W A LANGUAGE LESSON. E visited a school in Englewood, Ill, in the early spring. The teacher had cut some willow branches and some lilac branches before they had budded, and, bringing them to school, had placed them in two tumblers of water. When the lilac branches budded and leafed she had a little talk about them every day, and made reading lessons therefrom. When the willow branches budded and rooted she had lessons upon what they saw, and then upon differences and resemblances between the effect upon the lilac and the willow. The beauty of the work was its stimulating influence upon the child's activity in manipulation, in observation, in thought, in speech, in writing. There was developed a love of nature; an appreciation of plant life; a disposition to note the effect of the sun and the water. After some of the mechanical language work with objects which the schools exhibit it was refreshing to find a school full of interest, wide awake in hand, eye, tongue, and mind. ORBIS SENSUALIUM PICTUS. A WORLD OF THINGS OBVIOUS TO THE SENSES DRAWN IN PICTURES. R. C. W. BARDEEN, of Syracuse, is about to publish a limited edition (five hundred copies, price $3.00) of the first school picture-book ever issued, Comenius' Orbis Pictus. As many of our readers will think they cannot afford the book, we present five sample lessons. The lessons are presented in both Latin and English in the Bardeen edition, but we content ourselves with giving the English, with the spelling, punctuation, and capitals as they are in the original. Let your pupils see these lessons as a sample of the first school picturebook, published two hundred and thirty-one years ago (1657). It had an immense sale and was the most popular schoolbook in Europe. SHIP-WRECK. When a Storm ariseth on a sudden, they strike Sail, lest the Ship should be dashed against Rocks, or light upon Shelves. If they cannot hinder her they suffer Ship-wreck, And then the men, the Wares, and all things are miserably lost. Nor doth the Sheat-anchor, being cast with a Cable, do any good. Some escape, either on a Plank, and by swimming or in the Boat. Part of the Wares, with the dead folks, is carried out of the Sea upon the Shoars. THE HERE is no complete method for teaching drawing, nor is it desirable that there should be. Each system has its peculiar excellences which every teacher shoul decome familiar with. To ignore the excellences in these different systems, and narrow down to one method, is like rejecting the assistance of just so many faithful friends that stand ready to aid you at any time. It is the object of this series of articles to bring within the reach of all, as far as possible, the advantages of the different systems, with such explanations as may seem desirable. 3 3 Fig. 2. (1) The horizon tal lines, which are the edges that run square in front of you (1-1-1-1, Fig.2). (2) The vertical lines (2-2-2-2, Fig. 2). (3) The receding lines which run away from you (3-3-3-3, Fig. 2). The horizontal lines form one set, the vertical lines another, and the receding lines the remaining set. Put your box in various positions, and pick out these various lines, in order to become familiar with them. In a position like Fig. 3 you have only two kinds of lines,-the vertical and receding. SLANT OF LINES. Place the box several feet above the level of the eye, in such a manner as to show two sides, as in Fig. 4. Take a lead pencil of good length, hold it by the end at easy arm's length, close one eye, and let the upper edge of the pencil correspond with, that Fig. 3. is, be in the same plane with edge No. 1. The same with edge No. 2. You will notice that the pencil in each case is horizontal, showing that the lines themselves are horizontal. Now hold your pencil in the same plane so as to correspond with edge No. 3, being very careful that you feet below the level of the eye, as in Fig. 5. You will observe, if you use your pencil as before, that edges Nos. 1 and 2 are still horizontal, but that Nos. 3 and 4 slant upward; also the remaining line that belongs to the receding set No. 5. Place the box so that the upper edge will be on a level with the eye, as in Fig. 6. Edges Nos. 1 and 2 are still horizontal, and so is the receding line No. 3. slants upward a very little. In all of these positions the vertical and hor No. 4 I. Receding lines above the level of the eye slant down. II. Receding lines below the level of the eye slant up. III. Receding lines on a level with the eye are hori zontal. Without bringing the hand nearer to the face or moving it further away, compare the length of this edge with edge No. 2, by moving the hand a little to the left. You will find that No. 2 is shorter than No. 1, because it is further away. Compare No. 1 with No. 3, by simply turning the hand on the wrist until the pencil corresponds with edge No. 3. Compare edge No. 1 with the distance between Nos. 1 and 2. In the same way measure various distances, until you are familiar with the method. If you' have followed these instructions faithfully and understand them thoroughly, you are now ready to begin practical work. Place the box below the level of the eye, as in Fig 7. Draw on your paper a vertical 3 4 Fig. 7. the nearest vertical edge of the box, and is the unit of measure for every line in the box. If this line is made long, a large box will be the result; if short, a small one. Edges No. 3 and 4 are horizontal lines, or practically so. From the extremities of line No. 1, on your paper, draw indefinite horizontal lines. Take the measure of edge No. 1, and compare it with the length of edge No. 3, or the distance between Nos. 1 and 5. Supposing this distance is double that of No. 1; then measure the length of line No. 1 on your paper, and make the distance between Nos. 1 and 5 twice the length of it. Remember that all measurements on the real box with the pencil, and those on the drawing are relative measurements and not actual. After finding the position draw No. 5. In the same way find the position of edge No. 2 and IV. The further a receding line is below or above the level of the eye the more it slants, and the nearer the re-edge No. 6, being careful not to let your pencil slant in ceding line is to the eye the more it slants. Practice taking the slant of these receding lines with the lead pencil, in order to become familiar with them. Look for receding lines in the room and out of doors. MEASURING. Draw Nos. 2 and 6 the direction of the receding sides when taking the meas- This may be done with the pencil very much as the edge of your pencil cuts edge No. 3. Supposing that it slant of lines is taken. bisects No. 3, then on your drawing bisect No. 3, and the Place the box as in Fig. 7. Hold the pencil at easy point directly over it on No. 6 will be the point c, which arm's length from the eye, close one eye, and let the will give the position of edge 7. In the same way find upper end of the pen-edge No. 8, and the box is completed. cil correspond with the upper end of edge No. 1, and with your thumb or finger mark on your pencil the lower end of edge ૭ Fig. 6. The process is the same when the box is in the same position as Fig. 3. If you will practice on the box in one position until you thoroughly master it, you will have little trouble with the other positions. Do not form the habit of measuring with the pencil, but as soon as possible do away with it entirely, and deNo. 1. Now you have a relative length of that edge.pend wholly on the eye, as the eye becomes, with use, far more rapid and accurate than the clumsy way with the XI. Use. pencil. Do not use a straight-edge, but require the unaided hand to do all the work. Draw from the box at least one hour, each day, for a whole month, or until you have a thorough knowledge of the principles. After a box choose a plain barn or rude cabin to draw. Commence the same as in the box. Do not let discouragement discourage you. Restore carbon to the air. (Shaler. p. 95.) Describe the phenomena of an eruption. Interesting facts, relative to the subject. Reference books: Geology, Physical Geography, Cosmos, Books of Travel, etc. A GEOGRAPHICAL TERMS TO DEFINE. PLAIN; A Low Plain. A Plateau; A Prairie. A Pampas; Steppes; The Llanos. Deserts; Oases, The Tundra. A Hill; A Mountain; A Mountain Range or Chain. The Trend of a Range; The Crest of a Range. A Mountain Cluster; A Mountain Knot. The Summit of a Mountain; The Base of a Mountain, Counter Slope; Peaks; Passes; Gorge; Valley. EACHERS can use a little time to good advantage in teaching by a diagram upon the board the points of the compass. N.. north. MUSIC DEPARTMENT. IF scolding must be done, let it never creep into the singing lesson. This exercise should be a pleasant, happy, refining one. THE thing of greatest importance in teaching music in the public schools is to have the children sing softly and thoughtfully. TEN years ago not one teacher in ten would have tried to teach music and drawing; now there is not one in ten who is not trying. NEVER command a boy to stop singing because he sings everything on one note, or another who sings on every note but the right one; rather encourage both of them to sing softly and keep trying. It is a fact that people in general, if taught correctly, can learn to sing new music at sight as readily as they learn to read a newspaper. The value of such an accomplishment can only be estimated by those who possess it. SOME one has said recently that the elocutionist and the orator were to shoot arrows of thought from brain to brain. Why is not the same true of the teacher of music? It is the mind that must be hit if we would aim our teaching effectively. OUT of one thousand teachers nine hundred of them would say they cannot teach music because they cannot sing. Now all but about nineteen of the number can sing at least one," "two," "three" of the scale, and that is sufficient at the outset. THE schoolroom needs the art of the artist rather than of the artisan. It is too easy to acquire the art of doing what another has done in the way he has done it. What we need is the art of doing something as though the thought so possessed us that we could not live until we accomplished it ourselves, and especially is it necessary in music teaching. SONGS AND TUNES FOR EDUCATION. BY W. S. TILDEN. - The pupil can be led to think musical thoughts by coming in contact with that which contains the expression of musical thought; and this is found alone in well devised tune-forms, never in the dry detail of melodic or rhythmic elements. And these should never be made to take the place of that which is properly food for the song-nature of the child. feeling that the children's singing hour is nothing if it is The inexperienced teacher often is governed by the not elementary; while, in fact, careful instruction in the singing of some good song is a most valuable part of the teacher's work, though not a word be said about elements as such, or about music in its written representation. But the incompetent teacher, who is unable to teach even a simple song effectively, finds a snug harbor by resorting to manipulation of elements; the lack of good instruction is not so apparent here; visitors, and even school authorities do not discriminate very closely, particularly if the procedure is bolstered up with a good many of the high-sounding words known to educational terminology, and is serenely represented as being something quite superior to the commonplace but real teaching of music. Where music is a recognized branch of study, however, note-reading, in due proportion and at the proper time, is to be taught: and elements, so far as necessary to this end, must receive attention. What shall constitute the material for studies in note-reading and for the For it is musical practice from this stage onward? necessary that such material be selected as will in the best manner help forward the true development of the pupil. Many teachers rely upon writing impromptu exercises on the blackboard, which, when sung through by the pupils with a tolerable approximation to right pitches and tone-lengths, are immediately erased to give place to others of the same nature. This wethod, though it gives the pupils (or at least a few of the bright ones in the class) a degree of courage and facility in attacking and deciphering written music, is open to the objection that the exercises, having little thought bestowed upon their construction, have little musical merit or attractiveness, and being so hastily sung and then forgotten, have little or no valuable residuum in the children's minds. The same objection is valid against those singing books HATEVER course of study is laid down in school for children filled with interminable "exercises," certai music, or whatever system is employed in teach- of them fitted with words and called songs, written by ing, the work of instruction is but partial and incomplete some penny-a-liner who feels perfectly competent to write if it end with merely the presentation of elements. a whole book all by himself. He tries them over on his However ingenious the mode of treating them, and how- piano, and they sound pretty, much better he fancies than ever brilliant the display of class-work in simply ele- the old school tunes, - forgetting that what sounds well mental matters, they are but means, never an end. If when played is almost sure to sound poorly when sung, anything worthy the name of education in music is to be on account of the difference in the means by which it is attained, if the musical nature of the child is to be to be rendered. Said one of these writers, when looking awakened and trained, -it must be by bringing to his over a standard school music book, "What is there about attention music itself in real living musical forms, such those exercises and songs that anybody couldn't write !" as exist in songs and tunes of acknowledged merit. What is there about that dainty little bit of poetry, so |