J?1·.:,;-;;.r,

is

i<>;,u~d mon~hly (ro '~o~.)'1_1:..ie:i~y at

l·, ~1cn pc.p.::r lS a uw~·c :i~ page numt>er,
prir11MV w<>rk with pr.1ciind •nrticles by

<!ove,t>lng
tne''bcst '

C. ·s, · Crc'''1kd ·w'i.th' illu;;t'rn.tion!h i · ·
FOURTE!.E!NTH YiZAR I

i~,

TBJ\:CtlERS' iNSTiTUTE

"''"'IJ~c ·: .

- -

$1."Jf} (f, 11ear·'; ' j 2 hl.t'<>'e
·A~-p~~{;>:-_f.'
~
"M
., ..... ~
: pap{~Vi coi:ti.litut!'.; ~year {mo:;t olhc1 ctluc;ationa1 monthlies pl.lb<
.~1ik;1 tiu1.! 1~·r"101. It is •;tii~cd h): the.i;:uCJe· e<lirn_rs as T.H$- Sc;.Ho(lt•.'.
J OtJ1(:-<,\l>;c i'l:id h~s. ever sinl'e 1~ \v:::s U•ll"tc~t 111: iS7l>, been·:!:< .
m•1.r/ J't'f·t~!m· ,·duc1J.t111;;tl! 1:.i••1th(:r f:d1 ·rs1rftf,.):ircui<uing in eV'!:'r'I' ,, ;J.
f'?.l>- ~:i ' n<\ti01ml paper'. This is bt>ca11se it"1s '·cry ptactl-.:al~' ·r_:
iJttl~ tl1~~,ry anrl much tontcrice-in ·fact, •it ..i~ cr'1.mm..cd w~.iit.' J
I'io~1Y. ilkU.Qtrat.c.~1. Sarnt'k, J. 0 cent.;.
DUbli!$hed fl'\Q:)lb\V Hl

:1,·

"

-

.

. .FIFTEENTH YEAR f
~:•~
1"R
r.:f.=
e!t.TnE
·
~~.;.;:. . · ·I ~rii:::t-.011\..
·

..

TRov·E

,

~:' .~·

- --

-<!'

:·!<'

~:.i~:~bcdnti!.tll1 rnust.tateu 16-pagc monthly fo:r -''youRg }>~1:>p)i af·,,,,;

:;(J '(;en: ..:; tJ. 11enr; Dcvotud specinHy to t'ompo,,;itid.!i _
W!'.i<inf~ n?, p.«~cs !, with many prizc:s each rn<>uth.. Afa_o S i>ag1;s-'uc-:<:~>•:.!~

,.;•:hGnl.

vntc(1 to fr..:~.h di:ilog-uel?, reci t~tions; , etc. < le-!~ used by tpol.lsands ':'I~~
of y.:<i:~i~ers. :i,:; an t .. i<l !." the s('bool COll!ll work. SarnJ?1e', 6 ctsi"'' ' -

'I''..t!E
.· PRO
..t'"'i::.
~,......,s(.;;:;;:n o· NA
L TEA,. cl:.:
""'"'R·-~. •· · · -,~
: .j• '.
t
~· -·
. i 1 . t <>. _.,,:1;··i·;·;~s;¥~}ffi
i~ ·p«?li:'ihed ~1lJ.Jlld\\y,
,;,::s1srar.i.:<: iri

,-;,.1 ce.,,,.tr< a. 11"-'"r.

1t!:t

putp~~e ·~! \O)!fl\~'f '"'~A'''

1.)'SU:m:,oc study to teadurs ·t,•lut

':J..•t.-<li ti)

nd~1ru11:~,..,,..,,ff..~« .)

Dovl•\ed in si~e this year and is <'ntini1y«:Hfferent from 1'ir.l;' ·{,. !?; ;:'.'
1:,,.·;~·r t1.in~.and Trrn Jotn,;-;AL. Sart1plc, n;nts, .
·
-

o

-~

1f)

""'''( ji«'t: ''":'C
~ 4.11.i:.....;,c
1

-'1

!!l\.. C

a

of·"i.hfi.i·~~
;7;::·
of fo::pnnao.t p.cws
.
.
.... .,;'»~
..,..,._ntiab, d~., hnt'lhr tw'itU that' ,..:r.~;-!,
~:~n'il fiu etl ior u:;I': ·in···
·'.,,

1es111t1(

~ ...h.; s. ~P.. ~~,.-·ik'.'\~

.-?"J..-..- ,.

./

THE WRITING OF

,./_;-·

COMPOS I

I 0 NS.

our '•. ·ni11:\ ·"~:~.-.:

lt!STOllY OF Jill:lUOATIOli . ... Retail; Priceto Mnll .
•.
,
·' '·
..
, Toaclnirs Extrn:..
K'i)llor:cr'n l'.Jfff ot '?eiitalozzi, - - - - imper .15 . 12 .or .
X:.in~arl ·~. Hlst.1;1·y ot Et,111c11 tlon, - . - cl.
.2iS .:ao_ .Q:t:: _· · ~

· · Q·utoJ;:·~ Ednt:1.t!i011nl R(•fol'ment,
.Brow:nlng'a IDducation:ll 'l'htio.rk~,

,

-

-

- cJ.
- cl.

. 1,t(l

.GO

-

t-t-0n:man'& Kiudcrge.rten ulfts - .

.·. .

-

-

.,

~ cl.
~ ptlper

..

-

-

.os

. llt'HO:t>S OF TEAt'tBING.
- cl. . . "'lO . 40
- cl. ·", ,50 · .40

('~Uct.fJS' "ga:t and 'VoiOe ".ln'\lnµi~, •
J)~·.,.ey"s H6wt-01Jlen-Oll. Mu11ne1·s, ".lQhtlSon•s T~duC'tttion hf Doing, . .P~rtridga's Quln.c:v M~itlo<\s
~
- . SI.law aul'! Dounnll's ::ichoo1 Devtces,.
- , 'lW.le~··s ~r11 be '.\fothod ot 1'J?acb1nw A:ntt1metlc,

:-ee1ey'o.GrubeJ.denln'l\·acbtng4rltbmf'tlc. WoodhuH»• ~lSY' F.xper)mentsill &nonce,
Glarl!ftone'-6 Ot>ject Tea.cb1ng,

-

- ·

-

· -

- cl.
- el.
-. cl.
- c1

- ct
• _cL
-paper
-papei:

.75 . . oo
1.75 1 .i.o .13
1.$ , 1. 00 .09

l .OO
.30
.('-0
.16
.15

Mc.Mlll'taS"s How to Conduct tbc Re<ntatioa. . . ... " y
MANUAL TRAINING. .

Il!>Vt'l's iniluatrlal 'Erlnoatlon, - , - - , _
1..ehiudj~ Pt'!ll~tloal Educat.ion, ·' Ditt.lei;'tt .ArguJlle~t ror Manuill '.l?rainfnf?,
:: .
.
MlSO:tl.I.A.NEOuS.

Bla.lk!tiHot'.I Self Cut:\1~ .
Gnnl<Jer'!S Town 11ncl Country School Buildings,
Wilueln:l'g St udont'A Ct1l(1noru-, _,
I'onfor~ttN, Y . $C'bQOI L'.l,w,- • .lt.ln{'.\lm"t'K
8yt!t{•ff1 11t Euncntion, :Lt11.itiQ(:k111H¢1t100 Iloo~,. •
- -: Alle n'" 'l'crnl)l:rotntJ.ttt h\ &h1<'ntlon.; · J.l'lt<,h's htil:'lr<?\remont tn Edoc·otlou, - 4ui;abu1·i;•s l~n8y Thiolf! to Drllw, . J

i

. so. · .OS :

. 40,

XINDEEGARtEli EDUCATION.

A'lttobio~l1llhy of F'roob".1

·.· · ·

'"-

-

-

-

-

UY

AMOS M. KELLOGG,

. 80 . •07,
.~

.oa ·

.4(\ .oo
• t :a· .01
. 12 .Ol

HDITOR OP'

n

THR SCHOOL JOURN AL, "

'' TEA C H& RS ~

INSTITUTE , ,, A UTH OR OF

' 'SCHOOL A<1ANAGBMRNT. u

'
- cl. 1:00 l. ~O A·.•1 "
- cl. 2.00 1. ao
- -pa.per .],~ ~ u

cl
.2i> .20 .oo
- cl. 2.00 ~.oo .12·
- paper .ao .24. .03

-

·

- cl.

- cl.

'

.:JO
.~

-· paper ~
- cl.
.('ilJ
- paper .11>

- pape'C'

.oo

.!!!4 .03
.~o .oo ·
. l.IJ .re

.'\\O , .05
, l ~ .01 .
. ~.._ .03

·
PRINCIPLES AND l'RACTIQ.E OF EDU'CATIO:'N. . .
P«r)rer·s Talks on 'l'eo.ching, •
;:- cl.
1.25 1.oc> .,09
,. " , 'Pmotlenl 'l'en.cller, - ..- - cl.
I '.0 I .:ao .l,4

Pitcks Leotnre::; on 'l't>iicbJng, - - • - ;;
CurrlO'l! 'Ei\rlY Erlttcation. ~
-.
Hu~hes' Mt.!l ti1kca in '!.'c!lt•h~n1r. •·
•
&>cu11ng 1:1.nd Tu>mmin!S' Attention,
· ·-·~ O\l!;1, rminu al of Tcacb.lug . -- - .. h .... f.?,

-

~ • -

-

-

- 01 .
- cL
....- . oi.

-

· - cl.

-

-

- cl.

1..25 I .oo pd.
l .25 J. oo 08
..W ,40 .05 ~ u.::.. ".:f'·'
-~ .. . .co .01) -, •.. _~'.L; ·; ·~.~~
S5 .60 , .()IJ · ifoi~_;l4_~

• 'f.ll\PGr
.Iii .1z .01
•· P~llll~· · .15 .. • 1 ~ 1 01

.- P:l.'per

-

.._15 ' .• • ~
-'l.3 -.' ~12

,. ;1 ;~; ;,~'"J1;

. J.>t!f,.t;~t

.Qi ;"' .
....Ol. ..,, ~
~

~-I"~ ~

NEW Y ORK AND CH ICAGO :

E. L. KELLOGG & CO .
1892.

c - · clue.. I ~8 ,9 2 .t..\ -s 2
't'

. '

CorvlllGHT, 1892.

E. L. KELLOGG & CO.,
NEW YORK.
COMPOSITIONS.

THE WRITING OF COMPOSITIONS .

Writing is Talking with the Pen.-A great step has
been taken in teaching writing in many schools, by
making it a part of tho daily work instead of requiring
it but once a week or once in two weeks. The liest
teachers teach the use of the pen at once; on the first
day the pupil begins to express himseU in written language. Then the effort is to keep a pen in the hands
of the pupil~ and at every stage and in all studi es to
keep the pupils writing. The maxim of Comcnins,
"Learn to <lo by doing," here has the widest application.
Unde r ancient school cu stoms the p 'n was 1.mt little
used; the new practice is to use it a great deal. A day
passed by a pupil who lrn.s not put one hundred wordR,
at least, into sentences must be counted as a day lost
for that pupil.
All will Write.-This general statement of the need
of much writing is true for all pupils, irrespective of
age; the main difference will be in the character of the
work : the younger wi11 have concrete subjects, those on
which their minds naturally run; the older will have
subjects which require the employnwnt of thought and
jud~men_t and "stud1ing u~."

s

The Writi11g of Compositions.

Tbe Writing of Compositions.

W riting should be look ed on as Expression.-To make
good wri tors, the teache r must g ive as much attention
to Writing its to Arithmetic. In th o old plan for school
duties, Numbers and Readi ng came in for n. very large
slrnro of attention, on the plon. of their usefulness ; nnd
so mnny pupils were t aught to read n.nd to cipher and
received a mechanical development ; but they needed
to learn to express themselves-they craved expression ,
they suffered for wmi t of expression . T ho usefulness
of roacling for a child or young person is limited until
he has been taught to express h imself; his r eadi ng is
a mechanical exercise until he thinks; ho must think
when he employs written forms.

correct as possible they writes it on paper. Herc arc
some from the TEACHERS' INSTITUTE which will illnstrate the style of story suitable for yo-ung pupils.

4

FRED AND T U:E SWI NG.

Fred's father put up a. swing in the bnm for him and hi::: p1nyruates. The first day they had a happy time. The ne:xt. day t.hey
quarrelled over taking turns and made such a noise tlrn.t Fred's
father took the swing do wn .
HATTIE 'S PARTY.

Hnttie's big si:;ter had a party, and Hattie thought shr, must
have one too. She a.~ked papa, mamrna, grandmmrnua, an<l Annt
Sue. She could not h ave any more, for she had only six cupr; nnri
saucers. 'fhe company took fou r, and that left jnst enough for
Hattie herso1f, and her pct r~ doll, Clara. lfottio pcmrc<l the
ten., Aunt Sue passed the b read, cake, and other things. The ro;-:t
of the company praised the things, and if tho <loll didn't say n.nything, she looked as if she enjoyed it. Altogether it '-\"ll.S a very
nice party.

THE YOUNGER PUPILS.
Expression Work.- There is a large field of wri ting
iu wl1ich the thought is secondary, the expression
primary. Such are the r eprodnction or re-telling of
stories, descriptions of cities, works ·of art, re-statements
of historica.1, geograpliic:i.1, biogrnph ical, botaui ca], and
geo1ogi n.1 matters, which hnrn nrnde n. part of the c1nssroom exorcises. Ily writing these n. familin.ri ty is acqu irc<l with forms of expression . The thought in these
cases is fu rnished by t he teacher or th e book; the pupil
furnishes the l:mguago.
Reprod uctions.- One of the ne w plans to exercise the
pen of the pu pil rnthcr than his t hought is as follows:
the teacher reads or tells his young pu pils a short story;
they proceed to re-tell it in writing. The tcnchcr reads
the story once, slowly and clea.r]y; the pupils write out
their version of it on their slates ; after getting it as

5

:

'

'..

HARRY AND NELLIE.

Harry and Nellie are cousins. Harry lives in Boston, and :'le11io
lives way out vVest. So they do not visit each othor ,·ery often.
Last summer Ilarry's mamma wont to see Nollie's mammit, n.n<l
took Uarry with her. Such fu n as the children hnd l Harry li:tcl
always lived in the city, and he thought it very fine to pl ay in tho
bay, climb trees, fish in the brook, and pick l>erries in the field .
Ile says he is going to ask his papa to move West, so he can have
fun all the time.

-:-i

PLAYING DOCTOR.

Bess was playing that she was sick, and she sent for Doctor
Fred. \Vhen Fred came in ·w ith grandpa's hat on his Lend, anti
a satchel in h is hand, Bess was lying on the lounge. " Lrt mo
see your tongue, ma<lu.m," said Fred. "Yes, it is very ha<l . I
l\Dl afraid that you hu,ve the plumonia," Bess was a little o1tler

~·'

..

'·

,.
!\.~ ' '

The Writing of Compositions.

The Writing of Com-positions.

than Fred, and she knew that w ns n't th e way to pronoun ce pne umonia. " If you laug h I won't play, Bessie March," said Fre<l,
getting angry.

SNOW PIES.

6

7

Tommy and Minnie were very fond of maldng mud pies. All
summer Jong they would have a row of pies and cakes standing
in a. row on a long board. This was th eir counter, fo r they
played "keep store." One nice winter day they though t they
would make pies of snow instead of mud. The i:mow p ies lool-ed
vei:y pretty. "Just like icing ," as Minnie said. Just then they
were called in to dinner, and it was a good while before they
visited the store. \Vhen they got .there the pies were gone, and
the pans were full 6f water. "Who could h ave ta.k en our pies? '
said Minnie, ready to cry. Then Tommy began to laugh : "\Vhy,
Minnie l I never thought. They melted in the sun."

PLAYING COOK .

lllartha, the cook. nt Mr. Bnrkcr'11, is a goocl-natured g irl, and
when the childr n nro goorl. nJl th e week sbo lets tbom como into
the ki tchen on Saturday afternoons and le.nm to cook. They have
b een taug ht how to make coITee, to boil potatoes v ery nicely, and
to broil steo.k. By and by they nre going to Jearn how to make
bread. That will be the greatest fun of all, they think.
IHDE AND SEEK.

GATHERING EGGS .

Benny and Alice were pl aying- b ide and seek . They bad been
hiding in every place they ooul<l think of. At last it wl.l,s Benny's
t urn to hide, and ho asked Uncle Ben to hide him. Uncle Ben
took h im up and put him on th e top of the tall bookcase. It was
wide, and Benny wn.c; not afraid of falling. He called "coop"
and Alice came runni ng in and look ed for him. She searched a
long time, under the lounge, th e table, and even under tho stove.
Uncle Ben began to la ug h, but Alice did not think it very funny .
" Coop, " said 13enny agai n. 'J'h"n Alice J0ok d Ul> and Hnw him.
\Vhen Uncle Hen li fted h im do wn they had a great frolic.

.Annle an~ Willie thought they would help g mn<lma one day.
They picked up a big pan of chips and fed the chick ens. Then
they played in the barn awhile, and "Willie sn.id, " Let's gather
the eggs and take them in to grn.n.d.ma.." An nie thought it woul d
be great fun, so they climbed up and filled their pockets wi th the
eggs. They did not think about being cru:cful, an<l when they
got dov.'11 on the barn floor and began to count the eggs there
were yery few that were not broken. Grandma did not scold, but
she could not h elp laughing. The next time they went to get
eggs they took a basket and had better luck .

0

•T]tN NflC 1'\ Vl l'!JTOJl.

J ennie came in from school one day, and felt very hungry.
She thought she would fi nd something nice in the pantry, so be
took a chair an<l climbed up on it. Thero were custard pie and
jelly cake and tarts. "I g uess 1'11 have a tart first and a piece of
cake ilfterwr.rd," s.nid J ennie. Il t1t instead of taking either she
b egan to scream, for there snt a tiny mouse nibbling a piece of
cheese. The mouse was moro frightened than Jennie, and ho
rnn away and h id in h is hole ·while J enn ie fell off h er chair and
bumped h er h ead. "I don't think you treated the little mouse
nicely," said Jennie's l>ig .brother, "He came to make you, u.
vi.sit;.'~

NAUOJT'fY NlCD.

l·

N ed was in the library one morning when h is father was out.
He had been told not to go there, but N ed did not always mind.
He was looking at something on the desk, when he upset the
ink bottle. Of course he did not mean to do it, b ut th e ink ran
n.ll oYer his father's sermon, and on the carpet. Ned w a.<i not a
truthful boy, so he would not tell of th e misch ief he bad done.
He did a mean thing instead. He shut tho cat in t he room, so
bis father would blame her. But naughty N ed was fo und out,
after all. It was in this way. He left his bat in the room , and
of course his fathe r knew that he bad·been there. Was not Ned
a naughty boy?

The Writing of Compositions.

The Writing of Compositions.

like to have some of those sugar loaves like I had for my supper
last night." So he went to the sugar bowl and just as he went to
put his han<l in be saw another baud on the wall which seeme<i to
l>o writing, " Thon shalt not steal." 'fom was frighten ed at this
so he went upsta.irs, got in bed and covered up. When his
mother went to ca.11 him to breakfast he did not answer. His
mother went to seo wha.t wns the matter and Tom told her all
about the hand-writing on the wall. lie thought it was God's
hand-wTiting on tbe wall because he was steal ing.
Wilmington , Del<"tiware.
ELSIE Rosrn, 12 years old.

and got his little stool. One of the cans had the name on it so his
mother could tell which can of fruit to open when she wn.nted
some jrun. So he got the jam and opened it and had eaten lt
nearly all up when suddenly the door flew open and it was his
mamma and she looked at him just as if she could whip hi.tn but
she never. She thought he wa1'3 very bad.
Milroy, Ind.
BLANCH MAY COWING, 9 years old.

IO

MR. TEN-MINUTES.

Once there was E~ boy who always said " \Vait ten minutes"
when any favor was asked. He said this so often that his mother
called h im Mr. 'l'en-Mi.nutes. Mr. Ten-Minutes never lost his
lrnuit. When he WM a young man he was in a army in South
Africa. He and his men were l\t dinner. His men told him to
hurry up. But he i>aid the re i1' time enough. So tho men w1iltod.
Anc.l tho savages came, imtl before he c0t1ld mount on his horse
tho poor young man was killed. His real name was Prince
Imperial of F rl'.lncc, son of Empress Eugenic.
Lin mood, .Neb.
J Essrn IlROWN, 7 years old.
TO:\nrm's FIDST CIGAR.

Tommie t.L.onp:ht it. would be g rown up and manly to learn, to
smoke, so ho savod np pennies enough t.o buy him a box of cigarettes, and on(1 day he went into the woods and be began to smoke
and his head bAgan to tu.rn round, and he stole back to tho hou se
and went up the back stair and he was sick all day and he never
-..vantcd to smoke again.
SALLIE CARLTON.

Lakeland, Fla.
A PICTURE STOI'Y.

\\Tillie was in the pantry on e dn.y and his mamma w1is in the
front room.. Ho r;.aw some pickles and jam on n shelf. He thought
he would like to have some jam. So he dragged n chair up to tho
shelf and climbed upon it and it " ·ns not high enough, f'O ho went

tl

A NICE GRANDMA.

Grandma Gray is the nicest old lady you over saw she is nearly
blind and cannot see to read, but can knit beautifully. All the
grandchildren have mittens. She keeps a lot of ~ittens in her
drawer, and when she sees or hears of a boy or g1r1 with bare
hands she sends them a pair of mittens. I don't know what the
children will do when she cannot use h er knitting-needles.
WatC1·town, Wis. .
JOHN BARRET, 9 years old.
THE NEW BOOK.

Bennie Dare is a very good-natured boy. He always likes to
please other people. A poor boy goes to the same school that
Bennie does. ·Charlie has no Geography. His mother is very
poor, and cannot buy one for him. But Bennie Dare has a new
one and he is very careful of it.. He lends it to Charlie to get his
lesson . Charlie is very glad to get it. Charlie is very careful not
to tear it. Bennie lends it to Charlie every day.
Rural Dale, Ohio.
BESSIE REVENAUGII, 8 yenrs old.
PICNIC.

Several little girls bad planned to have a picnic. It was to be
on a Saturday. They woke very early in the morning. Saturday
was a beautiful day. Each one was going to bring nice things.
They brought nice biscuits, cake, and fr11it. Each one took tnrns
in carrying the basket. \\Then they got there, they pnt do wn their
basket, near the tree. After awhile they went to pick flowP.rs.
Their nanghty brothers followed them, to torment them. They
ate all the biscuit,,, cake, and fruit, and filled the basket with

,,

The Writing of Compositions.
sticks a.nd stones. When t.110 tired littlo g-irl>1, came l>ack they
were very hungry. They took their napkins and spread them.
\ Vhen they opened the basket, they found sticks and stonos in it.
If their brothers knew how diRappointed they were, they woulJ
havo been ashamed of themselves. Josrn BHUNO. 10 years ol<l.
Valte11 &lwol, St. Loitil; Co., Jfo .

Suggestions. -Appropriate stories should bo told daily
by the teacher, and re-stated daily by the pupils so that
the mechanical work of handling a pen, selecting and
spel1ing words, putting them into sentences, using capitals and periods, may be performed automatically. It
must be noticed that the pupil has language enough,
but it is oral: he must le:irn to turn this into a wri tten
form; he needs to practise extensively with the pen, ink,
and paper. The teacher should aim to tell inciclents
thn.t have an interest, so they may be easily remembered.
It wonld be a. mistake for the' teacher to morn.1izo over
the incidents or to induce the pupils to do it. The ono
who has reproduced the idea the most clearly is the
one who is to be commenclod; next praise the mechanical side ; the penning should be neat; margin s shonld
be left ; cn.pitals and periods used; the date given; the
pupil's namo signed.
Descriptions.-The teacher may describe a mountain,
a river, n. city, and tho pnpil restate it. The pupil in
this way fastens the matter of a lesson more firml y in
tho mind. History fnrnishC's a fine field for materia]s
to be told to tho pupil. When ho becomes older he
" tn.kes notes" of lectures ::rn d writes them out.
Pictures for Stories.-A pictu re may suggest a train
of thonght; n. mere ontlinc picture is sufficient. 'I'ho
pupil is allowed to use any namo he chooses for the

Tbe Writing of Compositions.
figure~. One pnpi~ imagines one thing ; another_imagines another. 'rhe compositions founded on pwtures

I

~

are calculated to exercise the imaginative faculty.
The cuts here given are from the" TEACHERS' INsTI-

Tbe W riling of Compositions.

The Writing of Compositio;is .

T~TE,"

1

that has m!l.do a special featme of presentin;
0
pwtures for use in schools as a f oun aa t·1on f or storie8
for younger children.
. Biogra.phles. -The cyclopedia fnrnishcs mn.terials for
'.nogrnphy work; n cyclopedia of biography should be
m every school-room .
. Original Work.- 'l'his is the field of tho "Composi~1on" proper.. Here the thought stands. pre-eminent.
rho atte~pt 18 to got an opinion from tho pupil. In
th~ selection of subjects the rule must be that one can
wnte best about that of which he knows the most.
To ri.ghtly select a sn bject for a pupil, there must be.
someth~ng known of the pupil, of his habits of mind.
~here is more common. sense in tho selection of sn bJ~cts than _formerly; the abstract subjects once considered fittrng for the pupil's pen have been Jn.id aside
for concrete ones-" Sources of Happiness" for "M
Uncle John," or" My Seat-mate."
y
Aiding the Young Pupil.-To aid young pupils the
teacher may take a subject and sn.y, "Let ns wri te about
a book," nnd puts the word s "A Book" on tbe b1aekbon.rd as a titlo. Then aRking tho children to look at a
book, s~e ?egins to write: "A book is made of paper; it
has prrn.ting on the leaYes. The covers arc made of
stout, ~h1ck paper. Some books have pictures in thorn."
She asKs, "Can you think of anything more ?"
Then she may select "A stick" for a title and
question tho children and put down wliat the; sav
an~ then gather it into a unity. In a short time th~
clnldren len.rn the art of looking at things and writing
down what they see. The reading of these aids the

·- pupil to write.

I5

Thus one sees more and wr ites more :

)vriting teaches to see.
· · A teacher gave some leaves to a class to write abon t;
e:.\ch wrote three or four sentences. .One wrote, ''Th e
upper side of the leaf is a darker green than the lower
side." This ca.used surprise to all the rest of the class,
who had not noted the fact, and they ~ook up a leaf to
see if it was true.
Near-at-hand Subjects.-It will be found tha t very
young children can write well abou_t things which they
come in contact with in their daily life. The wr iter
once gave a class of children, none over ten or twelve
years of age, the su bjcct " Cats," with the suggestion
"Try to put in the things the rest will 1e;i,ve on t."
The result was a series of bright compositions, the
readincr of which de1ighted the larger pupils immensely ;
they w~re published , rind years after the editor o[ the
paper in wl1icb. they n.ppen.red decl.u.red. tba~ the "?:it
compositions,'' remained distinct m 1ns m_ind. A±tcr
a time the same subject was assigned ;i,gn.rn, for new
observations had been made; writing about n. thing
com pcls one to observe that thing. Here are two of the

('
'~-' :•:.,
' -"
fi}~;'
-.t

.,

r.~¥
:~·
..:

"Cat compositions."
Cats a.re sometimes very nice. Sometimes cat.<\ scratch and bi t.P.
A cat once came here. vVe named her Jumper, then we no.mr<l
her Snooper, because she was forever into .eatables. By a,~d hy
she got so full of fleas that we had to send 11er :i.way. V\· e put
her in a basket and took her to Jersey City. She has not returned

··:-

~-

since.
Cat. are very useful. They catch all the rats anfl mice. \Yn
5
have a cat; he weighs at least five pounds and is on.l y six montl1s
old. He eats bread and prefers it to meat. He will not rat fi!<h
'"

iJ
.:-1.

16

The Writing of Compositions.

unless it is fresh . If it is sal t he would rather have bread.
Lions and tigers ·are of the cat kinu. They can purr too.

Imaginative Compositions._..:.The imagination is rn
operation very ear.ly in children. When a child says to
another "Let us play I am a doctor and have come to
see yon," it is prom ptecl by the activity of the imagination .
There are pupils who can write clrn.rmingly if
the imaginn.tion is allowed t o play. It is snpposed by
some teachers that it is no t well to encourago such
writing, but it is d ifficult to find a reason for the
opm1011. L et t h e pupil write an imaginative composition if he likes t o. The biographical and historical
themes given to work up wiil prevent his soaring too
high . T h o s ubjects fo r imagi nati Ye compositions will
usuall y snggest them selves, and hence but few themes
for tbis cfass arc given in the list that is appended.
H ero is a compositi on by a girl nine years of nge whose
p roductions h ad a m ost stimulating effect ·on the entire
school.
AnOUT A BAD BEE.

In my cousin Dn.isy 's fl ower- bed I discovered a w e living all by
h imself in n. beaut.ifnl tulip. Every day Daisy and I came to
watch the bee 11S it sat very lazily eating and sleeping. He was
ne ver h np py, h owe ver. This bee was born in t.he year 1865 and
was a reg u1arly spoiled bee, being t h e youngest of the family.
He g row up to be a bad hcc, an d in the year 1866 ran away from
bis native h om e in Ge rmany ·with all the wealth of his father
tncked unde r one of h is wi ngs. He crof!sed tho North Sea by
cling in g to t he top of th (' fl n.g -polo of the " Frances Kitty," nnd
nea rly d ied of hunge r. \ Vh en 110 reMh ed America he made hi s
hom e in this tulip and hM livo(l there cvAr since. Ill s neigLbors
consider him, a very rich, mi:;iorly old bee. \Yhen I go to see

The W riling of Compositions.
Daisy I look down in the tulip and see this old fellow droning
awav in the beautiful flower.
I say to him, " Somet ime the
poli~eman will come and carry you back t.o Germany." I nm see
It startles him, for he has a g uilty conscience and is not reul happy.
This story teaches us t h at it is better even for bees to be good
bees and go to school when they are young.

by

Aiding
Questions. -This plan may be adopted for
writers who are slow. The teacher sel ect s " My Scatmate" as a title -and p uts it on the blackboard. T hen
he asks, " What is the first or most str"k ing poi nt ?"
('l'hat it is a boy or girl, as the case m,~Y be) . T hen , ~ e
writes "Sex," nn d asks, "What next? (His size.) 1 ne
teacher writes "Size." By further quest ioning these
other poi nts are elicited :
" General rip peara.nce,"
.
,,
. " " R e"Age," " D ress," " Ila b its,
" p ecn J.1an"des,
m arks." Then each are asked to write, an d have something to say on each point: under the last head encourage them to be as witty as possible. Co m p osi tion~
writing is much helped by wit; to hear n. bright composition read encourag~s one to write. T his is a~~l!Jsis,
taking one point n.t a time; it is a th ing the child hn.s
to learn to apply to writing as he docs t o other school
work.
A Book of Subjects for Young Pupils. -It is a very convenient plan to write a list of " subjects " in a book an d
hang it by a string where it can easily be go t. ~t ; it will
be often consulted. On the outside p u t the ru le, S ELECT
FOR A SUBJECT THAT OF WHICH YOU

KNOW

MOST .

The subjects shou1d bo c1n.ssified, pu tting the con crcto
ones first. One hundred are given here.

The Writing of Compositions.

The Writing of Compositions.

and writing became n. necessity; then I thought of my
little piece about 'Our Dog Jack,' and in the same style
I used then I began to write: I simply put down what I
h:id seen."
Stories for Reproduotion.- The same p1an may be employed that was recommended for primary pupils-that
of telling a story and requiring it k be reproduced.
The p npils may be a.llowed to change the names; and
sometimes the teacher may 1et them use the same names
and vary the incident. Here are some selected from
the TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

were ll.Sbamed when t hey saw h ow nicely Annie behaved, and the
next Sunday they had bette1· manners. ·

THE TRUL'IT.

A NICE PLAY.

Frank R.an~ was tired of going to school, and ho thought hci
would play trWLnt one dny. So he t-0ok his books aR if he mea.nt
to g o to school, but he hid them behind the fence, and ran off with
the other boys. He thought he would have a nice time, but he
felt very unhappy all day. Time went much more slowly than
when he was in school, and tho sun made his head aehe. He
wanted to go home and ask his mother to give him something to
help his head, but he did not dare go home before school was out.
When he went in the house thn.t night, he wondere<l why he felt
so a.sho.med; but he had the courage to tell the truth. Ho did not
think it so fine to be a t ru ant nfter nll .

Minnie and Kitty arc v ory fond of playing they arc grown n11.
They put on their motuE'r's long aprons an<l hats and make calls
on each other. Minnie is Mrs. Jones, and Kitty is l\IrR. Bro wn.
Mrs. Brown keeps house in the big closet. She is very bu;;~· cl canil1g house when Mrs. Jones knocks. " How do you do, dear f.fo· .
Jones? come in," sh e sayR. "I am v ery glad to see yon. How do
you do?" " I am very wel1," says Mrs. Jones. " I can't stny long,
so go on with your work." "Oh no, you must stay a.nc1 have tea.
with me. I can get it ready in a few moments." So K itty f!;Pts
out her tea set and sots the supper out on a chair, a.nu the little
girls have a very nice time.

T HE NEW SCROJ,AJt.

THE GENEROUS CHILDREN.

.A. poorly dressed little girl came into MisR Manley's Sundayschool class one day. Some of the girls looked l.\f! if they were
sorry she came, and one or two giggled ou tright. · The new girl's
face looked sad, for she knew they were laughing t~t h er. There
was n. very pretty little g irl who did not ]11,ugh, and once she
looked at the newcomer a.nd smiled pleasantly. The pretty girl's
name was Annie Lyle, and she woro a white dross and blne sash.
After S und1~y-school she spoke to the stranger, asking he.r what
her name was, ruid asking her to come again. The other girls

The Ridley children were just a.bout to si.t down to dinner.
They were very hungry, and the dinner looked so tempting.
There was a nice roast and vegetables, ruHi tuey knew what was
c-0ming on for dessert. "\Vait a moment," Mrs. Ri<li<:>y !!!ti<l, "I
want to tell you about a family I went to ,·isit this morning-.
They have nothing in t h o h ouse t-0 eat, and tho poor children are
very hungry. Do you think we can do anything for them?" "I
think we might give them our dinner," Sil.i d the Ridley children.
" We can carry it to them, and eat bread and milk ourselves."

20

21

TOM.MY AND ,JAMIE.

Tommy anu Jamie b ad such fun la.st sum.mer. They ·were poor
little people who had always lived in the city, and they did uot
know what the country was like. But last summer a kind lady
took them to a fo.nnhouse and paid their bon.rd for a whole month.
They did not know that there were so many flowers in the world,
and acres of fresh g reen grass, and chfokens and fruit. It seemed
as if t hey oould never get over wondering at evcrytliing. They
grew fat and rosy, and when they went back to the city they di<l
not look like the same children that went away a month before.

'../

22

The Writing of Compositions.

The Writing oj Compositions.

"I hoped you would say so," said their mother. "Let us go at
once, and wo will have our bread and milk after we come bnck."
"I didn't know that bread ti.nd milk was so good," said the children when they were eating their dinner.

Anecdotes from History.-The stories just given are
of the simplest types; there are stories from h istory,
mythology, biography, fables, poems, etc., but good
jndgm ntwill be needed in bringing these before a class.
It takes great skill to proJnco in prose Longfellow's
" Building of the Ship." Pupils can do better with a
tale like " Rip Van Winkle " or " The Magic Lamp."
It has been said that the teacher should tell the story,
but that does not follow; let a p upil te11 a story if he
can do so.
A List of Questions.-It is a plan the writer has
adopted to a.How each pupil to have a list of questions
before him. To some pupils they are of great nid;
others would make Lut little me of them. There are
those who arc very slow in thinking. .They think up
one sentence and put it down, and then wait for anothe1
to rise t o the surface. They resemble fishermen who
wait for "bitos " : often after long wn.iting they hook
nothing. These questions keep the mind busy iu
brooding over the subject .
When a Thing is the Subject.
1. General statement.
2. Where found.
3. Of wh:i.t use.
4. Discovery.
5. Different kinds.
6. Size or color, or habits, etc.
7. If not in existence, what then?

L

r
r

II

8. What I have seen or known about this.
9. Resemblance to something else.
10. Remarks: what bas been said about it.
When a. Person is the Subject.
1. General statement.
2. Where born, etc.
3. His influence.
4. - - 5. - - 6. Appearance.
.
7. Loss to the world if he had not hvcc1 .
8. How I am indebted t o him .
9. Resemblance to - - .
10. Remarks : what has been said of him by
others, etc.
When the Subject is a.n Abstract One.-Wlii1c not so
applicable to abstract subjects: yet qt~cstio~.1~ wil~ ;1avc
considerable use even here. 'Ibe snbJcCt gnon oLlv ono
day to a c1ass (where there was daily writing) was,
"Where there's a will there's a way," and these questions were given :
1. General statement.
2. Illustration.
3. Influence and use.
4. - - 5. - - 6. Special points and peculiarities.
7.· Loss if it were not true.
8. Advantages of.
9. Resemblance.
10. Remarks, incidents : what has boon said by
others, etc., and illustrations I have seen.

The Writing of Compositions.

The Writing of Compositions.

Hero is a composition, given t o show how one of the
weakest writers used the questions above as a scaffolding or framework. It is apparent that not until No.
10 was reached did her minJ seem to work at a.11 freely.
W ffE.RE

·rn:t£RJJ:'s

THE LADY DRESSED IN BROWN.

Have you seen thi::; mysterious personag ? I h~w e, and 'vbenever I meet her a feeling of a.we and an undefinable kind of attraction seems to direct my eyes towards her; no matter even if I do
tako thc10 away for an instant, they go back again to the " Liuly
Dressed iu Bro>vn ." I call her this, for I don't know her nmnc
and i;he always wears ·a brown dress, brown suck, bro wn h a t,
brown gloves, brown shoes, has a brown parasol, has hr0wn
hair, brown eyes, and has also a brown complexion. She iilways
makes h er appearance suddenly and mysteriously and goes nwn.y
when and where I never can tell. I have watched her closely,
but I never have been able to see just when she left me.
Riding in the cars lately, suddenly on the other sid e was " The
Lady Dressed in Brown." It startled me; sl1e was not there w lH'n
I ca.me in· ·when she entered I did not know, but there she wa.s as
. large as
and as brown as ever. She does not even wrap the
bundle that she is carrying, in a newspaper, that has to be done
up in bro'"'-n t-Oo.
I wonder who she is; I wonder if 'she is good, noble and generous, or bad, wicked and selfish; kind or cruel ; smart or dull : married or a virgin; a bluestocking or a dancing teacher, n drel'smaker or a. candy-shop woman. Who is she n.nyway? \Vbat is
her name? It pu.:zles me. It is a riddle I cannot soh·e.
But I have found an answer to my puzzle. I have found out
who this mysterious body is, and all the awe, t.h e kind of fr:i.r I
used to feol in her presence is gone, vanished like ~moke. (It
was from my friend, Mrs. Grundy, I got my information.) She is
an active member of the "Society t-0 help.ladies get their righk!,.,
and her name (very uncommon) is Miss Eliza Matilda Brown.

A WILL TllEHE's A WAY.

(1) This is an expression often us d, and it bas much truth. (2)
If a person makes up his mind to do a thing he cn.n usually do it.
(3) It hru:i a great effect everywhere, and especiaJly in the school-

room. If a pupil sayR she will t;<'t a lesson, it has n great influence
and helps her v ery m u ch. (6) The special thing is to make up
your mind; yon iuust begin with that, then you will look for a
way. (7) It would bo pretty bn.d if after a person decided to do a
thing it had no effect ; it is a pretty good thing that there is a ·w ay
when you want to do 11. thing. (8) It encourages very much to
~now that you can work out some great thing if you only try.
(10) I once knew a g irl who declined when invited t-0 write o. composition for a reception. She had good abilities, but she did not
believe in this maxim. She said, " I can't." In the next seat was
a. gi rl who was not believed to have much talont; she raised her
hand and the teaeher gave hor the appointment. Her composition
wn.s very much praised . Tho reason I mention tl1is is that the
subject wa.~ the samo as tho ono we ha'' to-day, Md it struck my
friend 's attention and 1:1ho was more ready t-0 write afterward.

Appreciate the Pupil's Effort.-It is too often that a
pupil makes a desperate effort and no appreciation is
bestowed . When a composition is read, a. remark like;
"That was real nice about - - " to the school, not tho
writer, will stimulate to further effort.
Encoui·age Originality.-Most pupils have originality,
but do not know it by that name. Here js a composition of a girl of fourteen years of age, who has since
written a brilliant hook. It js given to show originality,
and it is original writing on a near-by subject.

llfe

..

Assigning Subjects.- Time will be needed for the
study of subjects that need "looking -up,'' such as, for
instance, "Napoleon Bonaparte," " Description of
Rome," etc. · These may be assigned a. week in advance.
It is a mistake to depend on each pupil to select fo r
himself. " 'Who have selected subjects?" may be asked.

• ·'!

The iVriting of Compositions.
To those who Lave not the te~~cher will assign subjects,
selecting coucreto themes for the dull ones. Then he will
nppoint i~ time to make suggestions, so as to get them
started. In a. day or two he cn.lls on them to see what
progress they have made.
When a subject is assigned, the p11pil should be allowed
to talk with others and to "read up" on it. There is
an impression that this diminishes the originality; but
the originality is iu the arrangement, in the recasting of
materials. Let them get materials from all sources possible. · It is proper they should add " I am indebted to
- - - for materials."
General Suggestions.- Let us suppose the · teacher
has fifty pupils, in four classes, and that all write daily
except the very youngest - the Fi rst Reader Class. A
few rules shoul<l. be iusisted on for those daily writings :
1. Tho use of noto paper: (some teachers purchase by
the ream and then sell to the pupils ; this makes the
cost very small).
2. Thnt there be a margin on the left side of the page
of three quar ters of au inch.
3. 'l'hat the title be on the first line, or about an inch
from the top; the name of the pupil and date at the
right, a little higher up.
4. That capital letters be used to begin sentences and
for proper names, and periods put at the end of sentences.
5. That the right hand sido of the composit ion be
filled out neatly and hyphens nsed.
6. That it be broken up into paragraphs with some
judgment.
.
A pa.go of note-paper will contnin from seventy-five t o

Tbe Writing of Compositions.
one hundred words. Let us suppose the Fourth Reader
Class are told · to write seventy-five words ; the Third
Reader thirty words ; the Second Reader twenty words, ·
as a minimum . To economize paper for these ·last, tho
upper ba1f of a page may be used on one day ~nd the
lower half another; for the other classes, one side of a
parre may be used one day and the other the next day.
is not best to fold these sheets; let a pupil collect
them and place them in a box.
..
The tea.cher will take the writings of the Ji'irst Rea,der
Class and distribute them among the class that they m~y
see if the rules have been complied with. They will
simply check in the margin ( V) where mis.takes occur.
The teacher asks for the rule as to mn.rgms.
. h"
"There must be a margin of t hree quar t ors of an me
,
and 80 of the rest. The writings are then i:ctt:rn ed .to the
authors and the r eading begins. After 1t 1s fimshcd,
sngo-estions may be cn.llcd for as to a better use of a
b
word
in some sentence, for examp1o, " b m'ld.mg " 1-IIor
"house," "think " for guess," etc.
.
Criticism.-The great attempt should be to cultmitc
the critica1 powers, hence the criticism should be. on
the " development of the plot," to use the technical
term of writers.
1. " Has the writer stuck to his text?" Get the
pupils to think about this.
2. " Has he unfolded or developed his sn hject ?"
Find out what the pupils th ink.
3. "Has he made the matter pln.in ?" Let the pupils
express themselves on this point.
4. " Has he made it interest ing?" Call for an opin·

It

ion .

The Writin~ of Compositions.

~f. course there are other questions, but these are the
mam ones to be applied to all writings. Under dif·
f~rent forr:1~ these rules may bo applied to even the
highest wr1tm~s. 'I'he. reading should be made by the
teacher a pleasrng and mteresting occasion.
·, 'l:he writings ?f tho Third H.ea.der Class may be oxam mca by a committee of the First Header Class to seo if
the general rules are followed; the five best may be
reac1.
':rhe writings of the Second Reader Class should be
exa.mincd by the teacher with the aid of the First Clas ·
as many of these should be read as pof:siblc.
'
1.'he Fourth ~eader Class will keep their pens busy on
matters that will have some immediate interest (crene1~ally), or o~ thoughts arising from stu<lics. 'l'he pt~pils
w1'.l be ~t. liberty to choose their own subjects for the
~aily w11tmg, and naturally will take up the above sub.
.1ccts. More alert ones will discuss, "Wl1nt I heard on
my way to school," "Our play-time," "What our visitor
s~id," etc. 1:hese daily writings cannot take np much
time; .there i.s other school-work pressing, and hence
they will cons1st of thoughts and foncieR. Oucc in two
wooks n writing should be called for that will require
some st~1dy; these shoul d be about four pages (of notepaper) m length.
·
The bi-monthly compositions of the F ourth Reader
Class should bo brought before the class for criticism
and be lHiid aside to be read at receptions, etc.; if possible,
one should be published in the village paper. It may
be t hought thnt so much writing will lessen the work in
arith metic, etc., but nia.ny of tho exercises will consist
of the actual work in history, botany, ethics.

The Writing ofi,Compositions.
The Reading of Compositions.-:-It was an old rule that
each pupil must read his own composition, but very
many teachers allow pupils .t o, interchange and read.
Most writers are apt to be embarrassed when reading
their own productions ; some dread the reading more
than the writing. There may be "class readings," in
which the pupils sit and read short compositions; there
may be a reading before the whole school of some
selected composition. It is a mistake to bore a whole
school with a dull, thin, very ordinary composition. If
these must be read, let them be read "in class."
Let the teacher determine that the sessions of his
writing-class shall be intoresting ones; he m(l.y suggest
subjects to his best writers that possess interest just at
that time. (In one school, the stove and pipes were out
of order, and all the class wrote about them, some wittily
some soberly-it was the means of attracting attention
to the neglect. ) 'I'he class should assem blc with vivacity,
hoping to hear something pright. An interested class
in composition writing is possible.
Imaginative Expression.- 'ro older pupils the teacher
may give the elements of a story and let them recast
these as they may choose. An example is given below;
in this case there was a class of fourteen; tho pupils
read each other's composition and balloted for the best.
A prize had been offered. The successful wri ter was
a girl of seventeen. ·
The teacher r emarked: "The st.ory wil1 be of a sbipwreck to-day. The village is on the coast of Maine;
there is no harbor; the people do farming and fishin g ;
it is a fine sight to see vessels gliding along in pleasant
weather; storms come up; last autumn there was a diip-

The Writing of Compositions.
wreck and seven persons lost; the ship ran on a bank in
the night; they could see her in the morning; the waves
were so high theycou1d not give help; at night the ship
broke up and fragments were washed ashore; they
buried the drowned men in the church-yard; there are
resemblances to human life in this."
THE SHIPWRECK.

On the sandy beach of Maine, where the constant murmur of
the Atlantic aves are heard, stands a little seaport town. The
inhabitants gain their living on both sea and land. During the
summer they till their fo.rm1:1 1 which lie back of a ridge of land to
the north of the village, but much of the remainder of the year
they ~pen d on the waters that lie to the south. Theirs is a peaceful life. Now and then a sail is seen gliding along, having left
one part of the world to seek another; and afoor a tempest has
:raged over the ocean, there often is found the wreck of some stout
vessel that essayed to cross the sea. .A.n event of this character
happened during last autumn.
In the evening that ciose~ a serene day, there arose a terrific
storm. rn the mid<llo of tho night the villagers heard the sound
of a.form guns mingling with the roar of the ·waves that now
thundered on the beach. Hurrying t-0 the shore, they strained
their anxious eyes 6 nward, nntl saw, by the blaze of the lightning,
a ship driven among the boiling, tempestuous surges far out in
tho gloom.
Many times duri ng that long night djd they give her up as lost,
and th en suddenly she came driving into sight, rising g allantly
above the wild waves. At last day broke, and the storm somewhat <lecrensed; th<i ship wnR seen lying on n sandy bar a mile
away, but the men and women of the village sadly felt t hat they
could only look on and offor no aid. During th e <lny a box floated ~
a.shore, and the people learned thnt the ship was the Lyd ia of
Portsmouth, w ith scYen soqls on board. They determined to
b ·1ild a. fi re at night. i f the storm increased, as the vessel might be
lifted by the tide and be driven on land. The storm, which had

. The ¥Vriting of Compositions.
lulled at sunuown, rose in great~r fury than before. About the
middle of the night a crash was heard and a. wild shriek rose
above the roar of the surge, and then the spars of this strong yet
fated ship were thrown high on the beach. Not one of that shipful of persons, with their hopes of l ife and happiness, survived.
The following day was the Sabbath, a calm, cloudless day; the
waves were still sounding on the shore, not yet at peace. The
kind villagers placed the bodies of the drowned in a sunny chur chyard that lay on the side of the hill.
Thus the voyage of life often ends. Fair days and laugh and
jest; clouds, gloom, and storms; then the surges of D~ath roll over
all ; then comes the long unbroken rest.

Reaction of Compositions on the School. - A great deal
of pleasure and mental enjoyment may be got from the
reading of the compositions ; any one who has brought
out the talent for wri ting will understand this. Often
and often the writer has been stopped when school was
about to be dismissed. "
has been writing and
we would like to hear it before we go." A bright composition develops the mind of the hearers; it is an actual
factor among the educative processes carried on in school.
The teacher must bear in mind that there are many processes of mental attrition that m ay be carried on; the
arithmetic is only one of the millstones he can set in
operation; writing is a powerful means of mental training and mental development. One composition may
react on the school and energize it more than anything
he can say. Let him draw force out of his writing class.
A LIST OF SUBJ};CTS.

The list given is not a complete one; instead of 500
snbjects, 1000 could be given, but most of these are
subjects that may be practically used in a school

,,.

The Writing of CornpositionsF

Tbe Writing of Comp~sitions.

It is a good plan to have a book for subjects; it may
be hung where it c::m be consulted at all times. New
subjects shou~d be added; the pupils will furnish these
if asked.

The Boys,
We Girls,
Answering Letters,
What Pays?
What
not to Talk About,
Exaggeration,
Your Handwriting,
The Use of Slang,
The Selfishness of the Masses,
Correctness of Speech,
What is Economy?
Good Temper,
Habits of Order,
Why Children arc Crue1,
neading Aloud ut Home,
Letter-writing,
The Law of Kindness,
A Bill of Fare,
Social Customs,
Surfnco Culture,
A Model Hostess, 4
My Friends,
Introductions,
A Model Guest,
Love of Bargaining,
Who are Bores?
Making
Visits,
White Lies,
The
Chewing
of Gum,
Skating,
Discretion,
Ostentation,
The Uses of Fiction,
Advice to a Dunce,
How I would keep ScllooJ,
My Favorite Study,
History in vVords,
Information vs. Education,
Why go to School?
Lcarnillg vs. Wisdom,
A Supposed Address by a GrndSelecting an Occupation,
uate,
Excelsior,
Reminiscences,
A City or a Country Life,
Fatnl Mistnkes,
Borrowing Trouble,
What I should do with n. Thou- Influence of Cllaructer,
How Labor m:ty be a Blessing
sand Dollars,
The Formation of Character,
Our Hesponsibilitics,
Our
Illusions,
How we arc Judged,
Ideals,
Unreasonable Expectations,
The Use of Odd Moments,
The Luck of Earnestness,
Pen or Sword: which is the The House that ,Tack Built,
My Photograph Album,
Stronger,
The Useful or the Orunmental, Adrift ou the Sea,
Buried Treasures,
Witchcra.ft,
'l'he Almighty Dollar,
Family Portraits,
The Hill of Science,
Old Times and New,
Growth of Civilization,
The Best Way,
A.d vertisemcnts,
The Ideal and th.e 1Je1,1J_,

What I did in Vacation,
Napoleon,
Why I would be a Merchant,
:My Dog,
Advantages~ Education,
Bad Habits,
Description of n Picture,
Smile<:,
Description of our House,
Cooking,
What the Minister Said,
:Manners,
Onr Homes ,
Building Houses,
Housekeeping,
Early Rising,
To.hlo l\fanners,
E veuiugs at Home,
BirthJay Parties,
Conversation n.t the Tnb1c,
Music at Home,
Health in our Hornes,
No Nagging at Home,
Kindness at Home ,
Furnishing a Home,
Good Breeding,
Conversation as an Art,
Affectation,
Gossip, its Ludicrous Side,
Culture,
Habit of Exaggcmtion, ·
Our Circle,

One of My Friends,
Christmas Dny,
How we are Pleased,
Making Candy,
Some of my Troubles,
My Grandfather,
Abrnham Lincoln,
Our School-house,
Wlly I go to School,
1\fy Seat-mate,
A Story I Read Lately,
George Washington,
Child and Parent,
K itchen an<l Parlor,
Christmn.'l Jollities,
Sickness in the Home,
Brothers and Sisters,
A Library at Home,
H ouse-plants,
Reception of Visitors,
Coming of Old Friends,
Cooking as an Art,
Accidents at Ilome,
The Bnby at Home,
l\Inu ners in Urn Street,
Good Taste,
Extmvngance,
Etiquette,
Gossip, its Serious Side,
Tho Fashions,
The Art of Plei>.sing,
A Desirable Guest,

33

34

The iVriting of Composit£ons.

Country Life,
National Dangers,
Altruism,
Dangers of P rosperity,
The Arctic Ocean,
J~volution.
Old Cities,
A Journey in England,
Great Discoverers,
~Iy Visit to Pa.ris,
The Greai, West,
The Pyram id s,
The Effort to reach the North
A Day in V cnico,
Pole,
A J ourucy lo Aln.slrn, •
Stonehenge,
The Gypsies,
A "Winter in Spain,
Watering-places,
'l'hc Mississippi River ,
Great Battle-fields,
Tue
Mormons,
The Great Salt Lake,
of 'l'mvcl,
Uses
Clmrncteristics of Nations,
The
Russian
Nation,
The Seven Wonders of tlle
Famous
Cities,
World,
A Letter I found,
Buried Cities,
What was said through th e 'l'elA Dream,
cphonc,
What the Clock Said,
:My Uncle in Londou,
Fido's Opinion of his ~foster,
A Bundle of Old Letters,
J.Iy Aunt's House,
Letters from an Old Friencl,
A Package I Found,
Convcrs'l.tiou between a Fly nu<1
My CGu in in Paris,
a Snail,
A Secret Drawer,
A Stmn ge Vh<itor,
A Supposition ,
A11tobio.t;mphy oft\ Ho1se,
Tbc .M:iin iu the Moon ,
J\fossrs. Box & Cox,
The Lady in Gray.
Suppose I was Rich,
My Speech in Con gress,
:My
lmagiuings.
A Puzzle,
J\
Iy
Fn.vorit.e Hero in Fiction,
If be should Propose,
A Curious Cbamctcr in Dickens's
If be should 11ot Propose,
Works,
My Favorite Author,
The Origin of N nm es,
The most In tcresting Book,
Peculiar Expressions used by- Some Books in my Library,
H nmor in The Pilgrim's Progress,
Ham let.,
Mv Favorit,e Poem,
Washington Irving,
T~n Great Books,

A Walk in the Woods,
City Life,
Ancient Delusions,
Effect of Euvironment,

1

Tbe Writing of Compositions.
Shakespeare's Great Plnys,
Walter Scott,
Whittier,
1Esop's :Fables,
Earliest Writings,
'Tl:ie Dictionary,
Newspaper Rcatliug,
The :Man in the Iron Mask,
Alfred the Great,
The Emperor Napoleon ,
George Washington,
The Children's Crusade,
Bernard Pa1is.sy,
Captain John Smith,
Henry Hudson,
Socrates,
Sir Isanc Newton ,
Oliver Cromwell ,
Abraham Lincoln,
The Voyage of Life,
Taking Exercise,
The King's Daughters,
Wben Labor is a Blessing,
Effect of First Impressions,
How the Poor are Rich,
f'clf-help,
The Way of the World ,
Sunshine and Shadow,
Odd People,
Mistakes in Life,
Speech and Silence,
!)mall Beginnings, ·
Look on the Bright Side,
Self-control ,"
Cheerfulne&'!,
The Ideal W om11.n,
Sowing and Reaping,
Speak Gently,

35

Longfellow,
Irish Humor,
An Original Fable,
The Bible,
Proposed ch:rngc:s in Spclli11g,
The Dark Ages,
The Mound Builders,
William of Orange,
The Druijls,
The Crusades,
The ·wars of the Rose::;,
Daniel Boone,
Columbus,
The Spanish Armada,
The French Revolution ,
Queen Elizabeth ,
Benedict Arnold,
"Ulysses S. Grant,
Life's Rewards,
Modern Improvements,
When Labor is a Curfle,
Health or Wealth-which?
How the Ricl:i are Poor,
The Force of Habit,
Nature's Noblemen,
Why Men arc Great,
The Influence of Money,
Old Customs,
Queer Accidents,
The Two Paths,
High Aims ,
Making the Moct of Life,
Persevcmnce,
Learn to say No,
The Ideal Mn n,
Dangers of Satire,
Self-indu lgeuce,
Censoriousness,

,..-;

··,.

,. -.~

l

Tbe 11/riting of Compositions.
True Friends,
Industry,
Acting a Lie,
Decision of Clinrnctcr,
The Hen;i·t,

Earocstucss.
Con scion tiousuess,
Resignntion,
Fortitude,
The Tongue.

MORE ADVANCED TIIE1'ffi8.

Peaceful Conquests,
'l'Le Discipline of Disappointment,
Destruction of Ideals,
Attainments of Civilization,
How Nations Degenerate,
Look before you Leap,
All is not Gold that Glitters,
Penny Wisc, Pouud Foolisli,
Lucky Accidents,
Dowe Need a St.anding Army ?
Jails aud Prisons,
Tbc Great West,
Should Imigrntion be Stopped?
Deference to Superiors,
How to be Rieb ,
.
Learning and Education,
Star Showers,
Discovery of America,
Castles in Spain ,
A Great Discovery,
American Literntnrc,
Usefulness of Poetry.
Origin of \Vords,
The Drink Hab it,
What is Poetry,
The Power of Prejudice,
Tendency towards Luxury,
Borrowing Troul>lc,
The :Martyrs of Scicucc,

The Golden Age,
The Possible und the Probable,
Effects of Environment,
Common Sense,
A Rolling Stone Gathe rs 110
:Moss,
Great Talkers, Little Doers,
Never Give Up ,
The Tariff,
Government by Pnrtics,
The Trcntmcnt of the Indian,
The Chiucse Question,
Tramps- Their Causes,
Who arc Great,
flow to be Happy,
Onuses of Ei:n1.hquakes,
Niagara Falls,
The Ph:mets,
Where is Utopia?
Value of E<lucntion,
Books I hnve Read,
Five Great Poets,
Great Artists,
Art aull llfornlity,
Tile Force of Ilauit,
New Employments for Women,
Fact ver.ms Fancy;
Preservatio n of Health,
'l'llc Discovery of the Power of
Steam,

The W riling of Compositions.
The Discovery of the Telephone,
History of a Piece of Bread,
The Use of the Compass,
The Aurora Borealis,
Autumn's Voice,
The Year's Harvest,
Effects of Storms,
Tropical Sceucry,
Life at the Equator,
Truthfulness,
Losses through Idleness,
Parental Imlu1gence,
The Book of N:i.turc,
The Old and the New,
Egoism and Altruism,
Firm but not Obstinate,
Our Influence,
Human Life,
Sea-shore Thoughts,
Onward and Upward ,
Twilight Thoughts,
Our Inheritance iu Literature,

37

The Discovery of the Priutingpress,
'l'he Weather,
The Use of the 'l'liermomctcr,
The Clouds,
The Love of Nature,
Voices bf the Night,
The Formation of Character,
'!'he Polar ·world,
Forgetfulness,
Severe Critics,
Just yet Kind,
Wbat they Think,
Sermons in Stones,
Good in Everything,
Decision of Character,
Happiness from Duty,
Small Duties,
The Reckoning Duy,
Pilst and Present,
Yes and No,
Last Words.

Correcting Compositions.-It used to be snpposeJ that
the duty of the teacher was to revise the composition, to
correct in red ink aU of the mistakes, and supply all the
deficiencies of the pupil; this threw so mnch labor on
the teacher that he dreaded the day when the compositions were to be collected. The pupils rnnst be bnght
not only to write hut to correct their own compositions.
First Step in Corrections by the Class.-Thc compositions should be handed in not folded; they slion1cl }1avo
n margin of three quarters of an inch; they should he
distributed among the class, and the omissions, or errors
in spelling, capitals, or punctuation indicated in the margin by a S., 0., or P., using a pencil. 'They should then

......

The Writing of Compositions.
be returned to the wri te rs, who will proceed
and correct.the error or supply tho defect.
..
Cap~tals.-A fo:V rn les should be learned for the u&e ·
of cap1t~ls: (1) First letters of (a) senten ces and (b) linefl ,
of poetry; (2) 11ames of the Deity, (3) of persons, and :.',
(4) of (a) months and (b) the days of the week; (5) titles; ·'·
(6) quoted names of books; (7) direct quotation.
1 a. The right way is the best ''"ny.
1 b.
Therfl is a laud of pnro delight
Wher e f:ai nls immortal r eign.
2. Abraham called upon Gou .
3. Th ey en.lied him John.
4 a. He came on Monday.
4 b. The sixth month is June, lovely June.
5. I have seen President Lincoln.

6. We use Sanders's Readers.
7. I ask you again, What book do you prefer ?

These shonhl be copied in to a note-book where they
can be referred to rea<lily. There arc other rules but
thes~ are sufficient for the ordinary p u pil at school.' In
lookrng over each other's compositions these rules should
be applied ; jf omissions of capitals are noted then C
should be pnt in the margin .
'
1
. Punctu.ation. -~ 0 learn to punctuate well and readily
will require considerable practice. Seven of the main
r~1les are g iven, enough for tho use of pupils aoing ordmary work. These should be copied by them in the
n~to-book. In examining each other's compositions they
w11l apply these rules; if tl10y find omissions or errors
they wi~l put Pin tho margin. (No rules are given fo;
~he semicolon, because its use being restricted to separatmg related yet distinct thoughts, is not so difficult to
employ as the com ma.)
·
Commas are needed for words that (1) (a) break the

The W riling of Compositions.

39

. flow of the sentence, or (b) are explanatory, or (c) usell
· in address, or (2) in a series, or (3) in pair ?; ~or_ ( .l:) de·pendent c1anses; (5) relative clauses ~ot restnctrve; (6)
continued sentences; (7) short quotations.
1

· · 1 a . William, however, may remain.
1 b. Webster, the orator, was ll. man of mark.
1 c. John, come here.
2. Honor, wealth, duty and safety are, etc.
3. Honor nnd wealth, duty and safety are, etc.
. .
.
4. If the soul is immortal, its cbarac.ter will determrne its destmy.
5. The Bible, which is the simplest, is also, etc.
.. . .
(The Bible which my mother gave me is 011 my desk. Here "hlch my
mother gave m e " is restricti ve.)
· 6. Science t unnels mountains, spans continents, crosses seas, etc.
7. One of our p.rst les..~on s is, Learn to thlok.

(It must be impr~ssed upon the pupil that commas
are not to be put where the sense dem ands . them as son:e
erroneously think; they are placed accord mg to ?ertam
fixed technical rules the most important of which are
given above.)
.
.
Second Step in Corrections by the C1ass.-The erro: s
in the compositions having been pointe<l out, they will
be returned to the writers, who will proceed to mako c~r­
rections, (1) rewriting the word corr~ctly above the n11sspelled form; (2) copying the word m the note-book ns
one to be studied (not writing the erroneou s form, however); (3) punctuating correctly; (4) capitalizing cor. rectly.
At some convenient time these are again distributed
to see if the corrections have been made. If there arc
many mistakes, the composition should be rewrit ten.
This is required by some teachers if five per cent o.f foe
words ·are misspelled.
Suggestions for Improvement.-:-~he main eff?rt of the
teacher should be directed to givmg suggestions anc1

The /!Vriting of Compositions.

SEND ALL ORDEltS TO

E . L. KELLOGG & 00., NEW YORE & omoAGO. 45

getting them from the c1ass, concerning the composk ,
tions that are read. With this end in view both teacher
and pupil should listen attentively. When it is finish~d ' .·
one poiut after another will Le discussed.
.
The First Question will be: Did the writer stick to
his text? If he has wandered from the subject, he should
l>e required to write n.gain. Here will come in s110"gestions as to tho flrst thing to be said, the second~·etc.
Call on tho pup£ls to analyze.
·
The Second Question will he: Has he developed the
subject? A subject ml1'=::t be uufol<led, expounded and
spread out. If it is J1ot developed properly give the
subject out for further study-give ton dnys for further
study. Call on the pupils to consider tlte question and
suggest.
The Third Question will be: Has he made it plain ?
The feeling after every readillg shon1d be that the subject is understood better than before. Get the op·i nions
of tlw pupils on this point.
The Fourth Question will be: Has he made it interesting? The test of all writing lies mainly here.
Proper unfolding ~m<l clear statements make a subject
interesting. Ask the pupils 1f tltey are 1:nterested. If
they say it is not made interesting, ask for the reasons.

·-Teachers' Manuals Series.
Each is printed in large, clear type, on good paper. Paper
·
cover, price Hi cents; to teach~
eriJ, 12 cents; by mail, 1 cent
,
'\...
extra.
..
\ ~ ·,
There is a need of small volumes-" Educational tracts," that
1
4_"1it ii""
teachers can carry easily ~u.d stu_dy
A~' 1
as they have opportumty. 'l:he
;<li .1 ,,
following n. umbers have been alJ; ti { cready published.
.
·
It should be noted that wlu1e
our editions of such of these little
books that are not written specially
for this series are as low in price
as any other, the side-heads, top·
ics, and analyses inserted by the
editor, as well ·as the excellent
paper and printing, make them
far superior in every way to any
other edition..
J . G. FITCH Inspector or the
We would suggest that ci~y mperTra\ning Colleges of England. inumdents <n' wnductors of instit11.tea
trupply eadt of their t,eacliers witJt copies of these little books. Specia~
rates f Q'I' quantitie.9.

/

..

.

'y;;

No. r.

Fitcb's Art of Questioning.

No.

Pitch' s Art of Securing Attention.

:Ry J . G. Frron, M.A., author of" Lectures on Teachiny"·" SS pp. .
Al ready widely known ns the roost useful ,and practlca essay on tins most
important part of the teachers' lesson-hearing.

2.

Bv J. G. F1Ton, M.A. 39 pp.

:

of. no less value than tbe author's" Art of Questlon111g.

No. 3.

,,

Sidgwick's On Stimulus in School.

A RTHUR SIDOW!CK, l'rf.A. 43 pp.
.
"How can that dull, lazy schol~r be presa.ed on to work up his lessons
with a willf" This bright essay will tell how It can be do11e.

By

No. 4.

Yonf[e' s Practical Work in Scbool.

By CnARLOTTE [\I. YONGE, author of'' Heir of Redclyffe," 35 P.P·
.
All who have read Miss Yonge's books wlll be glad t<> read O• her views

on School Work.

No. '>·

Fitch's lm_trovement in tbe Art of Teaching.

By f. G. FITCli, M.A.

""'pp.
This· thoughtful, earnest t•ssay will bring courage ood help to mnoy a
te.acher who· is stru~Jing to do better work. It includes a course of study
tor Teachers' Trainmg Classes.

SEND ALL ORDERS TO

i6 E . L. KELLOGG &; 00 .. NEW YORK &; OHIO.A.GO.

No. 6.

Gladstone's Object Teaching.

By J. H . GLAPSTONE, of the London (E.n1;p Sellool Board. 2ll pp.
A short manual lul l or practical suggestions on Object Teaching.

No. 7.

Hun.tinf!fon' s Unconscious Tuition.

No. 8.

Hi~f!bes' How to Keep Order.

Biishop Huntington 11a.s plac d all teachers under pr ofound obligations to
him by writing this work. The earnest teacher has felt its earnest spirit
due to its lnte restiuf( discussion or the foundation principles or ed ucation:
It is wonde1·fully suggestive.
By J AMKS L. JloGHES, author or" Mistakes In Teaching."
:Mr. Busches ls one ot the few men who know what t-0 say to help a youni?
teacher. Thousands are to-day asking, "How shall we keep order ?"

ThouI<nnds are S11yfng-, "I can teach well enough, but I cannot keep order."
To such we recommend this liWe book.

No. 9.

Quick's How to Tra£n the Memory.

By ltev. R. H . Qurcn:, author of " Educational Reformers. "
Th ls book comes from school-room experience, and Is not a matter o~
theory. Much n ttention }11\S been lately paid to inc reasing the power of
memory. The t eacher mu~t make It ~rt of'. his business to store the
memory, hence he must know how to do it properly and according to the
laws ot the m ind .

10.
Hoffman's Kinde~l[arten Gifts.
By fu~rNmca Honr~tAN, a pupil of ~ r0t:bel.
The autho r set.,,; forth very clearly the best methods of using them tor
training the chilcl's senses and po wer or obser vation.

No.

No.

11.

'Butler's Argument for Manual Training.

By NtOIIOLAs Munn.Av ·BuTLKR, Pres. of N. Y. College toe Tra.!uing of
Teachers.

A clear statement o! the fou nd ation principles of Industrial Ed ucation.

No.

12.

Graff's School Hyf!iene.

By Pres. 0. G. GROFF, of Ducknefi tJniverslty, Pa.

No. 13. lv!cMurry's How to Conduct the Recitation.

By CnAs..JlrcMu rmv, Prof. l.n State Norm a.i School, Winona., :Minn.
l n 34. pp. If< oxplnln d the ltloaR of the Hubart Rchool or educ11tors as re garcltc cll\AA t~iwlii.ng. These 1.tre now 1icknowle<l~ed to be tbe ~ !entitle
method . (frub6's plan for teachi11g primary arJthmetic iR In tbc en.me Jin'·

No. 14. Carter's ArtificiaJ, Production of Stupidity
n; ScnooLs. Bv R. BRUDEl\KLL C.i.nnm, F. R. S.
'!'his celcbrntcd paper bas be n so often refe rred to that we reprint It

in neat form, with side-hendings. 49 pp.

No. 15.

Kellogg's Pestaloz.zi:

No. 16.

Lang's Basedow.

Hts EDUCATTONA.L >\' ORK AND PRINCIPI.J!:8. By .A..~08 lit. KELLOOO, editor
of th e School Jnun1al. 29 pp.
A clear idea, iH e:-ivcn In this book of what this great reformer and discoverer in ed u eiit ion thought and did. His foundation principles ar.
made spcc1ally prominent.
32 pp. Same prlee as above.

No. 17.
13y

Os111AN

Lang's Comenius.

IL LANO. 3:J pµ. Same price a.~ above.

Sli:ND ALL ORDERS TO

E . L. KELLOGG&; 00. , NEW YORK&; amoAGO. 33

Reception Day. 6 [J'{os.
A collection of fresh and original dialo~uc~. rec.l tations, _declad
mations, and abort pieces for practical use m Public a~
Private Schools. Bound in handsome i:ew yaper cover, ~
pan-es each printed on laid paper. Pnce, ~O cents each, td
tea~liers, 24' cents; by mail, 3 cents extra.
Tbe exercises in these books bear upon education; have a rcla.
.
tion to the school-room.
1 The dialogues, recitations, and declamati_ons gathered i11
·
this volume bemg fresh, short,
. fl'
~~
· . ~~:'-; ,,.. and easy to be comprehended, are
. .:": ' ·;~.;
.<. ~:1~
well fitted for the average scholara
·~ ;:
..,~.
~_; (,
'
., tu ·o-' ,......
tt;.1• .,,, .. < ·1· · ,·,~ of our schools.
,
. t·
2. They have mainly been used
by teachers for actual school
c exercises.
~ 3. They cover a different ground
.,:. from the speeches of D~mostbenCi
an d Cicero-which are unfitted
j, for boys of twelve to sixteen
:,1 years of age .
·: 4. They have some practical in~ terest for those who use them.
.
5. Thero is not a vicious sentence uttered.. I.n some dialog ~e
books profomty lS found, or disobedience to parents encouraged,
or lying laughed at. Let teachers
look out for this.
6. There is something for the
Nxw CoV&R.
youngef't pupils.
7. " Memorial Day Exercises" for Bryant, Garfield, Lincoln,
etc., will be found.
.
8. Several Tree Planting exercises are mcluded.
9. The exercises have relation to the school-room, and bear
upon education.
·
M
10. An important point is the freshn~ of thes~ pieces.
ost
of them were written expressly for this co1lect1on, and can be

0

'ffm· : _. ;,::.:•

~

found nQWl<ere

: · "t.~:

e~.

Boston Journn.l of Education.-" It is of practical value."
Detroit Free Press.-" Suitable !or public and priva~ 11Ch?0Is."
Western ~d, ~ournal.-" A. series of very ~ood selecttOll'-• 1

RND Al.L ORDBll.S TO

!<END ALL ORDERS TO

E . L. KELLOGG & CO., NEW YORK&: OHIO.A.GO.

34 1£. L. KELLOGG & 00., ·NEW YORK & OlIIOA'Go·:

.~

W H AT EACH
No. 1
J, a. :<1pccially fine number. One din·
Jogu · in t, co.ll d "Work Conque rs,"
fo1· 11 girls 11d 6 l>oys, bll.8 buen glven
hundred s of time.s, an,l is a.I ne worth
the price o! the book. 'l'llen there
twe 21 other dialogues.
29 Reci t.ution$.
14 Declarnai,ions.

17 Pieces for the Primary Class.

No. 2 Contains
20 Recitations.
12 Declamations.
17 Dialog ues.
24 P ieces for tb Primary Cla.<>s.
And tor Class Ji:xercise o.s follows:
'l'he Bird's Po.rty.
Indian Names.
Valedictory.
Washin~wn 's !3!rthday.
Gartleld Memorial Day.
G rant

Whittler
Sigourpoy

"

"

Drowning Memorial Day;. : •
Autumn Exercise. ·
.,;... '
lkyant Memol"i1\ l Day, ; ·".!'''~'
Ne'". ·Plnnting Ex~·wcise; . ~
Christmas Exerc1~e . · .,., 1
A Concer t Exercise.
·
24 Othe.r Dialogues. : .
l!l Declamations, and \
86 Recitations.
~

SP ECI AL OFFER.
'.

"~. ~

.

t .'

If ordered at one time, we will send postpaid the entir~ '
G Nos. for $1.40. Note the reduQtiOl\,
1 J~
""

Parkers

27

Talks on 'Teaching.

Notes of "1alks on Teaching " given by COL. FRANCIS W.
PARKJJ:R (formerly Superintendent of schools of Quincy,
.. Mass.), before the Martha's Vineyard Institute, Summer
of 1882. Repor ted by LELIA E . PATRIDGE. Square 16mo,
5x6 1-2 inches, 192 J:?P·, laid paper, English cloth. Price,
$1.25 ; to teachers, $1.00; by mail, 9 cents extra.
.· The methods of teaching employed in the schools of Quincy,
- Mass. were seen to be the methods of nature. As they were
,copied and explained, they awoke a great desire on the part
of those who could not visit the schools to know the unclerlying principles. In other words, Colonel Parker w as asked to
explain why he had his teachers teach thus. In the sum.mer
of 1882, in response t o requests, Colonel Parker gave a course
of lectures before the Martha's Vineyard Institute, and these
were reported by Miss Patridge, and published in this book.
The book became famous ;
more copies wer e sold of i t in
the same time than of any
other educational book whatever. The daily papers, which
usually pass by such books
with a m ere men tion, devoted
columns to reviews of it.
Th e following points will
show why the teacher will
. w ant this book.
1. It explains the " New
Methods." There is a wide
gulf between the new and the
old educ::i.tion. Even oohool
boards understand this.
2. It gives the underlying
. principles of education. For it
' must be remembered that Col. Parker is n ot expounding h'UJ
;m ethods, but the methods of nature.
· .· 3. It gives the ideas of man who is evidently an" ed11cational genius," a man born to understand and expound education. We have few such; they a.re worth everything to the
hum.an race.
4. It gives a bfog:raµhy of CO Pa.rke.T. Thls will help tllS
teacher of education to eom.p:rebend the m:w a.nd his n.Mlt iv
ft. lt has been adopted 'i;Jr' ueu:h lfff!rJ' State Reading Circl~

F~

BEND ALL ORDERS TO

22

E . L. KELLOGG &: 00., NEW YORK&: CHICAGO.

- S.8 E. L. KELL\JGG

Kellogg's School rA1anage1nent :

~·-,\

" .A Practical Guido for the Teacher in the School-ROom. '! .;;
By A.MOS M. KELLOGG, A.M. SL~th edition. Revised~and :•.''
· .erila.rged. Cloth, 128 pp. Price, 75 cents ; to teaehcl;s-,:60 ):f'.:-,'Jfi'
cents ; by mail, o cents extra.
'
"'. ~
~:.._J
This book takes up the most difficult of all school work • ' :
viz.: tho Government ef a school, and is filled ,:w\th original ,.-~ti
nnd practical ideas on the subject . It is invaluable to the
teacher who desires to make his school a" well-governed"

school.

·

·· -

l. It si.lggests methods of awakening an interest in the ·
studies, and in school work. "The problem for the teacher,"
says 'Joseph Payne, "is to get the pupil to study." If he can do
·this he will be educated.
:);.
2. It suggests methods of making t h e school attracthre.
Ninety-nine hundredths of the teachers think young people
should come to school anyhow ; the wise ones know that a
pupil who wants to come to sch ool will do, something :when
he gets there, and so make the school attractive.
.·. ·
S• .Above all it shows that the pupils,.· will be self-governed
• when well governed. It shows how to develop the process 'of
self-government.
.,. ·
. · .. :
. .c
4. It shows how regular attention·and coui:teou.8 behavioilr
may b e secured .
,.
5. It has an admirable preface by that remarkable man and

teacher, Dr. Thomas Hunter, Pres. N. Y. CityNormal'CQllege.

Rome and School.-" Is just the book for every teacher \vho'\iishes ·
t.o be a. bott.cr t.eacher."
·
;
· Educa.tiona.l J'ournal.-" It contains many valuable hints."
:Boston J'ourns.l of Education.-" It is the most humane, instructive, ·
orig'ma.l educationn.l work we have read in many a. day."
. •
·
Wis. Journal of Education.-" Commends it.self at once by the num•
ber of ingenious devices for scouring order, industry, and interest.·,
Iowa. Contra.I School Journa.1.-"Teachere will 11.nd ita helpfUf e.nd .~.
suggestive book."
.
.. .
Oa.uada. Bduca.tional Monthly.-" Valuable advice and useful.'suggCs.,
tlons."
·- ·
Normal Ten.cher.-"The author believes the way to mana,,"'0 is to civ· ,;.·
ilize, cultivate, llnd refine."
.
School Moderator,-" Contains n large aro.ount of valuable readi».g;
school government is n.clmirably present.ed."
·
,
Progressive Teacher.-"Bhould occupy an honored plaoo m. :_eveey
teacher's library."
•
· ~'...'. ..
Ed. Courant.-" It "'-ill.help the teacher greatly.• ·
'
tf.,"'
V&. ~ . 1o~.-·•The au~~r~nfrom a larr e~l~~r

r.: ·:

llkND J.t.L ORDitRS T6

&;

CO., NEW YORK & OHIO.AGO.

........._------------'----------- - -

Hughes' rMistakes-in ··Teaching.

7 , '. BYJ.A.Ml£s·J . HuGims, Inspector of Schools, 'l'oronto, Canada.
\~ ~;-~ , Cloth, 16mo, 115 pp. :•:"Price,: 50 cents; to t,eacli.ers, 40 cents;
~ ....: .
by mail, f> cents extra. ,, ,. .
Thousands of copies of the old
edition have been sold. The new
edition. is worth double the old;
the material has been increased,
restated, and greatly improved.
Two new and important Chapters
have been added on "Mistakes in
Aims," and "Mistakes in Moral
Training."
Hughes says in his
preface : "ln issu ing a revised edi·
tfon of this book, it seems titting to

»Ir.

acknowledge gratefully the hearty
appreciation that bas Leen accordeJ.
it by 'American teachers. Realizing as I do that its very large sale
indicates that it has been of service
to many of my fellow-teachers, I ·
have recognized the duty of enlar~­
ing and revising it so as to make it
still more helpful in preventing
J.ums L. H uGJt&S, Inspector of the common mistakes in teaching
• Schools, Toronto, Cs.nada.
,·and training."
This is one of the six books recommended by the N . Y. State
Department to teachers preparing for examination for State cer.
', tificates.

CAUTIO N.
<fur new AUTB:ORIZED COPYRIGJT'.t EDITION, entirely reu»iUen b-y
fli.e autlUJ'l', is the only one to "lmy. : It is beautifully printed and
JL<fndsom.ely bound. Get no otlte!r.

.. .

CONTENTS OF OUR NEW EDITION.

,. . CJIA.P. I. 7 Mistakes in Aim. .
CRAP. TI. 21 Mist.akes in School Mana!!'P."'~~- ·
CHAP. III. 24 Mistakes in n; ~-· · ·
.. CHAP. IV. 27 V '
rt-

10

smm

AJ.t. ORD l!;l<l! TO

,_
·calliins' Ear and Voice

E. L. KELLOGG & co., NEW YORK & cmaAGO.

Training

MJLAN.i l o F Er.v.~rn; "l'ARY SouNNl oF LANGUAGE.

bz

Dv N. A.

CAJ.IUNfl, Ai>sistnnt Suporiutendcnt N. Y. City ·scboo:s :
nnthor of "Primnry Object Lcs.~on~." " 1¥fonunl of (Jbjcet
Teaching, " " Phonic Clrnrts, " etc. C10U.1. lilmo, 1tbout 100
. pp. Price, 50 cent~: i'l terwl1.er.~. 40 cc uts; by mail, Occntacxtm.
An idea of the chnmctor o·f tbls work may I.Jc h nd by the followi ng extmctll from ita Prefae-e :

_,.~,
~;' _(;.")
.~.. _ r ?-

.~'.

,)'~
;-~' 1- ~ ;1~f1 :

.

·' i ·;

;tr,.

- l. ,~

'' 'fll(1 common existence of abnormril sense perception nmnng school
cbHd1·cn ii; a serious obstacle 1.u tor1chiug. Th1s con<lJ Lion is most
. ~')',;
obvious in thodcfootivc P•'fCi'ptious
.,,, ,'ll~t·-,
of Ronn<ls and forms. Jt mar be
'~flf.~°'.f:~;~\
seen in tho faulty 1lrtlculat\ons in
r,;
".'d:··-~-' ~
'
Rpcak ing and rt'ad lng; in tho lnn.t
bU!ty to distingu!;ih musical sonnds
readily ; also In the common mistakes made 1n hearing what is

r. ·

: ~~~·~
1.'::\

_..,-;.· -

,'.1,

't .'i.ll.°'i

.;~~

L-:~0'_.. /~

! '!'.1 ., .·~ r.~
l,f.h t.'.""'i1

-_,;-;';

··n
1i~·i

said . . ..
" c ,u· ful observation and iong

cxpeiicnce lend ·to the conclusion
that the most commo:n defect.~ 1.u
sound perceptlonR exist becauso of
' lack or p roper trll.in\ng in childhood
to develop t ills power of Urn mind
lnto activlt.y through tho sc:rn'lo er
liearing. It bl-comeH, t hci-efoN\ a
-~ lll:ltttir of groat Importance in ooucution, 1.hl\t In the tr:iin!ng- of children duo ati~tlon ahnll l.11.1 gl von to
tho <1ovclopll1•!nt of ready nn<l a<'cnrato pcrccptlon11 or ~onncls.
"llow to give this tmini ng so ns
to fi<'Ollre the dcalrt,-..J rN•n\l.; iR a
f<Tih j<•(:t thnt de.~e rv<lR tho. c.aroful
nttl'ntlon o( pn1·entf< nn<l tene horA.
SUPT. N. A. CAI.KINS.
Mnch depi'OO>l llpon tlto ln!lTllWl' or
proRCnting the sonn<lH of our fangnnµ-e to pnplls, wh etlirt· or not tho
r~.~nlis shall bo the dcvdopment in ~o u nd-percopt.iom• th at will train
(lie crir and vofro to Jrn.bilil or di .~t!uc tness au<l accuraoy 1n speaking nn<l
rcacl ini:;.
· "·n;;, met.hod~ of tr.acliing given ln thlq book arc tho l'C'~uJt.q or au
oxt.cn,lcd cxperionco 11mlcr such varied conditions a~ may be roun<l
wjth puplls representing all nationalities, both of nntivo and foreign
born children. Tho plans dcr<cri!Jet\ will enable t ctwhers to lead their
pupf!s to acqnlrc rcadr and cli ~tl nct perceptions through sense tral11mp;, nnc1 cnusc thcin t.o J,:now tbo tiound s of our lu.ng11age lu a m ann er
11.iat wi11 give pract.ic!li ~Id in learning both the spolrnn and the written
)lmguagc. The s1mpllc1ty 11nd usefulness of tbe le..~sons need only to bo
known to bo appreciated .and us*"
.

.·

.?,<J

'·1~~~~.
~t;

1

,,;

Jn

...·~·~.·":: . ...: j}'~.
: - ~ ~ i.~...~;-

. !J!J.:-

,JI I

. :_

.!I"~.

; '1 ').. ·''~

,tr,

.:ii!

,,,-1 ,
,{t.l'.'

'.1:·,I

:l'w.''

,..j.t"J-.~

.1.h.

. ,4ii ..o::.
(

,(;!}-. i]•

....1:..)

..

.f·)

I.;>

... 1 ·::

... jt

~

.y·l

.m .u

·_.O'_!

.l!)'

!1.t).)

{.d.

La ..

1.~Ll\1

"','.

-·

(~!

1.'~)

.Hi
_,;<)

'

,···
J!~}-'

f•"

~ ( ":;
;i,~

.i .. l

,l'

