attendance. The master, or whoever admits children (whoever it may be, the master ought always to be present), will naturally be led to speak to the parents of the advantages of a good school, and that there cannot be such a thing, except the parents will do their part out of school. Let him, however, distinguish more specifically than is commonly done between the parent's and the schoolmaster's duties in reference to the school; and, after making sure that they understand the matter, require them expressly to promise to do their parts; with the proviso, that if they break the rules, the child's name is to be struck off. First, assure them, that leave of absence will always be granted cheerfully, if asked beforehand by one of the parents, either personally or by note (of course messages by children go for just nothing; you have only to receive no messages by children, and the parents will soon cease to send them), if asked beforehand, upon a reasonable ground. Impress upon them, that the emphatic word, the only word of consequence for them to remember, is "beforehand." On the other hand, that absence, without leave obtained beforehand, will never once be overlooked. That it will be treated as a wilful violation on the parent's part of the great condition upon which the child was admitted to the privileges of the school; that a child once absent without leave must not be sent again he no longer belongs to the school, no more than if he had never been admitted; that the only chance is for the parents to apply for re-admission, which they must expect to find more difficult of attainment than admission upon the first application. Point out to them, that the strict observance of these simple rules will give very little trouble either to them or you, while the breach of them would give abundance to both, besides injuring the school. You will, however, always appeal, with the parents as with the children, to the highest order of motives that you find ready to respond. All this you will do with a manner as kind as it is firm. In conclusion, you had better call upon the parents to express their full assent and consent to the rules, and to pledge themselves to observe them; requiring them to answer aloud some such questions as the following: e. g., "Will you undertake all about the attendance of your child; that he is to attend regularly and punctually? that he shall never be absent without leave asked beforehand? You quite understand, that to be late is to be absent? If ever he should be absent without leave, you will not offer to send him again? If you wish him to come again, you will bring him at the appointed time as a candidate for re-admission? You may not withdraw him from the school without coming to return thanks for the advantages he has enjoyed?" You may judge from the parent's look, whether it is desirable to add, "You make all these promises, honestly meaning to keep them ?" It will also be worth the while to address a few words to the same purport, mutatis mutandis, to the children also.

And here let me remark, that no part of a master's time tells more certainly, or more largely, upon the success of his school, than an odd five or ten minutes now and then given up to a quiet talk with the parents or children. Some masters seem to imagine, that all time is wasted that is not spent in direct teaching; some, that even two or three minutes of perfect silence before prayers is waste of time. There should be no such bustling; no such fidgettiness about a church schoolmaster, who ought

to be glad of an opportunity of shewing that in his view book-learning is not the summum bonum of the school; that quietness is better than excitement; tone than system; reverence than knowledge; and that the heart is of more consequence than the head. Not that I mean for a moment to allow, that in the long run there is any loss of time in point of sound learning by a little quiet talk with the parents or school. I hope no one looks upon this paragraph as a digression.

Another necessary means is, that perfect accuracy and punctuality be observed in the accounts and registers,* and in every matter connected with the attendance. Perhaps it will be the readiest method to give a rough sketch of a morning school-time with reference to this point.

If the prayer hour be nine, let the rules specify a quarter before nine as the time for commencing school, with the understanding, that though the quarter of an hour is allowed for collecting the school and getting it in order for prayers, yet each child is due at a quarter before nine: e. g., if a mother comes in a pet to complain that the rules are too strict for anything, for her Thomas was sent back when he could not have been above a minute too late, let the master, looking as astonished as he can, reply that there must be some mistake, for to his knowledge the door was not shut till nine o'clock, which was a quarter of an hour after the boy should have been in his place. The parents will soon take the hint, and learn that the rules of the school have a meaning.

At a quarter before nine, then, the doors open; the master takes his place at some convenient spot for holding a levée of the parents; the monitors seat themselves upon their class-boxes with their class-boards in their hands, and proceed to chalk the initial letters† on the floor, at the same time entering the Total of the class, and then to mark off their boys as they arrive at their places; the usher walks about the school to see that the monitors do their duty and the children assemble quietly. If the church clock is within hearing, a boy is set outside to listen for the striking of the hour, who, upon the last stroke, bolts the door, and as he does so, the usher strikes the prayer-bell thrice at intervals of three or four seconds; the monitors at the same moment setting down the number present at prayers, of course under the P.P. It is a good plan to suspend on the outside of the door a notice to the following effect: Keep silence: the school is at prayers.'

دو

By 20 minutes to 10, the sick and leave book is duly posted in such a manner as to afford a ready check at a moment's glance. The monitor then with this book in his hand proceeds to take his account upon a slate, entering the names of the absentees at the back; by a quarter past ten, the account slate is hung up in some conspicuous place, so that the master can see at a glance that the attendance is kept up to the mark.

* Should any of our readers desire it, we shall be happy to give in a future number specimens of the various registers and forms, e. g., of a-1. Sick and Leave book. 2. Attendance Report and Register. 3. Master's Suspension book. 4. Weekly Report to the Committee. 5. Suspension Ticket. In a small school, the first four might be in one volume, ruled by the master or mistress, as wanted.

† P.P. | G.P.+S+L+A=T, viz., Present at Prayers; Gross Present; Sick; absent with Leave; Absent without leave; and Total number on the classlist.

Ordinarily he will only in passing just compare the P.P. with the T. of the school; for he knows that this is the only sure test, making due allowance for the S. and L. About once a-week he will call for the S. and L. book, and just compare it with the account of the day. Ordinarily, as I have already remarked, he is satisfied with comparing the P.P. with the T., e. g., if with T. 100, he finds the P.P. 92 (i.e. as 25 to 23) he is satisfied, allowing about eight per cent for absence from all causes. He is not concerned how the eight per cent may be divided among the S. and L. and A. It may be 5+3, or 6+2, or 4+3+1; the only test of consequence being the proportion of the P.P. to the T.

At five minutes to twelve, the school is stopped, the suspension tickets having been filled up in the interval. Admonition tickets, as they are called in some schools, would of course be fatal to the plan as tampering with the law. By five minutes past twelve, books &c., are collected, and all is silent, the master standing up with his memorandum book in his hand, and the usher at his side holding the suspension tickets. As the latter calls out " Third class," the master sets down the figure 3, and so "James Thompson," (or any other name,) which is no sooner pronounced by the usher than all who know his residence hold up their hands in silence, and as quickly the monitor nominates one of them as the bearer, and as he does so the master enters it against "James Thompson" in a parenthesis, or in another column. And so the school is dismissed. The suspension of a boy so as to allow one of the parents to come to explain matters, and beg him in again within a limited time, say three days, is always to be spoken of as an act of grace. Strictly speaking, the boy's place on the school-boards is forfeited already; the suspension is an act of grace, not provided by the rules. If within the specified time neither of the parents appear, the name is struck off. If one of them comes (the sooner the better), the master makes a favour of re-admitting the child, and warns the parent with all kindness not to repeat the offence. If any of the parents shew that they are disposed to take advantage of the kindness shown in only suspending the child, by allowing it to be done three times, then of course the name is struck off; and if the parents come to complain, they must be told with kindness that they have no one to blame but themselves; that by breaking their engagement and promises made at the admission of their child, they have forfeited the privileges of the school, as they knew would be the case; that more forbearance has been evinced towards them than they were led, or had any right, to expect.

From what has been said you will see, that in this matter of Attendance, perhaps more than in any other part of school business, certain great principles are involved; and that the main difficulty in inculcating these principles lies with the parents, and not with the children. The simple scheme propounded to you to-day, if carried into execution in a Christian spirit, will help to teach the parents, and children too, among other valuable lessons, the following ;-the importance of Law. As the good and wise George Herbert has said;

It is all very pretty to talk about the master of a national school with two or three hundred boys being as a father to all of them. The true analogy is not that of a family so much as that of a small state or kingdom. Children know a good school, and always like a strict master. They are ready enough to learn one of the choicest lessons in the writings of the judicious Hooker, that "of Law there can be no less acknowledged, than that her seat is the bosom of God, her voice the harmony of the world;.........both angels, and men, and creatures of what condition soever, though each in different sort and manner, yet all with uniform consent, admiring her as the mother of their peace and joy."

(The rest of this paper,-containing answers to several plausible objections, and a few remarks upon the moral qualifications required and exercised by this scheme in the master [or mistress], and the beneficial effects upon all parties concerned, particularly upon the general character of the school,-we are obliged to postpone to a future opportunity.)

HINTS FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS OF OUR NATIONAL SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTION, SUGGESTED BY A RECENT

VISIT TO CERTAIN SCHOOLS IN FRANCE. My dear Sir, I believe that I shall best meet your wish, if instead of sending the rather lengthened account of the several schools visited by me in France, I mention the few things in them which appear to me worthy of attention or approval. I will only preface these remarks by observing, that each of the systems of instruction in use, whether among our neighbours or ourselves, seems to have some peculiar advantages for developing and directing certain faculties of the child's mind, whilst at the same time, with regard to other tendencies or feelings (equally important, perhaps, and for which other systems more efficiently provide), it is ill-adapted or even injurious. If I am right in this opinion, it will of course follow, that the best system of education would be that which should select and appropriate only just so much as was valuable in each; and accordingly, without presuming to do more than suggest upon what principles it should be attempted, I have given, at the end of this letter, a slight sketch of such a combination.

But, that I may comply with your request, (after expressing, however, my conviction that no perfection of system can compensate for the want of a proper presiding spirit in the master or mistress), let me proceed to commend in the French schools,

1st, The manual for boys' (and girls') schools. It is suggested that this work should be sold* rather than gratuitously distributed, and that

*Perhaps, if sixpence or eightpence were added to the cost price of this manual, this overplus would serve to prepay the postage for the sheets to be forwarded annually to the schoolmasters who had originally purchased the work.

every year a sheet (to be inserted as an appendix) should be printed by the committee of the Normal school, with suggestions and improvements, which might be embodied in a new edition whenever called for. In the French Manual, so minute are the directions given, that any intelligent person, who had given common attention to the subject, and possessed the happy art of governing children, might establish a school on the plan recommended without having seen one in action. But it is to the forgetful or half-taught instructor, that such a book would be more particularly valuable; and to these advantages might also be added, that whilst it preserves the method professed in the schools from being blamed for the errors of the individual master (or mistress), it enables any visitor to observe deviations, whether well or ill advised.

2ndly, A programme of (the kind of) questions to be answered by all candidates for the office of instructor in elementary schools. When joined with a corresponding book or books of instruction, it would serve also as a preparation for that situation, of which it was the standard of qualification.

3rdly, Drawing (in black chalk) upon good principles, and with a view to a practical application of it, i. e., the pupil should commence with the human features and form, and proceed when comparative accuracy is acquired, to "ornament," as applicable to furniture or buildings. If, as in France, drawing should be introduced into girls' schools for the purpose of giving facility and taste in embroidery and pattern-designing, it should be taught at first upon the same plan, but exercised upon flowers and landscapes, rather than upon designs for wood or stone carving.

4thly, Music taught upon Wilhem's system, and occasionally practised during school hours by the children marching in quick or slow time.

5thly, Chronological tables, upon the French and Polish plan.* By these it would seem to be easy to obtain a much better knowledge of dates and history than is usually to be found in English schools,

6thly, Fifteen or sixteen lithographed books or pamphlets, to teach children to read such written letters or documents as they will probably meet with in after life. No. 1 is of course the most easy of perusal, and from that to No. 16 there is a gradation to the most cramped, and perhaps, to boys in general, illegible hand.†

7thly, A short and easy essay written by the upper class or classes once a week. In some schools in France, in place of this essay, a letter is occasionally dictated upon some circumstance, real or supposed, and calculated to draw forth and exercise the moral feelings of the children in the reply which they are expected to address to their imaginary correspondent. It has been objected, however, that this might have a bad effect, as requiring a child to speak and parade his or her own feelings, or to invent feelings and fancies.

* "Méthode Mnémonique Franco-Polonaise." (Caron, Rue Condè, 19.)

It has doubtless often been the lot of some of our readers to find that persons educated at our national schools, have been unable to decypher a letter or written direction.