what branches it embraces we have not always the means of ascertaining.

In the early days of Iceland, during the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries, when the mass of the learning of Europe was confined within the walls of monasteries, there was diffused throughout this isolated country, lying on the borders of the frigid zone, a broad and general knowledge; a kind of rough culture, from the midst of which stood out several bright luminaries, men remarkable for their learning and mental power, and who are now coming to be regarded as among the world's greatest scholars. To them we are indebted for some of the greatest literary productions we have, and which, by men who are well able to make the comparison, are pronounced equal to the writings of Homer himself. These writings also throw a new light upon the affairs of the whole world at that and previous times, and although it is only a few years since the attention of scholars was directed to this treasure, it is fast gaining devo· tees among all nations, and we may expect before many years to see it a subject of pretty general interest.

THE LITERATURE OF ICELAND.

To Iceland it is, then, that we owe a debt of gratitude for preserving to us a wealth of literature and historical knowledge which, but for her, would perhaps never have been put into writing, and had disappeared as completely as it has in the other Scandinavian countries. Following this time of literary activity, we find hundreds of years only occasionally studded with names of more than local celebrity. True, during the revival of learning which swept Europe in the sixteenth century, a flush of the movement appeared in this country, but it was of short duration, and things soon settled back into the old state, so to remain until the general enlightenment of the world in this country called forth the flame from the smouldering embers. During these years the education of the people extended only so far as the knowledge of the common branches and the reading knowledge of Latin which a father could impart to his children, and little use could be made of this beyond indulging the national pride and delight in reading the productions of their ancestors, the old sages of Iceland and Norway. The educational system at present is far from perfection, but the results attained are highly gratifying, and Iceland can once more point with pride to her poets and historians, her lawyers and teachers, who are not only found at home, but filling

honorable positions in the science of other nations and winning recognition for themselves and their country. Of primary schools only a few exist. A large majority of the youth of the land gain all the education they ever get, or are prepared for entrance to the "Latin School" at Reykjavik, at home.

The Church (Lutheran) is a national institution, and no person can become a citizen of Iceland who has not been confirmed, nor can they be confirmed before they can both read and write and have mastered arithmetic through decimal fractions. This insures a general foundation, and when, in addition, we consider their pride in being regarded an educated people, we are not surprised to find on many of the farms well-informed men who have never been to school a day in their lives. In the country the farms are so widely scattered that it is impossible to establish elementary schools, and a father is obliged to himself be the instructor of his children or procure the services of the parish priest, or one of the few graduates of the Latin school who travel about the country, for that purpose.

The requirements for admission to the Latin school are a proficiency in the common branches, especially the history and geography of Iceland, and a fair knowledge of Danish and Latin. During the six years' course in this school, the student gives most of his attention to the ancient and modern languages. A very thorough course in Latin, Greek and Danish, some time spent in English, French and German, and a superficial sketch of the natural sciences, unattended by any work in laboratories, fits him for graduation, and now, if he wishes to pursue his studies farther, there are three courses open to him the priesthood, the study of medicine, and the University of Copenhagen, which he is at liberty to attend at the expense of the Danish Government.

FINISHING TOUCHES.

In case he chooses the first he spends two years in his theological studies at Reykjavik, and is then appointed to one of the parishes into which the island is divided. If medicine is to be his profession he studies three years under the direction of the physicians here, and after spending a winter at Copenhagen, where he gets his only experience in the hospital or dissecting-room, he is appointed, like the priests, to the care of one of the medical districts of the island, and receives his salary from the government. Those graduates who attend the university of Copenhagen have, of course, a large number of fields open to them, and, although-as our own Professor Ander

son remarked soon after his arrival at the Danish capital-the dissi pations of city life take a strong hold on some of them, others are there prepared to fill enviable positions in different fields of life. In addition to the college at Reykjavik, there is a smaller institution on the north coast, the requirements for admission to which are simply an ability to read and write, and whose pupils are carried through a fair course of modern languages and the natural sciences. To this school there has just been appointed as one of the teachers an Englishman, who for several years has acted as her British Majesty's consul here, and who has thoroughly mastered the Icelandic language and passed his examination with honor.

As for the girls, the same attention, with the exception, perhaps, of Latin, is paid to their elementary education as to that of their brothers, and there are five or six schools in different parts of the country, which are aided by and under the supervision of the gov ernment, where they may pursue studies in the higher branches. All the daughters, whose parents can afford it, are sent to Copenhagen for a winter or more, and having received the polish which a stay at the capital gives, without losing their natural, attractive manner, they return home and assume the duties of a household of their own, fully content to spend the remainder of their lives in their beloved island, the wildest land the sun looks upon, but still the gem of the northern seas.-Pittsburg Dispatch.

Hints in Teaching Natural History.

BY HON. JOHN H. FRENCH, LL D.

That person who gives a lesson on the forms of the leaves to-day, and on the toe of the chicken to-morrow, may be giving a good deal of information, but there is no system in it. A gentleman, in a town not far away, formed a plan that has since been adopted by the school board. One day one of the teachers came to him and said: "Judge, the children are tardy coming to school in the morning; what shall I do to get them to come early?" He replied: "You come to me in the morning and I will give you something to get them interested." She came; the judge went into his cabinet and took down a case of butterflies; he gave her one of the largest, and said: "Take that and show it to your scholars; direct their attention to certain qualities it possesses." The teacher did as she was

directed, every evening going to the judge for the lesson, and repeating it to the children in the morning. She was troubled with no more tardiness.

The study of natural history cultivates the observing powers, and causes children to notice the works of nature around them; it gives valuable knowledge; it makes the school attractive. The pupils like to come where there is something that interests them. Now, how can we introduce it? I suggest first not to make it prominent, nor have it occupy much of the regular school hours. Next, how to teach natural history?

1. You must make previous preparation. Do not go to your school to give a lesson without having made some previous preparaYou must have an object to use in giving the

tion for the work.

lesson.

2. Make previous preparation of material. If you are to give a lesson on the forms of leaves, have the children collect the various forms and bring them to the school-room. I never had any trouble in getting material. Make provision for the matter and then arrange a plan of work. A half-dozen facts should be arranged on a piece of paper, so that you and the class may know what to do next. Try experiments, and you will have experiments that will be gratifying to you. In assigning a lesson, teachers should have prepared the lesson before they assign it.

3. Teach orally. Do not have any books around. The book of nature is all the book you want. Have the object that forms the subject of the lesson before you. I never saw a teacher that could give a good oral lesson without previous preparation.

4. Always use visible objects. The study of natural history will only be valuable as you have the objects before you If you cannot obtain the objects you want, the next best is a prepared representation; but there is so much in nature, that I would prefer to use natural objects. I would prefer to give a lesson from the cat, rather than from the elephant, because we can bring the cat into the room and the elephant we cannot.

5. Teach facts, not science. Do not attempt to teach the science of natural history. Teach the facts that are valuable for them to know, interesting for them to learn, and easy to be understood.

6. Give short lessons. You will find some people who will object to the use of school hours for this purpose; then take ten minutes before or after school. You can afford the ten minutes; the children will stay.

One lesson a week will answer very well.

I taught a lesson every

Friday, and we gave just half an hour to it. In the course of the year we had about forty lessons. I gave out questions one week in advance, and people came ten miles to hear the answers.

7. Make a point in each lesson. Do not give a lesson that has not at least one point in it.

Let the pupils handle the objects and discover points. For instance, I hand a child a bird and say, "See how many joints you can find on that wing." He finds two principal joints. I ask,

'How many feathers or quills on the under joint? How many on the upper joint?" Then I take a chicken and go through the process again, and they find the same number. Then I tell them that all domestic fowls and the birds have just the same number of feathers. This is a lesson in comparative zoology.

8. Illustrate by incident and anecdote. You will scarcely give a lesson in which some of them have not a story to tell. If you know no good stories or information, procure some good book that will give you some information. Suppose our lesson is on the bones of a bird. You tell your pupils to bring you the bone of a chicken. You saw it into two. They see that the bone is round; that it is hollow. Why is it hollow? Take the bones of a little chicken. They are not hollow. The bones are not hollow until they get feathers. I will tell you a story. My friend Judge Barlow was out hunting and shot a large bird. The bird was wounded in the wing. and fell to the ground. He went up to it and found it was not dead. He took hold of its neck to choke it to death, but was not able. Then he noticed that the blood was bubbling from its wound. So he took some gun wadding and plugged up its wound, and with an easy pressure choked it to death. That bird breathed through its bones. There are little tubes running from the lungs around the joints and back into the bones, and when the bone was broken, being hollow, the bird still breathed, no matter how hard he pressed its neck. Always be sure the stories are correct, for superstitious beliets are very prevalent in this country.

9 Question more than you tell. That is, lead the child to discover the facts by skillful questions.

10. Have every lesson reproduced. The lesson of to-day should be reproduced to morrow; in this way we determine the amount of knowledge the child has obtained. In the spring we have the flowers; then come the fruits and a variety of productions; in the fall the trees undergo their last change-and so there is an abundance of material at hand for object lessons in natural history.-From an Exercise, Venango Co., Pa., Teachers' Institute.