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Educational Intelligence.

EXAMINATION OF TRAINING SCHOOLS.-The General Examination of Training Schools will commence on Monday, Dec. 13th. Candidates for Queen's Scholarships will present themselves for examination at the same time. After Easter next, as appears from the recent Minute of Council, Teachers desirous of obtaining Certificates of Merit will be examined at the Christmas Examination of Training Schools, and the District Examinations will be discontinued, or only occasionally held.

ART-EDUCATION.-The School to take earliest advantage of the recent Minute of the Board of Trade enabling eleemosynary schools to purchase drawing-copies, models, and examples at half the prime cost, has been the Queen's School at Windsor. And St. Thomas's Parochial School in Goswell-street, London,-a large school of more than 500 persons, children and adults, directed by the Rev. W. Rogers-was the first to inaugurate the new system of drawing classes instituted by the Department of Practical Art. On this occasion Mr. Robinson, the newly appointed Teachers' training master," delivered an introductory address to a large and attentive audience.-The Dean and Chapter of Hereford have subscribed £10 towards the establishment at IIereford of an elementary Drawing School in connexion with the Department of Practical Art.

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The Rules of the Association of the Deanery of Cuddesdon, and its vicinity, have been forwarded to us. There seem to be few suggestions in these Rules which would be useful to our readers. It is essential to the success of such Associations that a definite Educational character should be impressed upon them, and that well-considered plans for mutual advancement in technical skill and knowledge should be adopted.

WELLINGTON.

The following extract from a Lecture delivered to the Metropolitan Association of Schoolmasters by Dr Brewer at Westminster, has been communicated to us. As they refer to the most distinguishing features of the character of the Duke of Wellington, we gladly yield at this peculiar season to the request that we should insert them, though it is our rule to confine ourselves to topics of a strictly practical educational character.

After the Lecture was concluded, Dr. Brewer spoke, as nearly as we could gather, as follows:

"And now, gentlemen, cre I conclude my address to you, suffer me to detain you a minute or two by uttering a few and simple reflections on an event which has recently opened to the historian a new page, and supplied the biographer with the last scene of an illustrious character; although that page is yet blotted with fresh tears, and the original of that character hardly removed from amongst us.

I allude, as you will all anticipate, to the Death of the Hero of England.You will readily call to mind that when the great captains and officers of state, termed in Holy Writ, "the servants of the King," after the recent death of Abner, had an audience of their Monarch, David put aside the business of the State and the pomp of his position, with the short but powerful and pathetic

remonstrance, "Know ye not that a Prince and a great man is this day fallen in Israel."

We all can, and shall all feel inclined to follow this example of King David, as it was the dictate of affection, the natural effusion of a loving and a generous heart. We recognise it to be well that the nation has set apart a day for the last solemn rites to be paid to departed worth. Indeed there is something peculiarly grateful to our feelings in the appropriate asylum which the mortal remains of our Hero have found at Walmer.

It is not that our Wellington was a Warrior merely-were he no more than that, I could not fashion my tongue to utter one word of commendation, as you all know. I would as lief fall down and worship the shining blade of an ax, or the crooked edge of a saw which have lopped off the branches and then hewn down the trunk of all domestic props, joys and endcarments, as venerate a warrior merely as such, for war I deem an unmitigated curse.

It is not that fame trumpets forth the honors, titles and dignities of Wellington; for fame achieved by any man and centred in himself is no better than the idle blast which an insane herald might blow to publish his own entrance into a city.

It is not that the voice of Wellington could sway his compeers and guide the councils of Kings and Senators, for power when not employed for the glory of God and the relief of man's estate, is no better than a mighty machine whirling about its giant arms to waste-or worse, to ruin and desolation.

It is not any one, nor all of these combined which could influence the reflective mind of a reasonable and responsible man to admire and commend another but it is the exhibition and development of that great principle which I believe to have been the leading characteristic of that mighty man-it is the exaltation of simple, plain and wholesome duty; it is the living exhibition of the fact that the performance of plain duty is the obligation of all men, and that it will ultimately prove to be to the advantage of all, which, whilst it constitutes the greatness of Wellington, constitutes him the object of our imitation, and the benefactor of his race.

War was no matter of choice to him-it was the path-aye, and often the painful path, of duty to him. War was his instrument for the establishment of peace; when peace with truth could not be obtained without it, it was used by him to promote plenty, and to further civilization and freedom where these blessings were not to be procured by other means.

Power was not "the aim" of the Duke; it was his instrument, used by him to compose conflicting interests and still injurious turbulence.

Honors were not the great object of the Duke's pursuit. I call you all to witness how honors were actually the emblems of his obedience to the calls of duty and then made by him subservient to the good of his country.

And lastly, there was a tic which binds him ever to the hearts of every thorough Englishman - he was an enlightened and liberal member of that Protestant Church established within these realms; and so long as History shall delight to tell the great deeds of English worthics-so long as memory shall delight to dwell upon the noble achievements of the great benefactors of our kind-so long as Patriotism shall enflame the hearts of men to acts of true heroism and self-denial, so long will Wellington stand pre-eminent in the list of the great ones of the earth.

I know, gentlemen, that you will excuse my offering these remarks unexpectedly not only from the kindness with which you have received them, but also from the position which you have assigned to me in the Historical department since you have assembled beneath this roof."

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

LESSONS AND TALES.-By the Rev. Richard Dawes, M.A., Dean of Hereford. -Longman. This book is chiefly intended for the junior classes in elementary schools, the children of which are supposed to range between the ages of six and ten. The preface tells us that " being desirous that the work should commend itself to general use, the writer has avoided all controverted subjects; but has, at the same time, anxiously endeavoured to dwell upon, and illustrate the fundamental truths of the Gospel." Knowing, as we do, Mr. Dawes' practical acquaintance with elementary schools, and the moral necessities of poor children, we were not surprized at his sending forth a school book so dissimilar in its character to those now in general use. The truth is, that the majority of school books are now constructed on the "Useful knowledge" principle, as though intellect was the only thing to be acted upon. Mr Dawes, whilst not forgetting the intellect, has aimed at arousing and developing the moral feelings. We think he is right; and when we remember what is recorded of the Great Teacher, we do think it rather remarkable that, with such an example, the compilers of modern school books should have so completely ignored everything in the shape of a Fable or Moral Tale. Why it should be so we know not; this we do know, that moral developement is incomparably the more important of the two, and we are heartily glad to find a man of so much influence and practical knowledge as the dean, leading the way to so good a purpose. Notwithstanding, as we think, some slight defects in the detail of the "Tales and Lessons," we shall be happy to know of its coming into general use in the class of schools for which it was designed.

SMITH'S PRACTICAL BOOK-KEEPING, COMMERCIAL REFERENCE, AND COUNTING HOUSE, AND SCHOOL ASSISTANT-Simpkin and Co.-We suppose that in the majority of elementary schools, the little manuals on this subject published for the use of the Irish Schools, will be the text books. Up to a certain point, they serve elementary purposes tolerably well; most teachers, however, desire for themselves something further, not so much in the shape of examples, as in the way of expository matter, making clear the language and usages of commercial life. Mr. Smith's book meets this want, and is one we could recommend, were it not for its price being far too high. In these times of cheap production, it specially behoves those who bring school books into the market, to do so at moderate prices. We have before us another work on the same subject, well got up, with nearly double the matter, and at one half the price.

FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD, READING BOOKS.-By James Whitton. Collins, London. Perhaps one of the most satisfactory evidences of the difficulty felt in teaching to read, is found in the variety of schemes professing to provide a Reading-made-Easy. It is not long since the Phonic Reading Books of the Committee of Council on Education, afforded no small mirth to one of the Reviews; and now we have from Mr. Whitton an attempt in the same direction, based on "the principle of contrast and progression." We are quite sure that the attempt deserves praise, and that the series must have cost the compiler an amount of time and patient industry, which w fear will produce him a very inadequate return. Were our faith in the author's scheme much greater than it is, we should yet feel disposed to question the propriety of throwing together, as is done in this series, so many words wanting in good reputation. The children of the poor already acquire with too much readiness, a sufficiently disreputable vocabulary, and to set such words in a permament frame work is, to our minds,

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