Alva, July 27.-Have just come over here in a pouring rain. Got well soaked. Had a good visit with Ed. over at his camp, and expected to go to Morong, where my company is, to-morrow. Received orders this morning to report here for temporary duty to Co. M. Manila is a queer, old-looking place. Old walls overgrown with moss. Chinese houses, and Chinamen that carry stuff on their shoulders. They are really beasts of burden. The native women, Filipinos, don't wear much clothing. Barefooted, and partly bare-legged, nothing on the head, neck or shoulders. Some of them fair looking, a few fairly pretty, but the most of them ugly enough. Lots of children, too, not burdened with much clothing. These Chinese carriers wear nothing except a pair of pantaloons, rolled up as high as possible. Some of them wear great straw hats that look like inverted basins. Almost everybody that can do so rides in small, two-wheeled hacks with one little horse. There are fourwheeled hacks also, drawn by two horses, and carts with "water buffaloes" attached. These are big, gray animals, shaped much like oxen, with large, flat horns extending in a curve (horizontally) over their backs. Two of these buffalo teams, and six Chinese coolies, are attached to each company of soldiers. They do the heavy hauling, water carrying, wood-chopping, etc., for the company, and act as litter-bearers when a fight is in progress. Ed.'s company is encamped in a ridge just back of the water works guarding them, then the headquarters of the battalion immediately back of them, with a company on the hill, and companies to the right and left of them to prolong the line. The regimental headquarters are about four miles back of where we are now, at El Deposito, on the pipe line which runs from the pumping station to the city. Thundering now, and there will probably be more rain. It comes down hard.

July 28.-After breakfast, I went on guard as officer of the day. Went out to see where the different posts were, and got back about 9 o'clock. The whole country is swampy. It is cut up into rectangular areas by little embankments to hold water, where the rice grows. These areas are called "rice paddies," and as they make up the most of the landscape, it is nearly all swamp. Just below the advanced post is a well called the "Sacred Well," at which the Chinamen from this company get water, and carry it to the company. They have a piece of bamboo about six feet long; this they carry across their shoulders, with a bucket of water hanging on each end. They drag wood back to camp, bamboo. By boring or cutting a hole in the larger ends of the bamboo, and putting a short, light piece through these holes in two bamboo poles, they can drag two of them, about 30 feet long, back to camp. They go out for wood and water always under an armed guard. I am ordered to go into town to-morrow and

draw clothing for this battalion. They will furnish me with a horse to ride. This will give me a chance to get more shoes. Wading around through these rice swamps requires some changes of shoes to keep dry. A few moments ago I was called to the telephone and informed by the battalion adjutant that I had been relieved from duty with this company, and would report for duty to the commanding officer of B Company to morrow morning. That brings me à mile nearer to Ned. Have not heard yet when I am to go to Morong. Will have to wait for orders.

July 31.-There is a report that all the companies of this regiment are to go to Calamba or Santa Cruz as soon as troops can be sent to take their places here.

Calamba, Aug. 5.-We dropped anchor off Pasig, town, last night about 8:30, and lay there until 5:30 this morning. Then reached the lake about 6 a. m., making Calamba about 10:30. Had a very interesting ride up the river Pasig, which has a swift current of 7 or 8 miles per hour. A passenger offered me a box of sardines and a roll last night, which I accepted, as I could not buy anything where we stopped; then did not eat anything until supper to-night, which you bet, I enjoyed. Lt. Meade is in command of this company. There has been some firing this afternoon at long range. In case of an attack I'm to have the left platoon, on the river bank in trenches. Undergrowth dense. No tents. Camped in ditch with shelter of bamboo mat.

Aug. 6.-Slept with clothes on last night in a little "lean to," floor about 6x8, distance between roof and floor 2 feet on one side 11⁄2 feet on the other. When it rains, drop a bamboo mat down in front. It is down in the ditch with the others, and nothing shows above the level of the ground. The platoon of which I have charge is out about 100 rods to the northwest, in a trench just this side of the river. The insurgents are some little distance back on the other side of the river. The ground between is densely covered with sugar-cane, banana trees, underbrush, etc. There is a bridge westward of this camp, which is barricaded, and an outpost is stationed there. The river runs through quite a gorge. The other day this company drove the insurgents across the river. Meade tells me they charged for several hundred yards, half each time, and the other half firing volleys, and got up this far. There has been firing during the day and night at intervals. Heard a bugle of the insurgents a while ago. The mosquitoes and bugs are fierce here. They make a noise like flies or bees. It rained last night. Used poncho for a cover. Pasig river is very swift all the way up, about 14 miles. We passed many of the natives' canoes and cascoes going up and down. They don't wear many clothes. One fellow that I saw was about naked. Some of them wear great straw-hats, like a low,

The

broad-based cone. They look odd. The women wash clothes along the river bank, beat them with clubs, and throw them on a flat stone. Bathe themselves too on the street corners, pouring water over each other, with only a loose garment like a sheet tied around them under the arms, and reaching down to the knees.

Aug. 9.-Yesterday at noon I heard the first bullets whiz by. The insurgents began to fire on our lookout from a clump of trees, seven hundred yards off. We gave them several volleys and silenced them. Days long and hot, nights ditto, flies in daytime, mosquitoes at night, plenty of them. There is an itch here that is very common, called "adobe itch." I don't want it.

Aug. 10.-Had just gone to sleep last night when they began to fire. Got out to the trench, and was there till things quieted down. We wear a kind of headgear of mosquito netting furnished by the Quartermaster's department.

Aug. 11.-Insurgents came in pretty close last night. Some shots close enough. They kept quiet until near morning, evidently do this to annoy our men and make them lose their sleep.

Aug. 22.-Chills and fever, and stomach has not been working right for some days. Rather weak, but getting better. Kept on duty all the time. Heavy rains and awful hot at times. Frequent firing.

Aug. 28.-There goes the band. They practice every morning except Sunday, an agreeable diversion. Now they are playing The Palms "good trombone solo. They have quarters in what was formerly the priest's house, adjoining the church. There are several bells in the church tower, one of which, deep toned, sounds well when they ring it slowly.

Aug. 29.-Everything quiet. The sky was very beautiful before sunrise, all shades of crimson. For breakfast, pan-cakes, coffee and bacon. You would laugh to see the pigs out here, the queerest looking things. The full grown hogs have long straight tails that they wag like a horse, and little pigs are innumerable. Dogs are numerous, too, but poor specimens of their kind.

Aug. 30.--Was in a church and on the bell tower yesterday. The place looks like a jail outside, stone with iron roof, windows barred, gallery at one end, pulpit about the middle, altar at the other end, a few benches in the middle, none anywhere else, floor of large square bricks, a very small melodeon in gallery and a large music rack, nothing else. The bell tower, separate from the church, has three small bells and one large one.

Aug. 31.-Passed a mud-hole this morning where water-buffalo wallow. It is liquid mud, but they enjoy rolling around in it, as do the hogs, of course. Also looked through an old ruined sugar-mill. Quiet here now. Fever lately, getting used to the climate, I suppose. On court-martial duty and boards

Sept. 4.-Got order relieving me temporarily from this company. Sent to Co. I. Was ordered out on outpost to prevent the insurgents from firing on outpost of Co. D. Had but little fever yesterday, sweat it out the night before, perhaps.

Sept. 16.-Everything quiet. Pointing and aiming drill for recruits. Feel good again these days. Lively work here at times. The tall rice gives them a chance to get in closer without being seen. Our sentries, and outposts, and everybody else, must be keenly alive when on duty to prevent surprise. Corporal Harris just got a fellow with a bolo in his hand, who had sneaked on him through the rice, and was about to drive the knife into his back.

ITEMS FROM REPORTS.

ADAMS.-Supt. Roth: Our schools have made a good start, and so far as I have visited them they are getting along successfully. It is gratifying to know that in a number of districts nearly all the pupils have already entered school. Parents seem to realize the importance of giving their children the benefit of the full term.

ARMSTRONG.-Supt. Roth: Prof. Wilkinson, principal of the Kittanning schools, resigned his position to accept the principalship of the 24th ward schools of Pittsburg. Prof. D. R. Sumstine of Apollo was elected to succeed him at a salary of $1300.

BEAVER.-Supt. Moore: In Franklin district the wages of teachers have been increased from $30 to $32 per month; in New Galilee from $40 to $60. In Ohio district, two houses were newly painted. The buildings in Moon were also painted. Beaver is adding a four-room building to the old one.

BERKS.-Supt. Rapp: All the schools in the county are now open. In a few of the rural districts they are slimly attended. Additional schools have been opened in Albany, Cumru, Spring and Exeter, making a total of 511 schools for the county.

BUTLER.-Supt. Painter: The directors of Connoquenessing township have opened a school at Butter Cup P. O., and, having moved one house farther south, are now building a new house there.

CARBON.-Supt. Beisel: The minimum school term of seven months meets with general approval. All but five districts had more than six months last year. Nowhere have the salaries been reduced. Banks township and Weatherly each closed two schools on account of movings out of the districts. Lower Towamensing, Lansford and Lehighton each added a school to last year's numbers. The county has one teacher less this year than last.

COLUMBIA.—Supt. Miller: Our schools

this year are under the management of the best corps of teachers we have ever had. Both directors and patrons show much interest in the selection of teachers and in the improvement of school property. Many of our districts are establishing school libraries. Encyclopedias and a few wellchosen books put into a school always make a good beginning as the nucleus of a growing collection. We hope to see the movement develop into still greater efforts along this line.

DAUPHIN.-Supt. Garver: All the schools are now in session. So far as I can lean they are very well attended. I think we are getting away from the old idea, that the larger children must remain at home for a few weeks after school has opened. This is no doubt largely due to the compulsory attendance law. This law should be more strictly enforced to reach the desired results.

FOREST.-Supt. Stitzinger: All the schools in the county are now in operation and the prospects for a successful year are unusually bright. The teaching force as a whole is the best qualified body of instructors ever employed in any year in the history of the county, nearly half of them being graduates. Three new school-houses have just been completed: one in Greene township, one in Howe, and one in Harmony. They are all substantial structures, and a credit to the communities in which they are located. The first local institute was held at Mayburg in Kingsley township on September 30. Those who attended had a pleasant and profitable time together.

INDIANA.-Supt. Stewart: The monthly reports of teachers show a good attendance for the opening week of the term. The majority of the teachers are subscribers for educational papers and are following the instructions of the reading course.

JEFFERSON.-Supt. Teitrick: The indications for a successful term are promising. Many improvements in school property have been made. Eight or ten new buildings have been erected, and new rooms added to others or fitted up for use. Snyder has established a District High School. Prof. W. M. Brown is principal and also superintends the schools of the township. This is the first school of this kind in the county. Young has established a district' superintendency with Prof. Lex N. Mitchell to fill the office.

LACKAWANNA.-Supt. Taylor: The attendance in the borough schools for the first month of the new year is fair; in farming districts, however, the schools are small. The practice of keeping the older pupils out of school to help with the farmwork prevails to a very great extent; this generally continues until about November I. One school recently visited had twentytwo pupils enrolled and only four present. Under these conditions it is impossible for teachers to do any good permanent work in the higher grades during the first two or

three months of the term. The few pupils in these grades who do attend must “mark time" until the majority have finished their farm-work and taken their places in the school. In a large number of these cases there is no valid excuse. The parents are well-to-do farmers, abundantly able to hire the help they need. For the sake of saving a few dollars they break up the schools and destroy, to a great extent, their value for the first three or four months of the term. Neither the short terms, nor the large number of classes, nor the low wages, bad weather and bad roads, nor all of these hindrances together, militate so strongly against the success of the country schools as this miserable, penurious, penny-wise and pound-foolish custom. If any one should attempt to rob these people as they are every year robbing their own children of their most valuable opportunity, they would be furious. One would suppose that parental love might be safely trusted to guard the educational interests of children ; but in many instances it seems that there are other interests of paramount importance in the father's view. In the minds of some, it wonld seem that education was made a side issue. When the boys cannot earn anything on the farm, they are allowed to go to school. It is this attitude, assumed by so many of the patrons, which prevents the country schools from giving such results as they should. The country boys and girls are bright and eager to learn, and with regular attendance at school would do work of such character as to compare favorably with that of the best borough and city schools; but unless the patrons turn about and work with the schools, and not against them as many now do, satisfactory results cannot be reached.

LANCASTER.-Supt. Brecht: Judging from present indications one is safe to predict that the monthly meeting of township teachers will be more popular than ever this season. Last term at least twelve of our rural districts organized and continued in operation these monthly meetings; this year twice that number of districts are taking hold of the movement. In Penn township the school board, with a view of insuring regular attendance of teachers, has framed a clause into the agreement which imposes a fine or forfeit of one dollar upon each teacher when absent from the meeting. Should any money be acquired from this source it is to be applied to the school libraries of the district. The third Saturday in each month has been designated as the day of meeting. Their next programme contains an excellent line of school work for study and discussion. The annual committee on local institutes has just issued its institute calendar to the teachers and public. Provision is made for ten meetings. Among the topics to be taken up for discussion are: The personality of the teacher, the function of the school, stimulants of attention,

sources of the teacher's inspiration, home study by pupils, the play of children, the element of rest, the pupil's side of the problem, the spirit of school visitation, a township reading club, the principle of correlation, and the mechanics of reading.

MERCER.-Supt. Fruit: French Creek township has greatly improved its schoolhouses by papering and putting them in good repair generally. The result reflects great credit upon the directors.

NORTHUMBERLAND.-Supt. Apple: Teacher's meetings were held at five different places in the county. The attendance was very good. Judging from the interest manifested by the teachers in these meetings, we may expect a good quality of work during the term.

SOMERSET.-Supt. Pritts: The increase in the number of schools for the year is five, and from present indications several more will be established during the term. Paint township built an addition to the house at Windber, making it an eight-room building. Local institutes have been organized in a number of districts.

UNION. Supt. Stapleton: The new building erected in Lewis township is occupied. The superintendent met with the directors and organized a grammar school with a four years' course. The fourth year contains English and American literature, physical geography, natural philosophy, book-keeping, algebra, business forms, composition, letter-writing, etc. Nannie E. Houpt is the teacher.

Miss

VENANGO.-Supt. Bigler: Rockland district has just completed a new substantial school building. Venango county needs a shaking up in regard to the enforcement of the compulsory attendance law. Let us enforce it and then be law-abiding citizens. Oh, for school directors of "backbone !"

WASHINGTON.-Supt. Hall: Of the 64 schools visited during September the majority may be considered to have started well. The schools are small, as the larger boys and girls are in many instances kept at home. The schools visited were all in the rural districts. One good feature in the election of teachers is to be noted. The directors tried to secure only such as were willing and qualified to do the most work possible for the schools. We have no place for any other.

BEAVER FALLS.-Supt. Boak: Schools opened with everything in first-class condition for the beginning of what is expected to be a prosperous year. A new microscope, air pump, and several other pieces of valuable apparatus have been procured for the laboratory of our high school. We look for a successful year.

BETHLEHEM. -Supt. Twitmyer: Our schools opened August 30, with an increased attendance of about 100 pupils. The board increased our course of study from eleven to twelve years. An additional year of English has been added to the gram

mar grade, and the work in geography and physiology has been reduced. Two years in German, two in English, and one in Latin have been added to the high school. The addition of the German and the extra English is meeting with a very general approval. A new course of study is in process of preparation, and will be printed during the year.

DANVILLE.-Supt. Houser: The school buildings and grounds have been thoroughly repaired and put in good condition. Three of our teachers, Laura S. Divel, Tillie James and Sarah Pritchard have recently been granted permanent certificates, which according to a rule of the board carry with them an increase in salary of $3.50 per month. Besides the branches required by law, the certificates include physical geography, general history, botany, civics and algebra.

HARRISBURG.-Supt. Foose: The enrollment for September was 8474-a gain of 311 over that of the same month last year. The percentage of attendance for the month was 93, which is the best we have had for years. One new school-house was opened. One or two more are needed.

HAZLETON.-Supt. Harman: The Walnut street building, (eight rooms), has been thoroughly renovated and furnished with the latest improved adjustable desks and seats. The schools have opened auspiciously with the largest enrollment in our history. The senior class of the high school numbers forty-five.

HAZLE TOWNSHIP (LUZERNE Co.)-Supt. Gabrio Our schools opened September 18. The enrollment for the first week was 1817. Mrs. E. B. Coxe had the interior of the Drifton schools painted at an expense of over $125.

HUNTINGDON.-Supt. Cleaver: A large bell of good quality has been ordered for the high school building. Supply teachers are required to visit schools half of the month and to study professional works, reciting to the superintendent. We are emphasizing memory work and literature in all grades. Schools are well organized and good work is being accomplished.

LEBANON.-Supt. Adams: During the month a building with three rooms was rented and furnished, and three new teachers were elected. These new schools were organized at the beginning of the second month. We now have, outside the high school, a corps of 60 teachers and 2400 pupils, or 40 pupils to a teacher.

MCKEESPORT.-Supt. Brooks: The prospects for a successful year's work are very promising. We have a larger enrollment by over 300 than ever before. Our teachers are active and enthusiastic. The board of education was liberal in furnishing supplies, and the school sentiment throughout the city is of a pronounced character. Considering these points, we look forward to a successful year's work.

ITS MORAL ELEMENT.-It has been doubted whether music possesses any moral element. If it is really the language of emotion, and our emotions give birth to motives, there can be no question that music has a bearing upon our spiritual well-being. The doubt which has been cast upon the subject is probably due to the belief that the same music arouses such diverse emotions in different minds. It is not, however, that the emotions are really so diverse, but rather that the ideas which these emotions suggest differ so widely. It is matter of common experience that even in the world of sense and thought, where all is defined and clear-cut, the same thing may be pure to the pure, and

evil to the evil; that as the nature is high or low it will assimilate the good or the evil around it. In the world of the emotions, where everything is vague and undefined, this is more emphatically true than elsewhere. Elevated and pure as music is, as a ministrant to man, we would deprive it of its chief dignity if we failed to acknowledge its moral effect. We must admit that there is a region which lies beyond the reach of ideas

not only beyond, but above it—which can be penetrated by melody. Every soul that has ever felt a true adoration for the goodness and glory and majesty of the Infinite must have known some time in its career what it is to lose all cognizance of time and place,

even of "things present and things to come," in a rapt contemplation of that which is beyond the reach of thought. Then every faculty and every sense stands aside reverently, while the soul, thrilled through and through with trembling and adoring love, bows in the presence of its God. Nay, the soul that has ever felt an all-absorbing, self-forgetful love for a human being which it has placed, however unworthily, above itself, can recall some supreme moment when it rose higher and still higher till thought had reached the limits of its domain, and there left it filled with emotions which no human language has been invented to express. There is a silent, rapt communion higher than prayer;

5 When the blanket's in the fleece it has no thread; Perri merri dictum, Domine,

When the book's in the press it cannot be read;
Partum quartum peredicentem,

Perri merri dictum, Domine.

and a still, speechless sympathy deeper than words. As there is in the realm of emotion a region which lies somewhere nearer heaven than thought will ever be, so whatever exalts in any measure above itself can not be wanting in an element of moral power, and cannot be without its moral influence.-Mrs. Herrick.

Lord Bacon often required that music be played in the room adjoining his study. Milton listened to his organ for his most solemn inspirations; and music was ever necessary to Warburton. The symphonies which awoke in the poet sublime emotions might have composed the inventive mind of the great critic in visions of his theoretical mysteries.