The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-11

ended with 'Trilby." A serial story
BY Frank Stockton, called The Great
Stone of Sardis begins in this
number. The title suggests mystery and
pirates. concealed treasures and the IKE,
but no literary prophet can predict with
safety what one of StoCkton's tales viii be
about. He has q versatile talent. SeVeral
structive paper by Henry Smith Williams,
NJ D., describes the meteorological prog
ress of the century. Y. +. OConnof con-
tributes the first of a series OF papers on
some celebrities of the House OF Commons.
Henry GladYin and the Siege OF PONTIAC
and An Ehler Brother TO the CHI
Dwellers are subjects of other papers.
The modern magazine. though with diff
ferent limitations finds it as necessary to
be up to date as the newspaper Therefore.
this being the month of the Queens jubilee,
the Century contains two articles on Queen
Victoria, one by Hon. Thomas F. Bayard,
and numerous portraits beginning with her
majesty at the age of four. The shaw
memorial is covered by the history of the
monument. related by Edward AtklnSon, d
sketch of the sculptor, ST Gaudens, and the
story of the colored troops under hre,
told by T; ". Higgnson: The installment
of General Porters "reminiscences of the
Grant campaign relates to operations about
Richmond. Petersburg, Atlanta and in the
Shenandoah valley scientific descrlp-
ton, by w. o. Atwater, of the way food is
used in the body is based on series of eX-
periments with men in respiration appar-
atus Home Life Among the Indians
THE Heroism of the Lighthouse Service"
and "Harvard's Astronomical Work" are
subjects of other papers.
Among the several interesting articles in
the June number of the Eclectic Magazine
of foreign literature is one from the pen of
Edmund Verney, entitled Rural Pros
perity.' from Longman's Magazine.
With this prosaic title Verney calls at
tention to the wonderful advancement of
home industries on the continent and es-
burg. The report shows how the starving
agricultural communities in a few years
have added to their means of support and
grown really prosperous, as we'll as skillful
by their work done at home at odd hours
Every member of the family is enabled to
utilize his spare time in the manufacture
OF articles which now form large per cent
OF the export commodities of Wurtemburg:
The article is prepared for the purpose of
showing the English farmer how he Is be-
ing crowded off the earth by foreign COM
petitors and it will not be such very
long time until the argument will apply to
the American farmer as well. The whole
system of reform in scientific farming and
the utilization Of lost opportunities is ably
suggested in this article which should be
carefully studied by every true reformer
THE Lock-Step of the Public Schools
is the striking title of article in the
June Atlantic, which relates to the rigid
system of grading in vogue whereby no
allowance is made for the individual differ
tuCeS Oh the pupllS. me grazing Is ar
bitrary, the supposition being, however,
that it is based on the needs of the aver
age pupils. AT first sight," says the
writer. w. j. Shearer, this system seems
reasonable; but the truth is that, neglect
ing the individual pupil of flesh and blood
and soul and life ana ipfinite possibilities
most of us have attempted 10 reach ali
the pupils by shaping the work to the
mythical average pupil. Then, at a season
when the sun has reached a certain altitude
in the heavens, and the thermometer regis
ters ninety-five degrees, and the pupils
energy is low, we subject all to a useless
examination, which the lucky ones pass
while the rest lose q year or leave SCHOOL
Thus in CT ain-gangs are the bright and the
slow bound and forced to move at the
same pace. Yet many wonder why egh.v
per cent. of the pupils, finish only four
years of twelve years course; why but
TWO per cent. are graduated; and, worse
than ALL why the graduates do not Illustrate
the law of the survival of the fittest." Un-
like most critics of the schools this one
who is himself a teacher, has remedy
and sets forth his plan, which is now in
practical operation in Elizabeth n. j. Inc
int1eXible grading is the chief defect of Tile
public schools at present, and any scheme
which lessons the evil deserves the consid-
Grafton of educators.