FOURTH DAY.

THURSDAY, May 7th.

The morning session was opened at nine o'clock. Prayer by the Rev. D. B. Cheney, of San Francisco.

The President announced that the first subject in order would be the discussion of text books in geography. The report of the Committee was in favor of Allen's Primary, to be succeeded by Cornell's Primary, Warren's Intermediate, and Warren's Physical.

Mr. Alley, of Sonoma, inquired whether Allen's Intermediate Geography had been published.

The President said it had not been published, and would not be for some time to come.

Mr. Higbie, of Napa, said that every author, as well as every Teacher, has his mode of doing things, and if the pupils start with one, it is much better to pursue that plan throughout. He was in favor of either Cornell or Warren, as a series, but rather preferred Warren, because he included in his geography the physical conformation of the country, which the other did not. Mr. Pelton, of San Francisco, as a member of the committee, begged leave to present some of the reasons which induced them to select the books named. It was thought that Allen's Primary Geography should be in the hands of every child, it being a pleasing instructor in natural objects connected with geography, though it was not strictly a book on geography, unless they regarded the subject in a very broad sense. The committee had not considered the book as necessarily a part of the series, although it was agreed upon that it should be properly the first regular book in geography. From an extensive use of Cornell in this State, as well as other States, for four or five years, he felt authorized in pronouncing it vastly superior to all other books of the sort. It combined theory and fact in the most happy manner, giving all the facts of general importance that a Common School pupil required. Every pupil should have its contents stowed carefully away in his mind. If he could have his way, he would permit no other course than that. Warren stepped outside of geography strictly, and presented a large variety of other interesting matter, such as Natural History and Physical Geography. Some geographies, he thought, exhibited

absurdity in its most absurd form. He was for taking this as the book for beginners, and beyond that having no regular text book, and no set lessons whatever. He mentioned several additional merits of Cornell's Primary. The typography was excellent; the questions and answers were naturally arranged in contrasted type, which was not a small matter for children, to whom a mass of type thrown together hap-hazard was unat tractive and injurious. The book contained just enough upon the map to give some distinct idea, and not too much so as to lead to confusion. Covered up with rivers, and the borders confused with names, no geography was likely to impress the image of a country so well on the mind; unless the ideas of pupils were constantly drawn to the facts which they were to acquire, they would forget what they were doing, and by having the questions in the midst of the material, they would learn as they advanced, and as children ought to do.

Mr. Wm. White, of Santa Cruz, said he had used Cornell's Primary Geography, and knew it to be a good work. It was a great assistant in map drawing, which he considered a very necessary part of the study of geography. Each time the child drew the map from the book he would do it better, and finally its image would be very clearly and indelibly impressed. He inquired why Warren's Primary Geography had not been adopted, so as to have a uniform series throughout.

Mr. Sparrow Smith, of Sacramento, preferred Cornell's series for the reason that it contained little that was arbitrary.

Mr. George Smith, of Sacramento, preferred Warren's. Practical questions, such as the resources of a country, were taken up in it, which were omitted in the others. The Superintendent had recommended that practical questions should be used and inculcated. He considered Warren's Primary Geography as eminently meeting that end. It seemed to him better to take up one entire series.

The President expressed a desire to hear from somebody in relation to Allen's Primary, which, he said, was founded on the object system of teaching, and was the first geography ever published based on the natural method of teaching that science, consequently, it ought to be welcomed, he thought, by every Teacher with a perfect shout of enthusiasm. The book spoke for itself, and would commend itself on five minutes examination to any Teacher. The publishers had no Agents in California, and, consequently, there was no influence behind it to secure its adoption.

Mr. George Smith inquired where or how pupils could get a knowledge of the physical conformation of a country in Cornell's Geography. Warren was far superior to any other that he had seen.

Mr. Sparrow Smith said the very reason why the last speaker preferred Warren, was his reason for rejecting him. In a general book, calculated for a Common School text book, one general description of the physical aspect of a country would answer every purpose.. Cornell's was a scholarly work. If Teachers had no information on this subject themselves, Warren was to be preferred; but all Teachers were supposed to know the principal features of physical geography, and to be able to present them orally in detail.

Mr. T. J. Alley thought the right way to begin teaching geography was with the terrestrial globe. It should be fully established to the child that the earth on which we live was a sphere, and that we were on the outside of it. That plan might be most satisfactorily carried out with Allen's. After that, no other work filling the place of Cornell was worthy of notice. Changes from one series of books to another in geography were not at all so serious as in the case of grammar. He found Warren's Intermediate far superior to Cornell's Intermediate-more instructive, and more interesting. The details were not so heavy. Four fifths of the contents of Cornell's Intermediate were unnecessary. Another thing in favor of Warren's, was its large map of the State of California, which gave an opportunity for teaching thoroughly the characteristics of our adopted State.

Mr. M. A. Lynde, of El Dorado, hoped the Convention would not adjourn without agreeing, with some unanimity, upon a particular series. It depended less upon the particular text books than the success in teaching that particular branch, and it was almost impossible to classify our Schools on that account. Parents frequently objected to purchasing text books, and many of the right sort of books could not be obtained. Were the matter once settled, and the authority of the law given to a fixed series, there could be no further difficulty. Even a poor book in the hands of a skilful Teacher would be found beneficial.

The President announced that the time allotted for the discussion of text books on geography was up, and that the next subject in order would be histories of the United States.

Mr. J. L. Wilbur, of Yolo, said he was requested by Mr. Mc

Chesney, of Nevada, whose business took him away, to offer a resolution that too much time was spent in the study of geography in our Common Schools. The idea was that the memory of pupils was burdened with technicalities and minor features, to the neglect of the great outlines.

The resolution was adopted.

Mr. Tait, of San Francisco, considered history next in importance to geography, and next in difficulty to arithmetic. He could not name any text book which he particularly preferred above others. Whatever book was used should be used as a reading book by the historical class, and not used as a text book Then he would have a set of questions prepared early per se. in the School session, to be copied by each scholar into a blank book. A hundred questions would embrace all the great facts of the book. Let the answers to these questions be memorized thoroughly, but let the lessons be topical, not by so many pages of the book. For instance, let one lesson concern the aborigines of the country; have the lesson read by the class, and talked over by the Teachers, avoiding for the time all parts of the book that do not bear upon this one topic. In this way the scholar finds himself in the midst of a delightful study, and not, as by the common method, lost in the mazes of insignificant details. Let another topic lesson, or series of reading lessons, be the foremost Americans of certain epochs. While that is on, let all other parts of the book be kept aside. Again, history, studied in this way, may be made an excellent auxiliary to acquiring the use of language. Keep the class interested for two or three days upon some one topic, and then require some one of them to tell all he knows about a portion of it. Say, ask him to tell all he knows about Washington. Don't be too sharp or critical upon him. Give him full swing. He has remembered some anecdote, some one fact, some remakable saying. Encourage him to tell that. He will like it; the others will chafe for their time to come. Now, to tell a story well, to make a clear statement of what one knows, is a great art; the pupil by such exercises is led on unwittingly to the acquirement of that art. He is learning the practical part of grammar without suspecting it. He acquires fluency of speech by the means, and indelibly fastens on his own mind the history that he has learned by repeating it to others.

Mr. Wilbur expressed unqualified concurrence in the remarks just made, and regarded history as the only study calculated to

instil a noble patriotism. The mind was expanded as much as in any other study, whilst it became enriched with the facts of centuries. He liked Willson.

Mr. William White, of Santa Cruz, said within the last two years he had visited, in this State and in Oregon, two hundred Schools, of which one hundred and sixty, at least, were Public Schools, and he had seen history taught in only fourteen.

Mr. Conklin, of Placerville, hardly concurred in the views which had been presented as to the proper method of teaching history. The topical method was very excellent, and the results he knew to be good. Instead of taking the study up after geography, he would teach them together, but reading lessons should be made reading lessons exclusively.

The President announced that the time had expired, and the next subject in order was

GRAMMAR.

Mr. Pelton thought Quackenbos was excellent in the employment of rational terms. Many other books attempted to lead the child through matters utterly incomprehensible to them. The whole subject of Grammar was usually on stilts; it was of no practical use until knocked off and brought down to a rational standard of English. The first grammarians in our language were, unfortunately, classical scholars, and consequently, had lugged in a vast amount of irrelevant matter.

Mr. Tait, of San Francisco, could not conceive why a Teacher who had plodded his way in the acquirement of the science of language should not be able to point out clearly to scholars the very difficulties which he had met, and show them how to step over them. He strongly advised Teachers to purchase a little book entitled "Wells' Graded Schools," which was a whole Normal School in itself, a perfect Teachers' Institute, presenting compactly a system with which any live Teacher would be sure to succeed. Mr. Wells was the Superintendent of Schools at Chicago, and his work had been very generally adopted as a guide. He (Tait) could not point out any defects in it. He thought very highly of Greene's Grammar, because it was classic in its style, and a chaste manner of expressing one's thoughts was the object of Grammar. Mr. Greene had copied the best parts of a peculiar Greek Grammar.

Mr. A. Higbie, of Napa, said, by some hook or crook, Teachers outside of the city were shut up in School houses, away from