9. When it is noon at Greenwich it is 6 p. M. at X-. What is the longitude of X-?

10. What is the difference in the time between Windsor, Ontario, (83° W. Long.) and Kingston, Ont. (760 W. Long.)?

11. Two boys, one in Winnipeg (97° W. Long.) and one in London, Eng. (first meridian), agree to post letters to each other at the same moment. What time should the London boy post his if his Winnipeg friend posts his at 9 P. M. Monday?

12. What is the difference in time between 60° W. Long. and 30° E. Long?

13. It is 2 A. M. with A at 110° W. Long. when it is noon of the same day wlth B. What is B's longitude?

THREE QUEER CITIES.

The city of Ghent, in Belgium, is built on twenty-six islands. These islands are connected with each other by eighty bridges. The city has 300 streets and thirty public squares. It is noted for being the birthplace of Charles V., King of Spain and Emperor of Germany (1500-1558) and of the English Duke John Gaunt, whom Shakespeare called "time-honored Lancaster;" and as the scene of the pacification of Ghent, November 8, 1576, and of several insurrections, sieges, and executions of well-known personages. It is associated with American history by the treaty made there December 24, 1814, terminating the second war between England and the United States, known as the war of 1812.

Amsterdam, in Holland, is built on piles driven far below the water into the earth. The city is intersected by many canals, which are spanned by nearly 300 bridges, and resembles Venice in the mingling of land and water, though it is considerably larger than that city. The canals divide the city, which is about ten miles in circumference, into ninety islands.

The city of Venice is built on eighty islets, which are connected by nearly 400 bridges. Canals serve for streets in Venice, and boats, called gondolas, for carriages. The bridges are, as a rule, very steep, rising considerably in the middle, but have easy steps. The circumference of the city is about eighty miles. The Venetians joined the Lombard league against the German emperor, and, in 1177, gained a great victory in defence of Pope Alexander III., over the fleet of war vessels headed by Otto, son of Frederick Barbarossa. In gratitude for his victory the Pope gave the Doge Ziani a ring and instituted the worldfamous ceremony of "Venice Marrying the

Adriatic Sea." In this ceremony the Doge, as the chief ruler of Venice used to be termed, with appropriate ceremonies, dropped a ring into the sea every year, in recognition of the wealth and trade carried to Venice by the Adriatic.-Selected.

THE UPPER REGIONS OF THE AIR.

Above us there extends a vast unexplored space far more interesting from a scientific point of view than the icy regions around the North Pole. No one can reach the limit of the upper regions of the air and live, unless he carries with him air to breathe and fuel to warm him; for at the paltry distance of ten miles above the earth the air is too thin to support respiration, and the thermometer would register far below zero. It would be a region of perpetual snow on a peak of the earth if it should rise to such a height. A person in a balloon could not hear a friend in a neighboring balloon, even if they were near enough to shake hands. There would be no medium for the propagation of sound-waves. There would, however, still be a medium for the conduction of electricity—a medium in fact of great conductibility-almost as good as a metal; and it is this medium at even a less height which Tesla proposes to use in his methods of transmitting power hundreds of miles through the air without wires.

We live under a blanket of air which protects us from the extreme cold of outer space. This low temperature becomes evident fourteen or fifteen thousand feet above the surface of the earth, and would, as I have said, reach a point far below zero at a height of ten miles. At this height we should no longer observe the twinkling of the stars; for this scintillation is due to the movements of our atmosphere, which at the height I have mentioned would be extemely rarefied. could photograph the sun's spectrum at this altitude we could greatly extend our knowledge of the shortest wave-lengths of light; for the atmosphere completely absorbs such wavelengths as are concerned in the X-ray phenomena. That this absorption really takes place, can be proved in a laboratory.

If one

The heat and light which we receive from the sun are thus greatly modified by this blanketing layer of air. The long waves of the energy from the sun are called heatwaves. The intermediate waves are termed light-waves; and we receive these in full measure. The very short waves, however, are stopped by our atmosphere, and are transformed into-what?-Prof. John Trowbridge in the Fanuary Forum,

THE TRAP DOOR SPIDER.

"On the shores of the Mediterranean you may find some (spiders) which not only live in silk-lined tunnels but actually make doors to their houses. These doors are made of layers of web and earth, and they shut down by their own weight, so as to be quite hidden by the grass growing over them; but, if by chance they are disturbed, the spider herself will often rush to the top of the tube, and, sticking her claws into the door, will hold it down with all her might as she presses her body against the sides of her home.

A naturalist named Erber once sat out for many hours on a moonlight night watching the action of these insects and soon after nine o'clock he saw two of the spiders come out each from her hole and pushing open their doors, fasten them back by fine threads to the blades of grass near and then spin a web round the open hole and go back into their tunnels. By and by two night beetles were caught, one in each web, and in an instance the spiders darted out and pierced their victims with their poisoned fangs, sucked out their soft flesh and then carried the empty bodies away to some distance from their holes. Then Erber left them, and in the morning the spiders had cleared away all traces of the webs and were shut down snugly in their hidden homes."Selected from Buckley's Life and her Children."

THE CURSE OF A TREELESS REGION.

Any one who has traveled through the comparatively treeless countries around the Mediterranean, such as Spain, Sicily, Greece, Northern Africa, and large portions of Italy, must fervently pray that our own country may be preserved from so dismal a fate, says President Charles W. Eliot in the January Atlantic. It is not the loss of the forests only that is to be dreaded, but the loss of agricultural regions now fertile and populous, which may be desolated by the floods that rush down from bare hills and mountains, bringing with them vast quantities of sand and gravel to be spread over the lowlands. Traveling a few years ago through Tunisie, I came suddenly upon a fine Roman bridge of stone over a wide, bare, dry river-bed. It stood some thirty feet above the bed of the river, and had once served the needs of a prosperous population. Marveling at the height of the bridge above the ground, I asked the French station-master if the river ever rose to the arches which carried the roadway of the bridge. His answer testified to the flooding capacity of the river and to the

strength of the bridge. He said, "I have been here four years, and three times I have seen the river running over the parapets of that bridge." That country was once one of the richest granaries of the Roman empire. It now yields a scanty support for a sparse and semi-barbarous population. The whole region round about is treeless. The care of the national forests is a provision for future generations, for the permanence over vast areas of our country of the great industries of agriculture and mining upon which the prosperity of the country ultimately depends. A good forest administration would soon support itself; but it should be organized in the interests of the whole country, no matter what it cost.-President Eliot in the Fanuary Atlantic.

THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA.

Some very interesting facts regarding the depths of the sea are quoted in a recent number of The Literary Digest. We give below an extract which we believe will greatly interest our readers: "The Mediterranean is now quite well known and we are almost certain that it is nowhere more than 11,000 feet deep. In the Atlantic there have rarely been found depths greater than 20,000 or less than 6,000 feet except near the coasts.

"One important result of these studies is the indication that the sea bottom, in deep places, is, except in certain regions, remarkably regular. In the north Atlantic, which has hitherto been best explored, the slopes are so regular and gentle that Huxley asserted that we might travel by carriage from the coast of Ireland to Newfoundland, if the ocean were dried up.

From Ireland there is a regular incline out to about 180 miles from the coast, and this could be easily be descended. Thence extends, for a distance of 1,200 miles, a central plateau that has few irregularities of surface; the surface of this plateau is 12,000 to 15,000 feet below the sea level, and, although Mont Blanc could be submerged there, it would be easy enough to travel over this surface, which is more level than any terrestrial plain. At the end of this plateau begins an upward slope 450 miles long, and, except for one point where probably an extra horse would be required, the carriage would easily reach Newfoundland.

"Another interesting fact is that the deep sea bottom everywhere appears to be in the same condition-a layer of soft slime, smooth to the touch, formed of a mass of microscopic shells. This is found in almost all oceans, even in the Pacific, the only difference being slight variations of color."

THE NIGHT WIND.

Have you ever heard the wind go "'Yooooo?'' 'Tis a pitiful sound to hear.

It seems to chill you thro' and thro'

With a strange and speechless fear; 'Tis the voice of the night that broods outside When folks should be asleep,

And many and many's the time I've cried
To the darkness brooding far and wide
Over the land and the deep;

Whom do you want, O lonely night,
That you wail the long hours thro'?

And the night would say in its ghostly way; "Yoooooooo!

Yoooooooo!

Yoooooooo!"

My mother told me long ago

(When I was a little tad),

That when the night went wailing so,
Somebody had been bad;

And then, when I was snug in bed,

Whither I had been sent,

With the blankets pulled up around my head, I'd think of what my mother'd said,

And wonder what boy she meant!

And "Who's been bad to-day?" I'd ask

Of the wind that hoarsely blew,

And the voice would say in its meanful way: "Yoooooooo!

Yoooooooo!

Yoooooooo!"

That this was true I must allow

You'll not believe it, tho'!

Yes, tho' I'm quite a model now,
I was not always so.

And if you doubt what things I say,
Suppose you make the test;

Suppose, when you've been bad some day
And up to bed are sent away

From mother and the rest—

Suppose you ask, "Who has been bad?"
And then you'll hear what's true;

For the wind will moan in its ruefulest tone:

"Yoooooooo!

Yoooooooo!
Yoooooooo!'"

-Eugene Field.

SOME CANADIAN GEOGRAPHY.

There are seven Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward; eight districts: Mackenzie, Athabasca, Alberta, Assiniboin, Saskatchewan, Keewatin, Franklin, and Ungava; one territory, Yukon.

1. What political division east of Canada in North America is as far north as British Columbia?

2. Which of these places has the warmer climate? Compare their climates as fully as

you can.

3. What winds bring warmth to British Columbia? Where do these winds obtain their heat?

4. What do they bring to British Columbia besides warmth?

sufficient rainfall for successful farming? How is water for crops obtained there?

8. Compare the climate of (a) south-western British Columbia, (b) Central British Columbia with that of the place where you live. -Canadian Teacher.

THE PRIVATE CONVERSATION.

Teacher, you can not afford to omit this vital means of success. Have you a boy who will not study? Talk privately with him. Have you another who is disobedient? He needs the private conversation. For every offence, for every dereliction, the private conversation is almost a panacea. It never does harm; it invariably does good. Many a great man has been turned from a vicious boyhood because of a heart to heart talk with his teacher. Many a teacher has removed a cause of great worriment by means of a frank, private talk.

This conversation must be private. Boys and girls are exceedingly sensitive about revealing their inner thoughts and lives to their companions. There is a hidden region in every heart that is closed to the public. Teachers should respect this privacy in their pupils. A conversation in the presence of other pupils, especially when school is in session and all the pupils are listening, is extremely unsatisfactory. The boy draws into himself, and the teacher, unable to penetrate his reserve, becomes irritated. But, when teacher and pupil are entirely alone, reserve vanishes. tactfully treated, the pupil will lay bare his motives. He will present his side of the case, and often the teacher will see things in a new light. Still more frequently will the pupil be shown the error of his ways, and, as a rule, he can be induced to improve them.

If

In the second place, note that this interview is to be a conversation. In no sense is it intended to be a lecture. The teacher is to listen, as well as talk. The great object is to lead the pupil to express his opinions and feelings, and, by entering into them, to form the cords of affection that are the result of intimacy. Too many teachers are unacquainted with everything but the mere shell of the pupil. Intimate relations, government through love and reason, are thus impossible.

Let every teacher of fifty pupils determine to know each one thoroughly. Let her have frequent private conversations with them all. Let them discuss with the utmost candor any

6. What part of British Columbia has not

them also bring to her matters not related to school, so that she becomes their adviser in

all the affairs of life. Let her point out to them the paths of honor, and instil an overmastering desire to be noble. In this way she may produce that indelible impression for good that is, after all, the end of our work.—Indiana School Journal.

PLAYGROUNDS PREVENT CRIME.

The first impulse of our charity visitor is to be somewhat severe with her shiftless family for spending money on pleasures and indulging their children out of all proportion to their means, says Jane Addams in the February Atlantic. The poor family which receives beans and coal from the county, and pays for a bicycle on the installment plan, is not unknown to any of us. But as the growth of juvenile crime becomes gradually understood, and as the danger of giving no legitimate and organized pleasure to the child becomes clearer, we remember that primitive man had games long before he cared for a house or for regular meals.

From the very beginning the most enticing and exciting experiences which the children have seen have been connected with crime. The policeman embodies all the majesty of successful law and established government in his brass buttons and dazzlingly equipped patrol wagon. The boy who has been arrested comes back more or less a hero, with a tale to tell of the interior recesses of the mysterious police station. The earliest public excitement the child remembers is divided between the rattling fire engines, "the time there was a fire in the next block," and the patrol wagon, "the time the drunkest lady in our street was arrested." In the first year of their settlement the Hull House residents took fifty kindergarten children to Lincoln Park, only to be grieved by their apathetic interest in trees and flowers. As they came back, an omnibus full of tired and sleepy children, they were surprised to find them galvanized into sudden life because a patrol wagon rattled by. Their eager little heads popped out of the windows full of questioning, "Was it a man or a woman?" "How many policemen inside?" and eager little tongues began to tell experiences of arrests which baby eyes had witnessed.

The excitement of a chase, the chances of competition, and the love of a fight are all centered in the outward display of crime. The parent who receives charitable aid, and yet provides pleasures for his child, and is willing to indulge him in his play, is blindly doing one of the wisest things possible; and no one is more eager for playgrounds and vacation schools

than the charity visitor whose experience has brought her to this point of view.-Jane Addams, in the February Atlantic.

CONTRIBUTIONS.

TEACHERS' AND PARENTS' MEETINGS.

In the earliest times the parents were the sole instructors of their own children. When the principle of division of labor was introduced into society, the parents very largely assigned the task of instructing their children to a person who was not a relative of the family but who performed the services in an apartment of the home that was set apart for that purpose. In due course of time, school houses were built to take the place of the special apartment in every home that was represented in them, and the private instructor was superseded by the public school teacher.

Although every schoolroom may be regarded as a department of the homes that are represented in it, and this intimate relation of home and school was fully realized at one time, the separation of the schoolroom from the dwelling, unfortunately, caused parents and teachers to drift apart and to become less and less interested in each other's welfare. In many of our large cities the teacher now seldom meets his pupils outside the walls of the schoolroom and rarely sees a parent, except to answer to some supposed infraction of the rules or to defend himself from some supposed injustice. Too often, without intending to be unjust, teachers misunderstand and distrust parents, and parents question the motives and criticise the aims and methods of the teacher as a result of the reports of children. Discussion at the fireside from imperfect knowledge is likely to array the child against the teacher, and the attempted correction of the parent's views through the child only widens the breach. Competent and progressive teachers who are trying to do their best often find themselves hampered by adverse criticisms upon every new step because parents do not obtain their information concerning the same at first hand. On the other hand, intelligent and anxious parents frequently find themselves distressed and annoyed by the treatment of their children which they know to be in conflict with the home custom and environment and injurious to the natures of their children.

When the teacher lived in the homes of his pupils, he learned to know them and their parents, and he was able to shape his instruction and modify his discipline according to indi

vidual needs. He was able to accomplish the most desirable results for his pupils. Just as far as we have departed from such an intimate acquaintance with parents and pupils, just so far have we removed ourselves from the possibility of attaining the highest results in education. Fortunately, at the present time, there is a general movement in this country in favor of establishing a closer relationship of home and school than has obtained. The conviction has been growing that, no matter how earnestly and persistently the teacher tries to help the pupil, the best results will not be forthcoming unless there is the heartiest cooperation and warmest sympathy between parents, teachers and pupils. The interests of home and school overlap and intermingle so that it is of primary importance to have the two work in sympathy and hearty co-operation.

In

Various methods are employed in different places for the purpose of bringing teachers and parents together and of establishing such an understanding as will result in the desired cooperation of the home and the school. some cities mothers' clubs and other women's clubs invite teachers to join them or to meet with them occasionally to consider questions that relate to both home and school. In other cities, parents are invited to attend the meetings of the teachers and to take part in their deliberations. In some cities a league of parents and teachers has been formed that meets at stated times for conference and mutual helpfulness in the solution of problems that affect both the home and the school. In other cities, a similar organization is connected with each school building. In still other cities, special days are appointed on which parents are urgently requested to visit the schools for the purpose of observing the regular work of the teachers or of inspecting exhibits of special lines of school work.

In Green Bay, several of the methods already stated have been employed, but, in addition, a system of teachers' and parents' meetings was inaugurated last year which combines some of the features of several of the foregoing methods and yet differs from them all in important respects. The plan has been productive of great good in evoking an interest in the schools and in securing the co-operation of the educational agencies in the city. Under the direction of the superintendent, these teachers' and parents' meetings have been held during the evening, in the different ward buildings, as frequently as it was convenient and expedient to hold them. The programs consist of music, both vocal and instrumental,

rendered by pupils, teachers, and patrons of the school; of one or two short class recitations conducted by the teachers; and of the consideration of one question that is of interest to the home and the school in the district in which the meeting is held. In every instance, it has been required that papers and discussions should be restricted to ten minutes. If the paper is presented by a teacher, it is discussed by some parent, and conversely, if the paper is prepared by a parent, it is discussed by a teacher. In addition to this, some parent or teacher is assigned to lead the general discussion and to call upon persons present to continue it. Thus far no difficulty has been experienced in securing parents to prepare papers or to take part in the discussions, and the spirit that has been manifested in the discussions is admirable. There has been no disposition whatever to quibble or to scold on the part of either teachers or par

ents.

By these meetings, we have endeavored to get the parents to realize that the school is a department of every home that is represented in it; that the teachers are friends and helpers to the parents in the work of bringing up their children; that teachers merely do what parents cannot do now for want of time and what parents believe that the teachers, by special preparation, can do better than they can; and that the teachers are earnest workers who are devoting the best energies of their lives to the performance of this particular task for the parents and for the benefit of their children. I believe that we have convinced the parents that it is just as important and just as valuable for them to hold frequent conferences with the teachers for an exchange of thoughts on the problems that arise in the schoolroom, as it is for parents to confer with each other on the problems that arise in the home training of their children. Until it has been shown that the teacher is unworthy of the confidence, parents are urged to confer with him upon questions pedagogical as they do with physicians upon questions medical or with lawyers upon questions legal. On the other hand, teachers are urged to confer frequently with parents in order that they may learn from them what they cannot learn from the pupil concerning his personal habits, natural inclinations, attitude toward work, opportunity for home study, length of time he can attend school, and other similar characteristics and conditions that it is important for the teacher to know. As the wise physician makes the fullest inquiry concerning the peculiarities of the patient before treating him, so must the