this peculiarity in nouns is called gender in Latin. is no such peculiarity in English, and hence no prop distinction. But are there no common nouns ?" "no,"-" yes,""no." "Silence."-" When the apply to either a male or female being of the same cla any distinction of sex made?" "No." "Did the w that we should know what the sex was ?" "He did there any gender, then ?" "There is not."" But i object of some sex ?" "It is, but the noun does n what that sex is, and so there is no distinction of s "Ah, yes! that is it precisely." After going throu course of reasoning with them as the foregoing, th reverse the order, and ask them to tell me why there two genders. So I would proceed through all the grammar, making them reason out, as far as possible, rectness of their own notions. 66 T To illustrate further, the subject being tenses:-"6 name the tenses." "There are six tenses, the prese fect"-"Ah! imperfect? What is an imperfect tens imperfect tense expresses what is past and finished." " "An imperfect tense expresses what was finished in definite past time. "Very well, is there anything in that?""There is not." "When was the action per "In past time." "What tense should it be calle "The past tense." "But why have so many gra called it the imperfect tense?" No reply ;-" Probabl the Latin has an imperfect tense somewhat resembli "But is it not improper to call it the imperfect tense in "No, because in Latin it is an imperfect tense." the imperfect tense in Latin denote ?" A Latin schola "It generally denotes what was taking place at the ferred to,-something that was unfinished at that time fect indefinite in Latin corresponds more nearly to tense." But this will suffice to illustrate my plan. thus been over with all the technicalities of gramma by subject, with the first class, explaining and discuss freely. Now I connect analysis with parsing or cons making analysis of the most importance; perhaps I s I make synthesis precede them both, for our lessons writing sentences containing certain elements of a form and use, and then these sentences are analyzed an The rules for construction we fix upon as occasion them, or rather, I give out exercises which require a construction, and then we discuss and determine wh best for that particular form of construction. With t ners I proceed somewhat differently, as their minds ar of errors to be corrected. After having set clearly bef the object of their study, I begin in a familiar conversation about things around us :-"What is this?" "A pencil." "And this?" "A desk," &c. "What are the words pencil "They are the names of those objects." and desk?" "Have all objects names?" "They have." Then I would go on and 66 yes,' "Not the thing itself, then ?" "No, sir; but the word, which is the name of the thing.' When the next lesson comes the nouns are brought forward and read and discussed, and so on, until all get a clear idea of a noun. Some have proper nouns, which gives occasion to point out the distinction between common and proper nouns, and a lesson of proper nouns is assigned, and so of number and person. Thus we go on from one thing to another without any book, though I shall put a book of some kind into their hands by and by. The small class have most of them got the verb so that they can go through all the forms, moods, tenses, numbers, and persons, and without a book to learn it out of, too. In fact, I never saw a book which gave the verb correctly, according to my notion of it. But I will leave this point. FOR the information of subscribers, we insert an extract from a letter of Dr. Lord, of Columbus, Ohio, to the President of the Massachusetts Teachers' Association, by whom it was read at the late meeting in New Bedford. After a few preliminary remarks, Dr. Lord proceeds as follows: "Accept our hearty thanks for your kind invitation, and the many proofs of interest and sympathy for us, which we have received from you and your associates; and permit me to assure you that we rejoice in all the successes, and sympathize with the labors and trials of our brethren, in every part of the Union. OUR State Teachers' Asssociation was formed in D 1847. At that time there were only four or five t cities in the State, in which anything like a system of schools existed; and, generally speaking, the Public in the larger towns and villages were in a worse condi We had no State Su those of the country districts. dents of Schools, (de facto) no Board of Education, n for calling the Teachers together for personal and pr improvements, and, as might naturally be expected, y inexperienced persons were mostly employed to teach, pensation paid being too small to induce persons to qual selves for teaching, or to continue in the employmen were competent. Immediately after the formation of the Association, ments were made for attending Teachers' Institutes in counties as possible, a Normal Class was formed, a effort made to form a correct public sentiment in rega necessity of classified Schools, well-qualified, permanent good school-houses, etc. The result of its labors (in part at least,) may be su stated: from 2000 to 3000 or 3,500 teachers have be ally instructed in Teachers' Institutes; Union or C Schools are now in successful operation in nearly one town and cities; a large number of good school-houses ha built; the wages of male teachers (principals) have creased from $350 or $400 to $600, $800, or $1, year, and of females, from $2 or $3 per week, to $250 per year, (and the best qualified receive in n stances from $350 to $500 or $600.) Nearly two yea we employed an agent to devote himself entirely to con Institutes, and aiding in the organization of Union Sch whom was paid last year, by voluntary contributions teachers, mainly,) about $1,000, and this year $1 $1,500 will be raised. A year since, our "Journal of tion" was commenced, which has more than paid its ex and will give us something toward the support of the age the other plans of the Association. Beside these direct results a much more correct and public sentiment has been created, the active teachers tually recognized as a Profession, which is clearly shown facts that Superintendents of Public Schools and Princ Union Schools, are now receiving a compensation fully to that paid to Presidents and Professors in Colleges, a Boards of Education are accustomed to consult them in to the construction of school-houses and the organization school systems, and generally to leave to Superintendents rangement of the course of study, the classification of pupi dation of schools, &c., as fully as Trustees of Colleges entrust these things to the Faculty. Our teachers have very generally become accustomed to give annually, as members of a profession, for the promotion of the interests of the cause of general education, with whose advancement they consider the continued improvement and elevation of their own calling to be inseparably connected. Yours, truly, A. D. LORD. SCHOOLS IN ST. LOUIS. THE following letter from Mr. J. H. Tice, Secretary of the Board of Public Schools in St. Louis, affords a clear and succinct account of those schools, and will be read with interest, we hope, by all persons engaged in education. The annexed report of a Special Committee of the Board in regard to the establishment of a High School, from the Missouri Republican, will, like good news from a far country, also prove acceptable, and may give an impetus to similar projects here in the East. W. H. WELLS, ESQ., LETTER. ST. LOUIS, Nov. 12th, 1852. Dear Sir:-In compliance with a promise made you while here a few days ago, I send you the annexed statement of the School system in this city, together with such information as may be interesting to you, relative to its operations. We have no connection with the State system, (?) receiving neither State nor County money, being cut off from both by the wisdom (?) of the State Legislature. The State has a fund of about $750,000 at interest, derived from her share of the United States deposit Act of 1836, and from the proceeds of saline lands donated by Congress for the purposes of a School and University fund. The interest on this fund is annually distributed amongst the counties of the State, and amounts to about forty cents per scholar reported. The Congressional townships have each a fund of its own, arising from the proceeds of the 16th section of land, which is appropriated by Congress, in each township, for a township school fund. Besides these, there is a County school fund, composed of all the fines imposed by our courts, and also forfeitures of recognizances, or bonds for keeping the peace, &c. From all benefit of these, the St. Louis city schools are excluded by law, as already stated. The city, however, has a very rich fund of her own, and will derive a large income when the long leases expire, entered into while St Louis. was but a village, and ground of but little value. This fund consists of lands donated by Congress by the Act of 1812; which gives to the old Spanish and French towns all the vacant lands, that granted or ceded to individuals, by the French or Spanish or not occupied and cultivated by individuals, on and prio of December, 1803, the day that the French authorities the possession to the American Government. The land session of the School Board is worth nearly $1,000,000: a $1,000,000 worth is claimed by the Board; and a suit is before the Supreme Court, involving $500,000 worth of la a decision is daily expected. These lands are leased by at present, upon perpetual leases, renewable every ten yea cent. upon the value of the ground. Formerly the renewa fifty years. Owing to this, the most valuable parts of the leased at low rates upon long leases. The income of the rents is nearly $13,000 annually. There is also imposed b tioned by a vote of the people in June, 1849, a tax of o one per centum on all taxable property within the limits o This tax will amount to $29,000 the present year, and is annually. Our Board is an independent corporation, subject to no revision of the city corporation; it manages its own fund its own taxes, employs its own agents, makes its own engage termines its own measures, and appropriates its own money, to its will and pleasure, without any limit or restriction, exce owes to public opinion. How such a school corporation wou elsewhere, I cannot tell, but here the salvation of public inst pended upon this independence of the Board. We may date the actual and efficient commencement of c system, to the date of "the importation," as it was the "of Massachusetts Teachers" in 1848, when the Board sent to employ teachers in Massachusetts. Some of our schools respectable before that time, but nothing to be compared to and elevated standard they have now attained. Our Syste which obtains in all cities, and is called in the country the Uni System, though perhaps our subdivision of labor is not so g some places. We have only the Primary and the Grammar contemplate to add a High School the coming year. I believ add much to its efficiency if we had schools intermediate be Primary and Grammar School. As it is, we cannot make a v classification of pupils according to their attainments, nor de cient time to classes in the various branches taught. An Int School would reduce the number of classes in the Grammar and consequently give more time for instructing the more classes, whose progress would be greater. Our Schools are organized upon what I believe is sometim the double-headed system. Each building generally has thi appropriated to a Primary and two Grammar Male and Femal In each story there is a main room, in which all the scholars a and in which the Principal teaches; he is assisted by two a who hear their classes in separate class rooms. We have tv schools now in operation, embracing about 3,000 pupils, and about completing two additional buildings, which will add si |