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instead of having to go round by Aspinwall and Panama. The Suez Canal will be useless to us, and even to tourists, for the latter, when they go to Egypt, go there to see Alexandria, Cairo, the Nile and the Pyramids, and to do this they must resort to the old line of travel. Can our great railroad route compete with the cheaper and more convenient transit by water? The London Economist, the great organ of British commerce, puts the matter thus: From London to Canton via Suez, it is 10,000 miles; from New York to Canton via Panama, 11,500; from New York to Canton by Pacific Railroad, 10,500; London to Canton by Pacific Railroad, 13,500; New York to Canton via Suez Canal, 11,500. Or, taking time as the test for the transit from London, it will compare as follows by their route and ours: By Marseilles and Bombay, London to Hong Kong, 39 days; New York and San Francisco, 47 days; do. London to Shanghai, 43; do. 43; do. London to Yokohama, 48; do. 48 days.

By the distance-test, London has the advantage over New York by sea to Canton, of 1,500 miles, and by land of 500; and by the timetest, London has greatly the advantage, except in the case of Yokohama. But it must not be forgotten that the sea route has an immense advantage over a route of part land, part sea, in saving of transhipment. There is no need to dwell upon the importance of this fact, as it is thoroughly understood by all merchants. The question then arises whether it will not become imperatively necessary to do for the Isthmus of Darien what M. De Lesseps has done for the Isthmus of Suez.-Phila. Ledger.

PRACTICAL.

The Massachusetts Teacher contains the following practical, truthful, and well put suggestions:

Too often is it the fact that teachers, after having acquired familiarity with certain branches of study, are content with their acquisitions. Knowing enough, in their own estimation, to carry their pupils through the course assigned, they are careless about increasing their knowledge. They cease to grow; become mere pedagogues. To this large class of teachers is justly chargeable much of the disrespect with which too many educated people regard the occupation of teaching. A teacher ought to A teacher ought to know all that he has occasion to teach, and a great deal more. He should possess an everincreasing store of knowledge, from which he may draw at pleasure, and with which he may command the admiration of his pupils, and the respect of the community.

We ought to keep ourselves well informed in regard to the various educational movements of the day, that we may have a clear understanding of their purpose; be able to judge wisely of their merits, and be ready to take advantage of such new thoughts and instrumentalities as promise to aid us in the discharge of our duties.

We ought to draw what benefit we can from new educational publications, whether in the form of text-books, or of periodicals, As an intelligent mechanic is quick to adopt new and improved tools, appropriate to his trade, a teacher should be ever ready to seize upon whatever good thoughts, principles, and methods have been wrought out by other educators. A new book must be poor, indeed, if it contain nothing new; and a single really new and valuable thought is often worth more than the cost of a volume. A teacher needs his library of professional books just as much as a doctor, who is not a quack, needs his works on medicine; or a clergyman his works on theology, and the religious discussions of the times; or a lawyer, his numerous legal commentaries and reports. It is idle to expect that the business of teaching shall hold a high place among recognized professions until teachers themselves believe, and act as if they believe, that true teaching is both a science and an art, demanding profound and long-continued study, involving principles and methods of great importance, and giving occasion for the exercise of the highest faculties, and qualities of the mind and heart. So long as the mass of teachers ignore all professional reading, are content to go in the ruts which they have made, or others have made for them, and depend only upon certain stereotyped ways and means, without considering the principles upon which good teaching is based; teachers generally must fail to mand that respect which ought to be liberally given to those whose chief work is to develop, instruct, and adorn the intellectual, and moral natures of the young.

THE SILENT PREACHER.

A merchant who had been a worldly, godless man, was hopefully converted and united with the church of Christ. On being asked what had been more especially the means of his conversion, he replied, his conversion, he replied, "the example of one of my clerks." He went on to say that this young man was one "whose religion was in his life rather than in his tongue. When I uttered an oath he never reproved me, but I could see that it deeply pained him. When I

fell into a passion and behaved in a violent manner, though he spoke no word to that effect, I could see how painful the scene was to him. My respect for him led me to restrain myself in his presence, and gradually break myself of both these habits. In fact, this man, although he never spoke a word to me on the subject of religion, exercised an influence for good over me wielded by no other human being. To him, under God, I am indebted more than to any other for the hope which I now have of eternal life through Jesus Christ."

No doubt this clerk little thought of the influence he was exerting, and no doubt the merchant failed to see the most powerful agent which this man brought to bear upon him. Doubtless silent prayer went up to God for his employer daily, and perhaps hourly. A life that can exert such an influence must be a life of constant prayer.

Let a

How sad it is that oftentimes the very opposite of this influence is exerted by Christians. The unconscious influence neutralizes all they seek directly to accomplish for Christ. suspicion of a person's sincerity, or perfect uprightness in dealing, steal into the heart, and all his public prayers and exhortations will seem only like the idle wind. The same is true of many other forms of sin.

How is it with our unconscious influence?

RESPECT THE BODY.

Respect the body, dear men and women! Speak of it reverently, as it deserves. Don't take it into an unworthy place; give it sunshine, pure air and exercise. Be conscientious as to what you put down its throat. Remember what is fun to the cook and confectionery trades may be death to it. Give it good, wholesome food; let it be on intimate terms with friction and soap and water; and especially don't render it ridiculous by your way of dressing it.

draught on slight occasions, and don't nurse or pet it to death; don't dose it with doctor stuffs; and above all, don't turn it into a wine cask or chimney. Let it be "warranted not to smoke" from the time your manhood takes possessson. Respect the body; don't over-rest, or over love it, and never debase it, but be able to lay it down when you are done with it, a wellworn but not misused thing. Meantime, treat it at least as well as you would your pet horse or hound, and my word for it, though it will not jump to China at a bound, you'll find it a most excellent thing to have, especially in the country.-Hearth and Home.

SPELLING.

The best teachers have ceased to confine their scholars to oral exercises in spelling. If any one method is to be adhered to, we think that of written exercises the most desirable; but, in our opinion, instruction in orthography should be varied, not only to add interest, but to more thoroughly practicalize it. There are many really good spellers, orally, who make sad mistakes when spelling at the point of a pen. For such there seems no but diligent practice upon written exercises. The eye needs training as much as the tongue or memory.

recourse

It is a fact, that what the hand commits to paper, the brain longest retains. Something in the mechanical operation of writing down, more deeply impresses the mind. Yet we would have no teachers do away with oral exercises entirely. More advanced scholars should be required to task their memory in spelling, as in other branches of study, without any did whatever. Oral exercises can be rendered intensely interesting, and therefore highly beneficial; and it should be the aim of each teacher to make spelling as attractive as possible. Words are the stock in trade of many a man, and it is very essential that a correct rendering and use of them be early acquired. To this end, let them be given vocally and in writ

Recognize the dignity of your body; hold it erect when you are awake, and let it lie out straight when you're asleep. Don't let it going, through the world with little mincing steps or great gawky strides; don't swing its arms too much and don't let them grow limp from inactivity. Resolve to respect its shoulders, its back, and its fair proportions generally and straightway shall "stoops," and wriggles, and 'grecian bends" be unknown forever.

and no more.

Respect the body-give it what it requires Don't pierce its ears, strain its eyes, or pinch its feet; don't roast it by a hot fire all day, and smother it under a heavy bed covering all night; don't put it in a cold

and often repeated. So shall there be

fewer inaccuracies in the letters of even educated men and women; so shall we who are favored with the productions of gifted writers be less tormented by errors in orthography which are inexcusable-Rural New Yorker.

Charles Lamb once laughingly asserted of a friend that he did not know how to spell, and that he wrote a blind hand to cover the deficiency. It is lamentably certain that orthography is an accomplishment which many worthy people besides Charles Yellowplush and Arte

mus Ward fail to acquire. Mr. Forster remarked, a few weeks since, in the House of Commons, that a great many men in the Competitive Examinations were rejected for defective spelling; and Dr. Gull says that nearly half of the medical students fail in this respect. The London Spectator recently observed that it has an occasional contributor, "a man whose education has been of a singularly perfect kind, a true scholar in his way, who never sends in a contribution without half a dozen errors in othography; and there are double-firsts who would rather trust themselves in Greek than English without a pocket dictionary." The Spectator compliments printers upon the careful distrust with which they regard everybody's MS.

One reason, we suppose, for this, is that all spelling is purely artificial, and has no proper relation to pronunciation whatever, but, more properly, to etymologies. Pronunciation is a matter of failure, and continually changing. A well-bred man who to-day should pronounce according to Sheridan or Walker, would be simply laughed at. It seems to us that a remdy for the evil of which The Spectator complains would be found-1. In impressing upon the mind of the pupil, making him thoroughly comprehend, that a word is not necessarily spelled as it is pronounced; 2. In the young, as an exercise of the writing and spelling lessons; 3. In giving the pupil, when sufficiently advanced, some elementary knowledge of etymologies, and of the prefixes and suffixes of words. The attempt to teach spelling by ear has failed and must always fail, because there will always be people of defective memories and without ear; and because spelling and pronunciation will always be different. It would be a great advantage if lexicographers could agree in their spelling. The phonographers say, "Spell as we do." Thank you, gentlemen; we had rather not.-Tribune.

BRAINS vs. LABOR.

The following passage is by Rev. J. F. Corning. It will be appreciated by "brain work

ers!"

While I sit at my study table with my pen in hand, the fingers moving with tardy pace at the beckon of the brain, I hear right below my window, in the adjacent field, the monotonous ring of a laborer's hoe upon the corn hills. While he hoes he whistles, hour by hour, till the clock strikes twelve, and then with ravenous appetite repairs to his bountiful, yet simple meal, only to resume his task again, and pursue it to the setting of the sun. As I stood at the window watching his toil, and turned again to

But

my pen and paper, I asked myself, how it happened that the man with the hoe will labor his eight or ten hours a day, with less fatigue, than the man with his pen will toil his three or four. Hugh Miller was a great worker with the shovel and pick-would have made a good hand in a slate quarry, in grading a railroad, working on the farm, or digging a canal. one night, as you know, he shot himself in a fit of nervous fever. What was the difference between the great geologist and the man with the hoe, whistling under my window? Simply this, the former was a worker of brain, and the latter a worker of muscle. Let this man with the hoe, lay down his husbandry for a little while, and set himself to studying one of these stalks of corn, or the chemistry of one those hills of soil, and very likely he would soon learn what it is to lose one's appetite, and hear the clock strike nearly all the night hours in feverish wakefulness. And thus we get at a great organic law of our being, to wit:—that brain-work subtracts vitality from the fountain, while muscle-work only makes draughts upon one of the ramifying streams of life. It is esmated by scientific observers, that a man will use up as much vital force in working his brains two hours, as he will in working his muscles eight.

ELOQUENT PASSAGE.

One of the finest things George D. Prentice ever wrote is this inimitable passage; "It cannot be that earth is man's only abiding place. It cannot be that our life is a bubble, cast up by the ocean of eternity, to float a moment upon its waves and sink into nothingness. Else why is it that the high and glorious aspirations, which leap like angels from the temples of our hearts, are for ever wandering unsatisfied? Why is it that the rainbow and cloud come over us with a beauty that is not of earth, and then pass off to leave us to muse on their loveliness? Why is it that the stars, which hold their festival around the midnight throne, are set above the grasp of our limited faculties, forever mocking us with their unapproachable glory? And finally, why is that the bright forms of human beauty are presented to our view and taken from us, leaving the thousand streams of our affection to flow back in an Alpine torrent upon our hearts? We are born for a higher destiny than that of earth. There is a realm where the stars will be spread out before us, like islands that slumber in the ocean, and where the beautiful beings that pass before us like shadows, will stay forever in our presence."-New York T blet.

THE

PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL JOURNAL:

AN EDUCATIONAL MAGAZINE.

VOL. XVIII.-No 6.

DECEMBER, 1869.

THO. H. BURROWES, Editor and Publisher.

ANOTHER STEP IN ADVANCE.

About the years 1854-5-6 and 7, it was very perceptible that a change for the better had taken place in our schools, and especially in their management as far as depended on the boards of direction. This was due to several influences: Of course the mere presence of the system in the public habits of thought, its recognition as a fixed public institution and its own slow but irrepressible improvement by use, had much to do with this. This was greatly aided too by the establishment of the office of County Superintendent about that time and the improvement of the teachers by that means and the numerous county Institutes and occasional normal Institutes then become so common. But we have always thought that an influence not then or since sufficiently taken into the account was of potent agency also in the improvement of that period and thence forward. It was the fact that about that time men then in the vigor of life and just beginning in large numbers to take share in public affairs, who themselves had been educated in common schools, were for the first time coming into the boards of direction. Knowing the schools | and their wants, as pupils, they were the very persons to aid as men, and they did so to the utmost of their ability, and in the elevation of the schools, by the selection and better payment of the best teachers in their reach, the improvement of the school-houses, and the selection of good school books, with the adoption of uniform series. Ever since the advent of this class of members-and they now may be said to fill the boards in most districts-the old hostility to the system and the old narrow principles of management have more and more disappeared; till at length it has come to pass that no liberal project for school improvement is, as a general rule, defeated among directors, except for actual want of means to effect it.

WHOLE NO. 210.

Associate, J. P. MCCASKEY

And now, by an item of educational news from County Superintendent Newlin, of Schuylkill, one of the best officers in the State, in the Nov. No. (page 132) we are put in mind of another step in school improvement, -more, however, in the professional matters of visitation and district government than those of salaries, houses or books-which seems about being taken. It is that of the influential agency of retired Common School Teachers as School Directors in the various Boards. We have always supposed that these will make most useful if not the best members,-and we are glad to see them taking up one of those duties on laying down the other, both of which are so promotive of the good of the community.

No one can possibly be better qualified to aid the School Board to which he belongs,especially in all professional matters relating to the schools, than an experienced and good teacher who has left the profession for proper cause.

Behind him are left all little professional aspirations, and rivalries and personal objects. Before, in the line of his new duties, there is nothing but the desire to promote the improvement of the youth of the community, one of whose representatives and trusted agents he is. Of full practical experience in all the ways and wants of the schools, he is the very person to impart to his associates the best advice upon those various points of school affairs which are so familiar to him and so much out of their course of thought and action as general members of society. Above all, informed by his own experience of the importance of many minor matters in school economy, which, though apparently of small moment in the eye of the unprofessional director, are really of vital concern in practical operation,-he can have the energies of the Board and the means of the district so directed as to produce the largest results with small outlay of means, comparatively.

The retired teacher, as Director, will of | sede the comma, the colon, the semicolon and course be the most suitable person for Secre- the period, or any of them; nor is it to be tary; and from his superior general qualifica- used indiscriminately with each and all of them. tions for that office and his methodical habits, Nor is it a mark to be thrown in by the pen, it will come to pass, that in his hands the while the mind is at work to find out what to minutes of Board and the school operations of say next;-as the boy said, when asked why the district will soon show an improvement by his father spit so much when he was speaking, the mere regularity, method and clearness with that it was to pass the time while he was thinkwhich they will be kept and attended to. ing of what to say next. Neither is the Dash to be confined to the marking, by a succession of them, of those long pauses by which sensational writers are in the habit of preceding some new and startling word or phrase, and of thus adding to its thrilling effect. Of course, when these tricks of the writer's trade are at all proper,-which is seldom,—the dash is to be used; but to the eye of taste they generally look as ill as the awkward squad of admiration marks with which the same class are in the habit of filling up their feeble ranks.

But it is as District Superintendent, or as paid visiting Director, that we look to see the most good in the schools effected by the teacher Director. Visits by Directors are always advantageous and desirable-even by the most inexperienced in the operations of the school. They cheer the teacher, enliven the pupils, and always bring some information to the next meeting of the Board calculated to do good. How much more so, when these visits shall not only become regular and continue during at least a half day, but be made by a professional teacher with every inducement to make himself useful to the school and aidful to the teacher. When is added to this the certainty on the part of the Directors of securing full and accurate reports from the schools at their meeting and of furnishing the same to the County and State Superintendents for their information in the discharge of their duties and the preparation of their reports all of which the professional visitor alone can satisfactorily procure and return, we have a view of the importance of the Teacher in the Board of Directors which shows it to be, indeed, another step in advance.

THE DASH.

As was remarked, when speaking of the comma, correct punctuation is one of the most important elements of the English Language, which, a good old definition says, "is the art of speaking and writing the English Language with propriety," and consequently of reading and hearing it intelligently. If this is so, then every punctuation mark must have its separate and distinct office, and amongst the rest the Dash, for it is admitted by all grammarians to be one of those signs; and we now assert that, correctly used, there is no more expressive mark, whether to the eye of the reader or the ear of the speaker.

But we may be here asked, what is the true office of the Dash? and, how is it possible to make its force known to the ear of the hearer? The first question is to be answered by both telling what it is not, and what it is. It is not, as some ignorant or careless writers-the pests of the printing office-suppose: a mark to super

Not being these nor exclusively any of them, the Dash may be said affirmatively to be the sign of a sudden break in the expression, by the introduction of something not necessary to the completeness of the grammatical sentence, but necessary to the fullness of the sentiment and consistent with grammatical propriety. In other words, it is the sign, or rather in most cases the signs, now used in the place of the Parenthesis formerly employed for the same purpose,-dashes as well as parentheses always going, in this use of them, in pairs. For instances of what we consider the correct use of the dash, and to save space, we most respectfully refer the reader to the punctuation of this article, that is, if the printer will indulge us by following copy, having taken especial pains to make it accurate, and especially to the interjected clause, "that is, if the printer will indu ge us by following copy, having taken especial pains to make it accurate." These, in our judgment, are properly marked by dashes, as new and unexpected matter not necessary to the completeness of the grammatical sentence, though somewhat required as between the writer and the printer. And here we would add, as an another instance of the correct use of the dash, as showing the introduction or addition of new matter,-that we did not spell effected "affected" in the second line of the second column of the 127th page of the November number, nor write "charge," but "change," in the 10th line of the second column of the 128th page; neither were we guilty of having made so many dashing widows in the whole article as the printer would make us appear to have been. They were nearly all in pairs-legally married— when they left us.

As examples with a brief statement of the

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