-AND SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION. A Monthly Magazine conducted by leading | The OFFICIAL ORGAN for State Departments Teachers of the Southwestern States. of Public Instruction. T. C. H. VANCE, Carlisle, Ky. EDITORS: HOWARD A. M. HENDERSON, Frankfort, Ky. W. H. CAMPBELL, Carlisle, Ky. (M. C. DAVIS, Montgomery, Ala. STATE EDITORS: B. M. ZETTLER, Macon, Ga. H. A. M. HENDERSON, Frankfort, Ky. WM. L. SUTTON, Sardis, Miss. TERMS-One copy, one year, in advance, postage paid, $1; single copies, 15 cents; specimen numbers free. Remittances-Single subscriptions may be sent at our risk; in remitting sums greater than $1, obtain check or draft, or inclose in registered letter. Send local items and personal notes direct to State Editor. All business communications should be addressed "Eclectic Teacher Company, Carlisle, Ky." Matter for insertion, either in the general or advertising columns, should reach us by the 15th of the month. CARLISLE, KY., JANUARY, 1877. MERRY CHRISTMAS! YEAR!! HAPPY NEW want an active agent in each county to whom a large cash commission will be given. We shall establish a system of agencies by which any one may repreTo a host of new acquaintances, to an sent the ECLECTIC and secure such prearmy of old subscribers, and to all miums as the number of subscribers friends of popular education, the ECLEC-sent would entitle him. Remember, we TIC TEACHER sends greeting, Happy New Year!! THE demand is growing slowly but gradually. Let us have a little more language and less grammar; a little more practical common sense in arithmetic and a less number of rules committed to memory; a little more thinking and less cramming. So mote it be. HEREAFTER we shall have no club rates, the uniform price of subscription being one dollar a year. However, we send the "Eclectic Teacher" to any address in the United States, postage prepaid, on receipt of one dollar. (See premium list in advertising column.) We club with all the leading educational and literary journals in the country. Any subscriber may obtain, through us, a copy of "Webster's Unabridged Dictionary," latest edition, for nine dollars. We shall take pleasure in accommodating our subscribers by sending any book published in this country on receipt of publisher's prices. (See "Teacher's Library," on another page.) * * The Schoolmaster and six or seven other Western journals have united forces, and we congratulate the educational people of the West upon the fact." THERE are about fifty thousand teach | old, it has concluded to exist as an indiers in the ten States in which it is in-vidual entity no longer. In other words, tended the ECLECTIC TEACHER shall the Illinois Schoolmaster herewith makes chiefly circulate. How many of that its best bow to its numerous audience number are subscribers to some educa- and retires behind the scenes. tional journal? We put it in mild terms when we say any one who does not read regularly his professional paper is not qualified to perform the work of his choice. The work of the teacher is of more importance than that of the preacher. If the work of the latter should be done well, that of the former should be done better. The teacher has to do with the pliable mind, to educate and mold for future usefulness, while the preacher deals with the developed mind, to bend or restrict its natural ten dency. How important, therefore, that the teacher use every means at his command to keep himself thoroughly posted. Try the ECLECTIC TEACHER one year and then count the cost and compare the result with former years. THE work of "consolidation" goes bravely on. State educational journals are writing their obituaries and passing into the "Intermediate State," a weekly paper hailing from Chicago. Their last words are those of triumph. Though their days many or few, they have not existed in vain. The new embodiment, e pluribus unum, will be fashioned by the ablest writers of the Northwest. We heartily welcome this new paper to the great educational field of labor. It is no longer an opinion, but a fact well authenticated, that a successful educational journal should not be confined to the limits of a single State. John W. Cook, late editor of the late Illinois Schoolmaster, presents the following in the last number of that valuable paper. With the present number, this journal completes its twenty-scond year, and, like many another twenty-two-year We could not present stronger argument than the above in favor of a union of the forces of the Southwest. IN our last issue we stated, "That there exists no reason why the ECLECTIC TEACHER should not supply the wants of several States." That statement was founded on the opinions of many leading teachers and State Superintendents of the Southwest. Since our last issue views approving the plan in most emphatic terms have been freely expressed by many others. With the present number we receive the name ECLECTIC TEACHER AND SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, a name suggested by one of the ablest teachers in the South. It has been claimed, and we believe justly, 66 that one educational journal, having the united strength and co-operation of the teachers and State Superintendents of several States, would be productive of more good than if the same number of States each had a journal." The majority of the State editors whose names appear in this issue were suggested by their respective State Superintendents. We doubt not the ability of those who have been thus designated, but have reason to hope for unyielding energy and assiduous labor. On behalf of each State editor we ask the influence of all the leading teachers of the State, whether of university, college, graded or high school. We further ask the co-operation of all friends of the free school system. I * * "I would gladly see the enterprise you suggest carried into effect. have decided to make the ECLECTIC TEACHER the official organ for the Department of Public Instruction in this State. GEORGE W. HILL, "State Supt. of Arkansas." "I am confident that the plan upon which you propose to conduct the "EcLECTIC is the best that could have been adopted, and one that will meet with unbounded success. Both Mr. McKleroy, the outgoing State Superintendent, and Mr. Box, the incoming State Superintendent, will give me their hearty cooperation, and I hope to place the magazine in the hands of every county Superintendent and teacher in the State in less than a year. M. C. DAVIS, "I think very favorably of your plan to make your paper worthy of being the "Supt. City Schools, Montgomery, Ala.” organ of the Southwest, by giving space to different States. It is very desirable that a teacher should be able, by taking one paper, to glean items of educational interest and progress in a half dozen neighboring States. It is just what we need. "GEORGE A. CHASE, "I have watched the rise and fall of I am decidedly of the opinion that the a good many educational journals, and plan you have suggested is the only feasible one to sustain such a work. "I think 'concentration' is the true Principal Female High School, Louis- plan towards securing what we need, and ville, Ky." "Your plan is a good one, and I think it would be better for us to have one good Southern teachers' paper than a half dozen feeble ones. I wish you success in your enterprise. "B. MALLON, "Superintendent Public Schools, Atlanta, Ga." the enterprise you propose, it seems to me, is entirely practicable. If your December number is a fair index of its successors, I think you will have no trouble in securing a large list of subscribers in our city. I'll do my best for your enterprise. "B. M. ZETTLER, "Supt. City Schools, Macon, Ga." STATE DEPARTMENT. [Correspondence, contributions, items, personals or other matter of local nature should be forwarded to the proper State Editor. All business communications, or contributions intended for the general departments, should be addressed "ECLECTIC TEACHER Co.," Carlisle, Ky.] ALABAMA. explaining the cause of this decrease. As it was impossible for the bondmen, HON. LEROY F. BOX, Superintendent of centuries ago, to make brick without Public Instruction. M. C. DAVIS, Editor, Montgomery. From the Report of Hon. John M. McKleroy, the Superintendent for the school year (closed September 30, 1876,) we extract a few figures. straw, so is it impossible to-day for the Appropriations for 1875-6, $351,496 64. Number of schools taught in fifty-one counties (fourteen counties had not been heard from), 3,088; attendance upon But this is not the only cause which the schools in these counties, 104,414, or militates against the prosperity of the about thirty-three per cent. of the school schools the past year. Alabama had population. The average time for but recently adopted a new Constitution schools taught was eighty days. By in which some changes had been made comparing these figures with correspond- in the provisions relating to common ing ones of the previous year, we find a schools of such a character as to necesdecrease in every case. The appropria-sitate the postponement of the opening tion was about forty per cent. less than of the schools until the spring. The for the preceding year. The number of school year had then half expired, and schools taught was 133 less. The at- many pupils who can only attend durtendance was 13,838, or about 2 per ing the winter months were practically cent. less. The number of days taught excluded from the school for the year. was six less. The fact that appropriations were $213,546 30 less for 1875-6 than for 1874-5, of itself goes a great way toward In view of these facts, the State of Alabama may congratulate herself upon the successful work performed by the Department under most embarassing |