constantly increasing. The Model School now numbers one hundred and seventy pupils-every seat being occupied, with a great demand for additional ones. In the Normal School there are four grades or

divisions."

Mr. Colburn, of Rhode Island, answers: "We have but one department, averaging from 80 to 90 students, mostly females."

Mr. Cochran, of N. Y., answers: "The number of pupils in attendance is 256. They are divided into four classes-sub-junior and junior, sub-senior and senior. Of this number 81 males and 175 females." Mr. Dickinson, of Westfield, Mass., answers: "One-fifth of the pupils are males. The school is divided into three classes, viz: Senior,

middle and junior

- about 35 in each-105 in all."

Mr. Edwards of Salem, Mass., answers: "We have two courses of study-the short and the advanced; number in the short 85-in the advanced 9-94 in all."

Connecticut reports in her catalogue for 1856, four classes, viz: "Graduates 29, seniors 56, middle 124, juniors 179. Total, 391 for the year, 137 males and 254 females."

The fifth question reads as follows:

"How many Teachers have you employed, and at what salary?" N. J. answers: "There are at present employed in all departments fourteen Professors and Teachers, whose salaries amount in the aggregate, at the present time, to $9,400 per annum. In the Normal School the salaries range from $400 to $2,000 per annum. In the Model School they range from $300 to $1,000 per annum.

A noble tribute to the talent of the Teachers of New Jersey. It will tell, too, in every school in the State.

R. I. states: "We employ four Teachers, in addition to Prof. S. S. Green, as special Teacher in the English language. Salaries - Principal $1,800; assistants $400 and $350 each; Prof. Green $300. His services are needed but a small portion of the time."

N. Y. answers: "

Eleven Teachers-salaries varying from $1,700 and house to $500 per annum.

Massachusetts answers, from Westfield : "Three assistants-salaries $800, $400 and $300." The Principal does not name his own salary. From Salem, Mass.: "Teachers, six-salaries for Principal $1,500; first and second assistants together, $800; two sub-assistants, $200 each. Assistants all ladies."

(To be Continued.)

Communications.

PLEASURE-WEALTH-EDUCATION.

Every young man is to make choice of one of these as the object of pursuit in the life before him. He cannot gain them all unless he be a prodigy. He may gain the first without difficulty, and the second if not an ignoramus; if possessed of a reasonable amount of brains, the third is also attainable. Now the Teacher is to hold this subject up in its true light, before the boys of the higher grades in our Common Schools. They are old enough to understand it, their minds are already occupied with it, and, whether we assist them or not, they must soon make the choice. We fear a large number of them will choose wealth

or pleasure.

In regard to the course to be pursued to attain pleasure, or sensual gratification, and the happiness resulting from its possession, we need say but little. It is a very easy matter, in this enlightened age of the world, for one to become a debauchee. Make a plunge, and the thing is done. The inevitable result is, a short life of mingled ecstacy and pain, rapturous excitement and deep despondency, and a death clouded by remorse for the past, and fearful apprehensions of the future.

It is truly humiliating, to be compelled to place education beside riches, as prize against prize; nevertheless we are compelled to do it. "Society," as Mrs. Merdle would say, "is responsible." Society has said that a man shall be respected in proportion to the number of dollars he can count and call his own. Boys are sharp enough to discern this, and act accordingly. They see there is no prospect of moving upon the surface, and making a splurge in society, without a competence, and they throw learning to the dogs, and rush into the busy whirl of trade. They prosper and get rich; and, having by this time lost all taste for intellectual culture, continue to trade and accumulate, and die misers, or give themselves up to luxury and ease, and die prematurely, of gout.

But this is not the worst. If they made none but themselves unhappy, we should have less reason to complain. Nearly all men who devote their lives to the acquisition of knowledge are poor- the sons of rich men being for the most part, dunces or rakes; while a majority of our educated women are daughters of rich men. A young woman thus situated is forced, by the customs and prejudices of society, the cupidity

of the father and the lofty aspirations of the mother, to marry an establishment, and take with it a stupid trader. Thousands of both sexes are thus yearly made miserable. But will wealth impart no happiness? It will give you many luxuries; it will give you a princely mansion, gorgeously and fashionably furnished; a noble span of horses, and splendid carriage; kind and obliging friends without number; the choicest literature of the day-to lie on the shelf; the largest turkey for thanksgiving, the finest salmon, and the first basket of strawberries; a warm house and comfortable clothing in winter, a cool retreat in the country, a voyage to Europe, or the first choice of apartments at Niag ara in summer; cucumbers and lettuce in March, ice-cream and mint juleps in July; the earliest green peas, and the latest news; the highest seat at the opera, and the lowest bow on the street; it will place your name at the head of petitions and subscription papers, and on the list of representative men of your State; it will make you chairman of caucuses and wire-pulling societies, and president of all the benevolent associations in existence-in which capacity you will be afforded a fine chance to show your ignorance, and make an ass of yourself. If you are sick, it will call around you sympathizing friends, faithful and efficient attendants, and an army of the most skillful physicians in the land. If, at the age of fifty, you should be so extremely fortunate as to become a widower, it will induce some pretty girl of sixteen to make herself miserable by marrying you. It will give you the gout at last, and when you are done roaring with that, it will provide a rosewood coffin, a funeral sermon two hours long, and a strip of earth six feet long and two feet wide. This is about all that wealth can offer. If it be the sum of all happiness, get riches and be happy.

In the actual work necessary to the accumulation of riches, there is no pleasure—all is weariness and vexation; but in the simple work of digging for knowledge, the scholar finds true happiness-happiness such as the millionaire can never experience. He feasts with ecstatic delight upon the mere pleasure of discovering new ideas.

One of the most laborious students of the age, writes on this subject as follows:

Gathering honey is necessary to the enjoyment of the bee, and it cannot be happy until it has gathered honey; therefore that act is essential to its gratification. While the bee possesses instinctive tendencies to roam about the fields and flowery meadows, and to exert its energies in labor, it is obviously beneficial to it, to be furnished with motives and opportunities for doing so; and so it is with man for his bodily and

mental powers. Gathering knowledge is to the mind of man what gathering honey is to the bee. Apparently with a view of effectually prompting the bee to seek this pleasure, honey is made essential to its subsistence. In like manner, and probably with a similar design, knowledge is indispensable to human enjoyment."

God, when he created the world, and placed upon it the human species, wished them happiness. He has endowed us with external senses and internal faculties; has adapted nature to the support of these powers, and all the arrangements of creation are calculated to excite them to activity. All true happiness, then, must arise from the active exercise of those faculties. Education alone, develops, strengthens, and draws out into harmonious action the various powers. In the acquisition of wealth, all the powers of mind and body are brought to aid in the development of the miserly propensities; hence we often see men become as mere money-getters, giants in stature, who, in all other respects, remain children to the day of their death.

Education, we repeat, develops, alike, all the powers-corporeal, mental and moral—therefore in education is found all true happiness.

CHI.

A COURSE OF COMPOSITION.

In the July number of the Journal, we inconsiderately promised to present an outline of a Course of Composition, adapted, in our judg ment, to Classified or Graded Schools. With some diffidence, we now proceed to do so.

It has been remarked, that there is danger of empiricism in educa tion. This is too true. There is also equal danger of speculatism, if I may be pardoned the barbarism. All educational methods need to be subjected to the actual test of the school-room before their absolute correctness can be predicated. In general arrangement they may be correct; in detail, very faulty. The inventer of a mower, or reaper, is obliged to submit his work to trial. What seemed to him an undoubt ed success, often proves a comparative failure. Difficulties, hitherto unseen, are now detected and obviated; improvement after improvement is added, until finally his efforts are crowned with success. So in education. All true methods must be the joint results of theory and practice. For the truth is, there are very many "lodged spots," hid

den hummocks, bogs and stones, in the educational field. The following is, therefore, presented for trial:

COURSE OF COMPOSITION.

FIRST STEP: FIRST READER SCHOLARS.

Letter-Making, by the use of slates and black-board. Instruction and copies upon board; first in print, and then in script characters. Short and diversified exercises.

SECOND STEP: SECOND READER SCHOLARS.

Word-Making. This exercise might include-1. The copying of Spelling Lessons on slates. 2. The writing of the names of familiar objects in the school-room; the names of the different kinds of food, of trees, of flowers, of birds, of insects, etc. (See "Object Lessons," Cin. Schools, page 157 of Journal.) 3. The writing of the names of brothers and sisters, of playmates; then the names of persons, with the common titles of Miss, Mr., Mrs., Esq., Dr., Rev., Hon., M. C., M. A., B. A., D. D., LL. D., etc. Special attention should be given to the correct use of capitals, and, also, the use of the period after abbreviated names. 4. The copying of paragraphs or verses, important maxims, the Ten Commandments, etc.

THIRD STEP: THIRD READER SCHOLARS.

Sentence-Making.-This exercise may include-1. The writing of short sentences, expressing the use, quality, etc., of the familiar objects, whose names were written in the First Step. (See "Object Lessons.") 2. The writing of sentences, including certain words, previously selected by Teacher. 3. The writing of sentences, dictated by Teacher, containing the more common abbreviations. (Example: John Lucas died on the 10th inst.) 4. The writing of all requests made to the Teacher; also short notes to other persons, containing a single wish or request. 5. The correcting and rewriting of sentences incorrectly written. 6. The writing of brief letters; properly dating, directing, addressing, and subscribing them.

FOURTH STEP: FOURTH READER SCHOLARS.

Sentence-Grouping, or the arranging of sentences so as to make a description, or narrative. This may include-1. The writing of letlers. Great attention should thus early be given to this subject. 2. The writing of brief narratives or anecdotes, related by the Teacher or some scholar. 3. The writing of brief descriptions, suggested by questions. (See Brookfield's First Book in Composition.) 4. The changing of verses of simple poetry into prose, etc.