best romance becomes dangerous if by its excitement it renders the ordinary course of life uninteresting, and increases the morbid thirst for scenes in which we shall never be called upon to act.” Few people to-day ever think of opening the pages of Southey's "Doctor," but there is a passage to be found there on the influence of books which is worthy. of printing in letters of gold. He says: "Would you know whether the tendency of a book is good or evil, examine in what state of mind you lay it down. If it induces you to suspect that what you have been accustomed to think unlawful may, after all, be innocent, and that that may be harmless which you have hitherto been taught to think dangerous-if so, throw the book into the fire, whatever name it may bear upon the title page. Throw it into the fire, young man! Young lady, away with the whole set, although it should be the prominent feature in a rosewood bookcase." How to insure the co-operation of parents in leading their children to the right books is a matter which teachers might well be thinking of, and it is very gratifying to know that many have this matter very much at heart. Do parents ever consult you as to their children's home reading for pleasuretheir joy books, so to speak-and how far are you equipped with the necessary knowledge to answer such inquiries? Would not parents gladly accept suggestions from teachers for books for children's home reading, and surely no school authority would consider that the teacher was overstepping her sphere in making recommendations of this kind. There are many excellent series of cheap classical books which are now published, which might well form the nucleus of a library for the children in their homes. I have one series especially in mind, entitled "Heath's Home and School Classics," which is exactly suitable for this purpose. The books are all vouched for by the names of men and women in whom teachers and parents alike have confidence, and the selection covers the whole field of children's reading. 2-E.-J. LANGUAGE TRAINING. To teach the use of the verb lay: What am I doing, children? You are laying you head on your arm. You may all do the same. What are you doing? We are laying our heads on our arms. What is Grace doing? She is laying her head on her arm. Each child tell me for himself what he is doing. I am laying my head on my arm. Each tell me what all the rest are doing. They are laying their heads on their arms. Raise you heads. What did you do? You laid your head down on your arm.. She laid her head on her arm. I laid my head on my arm. They laid their heads on their arms. Class, lay your right hands on your left. Grace, what have they done? They have laid their right hands on their left. Class, what has Grace done? She has laid her right hand on her left. You have laid your right hand on your left. Harry, what have you done? I have laid my right hand on my left. Class, what have you all done? We have laid our right hands on our left. Make believe you are all tidy children, and tell me what you have done with your toys when you went to bed last night. We had put them away. Use the word lay. We had laid them away. Paul, what had you done with yours? You had laid your toys away. How the atmosphere is heated. Do we find the air warmer or colder as we ascend hills and mountains? Why does it not become warmer as we approach the sun by climbing upward? Why is the zinc on the wall behind a hot stove warmer than the air nea: it? Hold a thermometer against a sunny sand-bank, then one inch above it, onė foot, three feet, ten feet, top of a tree. Where is it warmest? Coldest ? Which is warmer, the air over a sandbank or green field in sunshine? How is the atmosphere heated? If the air were heated directly by the sun, what would result? Where would it be warmest? Why do we like to have it cloudy on hot days? Does all the sun's heat reach the earth's surface? Why does the air become cooler as it floats upward? What becomes of its heat? How high can heated air float? What stops it? When will it come down? How high can a balloon rise? When must it come down? Soap-bubble? What brings them all down? If you sift flour over a lamp chimney, or throw papers and feathers over a hot register, where will they settle? Why do they not come directly down? Why does not the air above a hot stove settle down upon it? Where, then, will air come down after cooling? In what direction must it move after coming to the surface? Upon what does the speed of wind depend? What names do you know for winds of different kinds and rates of speed? Uses of Air. Do fishes breathe? What brings our rain-clouds? What becomes of the breath we exhale? What animals travel in the air? Of what use is the wind to sailors? What machines are moved by the air? Do you know the cause of dawn and twilight? What damage is caused by winds? Of what use are strong winds? Gales? Is air of greatest use when at rest or or in motion? Name all the uses of air that you know. spelling devices. 1. For a written spelling lesson have the pupil write as many of the words as he can recall. In a short time not a few in the class will be able to write the whole list. When you think sufficient time has been given, call on three or four who have the longest lists to pronounce and direct the others to supply missing words. 2. Require words to be grouped according to number of syllables they contain. 3. Require class to write twenty words that are names of things used to cook with, or of things raised in the garden, or of things bought by dry measure, of bones of the skeleton, etc. 4. Give a word. Direct class to make as many words as possible from the letters contained in the given word. 5. Add ing and ed to beg, plod, fret, rub, etc. Add ing and ed to scrape, manage, escape, excuse, etc. Add er to slip, big, sin, etc. Add ment to amaze, manage, measure, etc. In the same way require the adding of able, ful, less and so on. 6. Lists of words misspelled should be corrected and accurately written many times, in order that the pupil may get a right impression of the word in place. of the wrong form. 7. Write list of words that rhyme with lawn, dawn, fawn, etc. 8. Make memory list of words used in previous geography lesson. 9. Make a list of words alike in spelling, but different in meaning and pronunciation. Of words alike in sound but different in spelling.-Midland Schools. car. THE LOST CHANGE. A woman, feeble and bent with age and overwork, stepped into a New York street After much searching she produced a quarter, which she handed to the conductor. He returned the change to her trembling fingers; but, before she could put it in her pocket, a piece fell to the floor, and was lost between the slats at her feet. In vain did she try to find it. A tall man, dressed in black, sat facing her. His hand went to his pocket, then, stooping forward, he appeared t. be looking for the lost coin, and with an “Ah! here it is, madam," he stretched his hand to the floor; and, raising it, deposited the money in her lap. He arose, and immediately left the car. The old woman beckoned to the conductor; and, showing him a five-dollar gold piece, asked if he had not given it to her by mistake. She could not understand how she came by it, but a few of the passengers could; and, as she put her hand to her face to hide the tears of joy, some one whispered the name of one of the best known philanthropists of New York. MATHEMATICS. ROBERT J. ALEY, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA UNIVERSITY. MAGIC SQUARE FOR 1902. 87 229 96 227 226 93 92 223 222 89 | 220 98 218 100 209 102 211 105 104 214 215 216 109 99 195 112 113 203 202 116 117 199 198 120 121 206 194133 | 192 | 126 | 127 | 189 188 130 131 185 124 183 171 136 173 174 139 140 141 142 179 180 145 182 170 157 168 167 154 152 153 151 162 161 148 159 147 169 156 155 166 164 165 163 | 150 | 149 160 158 146 172 137 | 143 | 175 | 177 176 178 138 144 181 135 123 193 132 186 190 128 129 187 191 125 184 134 114 115 201 200 122 205 197 114 115 201 200 118 119 204 196 111 110 208 108 107 106 212 213 103 210 101 217 207 219 88 221 90 91 225 224 94 95 228 97 230 Herbert K. Wiley, Indianapolis. DIVISIBILITY OF NUMBERS. 1. A number ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 is even and is divisible by 2. 2. A number is divisible by 3 when the sum of its digits is divisible by 3. 3. A number is divisible by 4 when the number represented by its last two digits is divisible by 4. 4. A number ending in 0 or 5 is divisible by 5. 5. An even number is divisible by 6 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 3. 6. A number is divisible by 7 when the sum of the odd numerical periods minus the sum of the even numerical periods is divisible by 7. 7. A number is divisible by 8 when the number represented by the last three digits. is divisible by 8. 8. A number is divisible by 9 when the sum of its digits is divisible by 9. 9. A number ending in 0 is divisible by 10. 10. A number is divisible by 11, when the difference between the sum of the digits in the odd places and in the even places is divisible by 11. 11. A number is divisible by 12 when it is separately divisible by 3 and 4. Further tests for divisibility by 7: (a) A number is divisible by 7 when the unit term is one-half or one ninth the part on the left, e. g., 91, 182, 273, etc. (b) A number is divisible by 7 when the number expressed by the two right-hand terms is five times the part on the left; e. g., 840, 1155, 1365, 1890, etc. (c) A number consisting of not more than two numerical periods is divisible by 7 when these periods are alike. HOW TO ATTACK AN exercise IN The above is the title of a little book published by Ginn & Co. and written by Dr. E. S. Loomis, professor of mathematics in the West High School, Cleveland. It is one book of which it may be truly said, "It fills a long-felt want." Certainly every teacher and student of geometry has felt the need of definite directions in attacking a geometrical exercise. The author discusses the subject under the three general heads, Original Demonstrations, Original Solutions and Methods of Investigation. The whole discussion is clear, concise and well illustrated. To properly review the book one would need to reproduce a large part of it. Every teacher of geometry will find much pleasure and great profit in reading the book and applying its principles to the geometry work. HOW TO TEACH ARITHMETIC. The above is the title of a fifty-fourpage monograph by Frank H. Hall, published by the Werner School Book Company, Chicago. A strong plea is made for the omission of the obsolete and useless parts of the subject and for the enrichment by the use of a larger number of exercises in simple calculation and in the solution of more concrete problems. The memorizing of the fundamental number facts of addition and multiplication is urged, and rightly, for no real progress can be made without it. The importance of accuracy is pointed out with great skill and force. The whole monograph is If the system is in equilibrium, the products of the weights A and B by their distances from F must equal the products of C and D by their distances from F, and we have 3 (15-X) + 3 (3—X)=4X+3 (3+X.) ... X=3. This renders (3-X) negative. Hence, F should be to the left of B and 3 inches from the middle of the bar, or 14,7 inches from one end. 13 J. C. Gregg, Brazil. 89. Arrange the first 36 consecutive numbers in the form of a magic square. 1. Herbert K. Wiley, Indianapolis. 4. — |