Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-07-21
EDUCATIO NAI
C.. D. BELDEN, EDITOR.

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School elections through the county
were held Saturday evening. We hope
to publish soon the list of officers elected.
The Austin city schools commence
Monday. September 9Th. The examina
ton Of teachers will be held on the
Thursday previous.
Teachers must send in reports for the
present summer term, even if they are
to have fall term after a short recess.
The official school } ear closes in August.
SLATE RUL1SG.-Take an old, worm
out pen Of large size. break off the
points. and a second pair of points will
remain just the right distance apart for
the small spaces.
Our SCHOOL-RoOM L1BRARY.-The pu.
pills of my class average twelve or four
teen years of age. Knowing that pupils
OF this age toiU read-good books if they
can get them. trashy and worthless
books If they have no other-at the
beginning of the year 1 resolved to do
what l could toward forming and cult
vating IN my class taste for literature.
I had two or three sets of readers,
Esop's Fables, and a few books of
history and travel, which l placed on
the shelf in the school-room. During
the week, I assigned different pupils
short selections from these books. TO be
prepared and read in the class on Friday
afternoon. These readings formed the
most interesting exercise of the week,
and soon every pupil was anxious to get
book. When he did get one. there was
usually very little in it that was not
devourcd during the three or four days
that he was allowed to keep it.
After this desire for reading had been
aroused in the class, suggested to them
that if each one were willing to assist,
we might have q very nice little library
in the school-room. All expressed their
willingness to do so, ard told each one
who had nice hook that he was willing
to lend us for the year, to bring it to me.
Nearly every one brought book, some
of them three or four, and from them
selected quite number of school readers.
young folks histories, biographies, books
OF travel, story books, and volumes of
"Wide-Awake" and "St. Nicholas" In
all, we have thirty or forty volumes of
choice reading. from which any child
can select something that will be sure to
interest him.
A child can take book home If he
| wishes, provided it is taken care Of, and
returned in a few days. Every Friday
an hour is given to the reading of short
selections from these books, l having
previously approved the selections aud
satisfied myself that they will be read
well. The library is always open during
school hours, and may he used by the
pupils in preparing their geography,
history. or other lessons. They are
encouraged not to depend entirely upon
the textbook; but to get information
from any source available. The library
assists me greatly in managing the
bright pupil" who prepare thell
lessons in one half the allotted time, and
spend the remainder in misunderstanding.
If pupil does in twenty minutes what
it takes the majority of the class half an
hour to do, I allow him to spend the
extra ten minutes in reading. All of the
children love to read. Occasionally we
have talk about authors and their
works. Already the children are familiar
with the names of quite number of the
best authors and their books. True,
this takes little time from the regula,
text book recitations, but I think it is
time we'll spent. Long lists of geograhi-
cal names, and feats of analysis and
parsing may never be repeated outside
Of the school-room: but taste for good
reading viii! last for life, and will be the
greatest factor in shaping the thought
and moulding the character of the com.
ing generation. I'M. F.
A Wise Reform.
The habit Of administering quinine In
powerful doses, as an antidote to malaria
maladies. was once dangerously common.
Happily this practice has undergone wide