We cannot doubt that an important stimulus has been given by this well-intended scheme to the efforts of the teachers, and of the elder and more advanced children in the elementary schools of the district. There is always a danger lest special proficiency on the part of the upper classes should be purchased by the neglect or inferiority of the lower. We trust and believe that teachers are alive to this danger, and that they will steadily resist the temptation which these schemes offer, to withdraw their attention from the lower classes, and from the school, as a whole, in order to devote it to those scholars who are likely to obtain prizes in such a competition as this. We should be greatly indisposed to measure the goodness of any school, or the success of any teacher, solely by the position which his scholars occupied at a competitive examination. The real success of a school must, after all, be measured by the average attainments of the pupils, not by the knowledge attained in a few exceptional cases—by the proportion of the whole school, which is well and soundly taught-by its discipline, and by the skill and faithfulness with which all the work, especially the humblest work, of the school is done. If teachers and managers of schools will keep this in view, and take care that the success of a few elder children is not purchased by any sacrifice of the interests of the little ones, and of the general efficiency of the school, we believe that the prize schemes may do very important service; and that teachers, especially, will find them useful in strengthening their hold on elder scholars, and in promoting a higher standard of attainment than they would otherwise be able to reach. For the information of teachers and others interested in the matter, we subjoin a few of the Examination Papers which were given on the last occasion, with brief extracts from the reports of the examiners :- RELIGION.-SENIOR DIVISION. 1. Who was the father of the Jewish people?-Write a short outline of the history of the Israelites from their going into Egypt to their conquest of Canaan.-About how many years of early history does the Pentateuch comprise? 2. What was the order of the Creation ?-What marked the seventh day ?-Does any, and what commandment refer to this?What duties does that commandment teach ?-How should that commandment be kept? 3. Relate the story in which Christ saved Peter from being drowned, and state what lessons it teaches. 4. How and by whom was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper instituted?-What is the meaning of it? And what is the obligation to observe it? 5. What sin did Ananias and Sapphira commit? What was their punishment ?-What duty does their history teach? In what different ways may the sin be committed? 1. What is the book of Genesis about? JUNIOR DIVISION. 2. Give an account of the life of Joseph. 3. Mention various occasions on which Abraham proved his faith. 4. Write out the story of the Widow's mite, and explain the following passage in it :-"This poor woman hath cast more in th in all they which have cast into the treasury." 5. What is a miracle?Who performed the miracles narrated in St. Mark's Gospel ?-Give an account of the one you remember best. ARITHMETIC.-SENIOR DIVISION. 1. How many parcels, each containing 3 lb., can be made up out of 4 tons 12 cwt. 3 qrs. of soda? 2. If I buy 71ib. of bacon for 4s. 6d., what ought I to give for 19 cwt. 3 qrs. 63 ib. at the same price? 3. Henry Thompson, Esq., sends an order for the following articles to the shop of Mr. James Hunt:-17 b. of candles, at 64d.; 9 lb. of tea, at 23. 6d.; 14 lb. of sugar, at 52d.; 20 lb. of soap, at 74d.; 121b. of cheese, at 94d.; the box for packing is charged 1s. 6d.; make out the bill and receipt it. 4. A man borrows for 3 years £2,500, at 41 per cent. per annum-How much will he have paid to the lender when the amount is returned, and what would he have saved if he could have borrowed the principal at 34 per cent. per annum? 5. Work the last question in pouuds and decimals of pounds. 6. How many square feet are contained in the floor of a school-room, measuring 59 ft. 9 in. long, and 28 ft. 6 in. broad, after deducting the entrance lobby, which measures 6 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft. 2 in. ? 7. Work the last question in feet and decimals of feet. JUNIOR DIVISION. 1. Add together seventy-four, two thousand and sixty, nineteen, one hundred and one, three dozen, one thousand and twelve, four score and four, and the half of eight ceu. 2. How many slate pencils would be needed in order to supply 49 schools with ten dozen each? 3. A bag contains 24,300 nuts. If I take out 3,200 for niyself, and divide the remainder between you and your four sisters, how many will come to your share? 4. A boy paid 3s. 9d for an excursion ticket, and spent 1s. 74d. during his day's trip, how much did his holiday cost, and how much had he left out of three half-crowns? 5. How much should I pay for a half hundredweight of cheese, at 64d. per lb. ? 6. Eight missionary boxes when opened were found to contain the following sums:-1. Twentyfive shillings and twopence; 2. eighteen pence halfpenny; 3. a half-crown, a shilling, a sixpence, and a threepenny piece; 4. a half-sovereign and five farthings; 5. two guineas and a fourpenny piece; 6. three florins and a sixpence; 7. a sovereign and three-halfpence; and, 8. a five pound. note. How much did it all amount to? PARSING.-SENIOR BOYS. Parse every word in the following sentence:-"As their pastor's funeral procession moved slowly through the street, not an eye was dry, so much beloved was he. SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY.-SENIOR BcYS. 1. Describe separately the meaning of the "necessaries," the "comforts," and the "luxuries" of life, and name one or two of each. 2. What is rent? and to what proportion of a man's annual income ought his house rent to be limited? 3. What are the reasons which should decide us in choosing a trade or occupation? 4. What are the benefits of savings? and what uses should be made of them by boys and by men respectively? 5. What good results from an exchange of commodities? and how does money facilitate such exchange? Give examples of the inconvenience which would result if money were not in use. 6. Mention some of the chief benefits which have arisen from the increased use of machinery in manufactures and agriculture, with examples. 7. What is the difference between direct and indirect taxation? Give instances of each. Why are taxes necessary? GEOGRAPHY. SENIOR Boys. 1. Describe the course of the Severn with its chief tributaries. canal from Berkeley to Gloucester? Why was it necessary to cut a 2. If you were to sail round England from Liverpool to Newcastle, what counties would you pass? Mention them in the order in which you would pass them. 3. Draw a sketch of the country described in your answer to the first or second question. 4. What has been done artificially to make communication between distant places in England easier? Show how trade and manufactures are benefited by this. 5. What makes the Severn a more rapid river than the Thames?How is it that it winds more?— What is the cause that the Thames is larger than the Severn? 6. From what parts of the world do we import the following articles :-Timber, cotton, wool, tallow, gold, hemp, sugar, tea, and coffee? JUNIOR BOYS. 1. Name all the counties that lie on the English Channel, and one town in each county. 2. Name the counties which join Gloucestershire, and their chief towns. Also write what you know about those towns. 3. In what direction must you go from the place where you now are to get to each of the following places:-London, Portsmouth, York, Liverpool, Haverfordwest, Land's End ? 4. Name the largest county, the longest river, the highest mountain, and the largest city in England. 5. A peninsula, an isthmus, straits, a bay, a cape, a tributary. Explain what each of these terms ineans, and give examples of any three of them. 6. Leeds, Manchester, Reading, Bristol, Devizes, Winchester, Birmingham. In what counties are these places? ENGLISH HISTORY.-SENIOR BOYS. 1. What do you understand by the following terms:-"The Reformation," "the Restoration," and "the Revolution ?"-In what reigns and years did they each take place? 2. What need was there for the Reformation, and what advantages to the people of England have grown out of it? 3. When did steam begin to be applied to practical purposes? What great results have been thereby gained? 4. Describe the attempted invasion of England in Elizabeth's reign.-What was its object, and how did it end? 5. State what events you can remember in connexion with the following places :-Bristol, Gloucester, Evesham, Tewkesbury, and give dates where you can. 6. When were the following battles fought, and what events were decided by them :-Hastings, Bosworth Field, and Waterloo? On the results of the examination on reading and arithmetic Mr. Baxter reports-"It is my pleasing duty to state that a very large proportion of the reading on the occasion proved to be highly creditable. Whilst it would be impossible to pronounce it excellent, to any great extent, or to say that it presented any striking qualities as to flexibility or style, yet it was generally clear, distinct, fairly emphatic, and well-timed. "The remainder of my work, in connexion with this examination, consisted in the inspection of the arithmetic papers from all the district. "As might have been expected, these presented a very wide diversity in the degrees of intelligence, accuracy, and neatness, which marked the operations. The junior section was presented with a list of six questions, and the senior division with seven. As the children were not limited as to the number they might attempt to answer, some aimed at more than others, and several even at the whole in the list. In most cases the operations were carried out in the usual methods, but in some instances a more scientific process was resorted to, with different degrees of success or failure." Mr. Dudley reports on the religious papers, and on those in dictation and grammar of the junior children "I have no hesitation in saying, that as far as I, individually, am able to judge, a great improvement has taken place among the children connected with this Association. I am not prepared to state whether the Prize Scheme has tended to produce a longer continuance at school; but this I can safely assert, that it has promoted a carefulness and accuracy in teaching and learning which were much wanting before. Last year, instruction appeared to be all in all, and I found that many children's minds were filled with information in the most useless and painful confusion. This year, real education is more conspicuous, and the answers of the children bear testimony to the careful training which they have received. My papers (hundreds in number) are nearly all creditable, and the majority are really very good." Mr. James, of the Training College, Cheltenham, to whom was entrusted the task of assigning the marks for geography in the junior division, and for geography, history, and language in the senior, says:— "In geography I found the answering in general to be satisfactory. The questions relating to the chief places in our island, their commercial importance, and their position, were answered the best. Map-drawing has not received the attention it demands, to judge by the few and the generally imperfect specimens sent in. In some schools I notice that the instruction given in this subject has been mainly oral. "The composition was decidedly creditable. Faulty constructions, violation of rules of syntax, vulgar colloquialisms, bad spelling, and decidedly bad writing, were exceptional. I have no opportunity of comparing the results with those of last year, but can pretty confidently say, that considerable care has been bestowed during the past year on the particular exercise of writing from memory a passage previously read aloud." The Rev. W. Wheeler, who examined the papers of the senior girls on domestic economy, and the junior division on religion, reports : "This examination has left on me a more satisfactory impression of the state of the schools, in the department of education which it has been my dnty to test, than did that of last year. "Though the papers on religion are an improvement on those of last year, they are still far behind what they ought to be. In most of them the replies are scanty, and, where they are copious, they show that the memory is better stored with the letter of Scripture, than the intellect is fraught with its spirit. The Bible is used too much as a mere reading-book, and too little as God's Holy Word, given to heal and elevate the conscience, guide the will, purify the passions, and supply the true elements of moral character. Children are as susceptible of this moral culture as adults, and surely it is the main, if not the sole, utility of Bible-teaching. Nor can a child too early be taught to feel that life is not a sphere of labour, or gratification, or duty merely—but of spiritual culture, righteous discipline, and immortal hope— and that in the Word of God lie the Divine seeds of all true safety, satisfaction, and success." BANBURY. This Scheme is somewhat more restricted, as it only includes nine schools in the town and neighbourhood of Banbury. It is under the patronage of the Right Hon. and Rev. the Lord Saye and Sele, and Sir Charles E. Douglas, M.P. Mr. Samuelson is the president, and the Mayor is the vice-president. Its object is to induce parents to keep their children at school longer and more regularly than is at present the custom, and to hold out to the children themselves an additional motive for diligence and good conduct. The following are the conditions of the scheme : 1st.-There will be 20 rewards offered of the value of 20s. each, 80 of 10s. each, and 6 special ditto of 30s. each, for attainments accompanied by good conduct. Each reward to be in money, books, or apparatus, at the option of the prize-holder. 2nd. Candidates for the 20s. and 10s. prizes to be pupils under fifteen, and for the 30s. prizes under sixteen years of age. Paid assistants not to be eligible for examination. 3rd. No pupil shall receive the 10s. prize who cannot read with correctness and intelligence-write in a fair hand, and correctly from dictation, a simple passage —work correctly any sum in a simple or compound rule-distinguish readily any of the parts of speech-and answer simple questions in geography and English history. 4th. No pupil shall receive the 20s. prize who shall not be able to read with fluency-write in a good hand, and from memory, with correct spelling, a simple narrative previously read to him slowly-work sums in proportion, practice, vulgar and decimal fractions,* and evince a fair attainment in three of the four following subjects, viz., Geography, grammar, English history and drawing. 5th.-Pupils who have taken a 20s. prize cannot again compete for it; and those who have taken a 10s. prize are disqualified for the same a second time, but may receive a 20s. prize at a subsequent examination. Pupils who have obtained a first class prize at a former examination will be eligible to compete for one of the six Special Prizes of 30s. each. Such pupils to satisfy the examiner in any three of the following subjects: 1st-English grammar and analysis. 2nd-Geography. 3rd-English history. 4th-Higher arithmetic and algebra. 5th-Euclid, two books. 6thPractical geometry and perspective. Girls being at liberty to select "Domestic Economy" for one of the three subjects for examination. 6th. These rewards will be accompanied with a handsomely-printed certificate of merit, furnishing the pupils with a testimonial, to which reference can be made in after-life as to conduct, regularity, and attainments during their pupilage. 7th. Candidates will be required to produce a certificate from their teachers that they have attended some school for at least three years, and from the teacher of th school at which they are receiving instruction that they have attended it at least 176 whole days during the twelve months ending the of preceding the examination; also a certificate from the authorities of the school that they bear a character for truthfulness, industry, honesty, and general good conduct throughout the year; so that mere ability and cleverness without good conduct shall in no case be rewarded. 8th. The examiner shall be either the Government Inspector of Schools for the district, or some person appointed by him; and the details of the examinations, with the award of the prizes, shall rest with the examiner. 9th. Any school situated within twenty miles of Banbury shall be admitted to the benefits of the examination on contributing to the general fund at least £1 for every hundred scholars attending it. EDUCATION IN BRAZIL.-It appears from recent returns that this great and growing empire of the west, with an area of 3,100,104 square miles, has a population of 7,677,800, in the twenty provinces into which it is divided. There are in all 2,508 public schools or colleges, including 1,571 schools of primary instruction, and 308 lyceums or places of secondary instruction. The total number of pupils is 88,707, of whom 61,620 are in the primary, and the remainder in the higher establishments. Besides these, 17,797 scholars are educated in private seminaries and colleges for the children of the upper ranks. * In the examination, girls will substitute needlework for vulgar and decimal fractions. ON TEACHING READING. WE make no apology for again inviting the attention of our readers to the important subject of teaching Reading in Schools. Whatever other questions press for solution, this one "How can a good style of reading be best cultivated in schools?" will always be a prominent one among the teachers who make a true estimate of their work. For, since reading is to be the principal instrument of all the mental cultivation which a child is to acquire after he leaves school, it is important that he should learn, while under instruction, not only to read, but to read well; and not only to read well, in the sense of fluently and correctly, but, if possible, tastefully and expressively, and in such a way that the act of reading is no longer a task, but a source of pleasure both to himself and to those who listen to him. It is one of the hardest tasks for a teacher to keep up his standard of reading, and to continue year after year to exact the same high degree of excellence which at first he thinks attainable. In school-keeping, as in most things, our natures become "subdued to what they work in ;" we become unconsciously infected by the atmosphere which we daily breathe, and after long listening to blunders and failures, to droning, to monotony, and to hesitation, our sense of hearing becomes as it were vitiated; we become satisfied with small successes, and our standard of what is possible, and even of what is desirable, gradually lowers and conforms itself to the average of our daily experience. Every good teacher is aware of this, and is constantly guarding himself against it. He knows that to get finished and beautiful reading in his school would be one of the greatest triumphs of his profession. He knows that he cannot teach a child to read expressively, "with the spirit and the understanding," without also giving him thoughtfulness, delicacy of perception, a knowledge of the subject which is read, the power to recognise words and thoughts in their true logical relations, and, incidentally, a mental refinement such as few other departments of the school-work can properly cultivate. Reading, therefore, is not a mere mechanical art. It cannot be taught well, unless much else is taught with it. By the goodness of a person's reading, we may measure much of his knowledge, and more of his quickness of insight, and general intellectual power. If teachers will look round their schools, they will generally find that the best readers are the steadiest thinkers, and have the finest minds; they will observe also that in just the proportion that they are successful in giving mental activity and an appetite for knowledge to their pupils, the reading of their schools will improve and become more intelligent. Hence they will own that it is on the whole the fairest test, when a visitor or inspector comes to take the measure of their work, if he asks to hear the reading, and makes his estimate of other things accordingly. Let the teacher think, too, of the pleasure which is conferred in the home, by one child who is a graceful and pleasing reader; of the innocent and improving hours which such a child helps others to spend; and of the fact, that there is no one accomplishment which better fits a pupil to become a centre of civilising and refining influences in the circle in which he lives, than that of good reading; and we think he will conclude that no pains which he spends in this department of his work can ever be wasted; and that no other duty should ever tempt him to neglect it. A recent meeting of the British Teachers' Association, held at the Borough Road, afforded a gratifying proof that teachers are alive to the importance of this matter. An unusually large attendance of the masters of British Schools in and around London met on the first Saturday in November, to hear an essay from Mr. George White, of Bethnal Green, on the subject of "Teaching Reading by the Simultaneous Method." Mr. White brought a large class of boys in order to illustrate his mode of teaching, and subsequently read an elaborate paper explaining it in detail. He started with the assertion that the progress of a scholar in learning to read may be conveniently divided into three parts, which were thus distinguished: |