22

off.

Form Good Rules.

Aloof. All off. They keep aloof, that is, away from or:

Amass. To bring to the mass or heap.

Ambitio. From ambio (Latin,) to go about. Roman candidates for office were accustomed "to go about," (ambio,); to solicit votes.

Appall. From palleo, (Latin) to make pale, with fear; to terrify.

Appease. To bring to peace, (Fr. apaiser.)

Atone. Supposed to be compounded of at and one ; to bring to one view; to reconcile.

Aurora Borealis. Northern day-break.

Author. From the Latin auctor; one who increases or brings into existence. Perhaps it may be said of many of the authors of the present day, that they increase the number of books, though they may make no real increase of valuable literary matter.

To be continued.

SEVEN GOOD RULES.

The following rules were sent to a gentleman in New York, by Mr. Hill, Superintendent of Public Instruction in England, in answer to a request that he would present, in the briefest and simplest form, what he regarded as embodying the great principles of teaching:

1. Never attempt to teach what you do not perfectly understand.

2. Never tell a child what you can make that child tell you.

3. Never give a piece of information unless you call for it again.

4. Never use a hard word when an easy one will answer, 5. Never make a rule that you do not rigidly enforce. 6. Never give an unnecessary command.

7. Never permit a child to remain in the class without something to do.

Rock-a-By, Baby.-The Teacher a Power. 23

"ROCK-A-BY, BABY."-Every body of course, has heard the old nursery rhyme:

"Rock-a-by baby upon the tree top;

When the wind blows the cradle will rock;

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,

And down will come cradle, baby and all."

One of our exchanges thus gives the origin: Shortly after our forefathers landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, a party were out in the field where the Indian women were picking strawberries. Several of these women or squaws, as they are called, had papooses, that is, babies, and having no cradles, they had them tied up in Indian fashion, and hung from the limbs of surroundin trees. "When the wind blew the cradle would rock." A young man of the party, observ ing this, peeled off a piece of bark and wrote the above lines, which it is believed is the first poetry written in America.

THE TEACHER A POWER.

It is the true man, in the teacher, that commands the admiration and respect of his pupils. He may have strength of arm, and power to use bitter words, but if he has not true worth, in himself, his life as a teacher will be but a continued battle. Rods and harsh language may drive the pupil to obedience, but there is an unseen influence and a style of argument more powerful than these. The pupil shrinks from wounding the feelings of that teacher whose name and character are already established. He feels that there is a power above him and around him that will overcome him if he rebels, and reward and extol him if he does well. Rewards and puishments take effect according to the worth and power of him who administers them. If the teacher is a man of influence in the community and in his profession, the confiding pupil will be jealous of his own character in the estimation of that teacher. The parent is too often unwilling to send to the school because it is not conducted by one whom he would wish his child to imitate: nor is the

24

Official Department.

Our Journal.

child altogether incapable of judging, but soon knows whether there is dignity and meaning in the teacher's word and action. Let the teacher grasp for power in every direction and add it to his increasing strength. Let him keep his name untarnished. If he would be a teacher, let him, first of all be a man.

P.

OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT.

I WISH again to impress upon the minds of the Commit tees of districts formed from two or more towns, the require. ments of the act of 1861, that in addition to the returns made to the school visitors of the town to which the district belongs, they must also make returns of all persons between the ages of four and sixteen, in the several parts of joint districts, to the school visitors of the towns in which such parts of dis tricts are situated.

This last or duplicate enumeration will not affect the returns to the comptroller, but will guide the selectmen and school visitors in the distribution of the town school-tax and the income from the Town Deposit Fund.

DAVID N. CAMP, Superintendent of Common Schools.

NEW BRITAN, Dec. 21, 1863.

OUR JOURNAL.

As we intimated in our last, we have consented to take charge of the Journal for another year. In many respects the duty is a pleasant one. It is pleasant to know that we shall have the sympathies and support of the best teachers of the State,-who will ever be ready to aid and cheer us. It is pleasant to feel that the monthly visits of the Journal will be welcome to so many engaged in the noble work of teaching. It is pleasant to feel that some of our contributors will furnish, for each number, some article that will impart light and do good

With the approbation of the committee to whom the Journal was entrusted by the State Association, we shall announce no list of Associate Editors, but instead thereof a list of special contributors. We

have received promise of occasional articles for our pages, during the year, from the following

We are confident that we shall receive valuable articles from these gentlemen, and we feel that every subscriber to the Journal for 1864, will get a full equivalent for his money.

The State Superintendent of Schools, will, as heretofore, continue his official department as occasion may require. From teachers or School Visitors, in various parts of the state, we shall be happy to receive articles or items. We earnestly bespeak the co-operation of all friends of Education in the support of the Journal, and we pledge our best endeavors to make its monthly visits both welcome and useful. EDITOR.

TO SUBSCRIBERS.

In our last, we made a special request that all who did not wish to have the Journal for 1864, would give notice previous to December 15th. We are glad to say that we have received but very few orders for discontinuance. As we delayed printing any part of the present uumher until after the above date in order that we might know how large an edition to print, we trust all who have not seasonably notified us of their desire to discontinue, will see that they will do us an injustice if they withdraw now, unless they furnish a name in place of their own. We send bills in this number to all who have not paid,--but subscribers can consult their own convenience as to time of payment, previous to July.

MISCELLANY.

CROMWELL. We learn that the new High School in this place has opened very favorably under the charge of Josiah Hunt, A. B., late of Greenfield, Mass. Mr. Hunt is a graduate of Amherst College, and entered upon the work of teaching with that enthusiasm which is essential to success. We welcome him to Connecticut, and feel

that in him the friends of education will find a ready and cheerful co-operation.

SEYMOUR. The School Visitors and Teachers in this place are holding meetings for mutual improvement and for the purpose of awakening deeper interest in the subject of common schools. Such meeting are always productive of good, and we wish they might be held in every district. Why should not parents and teachers meet together occasionally to take counsel in relation to a work of mutual interest,— a work of the greatest importance?

Mr. Wm. C. Sharpe has done much to awaken an educational interest among the teachers, and the Rev. Mr. Shannon and F. Durand, Esq., of the Board of Visitors, are ever ready to co-operate in any efforts for the improvement of schools.

JOHN D. PHILBRICK AND MASS. BOARD OF EDUCATION. We learn with pleasure, that this gentleman, and well known Educator, has been appointed a member of the Mass. Board of Education. A better or more acceptable appointment could not have been made. Mr. Philbrick's long and varied experience, his earnest devotion to the interests of Education, and above all, his clear common sense views of school matters, will make him a most valuable and influential member of the Board.

We learn, from various sources, that the Hon. Joseph White, Secretary of the Board, is doing a good work, and that he is very popular among the teachers and friends of Education. We have seen enough to assure us that his heart is in his work and that he wishes to promote the best interests of the schools. In all respects, he is worthy of the hearty co-operation of the teachers of the state.

OHIO. The late School Commissioner of this state, Mr. Cathcart, has been arrested on the charge of treason.

E. G. WHITE, Esq., late Superintendent of Schools in Portsmouth, Ohio, has been appointed to succeed Mr. C. We have known Mr. White for many years, and our impressions are that he will make an excellent Commissioner.

CHEERING. A few days ago we received two or three letters from persons who had long been subscribers to the Journal gratefully acknowledging that they had been greatly encouraged and benefitted by perusing its pages, and expressing regret that on account of illness they felt compelled to relinquish it for the present. We were wishing it were within our power to continue to send to such