certained or found to exist, but the mentioned sum is no more than prima facia evidence, and where a settlement between parties involve an amount of $100 let this sum be expressed, instead of $1-, which is too frequently practised, even by those professing prudence and caution in all their business transactions. The drawing of promissory notes should also claim the attention of the teacher, and his pupils be informed as to a note, when negotiable and when not, when voidable and when not, and never to mention the name of the place in the note where it was given, by which means it is payable, when due, in any town, county, or state in the Union. This mimic or mock store is to continue every afternoon for five days in the week, and when the days are not twelve hours long, then from 8 to 9 o'clock, by candle-light; a new set of customers and clerks selected every day from his school, as before already herein directed, and after the day-book has received entries for five days let his scholars, in regular order, post the same in the ledger, under the name of the creditor, and simply setting forth merchandize, with not only the date and amount but also the page from whence it was taken in the day-book ; these two books in ordinary country mercantile transactions will generally prove sufficient, yet in some cases a third (styled a blotter) is to precede the day-book, but a farmer or mechanic, not conducting an extensive business, requires, but one book denominated a daily ledger. And it may not be improper for a teacher to instruct his pupils in some of the important bearings connected with written articles of agreement, for instance A. and B. covenant and agree with each other to perform certain things, which either party failing to execute one hundred dollars is inserted as a penalty, yet, in seeking to recover this penalty by due course of law, no greater sum can be recovered than shall clearly be proved as growing out of the breach or non-fulfilment of any one, or all the covenants, but by simply stating in the written instrument that the parties have mutually agreed upon the one hundred dollars as stipulated damages, then neither court or jury, in law, have any province otherwise to determine.

Tuesday morning, school opens at the same hour and conducted throughout the day as on Monday, excepting the selecting of a new usher, and arithmetic substituted

for grammar. Wednesday, ditto, excepting grammar and arithmetic, supplying geography and astronomy, assisted by maps and the use of the globes.

Thursday all the branches as on Monday, Friday as on Tuesday, and on Saturday forenoon no writing except transcribing in the small blank book (provided for the purpose) ten of Solomon's and Franklin's proverbs already exhibited in the aforesaid four mentioned frames, and thus continued in order until the whole is not only transcribed, but committed to memory; after which, a short composition is to be enforced or exacted from all the large or more advanced scholars, selecting their own subject, and in two weeks next succeeding, receive a criticism on each composition from the teacher in open school; in connexion with his mark as first, second, and third best, for which shall be given by the teacher, thus entitled to the prize, a certificate, and at the end of six months those having the greatest number of these certificates, should have awarded by the trustees of the school, three premiums; No. 1, a silver medal weighing about half an once, suspended by about three quarters of a yard of green ribbon; on one side of the medal is engraved "Reward of Merit," and on the other, the name of the honored scholar, with the day, month, and year presented; the second prize to consist of a handsome and suitable book, costing at the bookseller's one dollar, and the the third less size book worth, at least, fifty cents, and in each of these books is a card to be placed, setting forth not only the name, but also the honored circumstances under which it was obtained. These three premiums will probably cost about three dollars, which with other minor quarterly gifts, consisting of one or two yards of ribbon, penknife, &c., can, by a little management on the part of the teacher, make Santa Claus foot the bill without impairing or causing any diminution in the minds of the scholars as to their teacher's generosity and love.

The president of the board of trustees is also to be honored with the presentation of the prizes to their respective owners in the name and behalf of the teacher, and after the medal is placed around the neck of the truly honored scholar, with the request to have it so worn suc-cessively for three Sabbaths, attending, if possible, to

divine worship in the morning at the Episcopal, or Church of England, afternoon the Presbyterian or Baptist order, and Methodist in the evening, and in after life ever to esteem it with pride and admiration, not surpassed by General Z. Taylor after the battle of Buena Vista; if possible, let all the parents of the scholars in the district be present in witnessing not only the presentation of the prizes, but also a general examination of the whole school, embracing vocal music, public speaking, &c., which two latter branches should be taught and practiced during the afternoon of every after Saturday; and if the teacher has a happy talent for singing, no objection to grant him ten minutes every other day during the week wherein to practice his school in the beautiful and much to be desired accomplishment, and through the course of the week the attendance of the teacher to one class, will enable many of the arithmeticiaus to form and correctly work out sums for themselves, and by a slight assistance, soon acquire a tasteful style in placing the same in a blank book already spoken of and provided. No arithmetician should be permitted to take any sum from a book until reaching Reduction as laid by Daboll, or even Dilworth's system, notwithstanding in the latter many typographical errors appear, and judged by a majority of the present generation as obsolete; in this recommendation, however, I do not discard all the systems of the present day in mental exercises on arithmetic, neither would I wish so to be understood as discountenancing the solution of any question preceding Reduction, as laid down by any author, but simply to declare that a child seeking improvement in arithmetic, should not enter Reduction before having thoroughly been made acquainted with the five fundamental rules, simple and compound Numeration, or Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division, and by examples of its own formation, shows that knowledge and conversancy without which it would be dangerous to advance. Children in pursuit of any branch of knowledge, should early be taught the difference between a science and an art; the former is a pursuit of the mind, hence astronomy and geography are sciences, as well as chemistry, botany, and mineralogy, &c., because they directly emanate from the hand of our Creator, without any human agency. And by our arts we gene

rally suppose something produced or brought to light through the humble instrumentality of man, consequently English grammar is an art wherein man agrees to conform to certain rules and regulations by which he will not only be able to read and write, but speak correctly and be easily understood by his fellow-creatures. The exactions of written compositions as already suggested, will lead children to think for themselves, and thereby enable them in after life to discharge many important duties growing out of business transactions, one of which is letter writing, or in other words, a correspondence or conversation between parties at a distance from each other.

"What shall I write?" is a question not unfrequently asked by a child when commanded to open a correspondence with an intimate friend, or on business with an entire stranger, which should invariably receive the following answer: "Precisely what you would wish to communicate if enjoying an oral or personal conversation." Whereas, many at the present day, from whom better things should be expected, commence a letter by saying, "I now sit down and take my pen in hand to inform you," &c., which although embracing two facts still unnecessary to mention and wholly immaterial to the party addressed, whether its correspondent sat or stood, and as to taking pen in hand, it would naturally be understood as not wielded or governed by the toes of the foot.

In letter writing, as well as other written instruments, correet spelling becomes very necessary and essential in connexion with the proper marks governing punctuation, else that which was intended for sense becomes nonsense, and that which was intended to convey truth, is changed into falsehood. And in speaking of false orthography, I am reminded of a young lady, who, having finished what she considered a complete education (though principally embracing the ornamental branches of embroidery, painting, music, and dancing), was desirous to communicate the same by letter to a much esteemed aunt, residing about a hundred miles off, commencing the inside address of her letter, "Deer Ant," which two words, standing directly connected, can bear no other construction than to make her beloved relative "wild pis-mire," and for want of proper marks in punctuation, the writer may become as ridiculous as a young man,

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who, being requested on a certain occasion to recite a speech contained in the tragedy of Douglass, commenced, "My name is Norvel on the Grampian Hills, we fought and conquered ere a sword was drawn," which conveys the idea that he had another name when not on the Grampian Hills, and fighting, and conquering before a sword was drawn, expresses a greater skill than usually attends warfare, or the success of combattants.

The discipline and course to be pursued by teachers in governing a school, though extended here at some length, is still far from embracing every particular, and while I have confined him, except practical illustrations in surveying, within the walls of his school-house, do not exonerate him from a general supervision as to deportment and behavior of his scholars in all outer walks not immediately under the eye of the parents or guardians. And as it will be further seen I have thrown, or imposed a heavy duty on the teachers, which, with the most faithful industry, cannot be discharged under eight and a half hours per day, and not even within this time without an early and punctual attendance on the part of the scholars, which can greatly be secured by the helping hand of parents or guardians; and as teachers of common schools. are obliged to keep an accurate account of the number of days attended by each scholar, I would say in the language of an old and experienced teacher, "Punctual attendance at school is the great axletree upon which the wheel of education turns."

As to the emolument, or wages of a teacher, I have already secured to him a comfortable dwelling and two acres of land for a garden, with keep for a cow, to which I would add a quarterly payment in cash $100, which will keep the teacher in such a state of good humor as to prevent what mothers dislike, the skinning of their children alive, or brains knocked out, and let them spare no pains in putting a stop to their husband's interrogations (when about employing a teacher), "What is the lowest you'll ax?" but give him and his family what has already been named, instead of a mere daily scanty pittance, or a dinner from off something more substantial and refreshing than a western breeze. When the last census was taken for the State of New York, (1845), there were one thousand five hundred and sixty-nine select, or private schools,