PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL COOLIDGE,

FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

No. 16 DEVONSHIRE STREET.

3277

DAMRELL & MOORE and GEORGE COOLIDGE, Printers, 16 Devonshire Street, Boston.

THE

Massachusetts Teacher,

AND

JOURNAL OF HOME AND SCHOOL EDUCATION.

BOARD OF EDITORS.

WM. P. ATKINSON, BROOKLINE.
MOSES P. CASE, SALEM.
CHARLES C. CHASE, LOWELL.

RICHARD EDWARDS, SALEM.

WILLIAM L. GAGE, BOSTON.

WM. C. GOLDTHWAIT, LONGMEADOW.
CHARLES HAMMOND, GROTON.

DANIEL MANSFIELD, CAMBRIDGE.
ARIEL PARISH, SPRINGField.
WILLIAM RUSSELL, LANCASTER.
WILLIAM H. SEAVEY, BOSTON.
JOSIAH A. STEARNS, BOSTON.
ADMIRAL P. STONE, MILLBURY.
HENRY WILLIAMS, JR., BOSTON.

ALPHEUS CROSBY, RESIDENT EDITOR.

No. 16 DEVONSHIRE STREET.

Postage any distance in the United States, Twelve Cents per Year, payable in advan
DAMBELL & MOORE and GEORGE COOLIDGE, Printers, 16 Devonshire Street, Boston.

..............

Page.

21

Annual Meeting of the Mass. Teachers' Association,
42; Barnstable Co. Teachers' Association, 47.
QUESTION Box,.....

Page

42

..........

50

50

51

Lithograph of Dr. Arnold, 52; Correction, 52.

SUPERVISION OF SCHOOLS, a Prize Essay,..... 5 EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS,.

THE PRUSSIAN SCHOOLS, a Letter from Berlin, 15

THE SCHOOLMISTRESS, a Poem,

GOLD'S STEAM HEATING APPARATUS,........ 29

THE IDEAL AND THE REAL,...

35

COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, 37

REVIEWERS' TABLE,

39

Colburn's Arithmetic, 39; Wilson's Punctuation, 40.

.......

INTELLIGENCE AND MISCELLANY,

Education in Massachusetts, &c., 50.

EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT,

THE MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER,

AND JOURNAL OF HOME AND SCHOOL EDUCATION.

Published monthly by the MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. Terms: One Dollar a year

in advance; or One Dollar and a Half, at the end of the year.

All Subscriptions and Business Letters should be addressed to SAMUEL COOLIDGE, No. 16 Devonshire

Street, Boston; all other Communications, to ALPHEUS CROSBY, State Library, Boston (or to the care

of Mr. COOLIDGE, as above).

WEBSTER'S DICTIONARIES,

Forming a complete Series, and affording a National Standard, thus securing uniformity of

Orthography and Pronunciation for the millions that are to constitute this vast republic.

The Publishers of the foregoing popular and Standard Dictionaries invite to them the attention of

the public in the following particulars:

1. THEIR DEFINITIONS.

"So far as I know, there is a unanimity of opinion that Dr. Webster's is the BEST DEFINING Dictionary in the

English language."-Hon. Horace Mann, late Secretary Board of Education for Massachusetts:

"Every scholar knows the value of a work which has done so much to enlarge our acquaintance with the English

vocabulary, both by the number of its words, and the ACCURACY AND EXTENT OF ITS DEFINITIONS."—Wm. H. Prescott,

the Historian

"It far excels all other Dictionaries, so far as I know, in giving and DEFINING scientific terms."-Pres. Hitchcock, of

Amherst College.

Hon. JOHN C. SPENCER, one of the most eminent jurists of the State of New York, says of Web-

ster's Unabridged Dictionary: -

"IT IS UNQUESTIONABLY THE VERY BEST DICTIONARY OF OUR LANGUAGE EXTANT. It is a model of copiousness and preci-

sion; and its GREAT ACCURACY IN THE DEFINITION AND DERIVATION OF WORDS gives it an authority that no other work on

the subject possesses. IT IS CONSTANTLY CITED AND RELIED ON IN OUR COURTS OF JUSTICE, in our legislative bodies, and in

public discussions, as entirely conclusive."

WILLIAM RUSSELL, Esq., a distinguished teacher of Elocution, says :-

"The extreme EXACTNESS, as well as the NUMBER, EXTENT, and FULLNESS of the DEFINITIONS which it furnishes to every

important word, renders it a mine of philological wealth to instructors."

An English Dictionary recently published in London, quotes and adopts the following:-

"In its definitions-the object for which nine-tenths of our references to such a work are made-it stands without a

rival in the annals of English lexicography."

2. THEIR

ORTHOGRAPHY.

The improved system of Orthography, introduced by Dr. Webster, and as that system is now pre-

sented in his published works, in its essential features is almost universally adopted in the issues of

the American press. The simplicity, method, and philosophical reasons for the modifications developed

in his system, have secured its adoption more rapidly than the most sanguine could have anticipated,

and amply guarantee its final complete success. Other works, the publishers of which are unworthily

engaged in disparaging Dr. Webster, could not stand for an hour in the public estimation without having

adopted a very large proportion of his changes, and employing the results of his labors on every page.

The number of annual School-book issues in this country, based on Webster's system, as we have

under the certificates of their publishers, is over 6,000,000.

3. THEIR PRONUNCIATION.

The compiler of an English Dictionary just published in London, and prepared with great care, hav-

ing adopted Webster's system of Pronunciation, speaks of it as "his SIMPLE AND SUFFICIENT system

of marks for denoting the various vowel sounds, &c., as well as his accentuation and syllabication."

He does not give a distinctive sound for fare, in distinction from fate (same sound modified by r;)-nor

does Worcester distinguish nor from not, giving both the short sound, where precisely the same prin

ciple is involved. So in loss and lot; bold and colt. Webster, in his large work, says that r following a

makes necessary

"a slight variation in the sound of a." Worcester says of a, "its long sound is

qualified by being followed by the letter r." Where is the difference? See the preceding advertising

pages.

Professor Russell, the distinguished American Elocutionist, says :—

"In reference to the modifications of orthoepical notations presented in Professor Goodrich's editions of Webster's

Dictionary, I cannot, perhaps, express iny opinion more definitely than I have had occasion to do in my manual, (now

in preparation) entitled Exercises on Words.' The following is the note to which I refer: The critical judgment and

refined taste of Professor Goodrich have left in his editions of Webster's Dictionary little ground of objection in regard

to the peculiarities which proved the only drawback from the value of the original work.' This unsolicited opinion," &c

Webster does, however, discriminate between the sounds of the n in angle and antiquity (one the

nasal); Worcester does not ;-does not pronounce dislike, dizlike; happiness, hap-piness (with the full

short e)-and these pervading large classes of words.

(Continued on 17th advertisement page, at the end.)

CIRCULAR.

To the Teachers and Friends of Education in Massachusetts.

AT the Annual Meeting of the MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, held in Lowell, on the 26th and 27th of November last, it was voted to enlarge the "Massachusetts Teacher," the organ of the Association, to increase the efficiency of its Editorial Department, and to improve its typographical appearance. The Directors of the Association were instructed to carry out its wishes.

The work assigned was commenced at once, and the Directors congratulate themselves and the teachers of Massachusetts upon their success in effecting such arrangements as will, they feel confident, prove satisfactory to all concerned.

Prof. Alpheus Crosby, late of Dartmouth College, now Agent of the Board of Education, has consented to become the Resident Editor of the "Teacher." The Directors deem themselves peculiarly fortunate in being able to obtain the services of this gentleman, one who is widely known as an accomplished scholar and an able writer, and whose extensive knowledge upon all educational subjects, sound judgment, and literary taste eminently qualify him for the position, which he, refusing all compensation, has kindly consented to occupy.

The Associate Board of Editors has been selected from the most eminent practical teachers in the State; and will, for the coming year, consist of Messrs. Ariel Parish, of Springfield; Win. H. Seavey, of Boston; Daniel Mansfield, of Cambridge; Josiah A. Stearns, of Boston; Rev. Chas. Hammond, of Groton; Prof. Wm. Russell, of Lancaster; Henry Williams, Jr., of Boston; Wm. C. Goldthwait, of Longmeadow; C. C.

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