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best judgment bring to bear upon the different subjects of instruction the best available forces they can each, as an independent body, command; and furnish to the public, with the seal of their indorsement, the best possible treatise upon each of the different branches taught. Text-books, with such authority, would be of value. Education demands it. Economy demands it. It is a shame, a reflection upon our judgment and integrity, that a poor man can hardly move from one district to another, with his half dozen children, without the tax of buying new school-books, before the ones they have are hardly begun. So that the education of some is simply the beginning of several different text-books. This evil is not so great in our cities, but it exists there. However great the importance of competition in book-making, it is also true that the best qualified talent will not enter into it. Let the powers mentioned above be induced to enter the lists as competitors, and higher individual products would result. We should soon have a grammar of the English language, of which we will write next time.

H.

ENGLAND ONCE CONTINENTAL.

APROPOS to the completion of the Suez Canal, and the contemplated one at the Isthmus of Panama, Dr. Page, in his "Chips and Chapters for Geologists," has presented a forgotten chapter from Verstegan's "Restitution of Decayed Intelligence in Antiquities, concerning the most noble and renowned English Nation," which is entitled, "the Ile of Britaine, sometime continent with Gallia." The date of the old work is 1605. The chapter is quite lengthy," and will be very interesting to those who are students in physical geography or geology, showing them that the very arguments used to-day were used long before these sciences were known. Of these proofs we will first give one that is now familiar, choosing it for its quaintness and its concise logic.

"The first appearance to moue likelihood of this thing is the neerness of land betweene England and France (to vse the moderne names of both countries) that is, from the clifs of Dover vnto

the like clifs lying betweene Calis and Bullin." "These clifs on either side the sea, lying iust opposite the one vnto the other; both of one substance; that is, of chalke and flint; the sides of both towards the sea, plainely appearing to bee broken off from some more of the same stuffe or matter, that it hath sometime by nature been fastned vnto; the length of the said clifs along the sea shore being one side answerable in Effect, to the length of the verie like on the other side, and the distance between both, as some skilfull saylers report, not exceeding 24 English miles; are all great arguments to prooue a coniunction in time long past, to haue beene betweene these two countries; whereby men did passe on drie land from the one vnto the other, as it were ouer a bridge or Isthmus of land, being altogether of chalke and flint, and containing in length about the number of miles before specified, and in bredth some sixe English miles or there abouts, whereby our countrie was then no Iland but Peninsula being thus fixed vnto the maine continent of the world." "It is further to be noted, that in our ancient language the cut off or broken mountaines on the sea sides, are more rightly and properly called clifs, then by the name of rocks or hills; that appellation being more fitting vnto the inland mountaines; but the name of cleft coming from our verbe to cleaue, is vnto these more aptly giuen, for that they seem vnto our vieu as cleft or clouen from the part that sometime belonged vnto them."

The writer then proves that the Netherlands from their low, level and sandy soils must have formerly been under water and that for a longer period than during the flood, because of the innumerable shells there found. The way in which they became dry land was by the breaking through of the Isthmus between England and France, and the flow of water into the "most huge Westerne Ocean."

"That the Sea on the West side of the said Isthmos was lower then the sea on the East side thereof, is besides this great worke thereby wrought, to be iudged by the sundry flats and shallowes on the East side, as well on the coast of England as of Flanders. And contrariwise on the West side, no such flats at all to bee found, whereby may well be gathered that as the Land vnder the Sea remaineth on the one side lower than on the other, so accordingly did the Sea also. It is moreover to bee iudged by the very

present course of the Sea: for it is obserued that the currant of the water is more swift downe the channell towards the West, then from the West unto the East; old shippers of the Netherlands affirming, that they haue often noted the Voyage from Holland to Spaine to be shorter by day and a halfe sayling, then the voyage from Spaine to Holland. That the seas are different in height one from the other, euen in places where they haue but narrow separations of Land betweene them, is very manifest, for heretofore at such time as some of the Kings of Egypt went about by cutting the separation of land which is betweene the Red-Sea and Mare Mediterranean or the Midland sea, to bring them both into one, it was found by the water-leuel, that the Red-sea was much higher than the Mediterraneum sea, and beeing but shallow in diuers places, it was feared it would in those places not haue bin nauigable, but rather that people might haue passed through it on foot, and for this and other inconueniences which might haue ensued, it was left vndone. Moreover it hath also bin found that the sea on the West side of America, is higher then the Atlanticke sea which lieth on the East side, so as if it had so bin that the Isthmos of land might haue bin cut through, that passage there might haue been made into the Pacifike sea, without sailing so farre about as by the straights of Magellan yet would some other great inconueniences haue grown through the inequalitie of the heighths of these two seas."

"Another reason there is that this separation hath bin made since the floud, which is also very considerable, & that is, that the Patriarch Noe hauing had with him in the Arke all sortes of beasts (all else besides throughout the whole world beeing destroyed) these then after the floud beeing put foorth of the Arke to encrease and multiply, did afterward in time disperse themselues ouer all partes of the continent or maine land, but long after it could not bee before the rauenous wolfe had made his kind nature knowne vnto man, and therefore no man unlesse hee were mad, would euer transporte of that race for the goodnes of the breed, out of the continent into any Iles. But our Ile as is aforesayd, continuing since the floud fastned by Nature vnto the great continent these wicked beasts did of themselues pass ouer."

"But now whether the breach of this our Isthmos, were caused by some great Earthquake, whereby the sea first breaking through, might afterward by little and little enlarge her passage, or whether it were cut by the labour of man in regard of commoditie of passage, or whether the inhabitants of the one side or the other by occasion of war did cut it: must needs remain altogether uncertain: but that our Ile hath bin continent with France and that since the deluge hath here bin shewed by euident reasons and markeable demonstrations."

FIRST LESSONS IN NUMBERS.

[Extract from the Nineteenth Semi-Annual Report of JoHN D. PHILBRICK, Superintendent of Public Schools of the City of Boston.]

IN the first stages of instruction, much pains should be taken to enable the pupils to obtain clear and distinct ideas of numbers by associating their names with visible objects. Teachers often commence with the names of numbers, without reference to sensible objects, and then proceed at once to the tables in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, which the pupils are required to repeat by rote. This method is eminently preposterous. It is a good illustration of "how not to do it." It is much better to teach the pupils first to count real objects, and then make computations upon them, before perplexing them with abstract conceptions. When children have been made familiar with the perception of numbers, as presented in the various objects around them, the next step is to make them acquainted with the increase of numbers by unity; and then follows the comparison of numbers with respect to their value or magnitude. In developing the first ideas of numbers, the skilful teacher would proceed somewhat in the following

manner:

I hold up one pencil.

Say, one pencil.

You see in my hand one book.
Hold up one hand, one finger.

I will make one mark on the board.

Say, one mark.

Make one mark on your slates.

You see in this hand one pencil, and in this one pencil.

One pencil and one pencil are two pencils.

Say, one pencil and one pencil are two pencils.

Hold up two hands; two fingers.

Say, one hand and one hand are two hands.

How many books do I hold up?

Two books.

I make on the board one mark and one mark. marks have I made?

Two marks.

I erase one of the marks. How many remain ?
One mark.

Make two marks on your slates.

Here are two pencils and one pencil.

Two pencils and one pencil are three pencils.
Say, two pencils and one pencil are three pencils.
Hold up three fingers, two fingers, one finger.
See how many marks I make on the board.
Three marks.

Jane may come, and make three marks.

Make three marks on your slates.

How many

The above is not presented as a pattern to be followed literally, but as an imperfect illustration of what is meant by developing elementary ideas of numbers.

If the children have been taught the first lessons in drawing they may be directed to make straight lines in different directions, instead of being merely requested to make marks without regard to their character. Thus, in every lesson so far as possible bring into use what has been previously learned. Having pursued this mode of teaching till the pupils are acquainted with the application of numbers to objects as far as ten, the Numeral Frame may be brought into use, and from this point it should be constantly used during the whole primary course of arithmetical instruction. No teacher who has once learned its great value as a piece of apparatus will cease to use it.

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