Cowley County Teacher from Winfield, Kansas • 1

Cowley ounty Teacher, VOL. I. NO. 3. WINFIELD, KANSAS, DECEMBER 1879.

PROBLEM. Trees and Health. The Real Object. This kind of teaching is a privilege to him. But these are examples of teaching only in general sense.

To witness young thoughts springing up, new faculties develop, the tendrils of the mental vine reaching out to fasten themselves on surrounding thought, the gathering up of mental strength, the accumulation of mental wealth, and to be instrumental in such a work, this is a privilege. To direct and collect, and to be the guiding architect in building up a noble character, and fitting it for immortality and the happiness of the Blessed is a privilege pregnant with eternal delight. N. Y. School Journal.

Teachers, Attention. Everybody knows that trees take the carbonic acid thrown out in the breath of men and animals, separate it into its component parts, Carbon and oxygen, give back the latter to be used over again, and work up the former into wood and fruits. It is also coining to be generally understood that forest trees do important service in promoting rain-falls, and in helping to retain the surface-water for springs, streams, and general use. It is also known that certain species, planted in malarial localities, help to render the latter healthy by somehow using up the deadly miasma. It would now appear that trees growing near drains carry off the sewage water.

A gentleman, whose cess-drain was constructed just like his neighbors' and in the same kind of soil, has found it unnecessary to clean it out, while the others had to be cleaned out frequently. An examination showed that three large trees, whose roots had penetrated into the vicinity of his second, or waste, cess-pool, were clearly the channels through which the waste all escaped. )V nether it was changed into plant food as is likely or was exhaled through the leaves, either case it was disposed of with equal safety. A grocer holds three notes against a buyer; one calling for due March another, due August 15, and a third, due November 1. How much would just pay for the three on May 30? Professor Wheeler writes: "Your November Teacher, came to hand, and is full of good and pleasant things.

I trust that the teachers of Cowley county may heed your excellent words of warning and advice. I refer to the editorial in reference to the late examinations, and the matter of taking up some study and following it out. The study of English Literature is, one that can be pursued with both pleasure and profit. I do not mean the history of literature so much as the literature itself. One who has not been in the habit of careful reading will be surprised at the amount of genuine pleasure as well as the amount of genuine work that may accompany the reading of such a poem as Longfellow's Evangeline," or his "Courtship of Miles Standish." The Primer of English Literature, Apple-ton's, is an excellent little work to give one a good outline of the history of our literature, and ought to be used, certainly, by every teacher." Text Books for Live Teachers.

Not every person will make a good teacher, and the sooner this fact is recognized and accepted the better for our schools. The reason is that all do not possess the requisite good sense in this direction. They have good business qualifications, but they have not the power to attract and control. It takes all of these to make the scholarly teacher; and notwithstanding we have our libraries of works on school management, school government, methods of teaching, and so on, I sometimes think we too often forget if we ever knew the real object of teaching. Do we not teach too much? I do not mean that our courses of study are too extensive; but do we not teach too much of any one subject? We give the mass without the thought, the essence.

We solve problem after problem; we commit definition ofter definition; we parse word after word; we translate sentence after sentence, and do not realize that there is any relation the one with the other. It seems to me if we would learn principles systematically rather than so much, we would have more knowledge at our command. If we could seethe thought as developed in any subject, just as we should and must see the thought in reading; and not only see the thought in one subject, but be able to follow it through every branch, then our knowledge would be systematic Pres. II. B.

Brown, Indiana. The Privilege of Teaching. The County Association Districts will meet as follows: District No. 1, December 12 and 13, at Star Valley. District No.

2, February 13 and 14, at Floral. District No. 3, February 27 and 28, at Lazette. District No. 4, December 27, at Win-field.

District No. 5, January 10, at Arkansas City. District No. January 16 and 17, at Maple City. District No.

7, January 30 and 31, at Dexter. It is advised that the teachers' in these different districts meet at an early day and organize local associations. In case this is done, let them determine the most suitable place for meeting, and publish the change. Let the public be advised of the meetings and invited to attend. The sessions will generally close by 12, or 2 or 3 o'clock, p.m., and every teacher is urgec1 to attend.

The Friday exercises. will be in the evening, and will be especially intended to interest and benefit the public at large. The following program will be fol-owed when the local organization does not substitute another: Friday evening: 1. General condition and need of the schools of this district. What is teaching? In the technical Association Districts.

sense it is not easily defined. If a man imparts knowledge, he teaches. If he gives intelligence, he teaches. If he tells a truth not before known, he teach- es. If a man guides and directs in the pursuit of knowledge, lie teaches.

If he counsels, if he admonishes, he teach-, Page's Theory and Practice. Wickersham's School Economy. Wickershain's Methods of Instruction. How to Teach. Powell's Manual of Instruction.

Hill's True Order of Studies. Primary Teacher, Vols. 1 and 2. Calkin's Object Lessons. Sheldon's Primary Methods.

Guyot's Earth and Man. 'Gow's Morals and Manners. The World at Home. Any of the above named books can be had through the Teacher. GENERAL INFORMATION.

For the purpose of holding teachers' associations in the different parts of the county, the followiug division of townships has been made: District No. 1. Ninnescah, Maple, and western portion of Rock. District No, 2. Eastern portion of Rock, Richland and Omnia.

District No. 3. Harvey, Windsor, Silver Creek. District No. 4.

Walnut, Vernon, Beaver, Pleasant Valley, Tisdale, Liberty and city of Winn" eld. District No. 5. Creswell, Bolton, Silverdale. District No.

6 Spring Creek, Cedar. District No. 7 Dexter, Liberty, Saturday, a. 2. First steps in reading.

3. Monthly examinations. 4. Written work in schools. 5.

Business forms to be taught in es. In all these' senses the privilege is not very great; his field is not very inviting. Some men confined to narrow limits and stinted observation daring the long years of their heavy life are suddenly favored with a change. The sunlight of intelligence falls upon their vision. A world before unknown is open to his view.

The towering Alps with their peaks ot eternal ice and snow, fill his mind with conceptions too wonderful to remain locked up in one small brain. It is a privilege for him on his return to call his neighbors and friends around him and depict this union of the earth and sky, to tell the wonders of tlie gems that hang sparkling from their summits, it is a privilege for him to teach. The child that walks for the first time through the menagerie, comes home with the canvas of his memory densely covered with lions and tigers and elephants and monkeys and ostriches and animals of all kinds and birds of a great variety of feathers, on which his own imagination gazes as the picture of the world when the "lion and the lamb shall lie down together," and he calls his fellow's around him, who are soon persuaded that he is the "little child" who "shall lead them." schools. 6. Grading of schools.

7. Miscellaneous work. Preserve this notice and program for reference. What home questions disturb Great Britain at this time? Who are the leading statesmen of Great What form of government has France, and who fills the highest office therein? Can you bound Afghanistan? Where is Zululand? Who is Henry Stanley, and what has he done for the world? Who and what is the Poet Laureate of Great Britain? What, is Nihilism, and where is it prevalent? Do you ever write letters in school hours? Some teachers have been charged with this. Such work is entirely out of place.

A teacher's time, energy, talent and education belong to his school durring the six hours of the school day, and nothing should steal this time from the school. During the days preceding and fol-1 lowing these meetings it will be my aim to visit the schools in that district in In well graded schools one reader furnishes matter for two years' work. In many of our country schools a reader serves its purpose in a single term, and thousands of children find themselves hustled along from book to book without any ability to use the book discarded, and with no proper preparation for the new book. It is absolutely criminal to put children into reading books beyond their comprehension. Yet teachers do this, and parents are cajoled into chinking their children are so smart 1 Teachers, examine your reading classes every month, indeed every day, and see if the minds of the children are keeping pace with their books.

If not, turn back, and go over the ground slowly and carefully. Do not trust to future labors to atone for this negligence, but reform at once! which the association is to" meet. The members of the executive committee of the county organization will please take notice of the work here outlined, and lend a hand in perfecting the local organizations. 11. C.

Story, County Supt. Holiday Gifts at Goldsmith's..