Children are subtle thinkers and close reasoners. Nothing escapes their searching scrutiny. No act of the teacher's, however trivial to him, passes without comment by his pupils. They note every change of countenance however slight-every intonation of voice, every gesture, and by these, regulate their conduct in the school-room. If they read a weak will, easily swayed from the right by entreaty, or cajoled by flattery, they seek every opportunity to turn him aside, to further some selfish, childish purpose, and soon lose all respect for one, who thus becomes impotent for good in the school room. Earnest teachers make earnest pupils; earnest pupils become earnest men and women, who are noble, high souled, and who constitute the "bone and sinew" of our social structure.

"Let us then be up and doing

With a heart for any fate,

Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait."

To wait for the harvest of earnest endeavor which shall surely be garnered by the earnest teacher.

WHITEWATER WIS. Feb., 1858.

NETTIE ROBERTS.

HOW WILL YOU HELP YOURSELF!

A farmer once hired a laborer to prune and trim an orchard of valuable fruit trees, and to graft upon some of the branches some more choice varieties. After two or three days he went to see the work, when he found to his great dismay, that the limbs of some of his favorite trees had been carelessly lopped, that the grafting was worse than useless, and in short that many of the trees, by means of the ignorance of the workman, were nearly ruined. The laborer upon beholding the chagrin and anger of the owner of the orchard, at first laughed at the useless rage, and then asked derisively, "well, how will you help yourself?" Sure enough, the work was done, and how was he to help himself? Nothing but time and careful nursing could restore his orchard, and for the present he must content himself by eating fruit grown by others.

Whoever hires a laborer to work in his vineyard, must either interest himself in the work, or run the risk of finding it poorly done or his vineyard ruined. Just so, if you hire a teacher for your school, and sending your children thither, fail yourself to look after the work done, if by and by you find that your money has been worse than uselessly spent, how will you help yourself? If little Johnny, just forming his reading habits, acquires one of mechanically calling the nomes of the words before him,

giving no thought to ideas conveyed, a habit, by means of which, he will hereafter waste hours of precious time, and which will cost him long and strenuous effort to overcome, how will you help yourself? If Jimmy learns to rattle carelessly over pages of reading, calling the small words whatever he happens to, and "all the large words Moses," or worse yet, learns to drawl and whine through his long lesson half asleep, what then, how will you help yourself? And if Lizzie, your pet and plaything, should sit upon a high bench with her "feet dangling between the heavens and earth," until she contracts her stomach, and half dislocates her spine, which thenceforward will render her life a burden, pray, how will you help yourself? "An ounce of preventive is better than a pound of cure," and "a word to the wise is sufficient." E. L. B. HARTFORD, Wis.

Superintendent's Department.

OPINIONS, ETC., FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT (Continued from the May Number.)

DISTRICT OFFICERS-POWERS AND DUTIES.

Q. In the division of property between two districts, can the Chairman of the Town Board, and Town Clerk be called in to assist the Town Superintendent?

A. They may be called in to advise, but they cannot act in conjunction with the Town Superintendent, as in the case of the alteration of a district.

Q. If the Town Superintendent changes the boundaries between two districts, can either claim from the other a proportion of the value of the property, in case one district has an expensive house, and the other none? A. No division of property can be made except when a new district is formed.

Q. Has the district power at a special meeting, to rescind or modify a vote taken at an annual meeting?

A. In case of changing the term for which school shall be taught; changing from a male to a female teacher, or vice versa, or in the transaction of any such business, a special meeting is competent to reverse and modify the action of an annual meeting, provided, that every item of business transacted must be specified in the call for such special meeting.

Q. Can the district Clerk, on his own authority, call a special meeting? A. He cannot. A special meeting must be called upon the written request of five or more legal voters.

Q. Can the Clerk, upon the written request of five legal voters, refuse to call a special meeting?

A. Any such refusal would be a gross violation of his official duty, and might subject him to a penalty.

Q. If the district votes to have school kept by a female teacher, has the Clerk, either with or without the consent of the Board, a right to hire a male teacher?

A. The Clerk must carry out the wishes of the district to the letter. If he violates his instructions, he is liable.

Q. Have the District Board power to authorize two schools to be kept in one district, or have they power to grade their school, so as to make two departments?

A. There is nothing in the school law to prevent the adoption of either conrse, and in thickly settled districts it would be advisable.

Q. Can the district Clerk draw orders on the Town Treasurer?

A. The Town Treasurer would be under no obligation to pay orders drawn by the district Clerk. The Clerk can only draw orders on the district Treasurer, even when there may be district money in the hands of the Town Treasurer.

Q. Are the acts of a district officer legal if he has not filed his bond, but afterwards does so?

A. His acts would be legal. The principle is, that the public welfare shall not suffer by the negligence of an officer.

Q. Have the District Board a right to admit scholars from without the district, without the consent of the teacher?

A. The teacher should be consulted, as he contracts to teach the children of a particular district. If he refuses, it would be well for the Board to be governed by his wishes, as he can tell far better than they whether such additions will detract from his usefulness to the scholars of the district.

Q. If charges are brought against a teacher, is it the duty of the Town Superintendent to hear the cause and decide it, or can he do so or not at his option?

A. When charges are thus preferred, it is the duty of the Town Superintendent to appoint a day for a hearing of the case, upon which hearing he must give his decision. This course is not optional with him.

Q. Has the teacher any right to prescribe what recreation scholars shall indulge in in play hours?

A. The scholars are under the control of the teacher during play hours

as well as in the school house, and it is his duty to superintend their recreations.

Q. At the first meeting of a district can any business, except the election of officers, be transacted?

A. There cannot, unless the officers elected immediately file their written acceptance, as a district is not legally organized until two of the officers elected have filed their written acceptances.

Q. Have the Board full power to contract for the building a school house, as they may see fit?

A. The school law is silent as to the manner of a District Board entering into contract for the building of a a school house; but as the Board are the special executive officers of the district, chosen to faithfully attend to its best interests, it is unquestionably their duty to procure such building to be done to the best advantage, and hence, it would always be most discreet to enter into such contract (after having given proper notice), with the person offering to do the work to the best advantage and at the lowest rates, giving adequate bonds for the faithful performance of the work. Such a course would be the safest, and would prevent any trouble that might arise if a looser plan were adopted. There should be two copies of the contract made and signed, one to be kept by the contractor, and the other by the Board.

Q. Can a district Clerk teach school?

A. He cannot, in his own district.

Q. Can a Town Superintendent refuse a certificate on the ground of bad moral character, if the applicant's qualifications are sufficient?

A. Most certainly; and it is the duty of the Town Superintendents, to look to the character of applicants more closely than they usually do, lest they aid in spreading a moral pestilence among the children, which years cannot subdue.

Q. Can a Town Superintendent act where he is personally interested, in the division of a district for instance?

A. He can, especially in such a case, as the Chairman of the Town Board and Town Clerk might be called in, and besides, his acts are subject to revision by the State Superintendent, upon appeal.

Q. In case there are several departments in a district, or union school, is it necessary that the assistant teachers be qualified?

A. Most certainly. All public money must be paid to qualified teachers. Any arrangement by which all the money is paid to the principal, and part paid by him to the assistants, would be a palpable evasion of the law, and would cause the district to lose its apportionment.

Q. If a district officer leaves his district and resides permanently in another, does his office become vacant?

A. It does. The principle is, that an officer must reside within the sphere of his official duties. If the Governor leaves the State, he ceases to be the Governor until his return.

DISTRICTS-ORGANIZATION AND ALTERATION.

Q. If a district is once organized, does it lose its organization if it ceases to elect officers ¿

A. In such a case, it virtually loses its organization, although perhaps not strictly. In such a case it would be the duty of the Town Superintendent to annex their territory to live districts.

Q. In case the line between two districts is altered, and but one district consents, when will the alteration take effect?

A. In three months from the date of the alteration.

Q. In case the whole of a district is added to several adjoining districts, so as to cease to exist, what becomes of the property?

A. It would be the duty of the Town Superintendent to dispose of the property to the best advantage, and divide the proceeds between each of the districts to which any part of the defunct district was added, as nearly equally as possible.

APPORTIONMENT, ETO.

Q. If a district has complied with the law in all respects but making their report to the Town Superintendent, can they receive any share in the public money?

4. The apportionment is based entirely upon the reports of the Town Superintendents, and consequently, if a district does not make its report it is left out of the apportionment, and cannot be entitled to any share in the apportionment.

Q. In case a district is prevented by some accident from having three months school, can they claim their public money?

A. The Constitution of the State expressly forbids the apportionment of any public money to any district which has not had three months 'school during the year. In some cases where unusual causes have conspired to render it impossible for the district to comply, it may seem a hardship, still the law knows no deviation.

Q. If the Town Superintendent knows that a district Clerk has made a false report, and returned more children than were in his district, would he be justified in withholding the apportionment?

A. He would not; he must be governed by the reports; if these are false, the law fixes the penalty.