"The papers passed to me are, in many cases, untidy, both in appearance of paper and in arrangement of work."

Reduce these words to their simplest terms and we have an earnest plea for the formation of habits of industry, accuracy, self-reliance, neatness, and thoughtfulness.

Who shall respond to this call for help? Is there not some relation between the needs of the higher grades and the work of the lower, even of the very lowest ? Habits of industry, neatness, and accuracy do not depend wholly upon the working out of problems and the writing of language papers. Why may not the seat-employments in our primary rooms be so shaped as to furnish a series of opportunities for the cultivation of these and other desirable traits of character? Not that we may expect to bring forth miracles from the seat-work; but ought we not to aim to make it, as well as class-work, aid in giving the children both movement and right direction? And, indeed, what more than this can the entire school course accomplish? Do the means, the handling of pegs, blocks, and colored cards, seem insignificant when placed face to face with our hoped-for results? Possibly; but is not this same insignificance true of nearly all means for characte training outside of school-life?

Are we agreed, teachers, that there is as great need for primary work, first steps- in the formation of working habits as in reading or number? And that instead of mere busy work our seat-employments shall aim to meet this need? Then we are ready to spend a few minutes in thinking of the "what" and the "how."

We will bear in mind that we are planning primary work, first steps, and we will try to realize what an accomplishment it must be for our little people, even to busy themselves for ten, fifteen or twenty minutes, in accordance with given directions. Theirs has been such a life of freedom, the shaping towards definite ends must be done with a gentle hand.

Because the home life has made them more at ease in handling things than in controlling pencil and line, and because such handling furnishes so many opportunities for character-training, our beginners shall still work with materials. What shall we hope to gain? Ability to work out directions, for one thing; orderly habits for another: neatness in use of material as to soiling, scattering, destroying; a skilful use of the fingers, that the work may be well done and not destroyed at the last by a hasty or clumsy touch; power to distinguish differences of color, shape, size, number; truthfulness in expressing thought, in carrying out directions, in copying simple designs; the formation of good ideals of work; and, by and by, some reproduction of work done in the class.

How Shall all This be Brought About? Well, there is no one royal road that I know of; but there are many paths which seem to lead in the right direction.

In the first place, the children shall be expected to do only what, with effort, is within their power; yet their work shall be given the dignity of being slightly in advance of what they have done.

They shall know, — not be told — that their teacher is interested in what they are doing, and shall never work with the feeling that she is but a task master standing ready to assign more work the moment this is completed. Neither shall there be the feeling that the work is unimportant.

Results shall be examined and effort shall be recognized. Were your sympathies never drawn to the child who has patiently wrought, only to have his work hurriedly gathered into a pile that it may be ready for collection? Did you notice the wistful glance as the reluctant hand slowly destroyed the design which had required so much care and patience in the construction?

Criticism of results shall be upon the base of truth as well as of appearance. The peg house is unsatisfactory, not alone because the lines are crooked, but because the roof of a real house could not rest upon such slanting sidewalks; and windows unjointed, as are these, would admit cold and rain.

"I do not like your ladder," said a teacher to a careless

"The

little fellow, who had hastily laid his pegs without attempting to fit his rounds tightly to the sides of the ladder. rounds would fall out as soon as touched by the feet. Can't you make a ladder that could be used in safety?" The child had not thought of that. He at once began to work with a will. When next the teacher passed a bright face was turned up as the question came, "Would you dare stand on that ladder, Miss A? Every one of 'em touches the sides." Did not that mean ideal application and care? Was there no character training going on during the formation of that ladder?

The children shall frequently have before them models of perfect work, that their ideals shall be formed from these rather than from their own imperfect results. They shall generally see these after and not before their own work is done, lest there be the temptation to make a copy of what is before them rather than to carry out the directions given. And, too, the model means more when personal effort has revealed the difficulties to be overcome. Of course copying will at times be the work assigned.

All directions shall be simple, definite and thoroughly understood before any attempt is made to work them out in materials.

There will of course be periods when the children are allowed to use the given material in accordance with their own choice, best efforts being the only stipulation.

And the time! It would be unfair for me to say what I have said without courageously facing this question of time. Where is the time for all this work? For the preparation of material? For its distribution and collection; for examination and criticism of results?

Would that I could tell in a single sentence ! I can only suggest ways for saving time.

Do not attempt to prepare all material at any one time. Many littles make the much.

Do not have too many kinds on hand at any one portion of the term. A few put to good use will be better. New kinds may be added one by one, as children show a readiness for them.

There are many ways for using a single kind of material. Monotony comes from monotony in use rather than from sameness of material. A box of cut forms (squares, triangles, etc.) differing in size and color admit of almost inexhaustible use. There may be assortment with reference to color, with reference to size, with reference to shape. There are, too, the groupings with reference to number alone, or to both number and color, or number and shape. Then there are orderly arrangements; copying of simple designs; arrangement of cards to correspond with colornames upon boards, or shape-names when the children have reached this work in their classes; a simple design outlined upon board, color words used in place of the actual color, the children copying with color cards.

Often one of the careful children can assist in preparing the material for distribution, also he may assist in distributing and collecting. And is not this, the privilege of helping, -a natural compensation for having acquired power to do things well? May it not also be an incentive?

And, lastly, we will remember that the salvation of the children is not dependent upon any one kind of work. If perforated cards require more time than the teacher can afford to give, then simpler material, equally interesting to the children and equally good in training facilities, shall be substituted.

And a word or two about the examination of seat work. One needs to be something of an expert here. How much good time and strength are too often spent in pointing out the many little faults which appear in a child's work. Few of these can be remembered by the child, and what is gained beyond the impression that his results are far below what they should have been.

While it is not desirable to give him the impression that noted faults are the only faults, will it not be a good plan in place of creating the oppressive sense of many errors to indicate one or two paths which will lead to better results? And will not such a course be quite a help to teacher as well as child?

to "guess" why these men were going so fast. It was decided that they were bad boys and the policeman was after them. By this time the children knew they were to act the part of policemen and were ready for attentive work. Each child who pronounced the sounds quickly and correctly was considered a capable officer and received a star made of silver paper to wear on his coat the rest of the day. The game of "house on fire" is great fun for the little folks. Draw on the blackboard a house filled with new

Fireman's cap.

figures representing the various phonetic sounds. Fasten this to the opening in the shoe in such a way that it can be easily turned. Have the children repeat the nursery rhyme, "There was an old woman, Who lived in a shoe."

Tell them this is the old shoe, and the children are running all around in there making many different sounds. The teacher turns the disc and as the old woman's children appear, the class gives the sound each one represents.

This butterfly device has proved of great value as an incentive for hard, earnest work in spelling. The teacher drew on the blackboard with bright colored crayon a butterfly for each child in the class. Every day that he received a perfect mark a new spot was put on his butterfly's wing, and he who received five spots-one for every day of the week took part in some pleasant surprise on Friday.

House on Fire.

words made up of known sounds, and with bright red crayon draw flames bursting from the roof and windows. Let each child "play" fireman, who removes by pronouncing rapidly as the teacher points, all the articles from the burning building. He who does good, rapid work receives a fireman's cap made of pretty colored bristolboard. On these caps are written words that pertain to a burning building. For busy work the children trace the caps and copy the words.

Cut out of colored cardboard a large shoe with a hole

D%

O we consider our schools as the home of our little ones? We may think we do, in a general way, but if so, do we treat cases of misdemeanor, as nearly as surroundings will permit, in the way a wise, careful, judicious mother would do? Do we not, as teachers, feel it our duty to notice too much of the mischievous in our pupils?

Do we fully put ourselves in their places, and consider this question?" Was it not a natural result from some cause a cause which we might have obviated?" Have we given the children enough to do, and was it of the right kind for them? In similar circumstances, think what would be true in our own case under like conditions; how much more true would it be in those of children.

In answer to the question, "Would you allow the cases of merriment or thoughtlessness to pass?" No, we need not do this; but I fear we notice too many of them, and make them appear too great.

I once visited a school of high standing in one of our large cities. The little class were thoroughly enjoying their number exercise, using various objects to enliven the work. One little fellow tossed an article down to a neighbor standing near at the table, around which the class was standing. The teacher grasped the child, rather too roughly it seemed to me, and hurried him, talking all the way, to the dressingroom, at the opposite end of the room. The child, of course, was heart-broken. He probably will throw no more of his materials for a while, at least.

But could the teacher not have accomplished her end in some other way, one which would seem to put less antagonism between the two? I think she could. I felt that there was a lack of sympathy between that teacher and her little pupil. We need to let our children feel that we love

them.

Contrast the above treatment with the following, seen in a little retired, wholly unknown school, save in its own town. The child, an indolent little boy, was not doing work which

had been assigned him. Miss G asked him to sit beside her at her desk. Some idea of punishment as connected with it, associated itself in his mind with her request, and he obstinately refused. Miss G went quietly to his seat and pleasantly asked him to come to her desk to be her company. Still the child was obstinate. The teacher firmly but kindly placed her hand on his shoulder, and said: "Is this my little Johnnie? He has gone away and sent this naughty little boy in his place," and helped him to the platform, where the fellow, who but a few moments before was in a rage, was soon smiling and busy at work.

Do we not need to have greater love and sympathy for the children who for so much of their time are entrusted to our care? Ought we not to study them more carefully than we do? I think it is only by so doing that the best results are obtained results which will make us glad, as Mr. Whittier puts it, in later years, to say, "These were mine."

A

Vertical Writing in Chicago. Schools.

By BLANCHE MCGAFFEY.

S many readers of PRIMARY EDUCATION may know, the Chicago Board of Education, last year, prescribed vertical writing in the eight grades; but in such a short time it is impossible to come to a definite conclusion as to the advisability of the change.

After all arguments have been thoroughly discussed, pro and con, we can only judge of an experiment as we see it put to the practical test. To begin with, there seems to be a generally expressed satisfaction among teachers with this new idea. They are glad to get away from the everlasting talk about the slant of the letters, the shading, etc. In vertical writing they only insist on the paper being directly in front of the child; an erect posture of the body, with arms half-way to the elbow on the desk, and the result in nearly every instance is vertical writing. This position certainly seems the natural one for writing-if we notice bookkeepers and office men in general, we see that they keep their work well in front of them and with both arms on their desks. The only drawback to this with the children is, that the desks used in our schools are not large enough to admit of such a position comfortably.

The converts to vertical writing make a point of the fact that in the old position one shoulder was higher than the other, which was most injurious to the proper development of the child; and also that the eyes were unequally focused, which last condition they considered very detrimental to the eyesight.

As to beginning with the babies, one teacher says: "Little ones who have never been taught any other way, get along just as well with the vertical writing as with slanting writing. The position is easier for them, more natural, and sitting at their desks with their work squarely in front of them, it is impossible for them to screw around and go through those contortions with which so many of us are familiar as being inevitably associated with the writing period."

In talking with a principal who has had over a year's experience in vertical writing, he said: "It is the most rational, sensible innovation that has been introduced in our schools for a long time. It may not be possible to make every pupil a beautiful penman, but with vertical writing there is no excuse for any child leaving my school a poor writer."

I was able to collect a hundred or more specimens of vertical writing from the different grades, and there seemed to be several strikingly characteristic points in favor of this method. The writing is uniform; the letters are free, rarely any crowding or running together; when a sheet of foolscap is covered the last line is as well written as the first, showing that the operation is not tiring; it is perfectly legible, and last but not least, it has not that unmistakable school-room stamp which we find in the old round Spencerian writing.

The form of the letters is very simple, without unneces

sary flourishes, but a boy or girl leaving the eighth grade could be well satisfied to keep such a handwriting through life without that complete change which almost invariably takes place when a boy or girl enters a business life, or when they are required to do much writing.

To go through our city schools one would suppose that slanting writing was a thing of the past so deeply has the vertical writing taken root, but in my wanderings I peeped into our Cook County Normal school, there to encounter Colonel Parker's faithful aids, and the question was put : "Are you doing anything with vertical writing?" The answer came : "We have heard of it, but we have not tried it."

A Winter Play.

By MRS. M. J. SNYDER, Shelbyville, Ill.

The wind and the clouds came together one day,
Said one to the other, "What shall we play?"
Said the wind, "I think 'twould be nice
To cover the earth with a coat of ice.
We'll play a trick on the great big sun;
He'll never catch us till the mischief's done.
I'll hie me to the north, and there I'll blow,
Then you are to send the rain, you know."
The wind went whistling thro' the air
The clouds began to scatter everywhere,
They fluffed themselves up until black in the face,
And then sent the rain in a dashing race,

The wind caught the drops and covered the trees,
The houses, the barns, and the earth with great ease.
He went hither and thither just where he pleased,
Everything that came in his way he seized.

By and by Night came hovering down,
She saw a silvery ice-covered town,

I think she must have felt very sad,

She could only say, "It's just too bad!"
But morning came with her rosy light
And found things in a very bad plight.
What to do she really did not know.
Finally she concluded to the sun to go.
"Ha! ha!" he said with a merry laugh,

And he laughed a loud and hearty laugh, "I'll send my sunbeams, every one,

And melt the icicles one by one."
At first he drove the shadows away,
Then the beautiful purple mist that lay
Covering everything in his way,

Then he shone with such a splendid light
The icicles tried with all their might
To stick together so close and tight
But the sun came down so warm and bright
They found it useless to keep up the fight.
They began to shed tears - copious tears
For this was the end of their fun, my dears.

Left man to

ready to plant them when was called away. plant trees. On farmer's return only four apple trees were planted.

Farmer indignant. Asked man why so little done. Man replied "I dug deep, large holes to give roots room. I went to woods to bring rich earth, and carried plenty of water to moisten roots. All this took time." Farmer discharged man. He said he could plant trees much more quickly and with half the time and trouble and just as well. Farmer finished planting, hastily. Dug shallow holes, brought no rich earth, etc. In a few years the four apple trees which were so well planted were all that remained of his orchard. These trees grew and bore beautiful fruit, while the others died or were fruitless.

(The teacher told the story simply leaving the "Moral" to do its own work. At the end of the story, "Brother " a little six year old who had listened most intently, cried out, “That's just the way in school, too, isn't it?")

In the afternoon the teacher had the children reproduce the story orally. (They had been in the first grade only a few weeks.) Each child was encouraged to add his mite until all had helped tell the story. Then the teacher said, "Shall we make a picture of this story?" Enthusiastic assent. "Let us make it in the sand table first," said the teacher. All gathered around a large sand table-though it was rather close quarters for nearly thirty children, but that gave the children an opportunity to be thoughtful for each other's comfort, and show consideration for one another.

What shall we make first? "The man's house."
What kind of a house was it? "Wood."

John and Blanche may build the house. (They build a square house of inch cubes.)

66

"O they haven't made any chimney," said Agnes. block is put on top of house for chimney.

One

"Then what shall we build?" "A barn." The barn is built. Then Oliver wishes to make a pump. (The pump is made by placing half-inch cylinders on a stick.) Laura and Grace make flower beds. Then Donald says, "Let's make the farmer standing by the pile of trees and the man coming to plant them.”

A paper doll represents the farmer, and the trees, which were made the preceding afternoon, (during the lesson on

By LAURA A. MOORE, La Porte, Ind.

[Note. To be effective all drawing must have a purpose." In reality drawing is speech. By it one expresses ideas visibly and communicates thought. To the child the most important drawing is conceptional drawing, that is language drawing. Lines should express ideas. To the child a curved line may express a hill or mountain. A straight line may represent a tree, hitching post, etc.

The beginnings of conceptional drawing are necessarily very simple. The drawings grow as the child gains power in observation, thought, expression. At first four simple lines represents a boat to the child, but gradually he wishes to add sails, a rudder, etc., all representations of his ideas.

In conceptional drawing it is extremely important that the child shall express his own ideas, and not merely reproduce a drawing made by the teacher. The teacher must be full of helpful suggestion-thoughtful questions, and so skilfully draw out the child's conceptions.]

Morning thought for day. Thoroughness. The work of weeks had been related to the study of trees, and as the teacher wished to have the work in all phases- a unit, the following story—which is one of Dr. E. E. Hale's, and is beautifully told in Emilie Poulsson's "In the Child's World,"- was told the children.

"The Four Apple Trees." Outline.- A farmer wished to have a beautiful orchard. Bought many trees and was

and pasted on four inch sticks - were brought and laid in a pile. Then the farmer goes away.

Fred, you may play you are the man who planted the four apple trees; how shall he plant them? "Make the holes deep." Why? "So the roots can grow." "He must get good dirt," said Mabel. "And lots of water," added Marie. Trees are carefully planted. Then Frank "plays" he is the farmer, and plants the poorest trees. The holes in the sand are not deep enough, consequently the trees do not stand erect, and look sickly.

When the "picture" is finished the children are perfectly delighted. The teacher asks, "Would you like to make this picture on paper to take home to show mamma?' Much enthusiasm and deepest interest. Each child was given a five inch square of manilla paper and the drawing began. The teacher did not draw but moved about quietly making suggestions here and there — encouraging the timid, sending those who had few ideas to the sand table for suggestions, and insisting that each child draw his picture of the house or barn or orchard, just as he thought it looked. When the pictures were finished no two were alike. One child had drawn smoke coming out of the chimney; another had a woodpile near the house, and a third had a little boy and girl watching the man plant the trees.

Bertha had a wheat

field, and Louis a lake. Some of the pictures - nearly all in fact were extremely crude, only a few lines being drawn, but all were silent language and expressed the

children's ideas.

Suppose the teacher wishes an exercise in rapid addition. Several columns may be placed upon the board under the curtain before school begins. When ready the curtain rises, a fair chance is given for adding rapidly one column and the curtain drops. When results are named, the pupils may be given a chance to verify their answers, and then another column may be taken. Again, the numbers may be written while the children are looking and the curtain dropped the instant the last number is written. They will all work with the utmost concentration in order to get the work done before the column disappears.

Many children need special eye training to assist them in reading. Many of the words having a general likeness, such as, though, thought, through, may be put under the curtain and the children asked to tell which one was in the upper left hand corner, which in the center, etc. The pleasure of being first to be right stimulates them to concentration of effort. Whole sentences may be written and the

children given just time enough to read one before the curtain drops; then one may be allowed to give it. Another look puts them in possession of a second sentence and so on until all are read. In an exercise with sentences written on the board it is often well to require all the children to write what they saw while the curtain was up. This leads to the habit of seeing words and sentences as wholes, a very important consideration when children are required to copy any work.

Many times the primary teacher is troubled to find time to correct the slates on which the pupils have prepared a a language exercise. In certain lines of work, the correct form may be placed upon the board before school. When the children have completed their work, the curtain is raised and the children allowed to compare their work with the correct form.

Many observation exercises both enjoyable and profitable to the children will suggest themselves to the teacher. Lines of different length may be placed on the board and the children led to judge the length of each; lines of the same length but placed in different positions, thus misleading one not experienced in forming judgments on such matters; simple drawing of solids e. g., cube and cylinder of the same height but not placed on the same level,- the children representing on slate or board exactly what they saw in their quick glance behind the curtain.

Throughout all this work keen interest is felt by the children; attention is fixed upon the special features which the teacher desires to impress and mental energy is concentrated to such a degree as to leave a definite mental content. - The Western Teacher.