A. S. WELCH.

A. S. WELCH was born April 12th, 1821, in the town of Chatham, Conn. At the age of eighteen, with such an education as the district-schools afforded, he removed to Michigan and in 1839 opened a private English school at Romeo, devoting his leisure to study preparatory to college. After teaching the next winter in a district-school at Ray, he returned to Romeo and had charge of the mathematical department of a branch of the State University, continuing his studies under the able instruction of Prof. Rufus Nutting. In 1842 he entered the Sophomore class of the University and in the following spring was made principal of the preparatory department, still maintaining his connection with his class. He continued his studies and the principalship for a year after his graduation in 1845 and then commenced the study of law, but finding it unsuited to his tastes he, in 1847, accepted the charge of the Fayette Union School at Jonesville. This was the first graded school of Michigan and had met with much opposition and doubt of its success. But all obstacles were speedily overcome, a thorough system of discipline was established, classes in the higher English branches and in Latin and Greek were organized. and the school attained a high reputation for its discipline and scholarship. But worn down by the labors incident to the position and the previous years of exhausting toil, Mr. Welch was forced to resign in the spring of 1849, and spent the two following years in traveling through the regions west of the Rocky Mountains, during which time he acquired a thorough knowledge of the Spanish language.

Upon his return he resumed his former position in the Fayette school, but in the autumn of 1852 was appointed principal of the newly established State Normal School at Ypsilanti. After the dedication of the building in October, a large Teachers' Institute was organized under his charge and continued for three weeks, in connection with which and through his influence the State Teachers' Association was also formed. Under the management of Mr. Welch, having the full confidence of the Board of Education, untrammeled by special regulations, and aided by a small but efficient corps of teachers, the Institution, opened in March, 1853, became prosperous and successful in the highest degree. It won good will and encouragement from every side, the Legislature willingly appropriated such supplies as were needed to meet all its wants, while Mr. Welch labored assiduously in revising and perfecting the system of discipline and instruction, working faithfully both as an executive officer and practical teacher.

In 1854 he published his "Analysis of the English Sentence," which as an English Grammar has received the hearty commendation of very many prominent teachers. By request of the State Association he also commenced in 1856 a text-book upon Rhetoric and Composition, but intense application in its preparation brought on an attack of nervous and physical prostration which compelled an entire suspension of labor for nearly a year. His efforts were now directed to making the Normal School more strictly professional, and its privileges were restricted to those only who were preparing for duty as teachers. This disembarrassed the school of the greater part of the academic apartment, relieving it of an element that had long hindered the accomplishment of its true design, and Mr. Welch was able to carry out more fully his plans of professional instruction. And throughout the whole course of his connection

he had spent several winters in teaching school, and after graduation, through the instrumentality of W. H. Wells, then principal of the State Normal School at Westfield, was invited to take the charge of the Public Schools at Adrian, Michigan, where he has since remained, using his best efforts to raise them to his own ever-advancing ideas of a true school. He was elected President of the State Teachers' Association in 1857.

ALEXANDER WINCHELL.

ALEXANDER WINCHELL was born at Spencer's Corners, Duchess county, N. Y., Dec. 31st, 1824. His parents having themselves been teachers, he was early pushed forward in his studies, which alternated with summers of labor upon the neighboring farms until his fourteenth year, when he was sent to South Lee, Mass., where he spent two years at district-school and academy, paying especial attention to chemistry. On his return he commenced teaching, with very satisfactory success, pursuing at the same time a course of thorough study, putting carefully to paper whatever he learned, and so going through algebra and surveying and commencing Greek. In the fall of 1842 he entered Amenia Seminary, and, not confining himself to the branches preparatory to college, took up the study of French, astronomy, mental philosophy, painting, and the piano forte, having at times six or eight daily exercises and carrying on all the studies of the "Teachers' Class," besides giving courses of instruction in peumanship, pen-drawing, and vocal music, spending the winter in teaching, acting at other times as assistant in the Seminary, and still finding leisure for participating largely in the Society meetings and for writing contributions, poetical or other, for newspapers and magazines. In 1841 he entered the Sophomore class at the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Ct., and graduated in 1847, having spent one winter in teaching at Winsted, Ct., and the second in a select school in his native town. During the next year he was engaged at the Pennington Male Seminary, N. J., where he took up the study of botany and Hebrew, kept a meteorological record, and delivered several public lectures upon astronomy and the electric telegraph. Declining a tutorship of mathematics at Wesleyan University, he now accepted a situation in Amenia Seminary. He here gave instruction in botany and made an extensive botanical collection, a catalogue of which, with the meteorological reports, were published in the Report of the Regents for 1851. From Oct., 1850, he was for three years proprietor of the Female Seminary at Eutaw, Alabama, and in Jan., 1854, became Professor of "Physics and Civil Engineering" in the University of Michigan. In 1855 he was appointed to the newly-created professorship of "Geology, Zoology, and Botany" in the University, though continuing to give instruction in some branches of the mathematics until 1857. In 1858 he was elected President of the State Teachers' Association and during the following year had the editorial and financial management of the "School Journal." In 1859 he received the appointment of State Geologist, which office he held for three years, publishing a report, and also a geological map of the State. In 1857 he published a “Guide to the Pronunciation of Scientific Terms," and in 1858 a "Synoptical View of the Geological Succession of Organic Types," in connection with his class instruction. Prof. Winchell has made frequent contributions to Silliman's Journal, and the proceedings of various scientific associations, of which he is a member.