The uses and abuses of English grammar, 75

Teachers' institutes for 1859, 89, 118, 169, 204 Use of text-books in school,

Page.

313

Teachers' examinations,

240

The quiet slumber,

243

The past,

Teachers should study,

317

From the real ground we distinguish the moral ground (motive) which determines a person to will something.

Ex. He wears furs on account of the cold. He retrenches on account of his children.

The contemplated effect of an activity is called the aim or end.

Ex.--He travels for pleasure,—reads a discourse for edification.

Not only the spatial, but the time and the causal relations are generally denoted, as in the examples cited, by those form-words which are called prepositions.

(d) The relation of manner, how any thing is done, is expressed by special forms of notion words, called adverbs of manner. It is also denoted by prepositions.

Ex. He speaks loud. He labors industriously, or with industry.

Remarks.-By manner is understood an activity which is taken up into the notion of the predicated activity in such a way that with this it constitutes only one notion, eg. to cry aloud (to scream), to go fast (to run, to hasten). Adverbs of manner are therefore commonly formed from adjectives, or substantives of abstract signification. Like adjectives they also commonly represent the notion in an antithesis, e.g. to speak loud and soft, to write well and ill, to run fast and slow,

Superintendent's Department.

OPINIONS, ETC., FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT.

(Continued from the March Number.)

POWERS AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS.

Q. Has the County Treasurer a right to deduct fees on the apportionment which passes through his hands?

A. The statutes give the County Treasurer the right to charge two per cent. on all moneys passing through his hands. Of course this includes all school moneys. But the County Treasurer can make no further deductions, in payment of drafts, express charges, and the like, as his fees must cover all such expense.

Q. In case of an alteration of a district, when the Town Officers are called in to act with the Town Superintendent, can they adjourn as they may deem expedient?

A. The Board formed as above, possesses all the rights and powers of a Town Superintendent, and can adjourn the hearing, which adjourned meeting will possess all the authority of the first.

Q. Have the District Board full authority to select library books.

A. They have not. This power rests entirely with the district, who are empowered, at a district meeting to direct, by vote, the purchase of such books as they see fit. In case any one person is authorized by the district to prepare a list, it must be approved by the district before the purchase is made.

Q. Has the Town Superintendent power to dismiss a teacher against the wishes of the people of the district?

A. The Town Superintendent can not dismiss a teacher under any circumstances. He can annul his certificate, which renders the contract void, and thus in effect dismisses the teacher.

Q. If the Town Superintendent makes an illegal decision, or performs an illegal action, would a District Board be justified in treating it as a nullity?

A. All decisions of the Town Superintendent are binding until reversed, illegal as well as legal. An illegal decision may be set aside on appeal, but it is not void at once, and can not be treated as void until it is reversed.

Q. Can the District Board allow the use of the school-house for any private purpose?

A. They can not, except by the unanimous consent of the district. The Board are entrusted with the care of the school-house in the capacity of school officers, and not as private individuals. Consequently they have no power except in their corporate capacity, and have no authority to personally let the house for any private use.

Q. How long do officers appointed to fill a vacancy hold office?

A. Only until the next annual meeting, when the vacancies must be filled by election. All appointments are in their nature temporary.

Q. Can the District Board enforce the use of any particular textbooks?

A. The Board can determine what text-books are to be used in school, and the teacher is not required to hear recitations from any other. It is doubtful whether a refusal on the part of scholars to provide themselves with the adopted books, would render them liable to expulsion.

Q. Can a Town Superintendent add territory from his own town to a joint district, or take away territory wholly within his town from a joint district?

A. He can not. It is equally an alteration whether territory is added or taken away, or whether the territory is wholly within his town or not,

and all alterations of a joint district must be made by the concurrent action of the Superintendent of all the towns in part embraced in the district.

Q. Has the Clerk a discretionary power to call a special meeting, or must he call it upon the request of five voters?

A. The discretion rests with the people. If five voters request the Clerk to call the meeting, it is his duty so to do. It is not his business to decide upon the propriety of such a course.

Q. If the Clerk refuses to draw a warrant on the Treasurer when ordered to by a vote of the district, what remedy has the district?

A. The Board can either declare his office vacant, or order an action to be brought against him for malfeasance in office. In most cases the last course would be preferable, as it is not advisable to resort to removal except in extreme cases.

ASSESSMENT AND COLLECTION OF TAXES.

Q. In case a tax is duly levied, and is in the collector's hands, when the district is divided, how must the tax be collected, and how paid over when collected?

A. The tax thus levied must be collected the same as though no division had taken place, and the money thus raised must be added to the assets of the district upon a division of property. A division does not annul any acts of a district which have been wholly or partially carried into effect, and the state of the case at the time of the levy of the tax, and not at its collection, will govern. This principle will also apply in cases where there is no division of property.

Compiled from the records of the Department, by

S. H. CARPENTER, Assistant State Superintendent.

NOTICE TO TOWN SUPERINTENDENTS.-The new edition of the School Law is now ready for distribution. Towns will be supplied upon application to this Department. The Laws of 1859, amendatory to the School Law, will be issued immediately for the accommodation of those having the old edition.

BLANKS.-The Blanks have been sent out from this Department for the Annual Reports of District Clerks and Town Superintendents. Those who do not receive them by July 1st, are requested to inform this Department, in which event they will be immediately forwarded.

THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, sent by the State to Town Superinten

dents and District Clerk, must in all cases be considered as Public Property, and be preserved and delivered to successors in office, or placed in the District Library, as the law directs,

In no case will the State furnish numbers or volumes that have been lost through carelessness.

S. H. CARPENTER,

Assistant State Supt. of Public Instruction.

NORMAL SCHOOLS.

Proceedings of the Board of Normal School Regents at their meeting, June 22d, 1859.

Board met at 5 o'clock P.M.

Present-Hon. C. C. SHOLES, President, Hon. W. E. Smith, Messrs. Bean, Cooke, Chapman, Clarke, Maxon, Robbins, Cary, and Draper. Minutes read and approved.

The committee appointed at the annual meeting in April, (Messrs. Bean, Cook, and Draper), to revise the course of study of the Normal Departments, and the system of rules and regulations for their government, and to prepare blank forms for their annual reports, made their report which, with slight amendments, was adopted.

A committee, consisting of Messrs. Bean and Cook, was appointed to report in the evering on the duties of the Agent. Adjourned to 8 o'clock.

8 O'CLOCK.

Board met, all the members present.

The committee on duties of the Agent made their report, with the following Preamble and Resolutions:

WHEREAS, The Hon. Henry Barnard has heretofore signified his acceptance of the office of agent of this Board, tendered him at a meeting held on the 5th of Oct. last: -therefore

Resolved, That he be invested as such agent with full power of supervision and control over such normal institutions as shall apply for a participation in the normal school fund.

Resolved, That as such agent he be instructed to obtain and transmit to this Board full information as to the course of discipline and study in conformity with the resolutions of this Board as he may think best.

Resolved, That as such agent, he be authorized to prepare and have printed all necessary blanks and documents for the conduct of his examinations.

Resolved, That as such agent, he be authorized to hold Teachers Institutes' in vari