Largest number of the best books at the lowest prices. New books constantly issued to meet new demands in every department. Correspondence cordially invited. OK HIES the rate of two dollars a month per inch. SAN FRANCISCO, JUNE, 1898. Publisher's notice. THE WESTERN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION succeeds to the subscription lists, advertising patronage and good will of the Golden Era, established in San Francisco in 1852. Subscription, $1.50 a year. Single copies, 15 cents. See our special combination offer. It will meet your wants. Remit by check, postoffice order, Wells, Fargo & Co,, or by stamps. ADVERTISEMENTS--Advertisements of an unobjectionable nature will be inserted at MSS.-Articles on methods, trials of new theories, actual experiences and school news, reports of teachers' meetings, etc., urgently solicited. Address all communications to THE WESTERN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, 723 Market Street, S. F. THE WHITAKER & RAY COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. Entered at the San Francisco Post Office as second-class mail matter. The Official Organ of the Department of Public Instruction of the State of California. Our Great Club Offer. The following offer is good for renewals or for new subscription. It is an extra offer and is good for thirty days only. NUMBER 6 ESTABLISHED 1852 School Trustees will find the articles of Superintendent of Public Instruction, S. T. Black, and Chas. H. Allen, interesting and instructive. Mara L. Pratt who has won thousands of friends by her lectures, her books and her personality, is at Cornell this year taking a special course in history with Moses Coit Tyler. Miss Pratt published recently in the American Teacher a study on "Illustrations for Children Stories." The study is based on work performed for her by the children of Napa County, Cal. "Westward the course of empire takes its way" is no longer true. When Uncle Sam sticks the American flag on the banana trees of the Phillippine Islands, the course of empire will be on its way east. And the land which Columbus sailed to seek and which Magellan discovered, becomes a part of the land of Columbia. Literature may be enriched by a new epic. * * The most notable educational convention of the month will be held at Omaha, June 28, 29 and 30th. It is called the TransMississippi Educational Convention. A number of notable names appear upon the the program. Pres. Andrews of Brown University, Supt. Soldan of St. Louis, Hon. W. W. Stetson, State Superintendent of Schools-Maine, Prot. Chas. E. Bessey, University of Nebraska, Dr. W. Wilkinson of California, Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and many others. Superintendent of Public Instruction, Samuel T. Black of California and Superintendent F. J. Browne of Washington are members of the Advisory Board. * * Greater interest has been taken in the National Educational Association this year than ever before: Washington is of great interest at this time and from July 7th to 12th it will be the Mecca of people interested in education. In the State of Washington, Supt. Bingham of Tacoma, is organizing and getting people interested. In California, Albert Lyser, principal of John Swett Grammar School, San Francisco, will head an excursion via the Union. Pacific. Another excursion will go by way of the Santa Fe. Teachers intending to go should address Raymond A. Pearson, Chairman of Hotel and Public Comfort Committee, Washing ton, D. C. for accommodations. From every quarter of the State, from every quarter of the Coast, inquiries are sent in to men who are known to the teachers of the State and Coast as being in touch with and informed upon the movements in higher educational circles in preparation of accomodations for those teachers from the interior who wish to take summer work in their respective lines. Just such opportunity now presents itself in the Pacific Grove Summer School to be conducted by a faculty of fourteen men from the two universities (Berkeley and Stanford) one from New York, and others. Such are the plans, such the course of study, such the faculty, such the natural and acquired advantages, that the long-wished-for opportunity now presents itself to those who wish to pursue higher work whether specific or general. Teachers having the means at hand to defray the necessary expenses, or so far as that is concerned tho they have to embarrass themselves a little by so doing, can ill afford to miss this opportunity. It presents itself at such time as many of the teachers of the State are not in the school-room, at such time as teachers are at liberty and enabled to do just what they insist upon wishing for during times of employment. Let them avail themselves now of the opportunity for acquiring a degree of culture, of scholarship, of professional growth which will, yes, must go far towards strengthening them for a better work during the coming and subsequent years and for a higher rank among their fellow teachers. The opportunity is at hand. Let him who fails to grasp it, blame himself alone for the loss, for loss it shall be to him who fails, tho a gain unto the wise. There is something pathetic in the action of the authorities in driv ing out of old Independence Hall, Philadelphia, the Universal Peace Society. Grant knew what war was, and he said, "Let us have If he had uttered these words yesterday in the hall Peace." where the Liberty Bell swings, he would not have been applauded. The Universal Peace Society expressed its horror of war but it went too far in sympathy with the Queen of Spain. Its sympathy should have been for the Cubans. * *. There is no proper place for prizes or medals in a system of public schools. We have no right to emphasize what may appear to be superiority in one, while at the same time with the comparison that the pupils make themselves, we direct attention to apparent lacks in the many. Who knows but the student who struggles along and graduates at the foot of his class does not deserve more credit than the valedictorian? General Grant was very near to the foot of his class at West Point, while possibly the ten best have been forgotten. The poets are the great teachers. Here is a lesson if properly learned will add more to one's life than will the knowledge that if a fish and a half cost one cent and a half, six fishes would cost $—. If I were a cobbler, it would be my pride If I were a tinker, no other tinker beside It ain't no use to grumble and complain -James Whitcomb Riley. NORMAL SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. EDITED BY CHAS. H. ALLEN. From the Report of the Commissioners of Education for 1895 -6, we learn that in the United States there were, at the latter date 329 Normal Schools in operation. Of these 160 are public and 169 private schools. Add to this the fact that 27 colleges and universities have regularly organized departments of pedagogy, while about 200 more colleges and universities offer special teachers' courses, and that there are more than 15,000 teachers taking normal instruction in public and private high schools: in all 84,400 teachers, taking special training for their work, and we can form some idea of the magnitude of what is called normal work. It is perhaps, unfortunate that ideas of what constitutes this work are so vague and so varied. By a kind of common consent the term normal is applied to all special work designed to fit teachers for their vocation. In reference, however, to what this work should be, both theory and practice vary very widely. The extremes are, possibly these: There are those who claim that the best way to fit one to teach well is to teach him well, and that no other special instruction is necessary: that his native wit, added to the habit of imitation, will do the rest. This is the doctrine of many of the high school classes, and, unfortunately, of some of our Normal Schools. The other extreme is found with those who hold that there should be nothing in a Normal Course, but professional training; meaning by this that Pedagogy, the history of education and psychology, all, it may be, blended in child study, should constitute the entire Normal School Course. This is largely the college and university doctrine. It was held strongly by Professor Earl Barnes. Between these two extremes may be found almost infinite modification. The result of this state of things is that, even our normal schools differ in their work as widely as do the theories of those who have them in charge. Their graduates, because of different personalities, differ more widely still. True, they will mainly all agree on some broad general principles, but in the applications of these to school work they are sometimes as far apart as "the east is from the west." In This is all true with reference to Normal work in California. We have three State Normal Schools, one City Normal School, and Pedagogic Chairs in two universities, with a few private Nor mal schools. The State Schools have each the same course of study and training prescribed, and each has an adequate practice school connected with it. Yet the work done differs widely. each it is strongly stamped by the personality of the faculty. A course of study can mark out certain work to be done, but it is the teacher in charge who determines what points are to be made prominent and what subordinate Especially is this so in the strictly professional work. And so it happens that if a graduate of the school at Los Angeles should engage in a discussion with a graduate of the school at San Jose, on the special, or detailed methods of the school room, and they should differ, as they would, and could appeal to a graduate from the school at Chico, the decision would probably be that both were essentially wrong in some part of their work, and thus the breach would be made wider. Should these, to close the breach, appeal to a graduate from the pedagogic department of our universities, the reply would in all probability be couched in some such language as this; "If you understand the nature of the child and observe the psychological laws of mental growth and development, you will follow your own method, and do not need to be tied down to any special plan." This may be true, but where can you find one who can fulfil either one of the required conditions? In speaking of this we are confronted by a condition, not a theory. That condition is that a large number of those preparing to teach are both immature, and, in a measure, uncultured. Nor can there be excluded from this charge even those who come from universities. To understand, so as to use them well, the psychological principles that apply to teaching, especially to combine with this knowledge the yet crude knowledge we have of child nature, requires a ripeness and culture that can come only after a long experience, So long as this is true, (and when will it cease to be so?) so long teachers need, and normal instruction should give, full lines of method work. Method work based on broad philosophic principles,-methods given quite as much to illustrate and impress the philosophy of the work, as for specific use in the school room. Admitted that a method not based on a good philosophy, yes, that a method given without the underlying philosophy, is useless, often worse than useless, because it may be dangerously misleading. Before entering upon the discussion of what should be the work of a normal school, and which will be taken up in an article or two, to follow this, something should be said of the work of socalled normal classes and normal departments, carried on by private enterprise. As the diplomas of these schools are not recognized, their graduates having to stand an examination, and as the merit, and therefore success of the school or class is largely determined by the number who succeed in taking certificates, much of their energy must of necessity be devoted to preparing their pupils for such examinations. In state schools, whose diplomas are, or ought to be recognized, while they must be sure that no teachers are sent out lacking the necessary qualifications, the main part of the work can and should be, fitting teachers to do their work well, which means the presentation and illustration, in class use, of the best known methods of teaching, governing, and managing a school. Methods of these schools should do honest work in this line, for there is no temptation in the way of increased tuition fees, or of transient reputation, to lead them to do otherwise. Their reputation rests upon the final success of the teachers they send out, and their graduates should be their only needed recommendation. PROFESSIONAL WORK IN THE NORMAL SCHOOL AT SAN JOSE. The professional work of the school has five phases: Psychology, Pedagogy, History of Education, Methods, and Practice in Model School. The first includes elementary, child and advanced psychology, ten weeks each. This elementary course comes in the second year before any of the other work for teachers is taken up and presumes to give a foundation in the simpler psychologic terms and conceptions which are to be used in the interpretation and understanding of the succeeding educational instruction. Ladd's Primer of Psychology is the text. In the child-psychology with the works of Sully, Barnes, Shinn, Baldwin, Tracy, Hall, and others as a basis, an effort is made to show the growth and development of mental powers from their appearance. Observations made by the students on children, according to the Worcester method i. e. miscellaneously gathered statements, questions, plays, games of children, are also used. These serve to illustrate children's reasoning, imitation, observation, imagination, etc. In the senior year James' "Briefer Course" is studied, when the student is better adapted to its more subjective and interpretative discussions. The Pedagogy considers first the physical child, such as indications of defects of the eyes, ears, the nervous system, and tests for same; rhythm, posture, growth at various periods, motor abilities. Then other subjects as drawings, pictures, plays, stories reading, content of mind on entering school, collections, rights of childhood, lies, superstitions, interests. Here the work done by leaders of Child Study, together with reminiscent and outside work by the students--gives the subject matter. Two texts are then used in succession. McMurry's General Method and White's School Management. He first considers the aim of education, relative value of the subject, culture epochs, apperception, etc. During this period effort is used to make the student acquainted with educational men and matters, to awaken an interest in educational books, magazines, institutions, people. This, of course, is done incidently to the other work, however, reports are made from time to time, on new educational literature. Growing out of the work, subjects of investigation are assigned to which ten weeks or more are given on working up. White's School Management tells its own story. Naturally then comes the special consideration of method. Ten weeks each are given to the methods of teaching drawing, arithmetic and geography. In addition there is a twenty weeks course in the ways of teaching the reading, arithmetic, nature study, etc., in the primary grades. The power to apply all this is determined in the practice teaching in which the students engage in the Training school. McMurry's special methods in the various elementary subjects are used as a basis for the work. In addition there is a period of ten weeks given to the general problems of the new teacher, as, program making, school laws, relation to community, school reports, professional relations, etc. To give the whole a relation to people and time, a history of education, or civilization is studied, in its educational aspects, with special reference to the typical factors in the development of the social ideas which have been directive of the life of the nation and the typical features of the existing system of educational practice and theory. The Training School of the State Normal at Chico. MISS MAY KIMBALL. The training School of the State Normal at Chico consists of the Kindergarten, the Primary and the Grammar Departments. The principal objects of the training school is to give the students of the normal classes opportunities for observation and practice. They first observe the work of the school-subject matter taken up, lessons presented, and discipline maintained by able and experienced teachers. The students are thus given a back ground so to speak, against which they may place their own first efforts towards translating educational methods and principles into educational practice. In addition to the foregoing, with regard to the Training School itself, and the pupils thereof, the object is to thoroly train the pupils in expression-to teach them pure spelling, clear penmanship, simple grammatical constructions, and business-like execution in all of their work,-to lay the foundation of their future lives strong and impregnable. The kindergarten, Primary, and Grammar Departments are correlated as much as possible in ideas, purpose, and method. The Kindergarten Department was organized at the beginning of the present school year for the purpose of training kindergarten teachers. All students, other than those intending to become kindergartners, are given ample opportunity to observe the work of the kindergarten and to become acquainted with Froebel's principles. The director of this department is Mrs. Clara M. McQuade. Two rooms have been set apart for the kindergarten. The room used for the play circle and most of the seat work is large, well lighted, and admirably adapted for its purpose-having an eastern exposure, and commanding a fine view of the gardens. The second room has a western exposure and is used for sand table and clay modeling exercises. Provision has been made for twenty children, and the age for admission is from four to six years. The work of this department is carried on strictly according to Froebelian principles, tho the practice in some instances is modified in order to meet modern and scientific criticism. Unlike many kindergartens this department has unbounded wealth in its advantages for Nature work. The conditions in this field are ideal. Within a stone's throw of the building the children are able to watch "The Fish in the Brook," nest building, ants and bees at work, the metamorphosis of animals agd insects, as well as the growth of plants. They have common and individual flower plots, a wheat field, and a vegetable garden which they cultivate with assiduous care; and since Froebel believed that thru "nature culture and nature nurture the child could best gain ideas appropriate to its stage of development relating to beauty, purity, growth, and evolution to a higher life," we feel that the children of this kinder · garten are peculiarly fortunate in this respect. Aside from the course of training provided for kindergarten teachers, it is expected that the time spent in the kindergarten by the regular students will give practical returns in their future work with young children-that the knowledge thus gained of Froebel's principles will be of direct benefit in their practice. Moreover it will help these future teachers to a proper conception of the kindergarten as an institution for the inculcation of the first elements and instruction of sense and instruction of sense perception, as an effective means for bridging the gap between the home and the school, and as an organic, and hence necessrry part of a correct system of education. The step the children make from the kindergarten to the Primary Department is smooth and gradual, and the little minds. that have been awakened and sharpened in the kindergarten open to the more advanced and more abstract subjects of the Primary Department in a simple, easy manner. The Primary Department consists of the first, second, third, and fourth year pupils of the Training School. This department contains three airy well lighted rooms connected by folding doors. These doors when throwu back expose a beautiful assembly room with a seating capacity for ninety-three pupils. Here the child finds the elementary school-arts, speech, reading, drawing, composition, and the elements of arithmetic. Much attention is given to the reading in this department. The faculty of observation and its expression in language cau best be trained thru the reading lesson as a means of thought getting, and in Primary classes we recognize the principle of thought getting from the start. It is the key in solving all mathematical problems, it paves the way to the historical and geographical events of the higher grades, and it opens the doors in the walls of the child's narrow life, and causes him to see and love the good and the beautiful Nature study with its beautiful impersonations is emphasized. Miss Rogers has charge of the student teachers who teach in the Primary Grades. These teachers are given as broad a field as possible to work in, and they are aided and directed by Miss Rogers, who each day gives them careful instructions upon the subjects they are to teach, so that no lesson is ever presented in a haphazard and unconnected way. The transition from the Primary to the Grammar Department is broader, the field of real study is increased, and while the old subjects are pursued farther, new ones are introduced. Geography, literature, and history are cultivated more fully and the mathematics are pushed on to the algebraic elements. The Grammar Department is made up of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth year pupils of the Training School. The Assembly room of this department has a seating capacity of eighty-eight pupils. The course of study is so arranged in the nine grades that the completion of it gives the pupil a good English education. The regular teachers of this department consists of the teacher in charge Miss E. J. Fuller, an assistant for the entire time Miss Emma Wilson, and a second assistant for four recitations in the day Miss Aimee Jones. The teacher in charge of the department has charge also of the student teachers who are teaching in the Grammar Grades. As wide an experience as possible is given to the student teachers in their work in the Grammar Department. Work in Language including science work, Reading, Ârithmetic and Geography are given to each. Believing that teachers are born and not wholly made there is no attempt to fit them all to the same mould. Great freedom is allowed them to exercise their own individuality in their practical teaching, the critic's aim being to so guide and direct that they fall into no grave errors, and gain much in strength to control and instruct. Thus acting and interacting the Training School of the State Normal at Chico is justly regarded not only as a means of strength to both pupils and student teachers, but a power in the community in which it is maintained. The State Normal School at Los Angeles. The State Normal School of this city is not lacking in patriotic enthusiasm, for volunteers from its roll are now doing duty at the Presidio, and ere many weeks elapse, they may be at Manila, giving their work in aiding to reap the fruits of Dewey's splendid victory. The Friday afternoon, prior to their departure from our midst, the school held a patriotic reception in the Assembly Hall to bid the boys good speed and success. The girls are as patriotic as the boys, and if Uncle Sam would enlist girls, what a swar |