Condensed History, U. S. completed, Tracy's Physiology and White's Pedagogy.

Third Year.-White's Complete Arithmetic to end of book, Maury's Physical Geography, Harvey's English Grammar completed, Swinton's Outlines of the World's History, Shaw's English Literature, Hill's Elements of Psychology and Alexander's Moral Philosophy.

Teachers in the first year will use while here Graphic Copy-Book, No. 4, and those in the second year, No. 5.

Map-drawing will be taught in connection with geography.

Language-building and composition writing will receive special attention in connection with grammar.

For those who propose entering academies or colleges, or who simply want higher culture, afternoon classes in Latin and Algebra will be organized.

Vocal music and calisthenics will be taught.

Teachers in the first and second year's course will be required to attend two hours per week, a Model Primary School for observation in the methods of instruction. Those in the third course will be required to teach in this school, at the option of the Model School teacher in order to prove their proficiency.

Teachers coming to our Summer Session will occupy the rooms now occupied by students in regular session. Of these we have an ample supply of over two hundred. As we do not furnish sheets, pillowcases, and towels, these should be brought along with other necessaries.

Board in the building will cost two dollars ($2) per week in advance. Washing will cost from one dollar and a half to two dollars for the session, but those desiring to do their own washing may have the privilege of our laundry free of charge.

Arrangements will be made with all the railroads, by means of which all parties attending the Institute can obtain reduced rates. Teachers should notify us by June 1st of their intention to come, that we may forward certificates entitling them to reduced rates.

Scholarship Students from Virginia at the Peabody Normal College, Tennessee.

Hon. JOHN L. BUCHANAN,

State Superintendent of Public Instruction:

DEAR SIR,I beg leave herewith to transmit for your inspection a statement of the average rank, etc., of the students from Virginia holding

Peabody scholarships at the Normal College at Nashville, Tennessee, for the period ending January 25, 1889:

Accomac county.-Superintendent Mapp: The public schools of this county, except in one district, will run from six to eight months. The schools are giving general satisfaction-enrollment large and attendance good.

Alexandria city.-Superintendent Carne: Our new school building was formally opened on the 2d of January, with public exercises. It has proved all we expected, being undoubtedly the best ventilated house of any sort in the State, and, probably, the best school-house. The Snead-Ruttan system of ventilation works beautifully.

Amherst county.-The third annual institute of this county was held at Pleasant View, January 24-26, inclusive. The following subjects were

discussed: "Benefits to be Derived from Teachers' Institutes;" "School Government and Discipline, and the Relation of Teacher to Patron;" "The Value of Thorough Teaching-1st, As to the development of the intellectual powers of the mind, 2d, as to its practical utility;" "The Public Schools as a Means of Educating the People;" "The Necessity of Making Special Preparation for the Exercises of the School-room for each Day, and of Reducing to Practice all Methods and Plans that can be used to an Advantage in Exciting Interest and Furthering the Work of the School;" "Incentives to Study, and the Means of Securing Regular Attendance;" "The Work of Good Teachers as Compared with that of Indifferent Ones."

Frederick county.-Superintendent Lynch: An excellent school-house for colored pupils was recently built in Opequon district. I visited thirtynine schools during the month, and am very much pleased with the manner in which our teachers are discharging their duties.

Giles county.-Superintendent Hale: We will succeed in continuing the schools of the county five months-the first year this has ever been done in the history of free schools in this county.

Grayson county.-Superintendent Hale: The average attendance in our schools this year will be considerably in excess of that of any former We attribute this to the increasing interest among the people generally in the cause of education. Our regular monthly meetings in each district (three in all) are attended by the better class of teachers and by many patrons and citizens. We have held such meetings during the session of the schools for the past three years, and can heartily commend the plan to all superintendents.

Lunenburg county.-Superintendent Hardy: Our schools are making satisfactory progress. We have just completed two school-houses. The best people of the county are taking great interest in the public schools.

National Department of Superintendence.

The National Department of Superintendence convened in the Lecture Hall of the National Museum, Washington, D. C., March 6, 1889. There was quite a good attendance, although the number of representatives from the Southern States was small. But the absence of the Southern representatives from the meetings was not more conspicuous than the absence of their names from the programme. Of the four officers of the Department, Hon. W. R. Thigpen, of Georgia, was the Secretary. But while Pennsylvania had seven representatives appointed to take part in the discussions, nine Southern States were without representation on the programme. We do not say that this discrimination, if such it can be

called, was intentional or due to sectional feeling. Doubtless the failure of Southern educators to attend in larger numbers the meetings of the Department, and to make their presence and influence felt by a more active participation in its discussions, is a reason why comparatively few of them are assigned places on the programme.

A very large majority of those appointed to read papers and lead in the discussions were present. Many of the papers were carefully prepared and were both instructive and interesting; some of them were too long, and some rather dry. In fact, the discussions were too much in the nature of the "cut and dried." But little time was allowed for miscellaneous discussion, which is usually more interesting, often more instructive, generally more inspiring. We do not by any means undervalue well-studied, carefully-prepared papers on any subject worthy of attention, and surely worthy of attention in the highest degree are all subjects pertaining to the education of our people. Moreover, it is specially important to procure such papers for publication and distribution. But if in these meetings of the Department the various subjects are to be introduced by carefully written papers, and the discussions carried on in the same way, why could not the meetings be dispensed with and the papers be forwarded to the proper authority for publication? For most persons can get as much out of the papers by reading them themselves, as they can by listening to others read them. No objection is to be made to written discussions if restricted within proper limits. Every subject brought before the Department ought to be introduced by a well-studied paper. Those appointed to "lead" in the discussions, if they prefer to present their views in writing, should make their papers brief enough to leave sufficient time for free miscellaneous discussion, each speaker being allowed a certain limited time.

No unjust or unfriendly criticism is meant to be made on the work of the Department at its recent session. As said before, many of the papers were judicious and strong, emanating from educators of large experience and unquestioned ability. There was also more or less of interesting miscellaneous discussion. But we do mean to say that the exercises were overloaded with papers, and that if such is to be their character hereafter, we apprehend that some who attend them will get enough at one series of meetings to satisfy them for some years to come.

Among the distinguished visitors during the session of the Department were Secretary Noble and Senator Blair, who both delivered brief, but appropriate addresses.

We append a brief extract from the excellent paper read by President William DeWitt Hyde, of Bowdoin College, on examinations for promotions:

"Examinations, properly conducted, are indispensable to a thorough. system of graded schools. Examinations, improperly conducted, are the

most serious evil connected with our public school system. Instruction has made rapid advances of late. Examination has stood comparatively

still; and hence our methods of examination are behind the times. The theory of teaching, which made it consist chiefly in stowing away a lot of isolated facts in the pigeon holes of memory, is exploded, and the cor responding practice is abandoned. Yet examinations are usually adapted to test that kind of knowledge, and that alone. Hence the complaint that the best teachers do not obtain the highest per cents. from their pupils. Of course they do not. Testing good teaching by such examinations is as absurd as testing a locomotive on a turnpike.

"There are three distinct forms in which knowledge may be held by the mind; first, apprehension of the lesson as stated in the book, or taught by the teacher; second, application, or power to put the knowledge into practice; and third, comprehension, or grasp of the subject in its important features and broad relations A system of examination should be three-fold, testing these three types of mind, and these three forms of knowledge. By frequent reviews, or examinations, oral or written, the teacher should test the faithfulness with which the pupil has learned, retained, and assimilated the three or four preceding lessons. The results of these frequent or daily reviews should be one of the three elements determining promotion.

"The second kind of examination should consist of work assigned by the teacher, to be done by the pupil in connection with his studies, taking his own time, and to be handed in for the inspection of teacher and superintendent. This shows what the pupil can do; what use he can make of what he has learned. It fixes principles in his mind, trains him in habits of method and neatness, and at the same time shows whether he really has got hold of a subject or not. This sort of test is more like the tests of real life. This should form a second element in determining promotion.

"The third kind of examination-the final examination—should consist of broad and general questions, based on the features of the study, which the instruction of the teacher had made most prominent. The questions should be such as would not call for cramming, but such as would test the pupil's comprehension of the subject as a whole. The results of this examination would form the third element in determining promotion.

"Putting the results of these three kinds of examination together, we know all we need to know about our pupils' proficiency. We have secured these results without worry or fret on the part of the pupil, without subjecting teachers to restraint, and without the bother of nice mathematical calculation on the part of the superintendent. We have given a fair chance to every type of mind."