COMMUNICATIONS.

CONCERT EXERCISES IN SCHOOL.

I presume that it will be admitted by every practical teacher, that occasional concert exercises in nearly all the studies pursued in school, have their beneficial results-particularly in reading and spelling, but more particularly in the former.

It is not proposed in this article to call attention to either of these studies, but to try and show the utility and benefits arising from concert exercises in Geography. These exercises, prepared and learned as hereafter prescribed, are not only amusing, enlivening and entertaining to both teacher and pupil, but very instructive. Hundreds of facts and geographical items are engrafted into the mind in this way, and so indelibly stamped thereon that they will never be erased, which otherwise would never be learned, or if once learned in the usual way, would soon be forgotten.

It is suggested that the periods of the numeration table in Arithmetic, should form the first exercise, before beginning in Geography. This exercise may consist of thirty periods, or even more. We know that this is too large a number for any practical purpose, but not too large to make the scholar proud of his capacity for learning; and not too large to awaken an interest in reading numbers.

Then let the Presidents' names, the States in which they lived, their terms of office, and the number of years each served, form the second exercise. For example: George Washington, of Va., two terms, eight years; John Adams, of Mass., one term, four years, etc. Then the grand divisions of land and water, with their areas, and the population of the former, either combined or taken separately. Also the political divisions of each grand division, with their areas and their population, and, if thought best, their capitals. Then the bodies of water in and around the different countries, either combined or taken separately. Then the capes and points around the different countries, also the mountains, all form good exercises, and contain a great amount of information. Also the largest cities in the world, and in the different divisions, may be used profitably, and to great advantage to the pupil.

But in coming to our own country, these exercises may be multiplied to an almost numberless extent; but it is necessary to call attention to only two or three which are considered the most important. For exam

ple, the names of the States, with their capitals and areas, form an admirable exercise. Thus: Maine-Maine has for its capital Augusta, and contains 32,000 square miles; N. H.-N. H. has, etc.

What school, where Geography has been ever so well taught, can produce one-fifth of its scholars who can give the area of the States readily? Yet there are schools of nearly one hundred pupils, where these exercises have been taught, four-fifths of which can give them as correctly and readily as they can give their capitals, and only by learning them in this manner.

The counties of Ohio, repeated in alphabetical order, form another excellent exercise, and a very important one too.

How often has it been found necessary, in the numerous conventions meeting annually in this city, to call the counties in alphabetical order? and how often has it been found necessary to delay the business of the meeting, and send some one off to the Secretary of State's office, to procure some public document containing them, when, if some of our little school boys had been present, they could have mounted the rostrum, and performed the task accurately and creditably.

The cities of Ohio, as also the largest counties, arranged according to their size, will make other good exercises.

The skillful teacher will find the subject inexhaustible, and that it never fails of awakening an interest in school. In arranging countries, cities, etc., the largest should be named first; and in arranging capes, bodies of water, mountains, etc., commence at the N. W. corner of the map, and pass around it to the right, then S. and W., then N. to the place of beginning. Each name is to be repeated twice.

These exercises have been recommended as beneficial only in one respect, that of acquiring knowledge. But they may be used to accomplish several other important objects. They are admirable exercises for the cultivation and management of the voice, particularly in the use of the inflections, and are therefore important auxiliaries in reading and singing. For example: the names being repeated twice, they may both be given with the rising inflection, then both with the falling, or the first with the rising and second with the falling, and vice versa, thus changing, as the ingenious teacher knows how, to meet the objects to be accomplished.

But it has been said, and may be said again, that there is danger of diverting the pupil's mind from the regular and more important studies, and drawing his attention away from his regular duties. I reply, that every exercise and branch of study is perfectly safe, and this, no less

than any other, in the hands of the intelligent teacher, and in any school where the practical teacher is at the helm.

Let these exercises be prepared by the teacher at his leisure, and written upon the black-board, and repeated occasionally by the school, interspersing the exercises of the school with them whenever thought best, to awaken an interest and create animation, sometimes opening and closing with them, and sometimes let them take the place of singing a piece, and sometimes of a reading lesson, at which time they may be useful in mastering the whole subject of modulation, particularly inflections as heretofore prescribed.

It is to be hoped that these, or similar exercises, have found a place and an appropriate time in most of our schools. But knowing that there are many teachers who have never adopted them, the object of this article is to try and induce such to try the experiment, feeling assured that they will be amply repaid, and find them great auxiliaries in accomplishing many important objects so desirable to be attained in all our schools.

COLUMBUS, O., May 10, 1856.

D. C. PEARSON.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON THE SCHOOL LAW.

BY THE STATE COMMISSIONER OF COMMON SCHOOLS.

QUESTION 109.-When the Board of Education of a township, in which the school house of a joint sub-district is situated, has made an estimate of the expenses, of every kind necessary to sustain the school in such sub-district, and the board of the adjoining township refuses or neglects to supply its share of such expenses, what is the remedy?

ANSWER.-The Board of Education, having the control and management of the school, may apply to the Supreme or District Court for a writ of mandamus, to compel the delinquent board to perform the duty which is required by section 16, of the school law.

The language of said section is too obvious to be misunderstood, and the duty enjoined too manifest to be mistaken. "And the board of the adjoining township or townships, so connected for school purposes, shall each make the proper estimates of their share of expenses, of every kind necessary to sustain said school, and certify the same to the auditor of their proper county, as part of their annual estimates for school purposes," etc.

If, however, the board having the control and management of said school, should prefer not to go to law on the subject, they may regard said neglect or refusal, on the part of the other board, as tantamount to an agreement to have said joint sub-district dissolved, and may proceed to incorporate their part of it

with other sub-districts in their township, and thus avoid any further trouble on the subject.

QUESTION 110.-When the qualified voters of a sub-district fail to meet and elect a local director, at the time designated for the annual meeting, and the director whose term of office has expired, refuses "to continue in office until his successor is elected and qualified," what is to be done?

ANSWER.-Any three of the qualified voters of such sub-district, may call a special meeting of the voters of such sub-district, for the purpose of electing a director, as provided in sec. 4 of the school law; and if such special meeting be not called within a reasonable time, the township clerk may appoint a person to act as local director, until such special meeting be called and a local director be duly elected and qualified.

QUESTION 111.-May a Township Board of Education legally authorize the school house of a sub-district to be used for other purposes than the accommo. dation of its school, contrary to the expressed wishes of the inhabitants and local directors of said sub-district?

ANSWER. Whether the board has such legal power or not, it should rarely, if ever, be exercised under the circumstances above indicated.

By sec. 11 of the school law, Township Boards of Education are invested, in their corporate capacity, with the title, care and custody of all school houses, etc., with full power to control the same, in such manner as they may think will best subserve the interests of common schools and the cause of education. To grant permission to any person or persons, or to any society, to use the school house of a sub-district for any other purpose than the accommodation of its school, except at the request or with the consent of the local directors and inhabitants thereof, would not be likely to subserve the best interest of the school or the cause of education; but, on the contrary, it would be likely to disturb the harmony of the sub-district, create disaffection among its inhabitants, abate their interest in the school, and materially retard the progress of education.

The prosperity of the school should be regarded as paramount to all other considerations, and nothing should be allowed or authorized which would be liable to interfere with such prosperity. And as a general principle, the good sense of the people of a sub-district, furnishes the best criterion by which to determine the propriety or impropriety of allowing a school house to be used for other than school purposes. The law invests Boards of Education with the title, care and custody of school houses, for the purpose of protecting, and not for the purpose of leasing, them.

H. H. BARNEY, Commissioner of Common Schools.

The rose of Florida, the most beautiful of flowers, emits no fragrance; the bird of Paradise, the most beautiful of birds, gives no songs; the cypress of Greece, the finest of trees, yields no fruit; dandies, the shiniest of men, have no sense; and ball-room belles, the loveliest of created creatures, are very often ditto, and a little more so!

IGA word of kindness! It is a seed which, when even dropped by chance, springs up a flower.

BREVITIES.

We were, yesterday, shown a rather caustic correspondence between two love-sick swains in which one thus picks up his rival upon his orthography: "You had better go to scule and lern to spel."

For which ungenerous allusion to a very common fault, the other thus pungently retorts:

"When i'go to scule and lern to spel,' you had better higher me too teech you how."

A veritable entry made by the R. S. of a Division of the Sons of Temperance, read thus:

"After gwine through the yewzel fawms, there was a colleckshun taked up, but nothin' was taked in."

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The Comic Grammar gives the following lessons:

But remember, though box

In the plural makes boxes,
The plural of ox

Should be oxen not oxes.

And remember though house

In the plural is houses,

The plural of mouse

Should be mice and not mouses.

Between Adjectives and Verbs.-A writer on School Discipline, says: Without a liberal use of the rod, it is impossible to make boys smart." "He who writes what is wrong, wrongs what is right.”

WHAT'S IN A NAME?-The greatest English philosopher was Bacon, one of the finest Scotch poets, Hogg, and one of the pleasantest British essayists, Lamb.

Some persons eat hot soup with impunity; others with a spoon.

The bravest heart oft contains the most humility.

IGA Hartford paper gives the following" signs of the times," to be found at that city: "Washing and going out to days works done here;" "Breakfast, dinner and supper, at all hours:" and "Saws filed, and set up stairs."

WOOD COUNTY EXAMINATION.- Board, What causes the difference in the length of days in different parts of the year?

Candidate, "The sun's going to the north star and back agin, wonst a year." The Board smiled. That board was not sawed from weeping willow, though it was a Wood Board.

IGA NATURALIST WHO IS A BIT OF A NATURAL.-A naturalist, describing the rook, says: "He leaves the blue empyrean, and he quits his lofty height, when he is brought to this dull earth by the mere force of caterpillery attraction." "Pray, Mr. Professor, what is a periphrasis?" Madam, it is simply a circumlocutory cycle of oratorical sonorosity, circumscribing an atom of ideality, lost in a verbal profundity." "Thank you, sir."

A learned young lady, one evening lately, astonished a company by asking for the loan of a "diminutive argenteous, truncated cone, convex on its summit, and semiperforated with symmetrical indentations!" She wanted a thimble.