society, where they were in need of some good book to tell them how to use the English language properly, and the classics were not of so much importance to them as a good use of the plain Anglo-Saxon words. [Applause.] Greene was a classic author, no doubt; but so was Fowler, and the latter combined the same advantages with more system and force.

Mr. John Bagnall, of Colusa, considered the Teacher himself as of far greater importance than the text book. By judicious conversation and questioning he could make it interesting. If it was a dry subject to the scholars, the Teacher's business was to wet it for them.

Mr. Comins, of Calaveras, said he was willing, generally, to defer to city Teachers, but he thought the remark of a previous speaker, to the effect that country Teachers needed a text book to know how to talk English, would have come in better grace had it been qualified a little. [Laughter.]

Mr. Higbie said he was from the country himself, and intended no reflections.

The President remarked that the "Only Sure Guide to the English Tongue," an ancient book with queer illustrations, had not been canvassed as a text book, and it was still lying unhonored and unsung, buried under heaps of other text books.

A gentleman desired to have part of it read for information, but the proposition was ruled out of order, on the ground that the peculiarities of the book lay in its pictures.

SOCIAL REUNION.

The President called attention to the social reunion which was to take place on Friday evening, and stated that tickets might be had of Messrs. Swezy and Tait.

Mr. M. A. Lynde, Superintendent of El Dorado County, regretted that the reunion had been left to the last day, for the reason that a large portion of the Teachers of the interior would be compelled to leave on Friday's boat. He felt safe, however, in saying, on their behalf, that it was not because they did not wish to attend the reunion; but they were obliged to get to their work on Monday morning, and would otherwise have to violate the Sabbath.

Mr. Swett said it was placed on Friday in obedience to the old maxim of" work first, and afterwards play." [Applause.] At ten o'clock and thirty-five minutes a recess was taken for ten minutes; after which a second calisthenic performance, by

Miss Parrott's class of young ladies from the State Normal School, was witnessed with interest.

A STATE EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL.

Mr. D. C. Stone, from the Committee on the Establishment of a State Educational Journal, reported verbally, that the committee were not in favor of the project, as the expenses of such a work would be too great; and recommended that the efforts and good will of the California Teachers be given to some of the most worthy of the Eastern journals, such as the Rhode Island Schoolmaster, or Massachusetts Teacher, the Illinois Journal of Education, etc. The Rhode Island Schoolmaster was published at one dollar per annum, and at the present rate of exchange it would not cost over seventy cents, and by taking a large number of copies the price would be still further reduced. The periodical was invaluable. He proposed that each Teacher subscribe for it, and leave seventy-five cents with the Secretary.

Mr. H. N. Wilbur, of Yolo, said we did not depend on the East for our breadstuffs, and the like, and it was strange if we had not talent or money in this State to establish an educational journal. He was strongly in favor of it. The previous effort to establish an exponent of the Teachers had failed, it was true. He remembered falling in with an old style Teacher who used the birch and chewed tobacco. "That paper at San Francisco," said he, "I believe Mr. John Swett is the author, has innovations in it; I do not believe in book farming or book teaching!" That Teacher was opposed to blackboards-thought slates were sufficient. The time was come when such opinions should be rooted out, and he believed it could be most effectually done by a State Educational Journal.

Mr. Sparrow Smith, of Sacramento, respectfully dissented from the report of the committee. He believed we had patriotism as well as talent and money enough to support a State School Journal. Teachers would rather pay three dollars-or even five dollars-for an educational journal here, 'than to subscribe for one in the East. Franklin remarked, "the more papers, the more readers," and he succeeded in establishing the third daily paper in the United States, notwithstanding the adverse predictions of his friends. The Teachers of California wanted the people to know that they were a distinctive association, and a profession whose rights and privileges were to be

respected. All of them agreed that there were great faults in the educational system of California, and they could not depend upon Eastern journals. For his part, he would rather give ten dollars or twenty dollars for a State journal than twenty-five cents a dozen for all the Teacher's journals published in the East. His plan was, that there should be a Resident Editor in each of the counties, who should take charge of the local Institutes for the year, and furnish the matter for that month. It would be a fine way to bring out the talent of the Teachers, and to impart to each other their experience. It could be published for three dollars a year, and he thought less, even if there were only a few copies taken. He hoped there would be an abundant discussion.

Mr. J. C. Pelton, of San Francisco, said he would rather pay ten dollars for something produced in California, than six bits or two bits for the same article produced in Connecticut.

Mr. J. L. Wilbur, of Yolo, said he was in favor of a State educational journal, but a majority of the Teachers in California taught only three or four months in the year, and in some instances their Post Office address was five to fifteen miles away, so that they would not be able to get a California journal any quicker than one from the States. An educational journal in Boston or Philadelphia, where talent was commanded by money, embraced the fundamental principles of instruction as well as any could on this side of the Rocky Mountains. Our maps and School books were not published here. The metropolitan Teacher could not conceive of the difficulties experienced by country School Teachers. Children came from two to four miles, and they stood faithfully by to aid, while their pupils were fighting the mosquitoes and obtaining the rudiments of education. A tax of eight dollars or ten dollars at the heels of their uncollected rate bills would pan them out. [Laughter.]

Mr. Sparrow Smith said the last gentleman inadvertantly made a gross misstatement, when he said that the Eastern educational journals commanded talent by money. It was notoriously untrue. [Laughter.] Not one of the educational jourmals in the East paid anything for their articles, and that was why they made them come so cheap.

Professor Swezey said he was somewhat familiar with educational journals in the East, and they had been of immense assistance to him. The New York Teacher was supported in the manner just indicated, by the Teachers of the State. In other

States bodies similar to this, only not one tenth as large, established journals of education, and individual members had signed papers by which they became responsible for any deficiency that might arise in the publication. Some of them were obliged to pay ten dollars or so, each. There were present at this Institute four hundred Teachers. Was it possible that here such a journal could not be supported? It was necessary to know each other's doings, and to be apprised of changes in Post Office address. If Teachers lived so far away as to be able to get to the Post Office only once a month, let them go on the day that the California Educational Journal arrives. [Applause.] They needed, also, some such means of communication between the State Superintendent and county officers and Teachers. He had made some inquiries in reference to the cost of printing an educational journal in this State. One printer said he would print five hundred copies of a monthly magazine, containing thirty-six pages of original matter, and some additional advertisements, for about ninety-six dollars. He was of the opinion that twelve hundred dollars would cover the expenses for a year, and one hundred and twenty-two dollars a month would furnish one thousand copies. There was no influence so powerful to promote the interests of education as a journal; and wherever journals had been established with a will, they had succeeded most wonderfully. He had been surprised, on looking over the back volumes of the New York Teacher in his possession, at the amount of useful matter they contained. He proposed that each one should pledge himself for four subscribers, and pay the money in. [Applause.]

Dr. H. Gibbons said, a certain old rat, in a convocation of rats, who had been very much annoyed by a certain cat, proposed as a remedy that a bell should be put on the neck of their feline neighbor, so as to give notice of her coming. That was agreed to with great unanimity; but the next question was, "Who should put the bell on the cat's neck?" He had had a great deal of experience in the publication of journals both in this State and the Atlantic States, and he ventured to assert that if they were to inquire as to the probabilities of the success of this journal in any of the printing offices of the city, not a solitary man would answer that it could be carried out successfully. Mr. George Tait, of San Francisco, thought the matter of such great importance that something should be attempted. The people needed to be informed of the labors of the Teacher.

The newspapers were not open to them. An organ was needed. Honors were not conferred upon Teachers-they were never made honorary members of associations. They were not distinguished from the general mass. The preference was given to doctors and lawyers. Teachers were respected by parents for their education and their virtues, but not by the general community. Wealth and honors lay in another direction. He had felt these difficulties, and the question had even occurred to him whether it would not be better to enter some other profession, or become a merchant. It was their own fault. A journal of education would serve as an organ, would enlighten the people in relation to schools, and enable Teachers to maintain properly their own standing as a class. During the last six weeks the Board of Education had been perfecting their school regulations, taking the Sacramento Act, and compiling from it and from other Acts. Such facts should be made known to the Teachers by means of a journal. The Board of Education of San Francisco would want five hundred copies of it—at least it would pay them, and pay the Teachers, to take that number. Not long since a difficulty sprung up in one of the Schools here: some children refused to sing patriotic songs, and there was a "muss." Parents said they had the right to say what they should sing, and the Board of Education did not know how to meet the difficulty; when, finally, it was decided that the Music Teacher should determine what was to be sung. Similar difficulties had sprung up in other Schools; and a journal, while removing many of these, would inculcate uniformity of principles and practice.

Mr. Minns in the Chair.

Mr. E. A. Rogers, of Tuolumne, said this was an age of progress. That a journal was needed, no one could doubt; but the only question was, "Is it practicable?" An educational journal would display a certain amount of intellectual merit in the State, which all of them would be glad to see. But it was also an age of economical progress. As a friend of education, he would prefer to distribute among the people the largest number of journals devoted to the cause of education that he could for the same amount of money. To get at the matter, he moved that a paper be left on the Secretary's desk, to give an opportu nity to each and every member to subscribe the number of copies he would be willing to be responsible for, showing, by that means, how far they were willing to test their sincerity