have otherwise become interested in entomolgical pursuits, will find this pamph. let very useful. Besides a classification and brief deseription of the more com. mon families of insects, some clear directions are given for collecting and preserving them; also a glossary of terms. A SHORT GERMAN GRAMMAR for High Schools and Colleges. By E. S. Shelden, Tutor in German in Harvard Uuiversity. Buston: Ginn & Heath. These publishers issue only good books. We should say that the plan on which this compilation is made well adapts it to the wants of intelligent, pro. gressive students, and its use will promote discipline of the mind as well as a thorough and scholarly knowledge of the language. THE DOMESTIC MONTHLY — The September number of this popular magazine makes its appearance with a very handsome new cover, making it externally one of the most attractive of all the magazines. This elegant exterior is in full accord with the beauty and excellence of its general make-up and substantial merit of its contents. Nearly all the articles are profusely illustrated with ele. gant engravings, while the frontispiece,'showing very stylish autumn costumes, is a superb specimen of the lithographic art. The literary contents are also a high order of merit, and consist principally of the concluding part of the charming story, “Lost Alice,” the opening installment of a sketch entitled “Tried in the Fire," a very entertaining paper on “Sleep,” an entertaining short story, called “The Daisy's Prophecy,” by Florence H. Birney, an' Art Paper,' by Mrs. Merighi, No. 9 in Mr. Eben E. Rexford's instructive series of “Flower Talks,” a number of fine poems, together with the always enjoyable miscellany and small talk, an instructive household department, excellent reviews of new books. The DOMESTIC MONTHLY is published by Blake & Co., 849 Broadway, New York, at $1.50 per year, inclusive of pattern premium. Specimen copies, 15 cents. MITYLENE. This romance was written two years since by Mr. Walter Brown, a retired merchant at La Crosse. He was assisted in a portion of the chapters by his wife. The work was published this year by Donohue and Henneberry, of Chicago, and has attracted favorable notices from several leading journals in this country. The scenes are laid in New England and the tropics. The cap. tain of a staunch vessel, with his two daughters and a young physician, sails from Boston on a voyage to China by the way of the Pacific Ocean. In a storm these persons are cast upon an island in this ocean; and though scattered at first, they finally are gathered together with others and form a colony on the island. The story is written in an agreeable, flowing, and chaste style. The sentiment throughout is elevated and even religious in its tone. The author having lived in the West Indies, is able to describe the tropical scenery, the animals, and the inhabitants with great accuracy. We are assured that many of the incidents presented are literally true. PROF. SALISBURY'S TREATISE ON PHONOLGY AND ORTHOEPY has been issued, by Wm. J. Park & Co., of this city. We shall give the book a careful review next month. In the meantime we can safely commend it general attention as a practical, valuable, and much needed book. NOTES. SUPT. GROGAN, of Sheboygan County, says, * Our institute at Plymouth was a success. We enrolled 137 teachers.” IN Marinette county there are 23 schoolhouses, and only 27 teachers are required to take charge of the schools therein. ATHE Chippewa Falls Institute had 47 members. The average age was slightly over 21 years, and their average time in teaching 19 1-16 months. SUPT. MCLOUGHLIN, of Fond du Lac county, conducted 'the mistitute at Omro, which en. rolled 37 teachers. A live interest was kept up in all the exercises. PROF. A. R. SPRAGUE, in charge of the in stitute at Augusta, says: 6. We have had a very pleasant institate here. The teachers have worked admirably.” THE Waakesha High School tries a new experiment this year. It opens an ungraded department, and places over it one of the most successful lady teachers in the county. PROF. HOSEA BARNS says of the Wausau institute, which he conducted, “It was pleasant, finely attended, and much interest and good feeling shown. The enrollment was 43. The public schools of La Crosse enrolled 1,735 pupils at the close of the first week of the present fall term, against 1,664 at the close of the first month of the same term last year. PRES. AREY, formerly of the Whitewater Normal School, has been elected principal of the Cleveland Normal Sɔhool, Ohio. For the past two years he has had the charge of a public school in the city of Buffalo, N. Y. THE BLOOMINGTON INSTITUTE, Grant County had eighty-eight enrolled members, thirty-two gentlemen and filty-six ladies, sixty of whom have had experience in teaching, one lady having taught the parents of some of the enrolled teachers. SUPT. GEO. L. WILLIAMS, of Wood county, delivered an educational address before the County Fair, held at Centralia, last month. By request of the stockholders of the Fair, his address was furnished for publication in the papers of the place. THE Post, published at Waterford, Racine county, says of the institute held at Rochester: “The Teachers' Institute, which has been in session here for the past two weeks, is con. sidered one of the most successful in the history of the county." SUPT. MILLARD, of Green Lake county, has held a private institute of six weeks duration, at Markesan. We learn that the attendance of the teachers has reached abont 120. He has performed the main portion of the work in con. ducting the institute. PROF. J. W. RAIT, who assisted in conducting the institute at Marinette, writes, “The institute was small, but a very good one. All were workers, and each day added to the pleasure of our stay." PROF. W. H. BEACH, principal of the Beloit High School, says: “The Beloit schools open prosperously. Tue High School is full. An excellent class of students from other places is in attendance." THE State Superintendent has appointed Prof. T. C. Chamberlin, of Beloit, Prof. M. T. Park, of Elkhorn, and Supt. C. W. Roby, of La Crosse, as the visiting committee at the Whitewater Normal School this year. THE enrollment in the institute at Elkhorn, Walworth county, was 127, - 27 males and 93 females. 01 these 20 had attended normal echcole, and 54 high schools. The average experience in teaching was 27 months. SUPT. M. TOZER, of Polk County, writes: “There were thirty-six teachers present at the institute held at Osceola Mills, and the average attendance was good. Mr. Wyman has been a faithful conductor, and the teachers manifested a great interest in his instruction." SUPT. WRIGHT, of Waupaca says: “Our in. stitute closed in good shape. The total enrollment was 139. The attendance and work of the last week was good. The institute gave an entertainment on the evening of the last day, and it was pronounced exceilant by the large audience present.” Pres. MCGREGOR, of the Platteville Normal School, writes under date of Sept. 9, tbat "the school opens with a good attendance — an ag. gregate of about 300 in all departinents." Regent Evans writes under date of Sept. 12: “School here full in all departments, the attendance being unusually large for the first week. If many more come, we will be crowded." AN institute for one week has been appointed for the Eastern District of Dane County, A. R. Ames, superintendent, to open Monday, Oct. 6th, at Stougton, and conducted by Prof. A. J. H con. THE President of Beloit College announces that Prof. T. C. Chamberlin, who has for the past three years given nearly all his time to the Geological Surveys of the State, resumed his work as Professor of Natural Science in that Institution, at the opening of the Fall Term. PROF. W. H. BEACH, president of the Wis. eonsin Teachers' Association, has commenced already to complete bis arrangements for the holiday session of that body at Madison. He proposes to call the session the last three days in December, opening Monday evening, the 29th of that month, and closing Wednesday afternoon following. PROF. W. N. HAILMAN, formerly of Milwaukee, announces in the Kindergarten Messenger that he has opened at Detroit, Mich., a Free Training School for Kindergarteners. The course of instruction continues through seven months. The only conditions required are the desire to receive the instruction and the necessary qualifications. SUPT. DE MOTTE, of the Deaf and Dumb Institute at Delavan, writes in respect to the condition of the school after the burning of their main building: “ We are already comparatively comfortable; and within the next month shall be well housed for winter. The school, we trust, will lose little. We are greatly pleased with the spirit of all the teachers and pupile.” At the examination for the appointment of a cadet to the Naval School at Annapolis, heid at Waukesha last month, ten competitors appeared. The successful candidate was George W. Street, of Waukesha. He was a member of the last year's graduating class at the Union School of that place. Prof. A. A. Miller says of him, “He is every way worthy of the succees he has achieved, being one of the best papils I have ever had in school." The village of Merrillon, Jackson county, has established a free reading room. It is situared on the main busine89 street, and is supplied with the leading secular and religious papers of ihe ate, and of the cities of Ch go aud New York. We found the Wisconsin Journal of Education on one of the tables in the room, and it gave evidence of being well used. Suc0088 to the earnest workers in this enterprise. SUPT. MCLOUGHLIN, of Fond du Lac county, writes tbat he helu a private institute at Ripon, the second week in September, and that it was attended by thirty-two teachers. The work done was in all respects similar to that done in the regular institutes of the state. The teachers enrolled manifested a decided interest during the entire week. Prof. Geery, of Ripon College, delivered an excellent lecture to the teachers and the people of the place an evening doring the institute. KENOSHA COUNTY has on the whole the best country school.houses we have seen in the State. There are only two or three houses which need to be replaced by better ones. Commendable attention has been given to the grounds and outhouses. This is the result largely of the excellent supervision which has been exe cised for years over the public schools of that county. THE Institute for the Deaf and Dumb at Delavan opened the second week in September with 147 pupils, against 125 the same time last year. Hardly had both teachers and papils got settled to their work, when & fire broke out on the 16th of the month in the main building, and destroyed it. The inmates were immediately cared for by the generous and enterprieing citizens of the place, and the State will provide comfortable quarters for them, and the school will be continued as before the fire. Prof. L. W. GAMMON8, principal of a ward school in Racine, took charge of the institute for the teachers of that city, held the first week in September. Prof. 0. S. Westcoit, the su. perintendent of public schools, was engaged at this time, under the permission of the school board of Racine, in the county institute held at Rochester. He was assisted by Prof. Geo. Skewes, principal of one of the ward schools of that city. Prof. Gammons was aided by some of the members of the school board, and by other teachers in the public schools. SUPT. A. H. TUTTLE, or Mower county, Minn., has recently issued a circular for the use of the district schools in his county. It is designed to aid the teachers in their daily work. He obtained from the State Superintendent of Wisconsin copies of the circulars which the Institute Committee of the Normal School Board has issued for the past three years; and he has, in this circular, used largely the materials which were furnished by this Committee. He gives this State due credit. OF THE 46 institutes held in the state during August and September, the State Superintendent was able to attend 20 of them. He deliv. ered addresses before all these, - in three to only the members of the institutes, and in . the others to the members and citizens of the places where the institutes were held. He has thus met large audiences in different portions of the state, and presented before them such topics as “The Origin and Growth of our Public School System,” “ The Duty of the State to Educate the Children," " The Present Phases of Popular Education in Wisconsin," “The Needs of our Public Scbools,” “The Education of Work," "The Work in the Common School as a Preparation for Citizenship," and “Our Country Schools." SUPT. SPROAT, of Racine county, wiites: “I regard this foll's institute as one of the most successful ever held in this county. The at. tendance was opusually large - 85 being registered, with an average attendance of 69. The characier of the work done was most excellent. Our conductors departed with the approval of the teachers. Prof. Westcott proved to be a strong and vigorous worker, wbile his good humor and genial wit kept the teacbers in excellent spirits. Mr. Skewes did excellent and thorough work in his topics, and lost none or the esteem of the teachers which he has had since his first connection with the teachers of the county. Two lectures were given. One by the state superinteadent, the other by Prof. Westcott. Both lecturers bad crowded winter. Nor was the number 80 very small when compared with the puinber of applicants for certificates, there befog but eixty-eix in all. I have for four years discouraged persons under seventeen years of age from ditempting to teach. They have almost wholly reased to apply for examioations; and I am sorry to add, they have ceased to attend the institutes. We have never had an institute in which the members were so universally attentive, industrious, and studious. There was not an idler among them. Prof. Sprage did excellent work in a most pleasant manner." THE Grant County Witness says: " The Normal School opened on Tuesday with a very large attendance for the fall term. The ary, Interi ediate, and Grammar grades are all fail to overflowing. In the neighborhood of sixty attended the examination on Monday for admission to the Normal Department. SUPT. MacDONALD, of Chippewa Falle, writes: "Our institute was a success so far as relates to instruction, and earneetness on the part of tboxe attending. There was a failing off in numbers from previous year. This is in a great measure owing to the heavy reduction made on teachers' wages last year. Prof. Hutton proved himself to be an able con ductor." hodees " SUPT. ISHAM, of Walworth county, ways that an unusually large number of the country dig. tricte, at the recent annual school meetings, voted for the division of the echool year into three terms, with two months in the fall, three and one ha's in the winter, and two and one. hall in the spriug term; or in case of nine months school, three months in the fall term. There is probab y do one movement that will so largely increase the efficiency of our schools as this. Under such a policy, a good experi enced lady teacher who teaches the fall term succeostully, can be retained through the remainder of the year. Experienced male teach ers who will accept the wages paid in most of our country schools, are becoming ecarce; and the time seems not far distant when the rural districts muet depend almost entirely apon female teachere, who under the three term sys. tem will be encouraged to fit themselves thoroughly for their work. Miss A. HOSFORD, superintendent of Eau Claire Coauty, writes in reepect to the insti tute at Augusta: "The attendance was ex. ceedingly small for this county, yet I can think of only four teachers living in the eastern half of the county, who were not enrolled, and I think only two of these desire to teach next THE Duon County institute enrolled fortyseven members, sixteen more than last year. The teachers prevent thus expressed themselves in respect to the system of institutes: “ We look for their continuance and in. creasing popularity and deefulners, and as teachers we pledge ourselves to do what we cup for the accomplishment of this object." A Correspondent in the Grant County Witness rays of this institute: " There seemed to be but one sentiment ex. pressed by Its members, viz: One of the best institutes ever held in Grant Co.' Whether its success 18 due to the Regents for their wise selection of Profs. Beck and Nye as couductors, or to supt. Harper, who has won the confidence of the teachers, or to the terchere them. selves, for this intellectual drill so generously afforded them by state appropriations, we are unable to judge." PROF. A. A. MILLER, who had charge of the institute at Wauwatosa, writes: “ The institute at this place, now on its secor d week, numbers forty five. As there are but thirty-two schools in this superintendo ent district, the institnte is more successful than most counties can claim, so far as numbers are concerned. Last year there were thirty-eight enrolled. The teachers are doing hetter work than a year ago. On the whole, I consider the institute a success. Supt. Clarke is doing a good work among the teachers and for the echools. The increased interest manifested by teachers over that of a year ago, proves that he has been actively at work. Quite a large liet of subscriptions for the JOURNAL has been taken." 153 ) year. Ellen Persons, assistant, East Side school, Eau Claire. Alice Gannt, assistant in High School at Appleton. O N. Wagley returns to Necedah as principal of the High School. A. E. Tyler and wife teach a: Darien. PROF. B. M. REYNOLDS, who, in connection with Prof. J.H. Gould, conducted the institute at Durand, writes: “ The members engaged earnestly in the work and the interest did not flag up to the last. I never worked in an inetitute that pleased me so much oud where I seemed to get a firmer hold. I am very much gratified with the result. Mr. Rounde expressed himfelt as having hi. expectations, which were great, as far more than realiz-d. I trust that you will pot consider me as boasiing of what I have done, but simply as endeavoring to give you a true impression of the state of things. I bad smalı expectations when I went to Durand, but have been greatly disappointed. I feel that Pepin County has received an impulse from the work of the institute. At its close a county association was formed with nearly forty members. The institute was visited by men who have not been in a school for years, and they seemed to be profoundly impressed. If all the ipetitutes in the State take hold of the communities in which they are held this fail a: This has done, a great advance is going to be made in the educational work of this commonwealth, and we may be encouraged to gird ourselves for higher efort in this direction." THE public schools of the city of Japesville, opened the fall term Monday, Sept. 8th, with an enrollment un sually large for the first day. The number of pupils received and classified was 1,279 — 599 boys and feo girls. By departments the membership is as follows: High School... 107 Grammar Department..... 326 First Intermediate 210 Second Intermediate 239 First Primaries. Second Primaries 244 SUPT. O. B. WYMAN,' the conductor of the institute at Osceola Mille, Poik couniy, writes: "Our institute closes this afternoor., and as I review our work of the two weeky session, I am satisfied with the results accomplished. The enrollment was limited numbering only thirty-six; but we had the better grade of teachers, and without an exception they have been very attentive and stodivus. As a class they are very earnest and are making a laudable effort to secure thorough preparation for the work of the echool room. My visit here has been very pleasant." THE INSTITUTE AT DURAND, Pepin county, passed the following resolutions: " Rusoided, That we recognize these insti. tates as a powerful aid in the work of teaching, likewise ihe Wisconsin Journal of Education ab ably conducted, and a magazine which should be in the hands of every teacher in the state. Resolred, That we appreciate the able in. structions of Profs. B. M. Reynolds and J. H. Goold, conductors; also the faithful and untiring effors of Supt. J. H. Rounds in the educational work of i he county." SUPT. J. H. Rounds, of Pepin County, writes: “We have just closed our iwo week's institute, B M. Reynolds and J. H. Goold, conductors. Thanks to the committee for sending 08 These men. Fifty-six members were enrolled, with an average daily attendance of thirty-one and 8. 10. Visitors were in attendance nearly all of the time, and a good degree of interest and enthusiasm was manifested by both teachers and visitors. The conductors commended the educational attainments of our teachers, and the teachers spoke in high terms of the methods of instruction presenied by the conductors. We had a protitable time." SUPT. NINMAN, of Watertown, says of the joini instituie held in that city: “It has been very profitable indeed, and teachers and citizens speek in the highest terms of the conductor, Prof. Viebabn, and of the lectures of Rev. Mr. Sawia, and Professors Wright and Searing. • We must have such an institute again,' is the santimeut expressed by many; and I hope that they may not with in vain. The attendance was very regular, although the weather was warm The interet and Fattention manifested througboat were pleasing to behold." The Whitewater Register says: “ The foilowing is the diaposition of recent graduates of the Normal School as teachers, so far us we have been able to learn: Enos Richmond, at his last year's place, in Oregon, Dane Co. A. Sberman, principal at E khorn. Ida Teed, assistant in game school. G. W. Reigle, principal at Whitewater. L. H. Clark, principal at Horicon. Alice Meadow, anoista ant at Janesville; the same place she had last THE Oshkosh Northwestern contains the fol. lowing excellent editorial on the Compulsory Education Law: “ This law is only the enactment of nublic sentiment on the question of education of children. It is universally admitted that, in a governmont requiring the exercise of intelligence on the part of its citizens, an opportu. niiy to acquire a reasonable education should be secured by the state. It is also the moral conviction of a large mojority that those who wilfully a low their children or wards to grow up in ignorance,should suffer punishment as for a cr me. For Igaurance in a land of free schools is a crime. The law may in some cases prove a hardship: but temporary birdship is infini'ely better than eternal ignorance. Twelve months regular work year after year by children between the ages spacified is slavery bo'h of mind and body. It warfs their fuculties and des roys their capacity for the future. Parents may own the bodiee of their children, but they do not own their minds or souls. Youth is the time when the mind is he most active and impressione the mos! readily made permauent. The avarice if the parent bas no right to deprive his off-pring of that which is necessary to make them su Cr88ful in the future, or to make them capuble of performing intelligently the duties of a citizen wou belp.s to make the laws of his country. It is not the policy of this country to breed up tools for the politician to play with, but men and women capab e of learning the iruih od judging for themselves. The law is arbitrary as are all lawg. B:1t it rests w to the proper officers to de ermine in what cases penitie ought to be 'enforced. It it shall prove effectual in increas. ing attendance in our public or other schocle, it will have accomplished its objoci. I onght to be obeyed cheerfully, even at a personal sacrifice." |