DURING the past six months we have been in correspondence with many State Superintendents and a host of teachers and friends of education, especially in the Southwest. The fact is brought out that many educational journals have been very shortlived, and that many others have eked out a miserable existence for a few years and then died for want of sufficient support. In view of those facts we have reached the following conclusion, viz: That there exists no reason why the ECLECTIC TEACHER should not supply the want of several States, and thereby secure greater aid and wield stronger influence. It has been suggested that there should be an editor in chief in charge of the magazine, with an additional editor for each State represented; that the work of each State editor should be to sustain three departments, viz: 1. Official-for State Superintendent and other School officers. 2. Local Intelligence. 3. Correspondence and Contribution. The matter for the first two departments should be limited to two pages, and that for the third to be subject to such restrictions as other similar matter. The present title is to be changed so as to read "Eclectic Teacher and Southwestern School Journal." We express the substance of what has been said by many correspondents by quoting the following from Hon. John M. McKleroy, State Superintendent of Alabama: "I think your plan for establishing an educational journal on a sound basis a good one." Also, from Hon. Geo. W. Hill, State Superintendent of Arkansas: "I would gladly see the enterprise you suggest carried into effect." Also, from Prof. Julius W. Thompson, in reply to a solicitation to become State editor for Arkansas: "I will accept your proposition, and bring to the work the experience of almost a lifetime spent in the school-room. Should our arrangements be completed, we shall make the change so as to begin with the January number. We doubt not that such a union of talent will gain the hearty approval and co-operation of the host of readers of the ECLECTIC. In union there is strength." We solicit further correspondence from State Superintendents and other school officers, teachers and all friends of education. Let us hear from you immediately. WE are pleased to inform our readers that we have made arrangements by which we are enabled to furnish a piece of new music with each issue of the ECLECTIC TEACHER. Vocal music may be made a valuable aid in school government, if properly used. In a future number will be found an article entitled "Music in Schools." The music will be selected with reference to the adaptability to the wants of day-schools. In addition to the page of music we shall furnish some choice selections discussing the various departments and branches of the subject. Since every new feature added is an additional expense, we ask our readers to present the merits of the ECLECTIC to their friends and solicit their subscription. The selection for this number is entitled "Merry Christmas." The sentiment of this song re-echoes our " Merry Christmas" to readers of the ECLECTIC in all parts of the country. WE have condensed the following that reaches us after our issue was made up. In addition to the call for a meeting at Paris, there are other calls, viz: At Owensboro, December 18; Flemingsburg, December 30, and Louisville, January 8, 1877. The counties embraced in each district were enumerated, but omitted here for want of space: "FRANKFORT, KY., November 24, 1876. "TO THE FRIENDS OF POPULAR EDUCATION: We, the undersigned, believing it advisable to form District Associations auxiliary to the State Teachers' Association, call a Convention, for the purpose of organization, at Paris, Thursday, December 28. County Commissioners, all teachers and Trustees, are urged to attend. Addresses will be delivered by several gentlemen, representative educators, [Signed.] H, A. M. HENDERSON, Superintendent Public Instruction, J. D. DODD, Principal Kentucky High School, THE Bourbon County Teachers' Association, desiring a most successful meeting, takes the liberty to present the following programme for the District Association. Profs. Lockhart and Puckett have informed us that everything in their power will be done to accommodate and entertain all who may be present. Every teacher in the Northeastern part of the State should manifest his interest by spending his holiday at the District Association. PROGRAMME. 10:00 Temporary organization. Welcome Puckett; response by Dr. H. A. M. Henderson. address by Superintendent 11:00-11:30-Educational Progress in Kenucky, by Prof. G. A. Chase. 11:30-12:00-Moral Instruction, by Prof. W. A. Oldham. 12:00-12:30-Permanent organization. 12:30-2:00-Nooning. 2:20-2:30-Inaugural address by the President. 2:30-3:00 Should the Curriculum of the Public Schools Embrace Some of the Sciences and Higher Mathematics? Dr. J. W. Hall, sr. 3:00-3:30-Importance of History. Prof. H. R. Blaisdell. 3:30-4:00-Normal Instruction, by Prof. T. C. H. Vance. 4:00-4:30-Miscellaneous Business. 4:30 Adjournment. 8 P.M.--Lecture by Dr. H. A. M. Henderson. All our exchanges in Kentucky are requested to copy the above. THE present issue completes the first half year of the history of the ECLECTIC TEACHER. On examination of our subscription list, we find twenty-three States represented. We are truly thankful for the encouragement received, and ask our many readers to say to your friends, and especially fellow-teachers, what you have written us. With this issue you find that we have gone to further expense by using much heavier paper. To begin the new year we shall put on a new dress, and otherwise improve our appearance. We doubt not that all those who are not subscribers who receive this issue, will forward their subscriptions at once. EDUCATIONAL INTELLIGENCE. -The University of Santiago, Chili, has a faculty of thirty-five professors. -There are 90,000 children in London, England, not attending any school. -The Iowa State Association of Teachers will meet at Grinnell during the holidays. -A Catholic Arab from Jerusalem is about to open a store in New York for the sale of religious articles. -The University of Michigan will the coming year open a new department -the School of Architecture and Design. -The School Board of Davenport, Iowa, has adopted a rule prohibiting religious exercises in the public schools. -North Carolina elects one Vance to the gubernatorial chair and another to a seat in Congress. The old State is ad-Vancing rapidly. -Berea College, Kentucky, and Oberlin College, Ohio, received bequests of $10,000 each by the will Rufus R. Graves, who died at Morristown, New Jersey, the 17th of August last. -Prof. S. S. Puckett, Superintendent of the Paris (Ky.) City Schools, assigns good reasons why Kentucky should hold her next annual State Teachers' Association at Put-in Bay, Ohio. -The Ohio Association of Colleges will meet in Delaware, that State, next December 26, 27 and 28. There will be a conference for co-operation between the high schools and colleges. -Prof. A. H. Bedee, a graduate of Dartmouth, has taken the chair of Ancient and Modern Languages in the Kentucky Military Institute. The school is said to be in a flourishing condition. -Prof. Winston has resigned the Professorship of Languages, which he has acceptable filled for nearly eight years at King College, Virginia, and the Board of Curators have elected H. W. Naff as his successor. -There is only one pond in the country which produces pink pond lilies. It is on Cape Cod. The color is probably caused by some peculiarity of the water or soil, as the lilies, when transplanted to other ponds, become white. -New York City is discussing the propriety of employing married women as teachers. Why not debate the question on fundamental principles, and determine the natural qualifications of mothers as instructors of their own children. -Old Uncle John Fuller, for fifty years Librarian of the Franklin Society, Lexington, Virginia, and well known to every Washington College boy, from John J. Crittenden to the immaturist "prep." of the present year, died on the 7th of November. He was born the day Jefferson was inaugurated, and died the day was elected. INDIANA.-The Hon. J. H. Smart is re-elected to the office of Superintendent of Puble Instruction of Indiana. -There are at present 8,106 schools and 360,000 pupils in the Mexican States. The course of instruction embraces reading, writing, grammar, arithmetic (including the system of weights and measures), and "morality and politeness." OLIVE HILL, KY., October 19, 1876.-Gents: Please send the ECLECTIC TEACHER to the following addresses, *** for one year, your bill to be paid out of the forty per cent., &c. I have taken orders payable to you from all. Respectfully. D. J. CAUDILL, Commissioner of Carter County. [Let every Commissioner in the State imitate the example of Mr. Caudill, and thus show that he is interested in building up the schools of his county.-ED.] The annual session of the Nicholas County (Ky.) Teachers' Institute opened November 8, and continued four days. It was considered the best ever held in the county. Dr. Henderson was present and assisted in the work, and also delivered, during the evening, a lecture on education that should reach the ears of every citizen of the Commonwealth. All the schools of the county were closed during the week-the teachers having the right to do so, and to receive pay for the time they were in actual attendance at the Institute. QUESTION DRAWER. ANSWERS. 3. It had been customary in all the historic world to reckon the year as consisting of about 365 days, until about fifty years before the Christian era. Julius Caesar then finding by this reckoning the year had been and was dropping⚫ back about six hours annually, by the advice of an Egyptian astronomer, enacted that one day should be added to every fourth year, in order to use up this fraction of six hours and preserve the year from falling back still further. Now as the exact length of the tropical year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, the six hours added by the Julian calender was too much by 11 minutes and 14 seconds. This overplus from 44 B. C. to 1582 of the Christian era had amounted to little more than ten days. Pope Gregory XIII then corrected the Julian calender by setting the new year back ten days, and to guard against future inaccuracies he enacted that every fourth year should consist of 366 days, except the hundreds, which were to consist of 365, but that every four hundredth year should be bis-sextile. By this rule the error now amounts to about one day in four thousand years. The difference between the old and new styles, or the Julian and Gregorian calendars, is now about eleven days. 4. 1. The people of Turkey consist of a number of different nations which mutually hate each other, and are held together merely by fear and force. The lords of the country are all Sunnites, next to these are the Turcomans in Armenia, Natalia, and on the rivers of the interior; then the tartars who have migrated from the Crimea to the provinces on the Danube; then Arabs, Kards, Greeks, Armenias, scattered through the provinces as merchants; Slavonians, in several tribes; Druses in the Lebanon; Jews, Wallachians and Gypsies, together with several small tribes of unknown origin. The Ottoman Turks are Sunnites. 5. It is correct to parse an adjective a a modifying adjective?" Grammarians have confused the minds of students by using the terms modify, qualify, limit and depend upon, as synonymous terms. We prefer limit. "The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea." The words herd, winds and lea are" limited," respectively, by the and lowing, slowly and the. 6. It can be solved. We suggest as one method the following. Suppose the plank to be p inches long. Let the shorter end after cutting, and p-x the longer end. Let y=the width of the plank where cut. Let A=Area of either piece. Then (18 plus y) x=A 2 (6 plus y) (p-x)—A 2 Eliminating y from these equations we may find the value of x, or the length of the shorter piece which is required. QUESTIONS. BETHEL, KY., Nov. 15.-7. Why does minus by minus give plus? SCHOOLBOY. BOWLING GREEN, KY.-8. Properly speaking, is there such a gender as neuter? SUBSCRIBER. CATLETTSBURG, KY., Nov. 10, 1876.-9. Is Longfellow's poem, "Evangaline" founded on fact? If so, where is Acadia? INQUIRER. PALMETTO, TENN., Nov. 11, 1876.-10. "You can have the privilege if you will but ask." How do you parse but? THOS. WILLIAMS. BOOK TABLE. Manual of the Constitution of the United States, by Israel Ward Andrews, D.D., L.L.D. Published by Wilson, Hinkle & Co., Cincinnati; price, $1 50. This is a 12mo. of 370 pages, exclusive of an appendix and copious index. Governmental law and regulations seem to repel the mass of readers, but whoever reads one page of Dr. Andrews' work will not lay it down without reading more. The book gives evidence of careful research and selection upon the part of its author. Evidently it is the condensed results of many years' studious preparation. It is invaluable, both as a text-book for the student and a reference book for the general reader, who desires to know somewhat of the Government under which he lives, and of which he forms an integral part. The American Naturalist, H. O. Houghton & Co., Boston. The November number of this magazine is unusually interesting. To those who desire to cultivate house plants, yet hesitate because of their supposed deleterious effects upon health, we would recommend a perusal of "Hygiene of Hous Plants," by George H. Perkins. |