Old Meaning of Words

Villa once meant a farm, not a house.

Good-bye is an abbreviation of the old form of parting, "God be with you."

Gallon formerly meant a jar or pitcher, without reference to is size. The old form of daisy-day's eyeshows the origin of the word.

A young person of either sex was called a girl; the word hag applied to an old person, whether man or woman.

"Christ starved on the cross," says Wycliffe. Starve meant to die in any Famish had a similar mean ing, one might famish or starve from cold.

manner.

Voyage used to mean a journey, whether by sea or land.

A basket or other receptacle for grain was called a peek, whatever its size.

In the time of Thomas Fuller, shrewd meant wicked.

Polite meant polished and was applied not only to persons, but also to material things with a smooth shining surface.

A vagabond was originally a trav eler-one who wandered beyond--and did not designate the character of the traveler.

A miscreant was an unbeliever or heretic. In contemporaneous literature Joan of Arc was called a miscreant.

Wycliffe says, "and they went their ways-one to his town, another to his merchandise. Town meant farm or farmhouse.

Prevent originally meant to precede or go before, not to hinder.

An acre was a field of any size.

"Give us this day our daily meat." reads an old version. Meat meant food of any kind.

Corn formerly meant, and in Europe still means grain of any kind.

THE STORY OF LITTLE NELL

By Charles Dickens. Edited with an introduction by Jane Gordon, Cloth, i2mo. 357 pages. Price. 50 cents. American Book Co., New York Cincinnati. and Chicago.

This is the latest addition to the series of Eclectic School Readings, so widely and favorably known to teachers. It comprises the groundwork and much the larger portion of "The Old Curiosity Shop," and is given in the present volume just as Dickens wrote it, but freed from the various episodes and other passages origin ally employed to introduce other characters. The story, thus abridged and confined solely to the relation of the pathetic adventures of its heroine, will appeal especially to young readers. They cannot fail to perceive its beauty and its pathos, nor to admire the courage, the self-denial, and the simple goodness of Little Nell herself.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ETIQUETTE

By Emily Holt. 442 pages. Price, $2 00. McClure, Phillips & Co, New York

To offer the public another volume on "étiquette" is a bold thing for an author who has a reputation for something better than the flood of literature on that subject annually put out, and boldly has the author of this volume undertaken her work. The reader need not go far before making the discovery that the author's purpose justifies her boldness and that the public has really been given a volume of value on a subject of common interest. "What to write, what to wear, what to do, and what to say” is the author's description of what the volume contains. What more could it contain? When all this is known the perplexities of life will be reduced to a minimum.

The author displays tact, taste and good sense in her treatment of the subject and makes more out of it than is ordinarily found in works of this character.

ELEMENTARY INDUCTIVE GEOGRAPHY

By Mrs. Mary R. Davis and C. W Deane. Ph.D. Cloth. 228 pages Potter, Putnam & Co., New York.

"This is an attractive book in the literary, artistic, and mechanical features. The burden of the work has persumably fallen upon Mrs. Davis, who is peculiarly adapted to the making of a book that is reliable as to its facts, thoroughly modern in its methods, and eminently practical. She is an enthusiast in the subject, has had wide experience in teaching, and is eminently successful in institute and association work with teachDr. Deane is a master in the art of guiding school work in general and in detail, and the same mastery appears in his planning and perfecting this book.

ers.

"There are 649 maps and pictures in the book, each is beautiful in design and execution, and illustrates some definite and important fact, scene, or characteristic of some locality or country, people or custom, industry or commerce."

STORIES OF PIONEER LIFE

By Florence Bass. Cloth 146 pages 70 lustra tions. Price, 40 cents. D. C Heath & Co., Roston While this book is not in itself strictly a history, yet its heroes are historical characters and its narratives are of historical events, so that it admirably prepares for true history study.

The stories deal chiefly with the exploration and settlement of the Ohio Valley States, and centre about

the lives of the men, who, as missionaries, hunters and settlers, were the strong pioneers who opened this section of the country to the white man. In thought and expression stories are adapted for third and fourth grades.

The book is artistically made, printed in large clear type on heavy paper, and has seventy accurate and helpful illustrations.

BIRD DAY

By Charles A. Babcock. A. M., LL.B., Superintendent of Schools, Oil City, Pa. Illustrated. Square 16mo. Cloth. 50 cents. Silver, Burdett & Co., New York, Roston, Chicago.

Already known as the originator of the Bird-day movement in the schools of our country, Mr. Babcock now appears before the public as the author of a book that should help most materially to increase the observation of Bird-day. While designed largely for the assistance of teachers in planning and arranging for school exercises, the book contains a great amount of matter about birds that is not only instructive, but exceedingly interesting to all who are fond of this branch of nature study.

STRANGE PEOPLES

By Frederick Starr Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Chicago Cloth, 196 pages. Illustrated. Price, 40 cents. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. New York, Chicago.

A bright and readable volume pack. ed full of interesting and instructive facts about the less known реоples of the world, told in such a graphie style that they will impress the mind of children from nine to twelve years old.

In scope the book includes accounts of peoples in all the continents and great islands of the globe, and gives, not alone the characteristics of the great divisions of the human family, but also the striking traits and pecuiiarities of the different tribes in their social, domestic and religious life,

A NEW BEGINNERS' LATIN BOOK

By J. C. Hoch, Ph.D., and O. F. H. Bert, B. S., Instructors in Latin and Greek, in Greensburg Seminary, Greensburg, Pa. Introduction price,.80. Hinds & Noble, New York.

This new Latin book is constructed on a plan that will enable the beginner to accomplish the maximum amount of work within the minimum space of time. The lessons are arranged in a natural and methodical order and are just the right length to enable a class to make rapid progress. Exceptions to rules haye, for the most part, been omitted.

Many

of the sentences are original, while those of more complex construction have been taken from classic authors. The words which make up the vocabulary are such as will prove to be of value in later study. The subjunctive; mood and its uses has received most careful treatment. The discussion of conditional sentences by means of a diagram is a new feature which teachers will appreciate.

THE COMMON SENSE OF COMMERCIAL ARITHMETIC

By George Hall. Principal of Petersburg Academy,

Va. Cloth. 12mo. Price 60 cents. The Macmillan Company, New York.

This subject is in informal talksavoiding the customary stiffness of text-books-the parts of arithmetic most in use in commercial life, are treated here in a manner at once accurate, entertaining, and so excepceptionally lucid, that any one of ordinary intelligence can readily comprehend them without the aid of a personal instructor. Numerous examples are solved in complete detail, and sets of original problems with numbered references to these, are added to assist those seeking to instruct themselves.

The clear manner in which the actu al businees customs are stated will be of great help to teachers, also, in enabling them to present the subjects

in more thorough agreement with the real practices.