NUMBER 6. ESTABLISHED 1852.

IF Superintendents do not send us programs and information, they must not blame the editor if items. of interest do not appear.

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THE law of unconscious prejudice is apt to make valueless the recommendations of institute instructors in recommending books, papers, and methods to teachers. Where the personality of the teacher is developed, she will be progressive enough to study her needs from original sources.

STATE SUPERINTENDENT BLACK, in his address, "A Talk with Teachers and Patrons," recommends all interested in education to study the report of the Committee of Fifteen. His strong, manly appeal for patriotism, professional training, good citizenship, and educational progress, is having an influence in the State.

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THE teachers of this State should aim to attend the meeting of the State Teachers' Association at Oakland, January 2, 3, 4, 1896. It is the intention to make this the greatest meeting in the history of the Association. Earl Barnes, the President, with the assistance of Miss Murphy and the Executive Committee, is arranging an excellent program.

Now COMES the Philosophical Department of the State University, Professor Howison at the head, to introduce a psychological laboratory. This means a

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PROFESSOR E. H. GRIGGS says: "It is immoral to prohibit children from whispering in school."

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A STUDY of reports of institutes reveals the fact that the criticism of the State text-books has been reduced to a minimum.

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NOVEMBER is the banner school month of the year. The friction has been removed, and the machinery of education, with its motive power, inspiration, moves on with steady upward progress on its spiral track.

It will be a great day when you can go over to the Berkeley hills and have measured the flight of a thought, or with accurate machinery measure Professor Royce's conceptions of a God.

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THE teachers and the schools of California have lost a devoted friend in the death of Superintendent A. J. Moulder. Mr. Moulder had a long and useful career as a teacher, superintendent, and citizen. He was an earnest worker along lines well established. As State Superintendent he introduced many changes in the school laws, and aided largely in the establishment of the State University on a firm basis.

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SECOND GRADES.

BY LAURA J. FRAKES.

HERE is nothing more important in any vocation. of life than a ready and correct use of language, and early childhood is by far the most favorable time for its cultivation.

The language lesson for the beginner, must of necessity be oral, but the means to be used need not be less abundant or less varied on that account. They are to be found in everything which interests him, in everything which he can be induced to talk about. In this, as in most other things, he learns by doing, more than by being merely told what he should do.

What to do in language in our small class was for a long time a serious trouble to us. Something to interest them, and hold their attention, and at the same. time make them think and put those thoughts into good English sentences, was what we wanted; we knew that thoughts are as real to the mind as are bacilli to the senses, and far harder than the latter to kill.

All thought merges into expression; before the seduction, before the lie, before the murder, lies the thought, whose germ may have been planted in what was the virgin soul of purity before it was exposed to corrupt influences.

Therefore it behooves us to be extremely cautious as to the pictures we display, the papers we read, and the words we use to instill thoughts into those innocent little minds.

But, to return to our subject, we found describing pictures and telling stories about them to be a most prolific source of amusement.

Hence it is that no necessary care or expense should be spared to decorate your room with beautiful and attractive pictures, varied and suggestive as it is possible to make them.

We would at first let the children talk about the pictures, with no more restraint or direction than may be necessary to give each one a chance to be heard, and cultivate good manners. This being done, we would by suggestive questions or hints, lead the children to some exercise of judgment and imagination in regard to the relation, action, motive, character, etc., of objects represented.

We would even lightly touch upon the faculty of criticism, by asking what special merits they find in the pictures, what changes they would make, etc.

One day the thought dawned upon me- why not have "living pictures"?

We did, dear teachers, and it proved to be a decided
The lessons are action. One child is selected

success.

to perform the act, another to tell who he is, where he is, and what he is doing. The other day one of my little girls brought her little black kitten to school, and this was our language for the day.

This girl is Pearl.

She is sitting on a box by the window. She has a black kitten in her lap.

Its name is Topsy.

We then write the little story on the board, word by word, as the child tells us, pausing at the close of each sentence to have what has been written read. Then the whole story is read by first one and then another until all have read it.

All the words that were too hard for them, or words with which they were not familiar, were pointed out and reviewed, then placed to one side for future use.

Our language lesson is left on the board, and the next day it makes a fine reading lesson, the children remembering the words quite well, even if several new words have appeared.

We follow this plan gradually, giving more difficult work by having more than one object near the child, and it is really surprising to see how accurately the bright little people describe the different positions into which one can arrange them.

"How to See," follows this oral work very nicely, and we succeed in getting some very good written descriptions from our second-grade pupils.

The following plan I have found very successful in my school, not only in the teaching of new words, but also in teaching an easy natural expression, in giving orally ideas written on the board.

Instead of talking, I let the child do the talking. I say to the class: "Now, I'm not going to talk, but let this piece of chalk do the talking." I then write on the board what I want them to do.

After a few lessons they obey the written commands as readily as the spoken ones. Sometimes we write a question on the board, indicating, by writing his name after the question, the boy who is to answer it-thus: What can a dog do, James? Where does the fox live, Joe?

If the boy named cannot answer, we erase his name and substitute that of another.

Sometimes, for a change, we require the answer in writing. Then we put on the board

Write the answer.

When we have written all we desire for one lesson, then we go over it ag in, requiring one boy to read the question and another to answer it.

Thus we put into execution many little devices, some of which are original and many selected from our best instructors. Our number work is always a language. lesson; we weave a story, simple it is true, but pleasing to the little around ones, number every up to ten.

Then the next lesson should be somewhat different, the subject being some historical event, as the siege and sur

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FRIDAY RECREATIONS.

BY L. LUCILE TURNER.

T is a time-honored custom to make Friday afternoons a "speaking day," when all the pupils take part in the entertainment. Of late years, this custom has lost favor with many, and Friday is just like any other day. Let me suggest a substitute, that will be both pleasant and instructive, though it may put a little more work on the teacher.

Let the afternoon work be in the form of studies of the life of some author, inventor, or statesman, or about some great battle, discovery, or achievement which advanced or changed the history of the world.

The pupils should have note-books, used for this only, which the teacher should examine and correct each week. Take the following as skeleton for work on some author:

1. Date and place of birth.

2. Parentage.

3. Early or home education.

4. Later or college education.

5. Early manhood (or womanhood) and marriage. 6. Early works.

7. Later life and works.

8. Death and place of burial.

9. Anecdotes.

selves, to be read.

subject. The date, commanders, and locality should be given, with the topography of the land, followed by any famous poem or description that may be obtained by the pupils or teacher.

The next subject may be a scientific one, while now and then botany may he studied to advantage. In the latter, the pupils may draw in their note-books the parts of flower and plant, taken from some typical flower, a specimen of which should be in each pupil's hand.

Of course, similar work is taken up during the week in different classes, but it will be found that much will be gained in the general discussion which should follow the note book work, while the afternoon's work will add a zest to study for both teacher and pupil.

"Come little leaves, said the wind one day. "Over the meadows with me and play. Put on your dresses of red and gold For the summer is gone and the days grow cold!

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's low call

Down they came fluttering, ont and all
Over the fields they danced and flew
Singing the soft little songs they knew.

Dancing and whirling the little leaves went.
Winter had called them and they were content.
Soon fast asleep in their earthy beds.
The snow laid a coverly over their heads.

"C. H. W." writes from the Sierras to know if this journal is the official organ of the schools of California. It is our duty to answer "No." This journal is simply in evidence that a school journal can be published without official patronage. If it had the money it could, however, buy sufficient brains to make the effete East wonder at the enterprise of California school journalism.

Thanksgiving Day.

JZ JZZ ZZ SZ SZZ

THANKSGIVING DAY PROGRAM.

HE programs for Thanksgiving Day in Eastern journals are not always suitable to the genial climate of the Pacific Slope. The furs, snow, sleet, ice, and great log-fire do not carry with them an adequate idea of Thanksgiving. Our children are more familiar with oranges, flowers, pineapples, bananas, strawberries, and outdoor games. So to make a program suitable, considerable revision is necessary. It might be well to start the day with a due spirit of thankfulness for the climate of the Pacific seas, and that we are permitted to live in so glorious a country. In arranging programs, the following may be helpful:

1. Teacher read President or Governor's Thanksgiving proclamation.

2. A history of Thanksgiving.

3. Recitation by pupils. 4. Songs.

5. Compositions by pupils, on "How to Eat, What to Eat, When to Eat." Teacher to give instruction on the basis of approved hygiene.

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HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING.

N the United States Thanksgiving denotes an annual festival not to celebrate a single event, but to show gratitude to God for the blessings of a closing year. It may be said to be borrowed from the Jewish feast of Tabernacles. The Hebrews, under the Mosaic law, celebrated the goodness of God under branches of trees and tents of palms. The Dutch and Germans have. a festival called "Harvest Home." The custom origi

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POLLY'S THANKSGIVING.

BY A. C. STODDARD.

UCH a funny little roly-poly Polly as she was, with her big china-blue eyes that were forever seeing something to wonder about, and her round, red cheeks that always grew redder when anybody spoke to her, and her crinkly flaxen hair that never would stay in place! Such a queer little dumpling of a Polly!

All the same, she liked nice things to eat as well as any one could, and when, once upon a time, somebody gave her the measles just in season for Thanksgiving Day, she felt dreadfully about it, and cried as hard as she knew how because she could n't have any turkey, nor pudding, nor mince-pie for dinner-nothing at all but oatmeal gruel.

But crying did n't help the measles a mite, as of course Polly knew it would n't, but she could n't have helped crying if she wanted to, and she did n't want to.

"Most anybody'd cried, I would n't wonder," she said, a day or two after, when the measles had begun to go away again, "not to have a mite of any Thanksgiving for dinner, not any pie, not any cranb'ry sauce, not any O de-ar!"

"Well, well," said Polly's mother, laughing, “I guess we'll have to have another Thanksgiving Day right off."

"Oh! can we ?" cried Polly, brightening up.

"Not without the governor says so," answered her father, with a twinkle. "The governor makes Thanksgiving Days, Polyanthus."

"Where does he live?" asked Polly, with an earnestness that was funny. Everybody laughed.

"At the capital," said Polly's Uncle Ben Davis. "Do you know where that is?"

"I guess I do," said Polly, and she asked no more questions.

But what do you guess this funny Polly did? By

of New England, wrote as follows: "They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being well recovered in health and strength, and had all things in good plenty; for as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing about codd and bass and other fish of which they took a good store, and of which of every family had their portion. All the somer there was no waste. And now began to come in store of foule as winter approached. And beside water foule there was a great store of wild turkies and venison." The next Thanksgiving was in 1623, when the Governor called the people together for fasting and prayer, on account of a drouth. During the celebration "soft, sweet, moderate showers" fell, and the oecasion was changed to thanksgiving and rejoicing. Washington, in 1795, issued a call for a national Thanksgiving. In 1863, Lincoln issued a proclamation, making the last Thursday of November a national holiday. Every President since has followed that example.

rowed pencil and paper and shut herself up in her own little room and wrote a letter that looked a little queer, 't is true, but still made her wishes known.

"DeRe MisTeR GUVNER WILL yOu PLeAse MAKE AnoTHER THANKSGIVING DAY be CAWS I HAD THE MEESLES THE LAST ONE. POLLY PINKHAM."

Then she folded the letter and put it in an envelope, with one of her chromo cards, and sealed it, and took two cents out of her bank for the postage and ran away to the post-office as fast as she could run.

Mr. Willey kept the post-office, and if he himself had been behind the glass boxes that day, I don't believe Polly's letter ever would have gone out of Tinkerville. But Mr. Willey's niece was there. She read the address on the envelope Polly handed in, and her eyes danced. It looks so funny:

"MESTER GUVNER, AT THE CAPITLE." One or two questions brought out the whole story. "The governor shall have your letter, Polly,"