Their family become interested.-Second day.-Anecdote.

father, mother, and older brothers and sisters, would resolve themselves into a committee of the whole on the ear of corn. The same, or something like this, would be true in other families in the district; and by the next morning, several children would have somę thing further to communicate on the subject. The hour would this day be awaited with great in.erest, and the first signal would produce perfect silence.

The teacher now takes the ear of co: n from the desk, and displays it before the school; and quite a number of hands are instantly raised as if eager to be the first to tell what other use they have discovered for it.

The teacher now says pleasantly, "The use I am thinking of, you have all observed I have no doubt; it is a very important use indeed; but as it is a little out of the common course, I shall not be surprised if you cannot give it. However you may try."

'It is good to boil !"* says little Susan, almost springing from the floor as she speaks.

*The children themselves will be sure to find some new answers to such questions as the above. In giving in substance this lecture to a gathering of teachers in the Autumn of 1845, in one of the busy villages of New York, where also the pupils of one of the district schools were present by invitation, I had described a process similar to that which has been dwelt upon above. I had given the supposed answers for the first day, and had described the children as pressing the question at home. When I had proceeded as far as to take up the ear of corn the second day, and had spoken of the possibility that the true answer to the question might not be given, I turned almost instinctively to the class of children at my right, saying, "Now what is the ear of corn for?" A little boy some six years of age, who had swallowed every word, and whose face glowed as if there was not rooin enough for his soul within him, bounded upon his feet, and forgetting the publicity of the place, and the gravity of the chairman of the meeting

Older pupils interested.-The secret revealed.

"And it is for squirrels to eat," says little Samuel. "I saw one carry away a whole mouthful yesterday from the cornfield."

Others still mention other uses, which they have observed. They mention other animals which feed upon it, or other modes of cooking it. The older pupils begin to be interested, and they add to the list of uses named. Perhaps, however, none will name the one the teacher has in his own mind; he should cordially welcome the answer if perchance it is given; if none should give it, he may do as he thinks best about giving it himself on this occasion. Perhaps if there is time he may do so,-after the following manner.

"I have told you that the answer I was seeking was a very simple one; it is something you have all observed, and you may be a little disappointed when I tell you. The use I have been thinking of for the ear of corn is this;—It is to plant. It is for seed, to propagate that species of plant called corn.' Here the children may look disappointed, as much as to say, 'we knew that before.'

The teacher continues: "And this is a very important use for the corn; for if for one year none should be planted, and all the ears that grew the year before should be consumed, we should have no more corn. This, then, was the great primary design of the corn; the other uses you have named were merely secondary.

clapping his hands forcibly together, "It's to pop!" he exclaimed emphatically, very much to the amusement of the audience. His mind had been waked up.

A new question.-Another.-Impart instruction.

But I mean to make something more of my ear of corn. My next question is:-Do OTHER PLANTS HAVE SEEDS?"*

Here is a new field of inquiry. Many hands are instantly raised; but as the five minutes by this time. have passed, leave them to answer at the next time.

"Have other plants seeds?" the children begin to inquire in their own minds, and each begins to think over a list of such plants as he is familiar with. When they are dismissed, they look on the way home at the plants by the roadside, and when they reach home, they run to the garden. At the table they inquire of their parents, or their brothers and sisters.

At the next exercise, they will have more than they can tell in five minutes as the results of their own observation and research. When enough has been said by the children as to the plants which have seeds, the next question may be: Do ALL PLANTS HAVE SEEDS? This question will lead to much inquiry at home wherever botany is not well understood. There are many who are not aware that all plants have seeds. Very likely the ferns (common brakes) will be noticed by the children themselves. They may also name several other plants which do not exhibit their apparatus for seed-bearing very conspicuously. This will prepare the way for the teacher to impart a little information. Nor is there any harm in his doing so, whenever he is satisfied that the mind has been suitably exercised.

#Plant is here used in the popular sense

The recipient has gained capacity.-The elm.-A promise.

The mind is no longer a "passive recipient;" and he may be sure that by inquiry it has increased its capacity to contain, and any fact which now answers inquiry, will be most carefully stored up.

The next question may be :-Do TREES HAVE SEEDS? As the children next go out, their eyes are directed to the trees above them. The fruit-trees, the walnut, the oak, and perhaps the pine will be selected as those which have seeds. They will, however, mention quite a number which.do not, or which, they think, do not have seeds. Among these may be the elm, the birch, and the Lombardy poplar. After hearing their opinions, and the results of their observations, take one of their exceptions, as the subject of the next question; Does the Elm have seeds ?* This will narrow their inquiries down to a specific case, and every elm in the district will be inquired of as to its testimony on this point.

If the children can any of them collect and give the truth in the matter, so much the better; but if they, after inquiring of their parents and their grandparents, as I have known a whole school to do, come back insisting that the elm has no seeds; after hearing their reasons for their belief, and perhaps the opinions of their parents, you may promise to tell them something about it at the next exercise. This will again awaken expectation, not only among the children but among the

* It is a very common opinion in the country that the elm has no seeds I once knew a man who grew gray under the shade of a large elm, and who insisted that it never bore any seeds.

A caution.-Example of teaching.

parents. All will wish to know what you have to bring out.

Great care should be taken not to throw any disparagement upon the opinions of parents. Perhaps after giving the signal for attention, you may proceed as follows:

"Has the elm-tree any seeds? Perhaps, children, you may recollect after the cold winter has passed away, that, along in the latter part of March or the first of April, we sometimes have a warm, sunny day. The birds perhaps appear and begin to sing a little, and as you look up to the elm, you notice that its buds seem to swell, and you think it is going to put out its leaves. Everybody says we are going to have an early spring. But after this the cold frosty nights and windy days come on again, and then you think the leaves cannot come out so early. Now, if you observe carefully, the leaves do not come out till about the 20th of May or perhaps the first of June. Did you ever see any thing like what I have described ?"

"Yes, sir, we remember that."

'Well, the next time you see the buds begin to open, just break off a twig of a good large tree, and you will find they are not the leaf-buds. But if you will watch them carefully for two or three weeks, you will find that each bud will put out some beautiful little flowers, brightly colored, and slightly fragrant. If you will still continue to watch them, you will find as the flowers fall off, that seed-vessels are formed, shaped very much like the parsnip seed. These will grow larger and