vile manner. The particular character of one's school work must also determine his home work for a part of the time. As a matter of course the teacher should have a broad and thorough knowledge of the subjects he is teaching. This will make, in some cases, a large demand on his time. Any teacher, however, especially if he has been long engaged in the work, will find some time for a more general improvement. Individual taste or aptitude may fairly lead us to a more extended labor in one direction, yet there must be sufficient variety to prevent narrow-mindedness. Some things are essential.— Conn. School Journal.

HOW TO BEGIN TO TEACH MUSIC IN SCHOOL.

A systematic and progressive course of musical instruction is given to nearly all the pupils of the public schools in the city of Boston, commencing with the children of five or six years of age, when they first enter the Primary school-room, and ending with the highest class of the pupils of the Girls' High and Normal School, who are themselves preparing to become teachers in their turn.

The first attempt of the teacher is to gain the attention of the children by singing to them some easy melodic phrase within the range adapted to their voices, and asking them to repeat it after him, — to imitate the sounds he has given them in their proper order. This, after a few trials, the majority of the class will do. Some ten or fifteen minutes are spent in this way, and they have taken their first lesson in music. It is purely a matter of rote-singing, of the easiest and simplest kind. The interest of the children is excited, their attention aroused, their appreciation of musical sounds for the first time perhaps awakened. A few lessons are given in this way at the outset. But true rote-singing, as Mr. Mason has happily expressed it, is "a different thing from the ordinary 'hap-hazard' singing we too often find in our Sunday schools and in common schools where no regular instruction in music is given." It is an appeal to the imitative faculty which young children possess in so great a degree of perfection; and hence the greatest care should be taken that the example be a proper model for imitation as regards method and style, and purity and correctness of tone, even in the utterance of the simplest musical phrase. These preliminary rote-lessons should therefore be given, when possible, by a professional teacher himself. And they must needs be few and not long-continued. Even at this early stage in the musical instruction, great attention is given to the formation of a proper quality of voice. The difference between a good and bad quality is

illustrated by examples. The child is called upon to use a smooth and pleasant intonation in speaking, in reading, in recitation, and in singing. Above all, he is taught to avoid a noisy use of the voice.

As preliminary to the exercise of the voice in singing-and it applies to reading as well-the young children are trained in the following points:

1. A proper position of the body.

2. The right management of the breath.

3. A good quality of utterance, as just mentioned.

4. The correct sound of the vowels.

5. A good articulation.

6. An intelligent expression of the sense.

Care, too, is to be taken in the singing exercises of young children, that too great a compass be not attempted. The child is allowed to sing only in the middle register, or where he makes the tones with the least effort. Commencing the instruction with the rote-singing, as already stated, the first six sounds of the G scale are only attempted at the outset. Even within this limited range many of the best juvenile songs may be found. After the voice has been well practised in this compass, it may be extended upward and downward to a judicious extent, taking care not to strain the voice in the least degree.

The pitch and compass of the voice having thus been attended to, musical phrases of easy rhythmical structure are next taught in double and tripple time, the rote-method still being used. Various devices are resorted to to attract and keep the attention of the child to the lesson (i. e., marking the movement by a curve upon the black-board, holding up the hand and pointing out the motives, sections and phrases upon the finger in turn, etc., etc.). At this stage, musical notation, in its simplest form, is begun. The teacher explains, - gives examples which the pupil is required to imitate. With all these, practical exercises upon the sounds of the scale are intermingled.

In the second year of primary instruction the pupil is taught to know the different kinds of notes and rests, to understand the nature of quadruple and sextuple time, and the manner of beating the same, the accentuation as applied to music, etc. He is also mildly indoctrinated into the mysteries of the chromatic scale, so far as the simple change from the natural into the keys of G and F major is concerned. In the third and last year of primary instruction he is taught to describe by its intervals the major diatonic scale, etc., etc.

In the lowest class in the Grammar Schools the pupil is rapidily led over the whole ground taken in his primary course, now and henceforward by reference to the musical characters-rote-teaching and

rote-singing being for the most part abandoned. The child is now expected to begin to read the notation of simple musical phrases at sight. Report for 1871.

MUSIC IN SCHOOLS.-It has been recently discovered that all children have a certain instinct in the matter of musical memory which older people have not. It is something like the memory, of the carrier pigeon and the dog. A class of young children can be trained to remember the pitch of certain fixed tones, such as C, F sharp, B flat, A, and, indeed, all that we know of music. Remember them, I mean, from day to day. Remember them, so as to need no pitch-pipe or tuning-fork. Remember them, so that you may call out a class of boys and girls, and say to them, sing G, A sharp, C, D flat, F, or any other tone, and they will sing it as promptly and correctly as they will tell you how much is nine times six, or three times four. This is a new discovery-one of transcending interest and importance. Grown people cannot do this; only children can. And yet, with such capabilities, we have been content to let them grow up, and then to try to teach a handful to sing, organize a quartette here, train a solo there, get together a small chorus in another place; and all the while let the children go, losing those years of their life when nature makes them all singers, and gives them this wonderful memory of musical tones. I expect to go into our best public schools, ere long, and hear the teacher say, "John, read the next phrase," and John shall stand up, without taking his pitch from anything but memory, shall " read,” that is, sing an entire passage, however difficult, taking all the sharps and flats, giving the correct expression, and reading it as well as he would a passage from WEBSTER OF CHANNING.-Rhode Island Schoolmaster.

A COURSE OF READING.

One of the strange and unaccountable things which attracts the attention of the scholar and the industrious student of the present day, is the fact that courses of reading for the young are seldom spoken of in all that is written or said favoring popular education. Much is well said in promise of the public schools of the land, of the great profession of teaching and of the philosophy of improved methods of instruction so generally and readily adopted during the last few years; but we hear little said about preparing a course of reading for the young that shall form habit, draw young minds into channels of wholesome thought and study, and teach them the immense value of all their leisure hours when devoted to useful reading or study. Why is this so? Is it because parents are thoughtless, or have not selected a

course of reading for themselves in early life? Is it because teachers are unprepared to advise young pupils for the same or similar reasons, and hence are drifting along in the same channels? There is some truth in all these statements and there are other difficulties in the way besides those already hinted at. Books are generally prepared for adults and hence the literature for the young of which we speak is scarce and by far too costly. Too much expense is given to binding and illustrating books for this class of readers so that the cost places a large part of the most useful books for children and youth beyond the reach of the mass of them to be benefitted by possessing them. It is, too, a mistaken idea that the young should be left, at will, to idly gaze at, and leaf over picture books and let that be the end of their acquaintance with books; while illustrations of the right kind are desirable and very useful to explain description and often to enforce reasoning and theory, about nine-tenths of that which is called illustration in the public prints of the day, and many books of literature, is certainly worse than useless, because really untruthful. It serves to feed in the minds of old and young a kind of idle curiosity which leads to intellectual vagrancy. Have we not all about us scores of people with just such habits of listlessness and indifference as to the value of the best books? What is the cause of this? Does it not lie chiefly in the early home training? If so, one remedy may be found in encouraging the young to pursue steadily a well planned course of reading which the parent by the advice of teachers and other well-informed persons should select and procure. In this daily reading the parent should take deep interest and by proper means strive to impress upon the mind of the young reader that which is chiefly important. Let nothing be hastily read or poorly digested.

The best 'test for attentive reading is found in the ability to tell fluently, orderly and accurately, all that is important in the portion read. What a valuable thing the small but select family library would become if it were used in this way. Books would be published especially for it, whereas comparatively few are now, because the demand is so small.-Minnesota Teacher.

COMMON SCHOOLS.-Our common schools cannot give a University course. Their object is to give freely to every child, the rudiments of a good English education. Where more is attempted, or allowed, it must be at the expense of thoroughness and efficiency in its primary purpose.-Hon. W. H. Chandler, Supt. Dane Co., E. Dist.

IT is more difficult and calls for higher energies of soul to live a martyr than to die one.-Horace Mann.

CITIES AND THEIR SOBRIQUETS.

New York City is called the "Empire City," the "Metropolis," and sometimes "Gotham." The first titles were given to it because of its extensive commerce, numerous manufactories and great wealth. It was first called "Gotham" in "Salmagundi," (a humorous work by Washington Irving) from the singular wisdom attributed to the inhabtants. "Gotham "is the name of a town in England, noted for the stupidity of its citizens.

Boston is the "Classic City," the "Modern Athens," and the "Literary Emporium," from its acknowledged pre-eminence in the literary and fine art pursuits. It is also, cometimes, called the "Puritan City," in allusion to the character of its founders and inhabitants. It is also called "The Hub of the Universe.”

Baltimore is the "Monumental City," from the number and prominence of its monuments. The most noted of these is the Washington Monument. It stands on a rise of ground 100 feet high. Its base, 50 feet square and 20 feet high, supports a Doric column 176 feet in height, which is surmounted by a colossal statue of Washington, 16 feet high, giving its summit an elevation of 3124 feet above the level of the harbor. The shaft, 20 feet square at the base and 14 at the top, is ascended by means of a winding stair within. The whole is constructed of white marble, and cost $200,000. From its summit can be had one of the finest views in America.

Hartford is the "Charter Oak City," from the old oak so famous in our colonial history. It is said that the authorities of the king were about to destroy the colonial charter, which was the only guarantee for justice and civil freedom, when a patriot succeeded in getting hold of it, and hid it in this old oak tree, where it remained in safety till they could bring it forth without danger.

New Haven is the "City of Elms," from the profusion of elm trees growing in its public squares and streets.

Philadelphia is the "Quaker City," so named from the religious faith of its founders. It is also called the "City of Penn," and the "City of Brotherly Love," which last named is nothing more than the translation of the Greek original.

Charleston is called the "Palmetto City," on account of the abundance of palmetto trees in and around it.

Cincinnati is the "Queen City," so christened when it was the undisputed commercial center of the West. Also called Porkopolis, from the immense quantity of pork packed there.

Chicago, I believe, however, has taken the lead in this respect, for the last few years. Cincinnati is built on the site of old Fort Wash

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ington, which was first called "Losantiville." This word is made up as follows: ville means anti means village opposite," os means "mouth,"-and L. stands for Licking-and all, together, means, "Village opposite the mouth of the Licking." This was considered rather an outlandish name, and was afterwards exchanged for Cincinnati. Washington is the "City of Magnificent Distances," first called so (ironically) by Randolph, on account of the pretentious scale on which it was planned, and its vast area of still unoccupied ground. It covers a space of 44 miles long and 24 miles wide, or about 11 square