It would give me much pleasure to enter more fully into the advantages which the infant teacher has in thus bringing his charge into contact with objects skilfully treated, so as to draw out the tender mind, but I am afraid that I shall lengthen my paper beyond its limits, and leave no room for that discussion which will elicit the remarks of many able to give their experience in this important feature of wisdom, school education. It must however be apparent that every one who has this most pliant period of infant life entrusted to his care, occupies a position of the greatest moment; and the characteristics of such a one will afford us an opportunity of consideration, from which we may derive great and enduring benefit. He must have in the first place love of children; good temper and decidedly religious feeling; ability to study the human mind, and readiness of speech, which I feel more and more every day to be a great instrument in the hands of the intelligent man, whether in a private or a public position. It is only those that have had much practice in schoolkeeping, and who have had daily opportunities of noticing school teachers, that can fully appreciate the advantage of the fluent teacher over one who has not had an opportunity by practice of bringing this important talent into play. Without this fluency no instruction can be successful in that picturing out of objects, &c., which forms so essential a part of infant teaching. In order to do this well it is essential that by careful study we should ascertain how far the minds of very young children reach in their endeavours to apprehend what is brought before them. Care must also be taken to use those terms which are simple yet applicable, that the words may so far convey an idea of the object which we desire to paint that the imagination of the child may readily realize it. This can only be done by great practice, and that careful watching of the childrens' countenances, which, if properly studied, will serve as a gauge to measure how far success has been attained.

This picturing out need not be confined to objects such as are generally used in schools, but it may be used to explain words, to describe events, paint natural scenery, and anything that the mind of the child is capable of grasping. I need hardly mention that in carrying out this system of word painting, the teacher must be well up, to use a homely phrase, in all that relates to the different methods of questioning, such as the elliptical method, the suggestive method, the place of simultaneous response, besides that occasional individual questioning which puts all the school upon the alert, and secures general attention. Immediate results are not to be expected in any school, much less in one where the gentle, but sure influence of affectionate training can only be resorted to in order to produce good discipline and perfect control. We have all read of the trials of Wilderspin, when he first began to teach his untrained flock, of the clamour that assailed his ears when the parents had left the school room, of the expedient he adopted by raising his wife's cap on a pole, and swinging it round the room (thus giving his first object lesson), of his atter success, when his warmest wishes were realized; and who that has read this has not felt that it was merely one instance cut of many such commencements, which by perseverance and diligence have become far more favourable to young teachers, than if their endeavours at the onset had been attended with less trouble and difficulty. There are several other points of interest connected with Infant Schools, which I should be happy to bring before your notice, but these I am afraid I must leave till some future opportunity when I shall be glad of an occasion to enter again upon a subject which I feel to be one of great importance to all, and to none more than to the elementary teacher -Lower Canada Journal of Education.

Notes of Lessons.

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.

No. II

I. The following particulars may be gathered from the Epistle itself.

(1) That St. Paul was the planter of Christianity among them. See i. 6; iv. 13.

(2.) That Judaizing teachers followed the Apostle endeavouring to discredit his Apostolic commission, i. 1 and 11.

(3.) They insisted upon the necessity of circumcision for justification; v. 2; vi. 12.

(4.) Their growing influences is adverted to in i. 6; iii. 3; iv. 9-11 and v. 7-12.

II. The following is the most natural analysis of the Epistle. The six chapters are divided into three pairs. The first two are self-defensive; the second two are controversial; and the last two are practical and hortatory.

The epitome of the Epistle-" after saluting the churches of Galatia and establishing his Apostolic commission against the attacks of the false teachers, St. Paul reproves them for departing from that Gospel which he had preached to them and confirmed by the gift of the Holy Ghost, he proves that justification is by faith and not by the deeds of the law, from the example of Abraham, the testimony of Holy Scripture, the curse of the law, the redemption of Christ and the Abrahamic covenant which the law could not disannul; he shews the use of the law concludes that those who are in Christ are delivered from the law and made the spiritual seed of Abraham by faith in Christ; he illustrates this inference by God's treatment of the Jewish Church which He put under the law as a minor is put by his father under a guardian; he shews that by submitting to circumcision they become subject to the law and were forfeiting the benefit of the covenant of grace; he furnishes them with instructions how to use their

liberty in their practical behaviour, and after a brief summary of the topics discussed he commends them to the grace of Christ."

The Epistle should be read in connexion with that to the Romans and the points of logical resemblance observed. The style of the Epistle is more full of feeling, having reference to the peculiar circumstances of the Galatian churches. That of the Epistle to the Romans is more severely argumentative without reference to any special occasion. It should also be compared with the history of the Acts.

The whole Epistle throws light upon the personal history as well as personal character of St. Paul. It contains fresh particulars of his Apostolic career, with assertions of his Apostolic independence, while it unites in its style those opposite features of his individual character, extreme severity with deep tenderness, qualities likely to tell upon "the simplicity and impressibility" of a semi-barbarous people like the Galatians.

TESTS OF A GOOD GALLERY LESSON.

In measuring the success of a collective lesson, and in critising its merits and defects, the following are the points, which require most attention :

I. Language. This should be simple, adapted to the age and attainments of the children, free from pedantry and affectation, yet well chosen, fluent and accurate. The faults which most frequently occur under this head are, inattention to minor matters of pronounciation, aspirates, and distinct utterance; the use of unfamiliar or unsuitable words; and inattention to the grammatical structure of sentences. Long, entangled, or obscure sentences ought to be specially avoided.

II. Matter. The choice of the subject, and its fitness for the comprehension of the class of scholars, shoud be first regarded; then the selection of the right facts, the exclusion of all irrelevent matter, and the careful limitation of the lesson to such a number of facts as children can be reasonably expected to learn within a prescribed time. It often happens that in the delivery of a lesson a teacher aims at imparting much more than ought to be attempted, or can possibly be remembered; or he does not consider the special needs of the class of children whom he has to teach; or he fails to connect the subject with their previous knowledge and experience, or he is imperfectly provided with information; or has not a sufficient variety of illustration at command. Sometimes, too, a lesson on a common object errs by confining itself to common facts, such as children would necessarily learn out of doors; as if there could be any value in a lesson on a familiar thing unless some unfamiliar or new knowledge were superadded to whatever the child knew of the subject before. All these faults may be avoided by careful and thorough preparation, and by writing out full and systematic notes beforehand. In connexion with the subject, it should be remembered that, although every teacher should determine to keep close to the subject in hand, and not to introduce more facts than fairly lie within its compass -he, himself, should have a considerable reserve of information on the point, and should know more than he attempts to teach; otherwise, he will will be unable to offer explanation of any new difficulty which may seem to rise out of the lesson. Moreover, a teacher always feels embarrassed with the consciousness that he is approaching the limits of his own knowledge; and this feeling will destroy his confidence, and greatly interfere with the success ofa ny lesson.

III. Method. This includes the orderly and logical arrangement of the facts to be learnt; the right employment of questions, of illustrations, and of ellipses; judicious recapitulation at the end of each division of the subject; exhaustive recapitulation at the end of the lesson; spelling of difficult words; careful registration of the facts in order on a black-board, as soon as they are learnt; and many other points. The commonest errors in the method of a collective lesson are the employment of technical terms before the use or need of them has been understood; the neglect of the indective process; the telling of facts which could with a little trouble have been elicited from the children; the too rapid transition from one fact to another, before the first has been thoroughly understood; the careless uses of ellipses in cases where they are supplied merely by echoing a word just uttered; the unequal distribution of questions throughout the class, by which a number of the scholars are often wholly neglected, and the readiness to depend on simultaneous answers. The method of a lesson is always defective if thought is not encouraged on the part of the children; if they have not been led to observe minutely and attend earefully; if the sequence of facts and reasonings and moral lessons is not perfectly logical and natural; or if the children have not been led to desire the instruction ever before it was imparted,

IV. Ilustration.-This may be of two kinds-visible, and nearly verbal: the former should, whether in the form of maps, pictures, diagrams, models, or objects, always be simple, unencumbered, plain, and very intelligible. Much judgment is required in the selection of the best illustrations of this kind, and still more in the dexterous and effective use of them. The oral illustrations depend on the pictorial or descriptive power of a teacher, and form a most important element in the success of a lesson; they require to be skilfully chosen, and to be put forth in the simplest language; they may, unless great care be taken, betray a teacher into redundancy and looseness, and if the analogies or similies be not perfectly sound, they are very apt to mislead learners, and leave false impressions. Hence, in judging of the value of such illustrations as are employed in a lesson, it is necessary to consider first their fitness and appropriateness; and secondly, the discretion and judgment with which they are used.

V. Manner. If this is pleasing and yet dignified-if the teacher can manifest sympathy with the class, and yet show a determination to teach-if he is selfpossessed and free from embarrassment, and yet not hard, arrogant, or sarcastic -the success and moral value of the lesson will be in a great measure secured. Among young teachers especially, there is often a tendency either to an ungentle and harsh demeanour which repels the learners, or a familiar and jocose style, which does still more mischief. The characteristics of a good manner in lessongiving are ease and alacrity of movement, quickness of observation, earnestness, and a demeanour which, while it invites confidence, secures authority, and rivets attention.

VI. Discipline.-No lesson can be regarded as successful, in which the order of the class is not sustained from beginning to end. If the first symptoms of disorder and inattention are not instantly detected and checked; if the supervision is not complete and effective over every child; if any needless threats are uttered, or if, after announcing any intentions as to rewards and punishments, the teacher fails to fulfil these intentions, the losson will be defective in this important particular. Of course, the main preservatives for the discipline of a class are the interest and general attractiveness and efficiency of the teaching; but next to this, order will be found to depend on v gilance, and on quickmess of eye and of ear, on the teacher's part, as well as on the firmness with which he insists on obedience to all his commands.

VII. Results. Finally, the success of every lesson can only be judged of by the result. If the final recapitulation shows that little has been really appropriated by the children, or if, when they are tested by written examination, or otherwise they cannot reproduce what has been taught, the lesson must be regarded as a failure. No apparent skill in the design, or clearness in the delivery of the lesson, will compensate for deficiency under this head. In summing up the merits of a lesson, it will, therefore, be necessary to take into account, first, the number of facts which have actually been received and understood by the learners; and, secondly, the proportion of the whole number of learners which has thus received and understood them. Both of these circum. stances require to be well considered.

It is in the belief that model lessons and lessons for criticism are now given much more frequently than heretofore in good schools, and the pupil-teachers and assistants generally will find the systematic criticism of such lessons a very valuable exercise, that we have thus sought to enumerate some of the main points to which attention should be directed in estimating the success and excellence of gallery lessons generally.-Educational Record.