In spite of the hard times and the need of economy, our people have shown a very laudable desire to sustain their schools, and have made heavy sacrifices to pay the large amounts required. There have been reductions in salaries, and in some instances injurious ones, but on the whole we have reason to feel thankful that the crisis of depression has so easily passed. We may hope that, with increased prosperity, the partial reduction may be regained, and that only good and efficient teachers will be employed, at living salaries.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE STATE.

The State University, under the able management of its new president, Hon. J. L. Pickard, has made substantial progress. The abolition of the preparatory classes does not seem to injure the attendance in the college classes, as had been feared. The full effect of this change cannot be determined until another year or two have passed.

The Normal School, under the efficient care of Prof. J. C. Gilchrist, is becoming more and more popular, and the report shows that persons from nearly all parts of the State are availing themselves of the opportunity afforded to secure a professional training to fit themselves for the teacher's calling. Whenever the resources of the State will permit it, we ought to have additional schools for the proper training of teachers. So long as we cannot increase the number, the Legislature should do all it can to foster and build up the one school which we now support for this purpose.

NORMAL INSTITUTES.

The Normal Institutes have continued to be a very successful and acceptable means of training the large majority of our country teachers. The attendance at the institutes for the last three years has been about equal to the whole number of teachers required for our country schools. To make these institutes more practical and beneficial, a course of study has been furnished to guide both instructors and teachers. It has been the practice, since my connection with the office, to obtain from educators outlines of the branches in which they are especially proficient, and after a revision by a committee, of which the Superintendent of Public Instruction is chairman, enough copies are printed, and ordered by the counties. or by most of them, to put a copy into the hands of each attendant at the institute.

The following educators have prepared the outlines for the years. 1878 and 1879:

The committee of revision in 1878 consisted of W. J. Shoup, Dubuque, and C. H. Clemmer, Davenport. The committee of revision in 1879 consisted of L. A. Rose, Davenport, and R. M. Ewart, Manchester, with the Superintendent of Public Instruction in each case. In order to give a fair idea of our work, the course of study for 1879 is here inserted in full.

TO COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS AND INSTITUTE

INSTRUCTORS.

The course of study herewith presented was prepared by a committee consisting of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Supt. R. M.

Ewart, of Delaware county, as representative of the county superintendents' convention, and Prin. Leonard A. Rose, of Davenport, of the association of principals and city superintendents.

The outlines furnished to the committee by prominent instructors largely retained the features of the course for last year.

In arithmetic, the course of study will be about the same as for 1877, condensing the third and fourth courses into one and omitting a few items not deemed essential. Instructors desiring to take up the metric system are referred to the course for 1878.

The course in didactics was prepared by Prof. Gilchrist, of the State Normal School, and has been adopted as a whole by the committee, with the omission of a few details, to show the Professor's work in his own way. We suggest to instructors not to dwell upon the part involving a knowledge of mental philosophy, except with advanced teachers.

In history, we have chosen the civil war and the period of reconstruction, with special reference to the points named in the outline. We give a short outline in physiology, hoping that it will be supplemented by a few practical lectures on the subject of hygiene.

It may be desirable to employ an instructor for conducting a primary school or kindergarten, composed of small children of the town.

We desire to call special attention to the need of training our elementary teachers how to read, and of suggesting what to read. A few lectures on American and English literature, with specimens of some of the best authors, may create a desire for a proper course of reading, in place of the abominable trash now usually perused by too many of our scholars and teachers.

Many institutes waste the time of the teachers by too frequent night entertainments. Lectures and sociables every evening will allow no time for study, and dissipate the mind. Two entertainments a week are profitable, but more are ordinarily injurious.

The form of enrollment slip and programme will be found in the report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for 1877-78.

We once more earnestly request county superintendents and institute conductors to concentrate the efforts of the teachers upon a few studies, instead of scattering over all the branches in which they are to be examined. The institute is not a cramming machine for examination; but the means to teach methods, incidentally teaching the subject-matter.

The State Normal Institute, if needed arrangements are completed, will be called to meet at Clear Lake, during the week commencing June 30. Professor Robert Graham, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is expected to act as conductor. Programmes with full announcements will be sent as soon as arrangements are completed.

C. W. VON COELLN,
R. M. EWART,

Committee,

L. A. ROSE.

READING.

I. TEACHING BEGINNERS TO READ.

A. Present the object or picture of object.

B. Let teacher enter into familiar conversation with the children about the object. .

C. Lead them to distinguish the picture of the object from the real object.

D. Teach the word which represents the object.

E. Pupil find the word on the chart or in a list of words on the board.
F. Spell the word by sound and by letter.

G. Form sentences containing the word.

H. Reproduce the word on slate.

I. Place the article a or an before the word and read as one word.
J. Place the article the before the word and read in same manner.
K. Place descriptive adjective between the article and name of object.
L. Count the words. Reproduce on slate, paying proper attention to
spacing.

M. Practice daily calling words rapidly at sight, using the pupil's entire
vocabulary.

II. FIRST READER.

Objects.

A. To secure pure tones and natural delivery:

1, see that pupil opens mouth properly; 2, practice breathing exercises.

B. To secure fluency and accuracy of speech:

1, let the pupils pronounce by rotation, or as a whole class, with all such changes as the instructor may wish to indicate; 2, let certain words be pronounced and others read silently, thus making such changes as will fasten each word in the pupils' minds, and keep the attention of the whole class constantly; 3, place difficult words of the lesson on the board, and let pupils practice same as in 1 and 2; 4, let pupil read to a punctuation mark, read a sentence, or a paragraph, as indicated by the teacher; 5, spell words by letter and by sound. C. To cultivate perception and language:

1, class work; a, let the pupil name the objects in the picture with book closed; b, pupil give oral abstract of lesson;

NOTE.-Question on position and appearance of objects.

2, seat work: a, copy the words in list at head of lesson; b, copy number of lesson and title; c, copy one or more paragraphs designated by teacher; d, copy sentences placed on board by teacher and put words in place of the dashes.

D. Position:

1, the posture, whether sitting or standing, should be erect; 2, if sitting, rest the entire soles of the feet on the floor; 3, if standing, place the heel of one foot nearly opposite the instep

of the other foot, a little removed from it, forming with the other nearly a right angle;

NOTE. - Change weight of body from one foot to the other as often as necessary to prevent weariness. 4, the head should be erect and the shoulders thrown back;

NOTE.-Rest the elbow always on the hip.

5, require a uniform position, right, left, or front; 6, pay attention to the amount and direction of light.

III. SECOND READER.

A. Class Work:

1, continue methods used in First Reader; 2, written and phonic spelling; 3, diacritical marks; 4, give exercises to correct indistinct enunciation; 5, the meaning of words given by their use in short sentences; 6, give attention to the thoughts expressed; 7, exercises in emphasis; 8, exercises in inflection; 9, exercises in pitch; 10, exercises in force.

B. Seat Work:

1, same as in First Reader; 2, write the names of all the things you can see in the picture; 3, write answers to questions prepared by teacher, and let the answers be in complete sentences; 4, copy lists of words and divide into syllables; 5, copy lists of words and mark the vowels and silent letters; 6, write three sentences about some object mentioned in lesson; 7, copy one or more stanzas from a poem; 8, commit one or more stanzas to memory; 9, write words opposite in meaning to those given by teacher.

IV. THIRD READER.

A. Class Work:

1, continue methods used in the Second Reader; 2, spell by letter and by sound;

NOTE.-Written spelling should receive more attention than oral spelling in this grade.

3, question minutely as to the meaning of parts of sentences; 4, pupils read the definition instead of the original word; 5, substitute nouns for pronouns; 6, oral abstract of lesson; 7, pupils find and read points suggested by the teacher; 8, one pupil name points for others to read; 9, practice upon difficult combinations in words and sentences; 10, concert reading.

B. Seat Work:

1, same as in Second Reader; 2, write sentences containing common abbreviations, as Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.; 3, write entire words in place of such contractions as there's, can't, won't, I'm, etc.; 4, write an abstract of the lesson; 5, write a short story about what you see in the picture; 6, write a letter to a friend; 7, copy lists of words, syllabicate and mark accent; 8, give time enough to allow the pupil to make his exercise a practice in penmanship.

V. ADVANCED READING.

A. Classify and thoroughly review the elementary sounds.
B. Voice culture:

1, breathing exercises; 2, qualities of voice, take exercises for
practice; 3, accent; 4, emphasis; 5, inflection; 6, force; 7,
pitch; 8, rate; 9, pauses.

C. Preparation of lesson:

1, correct pronunciation.

NOTE. -The pupil should be able to represent the sounds in every word in the lesson.