10 Michael Angelo's "Moses" Of Michael Angelo's art it is said that he cared little for beautiful scenery, he had no feeling for the picturesque; the representation of the human figure was the unique field of his art; within that he reigned supreme. He was an earnest student of anatomy, and his understanding of the human figure in all its positions and outlines was probably more thorough than that of any other artist. When, therefore, Pope Julius ordered Michal Angelo to form for him a grand mausoleum in which he (Julius) should be placed after death, the sculp tor must have undertaken the work with all the ardor of his artistic soul. It is said that Michæl Angelo's plan provided for a structure covering eight hundred square feet and three stories high with statues of prophets, apostles, cherubs, liberal Arts and other subjects. This tomb was des tined for a place in St. Peters in Rome, and as the old basilica was thought too small for so great a work Pope Julius conceived the plan of tearing down the old structure and building a magnificent new church. Before Michael Angelo had progressed far with the work, he was interrupted by an order from the Pope to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. While, as we may imagine, he left his sculpture with great reluctance, none the less did he give his whole heart to the work of the "Last Judgment," and although he had declared himself to be no painter, the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel are among the truest masterpieces that the world knows. He afterwards resumed his work on the tomb of Julius; this was not finished when the Pope died, and through numerous interruptions it remained unfinished for years. All parts of the monument are not equal in excellence, much of the work having been left to assistants; but the statue of Moses, photograph of which we reproduce, is one of the highest results of Michael Angelo's work. Of this i is said: It is this grand, this unequalled creation even of his genius, which people go to see, and few think of the rest of the monument or fix any of its features in their memory. friend of God, the guide and lawgiver of God's people, is repreMoses, the sented by Michael Angelo as agitated by strong emotion. He is seated, but his attention is roused by something which startles him and stirs him; he grasps his robe with one hand, with the other nervously clutches his ample beard, and is about to spring to his feet, but pauses for an instant, whilst he gazes on the objects of his displeasure with a look in which indignation and contempt are mingled, yet which might be changed into a gleam of compassion. Language must fail in any attempt to convey any true idea of the sublimity of this great work of sculpture, that it places Michael Angelo far above all modern professors of his art is undeniable, whilst it entitles him to a niche on an equal level with the greatest sculptors of the ancient world, although his art is so different from theirs, as different in form as in aim and object. The detail of the execution is very elaborate, especially that JANUARY Near the top of his forehead two horns project, a representa tion arising from an erroneous translation of a Hebrew word, so that the Vulgate Bible renders Exodus xxxiv. 29, "He knew not that his face was horned," instead of "He wist not that the skin of his face shone." ers. SOME FACTS ABOUT MICHEL ANGELO Born in 1474, eighteen years before Columbus's first voyage. Student under Ghirlandajo, one of the greatest of Italian paintProtegé of Lorenzo de Medici, the great Florentine prince, called Lorenzo the Magnificent because of his great wealth and his taste in matters of art and luxury; he afterward attracted the patronage of Pope Julius II and his successors. He was a contemporary of Savonarola, the Florentine prophetmonk, who earnestly upheld the cause of liberty as long as he lived, and was finally burned at the stake. Him Michal Angelo greatly venerated. He also enjoyed the friendship of Vittoria Colonna, a good and beautiful woman, and they both took great interest in efforts to purify the church, which had become very corrupt. He was made architect of St. Peter's, Intensely earnest; faithful, conscientious; fervent in religious the new church. Contemporary of Raphael. In character: beliefs; of great moral integrity; reserved; slow to make friends. LITERATURE Poem, "By Nebo's lonely mountain;" story of Moses from the Bible; "Michael Angelo" in "Artist-Biographies;" "Romola," Mrs. Oliphant's "Makers of Rome" and "Makers of Florence;" Edward Armstrong's "Lorenzo de Medici;" description of St. Peter's in Hawthorne's "Marble Faun," Mrs. Stowe's "Agnes of Sorrento." Know Thyself Teacher, learn how your own mind acts, that you may oughly acquainted with yourself, you will better understand know how the minds of your pupils act. By becoming thoryour pupils. By learning how you acquired knowledge, you will learn how to instruct others. If you would know the laws which govern the growth of mind you must experiment with your own mind. In the study of psychology the need of experiment with the self is exceedingly great. The general facts of psychology are best seen in the inductive processes which discovered them. Every teacher must discover these facts for himself through a study of self. Read psychologies, but study self. With the crude speculations of the physiological psychologist the practical teacher is not concerned, but with the everyday facts of educational psychology he should be deeply interested. Psychology is the basis of the science of education. A teacher should know why he teaches a subject, and why he prefers his method of teaching to other methods. He should know how the mind grows and the effect that the study of any subject will have upon it.. A teacher should know that the aim and end of teaching is mental power, not an accumulation of facts. He should know that the function of the school is to train the child for complete living. He should know that the school is only means to an end, and that the true end of education is right conduct. He should know that the chief business of the teacher is to teach-not to preach. -J. N. Patrick. The Starry Skies CATHERINE E. BROWN Then at last the blazing brightness of day forsakes its height, Very little has been said about the planets, because they did not happen to be evening stars, and could not be easily observed by the children. The planets are the sun's family, and each has a path around him as a center, Mercury being the smallest and nearest to him, Venus next, then our earth. Mars is next in size to Mercury, but circles in a path beyond the earth, while Jupiter, the giant planet, has a more distant orbit. They may be known from the fixed stars by moving in the zodiacal constellations. They are as bright as the brightest first magnitude stars. Jupiter will be an evening star March 25, when it rises at sunset, but may be seen about 10 o'clock the last week of January, shining in the east. Mercury will be a morning star January 29, and must be looked for low down in the east just CANIS MAJOR before sunrise. Regulus Sirius LEPUS The moon will be full January 7, when there will be a partial eclipse, taking place about 7 to 8 o'clock in the evening. The children should see this, if possible, as the next eclipse visible to us will not occur until December. An eclipse of the moon is caused by the earth coming between the sun and moon. The sun shining The sun shining below the earth at our night time causes the earth to throw a long shadow into which the moon passes during an eclipse. There are eight first magnitude stars to be seen this month. Rising in the east is Regulus in Leo (the Lion), which may be found in the handle end of the figure shaped like a sickle. Regulus is sometimes called the Lion's Heart, and is the only first magnitude star near the ecliptic. The children should know Regulus well before they look for Jupiter in February. To the southeast of Orion, Sirius in the Greater Dog is above the horizon. This is one of the most brilliant stars in the sky. Vega is low down in the northwest. The other first magnitude stars have already been described. Beneath the feet of Orion, who is now standing nearly upright, is the small constellation of Lepus (the Hare). The Dragon is low down in the north, the Little Dipper is below the Pole Star, and the Great Dipper is in the northeast. Between Gemini and Leo is Cancer (the Crab). It looks like a small triangle with a patch of cloudy light in the middle, called the Beehive nebula. One of the most southern stars is on the ecliptic, which makes this an important constellation. Our Common Cereals J. PAUL GOODE III Barley This grain has the honor of the earliest association with man, so Pliny states, and the studies of more modern investigators seem to bear him out in the belief. Three varieties are found in the old Swiss lake dwellings, dating back into the stone ages of Europe, and the grain was known in the remotest times by the Orientals. It is the hardiest and most widely distributed of all the cereals. It is grown to the northern end of Norway, much farther north than wheat will grow, and in the south, where it is too hot and dry for oats and maize, barley is in high repute. It grows at all altitudes, in Nepal flourishing at 14,000 feet above the sea. The potato is the only food crop grown in higher altitudes or latitudes. In Russia and Siberia the barley ripens with only two months free from frost, and it can be raised on ground that only thaws out to a depth of two feet in summer. The plant is an annual, very much like wheat and rye in many ways, but smaller, only two or three feet in height. Like wheat the culm is furnished with ligulate leaves, and bears at the summit a single close spike or head. The seeds are arranged on this, as in wheat, on opposite sides of the rhachis, in one species. there being six rows. The fruit is an elongated caryopsis, but unlike wheat or rye the outer coat is heavy, and runs to a sharp point at the outer end, much like an oat and about as large. The outer chaff, as in wheat and rye, is supplied with a very stout barbed spine or bristle one or two inches long. Barley belongs to the genus Hordeum, of which only three or four species are known. Hordeum vulgare L. is the common barley of America. Like some other common cereals it has been so long under the care of man it will not fruit except in cultivation. The name barley is thought by some writers to come from the Welch "bara," bread, and "llye," a plant. A six-rowed barley called "bere" or "bigg" is common in Scotland and Holland. In the Mediterranean countries barley has always been extensively used as a food for both horses and men. The ancient Greeks esteemed it very highly, and it was the preferred food of their athletes, and the old Romans fed the gladiators on it. In the early and middle ages it was the common food grain of Britain. It has but little gluten, so does not make a raised bread, and with the improved transportation of modern times, wheat is displacing it in all lands as a bread grain, though its use for malting (germinating) for the manufacture of liquors is on the increase. The Scotch and Irish use it extensively for whisky, and in England, Germany and America it is most largely used for beer. When the pellicle of the grain is removed, the "pearl barley" of the markets is produced, so widely used in soups and gruels. In the old world barley is most widely grown in the Bristish Isles, Germany, France, Turkey, North Africa and India. It is rather a sure crop, being quite immune from pests and mishaps. While the world's production of rye, buckwheat and oats is on the decrease the barley crop is increasing. This increase in America is striking. The yield in round numbers was: Year. Bushels. feed for horses; though it is not quite so good a food as oats, the climate is better adapted to it. In fact it yields best with a summer rainfall of fifteen to twenty inches, while other cereals need twenty to thirty. Nevada and Arizona have a larger acreage in barley than of any other grain. In the eastern states it is used almost wholly for brewing, and it is largely imported from Canada into New York for the same purpose. What Is Success in the Reading Class? MARY F. HALL II The first condition is intelligent reading of suitable matter, a second is the acquisition of literary taste. Taste, in the large degree in which it is the result of evolution, is a matter of opportunities and contacts, and the daily trend of our lives in certain directions. The wise use of stimulating matter, in good literary form, is the secret of the cultivation of good taste in reading. Are children susceptible to this sort of influence ? Just as surely as children do acquire good manners from contact with people of good manners, and as "evil communications corrupt good manners," children are influenced by the sort of literary company that is familiar to them. While good pictures and good surroundings exert a refining influence, the good and great in literature must be potent. It is the contact that educates. Habit results from the kind of contacts that form the large sum of our experiences, For this reason, whether the subject presented as reading matter be classed under history, science, art, biography, or other head, the literary form in which it is set should be of the very best. "Don't read bad books, Johnnie," is not enough. Using the best material attainable, in an interesting way, will so enlarge and purify Johnnie's vision that he will be trained out of low tastes, and will select the good from his own free, personal choice. Manners often deteriorate amid bad surroundings. Mind is even more sensitive. In school, as in society, we find a tradition left as a hint of better days. There is such a thing as a mental "decayed gentility" air-some shades removed from plebeian ways or ruffianism. The opportunities of the reading class should give as a result these things: the children should know and love good books, and they should be able to distinguish greatness from littleness without placards. "One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning." One secret of sweet and happy living is in learning to live by the day. It is the long stretches that tire us. We think of life as a whole, running on for years, and it seems too great for us. We cannot carry this load until we are three score and ten. We cannot fight this continually for half a century. But really there are no stretches. Life does not come to us in lifetimes; it only comes a day at a time. Even to-morrow is never ours until it becomes today, and we have nothing whatever to do with it but to pass down to it a fair and good inheritance in today's work well done and to-day's life well lived. It is a blessed secret, this of living by the day. Anyone can carry this burden, however heavy, till nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, quietly, patiently, lovingly and pure till the sun goes down. And this is all that life ever really means to us-just one little day. "Do to-day's duty, fight to-day's temptation. and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things you cannot see, and could not understand them if you saw them." God gives us nights to shut down the curtain of darkness on our little days. We cannot see beyond. Short horizons make life easier and give us one of the blessed secrets of brave, true, holy living. Teachers' World. Kindergarten Discipline in Primary Work MRS. JOHN OGDEN It is a common mistake to suppose that a few occupations introduced as busy work or to deepen the impression of the preceding language are about all that the kindergarten offers of practical utility to the primary teacher. Especially is it thought impractical to apply kindergarten methods in school discipline. Some experience in an ordinary primary school, after several years of kindergartening, enabled the writer to see that there need be no difference between kindergarten and school discipline. The The school referred to numbered fifty or sixty children from six to eight years of age and was a department in the model school of a normal school in North Dakota. There were four classes. most advanced were reading a supplementary first reader, the youngest were entering school for the first time. The question of discipline arose at once; two or three of the larger boys were inclined to take advantage of any temporary absence of the teacher, ard seemed resolved to be watched. After several failures in attempting to arouse a sense of honor, the ringleader was told that if watching must be done he could come and watch his teacher. As she went about the schoolroom he was required to follow her, and a very short experience convinced him that he preferred to stay in his seat and watch himself. As speedily as possible each class was taught (by direction leading to the discovery of the "Law of Opposites") weaving, sewing, paper-folding, cutting and clay modeling. The younger children were dismissed at recess in the afternoon, and prompt recitation generally secured fifteen or tweny minutes daily for special lessons to the older children. As in kindergarten, each day had its special occupation and the children soon learned that by industry in preparing regular lessons, time was saved for the occupations. All work was kept in the teacher's desk and the children were allowed without special permission to go to the drawer which held the work for the day, as each in turn completed the morning lessons, and help himself to his own envelope. They worked without conversing, partly because it would be impolite to disturb a recitation and also because they were mentally occupied in thinking out a design. Every now and then, however, a particularly pretty one was held up for a sympathetic nod and smile of appreciation from the teacher. Much of the work was contributed to embellish the walls of the schoolroom, but the greater part was neatly pasted on sheets of cardboard that were [A study of the imagination in two children.] Prof. James says that an "emotional temperament on the one hand and a lively imagination for objects and circumstances on the other are the conditions, necessary and sufficient, for an abundant emotional life." Since it is now beyond dispute that imagination is the indispensable handmaiden alike of the scientist, the inventor, the artist, the author and even of the carpenter and plumber; since it lies at the very foundation of every art and of all arts; and since it is therefore important that it receive abundant cultivation, it has seemed to me especially interesting to note in my own children those instances wherein imagination has been most strongly shown. It may be just to state in advance, however, that to some extent religious ideas had been acquired from a devout servant girl to whom the children were warmly attached. Charlotte, two years eight and a half months. Tossing and patting her doll, she says: "Mine dolly has colic, has colic now." Here we find that imitation has already joined with itself imagination, since she transfers to a doll the actual condition of her baby sister, apparently experiencing considerable solicitude for the sufferer. The same trend of imagination is shown as she rocks her doll to sleep and croons: "Dear! Charlotte's pretty dolly! Go sleep, Ayya! Lie still, Ayya! Charlotte rock Ayya sleep! No, no, don't cry! Ayya must go sleep! There! There! Mine baby go up mine shoulder! Mine baby drink milk! Rock-a-bye!" Again as she alternately rocks and tosses up her doll she says: "There, there, dear baby, don't cry! Hush-a-bye, baby, don't cry! Baby has colic now! How big Char lotte's baby! Dear baby-sister!" Here an additional pleasure seems to have lain in fancying that she herself held and tossed her sister. Two years nine months. Charlotte has struck her baby-sister with her little broom. Mamma throws the broom under the bed. Charlotte accepts the inevitable, but sits down and sings mournfully to herself: "Pretty Charlotte's pretty broom gone! Go sleep, broom! In the morning, in the morning, wake up! Now broom sleep!" Tiptoeing herself softly about the room, she says: "Don't wake up Charlotte's two babies, mamma!" Three years. Finding her baby sister crying, and striving to quiet her, she says: "Who hurt you, my dear? I will kiss it for you if you want me to. I am going to a bear's house! All the bears and monkeys and big boos and pretty cows and horses and everything!-Did you like that pretty story? That is a pretty story!" Here fancy has quickly pictured what she imagines. may interest and divert the crying sister, and her offer to kiss the hurt shows that suggestion has often worked in her own mind, as mamma has kissed away the pain from her numerous bumps and hurts. At bedtime, Charlotte: "Mamma, sing me Peeppeep and Polly Flinders and Curly-locks and Rock-abye-baby." Mamma: "Oh, you sing to me, Charlotte!" Charlotte: "Well, what shall I sing? Shall I sing about the muddah is dead?" "Yes, sing that." Charlotte: "Oh, dear me, the muddah is dead!" Mamma: "Who taught you that song, Charlotte?" Charlottee: "Oh, that was in my little heart, my little heart taught me that song." And the next night she sang the same refrain, saying: "That was in my little heart all day-that is my little heart-story. That means that I have not any muddah." In his case, the fancied motherless condition, in which she had enjoyed considerable self-pity, had evidently given decided imaginative pleasure, wholly different from various experiences. Speaking of, or perhaps seeing a picture of, a childaunt of her own who had died at the age of nine years, before Charlotte herself was born, she insisted as follows: "I did see her once, mamma. God held my feet and I put my head out of the clouds. Mamma, does God hold all the babies' feet?" Mamma: "I don't know, dear." Charlotte: "No, I guess not; the big boys and girls hold them; no, the mans and womans does." It was difficult at first to understand this fancy, but at last it occurred to me that the numerous Madonna pictures, surrounded by cherub choirs, which she saw, |