"Miss Bissett," these being the two introductory words to all her speeches.

"Joe is sitting up better than any one else in this class," suggestively observed Miss Bissett. "Joe, I think you may come up here and show these children what I call "sitting up."

Again the children write on appropriate forms; " I see a star." "Our flag has stars on it." Small American flags, pinned to the copy make pretty work for an

exhibition.

Again I have drawn the outline of a pig or a cat, and put the sheets through the hektograph or copying press; with the copy "I have a pig." " See my cat."

Devices in Penmanship.

By ELLA JACOBS, Warner School, Philadelphia.

'N teaching any branch to little children, it is very desirable to make it as attractive as possible, and sometimes a simple sketch, or a new idea will render the lesson more pleasant and profitable.

Young children soon weary of drill in writing and yet frequent repetition is highly necessary to secure free motion and correct form. With older children the stanza or quotation may be a matter of interest to them, but with younger ones, whose vocabulary is very limited, this is impossible, so other means must be devised to attract them.

I have found that the little ones were perfectly delighted by having shapes to write in. For instance, near Washington's birthday, I cut their writing paper in hatchet-shaped forms; (cut half a dozen sheets at a time.) On this paper

An oblong has four sides It has four angles.

they wrote, "I must not tell a lie." There was space enough to write this three times. In November I drew an outline of a turkey, and the copy was :

"Let us be thankful." Thankful was a long word for the little ones, but I was anxious for them to learn it. On Valentine's Day, the class had hearts with tiny pictures on them and wrote, "I love you;" these they took home.

On a warm day I gave out little fans, and the children wrote, "It is hot. I will get a fan."

To teach form and give emphasis to the plane figures, I had them write easy copies in a square, circle and triangle.

The sentences used must be short and easy, as the point must be kept in view that it is a writing lesson for small

children, and care must be taken not to tire their little hands, nor weary their little brains.

It must be distinctly understood that these devices must not be used regularly. They are never used in teaching writing nor in the drills for form, slope nor spacing.

They are only used on some special appropriate occasion and a lesson is taught from the object, as well as the writing.

For instance, in February the hatchet helps to impress the lessons on Washington, and the idea is strengthened by the sentiment, "Speak the truth." Or, on Valentine's Day, each child will make special effort to write nicely, so as to take home a valentine to mamma.

Do not cut the shapes too small, as it cramps the writing.

In the accompanying illustrations lack of space has prevented my giving the proper size. Each shape should be cut large enough to have the copy written twice, as the second line may be an improvement on the first. The name of the child and grade should be on the paper and the teacher can date it if she wishes to keep it for improvement work.

The hatchet which is designed for this month shows the actual work of a pupil, a little boy under seven years of age.

Music for Little Children.

By KATE L. BROWN.

-

ET it be assumed that the teacher understands the true mission of music as a means of expression for the life within. She is no longer in doubt as to the relation between the rote work and independent note reading. Knowing the claims of rote singing, she tries to satisfy them, and yet not to allow this interesting branch of her subject to usurp the time or place of the most important part.

The serious question then arises: "How shall I make my note singing profitable?"

We must keep this important truth in mind: that the principles underlying all musical science are the same.

Note singing must still be an avenue of expression to the child's love and longing. It calls for exactly as much idealism as the rote work. It must be as full of light and shade, of color, perfume, and harmony. Nay, if possible, it demands even more of these exquisite qualities lest the whole work lose its soul and become mechanical, formal, lifeless.

In the rote work the teacher is sole interpreter. In the note singing the child begins to use and understand certain symbols which may prove the keys that will unlock the doors of harmony to him. The teacher, noble and discriminating guide though she may be, is but a partial revealer. His hunger, it may be limitless, is answered only by what she presents to him.

The note singing brings freedom, independent investigation; he may learn to choose for himself out of an infinite storehouse of truth.

But, in spite of a growing self-help, the child for a long time will need his teacher-guide. He will need, too, even more than ever, all the inspiration that may be brought him.

It is so fully recognized a fact that children should sing sweetly, clearly, softly, rather than with full force, that it has not been considered necessary to dwell upon the matter in these papers.

Purity of tone and clearness of enunciation are two great charms of any singing, childish or adult. These qualities will not come hap-hazard; they must be cultivated, insisted upon until it will be a second nature to sing thus.

Scale singing may prove a valuable aid here. The children, young or older, will never weary of this exercise. It is not simply the sense of upward mounting that comes. There is a psychological reason still deeper. A scale in its whole capacity expresses an infinite range of feeling, emotion, longing, that the child does not comprehend. Consider the tones how their characteristics vary; the do's bright, assertative, triumphant; mi and sol more thoughtful and intellectual; re, fa, and la pathetic, half sorrowful, with their suggested minors. We have seen the eyes of little children full of tears as they sang the scale and the reason is not far to seek.

Certain syllables in scale singing are direct helps in securing the results for which we aim. Coo and loo assist in securing a sound, sweet tone. Scar opens the mouth as nothing else can. Ball and row render the lips flexible, and zee will stretch them horizontally to their fullest capacity.

Five minutes' work with these syllables at the beginning of each exercise will accomplish much. Imagination will come to our aid here. While singing coo the children are a little flock of doves. Loo suggests a smooth stream flowing gently on, and zee a swarm of busy bees.

To render the lips especially flexible, a rather absurd but useful exercise may be given. Select some tone, and sing in rapid succession these syllables: "Pä-fä-tä-lä-kä." No matter how often this is done the child will never fail to enjoy it.

Equally important with the scale singing is the interval

[We have seen a ladder where each note was represented by a bird drawn and colored; still another, where a flower was used instead of a bird.]

Some of the music charts devote a page to exercises with the intervals. That of the normal course is especially good, since the exercises are so carefully graded, but one new difficulty being introduced at a time, all possible relations of the tones being finally covered.

This work should be persisted in day after day, and long, long after the serious reading of the notes on the staff begins. The exercises should be made short and the children taught to realize that clear, independent thinking is nine-tenths of the work.

It is not well to place too much reliance upon the concert work. From the beginning let individual work be a feature of each exercise. There is no reason why a child should not be trained to sing alone as well as to read alone. Indeed it is only by this method that we may be sure he is working independently, not leaning upon some other voice. In the chorus singing there will invariably be certain leaders. If this leading is allowed unquestioned, it means. that only a part of the class are doing the full work — the rest are leaning upon them. It is well to require these leaders to remain silent a part of the time.

The others are thus thrown upon their own efforts and forced to exert themselves as they would not under other

'T is one of the unexplained mysteries in the realm of physics, why a ten year old barefooted boy can shake a house by walking across the floor. A man with heavy boots is a light weight beside him. Every teacher knows the terrible thud of boys' feet in the school-room, and has learned to shrink from it in nervous terror. Every teacher? O, no! and that is the pity of it. If the recognition and fear of the heavy tread and shambling footsteps of children. in the school were universal among teachers, then there would be no need of this brief protest? We have all visited schools where the undisciplined feet of the children made the whole atmosphere of the school unbearable. If a boy went to the blackboard, we shivered. The loose, clumsy tread, together with the bang of the eraser against the board, and the breaking and dropping of crayon, followed by the return to his place and the sitting down after he got there, suggested nothing but " an elephant in a china shop." And the teacher? O, she was "calm as a clock." Not a quiver of muscle or nerve showed that she was even conscious that anything was wrong. Perhaps she felt like the old lady who was thrown from her seat in her first attempt to travel in steam cars, and placidly picked herself up, supposing "that that was the way they always did."

Not only because the spirit of culture cannot exist with such lawlessness of movement but because of the injury done to the child himself should this matter receive more attention in school. The child's physical self is as much a part of his education as his memory or his morals. Feet as well as heads go to school to be educated. He has a right to this kind of training, and society has a right to have fewer awkward men and women to "get along " with.

What is the cause of this "going to pieces as soon as a child begins to move? Because he hasn't his body under control. Attention is rarely called to this at home, and he hasn't the glimmer of an idea that he is the sole custodian of his own muscles and is to be held responsible for their use or uselessness.

Here the teacher finds the first work to do :yes, the very first work of the new school year. If children are allowed to "sprawl" for one week, there will be just so much extra work to be done in overcoming bad habits. The cure? Gymnastics help, but no "" system," " domestic or foreign, can alone effect a cure. The teacher who feels the necessity of quiet self controlled movement in her schoolroom and herself sets the example will have such a room and a class of children, who will in a large measure, unconsciously respond to her desire, even if they have never heard of "hips firm " or a day's order."

If the teacher feels the need and sets the example herself:that is the whole recipe for a cure, said right over again and put in a separate paragraph, by itself.

The manner in which the teacher moves about the room; the way in which she lays down a book, moves a chair, or erases work from the blackboard, determine the atmosphere of her school-room. Shall it be refined, quiet, and self concontrolled? Let her say, or rather let her do. She has the matter in her own hands.

A word as to method. If a boy hits both sides of the desks with his feet in passing up the aisles, stop and let an instant's silence proclaim the fact that you will not teach over such a discord.

Does he stand to recite, and lean bodily on the desk with unjointed limpiness only possible to a growing, self-con

scious boy? Silence again, till the proper position is taken. Do not talk and say "Position ;" and do not teach over all these things that you desire to have corrected, or they never will be corrected.

"But all this takes time, and I shall not get through the day's program."

True, but slowness at the beginning, makes haste farther on. Besides, if it-that terror of a program is never carried out you are making a man and not a clumsy machine to repeat facts only, under the supposition that he is being educated.

"But my reputation will suffer, if I do not get my years' work done."

But it will be done, if you get the spirit of the room right. Nothing worth while can be accomplished while heads alone are considered, and the feet-go as they please.

Recreation Exercises.

By MARY WAite Allis.

Imitation Game.

In this game the teacher or some child goes through the motions of some trade, as that of the carpenter, and the children imitate the action. By means of this game some

useful points can be impressed in matters of neatness and etiquette. The little ones delight to copy the teacher's movements through the process of preparing for school; they carefully arrange their hair before imaginary mirrors, and clean their nails with imaginary tools.

Traveller's Game.

If the pupils have been reading "Little Folks of Other Lands" or "Seven Little Sisters," they will especially enjoy this game. A line is formed as for ordinary marching, except that each child is supposed to be on a train or steamer that is to carry him to the country to be visited. If the country selected is to be Greenland, the march is led to the north side of the school-room, and after some winding in and out between the icebergs (chairs) Greenland is sighted. After putting on fur coats and sealskin boots, all are invited to step off the steamer and visit the "Children of the Cold." Now allow the children to talk about the snow houses, bone sleds, strange-looking people, food that they can obtain for dinner, and the intense cold. Soon the steamer is homeward bound, and the Arctic voyage is over.

The south side of the school-room is rich in all the resources of warm lands, while the east and west offer journeys to equally interesting points.

If children have taken time in connection with music the marching can be made more enjoyable and accent impressed if the marching time is written on the board like ordinary music. Most singing teachers object to having pupils sing while marching. The children can clap their hands and in this way keep the movement with hands and feet, or a pair of clappers or drum can be used. The time should be frequently changed.

The above exercises are not to displace regular gymnastics, which develop the body, but often continue the strain upon the mind. They are designed to give a change and rest to brain and body.

For the blackboard.

MORA

A

THOROUGH knowledge of phonics is the keynote to all good reading and accurate spelling. It is putting the children in right relations to their mother tongue and starting them on the royal highway to correct pronunciation. Is not this enough to demand for its close and careful work and a period of time independent of all else?

Deprive not the reading lesson of any of its time or importance by teaching the phonetic analysis of a few words sometime during the period. Such a division will detract from the interest and life of both and be productive of very unsatisfactory results. Of such intrinsic value is the phonetic work that it should be given special thought and time and this it must have to accomplish for the children what its advocates claim for it.

At first, let the words be taught as wholes, by sight. When the children have gained the power of easily recognizing new words, their similarities and differences, begin to teach phonics.

Of equal importance with the careful seeing of a word is its phonetic analysis. Each letter should be associated with its sound rather than its name. A given character should instantly recall to the child's mind the corresponding sound. The names of the letters of course must be learned, but make it secondary to the sound.

This work may be begun by pronouncing very slowly words and sentences with a perceptible pause between each element of the words. The children will soon be able to do the same. Next give the analysis of the written form of a known word. From this the first association of a sound with a character is gained. Let the known word taken be rat. After obtaining the sounds take other words containing ă, as mat, hat, fat, cat; you will get not only more drill in this vowel, but different consonant sounds. When teaching a new vowel sound, always take an easy word, one in which the other sounds are known. Let each step be taken gradually and thoroughly. The children will enjoy it and soon be able to use consonant, long and short vowel sounds, for themselves. They soon become very independent and when they ask for help it is more often for some sound than for the pronunciation of a word.

At this stage do not burden the children with diacritical marks. It is just as easy for them to learn a-t-e is ațe, and ă-t is at, as it is that ā is long and ǎ is short. The less given them to remember the better will be their grasp upon what is presented.

provided with an envelope containing the material for illustration.

A typical lesson with a second year class, given in October, is this:

The teacher stands where she can overlook the work, and the children are expected to work in unison.

"Please take your fraction envelopes. Place the halves in one pile, the fourths in another, the eighths in another." "Show a whole circle in as many ways as you can."

"Eben may stand and tell me how he has made his circles." Eben says, "Two halves, four fourths, eight eighths make my circles."

"How many made theirs that way y?"

"Who has made his differently?"

Foster says," (and and ), (and and 2), ( and make my circles.'

Helen says, "(and ), ( and and ), ( and g) make my circles."

Herbert says, "(and ), (and and ), ( and ) make my circles."

many feet have you now?

Language Work.

For Washington's Birthday.

(Give these to children to interpret for themselves. Expression can be oral or written.-ED.)

"Please make a birthday cake, cut it into eight pieces, and move to the right the pieces we will give away; Tom, to John, to mamma; how many eighths are left?" "Please make one apple with eighths. We will give to Mary, to Ella, and to George; how much have we left?"

to

"Please leave in the centre of the desk; take away and; how much is left?" "Another name for 2?" "1"

"John may come before the class and tell the children what to do."

John says, "Place and and together; take away

Put with what you have in the centre of your desk. What have you? "." "Another name for &?"

Margery (six and a half years) gives the following ingenious problem:

"Place and and of a cake in the centre of your desk. See if you can get in another fourth. What can you get in?"

When this work is firmly fixed by "doing," thirds, sixths, and twelfths are taught. The halves and fourths will be needed also. The halves, fourths, eighths are kept in envelopes 6 x 3 in. The thirds, sixths, twelfths may be placed in a smaller envelope (a manilla) and kept inside the former, so that after the relation of thirds, sixths, and twelfths to one another are learned, the relation of halves and fourths to them may be shown.

Later, teach thirds, sixths, ninths. Practical questions will readily suggest themselves to the teacher. The number lesson done for busy work should contain one or more problems in fractions which can be illustrated on slate or paper. Connect fractions with dry and liquid measure; also with inches, feet and yards.

The second year work is included in that for the third year. The additional fractions taught are and. The combinations may be numerically expressed during this year; but for some weeks, perhaps months, the illustration should accompany the figures. The teacher can judge by the manner in which oral questions are answered whether the children are ready to drop the concrete expression.

The following questions will suggest the practical work which may be done by the pupils :

"Measure (mentally) peck of corn. Put with it one quart. What part of a peck have you now?"

"With 3 quarts put of a peck. What part of a peck have you now?"