-All the valuable geological drawings belonging to the late Dr. Mantell, the distinguished English geologist, have just been presented to Yale College, by

his son.

- Some mothers pay so little personal attention to the cleanliness of their children, that the following pointed paragraph applies pungently to them: "Do you think you are fit to die?" asked a mother of her neglected child. "I don't know," said the little girl, taking hold of her dirty dress with her dirty fingers and inspecting it; “I guess so, if I ain't too dirty!”

- There is no happiness in idleness. Carlyle truthfully says:-"There is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness in work. Were he never so benighted, forgetful of his high calling, there is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works; in idleness alone there is perpetual despair."

— Active organization of County Teachers' Associations throughout the State, and Township Teacher's Associations, auxiliary thereto, have been recommended by the State Teachers' Association; and the duty of organization has been devolved upon the Vice Presidents of the State Association. Take notice, and let it, accordingly, be so done.

- Subscribers who announce a change of their post-office address, should inform us to which P. O. and connty the Journal has been sent, as well as those to which they wish it directed.

As new Teachers commence service in many schools, let it be the early duty of some friend of the Journal to procure their subscription to the Journal of Education.

– Township Boards, not having funds on hand to remit for Journal, can arrange with county auditor to include the cost of copies for each member of the board of examiners, township clerk, and clerk of each sub-district, in their annual estimate of money to be raised, in accordance with the first clause of the 22d section of the School Law, as recommended by the State Commissionereach keeping their copies on file in their respective offices-and remit the amount to the Editor when collected, in February next.

In ordering copies, the back numbers from January last, as they are already on hand, will be sent to subscribers, unless they order from July.

- Any information touching the Common School Libraries throughout the State, or any popular action taken with regard thereto, will be thankfully received by Mr. W. T. Coggeshall, Columbus, of the Committee whose address on that subject, in this number, is worthy of immediate attention; or by John D. Caldwell, Editor of this Journal.

The honorary degree of Master of Arts, has been conferred on John Hancock and F. A. Hurtt, of Cincinnati-on the former, by Miami University, at Oxford; on the latter, by Ohio University, at Athens.

Those who, through love of money and fear of expense, employ for teachers men or women that are of no worth, thereby purchase ignorance at a cheap rate, says Picket; and so we say all. It was a fine reply which Aristippus gave to a father of this cast, when he was asked what he would take to teach his child? A thousand drachmas, said Aristippus. The father exclaimed, I can buy a slave for that sum! Do so, said the philosopher, and you shall, instead of one, purchase two slaves for thy money; him that you buy for one, and thy son for

another.

VIEWS AND REVIEWS.

A. S. BARNES & Co. New York: 1857.

Pronouncing Speller, National Series. The principle of primary instruction illustrated in this text book is, that the most successful mode of learning spelling is by the eye; that the definitions and use of words, as well as their orthography, are soonest acquired by frequently writing exercises on the slate or black board, from dictation; and that orthoepy and orthography should be simultaneously taught. It is suited, however, for oral and dictation exercises, or either. It will prove to be a valuable text-book in communicating to children a thorough understanding, of not only spelling and pronunciation of words, but of their construction.

-Teachers are interested to know what text-book of Geometrical Drawing is published, suitable for the use of schools. Minifie's Abridgement, published at Baltimore, seems to be a cheap and well-arranged work, and eminently fitted to give practical instruction to youth.

HARPER & BROS. New York: 1857.

Child's Book of Nature. This work is a good home-book and school book, guiding youth to the relish for, and observation of, natural objects-Treatise on Plants, Animals, Air, Water, Heat, Light, etc. Teachers, use such works more in your schools. Parents, provide such hand-books for your children. SAMUEL S. AND WILLIAM WOOD. New York: 1857.

Grammar of English Grammars. By Goold Brown. A noble work of 1070 pages. This brave-hearted author, "who endeavored to be accurate and aspired to be useful," has afforded to Teachers a reservoir of resource for them, whence to water and make glad the thirsty fields where plod so many engaged in grammatical culture.

The Teacher must be taught from the purest sources-must drink from the pure wells of English, undefiled. But there is something to do, as well as to learn; by the formulas and directions in this work, he is very carefully shown how to proceed. The true way is shown, to be entered upon; the wrong way is pointed out, to be shunned. The details are so minute, the aggregate so vast, it would seem, that in this work, the ultima thule of a Grammar Encyclopedia had been reached. One, at least, of these standard works should be had, by associated effort, in each Sceool District of our State, as a book to be consulted.

The American Educational Year Book, for 1858. The materials for this work are yet to be collected together. Ohio is a field of importance, and can furnish an important portion of the work, if our educational men will cordially enter into the spirit of the enterprise. James Robinson & Co., Boston, have made an experiment, in the publication of a pioneer volume for 1857. The information sought is in reference, 1st, to Colleges; 2d, State Associations; 3d, City Schools, and important High and Union Schools; 4th, Normal Schools; 5th, Private Schools and Academies; 6th, Teachers' Institutes and County and City Teachers' Associations; 7th, Miscellaneous items of educational interest.

The Editor of your own Journal has, by the partiality of the publishers, been selected as one of the twelve editors, on whom will devolve the duty of collecting and arranging the facts for this annual National Exhibit of educational progress. Suggestions, detailed information, is respectfully sought from our friends,

throughout the State. Address the undersigned, at an early day, either to Columbus or Cincinnati. JOHN D. CALDWELL.

Those in the West who desire to become subscribers, can secure their copies at the next Ohio State Teachers' Association, if the work is then ready for delivery.

H. COWPERTHWAIT & Co. Philadelphia: 1857.

The Common School Geography: By H. D. Warren. In or out of school, it seems to us, this Geography and Atlas will be voted a valuable work, for its general arrangement and peculiar advantages.

The SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING OF THE OHIO PHONETIC ASSOCIATION will be held at Yellow Springs, the seat of Antioch College, on the 11th and 12th inst. W. T. Coggeshall, State Librarian, will deliver an address on the "Need and Availability of the Phonetic Reform." Mr. Benn Pitman will also address the meeting: subject not named.

Rev. J. P. Stuart, of Urbana, and J. D. Cox, Esq., of Warren, have also been invited to address the meeting, and we hope they will accept the invitation.

A Report, on "The Pecuniary Saving to the State by Phonetic Teaching," will be read by L. A. Hine or Wm. H. Smith; and a paper upon the "Progess of the Reform within the last few years," by R. P. Prosser.

Hon. Horace Mann will be present and participate in the exercises, though he has declined an invitation to deliver an address.

Educational Associations, in this and other States, are invited to send dele. gates. CHAS. S. ROYCE, Ch'n Ex. Committee. September, 1857.

SCHOOL STATISTICS.

County Auditors and Boards of Education should bear in mind that a new regulation was passed, on April 8, 1856, requiring school statistics earlier than the first day of January, by which time it is now designed to have it printed and laid before the Legislature. The provis ion now in force is as follows:

"The school year shall begin on the first day of September, annually, and close on the last day of the following August; and all school officers acting as such, who are, or may be required to make annual reports to the county auditor, shall make out and transmit them to the county auditor, on or before the first day of October, following the close of the year." The items of School Statistics to be reported are as follows:

1. Number of Schools. Although the school of a sub-district may consist of two or more grades, in charge of different teachers, and the school year divided into two or more terms, yet it should be reported as one school.

2. Number of Youth enrolled.-In reporting the number of youth enrolled, no pupil should be counted more than once, although he may have been enrolled, during the year, as many times as there are quarters or terms in the school year. A check on the register in schools, of names of scholars attending at more than one session per year, and those thus checked emitted in the account of the enrollment, will give the whole number of different pupils instructed in the school year.

3. Number of Scholars in average daily attendance during the year. This number is ascer

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tained by adding together the number of scholars present on each day of the week or month, and dividing the sum by the number of days the school was in session during the week or month. In like manner the average for a term or year is to be found.

4. Average length of time the Schools have been kept in session during the year.--Add together the number of months and days during which each school in the township is kept in session, and divide the sum by the whole number of schools.

5. Average wages of Teachers per month during the school year.-Add together the monthly salary of each male teacher employed in the schools of the township, during the year, and divide the sum by the whole number of male teachers.

6. Local Directors.-The clerk of each board of local directors should promptly furnish, in the early part of September, the township clerk with all the statistics called for by section 19, of the School Law. Many of these statistics must be obtained from the teacher, who should be required to furnish them in tabular form, before receiving his certificate for the amount due for services.

7. Text Books.-Under this head, it is not to include every text-book that may chance to be in the hands of a scholar, but only those adopted by the board of education, and in general use in the school.

8. Blank Reports.-By calling on their respective county auditors, boards of education can obtain printed blanks for making their annual reports.

9. Special and separate School Districts.-County auditors can, by a suitable check-mark prefixed, indicate the cities, towns and incorporated villages which compose special or separate school districts.

Educational Items.

-The Union Educational Association of the connties of Ross, Highland and Fayette, held a Normal Institute at Greenfield for two weeks, commencing on the 17th ult. We learn that fifty-two paying members were in attendance. Horace Mann delivered an address on "Teachers' Motives."

- The Normal Schools at Urbana, during last month, was highly successful. It has never been excelled in the State, perhaps, for numbers in attendance; the spirit and interest were those of the pioneer days. Profs. A. C. Deuel, F. M. Dimmick, Robt. Kidd, the Elocutionist, and assistants Jas. H. Marlay and S. H. Wallace, had charge.

- The Preble County Institute, at Eaton, was well attended. A correspondent thus speaks of its success:

"Aug. 2. The Institute at Eaton opened on Monday, July 17, with less than 30 in attendance. We have been in session two weeks, and now we have 45 enrolled. This is the seventh annual session, I think; and it is the third one of four weeks. Reading, English Grammar, Geography, Arithmetic, mental and written, Elementary sounds, and Phonography-Algebra alsoare taught to classes, as in schools; the members reciting after having made preparations. Physiology and Didactics are taught by lecture. In addition to this, we have popular lectures in the evening. * *The lateness of the harvest is making a difference in the attendance. "A feature somewhat peculiar to this Institute is, that we have the ordinary rules of school. In this respect, Institutes are too loose. The one at Lebanon is an exception to the last remark. The Association in this county keeps up quarterly meetings; and at times they have had an agent in the field, whose duty it was to go from school district to school district, visiting and lecturing. There is still much work to be done here; but much has been done already. The prices paid for Teachers will show something how the mercury stands. I am told that the average price paid in the rural districts is $1.75 per day. I asked one of the lady members of the Institute, whom I thought to be as good a Teacher as we have present,

what she receives; and she informed me that she receives, from a moderate sized district, $2 a day, and is boarded for $1.50 a week. It is of course none too much; but districts that complain at paying $2.00 a week, ought to send their school directors to Preble county, at least, on a visit.

"I recently paid a visit to Richmond, Wayne Co., Ia. The 'unconstitutional law' has closed the public schools of that place for the present. Mr. Hurty talks of commencing a private school, after the meeting of the State Association. I learn that Wayne county has held her meetings monthly for three years. During the last year the monthly attendance has been from 50 to 70. This state of things could not exist without a healthy educational spirit. I a-ked, 'How do yon manage to keep up such a spirit?' The reply was, that for the first two years they had lectures, essays, and miscellaneous business. These had their good effects-they were needed to prepare the way for the next step that was taken. At the commencement of the third year, they resolved to have instruction given monthly in the branches usually taught in the County Institutes. A superintendent was chosen, and instructors appointed for the year. They hold their meetings in different parts of the county; but no matter where they go, the instruction is given at each meeting, leaving a short time for business. In order to make it work fairly for all, the superintendent published a new programme with the call for each meeting, in which he changed the time of the instructors; so that, if one hour of the day is more favorable than another for securing to a Teacher a good attend. ance upon his lecture, (as it undoubtedly is,) each Teacher can have a fair opportunity. This programme was lived up to with R. R. exactness. You will have noticed that each instructor has his subject for the entire year. The result is that the work could be laid out for twelve lecture; and now they have received besides the other a dvantages of monthly meetings, a urse of instruction equal to an Institute of two weeks.

"Aug. 16. On Friday, we closed our Institute at Eaton. The following were instructors: J. S. Morris, Eaton, Intellectual and Practical Arithmetic and Algebra; Samuel Ridenour, Intellectual and Practical Arithmetic and Geography; Mr. Weller, Algebra and Physiology; Mr. James Werts, Orthography; and Chas. S. Royce, Elementary Sounds, Elocution, Phonog raphy, and Theory and Practice of Teaching.

"The evening lectures were J. Hurty, Richmond Ind., Prof. Taylor, Cincinnati, D. Vaughn, Cincinnati, Prof. Elliott, Oxford, and Chas. S. Royce. Mr. Vaughn, remained with us a week. There were about fifty in attendance. The interest increased from the first to the very last of the session. We closed with a Pic-Nic. We listened, in the woods, to some remarks from an old Teacher, who has resided in Preble county half a century."

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The Montgomery county Institute at Dayton, was largely attended.
The Institutes at Roscoe and Newcomerstown, we learn, were well attended.
No word from the Guernsey county Institute at Washington.

We were pleased with our visit to the Normal Institute of Bro. Holbrook, at Lebanon. Attendance large-interest lively. Dr. Shepardson delivered an able public address on the personal influence of the Teacher.

Mr. John Hancock of Cincinnati, addressed the Institutes at Lebanon, Dayton and Eaton.

The Union School House in Clyde, Sandusky county, is nearly completed; and the graded system of schools is about to be established. The first term of school commences on the first Monday in September. The Teachers for the four departments are as follows, viz: Wm. M. Russell, of Clyde, Superintendent and Teacher of the High School; Elizabeth Persing, Teacher of the Grammar School; Charity Thornton, Teacher of the Secondary, and Louisa Metcalf, of the Primary School.

RECEIVED. "The Normal" - Methods of Teaching; a monthly, by A. Holbrook, Lebanon. Catalogue of O. University, Athens, of Muskingum College, New Concord, O., of Damascus Scientific Academy, Mahoning county.