got on to a stage-coach;" "He jumped from the counter on to the floor; "She laid it on to a dish;" "I threw it on to the fire." Why use two prepositions where one would be quite as explicit, and far more elegant ? Nobody, in the present day, would think of saying, "He came up to the city for to go to the exhibition," because the preposition for would be an awkward superfluity; so is to in the examples given. There are some situations, however, in which the two prepositions may with propriety be employed, though they are never indispensable; "I accompanied such & one to Bridgeport, and then walked on to Fairfield." But here two motions are implied, the walking onward and the reaching of a certain point. There seems to be a natural tendency to deal in redundance of prepositions. Many people talk of "continuing on." I should be glad to be informed in what other direction it would be possible to continue.

It is illiterate to put the preposition of after the adverb off; as "the satin measured twelve yards before I cut this piece off of it; "the fruit was gathered off of that tree;" "he fell off of the scaffolding."

There is an inaccuracy connected with the use of the disjunctive conjunctions or and nor by persons who speak in the following manner: "Henry or John are to go to lecture;" "His son or his nephew have since put in their claim;" ;" "Neither one nor the other have the least chance of success." The conjunctions disjunctive or and nor separate the objects in sense, as the conjunction copulative unites them; and as, by the use of the former, the things stand forth separately and singly to the comprehension, the verb or pronoun must be rendered in the singular number also; as, "Henry or John is to go to the lecture; "His son or his nephew has put in his claim;" "Neither one nor the other has the least chance of success."

Many people improperly substitute the disjunctive but for the comparative than; as, "The mind no sooner entertains any proposition, but it preently hastens to some hypothesis to bottom it on."-Locke. "No other resource but this was allowed him;" "My behavior," says she, “has, I fear, been the death of a man who had no other fault but that of loving me too much."-Spectator.

Sometimes a relative pronoun is used instead of a conjunction, in such sentences as the following: "I do not know but what I shall go to New York to-morrow;" instead of "I do not know but that," etc.

Never say "cut it in half;" for this you can not do, unless you could annihilate one half. You may "cut it in two," or 66 cut it in halves," or "cut it through," or "divide it ;" but no human ability will enable you to cut it in half.

There are speakers who are too refined to use the past (or perfect) participle of the verbs "to drink," " to run," "to begin," etc., and substitute the imperfect tense: thus, instead of saying, "I have drunk," "He has run," "They have begun," they say "I have drank," "He has ran," "They have began," etc. Some of the dictionaries tolerate drank as a

past participle; but drunk is unquestionably correct English. Probably it is from an unpleasant association with the word drunk that modern refinement has changed it to drank.

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It is very easy to mistake the nominative when another noun comes between it and the verb, which is frequently the case in the use of the indefinite and distributive pronouns; as, "One of those houses were sold last week;" "Each of the daughters are to have a separate share;" "Every tree in those plantations have been injured by the storm;" "Either of the children are at liberty to claim it." Here, it will be perceived, that the pronouns "one," "each,' every,' ," "either," are the true nominatives to the verbs; but the intervening noun in the plural number, in each sentence, deludes the ear; and the speaker, without reflection, renders the verb in the plural instead of the singular number. The same error is often committed when no second noun appears to plead an apology for the fault, as, "Every body has a right to look after their own interest;" "Either are at liberty to claim it." This is the effect of pure carelessness.

There is another very common error, the reverse of that last mentioned which is that of rendering the adjective pronoun in the plural number instead of the singular, in such sentences as the following: "These kind of entertainments are not conducive to general improvement;""Those sort of experiments are often dangerous. This error seems to orginate in the babit which people insensibly acquire of supposing the prominent noun in the sentence (such as entertainments" or "experiments") to be the noun qualified by the adjective "these" or "those;" instead of which, it is "kind," "sort," or any word of that description immediately following the adjective which should be so qualified, and the adjective must be made to agree with it in the singular number. We confess it is not so agreeable to the ear to say "This kind of entertainments," "That sort of experiments," but it would be easy to give the sentence a different form, and say "Entertainments of this kind;" "Experiments of that sort;" by which the requisitions of grammar would be satisfied, and those of euphony, too.

Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well. If our native language is worth studying, it is worth speaking well. Youth is the time for forming correct habits of speech.-English Journal of Education.

ADMIRABLE USE OF A MAGNET.-A smith in Brighton, England, while forging a piece of iron, felt something strike his eye, and subsequently feeling great pain, he went to Dr. King, in Palace Street, who discovered that a piece of iron had embedded itself in the ball of the eye. After vainly endeavoring to extract it in the usual way, Dr. King thought of a powerful magnet which he had. He applied it to the eye, and was rejoiced at finding the piece of iron instantly removed. It was as large as a grain of wheat.

Superintendent's Department.

TEXT BOOKS RECOMMENDED.

In this age of improved text-books, it is no pleasant task to commend one book, or series of school books, as superior to all others of the kind. Yet it is one of the obligations imposed by law on the State Superintendent "it shall be his duty to recommend the introduction of the most approved text books, and, as far as practicable, to secure a uniformity in the use of text books in the common schools throughout the State." "The Board in each district shall have power, under the advice of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to determine what school and text books shall be used in the several branches taught in the school of such district." The law, then, makes it the "duty of the State Superintendent to recommend" while "the power of determining what school and text books shall be used," is vested in the District Board, under the advice of the State Superintendent. It is a further duty of the State Superintendent to secure, as far as practicable, a uniformity in the use of text books throughout the State. How all this can be effected, is not so easily determined. It would be folly for the State Superintendent to recommend text books, and endeavor to secure a uniformity in their use, if the District Boards have full power to determine this matter for themselves. And if the four thousand District Boards in this State, have full control of this subject, and can select what text books they please, how can a uniformity by any possibility be secured? But this power on the part of the District Boards is plainly limited; they can only determine under the advice or recommendation of the State Superintendent. To meet this view of the case, and leave the district boards some latitude, two kinds of text books upon the principal branches taught, are respectfully recommended in the following list.

Other series of Readers are regarded as good-Tower's, Sargeant's, Town & Holbrook's, Sander's and Lovell's; but after a careful examination of the merits of all, and consultation with several of the prominent educators of the State, preference is given to Parker & Watson's New Series of National Readers, and McGuffey's Eclectic Educational Series. When different text books from those here recommended are at present

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in use, a sudden change might not be desirable; but as soon as the old supply is worn out, and sooner if the district will sanction it, let the proper change be made, for the proficiency of the scholars will greatly depend upon their having the best text books extant.

Spellers & Readers.—National Series.

McGuffey's Series.

Moral Instruction.-The Bible-Cowdery's Moral Lessons.
Grammars.-Green's First Lessons.

Stoddard's Intellectual Arithmetic.

Colburn's (Prof. D. B.) Arithmetic and its Applications.
Davies' Higher Mathematics.

- Composition, etc.-Brookfield's First Book.

Quackenboss' First Lessons

M'Elligott's Analyzer.

= Speakers.-Northend's Little Speaker.

Book-keeping.-Mayhew's Practical System.

Fulton and Eastman's Book-keeping.

Histories.-Lossing's Primary U.S. History.

Willson's Outlines of General History.

Willard's Universal History.

Outline Maps.-Pelton's-Mitchell's.

Drawing.-Coe's Drawing Cards.

Ottis' Drawing Books of Animals and Landscapes. Government.-Sheppard's Constitutional Text Book. Philosophy, etc.-Parker's Philosophy.

Well's Philosophy.

66 Science of Common Things. Peterson's Familiar Science.

Chemistry.-Porter's First Book of Chemistry.

Botany.-Wood's First Lessons.

66 Class Book.

Gray's Botanical Text Book.

Astronomy.-Kiddle's Manual.

Geology.-Hitchcock's.

Physiology, Hygiene, etc.-Loomis' Physiology.

Mrs. Porter's Know Thyself.
Cutter's Physiologies.

Zoology. Mrs. Redfield's Chart of the Animal Kingdom.

Reference Books.-Webster's Dictionaries.

Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World.

School Architecture.-Barnard's School Architecture, or contributions to the improvement of School Houses in the United States.-$2.

Barnard's Practical Illustrations of the principles

of School Architecture-an abridgement of the preceeding-50c.

The School Teachers' Library is eminently worthy of the attention of all

Educators; the series consists of

Northend's Teacher and Parent.

Page's Theory and Practice of Teaching.
Mansfield, on American Education,
De Tocqueville's American Institutions,
Davies' Logic of Mathematics.

Mayhew, on Universal Education.

Root, on School Amusements.

LYMAN C. DRAPER, Supt. of Public Instruction.

MORAL AND RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

(Continued from the August Number.)

How replete with practical wisdom and good sense were the remarks of the illustrious Franklin, in the Federal Convention for the formation of our Constitution, pleading for prayer at the opening of each daily session: