means, let us keep the phonetic method, but let us use the analytic method with it for polysyllables, as they do in Germany. And let us stop making poor spellers by encouraging children to take a big word at a single gulp, so to speak.

May I touch briefly also, on the stock arguments in defense of our prevalent bad spelling. We are told that it is because our established forms are so illogical. But this year and for many years the misspellings in our tests have been, most of them, quite as illogical as are the established spellings. Moreover, we have to do with things as they are. If a graduate of one of our high schools or colleges wishes to obtain a position involving the ability to write a decent letter, he will not find employers ready to excuse bad spelling, etc., on the ground that our English spelling must and shall be reformed.

Again, we are told that the schools of today, with all their scope, cannot give the time to spelling that was given in the district schools of our fathers, where the curriculum was confined to "the three R's." This is plausible but specious. Our fathers had school perhaps four months in the year. Nowadays the public schools last nine months in the year. I believe that it can be demonstrated that nearly if not quite as much time is now given to spelling as was ever given. I am not one of those who cry out against music, drawing, manual training, etc., as fads. Our schools give time enough to spelling if the method were sound.

Twenty years of experience in trying to make college students write good English convinces me

that not over one per cent of the people who declare that they "never can spell" are really unable to learn to spell. We require all students who do not pass our test in elementary English to enter a subfreshman class and to remain till they can pass. Such a class, numbering two hundred, was last year placed in charge of two bright women-undergraduates here. Within four months nearly every one of the two hundred had learned to punctuate, etc., well, and in as much more time most of them be came fair spellers, so far as we could determine by tests. but once a week.

The class met

This seems to me to prove several things.

So far as concerns the matter of form (punctuation, capitalization. etc.,) I am sure that it can and should be more thoroughly taught than it is in our secondary schools. The ordinary excuse that usage differs, is not sound. The usage of the best periodicals differs but very slightly in essentials. Non-essentials we may ignore. This is a large subject, and I am compelled to write hastily, but I am expressing convictions based on wide experience.

As to the probability of "spelling reform," I consider it an impossibility. If Ben. Johnson, with all his prestige, could not save the beautiful old plural in en, and if Addison, with his literary dictatorship could not preserve the third singular in eth, thus avoiding our wretched sibilant ending, how can we expect that the people of England, Australia, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere, who speak the English tongue, will ever get together on the matter of spel

ling reform? I repeat that we have to do as Kipling says, "with the hod of things as they are."

Yours truly,

J. Scott Clark.

I meant to refer to the vast waste of time in the grammar schools in causing the pupils to spell, repeatedly, words that they were never known to misspell. Let us throw aside the spellingbooks and find, by dictation exercises, the besetting orthographical sins of each pupil and then confine attention to correcting those.

ENTRANCE TEST IN ENGLISH.

Capitalize, punctuate, paragraph and italicize the following exercise correctly. Make no marks on this paper, but return it to the examiner with your other paper at the close of the examination.

few high schools in the west give sufficient attention to elementary english having received a pupil from the grammar school many principals assume that he knows how to spell, punctuate and capitalize correctly, this is a mistake for three reasons first many grammar school teachers do not know how to spell and punctuate well second they have been misled by a false idea that such matters are not important third sufficient time is often not given to elementary english in the grammar schools when where and how shall this defect be remedied the longer the pupil postpones the subject the more difficult it becomes for him one should learn to punctuate as soon as he is old enough to read the bible the american people ought to insist on one of two alternatives either the pupil must be refused admittance to the high school and the college till he has mastered elementary

english or else he must be taught the subject thoroughly after he has been admitted the german proverb nach gethaner Arbeit gut ist Ruhen applies here the declaration of independence was signed July 4 1776 at Philadelphia pa during the reign of king george III of england lowell is right when he says surely no other colonists ever went out not to seek gold but god how vast how far reaching were the consequences of that voyage on the mayflower so long as men love liberty so long as they prefer to seek heaven in their own way just so long will they reverence the pil grim fathers the little red school house that temple of american liberty is a direct outgrowth of the ideas that animated the pilgrims it teaches young america how to appreciate liberty and enables him to preserve it if the statements made by mr bryce in his book entitled the american commonwealth are correct then liberty is assured in this country to rich and poor young and old one and all let us never never forget what our liberties have cost the census of 1900 which is supposed to be correct gives the population of chicago as 1689000 in the opinion of the rev x y jones dd it is a bad city and we must admit with Shakespeare that t is true t is true t is pity and t is pity t is true one needs to mind his ps and qs in going about chicago streets ladies clothes are often ruined and childrens lives are endangered at the crossings the chi

is a fine summer resort a statement that is interesting to say the least ladies and gentlemen the mere study of rhetoric or the science of composition will never make you good writers good writing is an art

and only the most patient and continuous practice will enable you to master it.

Now write a composition of at least three hundred words on some one of the following kinds of theme:

I. A description of some object or objects that you have personally seen.

2. A narration of some personal experience, real or imaginary.

3. A sketch of the character of some person whom you know.

4. An argument in support of some proposition.

ENTRANCE TEST IN SPELLING.

Proceed, excitement, ammunition, dilapidated, similarity, development, successful, appearance, temperance, diminutive, especially, pecuniary, diseased, existence, parallel, arithmetic, generosity, religious, superstition, unconscious, countenance, government, Britain, description, occasion, excursion, immense, independent, brilliant, creatures, criminal, original, displayed, envelop (or envelope, both ways allowed), sequel, mysterious, temperament, curiosity, steadily, imagination, finally, primitive, consistent, phenomenon, callous, desperate, advantageous, exhilaration, inhabitant, philanthropy, surrounding, losing, column, conscience, occurred, persuade, excel, village, pleasant, ingredient, paralyzed, disappointed, partiality, indispensable, preparation, receive, industrious, dimensions, symptom, monopolies, separated, interfered, governor, discipline, height, disastrous, Philippine, weird, sacreligious, criticised, loneliness, different, confidence, miniature, embarrassing, awkward, irresistible, seized, volume, mortgage, acquainted, indescribable, ex

planation, marvelous, summary, despair, delicious, calendar, excruciating, leisure, civilization, superintendent, absence, legitimate, vengeance, penitentiary, tragedies, cemetery, plausible, foreign, palpitation, probably, descent, sensitive, responsible, superficial, characteristics, relieved, permanent, besiege, pronunciation, acquiescence, repetition, accompaniment, dilemma, prevailing, apparatus, athletic, requirement, variegated, mischievous, ridiculous, unnecessary, possession, guarantee, business, neighbor, erroneous, minute, despondency, surprise, veterinary, Southerner, reprimand, happened, premises, complexion, enterprise, passenger, examination.

MEMORANDA OF THE RECENT TEST IN ELEMENTARY ENGLISH AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVER

the leading Teachers of the different counties worked, have rendered every courtesy and encouragement to the representatives of the UNION.

-Under the supervision of C. E. Carey, the Warren teachers are doing very systematic work in thei. city institute and association. The different branches to be taught are thoroughly studied, and many topics of special interest are discussed. A carefully selected course of School and Home Readings has been adopted by the Board of Education, and good results are being secured.

-Edgar A. Stocker, principal of the Collinwood High School for the past year, has accepted a professorship in the California Pa., State Normal School. Frank P. Whitney, formerly of Wakeman, succeeds him.

-Our friend, R. A. Leisy, for so many years superintendent at Marshallville, Ohio, is now in charge of the schools at Georgetown, Colorado. He was selected for the position from a list of nearly four hundred applicants.

-Superintendent A. B. Wingate, of Beach City, has just issued a very helpful School Manual containing course of study, etc., for a copy of which he has our sincere thanks.

-From the many excellent things found in the Report of Supt. E. M. Van Cleve of Greenville, we

quote the following on Promotions:

"Without revolutionizing the course of study or attempting any extremes in the effort to break 'the lock-step in education,' that bugaboo of whose direful existence we have been informed of late, some provision is made whereby the pupils who, on account of lack of physical vigor, absence from school, or natural slowness, are unable to keep pace with the majority, shall not be forced to go over an entire year's work when the reckoning day is reached. An explanation of the process by which this will be effected would occupy too much space at this point, even if I were able to make it without concrete illustrations. Suffice it to say that this is an arrangement for the benefit of the less gifted and the unfortunate, and not for the brilliant members of a class. I am not in sympathy with the spirit of forcing by which the brilliant boy will be made to complete the work of the eight years below the High School in six, for too often the result is a lack of thoroughness, a superficiality that tells against him in his later life. But there should be some arrangement by which the boy who has for one reason or another lost much time may overtake those of his age if he has the will to do it."

-The Warren County Teachers' Association met at Lebanon, September 22, 1900. The attendance was large and the program instructive. Supt. F. Gillum Cromer of Franklin discussed Macaulay's essay on Addison; Supt. C. H. Young of Carlisle gave an interest