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It is needless to say that Gertrude French was a Christian; her whole life proclaimed it: love and prayer made her what she was: she carried a heavenly atmosphere about her. Her death was a fit ending for such a life. She went home in July, full of bright hopes and enthusiastic plans for her future work. But her work was done. Our Father cheerfully and sweetly lay down to die. her room was like the gate of heaven, and without a pang, she fell asleep. —

called her: she knew his voice, and Through five months of gentle wasting, and the day before Christmas, joyfully

"Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep,

From which none ever wakes to weep."

Her vacant place in the hearts that loved her, and in the school she loved, can never be filled. May her mantle fall on some of those who are left! Would that every teacher of the State might feel the inspiration of her bright example! Only twenty-two years of life, but they were beautiful years; and "That life is long that answers life's great end."

Another dirge of the funeral bells,
Twenty-two their tolling tells;

Another mound 'neath the winter snow,

Another grief in this world of woe,

Another wail o'er the black wires sped,

"Gerty is dead."

Twenty-two years of beautiful life!

Years with goodness and sweetness rife;

Years of sunshine and years of song;

Earnest with work, and with patience strong,

Twenty-two beautiful years are fled,—

Gerty is dead!

Beauty and love and hope all hid

Under that dreadful coffin-lid;

Light, young feet that have left their springing;

Low, sweet voice that has ceased its singing;

Slender hands that in endless rest

Are folded on that guileless breast.

Brave young heart, whose work is o'er;
Dove-like eyes that smile no more;
Sweet, pale lips, the low breath hushed;
Soft pale cheeks, their roses crushed;
Thus she sleeps in her narrow bed,—
Gerty is dead!

A rustle of angel's wings, from afar!
A glimpse through the golden gates left ajar!

A strain of music that floateth down,

As she drops the cross to take the crown!
And a dower of peace for hearts that bled!
Gerty is dead.

Glad Christmas greetings of perfect love,
A Happy New Year in the Home above,—
We lose our loss in her endless gain,

Nor wrong her bliss with a thought of pain.
No shadow of sorrow or grief or dread,

For Gerty dead.

E. H.

INTELLIGENCE.

A. J. Phipps, Esq., has resigned the office of Superintendent of Public Schools in Lowell, to accept the more lucrative position of General Agent of the Etna Insurance Company for the State of Massachusetts. Mr. Phipps is a fine classical scholar, and a gentleman of urbane manners and large and successful experience, both as a teacher and superintendent of schools in our State; and few educators have received so many tokens of confidence and honor at the hands of their fellow-citizens. May much success attend him in his new and responsible position. C.

A very interesting discussion on School Improvement took place at the first regular meeting of the Boston Social Science Association, held at Chickering's Hall, on the evening of the 13th. An extremely valuable paper was read by George B. Emerson, Esq., which we shall lay before our readers in our next number. A discussion followed, in which remarks were made by Secretary White, Dr. Ordway, of the Boston School Committee, Rev. Mr. Calthrop, N. T. Allen, Esq., and others; and the meeting adjourned to renew the discussion in a fortnight, instead of a month. We are glad to see such an interest awakened in educational subjects.

A LADY BACHELOR OF SCIENCE.

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The Faculty of Paris has just conferred the degree of "Bachelière-ès-Sciences' on a young lady named M'lle Marie Brapetti. In France there are several feminine Bachelors of Letters, but M'lle Brapetti is only the second woman who has succeeded in passing an examination in Sciences before the Faculty. The first obtained her diploma about two years ago.

PRACTICAL EXERCISES.

[We intend to devote hereafter at least two pages of this department of The Teacher to practical exercises of various kinds, connected with different studies belonging to primary, grammar and high schools. We solicit contributions from practical teachers, such as shall enable us to make this an interesting and valuable feature of our Magazine.]

A WRITING EXERCISE.

I commence with a drill exercise, lasting about fifteen minutes. Each pupil is required to have before him a sheet of paper, or an old writing-book will do as well, and the class assuming the proper position, pens in hand, etc., I give the order, "Slide." It is obeyed, by all hands moving in concert across the page, developing a straight line. This exercise results, in time, in a free arm and hand motion. As all make the motion at the same time, an interest in the work is gained.

To combine the finger movement, we slide one-fifth the former distance, and then make a letter, say n; then slide another space, making the letter; and so on across. I go through with all of the small letters in the same way at each lesson, making a few lines of each. The loop letters and capitals are also made in concert, without, however, the arm movement. This drill exercises the muscles of the arm and fingers so well, that the awkward, stiff hand is avoided. I would have these movements executed briskly. This drill is kept up at each lesson. This is going through "one manual" with pens. Don't try it a few times, and give it up; but persist in it for years, and you will see the good fruits. It is easy enough after a few trials. In fact it will go of itself, letting some pupil call, or give the orders. The hand is now in a good condition to write in the copy-book. Let them now be given out, and let the same half-copy be written by all. I prefer to write the upper half of the copy, in going through the book the first time, and then finish up afterwards; for the reason that we get greater variety at the same lesson, and avoid the habit of hurrying off the last lines; and besides I have an opportunity of readily noticing the improvement, as the last half of the copy will be written a month or two later than the first. After the writing-books are collected, I mark them according to improvement as well as I can judge. Z.

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P. By abridging the subordinate clause of No. 1, changing the conjunction that to the preposition of, the subject he to its possessive his, the copula was to its participle being; and thus absolving or cutting loose the predicate nominative, lawyer.

T. How will you parse "of"?

P. Of is a preposition, and shows the relation between "did know" and the substantive phrase," his being a lawyer."

T. Parse "his," "being," and "lawyer.”

P. "His" is a personal pronoun, masculine gender, third person, singular number, and in the possessive case, and limits " "being."

"Being" is a participial substantive, and is the grammatical object of the preposition "of."

"Lawyer" is a common noun, masculine gender, third person, singular number, and is the predicate nominative absolute.

RULE. A noun or pronoun following the participle of the copula, preceded by the possessive of the subject, is in the nominative absolute. Green, p. 186,

art. 200.

ZENO.

HOW I TEACH SPELLING.

Mine is a sub-master's class of fifty-six boys, in a grammar school of Boston. I allow about twelve minutes for studying the spelling lesson of sixty words, and three minutes for ruling and otherwise preparing the slates on which the lesson is to be written. I then pronounce the first word, which all write; and some designated boy again pronounces it, when he has written it. The second word is then pronounced, written, and again pronounced by the boy, and so on through the lesson. Fifteen words are written in each of four columns, — two columns on each side of the slate. Beneath the last column, the name is written. The writing usually occupies about ten minutes.

The slates are then exchanged, and the boys spell the words orally, from the slates, sometimes each boy spelling one word, but oftener ten words, until the lesson is all spelled. If a word is incorrectly spelled, I give the correct spelling. A cross (+) is put after each misspelled word. At the close of the spelling, the crosses are counted, and the number placed after the name of the owner of the slate, and the result given and recorded. This takes about five minutes. The whole time spent in studying, spelling and getting the result of the lesson, will not exceed thirty minutes.

To secure attention and honesty, the slates are frequently brought to the desk, and re-examined by myself or by monitors, or both by myself and monitors.

At the close of the school session, each boy records in a small blank-book his misspelled words; and, at a signal, all who have misspelled one word stand, and pronounce and spell their word; then those who have misspelled two words; and so on till all the lesson has been correctly spelled.

At the close of the month, each boy spells orally all the words recorded in his blank-book during the month.

Besides, the lessons spelled in this way are also spelled orally some time during the month, and the failures made up at the close of the session as before described.

C.

METHOD OF SQUARING MENTALLY EACH NUMBER FROM TWENTY-FIVE TO ONE HUNDred.

For numbers under 50, use the following: Take, for example, 36: 36-25= 11; call this 1100. 25-11-14; 14=1196+100=1296,-Ans. For numbers between 50 and 75, use this formula: Take the number 62. 50%=2500. Begin in each case with this: 62-50-12; call it 1200. 1200+2500-3700; 122= 144+3700=3844,—Ans. To square numbers larger than 75, apply this formula. Take the number 87. 100-87 13; 87-13=74; call it 7400. 132=169+

7400-7569,-Ans.

TO SQUARE ANY NUMBER OF TWO FIGures.

D.

Take, for illustration, 47. Square the unit figure, 72-49; reserve the 9, and add the 4 to the product of the units into twice the tens, 7X8+4=60; reserve the 0, and add the 6 to the square of the tens, 42+6=22; which placed before the reserved figures, thus, 2209=472.

J.

BOOK NOTICES.

PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF DISTINGUISHED GENERALS, by W. F. G. Shanks. 12mo, pp. 347. New York: Harper & Brothers.

Mr. Shanks is, we believe, a reporter who was personally acquainted with the details and characters he describes. The book is very interesting, and would make an excellent addition to any village or school library. There are chapters on Sherman, Thomas, Grant, Sheridan, Hooker, Buell, and others, accompanied by capital portraits. It is written with knowledge, spirit and discrimination. OUTLINES OF A SYSTEM OF OBJECT TEACHING PREPARED FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS, by William N. Hailman, A.M., Principal of the English and German Academy, Louisville, Ky., with an Introduction by James N. McElligott, LL.D. 12mo, pp. 161. New York: Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman & Co. We hope this little book will be widely read; for we think it advocates and illustrates some very important principles, which it is of great importance to enforce at the present time. It is quite as much a system of oral as of object teaching, and lays out, among other things, a thoroughly sensible plan of teaching grammar. Dr. McElligott's observations upon the abuse of object teaching are just and pertinent.

LABOULAYE'S FAIRY TALES. FAIRY TALES OF ALL NATIONS, by Edouard Laboulaye, Member of the Institute of France: translated by Mary L. Booth, with engravings. pp. 363. New York: Harper & Brothers.

The distinguished author of that keen satire "Paris in America," the warm and consistent friend of our country throughout all its trials, appears here in a new character, - a writer for the entertainment of children. In his dedication he "respectfully lays his Fairy Book at the feet" of his little granddaughter, and subscribes himself, with a hearty kiss, her old grandfather; and, in a little address to his young friends in America, he says, " he who writes them is not a stranger to your fathers and mothers, he was heart and soul with them in the trials which they have nobly passed through. To-day he would esteem himself happy, could he make you laugh, or dry up your tears; and nothing would touch him more than sometimes to think that over yonder, on the other side of the ocean, there were young gentlemen and charming young ladies who forgot the hours in listening to the tales of their friend, the old Frenchman."

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Miss Booth says in her preface, " One of the first humorists as well as one of the first judicial writers in France, it is his favorite recreation to amuse children with tales, wherein the grotesque veils a keen and subtle satire, rarely equalled."

The stories that we have read are very good. The engravings are capital; and the whole book is got up with excellent taste and will make a very pretty present.

OUR YOUNG FOLKS, an Illustrated Magazine for Boys and Girls; edited by J. T. Trowbridge, Gail Hamilton and Lucy Larcom. Boston: Ticknor & Fields. The January number of Our Young Folks indicates that the enterprising publishers no more mean to be outdone in their juvenile, than in their grown-up

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