sion for alarm, on Sept. 21 Major Thornburgh set out for their agency from Raw. lin's Station, on the Pacific R. R., with 180 soldiers. In the last 20 miies of the journey through the mountains and canyons, they were ambuscaded and driven back with a loss of 12 killed and 25 wounded, Maj. Thornburgh being among slain. The surviving troops, under Capt. Payne, were surrounded by the In. dians and kept in a state of siege until reinforced by some colored troops under Capt. Dodge, Oct. 2d, and later by Col. Merritt's cavalry. After some opposition by the hostile Utes, Col. Merritt moved forward to the agency, Oct. 11th, where he found the bodies of ten men, among them that of the agent, Meeker. The women and children are held as captives. The other bands, known as the Southern Utes, still remain friendly under the influence of Ouray, the head chief of all the Utes. Un-Ca is the chief of the White River Utes. At this writing, military movements have been suspended to await the result of nego tiations with the Indians. Of the causes of this and other Indian troubles, we may find room to speak next month.

ABROAD.

England having brought her war of conquest against the Zulus to an appar. ent close, finds new matter for attention in a re-opening of the Afghan war. The new Ameer, Yakoob Khan, placed upon the throne as a result of the previ. ous invasion, seems unable to maintain his authority in a manner satisfactory to the English. Various out-breaks of hostility have caused the English com. mander, Gen. Roberts, to advance upon and capture the capital city, Cabul. With her greed of territory and fear of Russia, Britannia appears to be having a somewhat uncomfortable time of it.

The Zulu war seems to be over; but, teachers, where is Zulu Land? And where is Cabul ? Look them up on the map, before you forget it.

CORRESPONDENCE.

PRINCIPAL MERIDIANS, ETC. Will you please answer the following questions:

1. Where is the First Principal Meridian? How and why was that taken as the starting point? Are the meridians at equal distances from each other ? 2. What is the length and width of a

"range ?" 3. How are school districts numbered ?

0. W.J. ANSWERS. The first principal meridian starts from the mouth of the Great Miami river, in Ohio. It was selected probably on the principle of general convenience, in commencing the survey of public lands in the Northwestern Territory. The second principal meridian runs through the center of Indiana; the third from the mouth of the Ohio through the center of Illinois; the fourth from the mouth of the Illinois river, through the west part of Illinois, and in Wisconsin, considerably west of the center. The fifth meridian runs

SO on.

north from the mouth of the Arkansas river, near Napoleon. These meridians are not at equal distances from each other. They appear to have been selected with reference to convenience. Michigan has a meridian of its own.

A "range" is a row of townships running north and south, and each range is designated by number, and as east and west of some principal meridian. In Wisconsin, the first row or range of towns west of the fourth principal meri. dian embraces 47, extending from the Illinois line to Lake Superior—a distance of 262 miles. The first school district organized in a pew town is naturally number one, and

School districts are not numbered therefore, in any regular geographical order, like the thirty-six sections of land in a township.

A correspondent in Grant county says:

DEAR JOURNAL, I thank you for publishing Prof. Chittenden's paper on School Hygiene. I read it this morning, and to-day acted on one of its sug. gestions - shading the windows in front of the pupils and admitting the light from the rear. There are many other hints in it equally necessary and easily carried out. I shall bring the article up for discussion in our next teachers' meeting, and hope much attention may be directed to it.

I hope 0. S. Westcott is taking a temporary rest, only, from his Entomologi. cal labors. I have found his papers interesting, instructive and practical. Scribner's Monthly for July and August gives delightful sketches on the same subject.

I read carefully, more than once, R. A. Green's letter, observing especially the work on primary arithmetic. As the experience of others is asked, I will give mine. I have tried R. A. Green's plan, but have found, as I think, a more ex. cellent way. I dissent from the statement, "the first thing is writing numbers." Before learning to recognize or to make figures (not numbers) the child should learn to count up to 9, using objects always to count. The teacher will prepare some convenient counters. I would suggest grains of corn, circular disks of pasteboard, bright-colored if possible, bright-colored splints cut in suitable lengths. Some of these will be serviceable in teaching tens, hundreds, etc., to the older pupils. After each child can count to 9, and can also select quickly and correctly any given number not greater than 9, he is ready to commence some simple work in addition. Let each select five objects; then ask him to place them in two piles; some skillful questioning will lead him to tell you“ 2 sticks and 3 sticks are 5 sticks;" after this is thoroughly learned by all, let them take up the sticks and arrange them in two new piles; they will soon tell you "1 stick and 4 sticks are 5 sticks." Let them thus do all possible work in addi. tion, never using more than 9 objects; the teacher will occasionally place the objects for them, requiring them to find the amount. After this they will work in multiplication, deriving it always from addition; also in subtraction and in division. This work will take montbs, and after it is completed they may learn the figures to 9; learning, also, to put on slates small problems similar to those made with objects.

I have tried to make the plan of work clear, and hope it may benefit others. I hope, also, that others will present their methods in this branch and in others.

“M."

We have a word from that veteran conductor of institutes Prof. Graham:

OSHKOSH, Oct. 18, 1879. Hon. W. C. WHITFORD:- I have held five institutes; four for two weeks each, and one of one week. The enrollment has reached 506, for the total number.

The work emphasized has been (1) Course of Study; (2) Reading, especially primary; (3) Arithmetic, especially primary; (4) Meaning of words, through Word Analysis; (5) School Organization, with especial request for school records of Advancement of Pupils, as well as Attendance and Deportment.

The spirit of the teachers has been excellent, displaying an earnestness hither. to unequaled in an experience of ten years.

Probably no other medium is so thoroughly co-operating with the Normal and University work as the Institute. It has drawn into active sympathy a large corps of workers from the High Schools as well as from the Normal Schools, thus placing them in a condition to thoroughly study the common school pro. blem and know its demands. With a close supervision of this work it must operate as a powerful dynamic for good to this commonwealth.

Yours very truly,

ROBERT GRAHAM. A correspondent in Dunn Co., having sent us a small triangular stone, chipped from flint, asking its use, we submitted it to an expert who writes thus:

It is an arrow.head, of the triangular variety. A small portion of the point is broken off. While this particular form is not very common it is not rare. I have several in my collection as small or smaller still. The triangular arrow-points are more generally in form of an isosceles rather than an equilateral triangle. The drills are longer and are less frequently found.

Very truly yours, MILTON, October 22,

W. P. CLARKE.

а

THE NEW COUNTIES.

1

A teacher asks the following questions, which gives rise to the suspicion that many teachers are not well “up” in recent local geography any more than in recent or current history, as remarked by Prof. Salisbury, in the new “Histori. cal Department:"

" What are the new counties formed last winter, and where are they? Our Principal thinks there are four or five.''

ANSWER. — Three new counties were formed, as follows:

1st. PRICE county, named after Senator Price, of Black River Falls. It lies between Chippewa county on the west and Lincoln on the east, being rectangu. lar in form, and taking 21 townships from Chippewa, and 14 from Lincoln. It is bounded on the south by Taylor county, and on the north by Ashland and Lincoln counties. The county seat is Phillips, on the Wisconsin Central R. R., which passes centrally through the county. The county superintendent is J. D. Wyatt, of Phillips.

2d. New county, was formed of territory taken from the west side of Oconto

county, embarcing about 44 townships, and having a breadth of 4 townships and a length of about 11. It is bounded north by the State of Michigan, east by Oconto county, south by Shawano county, and west by Lincoln. It is not yet organized, but is attached to chawano at present, for county purposes. In the erection of this county four townships were first taken from the south part of the territory and given to Shawano, while Shawano gave six townships, in her northeastern portion, to Oconto county.

3d. MARINETTE county was formed from territory on the west side of Oconto, embracing about the same area as New county, but quite irregular in outline. It is bounded north by Michigan, east by Michigan and Green Bay, south and west by Oconto county. The county seat is Peshtigo, and the county superin. tendent is L. W. Winslow, of Peshtigo, previously superintendent of Oconto county.

The formation of New and Marinette counties, leaves Oconto county com. pressed between them, straggling up to the Michigan line with a length of nearly one hundred miles, and an average breadth of eigbteen miles. The future set. tlement of the northern part of these three counties will doubtless be followed by the formation of new ones.

The information given in these avswers has mostly appeared in the JOURNAL before, but it seems that it will bear repetition.

As a means of memorizing to some extent the Geography of Wisconsin, so far as the counties are concerned, we have found the following plan useful, which places them in tiers :

Begin with Kenosna and Racine, and go across to Grant; turning with Grant, go back to Milwaukee; pass west again from Ozaukee to Crawford and Ver. non; pass east from LaCrosse (taking Marquette and Waushara, Green Lake and Winnebago, Fond du Lac and Calumet, Sheboygan and Manitowoc, in pairs); pass west again from Kewaunee to Pierce; then east from St. Croix through Dunn, Eau Claire, Clark, Marathon, Shawano, and Oconto, to Door; then take, in a westward course, Marinette, and after crossing the “pan handle" of Oconto, New, Lincoln, Taylor and Price, in a pair, Chippewa, Barron and Polk; there are then left Burnett, Ashland, Bayfield and Douglass. Repeat this exercise on a map of Wisconsin frequently, and the names and order of the counties will become familiar. Reverse it also; follow up Lake Michigan and the Mississippi, etc.

See a notice under the editorial head, as to a map of the state.

EDITORIAL.

Many subscriptions to the JOURNAL run current with the year and volume. It of course happens that some wish to discontinue, at the end of a year. Will those who intend to do so at the end of 1879 please inform us to that effect, on or before the receipt of the December number, and not wait till after the receipt of one or two numbers not paid for? This request applies equally to all subscribers, who at any time wish to discontinue.

new one.

It would be supposed that a person in asking to have the address of a period. ical changed, would be thoughtful enough to state the old address as well as the

But many do not, and thus oblige the publisher, if he does not hap. pen to remember it, to write and ask.

It is also a piece of thoughtlessness to leave a place and allow periodicals to accumulate in the post-office, giving no notice to the post-master or publisher of any intention of discontinuance. Very often the post-master pays no atten. tion to the matter for some weeks or months, and then throws the numbers into the waste basket.

Woen a person subscribes for a periodical, unless there is some distinct understanding to the contrary, the publisher takes it for granted that its contin. uance is desired until notice is given to discontinue and arrearages are paid. The law sustains this construction.

Attention to these matters will make the relations of subscriber and publisher more pleasant than they sometimes are.

BY AN ARRANGEMENT with the Land Office, the copies of Nicodemus & Conover's Map of Wisconsin, purchased by the Siate last Winter, will be cor. rected to date, and made to show the new counties formed at the last session of the legislature, and any that may be formed at the approaching session.

See advertisement on another page.

ARRANGEMENTS are being perfected by the Executive Committee of the county and city superintendents, to prepare an interesting programme for the annual convention of these officers at Madison, in the last week in December. This convention will doubtless be held on two afternvons of that week, in connection with the holiday session of the State Teachers' Association.

We learn from Prof. W. H. Beach, the President of the State Teachers' Asso. ciation, that arrangements are in progress for this body to hold during the boli. days, a joint session, a portion of the time, with the Academy of Arts and Sciences, whose annual meeting occurs the same week at Madison. Opportunity will be given for the conventions of the county and city superintendents, and of the principals of high schools, to be held in the afternoons on Tuesday and Wednesday of the session. Pres. W. D. Parker has already secured the usual deduction of fare on the railroads, for the members of the Association attending the meetings. A large representation of the teachers and school officers is expected. The programme of exercis:s will undoubtedly be of a superior char. acter.

THE COMMITTEE appointed at the last convention of the principals of the high schools in the State, are now completing their arrangements for an interestiug session at Madison during the holidays. The December number of the JOURNAL OF EDUCATION will announce definitely the programme of their exercises.