332 Female Academy at Bradford, Mass. palpably every day, and children tell the tale at home in a thousand nameless but impressive ways. It must be a sturdy parent who can withhold his influence, when the teacher recommends himself to his judgment and his heart He loves the school the better for not being teased with the personal request of the teacher to take an interest in it, but is allowed to judge from the evidence. Besides, why should the teacher add to all his appropriate duties, — the duties of the school-room, the unnatural and extraordinary out-door work of going from house to house to call in foreign aid? Let him drive his trade — let him keep his school well; let him love his scholars and instruct them well; and if anything is to be done out of doors, there is a school committee or a board of trustees to do it. The teacher is to work on children's minds, and not on prejudiced parents' hearts.' Too much credit cannot be given to Mr Hall, of Andover, for a second voluntary, extemporaneous lecture, on Geology, on Saturday morning. It is to be hoped the Association will be favored, ere long, with his views at length, on the subject of Grammar; a subject upon which he has written something, and thought much. The writer regrets that it was not in his power to hear the lecture of Mr Rantoul on Political Science as a branch of Popular Education,' and that of Rev. Dr Emerson, on the use of the Bible in schools,' but the known talents of both these gentlemen warrant him in saying their lectures must have been of a high order. On the whole, the occasion was full of interest. The work of the teacher magnifies every day, and this meeting has done much to impress all present with a thought contained in the closing number of the Quarterly Journal of Education; The human mind, like fire-arms, is a dangerous thing to play with; and every imaginable atom of it is continually at work for good or for evil.' C. FEMALE ACADEMY AT BRADFORD, MASS. A friend handed us, not long since, a pamphlet entitled an 'Appeal of the Trustees of Bradford Academy, to the Friends of Female Education.' From this pamphlet we derive the following information respecting this ancient- and, according to the best information we have been able to procure,- this highly respectable and useful semi nary. It consists of a male and a female department; but the latter, which has been established between thirty and forty years, has been the most distinguished. The Trustees propose shortly to abolish the male department wholly; and concentrate all their efforts, to enlarge and improve the female department. The present teachers in the female department - Miss Abigail C. Common Schools in New York. 383 Hasseltine, and Miss Sarah Kimball, - have been constantly employed in the institution for fifteen or twenty years; and it is expected that their services will be continued. This of itself is a high commendation of the school. It would require much time and space to go through with, and do justice to the course of study required at the Bradford academy. It is certainly enlarged and liberal, and, it seems to us, thorough. Three years are required for its completion, although pupils have been, and will continue to be admitted for a shorter term. Without going into details, we may say that the principal general objects of the course are thorough mental discipline, and the acquisition of substantial practical knowledge— literary, moral and religious. It is to make woman what she should be as a mother, a teacher, a citizen, and a christian. We hope something will be done to render these nurseries of human character permanent. If the present able conductors of the Bradford Academy should be removed by death or otherwise, what security have we that the school-unendowed, would not cease? Ought a college for young men ought Yale or Cambridge to be dependent for their existence on the popularity of a certain set of teachers or professors ? And yet every argument for rendering Yale or Cambridge permanent, would be equally strong in favor of the permanency of our better sort of female seminaries. THE PENNSYLVANIA LYCEUM. The Report of this Lyceum to the American or National Lyceum, at its last session in New York, is one of great interest. It presents, in detail, its origin, its history and progress, and the ends it proposes to accomplish. We hope to find room, in our next, for an abstract of the Report. A partial account of the character of this Lyceum, was given in our number for October last, but it is worthy of a full and perfect representation. COMMON SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK. We have just received the last Annual Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools in the State of New York, made to the Legislature, Jan. 6, 1836. It is a neat pamphlet of 120 octavo pages, and contains a vast amount of valuable school statistics. There were in New York at the close of the year 1884, 10,132 organized school districts; annual reports were made from 9,676 of these schools to the commissioners. The schools had been kept during an average period of eight months a year, and the whole number of children who were instructed in them was 541,401. The cost of these schools, except the expense of repairing school-houses, is estimated at 334 Progress of Instruction at Algiers. $1,230,931. To pay this sum, $100,000 was distributed from the common school fund, and $100,000 more raised by taxation on the towns. The proportion of these two sums, united, to each scholar, is somewhat less than forty cents a year. Some progress has been made in establishing school libraries. Several have been commenced, and the necessary inquiries and preparations are making in regard to others. We are glad to see any indications of care in making a selection. A great responsibility devolves on those who select the books for these libraries. But on this topic we have something to say in a future number. PROGRESS OF INSTRUCTION AT ALGIERS. The friends of humanity would scarcely have expected, that the insolence of the Dey of Algiers, or the wounded pride of a French Consul, would lead to the introduction of European education and improvements into the north of Africa; and yet such is the result which Providence appears to have in view. A report from the Baron Pasquier, Civil Intendant of Algiers, addressed to Mr Jomard, of the Institute of France, gives a very encouraging view of the progress of public instruction in the places possessed by the French. In the city of Algiers, nine places of instruction are mentioned: 1. The first is termed 'The College of Algiers, in which the Greek, Latin, Arabic, and French languages are taught, with history, geography, and the mathematics. It contains 36 pupils, French, Spanish, and Italian. 2. A course of instruction in the Arabic language, which is gratuitous for any who choose to attend. 3. A gratuitous school of mutual instruction for the elementary branches, containing 140 pupils, French, German, Spanish, Maltese and natives. The number of natives is 30; all of whom, except one, are Jews. 4. A private school for boys in the elementary branches, containing 35 European pupils. 5. Four private schools for girls, containing 102 pupils, of whom, 40 are instructed gratuitously. Two of these schools give instruction in the Christian religion, and in needle work. Some of the pupils are natives. Deli Ibrahim, contains a school for mutual instruction, attended at different hours of the day, by 39 European boys and 28 girls. Oran has a similar school, containing 62 boys, European and natives; and Bona two schools, with 46 boys and 22 girls. These schools are all gratuitous, and in the three last, linear drawing is taught to the boys, and needle work to the girls, in addition to the elementary branches. It is cheering to see light breaking in upon Africa from the West and the South, the East and the North. May the rays of science and reli gion soon reach its benighted interior! AMERICAN ANNALS OF EDUCATION AND INSTRUCTION. AUGUST, 1836. ever. CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. THERE is a growing prejudice, in the community, against the infliction of corporal punishment on children, in any case whatSo true is this, that a teacher who should attempt to secure obedience by the use of the rod, or the ferule, even, in one of those obstinate cases which here and there occur, would run the risk of losing his reputation forever; especially should he adopt and pursue a rule which it was once supposed was sanctioned by experience-that of continuing the correction at proper and reasonable intervals, till the child submits. I am far from defending the frequent use of these instruments of punishment; neither am I disposed to appeal to the Bible, in support of their occasional use. The rod,' of which that volume speaks, I conceive to mean no more than the means, whatever they may be, of sustaining parental authority: or, rather, it is used as the emblem of authority. It appears to me that, in this respect at least, the scriptures have left it to ourselves to learn from experience what modes of securing discipline are the most appropriate and humane. One object in punishing, whatever be the method, is the present and future good of the child. If a little present pain, either mental or physical, appears to me likely to secure to the child an amount of happiness at some future period, sufficient not only to outweigh the pain, but even to render it in the end a blessing to him, in proportion to the certainty with which it appears to me I can foretel results, will be my conviction of the duty of inflicting it. But in inflicting either, it is not necessary that it be public. On the contrary, it is obviously better in all 336 Domestic Correspondence. DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENCE. ON WRITING. MR EDITOR-I am somewhat anxious to know whether the discussion is ended between your correspondent A. and Mr Foster, on the utility of large text hand in writing. For my own part, I hoped to see the subject kept up for some time. I have been, during much of my life, a country schoolmaster. I was taught on a plan not unlike that of Mr Foster, and commenced teaching in the same way. But I never wrote a good hand, and seldom made my pupils better writers than their master; while I had the mortification of seeing here and there an individual who excelled both me and them without ever writing coarse hand' at all; or if any, but very little. The more I observed, and examined, and inquired, the more doubtful I became of the usefulness of large text hand. I found, also, that I was not alone; but that other teachers were in the same way of thinking. Indeed, Mr Editor, I believe that one fourth, if not one third of the best and most experienced teachers I have known are among the number. Now, sir, I think this subject one of very great importance, and I wish you would exert your influence to prevent its being so soon dropped. The time and the habits of our pupils are of too much importance to justify spending so much time in writing, to so little purpose, as they have been accustomed to do. If Mr Foster's is the true system let us know more of it; and let it be extensively circulated. On the other hand, if he is wrong, and if A., and those who view the matter in the same light that he does, can shew that this is the fact, I think they are bound to do so. Yours, respectfully, AN OLD TEACHER. ON TEACHING VOCAL MUSIC. N— B▬▬d, May 7, 1836. MR EDITOR It may not be uninteresting to you, to learn the result of my teaching, since I was in the city last autumn, at the Teachers' Class, under the instruction of Messrs Mason and Webb. Since that time, I have had five adult schools, including 320 members; two juvenile schools, 80 in number, all taught on the Pestalozzian system. It meets the approbation of the people very generally. The number of lessons given to each school, was 24, and of course their knowledge must be very limited. I have in contemplation the present season three or four juvenile schools, which will embrace a number of the pupils that attended last season. This new system is far more interesting, both to teacher and pupil, than the old one, and much more beneficial. Respectfully, yours, T. J. G. |