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A furnace below the school- of the children. Who will give this subject more attention? For though it has been written on by able pens, and has been discussed, yet it is not practically understood.

room to force hot air into the room does not necessarily remedy this evil. It is designed to do so, and perhaps in many cases does partially do 80. But unless there is some machinery to force the air along, a part, at least, of that which passes over the furnace will be heated too hot, and will be deprived of either its oxygen or of its moisture. We must then, in our attempts to solve this problem of heating and ventilating school-rooms, try to find some way to accomplish the work by saving the oxygen of the air, and by not using it up to produce the heat.

The second thing to be desired, is to find some way of removing the air which has once gone through the lungs of the children. If it be possible, they should not be allowed to breathe any of this air a second time. It should be at once taken away in some manner, and its place should be supplied with that which is fresh and pure, and full of life and vivacity It will matter but little how cold this air is, if in some way a proper amount of heat can be secured, and if the bad and vitiated air can be driven off, how readily its place will be supplied is know to every one.

How, now, can these two conditions be satisfied? Or, in other words, how can a room be heated without at all diminishing the oxygen in the air it contains, and how can the vitiated air be removed at once? It is not my purpose to settle either of these questions. I only wish to call the attention of those who have time for these investigations to them, and to suggest that whoever will settle them will deserve the gratitude of the men who are engaged in the great work of education.

The time was when our school houses were open, and we had great open fire-places, so that we had good air at all times. The heat radiated to all parts of the room, and many a time it was uncomfortably warm. The lack then was not from poor air, or a small quantity of heat, but from its irregularity. But now with our very snug and close rooms, and our stoves and furnaces, we are in danger of spoiling the air by the very process by which we gain heat, and then of retaining that bad air till it ruins the health

I have nothing new in the educational line to communicate. We are, in this western world, doing our part of the educational talk, and I think our part of the work, too. We have no other hope for the land than a thorough education, based on the principles of religion and of morality; and we begin to apprehend that for many years past-and perhaps even now-there is too much stress laid on the simple subject of education, considered as apart from nature. I hope the time will soon come when all will understand that the man who is not made virtuous by the process of his education is reckoned to be less than half educated. We must lay more stress upon morality, and upon virtue and piety in our schools, both high and low-not sectionai piety, but the genuine, out-speaking, free-souled piety, that makes the man more of a man, as well as more of a Christian. May that time soon come! Yours, as ever,

ROBT. ALLYN.

"I cannot do without the Schoolmaster."

The following is a letter received from one of our subscribers in the Old Bay State. We have received many such letters within the past month, and we only wish we could say we have not received many from those who have found the times so hard that they write: "We like the Schoolmaster very much, but we are obliged to sayPlease discontinue."

DEAR SIR:

"S. W., Mass., Mar. 22, 1858.

I received the March number of the Schoolmaster last week, and it reminded me that I had neglected forwarding my subscription for the coming year. The dollar has been put aside for this purpose for a long time, and it is only through neglect that I have not sent it before.

I cannot do without the Schoolmaster yet, if the times are hard.

Yours Respectfully."

OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT.

OFFICE OF THE COM. OF PUB. SCHOOLS.
March 15th, 1858.

The columns of the Schoolmaster having been kindly opened to the Commissioner of Public Schools, I shail, from time to time, avail myself of the opportunity for presentiug such thoughts as I may deem important to the advancement of our schools. Among the numerous topics which, at once, suggest themselves for consideration, not the least important is that of

VISITATION.

The duty of visiting schools is incumbent upon all who have an interest in promoting the education of the young. The present school law makes it imperative upon Trustees and Committees to visit schools twice every term. This is undoubtedly a wise enactment of law. But a bare compliance with the requirement of the law is not enough. While this should be done-and done faithfully-voluntary visiting, which makes a deeper impression of interest on parents, teachers, and scholars, should not be left undone. Trustees and Committees should visit often, though the visits should be necessarily short. I have recently seen the reports of a Trustee of one of the districts in Smithfield, in which it is recorded that he has made 12 visits to the winter school and 22 to the summer school during the past year. It need not be said that these visits have been a blessing to that school. It must be so. Let a similar interest be shown by all Trustees and Committees during the next year, and we may safely calculate that there will be a rapid improvement in all our schools. Visitation, however, should not be confined to school officers. Parents and others, all, who would give the utmost value to the money and labor now expended on schools should make it a sacred duty to visit them. This should be done with the desire to aid both teachers and scholars. How many of the difficulties which daily arise between teachers and their employers might be entirely prevented, if the subject of visiting schools claimed that attention which it really demands. Teachers should also

visit the families from which their scholars come. This should specially be done, whenever they

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But I took up the pen with the special design of speaking of this duty as it is enjoined on the School Commissioner. Section 2d of Chapter 58th of the Revised Statutes of the State, reads as follows: "The Commissioner shall visit, as often as practicable, every school district in the State, for the purpose of inspecting the schools, and diffusing as widely as possible, by public addresses and personal communications with school officers, teachers and parents, a knowledge of the defects and desirable improvements in the administration of the system and the government and the instrnction of the schools."

I will not speak of the difficulty of carrying this provision of the law into full effect. To make it beneficial in the highest degree, it would require the entire time of the Commissioner, while the office business might also profitably occupy it all. I will merely say, that, intending to do all that is possible by way of fulfilling this duty, I would most earnestly invite the co-operation of all the friends of education, but especially that of school committees and trustees. For the best performance of this duty, the Commissioner must be accompanied by some one, who knows not only the locality of each particular district, but all the local circumstances which have a bearing on the condition of schools-some one who knows where public meetings may be held to the best advantage, and who will be influential in promoting the objects which the Commissioner has in view. In bringing these remarks to a close, I would add that in the course of the present year, I hope to be permitted to visit every district in the State; and that addresses and lectures either by myself or others may be given in every town. I would, therefore, solicit correspondence, in reference to this particular subject, with school committees, trustees,

and all friends of Public Schools.

JOHN KINGSBURY.

SCHOOL EXERCISES.

Geometrical Problem.

We have received no answer to the "Geometrical Problem," under "School Exercises," in

We can substitute any number at pleasure for y, and obtain hence the value of x; by which means we shall find the two legs of the triangle, and from them the hypothenuse. Let y, for instance, 5. Then x=12, and the hypothenuse will be 13. The perimeter will be 30, and the

the March number. We fear our readers have
exhausted their powers, or time, or patience, bn area
the enigma of that number. The schoolmaster
orders that the class be all sent back to their
seats, and that they take the same lesson
next time. He hopes surely to find the problem
solved by some of the class, and the solution
sent in before our next number. The problem is
an original one, and the author is a member of
the Providence High School. Friends, try it.

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I HAVE seen letters dated in each of the following forms, and would like to ask which is to be preferred:

Providence, March 12, 1858.
Providence, March 12, '58.
Providence, March 12th, 1858.
Providence, 12th March, 1858.

What punctuation marks should be placed after the address at the beginning of a letter? Should the "Dear Sir," or " "Friend Smith," be followed by a comma, a semi-colon, a colon, or a dash, or by either of the first three and a dash ?

In writing a letter to a perfect stranger, say to John Smith, shall I begin it with his name followed by "My Dear Sir," by "Dear Sir," or by "Sir," or shall I merely write his name with

out any complimentary address?

Should each word of the complimentary address begin with a capital?

What form of address is most appropriate for the commencement of a letter from a gentleman to a young lady with whom he has no special intimacy, or to whom he is a stranger?

What is the best form for the close of a letter addressed to a person with whom we have no I have seen many particular acquaintance?

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&c.," "Yours Truly," "Yours Very Truly," "Very Truly Yours," "Respectfully Yours," "Very Respectfully Yours," "Yours Very Respectfully."

How should the address on the envelope be punctuated?

Should a letter ever be written on half a sheet?

P.

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For the Schoolmaster.

Do You Read the Papers P

TEACHERS and scholars, do you read the magazines and newspapers. Not the "capital stories," but the foreign intelligence and home news. Do you know how much of contemporary history is to be learned by reading them? Let us see what we can glean from the papers of a single month.

1. First, the death of Gen. Havelock. Where did he die ?

2. Also, the death of the poet, Beranger. What do you know of him?

3. The revolt in India. Can you give the date of the fall of Delhi?

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RULE for Solving Puzzles similar to the "Arithmetical Puzzle for Boys," in the Schoolmaster for March, which will apply in any case where the number of columns is expressed by an odd number, as 3, 5, 7, &c.

Call the number of columns in the proposed

4. What Kingdom is the chief seat of the square a common difference. war in India.

Begin at the top of the middle column, and

5. The Queen of Oude recently visited Eng-write downwards, until the column is filled, as land. For what purpose? When did she die, and where?

6. Marshal Pelissier is president of the French Senate. In connection with what war have you seen his name mentioned?

7. Where is "Roumania?"

8. What questions relative to the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, are being discussed in European journals?

follows-1, 2+ com. dif., 3+2x com. dif., 4+3x
com. dif., &c. Fill next right hand column by
adding diagonally upwards the common differ-
ence to each number in middle column.
next right hand column, or columns, in the same

manner.

Fill

When the right hand side of a square is filled, add, as before, to the last right hand column, and place the results in the outside left hand column.

9. Give the name of the Japanese port re- Fill the remaining columns in same manner, in cently opened to American vessels ?

10. Can you give the dimensions of the er Leviathan? Owned by what nation? 11. The cause of the detention of the er Ariel?

each case adding diagonally upwards, and transsteam-ferring the top number of each new column to the bottom of the same. Observe, that when a steam-number+the common difference exceeds the largest of the given numbers, the sum must be

12. In which of Shakspeare's plays do you diminished by that number.

find the name Ariel?

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OUR BOOK TABLE.

BARNARD'S JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.-March, 1858. Just received.

THE AMERICAN DRAWING BOOK: A Manual for Three fine steel engravings, with memoirs of the Amateur, and Basis of study for the Pro- Dr. Thomas Arnold, Gideon F. Thayer and Dr. fessional Artist. Especially adapted to the use William A. Alcott. The number contains sevof Public and Private Schools, as well as Home enteen educational papers of great value, and of Instruction. By J. G. Chapman, N. A. J. S. Redfield, New York. permanent interest.

This great work on drawing is now ready. It consists of 6 parts, which may be had separately or bound together. For description, prices, and recommendations, we refer the reader to the Publisher's advertisement in the present number.

Dr. Barnard is doing a great work in publishing such an educational quarterly; which, as we have been informed by eminent scholars, compares favorably with any educational work of Europe, and thus reflects credit on America. Teachers, will you not help sustain this great professional work?

Price, $3.00 a year. We will send it with the

SCHOOLMASTER, for one year, for $3.25. For the

sake of Mr. Barnard and the work, we wish a
response to this call.

LIFE OF JAMES MONTGOMERY.-By Mrs. H. C.
Knight. Gould & Lincoln, Boston.

The work, in full, makes a quarto of over 300 pages, printed on excellent paper, with beautiful type, and illustrated throughout by remarkably fine engravings. It is itself a Model of Art. Embracing the various departments of drawing, etching and painting, it presents the fullest and most complete system of practical instruction in this beautiful and highly important, To those who have read Mrs. Knight's prebut much neglected art, that we have seen. We viously published works we need not say a single cheerfully commend this book to the examina- word for this book. That she has now written tion of all who are in want of a practical work-or, we should perhaps say, edited-the life of on drawing, feeling sure they will find it such a such a man as Montgomery, is enough to secure text-book as is needed in all our schools, to it a reading with all such. To others, we would teach the art of design, as applicable to the pur-say, read it by all means. suits of every-day life. Give the scholars thorough instruction, as taught in this book, and we shall have better qualified mechanics everywhere. For sale by G. H. Whitney.

MARCUS: or, the Boy Tamer. By Walter Aimwell. Gould & Lincoln, Boston.

This is the fifth of the series of "Aimwell Stories," and is a pretty little book for the young -useful as it is pretty-good as it is useful. Full of interesting stories, each one of them convey'ng a lesson, and each alone and all together having a good moral inflence. We advised a friend of ours, who is a teacher, to get it. He did so, and afterwards came and thanked us, saying it vas a most valuable book for the teacher, from which to get original problems and miscellaneous xercises. Teachers and parents ought to pay 1ore attention to these miscellaneous exercises nd matters of general information.

The style is charming, and it is thickly interspersed with quotations, extracts and letters from this Christian poet and philanthropist, the "admired of all admirers." Of her subject, the authoress justly remarks: "As a model of the Christian citizen, he stands pre-eminent."

ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY; or Year
Book of Facts in Science and Art, for 1858.
Edited by David A. Wells. Gould & Lincoln,
Boston.

Like the previously mentioned work by the same editor, this is a valuable "Book of Facts." It is designed to give a complete synoptical account of the various discoveries in nature, science and art, during the past year. It treats of a great variety of topics, on a broad scale of subjects, from the discoveries in Astronomy and Electricity down to the Anti-Flickering Gas Burners and new method of making Baskets. For sale by Coggeshall & Stewart.

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