THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND THE WHISPERING HABIT.

My first teacher permitted us to study "out loud." My next teacher prohibited loud studying, but placed no restrictions on whispering. After that we had a strict teacher, who prohibited all whispering. I could not start to school until the corn was gathered, but I heard of the new rule. The morning I entered the teacher met me kindly, gave me a seat, and arranged my lessons. Very quietly he said: "Joseph, we do not have any whispering." After about half an hour I forgot this fact, and asked my seat-mate something about recess. The teacher, in passing me, said, in a low earnest tone, "Joseph, you must not whisper," and went right on with his work. I did not whisper for an hour, when I again thoughtlessly asked my seat-mate for his knife. Again, and still more earnestly, the injunction came, "Joseph, you must not whisper." I did not whisper again till afternoon, when I was so unfortunate as to ask about the spelling lesson. The teacher came to me, and said: "Joseph, you may take your books and come with me. You may occupy this front seat by yourself. When you feel that you can get along without whispering, I will let you return to your seat."

For about a week I kept that lonely seat, and thought. I then told the teacher that I could now get along without whispering. "Very well, you may take your former seat." I gave the teacher no further trouble. My recollection is that there was no whispering in the school.

The story of Joseph is instructive. The teacher had system, and was wide awake and firm. His management was vigorous and effective. By training, he converted precept and example into habit. Pupils who had always whispered were trained to the habit of non-communication. "Where there's a will there's a way." An appeal to conscience is the motive power in inducing obedience to all regulation. Conscience is a rational emotion; it impels us to do right because it is right. The teacher, by educating conscience, renders the pupil an upright, self-governing being. And the surest way to render your pupils worthy of confidence is to trust them. You will seldom find your confidence misplaced. In chronic cases the pupil may be seated apart from the others; but in most all cases by word, or sign, or look you may prevent the of

CHOOSE WISELY THE SCHOOL SONGS. The trouble with the singing in a good many schools lies with the teacher. Do you, teacher, spend much time in selecting a song appropriate to the season? If so, do you stop to think whether the tune is one that will be enjoyed by the children? Each season brings with it some thought which you try to bring out in your classes. Then why not carry the thought into music, as well? Teach Christmas songs in December. When Christmas is over, don't sing the old Christmas songs. Get some new ones-songs of the New Year, work songs, blacksmith, shoemaker, miner, etc. But first remember you must be interested in the song. Read it through; get the sentiment and then look for the most appropriate time to present it. Would it not be a good time to present the song of the miner after a geography lesson on coal? There is a little book called "Songs in Season," published by A. Flanagan Co., Chicago, that might help you. Eleanor Smith and Jessie Gaynor are rich in suggestions as is also ChurchillGrindell's second book.

G. R. J.

SOME SIMPLE DESIGNS IN CONSTRUCTION.

Do you know that you can make many pretty things out of wall paper? For autumn you can get a strip of grape paper and have the children cut out the bunches of grapes and leaves and paste them along the top of the blackboard or bulletin board for a border. Make lanterns in October. Take an oblong piece and fold it on its diameter, cut every quarter inch along this diameter to within an inch of the edge. Unfold and paste the first and last strip together to form a cylinder. Now paste on a small strip for the handle. Hang across the corner of the room. Make a waste-paper basket. Four pieces of card board, 12 x 9 x 6, covered with dark ingrain paper and decorated with designs cut from wall paper. Cut ovals of cardboard and cover with fine designs of wall paper. Make valentines, using this paper for backgrounds or for envelopes. May baskets can be made of card board and covered with pretty wall paper. The ingrain paper in plain shades of brown, green, and red makes very good mounting boards and book covers.

G. R. J.

They afforded good practice in distinct articulation and expressive reading.

They inspired self-confidence in the individual pupils.

This "acting," valuable as it was, was not dramatization in the sense we understand it in educational work today, although much of what passes for dramatization in many of our schools is not really dramatization but a kind of imitation or acting similar to that of the old school.

In the May number I shall attempt to define dramatization and with it conclude this series of articles.

II. PRIMARY ARITHMETIC.

We know that a mastery of the alphabet in all its relations is necessary before reading really becomes a tool, yet we would not be willing to go back to the alphabetic method of teaching reading. When the idea of teaching reading by the thought method first came to us we went too far with it and neglected the mechanical phase of the work.

It seems to me that in the teaching of primary arithmetic we have a parallel case. Time was

when we insisted on too much abstract work without first laying foundations of concrete ideas, as when we taught the addition tables, multiplication tables, and tables of denominate numbers by appealing only to the power of arbitrary memory.

We tried to improve on this method with the result that we now attempt to impress so many concrete ideas, often not wisely selected, that no time is left for the drills on arbitrary facts that are and always will be necessary for the right mastery of arithmetic.

For the same reason that in teaching reading we

by a lack of knowledge of the tables.

What I mean by a child's understanding the language of number I shall discuss in the May number.

It has been my experience, and that of several primary teachers of my acquaintance, that when, for an occasional exercise in reading or language, a popular game was made the subject no effort was necessary to sustain the interest of children.

A "GAME" READING LESSON.

"Today we played 'Horse in the pasture."" "We made a large circle. That was the pasture. John was our horse. We put him in the ring. He tried to get out. We tried to keep him in. He tried again to get out. At last he did get out. Away he ran. Away we all ran after him. He ran more than a block before he was caught. Thomas caught him and so Thomas was the horse the next time. We think it is fun to play this game. It shows us who the fast runners are."

The above reading lesson was developed recently as a language lesson in a class just beginning second grade. The exercise followed the recess period when interest in the subject was high.

GEOGRAPHY TESTS.

Why not vary the usual form of Geography test in the following manner? Secure or make an outline of the continent or country on which you wish to test your class. Distribute an outline map to each member of the class to be tested and proceed to question in the old time manner. The questions should be such as can well be answered in map language or on a map. Let the pupils answer the questions on the map and using so far as possible map language. Such a test affords an interesting variation from the regular test, trains in expressing and interpreting map language, and fixes facts more definitely than the simple verbal answers to a set of questions could possibly do. Below are a few questions recently used in this kind of a test.

1. Indicate thus-"O"-the ten chief commercial cities of the United States.

2. Draw in six of the principal railroads running into Chicago. Show what they carry into the city.

3. Show by shading in ink the chief coal areas of the United States.

4. Write in the names of the principal products of the Southern States.

5. Show where cotton goes from New Orleans and how it gets there.

6. Locate the capitals of the Central States. Name them.

C. B. S.

Sweet, sweet! the robins are singing,

Swinging 'mid budding trees; Spring! Spring! the south wind is calling,

As it bloweth o'er the leas. With a host of gallant courtiers, Up through the fields and lanes, Spring comes in her robes of splendor,

Queen o'er the land she reigns.
-Louise Lewin Matthews.

TEACHERS should not forget the purpose of

Arbor and Bird Day. It was created not only for the planting of trees and for the fostering of bird life, but more than all, it has come to be a sort of cleaning-up day when teachers, children, school officers, citizens, and everybody takes an active interest in the public school buildings and grounds. It should be a general house-cleaning day in which all contribute their mite toward a rejuvenation of everything concerned with the school. interests of the district. While the boys are raking up the leaves and clearing away the rubbish outside, the girls can be attending to the inside of the building, decorating, etc.

The first suggestion we have for the celebration of this day is that every Wisconsin teacher secure from his city or county superintendent a copy of this year's Arbor and Bird Day Annual issued by the state superintendent of public instruction. There must be in the library annuals of the previous years to which access can be had for the purpose of assisting in shaping the day's work this year. Some schools do not have any formal program, but the best plan seems to be to open in the morning with some indoor exercises and then get to the real work outdoors and indoors. Make the day a practical one for the school children, and remember that the good effects are not to end with the school grounds, for the example set will spread to all the neighboring houses and door yards, and all around a grand missionary work will be done.

What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the ship which will cross the sea;
We plant the mast to carry the sails;
We plant the plank to withstand the gales,
The keep, the keelson, the beam, the knee;
We plant the ship when we plant the tree.

What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the houses for you and me;
We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors;
We plant the studding, the lath, the doors,
The beams, the siding, all parts that be;
We plant the house when we plant the tree.

What do we plant when we plant the tree?
A thousand things that we daily see;
We plant the spire that out-towers the crag;
We plant the staff for our country's flag;
We plant the shade from the hot sun free-
We plant all these when we plant the tree.

BIRDS HAVE COME AGAIN.

Air: "Oh, I'm Little Buttercup."
The birds have all come again,
Yes, they have come again,
Bluebird, and robin, and wren;
With musical hushes

Croon linnets and thrushes,

And blackbirds pipe greetings again.
Oh, gay are the grasses
When over them passes

The shadow of home-coming wings;
The eager wings tarry
The message to carry,
When the wild bird its rapture outflings.
-Olive E. Dana.

HOW TO MAKE A WHISTLE.

First take a willow bough,

Smooth and round and dark, And cut a little ring

Just through the outside bark.

Then tap and rap it gently With many a pat and pound, To loosen up the bark,

So it may turn around.

Slip the bark off carefully,

So that it will not break, And cut away the inside part, And then a mouth-piece make.

Now put the bark all nicely back, And in a single minute

Just put it to your lips

And blow the whistle in it.