cases where, because a teacher had saved two or three hundred pounds, managers have refused certificates of need, as if the interest from that sum were sufficient to keep anyone in his old age. Then again the original minutes fixed the maximum pension at two-thirds of the average salary, while the maximum at present is £30, and I have not heard of anyone receiving even the maximum. Now, I ask you, is it fair that the clearly expressed intentions of the Government in 1846 should be so misinterpreted now? Mr. Christie, in seconding, said that, like Desdemona, "He did there perceive divided duty." He did not know whether he was speaking to a professional or a general audience. He would, however, solve the difficulty by imitating the Education Department, and, refusing to recognise them as teachers, he would look upon them as citizens. In the resolution on this subject at York it was said that the action of the Government in the matter of pensions was prejudical to the interests of education, and he maintained that it was so. Education was something more than instruction. Teachers were instructors rather than educators. Every parent, every public man, in short everybody who could be observed of anybody else was an educator, and the Government of a great empire like ours were educators in the highest degree. They set the fashion, and what they did would for the time be held respectable. The Government had made solemn promises to teachers and had broken those promises. That was a serious matter, for the Government had in that way taught the people that promises could be made for a definite purpose and then disregarded when the purpose had been attained. How could teachers convince their pupils that justice and honour were above all intellectual attainments, when the Government of the country acted in defiance of justice and honour? Honour to whom honour was due, and the honour of breaking faith with the teachers was due to the Right Hon. Robert Lowe, who could not yet be described as "of blessed memory." It was to be deplored that for any consideration the Government had set an example of repudiation. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr. Day proposed the next resolution: "That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that the office of inspector of schools should be thrown open to public competition, and that all persons appointed to this office should possess a knowledge of the theory and practice of education." They brought this matter before the public because the granting of what was asked would be in the interest of education and economy. In all other professions the man who examined was practically acquainted with the work which he had to examine, but in the teaching profession the inspectors appointed were young men fresh from the Universities-young men well educated, it is true, but entirely ignorant of the art and science of teaching. He did not wish to speak at all disparagingly of the staff of inspectors as a whole, for there were amongst inspectors many men for whom teachers felt the highest regard. But he did protest against young men whose only claims were that they were well educated, being appointed to examine schools and to pass a judgment on the work of persons who had in many instances been teachers before these young men were born. And this was where the extravagance came in. These young men were kept for a considerable time in the company of an inspector of experience that they might learn something about the work they had to do. Of course while they were serving this apprenticeship they were being paid. Now, if teachers were appointed they would be already thoroughly acquainted with the work, and would have to serve no apprenticeship. And why were teachers not appointed? There was a rule which said that inspectors must have graduated with honours in certain Universities. Now there were teachers who had graduated with honours in Dublin and London, but these were not eligible. The fact was that the Lord President had now a certain amount of patronage in his hands, and he was unwilling to relinquish this. He did not want a man to be made an inspector simply because he was a teacher, but if a man was eligible in every other way he did not wish him to be debarred from the office simply because he was a teacher. Every inspector should be a man of broad culture and a gentleman, and he should in addition be practically acquainted with teaching. The London School Board had appointed schoolmasters for its inspectors and might well be proud of the men it had appointed. Mr. Gill, in seconding, said that the disability of teachers in this respect was a blot upon our educational system, and this disability was maintained simply on account of class prejudices. In every other country the highest offices in the teaching profession were open to the worthiest men, and that was all he asked in England. The resolution was carried unanimously. Mr. Rankilor then moved: "That in the opinion of this meeting no person should be permitted to practice the vocation of teaching unless he holds a diploma from some recognised educational body, and has his name on a public register of qualified teachers." He said that this might be looked upon as an attempt to introduce the objectionable principle of protection. But, no man was allowed to practice medicine unless he held a proper diploma. If, then, it was deemed and rightly deemed advisable that there should be no quackery where the body was concerned, how much more important was it that there should be no quackery where the mind was concerned? If, then, it were granted that teachers ought to have a diploma of fitness, the question arose what was a diploma of fitness? Was the certificate of the Education Department? He maintained that it was not, because the standard of acquirements necessary for the possession of that certificate constantly varied. The requirements of a diploma were--first, that it should require a certain amount of intellectual ability and a practical acquaintance with the art of teaching; and secondly, that the standard should not be raised or lowered to meet the supposed exigences of supply and demand. If he was asked who should grant teachers' diplomas, he answered the Universities. They already examined the forward pupils in elementary and other schools, and he thought they should also examine the masters. Indeed, he thought that the Universities should have begun with the teachers and then come down to the scholars. He was not satisfied with the ordinary University degree as a diploma of fitness, for that degree only related to intellectual ability, and a teacher must have something more than intellectual ability-he must have practical skill in teaching. Mr. Heller, in seconding the resolution, said that he would not travel into the question of who should grant teachers' diplomas, although he was of opinion that these diplomas should be issued by some independent educational council rather than by the Universities. He rose to urge in the interests of the parents, and in the interests of the children, that those who were the teachers of the young should be fitted for their work. There was no greater obstacle in the way of compulsory education than the fact that there were so many schools conducted by persons who were not qualified to be teachers, and who, if the resolution was carried into effect, would be excluded from the quackery they are now allowed to practice. If we require from the doctor some evidence of his fitness to practice medicine, we should also surely require some evidence of fitness from the persons who had to deal with the minds and form the character of the future generation. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman, moved by Mr. Gardner, and seconded by Mr. Sneath. THE EDITOR'S BOX. Answers to the following Questions are requested for insertion in the next number. The Editor will also be glad to receive suitable Questions. Only one side of the paper should be written upon, and the writer's name should be appended to every answer. They should reach the Editor by the 15th inst. The answers should be written on separate slips of paper, sewn together at the ends. QUESTIONS FOR MAY, 1877. 1. Supposing that the duty on spirits was 6s. 3d. per gallon, and that 10,740,000 gallons were consumed, find how the revenue would be effected if the duty had increased 30 per cent, whilst the consumption was reduced 3 per cent? 2. An army in a defeat loses one-sixth of its number and 8,000 prisoners. After being reinforced by 6,000 men, it again loses one-fourth of its number in retreat, and there are 36,000 left. What was the original force?-(From Johnston's "Civil Service Arithmetic.") ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS IN THE APRIL NUMBER. 1. If a certain man walk 24 miles in 40 minutes, taking exactly a yard each step, in what time will another man walk 43 miles whose stride is 40 inches, but who takes only 21 steps while the former takes 22? By compound proportion : 2. A coal merchant has £30,000 invested in rolling and other stock. He buys coal at 11s. a ton, and its freight averages 6s. 6d. The expenses in town are reckoned as equivalent to a dead-weight charge of £3,000 a year, plus a tonnage charge of Is. 6d. a ton. Supposing the selling price to be 28s. a ton, how many tons must he sell annually to cover his expenses and pay 5 per cent on his capital? (No answer has been returned to this question.) 3. A man and a boy engaged to draw a field of turnips for 21s. ; but when two-fifths of the work was done the boy ran away, and the man then finished it alone. The consequence was that the work occupied 11 days more than it should have done. Now the boy could do only half a man's work, and is paid in proportion. What did each receive per day? (From "Wood's Algebra.”) Answered arithmetically: Then Value of boy's time for of the piecework 1 day, Man's time 2 X 1 =2 days. In which both together could have finished the piece. Total time 4 days. 215.4= 5's. per day. Boy's wage, of 5y = 147s. Man's wage, Boy worked 1 day at 17s. = 2ts. Man worked 5 days at 3 = 18s. L. H. R. Ans. Boy, Is. 8'16d. per day. Man, 3s. 4'32d. per day. The National Schoolmaster. SUMMARY. T is satisfactory to find that the agitation against corporal punishment is somewhat declining in vigour. Our readers will see in our article on School Boards what has taken place in connection with this subject within the last month. The London School Board, having committed a foolish act in forbidding the infliction of punishment immediately after the offence, have had the wisdom to rescind it. The fourth annual meeting of Bishop Otter's College for Schoolmistresses, at Chichester, was held on May 16th. The new wing to the college is now completed, but a debt of £300 remains. There are 39 students in the college. Earl Granville spoke at the 72nd general meeting of the British and Foreign School Society. The noble earl indulged in a few historical reminiscences, which seemed to imply that by the abolition of the teaching of Creeds and Catechisms in Board Schools, we had reached the summit of civilisation. The French have invented a new science called Takimetry, and a manual on the subject is published by the Messrs. Collins. "Takimetry" (from Taxỳ μerpéw, I measure rapidly) is the name given by its author to a method which enables persons unacquainted with Mathamatical Formulæ to acquire, in a short time, a knowledge of the means of ascertaining the geometrical contents of plane and solid figures, that is, the super? ficial and solid contents of bodies." No. 79.-June, 1877. REVIEWS. Collins's Second Grade Examination Papers. Geometry. By T. N. Andrews. THESE papers consist of forty-two Examination Sheets, set in the Second Grade, Geometrical Examinations in March, May, and November, 1875-6. The solutions are given in fourteen accompanying sheets. As a preparation for the examinations of the Science and Art Department, no better work than this could be performed by the pupil. Manual of Plane Trigonometry. By James Henchie. T. Murby. MR. HENCHIE explains in his preface that his book is intended as a manual for students preparing for Stages II. and III. in this subject in the May examination of the Science and Art Department. The ordinary manuals on trigonometry are both very expensive and deal with matters beyond the requirements of this examination. At the end of each chapter Mr. Henchie gives full solutions of a number of problems set at the examinations within the last four or five years. The examples seem to be carefully graduated, and the work, as a whole, suitable for the purposes for which it was compiled. Collins's Second-Grade Geometrical Test Papers. Collins's First-Grade Freehand Specimen Papers. By T. U. Andrews, Charles School, Plymouth. THE first of these sets of papers consists of 30 separate sheets, each containing some half-dozen problems to be worked. The second of them contains 36 papers, with examples in freehand drawing, each paper containing the drawing and a space in which it is to be copied. Such series of drawing papers as these are now indispensable, because they place the pupil in the most advantageous position for succeeding in the examinations of the Science and Art Department. The freehand copies are similar to those that are set in the May examinations, and similar directions how they are to be copied are given. The Student's Manual of Spelling. By Francis Bullock, LL.D. New Edition. London: Simpkin & Marshall. Manchester: John Heywood. A NEW edition of this book opportunely makes its appearance at a time when there is considerable agitation on the subject of spelling. The spelling demon is here exorcised in a work of 192 pages, at a cost of eighteenpence. At the rate of four pages a week, not a very grievous burden to bear, the schoolboy would be free of his tormentor in a year, and if he went through the book with additional care during a second course the evil spirit of bad spelling would be certain never to return. But Mr. Jones might say, "What a waste of time!" We do not think so. The accomplishment of difficult tasks strengthens the mind, and a boy who has mastered the intricacies of spelling will have increased powers to attack things still more difficult. Besides, Dr. Bullock has other things besides mechanical correctness of spelling in his mind. The book might also be termed "The Student's Manual of Etymology," and it would be equally correct. Dr. Bullock also gives the meaning of about 800 of the most difficult words in the language, comprising scientific terms, and terms used in natural philosophy and physical geography. Even if Mr. Jones abolishes spelling, by making us write come cum, there will be still the etymology of the language to learn (unless that is to be abolished too), and there will be still the meaning of these 8co words to acquire. It would take the pupil about the same time to master the etymology and meaning of these words in the future as it does now to acquire the correct spelling of them in addition to these accomplishments. We, therefore, strongly recommend our readers to make Dr. Bullock their friend and adviser in the spelling difficulty, and not to depend on Mr. Jones. It is barely possible the National Schoolmaster may be printed in Mr. Jones's style some time in the twentieth century; but that will be when the present editor, with most of his readers, together with Mr. Jones himself, have passed into forgetfulness. Elementary Physical Geography. By A. Findlater, M.A. W. and R. Chambers. Mr. FINDLATER explains in the preface to this book that "although the Science and Art Department will not, after 1878, allow payments for Physical Geography by itself, a knowledge of it, as is expressly stated, will still be required in all who present themselves for examination in the new subjects of Physiography. The heads under which Mr. Findlater treats his subject are the following: Astronomical Geography, the Crust of the Earth, the Surface of the Earth, the Atmosphere, Climate, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes, Distribution of Plants and Animals, Distribution of Man. These subjects are treated in a remarkable, clear, and interesting manner. It is quite a pleasure to read such a book. The chapter on the Distribution of Man is especially interesting. There is an exhaustive list of questions given at the end of the book. It contains numerous charts, diagrams, and illustrations, which considerably add to its value. Domestic Economy for Girls. Edited by Rev. E. T. Stevens, M.A. Book III. THIS book treats of "The Work, Health, Morals, Income, and Expenditure of the Household," and it does so in a peculiarly interesting manner. The lessons are, for the most part, thrown into the shape of conversations between mother and daughter, mistress and servant, and are often very attractively illustrated. They teem with points of practical wisdom, and are just the kind of reading to place in the hands of a young servant. An enumeration of the subjects of a few of the chapters will give our readers a good idea of the scope of the work. We have "Washing Up," Cleaning "Boot Cleaning,' Furniture," Going Shopping," "The Housemaid," "The Sick Room," "The Dairymaid,' ""The Laundrymaid," "Ironing," "Savings Banks," a 66 series of lessons on "The Morals of Domestic Servants,' the "Ventilation and Drainage of Houses," "Water Supply," "Intemperance," and the more common ailments that human nature is liable to. It is a most admirable book, and should be placed in the hands of every girl in our national schools. Pupil-Teacher's Handbook. By a Practical Teacher. Sons, & Co. W. Collins, We have here a variety of excellent hints to a pupil-teacher on the performance of his daily work, of a much more detailed nature than are given in books on school management. On such points there will be a variety of procedure in different schools, and it is possible that many of the instructions here given will be contrary to the general practice of the school. It is well that there should be no iron uniformity in such matters, for the source of the success of a school is the thoroughness with which the system adopted is carried out-it does not matter very much what the system may be. It will be, however, a great advantage for the pupil-teacher to have thrown into a system a list of rules for the performance of his daily work; it will be equivalent to giving him an insight into the working of another school. He cannot fail to obtain many improved methods of teaching the various subjects of instruction. Bemroses' Collegiate Copy-books. Bemroses' 1875 Code Copy-books. THESE books commence not with the elementary forms of handwriting, but with words in small text-hand, with capital letters. The copies consist of definitions in grammar and geography and historical facts. They are of large quarto size, and the paper is firm, thick, and smooth. There are two copies on every page, and the series, contains a remarkable variety of different kinds of small-hand writing. Such books as these will be in demand at the best board and national schools, though the title, 'Collegiate," seems to indicate that they were prepared for grammar schools and colleges. When a boy has mastered the elementary forms of the alphabet it is perhaps the truest economy to furnish him with a really good copy-book, with clear copies and good paper, as he will be more likely to take pains with his work. The same publishers issue, in a smaller size, a series entitled "The 1875 Code Copy-books," which furnishes about two copy-books to meet the requirements of every standard in the Code. |