and future is, according to some mythologists, the son of Apollo. Although native to Thessaly, he went to Italy at so early an age that he was unknown to the Greeks. In his own city of Janiculam on the Tiber he shared his throne with Saturn. Together they governed so wisely that their reign has been called the Age of Gold. Janus is usually represented with two faces although some give him three and even four. The two faces indicate his knowledge of the past as well as his acquaintance with the future. He was also the god of peace and war and had numerous temples throughout Italy. In times of war the temples were opened wide, for the people were in need of aid and comfort. When peace reigned the doors were closed. Only three times in seven centuries were the gates closed so belligerent were the Romans.

The beginning of every new year, month, and day was held sacred to Janus and one month bore the god's name. On the first day of the new year festivals were held in his honor. Friends exchanged calls, good wishes and gifts a Roman custom still in vogue and only recently gone out of fashion in our own land.

NOTES ON ARITHMETIC

NO. 1. In too many instances the teaching of a subject is governed by extreme views of its importance or lack of importance, practicability or impracticability. This is especially true of the teaching of arithmetic. By many in the past arithmetic has been considered the one study of special importance. The writer can well remember that, when a boy in the country schools, the pupil who could prove his ability in arithmetic by "ciphering down" all the competitors was always considered the "best scholar," and the teacher who could solve the greatest number of arithmetical conundrums in the shortest space of time and advance the boys and girls the most rapidly over the pages of their arithmetic was the teacher who was in greatest demand. There are perhaps a few persons who still hold this extreme view of the importance of the subject, but as a rule we believe that the present tendency is to underestimate its importance, and it is no uncommon thing to hear the opinion expressed in these latter days that very little attention, if any, should be paid to the teaching of arithmetic in the primary grades, and that, after all the sub

ject is not a very important one in any grade. While we are not in sympathy with the first class who overestimate its importance to such an extent as to lead them to give so much time to the work that other equally important studies are neglected, on the other hand, we have even less sympathy with those who would strive to correct the mistake by going to the other extreme of so underestimating its importance as to lead them to think that the subject can be taught, if at all, "incidentally." Under some of the proposed reforms of the day, we need to exercise great care lest the last state of the schools shall be worse than the first. Arithmetic is an important subject and it should be carefully and systematically taught and while we have no startling opinions to express or no methods remarkable for their originality to offer, we shall try in the coming months to present to our readers a few "Notes on Arithmetic" outlining in a plain, simple manner some things which observation and experience have taught, with the hope, not of adding anything to the wisdom of the world, but of helping those who have this important subject to teach.

THE

OHIO EDUCATIONAL MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED AT

57 EAST MAIN ST., COLUMBUS, 0.

O. T. CORSON, EDITOR.

MARGARET W. SUTHERLAND, ASSOCIATE EDITOR.

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THE MONTHLY is mailed the first week of each month. Any subscriber failing to receive a copy by the tenth should give notice prompt. ly, and another will be sent. Any person wishing his address changed must send notice not later than the twenty-fifth of the month, and must give both the old and the new address. Notice will be given to each subscriber of the time his subscription expires.

THE next State Examination will be held in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, June 19, 20, 21, 1900. All communications regarding it should be addressed to W. W. Boyd, Painesville, O.

THE old year with its trials and troubles, its joy and happiness, its failures and successes, its hopes and disappointments has gone, and the new year with all its opportunities and responsibilities is at hand. Happily for us the past cannot be recalled, and the future is not revealed. The "living present" is all the time that we have in which to perform the duties of life, and it is our earnest wish that these duties may be so successfully performed

that the new year may be indeed a happy one to all.

A MEMORIAL Service, appropriate and impressive, in honor of Dr. Edward Orton, was held in the University Chapel, O. S. U., Sunday afternoon, November 26. Prayer was offered by President Thompson, and the University Choir rendered two beautiful selections. Addresses were delivered as follows: Edward Orton, Educator, Dr. T. C. Mendenhall, formerly a member of the O. S. U. faculty, but now president of the Polytechnic School, Worcester, Mass.

Edward Orton, Geologist, Dr. G. K. Gilbert, formerly an associate with Dr. Orton in the Geological Survey of Ohio, but now connected with the work of the U. S. Geological Survey.

Edward Orton, Administrator, Hon. T. J. Godfrey who has served as a member of the board of trustees of O. S. U. for more than twenty years.

Edward Orton, Citizen, Dr. W. H. Scott of the faculty of O. S. U.

Edward Orton, Associate, Professor S. C. Derby, also of the faculty of O. S. U.

It is impossible to give even an outline of these carefully prepared and inspiring addresses delivered by the persons named, all of whom had known Dr. Orton so intimately for so many years. The lesson of the day taught plainly that in each and every capacity, educator, geol

ogist, administrator, citizen, and associate, Dr. Orton was always true to his trust, and that while he has passed from us in bodily form, his

influence still remains to bless all who were so fortunate as ever to have come in contact with his pure life.

ON page 588 of the DECEMBER MONTHLY, reference was made to a quotation from the editor's preface to "Teaching the Language Arts," and in the copy sent in by the editor, the quotation was properly credited to Dr. Harris. Through a misunderstanding, the proof readers made a change, and incorrectly credited the quotation to Dr. Hinsdale.

REPORTS from teachers' associations both county and sectional indicate that great interest is manifested by the teachers everywhere in their work, and we can not help expressing the conviction that notwithstanding all that has been said recently regarding Ohio's poor record in educational matters, and her lack of appreciation of educational progress, and her untrained and poorly equipped teachers, it is not such a disgrace after all to live in Ohio, and be a Buckeye Teacher. We regret exceedingly that engagements in Pennsylvania institutes beginning October 16 and continuing to the first week in Janury have made it impossible to meet with our friends in any of the

meetings held the past three months, but we are looking forward with a great deal of pleasure to filling a number of engagements later on which will bring us once more in close contact with the teachers and friends of a number of counties in Ohio.

THE present age has its share of so-called educational reformers who have gained some notoriety by finding fault with all existing conditions, and by saying a few things in a rather startling manner. A careful analysis of their criticisms will show that in the majority of instances either the conditions they complain of have long since ceased to exist, or that, if in existence, nothing of a practical nature is offered by them as a remedy. The statements made by many of these reformers are clothed in language of such a character as always indicates an attempt to cover up very small ideas with very ponderous words. We were very much impressed some time since by a statement, made to us by a real leader in the educational world who is wise enough to use simple language to express his thought, to the effect that the difference between a “Radical" and a "Conservative" in education is found in the fact that the former, in discussing educational theory and practice, always uses language that can not be understood, while the latter always expresses his thought in such a simple,

direct manner, that any one can easily grasp his meaning.

In this connection we take pleasure in publishing, by the permission of our good friend, Supt. George Howell of Scranton, Pa., his definition of an "Educationist" furnished upon short notice by the request of an institute recently held in his city. We heartily commend it to the careful, and if necessary, the prayerful consideration of our readers:

"An Educationist is an iconoclast who never rebuilds; a person who grows lonesome with himself, pilfers German thought and feeds on foreign ideas; one who can not teach but believes in his own conceit that he can tell others how to teach; one who hates the average child, but loves the precocious freak; one who knows not the child that God made, but the one He should have made; one who carries a kodak and puts his best expression in our monthly magazines; one who struts about convention halls asking for the president who wants to see him; one who has thoughts too deep for expression, but nevertheless wants to be on every N. E. A. program; one who has inherited no legacy from past generations; one who is sui generis; one who thinks W. T. Harris has never been to school and guages the "Old Man" with a five foot rule one who sees the pedagogic method but is blind to actual results; one who does a wholesale business in fractions, can tell the time required to recognize each letter of the alphabet, give its size on the retina and the depth of its impression on the brain; one who has a formula for every mental disease: one who believes there is too much