fited by the experience of others in the mode of our examination, I beg leave to send you a leaf out of our examination book, to provoke further suggestions for its improvement, and to recommend it for adoption where it is approved.

The figures in the columns are the sums of the marks; for instance : Under the head " Holy Scriptures," one mark would be given for correct reading; the remainder are gained by answers to the questions on the subject read, and on the Scriptures generally.

Under the head " Catechism," the children would have in turn two or three questions from the Catechism, and then in explanation of it. Under the head " Liturgy," a certain number of marks would be gained for the repetition of Collects, and other parts of the Church Service, and the remainder for answering questions on the Liturgy.

Under the head " Christian Knowledge," the book used on this occasion was the Society's Faith and Duty of a Christian; and a double mark was given for every answer with the Scripture reference correctly added. The Arithmetic was Mental Arithmetic.

By such a mode of examination, the visitors are enabled to place before the parochial clergyman the real state of his school-there can be no display got up for the occasion; the report is made without partiality, and without hypocrisy; without flattery, and without pain.

Yours faithfully,

J. G.

ON SCHOOL APPARATUS.

NO. II.-ON THE USE OF MAPS.

MY DEAR SIR,-The next point on which I shall touch, is that of maps. The great difficulty in using maps is, to make the children understand what a map is. When they see a great map of the Holy

Land, and a little map of the World, they are apt to think that the Holy Land is larger than the World. This evil is most easily obviated by having many maps of different scales, and there is a small map of the Holy Land, printed by the Christian Knowledge Society, which will answer this purpose, but a master who has the other maps published by the Christian Knowledge Society, or only a few of them, may explain the difficulties by pointing out the limits of one map or another; e.g., we will suppose that the school possesses the three maps most necessary for every school, the World, price 9s., the History of the Old Testament, 6s., and the Holy Land at our Saviour's time, 2s. Let the master mark out the limits of the map of the Holy Land on the map of the Old Testament history, and of this again on the World. This sort of knowledge is not acquired in a moment, but if a few of the children are instructed, they soon communicate their knowledge to the rest. I have often seen the idea of a scale" communicated by exhibiting two pictures of the same object drawn on a different scale, and such pictures might be kept in the school. But there is a game at which children often play, which furnishes a very good illustration on a slate.

The game is sometimes called

noughts and crosses," and if the children are accustomed to it and see three tables of different sizes, and are made to put down the noughts and crosses, on these tables of different scales, they will get an idea of a scale, they will at once make the figures of the noughts and crosses proportioned to the tables.

But the whole matter is most effectually explained by the actual drawing of the map-first copying, and then reducing to another scale. The map of their own neighbourhood, if it can be shown to the children of a school, is that which practically enables them to understand the nature of a map; and an intelligent master may either procure or construct something of this sort. He may make the boys draw a map of their own school, and school yard, and then of the immediate neighbourhood, and thus practically teach the idea of a scale.

The next difficulty which I shall mention, is with regard to latitude and longitude. The children do not understand what these lines meanmay I say that older children are often not clear in their idea on this subject? The way I should try to obviate this, would be, by placing before the class a terrestial globe, and a blank hemisphere. The blank and outline hemispheres may be obtained at the Christian Knowledge Society for less than 2d. each; and there are slates prepared there with lines cut in, so that the scholar may draw maps and rub them out again; these slates are less than 1s. each. But a master who has no globe in his school, may easily construct an armillary sphere for himself, which will give the children a full idea of what the lines of latitude and longitude are. Let him cut out a dozen circles, in paper, of the same size, and then stick some of them together, in imitation of a sphere and the lines of longitude, he will soon see that all the circles of longitude are

of the same size, great circles; but when he tries to stick in the latitude circles, then, in all, excepting that at the equator, he must cut out a smaller circle, and he will perceive that the circles will continue to diminish as he gets nearer to the pole. It is not perhaps necessary at first, to dwell on particulars, but an intelligent master will soon discover the law of variation in the size of these circles. The practical advantage is, that the children taught by the person who understands these matters, will themselves soon learn the meaning of lines which we all use, and of the principles of which many persons are ignorant. When the learners have acquired a notion of latitude and longitude, the next step will be to teach them to draw the map, first as a copy, and then on a different scale. In this the Christian Knowledge Society's slates will afford much facility, and save expense. But I have, perhaps, said enough for to day. If any of your correspondents, who have attempted to follow my suggestions, have found any difficulty, and will state it to you, I shall be glad to try to obviate it. I would add, that if practical teachers would state their difficulties, those who had experience in the art, might be able to obviate some of them at least; and as difficulties solved for one master, may exist with many others, it is probable that more good may be thus effected, than at first sight meets the eye.

Believe me yours truly,

AMICUS.

I send you some more questions. I have found these of use to mistresses, and I cannot help believing, that if other correspondents who have more time and experience, would furnish their fellow labourers with others of the same description, they would be doing a service to the cause.

Questions in Arithmetic.

A boy had 103 marbles in a bag, in which there was a hole; 24 slipped out, how many had he left?

Á schoolfellow, who saw him crying for the loss of his marbles, kindly gave him 30, how many then had he?

And how many would he have had if he had not lost the 24 ?

Some sheep have 4 horns, some 2, and some no horns; in a flock there were 100 sheep, 23 had 4 horns, 45 had 2 horns, how many had no horns? How many horns were there in the 24 with 4 horns each ?

How many in the 45 with 2 horns each ?

How many horns in all?

How much greater is the double of 93 than the half of 354?

How much greater is the half of 508 than the third of 620 ?

How much are the half of 390 and the quarter of 700?

One man had five times 57 pounds, another had a quarter of 1000 pounds, how much more had the one than the other?

How much greater a sum is 30 crowns than 60 shillings?

How much greater a sum is 30 half-sovereigns than 40 half-crowns?

How many sixpences are there in 20 pounds?

How many fourpenny pieces are there in 2 pounds?

How many threepences are there in 5 pounds?

An inspector visited seven schools in a fortnight. The first contained 103 boys; the second, 53 girls; the third, 200 girls; the fourth, 80 boys; the fifth, 9 boys; the sixth, 140 girls; and the seventh, 375 boys.

How many children were there?

How many boys?

How many girls?

How many more were there of the one than of the other?

Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem, how old was he when he died?

Hezekiah began to reign when he was 25 years old, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem, how old was he when he died?

Jehoshaphat was 60 years old when he died, and he reigned 25 years, how old was he when he began to reign?

Hezekiah was 54 years old when he died, and when he began to reign he was 25 years old, how many years did he reign?

Questions on the Chronological Table.

The two tables are of the same length.

One comprehends a space of time nearly amounting to 6,000 years. The other embraces a period of 1,500— What is the relative size of the scales of these tables?

The table itself is a yard long-How many years will be comprehended in the space of an inch, in the creation table?

How many in the table of the history of the Jews?

The kingdoms of Judah and Israel began 975 years before Christ;__the captivity of Israel began 721 years before Christ; that of Judah 588-How long did each of these kingdoms last?

Saul began to reign 2,909 years from the creation-What was the space of time from Saul's becoming king, to the captivity of Judah?

Moses died 2,553 years from the creation- How many years did the government of the judges last?

The first Liturgy of Edward VI. was published in 1549-How long ago was that?

The present Liturgy was published in 1661-How old is this?
How many years were there between the first and the last?

America was discovered in 1498-How long ago was this?

The mariner's compass was used about the year 1200-How many years was this before the discovery of America?

Questions on Geographical Arithmetic.

The equator is divided into 360 degrees. If each of these were 69 miles and a half English, what would be the circumference of the earth?

The earth turns on its axis, or goes round, once in 24 hours-How many degrees pass the sun each hour?

How long is one degree in passing the sun?

There is a town in Cornwall which is five degrees west of London-How many minutes later must the clock be there than in London ?

There was a place where the clock was always 18 minutes later than London-What was its longitude?

The longitude of Hobart Town, Van Dieman's Land, is 150° east-How is the time there, with reference to the time in England?

ARE NOT THE HOLIDAYS AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS TOO LONG, OR TOO FREQUENT?

QUERIES BY A PARENT.

SIR,-I believe that you consider our public schools, and free grammar schools, within the scope of your Journal of Education. If so, you will perhaps allow me to ask in your pages :

1. Whether the ordinary holidays at our schools for the higher classes in general, be not more than enough in length, or frequency, or both, for the purposes of needful relaxation?

2. Whether it be not highly objectionable to extend them to such a length as tends to foster habits of idleness in the boys, as well as to curtail seriously the amount of education stipulated for and paid for by the parents?

3. Whether on these grounds it is not desirable to put some limit to the practice of lengthening the customary holidays on the occurrence of any joyful event in the Royal Family?

4. Whether such an indulgence as the week's extra holiday, lately given at some of our public schools, on the occasion of the marriage of her Royal Highness the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, is to be ascribed to any request originating in the parties, in whose honour the holiday is ostensibly given; or whether it must not rather be attributed to a suggestion on the part of the boys themselves, complied with, because it is generally presumed to be the wish of the masters also ?

Hoping that these questions may lead to some useful discussion, and suggesting that a list of the holidays enjoyed at our schools of chief repute, would be a valuable document in your Journal,

I remain your obedient Servant,

A PARENT.

FAMILIAR LECTURES, IN CONNECTION WITH THE INTERROGATORY SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTION.

"It ought ever to be remembered, that the success of the teacher is to be measured, not by the number of words with which he loads the memory, but by the application and reflection which he establishes in the mind of his pupil."-M'CULLOCH.

THERE is, perhaps, no circumstance which more favourably distinguishes the modern from the old systems of education, than the substitution, to a great extent, of lectures, explanatory conversations, experiments, and other rational modes of imparting instruction, for the irksome and unprofitable practice of committing everything to the memory. By the latter absurd procedure, this one faculty was perniciously overtasked, while the reasoning powers were left comparatively unexercised. It is a judicious remark of Locke's that "memory is so necessary to all parts and conditions of life, and so little is to be done without it, that we are not to fear that it should grow dull and useless for want of exercise, if exercise would make it grow stronger."

Forgetting that the memory is a mere storehouse, in which matters of fact are to be garnered for future use, our forefathers seem to have thought that a strong power of retention was synonymous with a superior understanding; but it is now well known that this partial strength may exist in company with a very feeble judgment, and great obtuseness of intellect. This error only too naturally led to the cultivation of one faculty of the mind, and in this case, of a subordinate one, at the expense of the rest: for what is memory but (as Dr. John