EDUCATIONAL ITEMS.

OHIO.

FRANKFORT, Ross Co.-The Union School here is under the superintend ence of E. Adamson, assisted by Mrs. S. L. Adamson and Misses R. B. Wiley and L. Dunlap. A very commendable and increasing interest is manifested by the citizens. The entire school population, according to the census of 1856, is 305. Of these, 175, or a little over 85 per cent. have been enrolled in the school since the 15th of last September. The average attendance for the last month was 157, or 77 per cent of the school population, and 87 per cent. of the number enrolled. The Superintendent says he would like to compare notes with other places on such points, and thereby stir each other up to an emulation in regard to general and punctual attendance. The present number enrolled is 183. Several of these are non-resident pupils.

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF CLEVELAND-1855-6.-This is a creditable pamphlet of 90 pages, neatly printed, illustrated with views of several school houses in that prosperous (Lake and) Forest City.

Charles Bradburn succeeds Mr. Geo. Willey as President of the Board, and Andrew Freese continues Superintendent of Instruction.

The vacation of the schools will extend from July 10th to September 15th. There are 61 schools under the direction of this Board. Central High School, 1; Branch High School, 1; Grammar Schools, 8; Intermediate 20; Primary, 31. Teachers, 71; average number of pupils belonging, 3790; average daily attendance, 3311.

Mr. E. E. White, recently in charge of the Central High School, now Superintendent of the Public Schools at Portsmouth, is spoken of as an experienced educator, whose labors with them have been arduous, and that eminent praise is due him for organizing and remodeling the school.

The report of a capable and faithful Superintendent of Schools is always a document worth more than the speculative theories of editors and preachers, and in that of Mr. Freese we find some rare "nuggets."

We advert to the caption of "attendance" with more than pleasure. If, as he states, good teachers will always secure regular attendance, by having thoroughly taught and well conducted schools, the teachers of Cleveland are near about No. 1.

We had marked several passages for our columns, but limited space forbids. On the 6th of March the Toledo High School "commencement" takes place. How pleasant to use that word in connection with this other phrase, "The People's Colleges!'

The Teachers' Institute of Athens Co., commencing on the 31st of March, and continuing three days, will be held at Albany, Athens Co.

-By defalcation of a County Treasurer, the Public Schools of Dayton were, recently, on the point of being dismissed, eleven weeks before the close of the session; but the School Board determined to devote sufficient for their support from the building fund.

-A pupil of the High School of Cleveland, named Gardener, made the accur rate drawing from which the lithograph of the High School was printed, the impress of which appeared in the school report. Encourage drawing in our schools!

-A teachers' meeting for the counties of Fayette, Highland and Ross, was held at Greenfield, on the 6th and 7th of February. An excellent address was delivered by Rev. Mr. Ritchie, on the question-"What ought our Common Schools to be?" and an interesting essay was read by T. H. Herdman, Superintendent of the Greenfield Union School, on the "Rewards of the Teacher."

An Association was organized by the name of the "Union Educational Association of Fayette, Highland and Ross counties," with the following officers for the ensuing year: President, E. Adamson, Frankfort, Ross Co.; Vice Presidents, T. H. Herdman, Greenfield, Highland Co.; D. C. Eastman, Bloomingburg, Fayette Co; and W. Chamberlain, of Ross Co.; Secretary, (ex officio Treas urer,) J. D. Trevett, Chillicothe, Ross Co.

The next meeting of the Association will be held at Frankfort, Ross Co., on Friday and Saturday, the 1st and 2d of May. An address will be delivered on Friday evening, by T. H. Herdman, and appointments have been made for essays and other interesting exercises.

-Teachers' Advocate, Dayton, Feb. 57. Bro. Ellinwood gives us a spirited paper. It contains a view of the Union school house at Troy, Miami Co. We hope to visit soon the Trojan heroes. He thus announces recent changes in the Cincinnati schools:

"Mr. H. Edwards, formerly Principal of the first District, has been appointed Principal of the third Intermediate School. Mr. J. B. Trevor, late assistant in the first Intermediate School, has been appointed Principal of the thirteenth District. Mr. A. Page, who has been for some time past first Assistant in the fourth Intermediate has accepted the situation of Principal of the tenth District, and W. F. Forbes has been promoted to the place of first Assistant, in the fourth Intermediate.

"We think the Cincinnati Board are acting in a prudent and sensible manner in thus promoting teachers who have been tried and proved successful in their city schools, in preference to filling the situations with strangers, however well recommended such persons may come."

We may add that Mr. Mason D. Parker, late Principal of the tenth District, one of the most promising young teachers in Ohio, has taken charge, as Principal, of the sixth District school in the new building on Elm street, and Mr. Matthew Whilldin, a graduate of the Philadelphia High School, has been raised from the post of Assistant, temporaily to the charge, as Principal, of the 1st District school.

A course of popular lectures is being delivered at Norwalk, under the direction of the High School.

-270 scholars are reported as enrolled in the Union Schools, Jackson C. H., Jackson Co., in this state.

-Alphonso E. Wolcott, formerly of Granville, a teacher at Coal Grove, Lawrence Co., died on the 10th of January.

-The Bucyrus newspapers contain the address of Mr. John Hopley, Superintendent of the Union Schools, on Music; the occasion being a concert given by the juvenile class.

Mr. Hopley is librarian of the Union School Library, open to the public on Saturday afternoon.

There are now 40 pupils at Willoughby University, at Tawawa Springs, near Xenia, O., the seat of the new College for colored people.

RICHMOND, INDIANA, UNION SCHOOLS.-We have received from Mr. J. Hurty, Superintendent, his report to the Board of Education for the month ending 16th January, 1857.

Number of scholars entitled to public funds, 1454; teachers employed, 14; pupils enrolled, 860; in High Schools, 150; in Grammar Schools, 201; in Secondary Schools, 287; in Primary Schools, 217; daily average in High School, 139; in Grammar Schools, 177; in Secondary Schools, 203; in Primary, 184; in all the Schools, 703; cases of tardiness in High School, 20; absence in High Schools, 41; in Grammar Schools, 30; in Secondary Schools, 22; in Primary Schools, 80; in all from sickness, 40; number of pupils engaged in quarreling, 0; cases detected in falsehood, 2; in profane language, 2; number of corporal punishments inflicted, 0 ; number of visits from the city, 240; from the country, 11; from the Board, 1.

The Richmond Public School, from failure of funds, closes shortly. The Superintendent takes the field as "stump agent" of the Indiana Teachers' Association about the 15th of this month.

-The District of Columbia is aspiring to have ample resources for educational purposes. A proposition is now before the U. S. Congress to appropriate 50,000 acres of Congress land for the support of Free Schools in that District.

-At Findlay, Hancock Co., the evil of tardiness and vagrancy is engaging public attention. The clerk of the School Board addresses the public through the "Home Companion," asking for reform. The editor, who has been a teacher, in alluding to the evil, says:

"The only practical remedy for this truancy at school, unless the parents take the matter in hand, is to expel every scholar who persists in it, and deny them the privileges of the school, until they show evidences of reformation. This may appear a hard rule, but truants will learn by no other. Tardiness, also, which is much complained of, can only be cured by excluding the offender from school, for the day on which he is tardy, unless he presents a written excuse from one of his parents. This is our experience, and, we believe, the experience of nearly every teacher in the state."

-Rev. Anson Smyth, late editor of the Journal, now State School Commissioner, Columbus, has indorsed the circular heretofore issued by Mr. H. H. Barney, as follows:

"The great number of questions arising under the present School Law, and the importance of having a thorough understanding, by its officers, of the provisions of the law, and a uniform policy pursued in all the counties, in its administration, have imposed the necessity of having some medium of communi. cation with those officers, and the Commissioner has gladly availed himself of the Ohio Journal of Education for this purpose.

"All my official decisions and opinions have been, and will continue to be published in the Journal; and it is my opinion that County Auditors will be justified in subscribing for a copy for their own use, and one (or more) for the Board of School Examiners; and that township Boards may order it for the township clerk, and the clerk of each sub-district, and include the cost of the same in their annual estimate of money to be raised in accordance with the 22d section of the School Law.

"The copies so taken, should, of course, be kept on file in their respective offices, and be transmitted to their successors in office."

Editors throughout the state, by publishing the above, will confer a favor to school officers, and greatly abridge the official correspondence of the Com. missioner. The cost of the Journal is $1 per annum.

THE SCHOOL LAW IN THE HOUSE.

The bill introduced by Mr. Monroe, Chairman of the Committee on Schools, to amend the School Law, has been considered in Committee of the Whole in the House. Mr. Hume, of Marion, proposed several amendments, materially changing some features of the law. His propositions contemplated the establishment of County Boards, for a more equitable distribution of the school fund among townships and districts. Mr. H. supported his amendments at considerable length, and was replied to by Mr. Monroe. The amendments were rejected in committee by a decided vote.

Mr. Littler, of Clark, offered amendments to repeal the Library provision of the present School Law, which he supported at length, taking the ground that the Library feature has, in the main, proved a failure, and is a tax without sufficient compensating benefits. He charged mismanagement of the library fund by the former School Commissioner, and claimed that the people demand that this feature of the system be abolished. Mr. L. said he was not opposed to the School system as a whole-he was proud of it--but only to that portion under which abuses and frauds had been practised.

Mr. Watson, of Cuyahoga, defended the School Library system, and referred to the warfare waged on the system in the early history of Public Schools in New York. The system had been maintained, and had conquered all opposition. He had often visited the schools of Western New York, and found them generally with some $100 to $500 worth of apparatus, for illustrating the branches pupils were rapidly acquiring. Mr. W. considered the Library an indispensable auxiliary to the Common School system of Ohio, one which the people would not consent should be abandoned.

Mr. Monroe, of Lorain, regretted that attempts had been made to load down the bill with amendments. Let gentlemen who favor striking out the Library, make the proposition a distinct measure. That is the proper way to reach the subject. If the proposed amendment prevailed, he should feel compelled to vote against the bill.

The Library principle, Mr. M. said, all admit to be right, but the main objection is to the manner in which the system has been administered. This is an extraordinary reason to urge for abolishing the system. To amend and improve would be more statesman-like, and the object of the School Committee in preparing the bill had been to perfect the law.

It is probable that there has been just cause of complaint in the feature of the law giving one man the entire control and selection of the School Libraries, and this bill remedies the defect by dividing the responsibility among a Board to be constituted of the best men in the State.

Some nineteen States have successfully adopted the School Library system, which did not originate with mere schoolmasters, but with such statesmen as De Witt Clinton and others, whose names are to be mentioned with reverence in these degenerate days.

The amendment was disagreed to in committee. When the bill was reported back to the House, Mr. Hawkins, of Ashtabula, offered an amendment repealing the Library section of the School Law, which was disagreed to-yeas 42, nays 42. Mr. Smith, of Montgomery, moved to reconsider the vote, which motion was laid on the table. The vote will probably be reconsidered, but the friends of the Library system are confident that the provision will be sustained by a full House, and are willing that the question shall then be fairly tested. We do hope that nothing will be done by our present Legislature to weaken and cripple our educational system by abrogating or further suspending this important provision.

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ITEMS.

The American Journal of Education and College Review, for February, is one of peculiar interest to Ohio subscribers. Much of its space is devoted to the Reports of the officers of Cincinnati Schools that of Mr. Rickoff, Sup't, is highly commended. Robinson's Mathematical Works, published in Cincinnati, are well spoken of, and are interesting. History of Ohio University, by Pres't Howard, appears in its pages.

- Bro. Carter we call the School Teacher brother-writing from Felicity, says, "Our Institute meets in this place, the 30th March-then you may look for a big list for the 'Journal' from this county. Can't you run over and visit the Institute? it remains in session one week.' We hope to have the "Felicity."

- Mr. Thos. Kelsall, Cincinnati, who advertises School Furniture, is known to us as a faithful business man. He furnishes all the supplies in that line for the Cincinnati Schools, doing work well and cheap.

- Observe advertisement of A. S. Barnes & Co.

Sheldon, Blakeman & Co. have a new advertisement in this No. Teachers must keep posted up.

Henry Howe, Cincinnati, whose services in collecting the Historical Facts which constitute the popular book entitled Howe's History of Ohio, has employ ment for those who are earnest in the work, in distributing his publications. His advertisement gives particulars.

We have received from A. W. Price, agent, Cleveland, O., a set of Colton's Geographical Cards. They are six in number, 31 by 22 inches each in sizedefining rivers, seas, bays, islands, etc. by a picture, attractively colored, with descriptions in large letters, for Primary Schools-a first rate medium of reach. ing mind through the eye. Price $3.00 per set.

-As an evidence of the progress of invention, as education becomes more widely diffused, it may be stated that for ten years before 1826, when the common school system became an element of State control in a few of the States, the receipts of the U. S. Pension Office were but $6,000 per annum. In 1855 they were $176,000.

-An apology may be due for some deficiency in the order and arrangement of articles in this number, as the Editor has been closing his connection with the Cincinnati School Board, the complicated duties, as clerk of which, had to be performed, as well as those of editing the February and March numbers of the Journal. Having resigned his place as secretary of the Boards of Education, he hopes to devote himself hereafter, earnestly and assiduously, to these pages and to their circulation.

-We hope no true friend of our cause-no former subscriber or active mem. ber of the Association will fail to make it a personal business with him or her to commence and secure subscribers for their own paper. Hurrah, as a correspondent has said, for a self-supporting circulation!

APRIL SCHOOL ELECTIONS.-Ten thousand school Directors or Trustees are to be elected on the ensuing second Monday of April. By law, on that day, there is required to be held, at the usual hour and place of holding district meetings, in each of the sub-districts of the several townships of the state, a school meeting of the qualified voters at the state and county elections, who, when assembled, shall organize by the appointment of a Chairman and Secre