which he was empowered to treat with the British ministry, for the purpose of exchanging Genl. Burgoyne for Mr. Laurens, * * * * the admission of Mr. Laurens to bail, and the exchange of Genl. Burgoyne * * soon after took place." Annual Register, 1782, p. 148. This is not proof. Indeed, it suggests that Burgoyne was exchanged before Laurens--and probably after Moultrie-who was scarcely a military equivalent for Burgoyne. * * Bryant's History says: "Laurens was exchanged for Cornwallis soon after negotiations for peace were begun." Vol. IV., p. 76, note. No authority is given. The only change that can be satisfactorily made, would be to read: He was ultimately exchanged, nearly at the same time with Laurens, the American envoy to Holland, who had been captured at sea. P. 113. For "William Henry Lee," read Richard Henry Lee. This is manifestly a lapsus penna, which strangely escaped correction in the frequent proof reading. The name is given properly in the earlier History. P. 115. The allegations in regard to signing the Declaration of Independence are literally true. The statement in the text is substantially correct. The criticism is made on the authority of Lossing. The subsequent signatures were affixed nunc pro tunc-a procedure by no means unusual. Signatures to public documents must always bear this coustruction, unless the dates are appended to the several signatures. Otherwise the document would be imperfect, inefficacious and inoperative. The Declaration took effect from the 4th of July, 1776. To avoid misapprehension or challenge, for "by the members." read: by John Hancock, the President; and add to the note: the other signatures were subsequently affixed. P. 237. "The Frigate Merrimac, iron." Strike out "railroad." plated with railroad I heard at the time, and had always since heard, that the Merrimac was plated with railroad iron torn up from the railroads running into Portsmouth, at the suggestion of Lieutenant Brooke and Captain Rootes. In the Century for March, 1885, Lieut. John T. Wood, one of the officers on board the Virginia, writes: "the wood backing was covered with iron plates, rolled Where did the iron for the plates come from? Was it the railroad iron rolled over at the Tredegar works? No sabe. That the statement in the text rested on a current impression, is shown by contemporaneous testimony: * * * 66 the frigate Merrimac, which the Confederates had covered with a heavy plating of iron, and with a roof forward, formed of bars of railroad iron." American Annual Cyclopædia, 1861, p. 507, note * * "This (the roof) was overlaid with ordinary flat bars of iron four and a half inches thick. Experiments which were made under the care of Lieut. Brooke, showed that this thickness of iron was inadequate, and a layer of railroad iron was added." Harper's Hist. Gt. Rebellion, Ch. xiii, Vol. I. p. 250. There is not leisure at this time to consult the official Records of the Rebellion, in regard to this matter. It is better, therefore. to obviate disputation by striking out "railroad." P. 266. The phrase 'a majority of one vote," is awkward, indistinct and open to the charge of incongruity and of inconsistency with the facts. It is almost impossible to devise any concise form of expression which shall be correct and explicit. The vote stood 35 to 19. The acquittal was due to the one negative vote over 18. Substitute for the incriminated sentence: Johnson was acquitted, a single vote having prevented the twothirds vote in the Senate, required for condemnation. THE teacher's success depends, in a great measure, upon pleasing the people. This does not depend altogether upon the methods of teaching. First, please the pupils. Greet them pleasantly when they arrive in the morning. Help the little ones to get off their wraps and to the fire. Engage with real pleasure in such conversation as the pupils enjoy. Join in their sports. Be ready to give or take a harmless joke. Grant reasonable favors. Praise them for every commendable deed or effort. Accept invitations to the homes of the pupils or to parties in the neighborhood. Talk with the parents about their children, using as much praise as will not injure your conscience. Do not try to "show off." Respect the people with whom you come in contact, and they will respect you.-Iowa Teacher. PARALLELS AND MERIDIANS for VIRGINIA-North Atlantic and Middle Atlantic same directions, only more parallels with different numbers as in map 84 83 82 81 80 79 78 77 76 75 40 77 MEASURE FOR MERIDIANS. 11⁄2 blue line spaces between marks. By a blue line space is meant the distance between 2 blue lines. Take sheet of foolscap paper with 32 blue lines. Make measure from same sheet by fold- |