The Pedagogical Department of the University is now doing The pracsome very practical work in the training of teachers. tice department is in charge of Dr. Dresslar, for three years connected with the Los Angeles Normal School, and T. L. Heaton. for several years superintendent of the city schools of Fresno. Under these men students are being trained in actual teaching in the public schools of Oakland and Berkeley. In the fall term of 1897 half a dozen students were put to work an hour a day in the Oakland schools. Before this the practice work had consisted only of visiting schools. It was now to consist of teaching as well as observing. In the spring term of 1898, forty-five students found opportunities to teach in the public schools from three to five hours a week. Upon this work they received lectures, together with careful supervision in this teaching. Sometimes a student taught, and the suggestions made in actual teaching have made a deep impression, The JOURNAL hopes before many years that the University will have a practice school entirely under its direction. * * At Placerville Institute-"Our greatest work as teachers is in re-educating ourselves. None of us have been as well taught as we wish to teach. Each generation must take a step beyond its predecessor. To teach better we must constantly revise our own education from the very beginning. Whatever is worth teaching to a child of four or six is worth knowing. Study music, study drawing, because these are best worth your own knowing, and best worth teaching to the children." * * At Sacramento Institute "The teacher is a stair builder, building from the regions of the known to the unknown. If the steps are too easy, the climber is wearied but not strengthened. If the steps are too high, over straining even will not allow them to be surmounted. The unskillful teacher leads the child against a blank wall, where, in vain endeavor, he bumps his shins and his toes. A skillful teacher sees where the step is beyond the child's strength, and regrades the work to suit the capacity of the learner. Do not ask the child to attempt that which is beyond his reach, but rather to stretch toward it to grasp." * * A Word With You.-The December JOURNAL is our Christmas gift to you. Replete in illustrations; rich with the ideas of the men noted for thinking along the lines of value in your work; up with the times in the news and educational features of its articles. Where can you pick up in the United States a more complete journal than we give you this month. In the table of contents ments for your work. * Within a Santa Rosa has become quite a convention city. short time this city has entertained the state conventions of the Knights of Pythias, Native Sons. State Grange, and several smaller organizations. The arrangements for the State Teachers' Association are nearly completed. The local committee has secured abundance of hall accommodations. The Athanæum, the theatre of Santa Rosa, will seat 1800 people. This will be used for the general sessions of the Association. It is within two blocks of the best hotels, and all the meeting places of round tables are within a short distance. There are ten halls for round tables seating from 150 to 700 persons each, or a total of 3800. These will furnish the best hall accommodations the Association has ever been given. The citizens and hotels are preparing to entertain a large number of visitors in their proverbially hospitable manner. The rates charged at the hotels will be their usual rates of from one to two dollars per day. The local committee is making a register of private boarding places, and this committee will establish headquarters where they will be able to furnish information regarding board to all who prefer private board or whom the hotels cannot give accommodations. Thruout the sessions of the Association the teachers of Santa Rosa and Sonoma county will keep open a reception room in the Athanææum building. They hope to be able to furnish every opportunity for visitors to become acquainted. This reception room and the attending committees will be at the service of the visitors. The beautiful high school building will be opened to the visitors on Tuesday evening, when the citizens of Santa Rosa, under the auspices of the Ministerial Union, will give a reception therein to their guests. Santa Rosa rightly prides herself in having a high school building which is especially adapted to modern high school methods. Sonoma has more school districts than any other county in the State. Her one hundred and forty districts employ two hundred and twenty-three teachers. Eight years of faithful service by ex-Superintendent Fannie McG. Martin placed the county schools on a high plane where they have remained during the past you find from the University of California, Prof. C. B. Bradley's Neilson, the present superintendent. The county has just elected four years under the supervision of E. W. Davis and Carl H. suggestions on literature; from Stanford University, A Study of Dante, as considered in Prof. E. H. Grigg's department of ethical literature; from Stockton, Rose V. Winterburn's original document for the study of History, and Mrs. Mae Simms' charming stories for second grade work. From San Jose you get Chas. H. Allen's Christmas talk, poems, and Normal School articles. From Chico Miss May Kimball writes of how they teach reading in the Normal. Frederic L. Burk writes of the man in whom we are all interested, G. Stanley Hall. Jennie L. Huber from Sacramento illustrates a lesson in Our Fourth Reader; it is a beautiful page, attractive to the eye and sense. On another page you will find a poem by Carrie Shaw Rice of Washington and a charming picture of a charming woman. You will also find a complete account of the great convention to be held at Santa Rosa, and the attractive features of that locality. Carroll Carrington who makes his words fit his ideas as a Parisian tailor fits clothes to the human form, says suggestive things about public schools and the newspapers. There are notices of books, and the conventions at Chico, Fresno, and teachers' institutes. Even the advertising pages are filled with interesting announce Miss Minnie Coulter, a Stanford graduate and a teacher of experience, to superintend the schools during the next four years. There are four flourishing high schools in the county. They are located at Cloverdale, Petaluma, Sonoma and Santa Rosa. The schools in Santa Rosa, where the Association will meet, are among the most progressive in the State. For five years they were under the supervision of F. L. Burk, now superintendent of the Santa Barbara schools. The present superintendent, E. M. Cox, has held his present position for two years. The growth of From an enrollment of one thousand four years ago they have grown to one thousand four hundred. The schools have for many years been under the direction of prominent citizens on the school board who have no political favors to dispense. these schools has been constant. GREAT DATES. Fresno Dec. 21, 22, 23, '98. THE WESTERN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION. THE CALIFORNIA TEACHERS' ASSOCIA ANTA ROSA an attractive Convention City; Sonoma County, is a center for fine horses, having direct importers and breeders of blooded stock. Several of the leading farmers also pay particular at tention to the raising of blooded cattle. Some Things for Wnich Sonoma Is Noted. There are more olive trees in the county than in any other county in the State, except Santa Barbara. In apples it is the second county in quantity. It has more pear trees than any other county. It exceeds in quinces, it stands second in figs, and in prunes next to Santa Clara. one of the main productions. The dairy product is very great. There Sonoma has more acres in vines than any other county. Hops are also are over 1,000. 000 fuit trees in the county. Forestville had a chairfactory estab.ished 35 years ago, that has made over a half million The interest of the teachers of the Greater West is now centered in Sonoma County and the town of Santa Rosa. It is therefore proper that some space should be given to the attractions of Sonoma County. Description.-Sonoma lies west of the main Coast Range mountains, the summit forming the eastern boundary. The highest peak is Mt. St. Helena, 4,529 feet, being a conspicuous landmark, visible from every part of the county. The southern boundary line is only 28 miles from San Francisco, thus bringing it within easy reach of this great mart of trade At least 200, 000 acres are valley land, very rich soil, being а black loam; 200 000 acres are rolling or high table land; 200,000 acres are foot hill lands, a dapted to many kinds of agricultural and horticultural products. At least 100,000 acres of moun tain land are adapted to grazing, about 80,000 acres are redwood timber land of ed into a number of valleys. Beginning at SONOMA COUNTY COURT HOUSE. Water-The boundary line on the bay is 18 miles. The Pacific Ocean shore line is more than 60 miles, with several small harbors. The principal streams are: The Russian river, flowing southward thru the center of the county to Healdsburg, where it is deflected to the west and enters the ocean. Petaluma Creek is the name of a tidal stream which meanders the marshes of the bay shore, and is navigable for vessels of light draught. Sonoma Creek enters the bay in the southeast part. There are numerous small streams in a'l parts of the country. The rainfall is considered ample for ordinary crops and trees, and failure of crops never occurs for want of water. Productions.-Sonoma is the largest grain-producing country in the State. Corn is raised extensively in Russian River Valley. Along the southern portion of the county large quantities of hay are raised. The northern and western portions of the county are fine dairy regions. The eastern slopes are found to be exceedingly well suited to fruit and hop raising. The country raises every variety of production, such as almonds, apricots, apples, cherries, figs, mulberries, nectarines, oranges peaches, plums. prunes, pomegranates and quinces, besides grapes in variety, and the small fruits. There are large olive orchards in Sonoma Valley. Stock Raising.-The hills are covered with a heavy growth of atural grass, which affords feed for varions kinds of stock. Petaluma chairs. Valley Ford has a flour mill, built was established in Sonoma in 1823. Mark West and Skaggs Springs are noted as health resorts. There are nearly a dozen flour and about 20 saw mil's in the county. Grapes and Wine. Sonoma County has more acres in vines than any other county. Son o ma County wine has a high stan dard in the mar kets of the world, and has been awarded many tages. One vineyard near 1,000,000 gallons. Climate. The climate is all that could be desired for business or health. The late General Vallejo wrote: "I have been in California 79 years and lived in every locality from San Diego to Shasta. I have studied every ravine, river, and lake, and am familiar with all climates. I have had experience with my place (Sonoma) over fifty years. and I tell you oranges grow here everywhere in sheltered localities. I have lemons equal to those grown elsewhere, and oranges as sweet as any. I planted those fifty years ago. At nine years they began to bear and have steadly increased every year.' Timber.-Sonoma County possesses immense forests of timber. Along the western portion of the county, especially in the Russian River bottoms, there are some of the finest timbered sections in the State, with extensive sawmills, producing from 12.000.000 to 15,000,000 feet of red wood lumber annually. There is considerable laurel and madrone. Chestnut oak abounds, furnishing the best tan bark. The live oak grows in large quantities in nearly every section of Sonoma County. The burr oak is found in all the valleys. The Schools. Sonoma County has always been noted for its fine schools. The teachers of this county have always been a prominent factor in the educational conventions of the State. And its superintendents notably Fanny McG. Martin, E. W. Davis and C. H. Nielsen have always been leaders. First Citizen--Why didn't you go to the war? Second Citizen-Well, between you and me, I didn't know the |