A few common errors are subjoined :·

I. Do not say there is not much to such a person or thing, but use of or in instead of to. This may not be recognized as a common vulgarism, but since it is to be found in one of our standard magazines, it must have crept into high places.

2. Do not use commence before a verb in the infinitive mood. You may commence a piece of work, but you begin to work. Rev. Mr. Hale is justly severe on the misuse of commence, and the good usage of speakers and writers will suggest this rule for the word.

3.

Watch the distinction between adverbs and adjectives. Do not say the vase of flowers looks prettily, since it does not act. You simply mean that it is pretty, and the adjective should be used in that, or any similar case.

4. Do not use without for unless. It is wrong to say, "I shall not go without you do"; you mean unless you do.

5. Commit thoroughly the list of irregular verbs, so that done shall never be substituted for did, or mistake made in the use of any imperfect tense, or perfect participle.

6. Never give the pronoun immediately after the proper name, as, Mr. Blank he said so, or Mrs. Blank she did so. If this seems a very ignorant blunder, it is still true that it is sometimes heard, even from educated people.

Expletives are to be avoided as far as possible, since they are thoughtlessly suffered to overgrow conversation, lead to exaggeration, and weaken the force of expression. It is useless to say, "I never in my life saw such a thing," which does not impress one so much as, I never saw, etc." "There is nothing in the world I dislike so much, etc." Here the phrase "in the world" adds no significance. Clearness, simplicity, and correctness in conversation lay the best foundation for the more fascinating qualities, which can never retain their influence without this solid groundwork.

AN EDUCATED BRAIN.

WE recognize the immense strides that have been made in the Physical Sciences; but, as educators, we recognize in the sciences, belonging, as they do, to the world below us, no substi

tute for a sound philosophy of human nature; but, rather, as the physical sciences advance, giving man more power over matter, we see a more urgent need of a higher philosophy and a deeper religious life, that these physical agencies may be wielded for the good of man and the glory of God. While a certain class of scholars are looking to the forces of matter alone for a solution of all the problems of the world, we declare our belief that not only social and moral problems, but the great problems of physical life even, that now perplex philosophers and divide the schools, will find their solution in a more perfect study of man's intellectual and moral nature. Strange it is that the intellect, the great agent by which the wonders of creation are to be unfolded, and the questions at issue settled, if they ever are settled; and the moral nature, by which man differs from all other beings on the globe in rank and vastness of interest,- strange it is that this complex nature, which is distinctively human, should receive so small a share of attention in the schemes of education, in some of them being entirely ignored.

The world cries out with indignation against the crime of putting ignorant engineers in charge where property and life are endangered; but ignorance of all those sciences, which are branded as "metaphysical" by way of reproach, seems, with many, a recommendation for places of trust in our schools, where these higher powers are to be studied by the pupils, or the happiness and efficiency of the man to be imperilled by the defective training he receives. And so we have the absurdity of which we spoke, practical systems of education ignoring the only practical thing in the universe, a thoroughly educated brain. And no brain is thoroughly educated that does not fully understand its own powers, and the best conditions of its activity in the detection of error and the search for truth.

Intellectual science and physical must go hand in hand. Physical science is useful in measuring base lines, thus securing checks to wild speculation; but intellectual science triangulates abysses that physical science could never cross with its measuring line.

He who would give us the outline of our globe, must use both the measuring line and the theodolite; and he who would give us

the outline of that science which the world now most needs, a true science of life, must have at his command, in their perfection, all the instruments and means needed for the solution of the problems. He must not think that the balance and polariscope and microscope can settle all the higher problems of life, nor must he live in such a world of speculation as to forget that we are also in a world of matter, that will have a hearing even after philosophers have decided that it is nothing but a dream, a world that has laws of its own which it will declare to the coming generation, however men of the present age may shut their eyes to the truth, manufacture facts which nature disowns, or misinterpret those that have her indorsement. - Inaugural Address, Pres. Chadbourne, Williams College.

OUR SCHOOLS.

A TRAIN OF SERIOUS THOUGHTS.

It is a most gratifying fact that we recently find, not only in every journal of science, but also in every newspaper of respectable tendency, articles and discussions on the question of our present school education. For years past our school system has been so much boasted of that the people seem to be perfectly hoodwinked; and any idea thrown out by single thoughtful individuals questioning our superiority, and suggesting improvements, has been hooted at, when it should have been regarded worthy of grave consideration. Happily, that time appears to be passing away, and better ideas are generated and ripening in the public mind.

While thoughtless, not to say ignorant, writers are boasting, thinking and observing men are cognizant of the fact, that our school system is anything but perfect, and our teaching in many cases nothing but a parrot-like training of the memory,— committing to memory and reciting, — while it ought to be training of the mind to conceive, digest, reflect upon, and retain knowledge, science, and ideas.

The young mind was and is so much confined to spelling, defining, and verbal recitation without thinking, that we very fre

quently in common life meet with, not only children, but adult individuals (victims of the habit) who cannot comprehend a single sentence without referring to their "spelling and defining" stock of knowledge; who are never ready to give an intelligent answer, from the fact that in puzzling over the meaning of single words, they have failed to grasp the meaning or force of the entire sen

tence.

Even our courts of justice afford us a grave proof of this relying on book-reciting more than on common-sense. A plain common sentence, spoken or written, the meaning of which is well understood by every person of sound mind, is not unfrequently misconstrued, and a Webster or Worcester is called for to clear up the definition of a single word! And thus, the true conception of the meaning of the whole sentence is often perverted to benefit the party in wrong! Such deviations from common-sense and reason were not so much in practice fifty or a hundred years ago, and they are not now found in any other nation. If we cannot understand what a man says, without referring to a dictionary or spelling-book, our mind is certainly in a morbid state through ill training. It is an inheritance, or natural consequence of our school learning.

We do not find this weakness of conception and comprehension in our conversation with old people who went to school forty or fifty years ago. Teachers of those days taught the children in the method of common-sense; made them understand whatever they had to learn. They did not rely on the school-books for the verbum dictum of question or answer, but only for the idea or fact to be considered. Nowadays it reflects very little credit and honor on our teaching bodies to see the questions to be put to the pupils, printed at the foot of the pages of the school-books !

Of course we have teachers who never look to the foot of the page, but who know how to question each pupil according to individual capacity. But the idea that there is a necessity to put questions into any teacher's mouth, is repulsive and abominable. We would here enlarge on the matter of school-books,-how manufactured, and imposed upon the schools like three, five, and seven years' locust swarms, to the utter disgust of the teacher, whose efforts and good results are broken down by the new books,—

but as it would take too much space for this paper, we will let it pass, and only invoke the co-operation of all sincere competent teachers to protest with all their power against this absurdity of continually changing books for instruction. The expense to parents may be considerable, but it is a mere trifle in comparison with the breaking down of the educational constitution.

The successive order of teaching matters of knowledge and science seems to be very little, if at all, regulated in most country schools. For instance, Geography is introduced before the pupils have learned to read and write well enough; and while Writing is too much neglected, teachers are obliged to teach Drawing to pupils who cannot write their names properly. We know full well the utility and importance of learning to draw; but everything at the proper time, and when that time arrives, competent teachers should be employed, otherwise natural ability and taste may be spoiled. And here we feel justified in remarking, that the law obliging all teachers to teach an art (drawing) which they do not know, the very rudiments of which they have to acquire while they are teaching the same to their pupils, must appear to every reflecting mind as one of those immature conceptions which must end in abortion.

We must, above all, remember that the true republican principle of education is to educate the masses, so that the majority may be hereafter something to believe in, to rely on. Thus all children ought to receive equal attention, no matter how far some are advanced by home education; and inferior minds are entitled to the especial care of the primary school-teacher.

But here we come to consider a radical error in our school education, and it cannot be too strongly urged upon the grave consideration of both teachers and parents. We mean the first school days of the children. Failures in subsequent schools, in the development of the capacity, capability, and docility of pupils, as well as in the best efforts of the best teachers,-nay, even the want of mental and moral power of individuals at home, in the Commonwealth, and in Congress, may often be traced back to the Primary school.

In order to fully understand this "radical error" in Primary schools, it will be necessary, volens-nolens, to compare the Ger