upon the type form.

I would not destroy the children's models before them. Let the poorest workers select the best model from the collected work.

Clay-modeling may be followed by blackboard drawing. The aim of blackboard drawing is to get graphic expression. Have the children represent the edges and surfaces of the types they have studied with broad, soft lines. Get free expression first, that is, let the child draw in his own way. Afterward show him the best way.

If it is circles he is drawing he should begin at the bottom and draw toward the left. Vertical lines are drawn from top to bottom; horizontal, from left to right. At first the lines should be drawn with equal color, then light and dark alternately.

sunlight.

Of all the work in drawing children like color study best. Give each child a glass prism and take the class into the Have them find and name the six primary colors of the rainbow. At their seats pass colored tablets. Let each choose the color he likes best. Have them arrange their colors in order and also form what they think are pleasing contrasts.

After this preliminary study of colors, let the children use water color paints if you can. Their first lesson with the paints should consist in getting acquainted with their paint boxes by making flat washes with the pure color of red, yellow, and blue, then making orange by dipping first into red and then into the yellow, and the green by using blue and yellow.

As soon as the children know how to make the colors let them do splash work. Radishes, carnations, Chinese lanterns are good subjects. In this work show the children in the beginning how to do the work, then let them try as many times as the time permits. Never let the children draw the objects first. The aim is to get the children to appreciate light and shade. If the lanterns have a light side and a dark side, the result of the lesson is satisfactory. Do not expect fine work, the little children in the first grade cannot do it.

ADDRESS TO THE PATRONS OF THE LIVERMORE

SCHOOLS

H. C. PETRAY
Supervising Principal

Believing that character building is one of the most important parts of a pupil's education, and realizing that it can result only by devoting a regular and systematic amount of time towards developing the ethical side of his nature, I am endeavoring to emphasize that phase of education this term even more strongly than ever before.

The German Denzel says: "Education is the harmonious development of the threefold nature of man-the physical, the intellectual, and the moral." If we were to add to the foregoing definition that of James Mill, who said, "The end of education is to render the individual as much as possible an instrument of happiness, first to himself, and next to other beings," we

would then have what seems to me the full meaning of "education." My observation has been that it is too often the case that the intellectual is developed at the expense of the moral-the latter being left to take care of itself.

Morality has, up to the present time, been taught incidentally in the public schools of California, finding a place there only when misdemeanors were committed and it was thought necessary to make corrections. It has never been made the subject of regular, systematic instruction, as I am prone to think it should be, and, as a consequence, but little impression is made on the child mind for good.

No doubt we are all quite agreed that a high code of morals in the body politic is conducive to good citizenship, therefore, it would seem our state's indispensable duty to train its future citizens more systematically on ethical lines. In the child you are moulding eternal principles of right and wrong; these moral principles must be studied as thoroly as any other branch of knowledge.

It

Building character is the work of education. Society as it exists today is the product of right and wrong. Wrong in many instances arises from ignorance. A better knowledge of what constitutes right would have made a better standard in society. Children often do wrong from ignorance. is not right to blame them, for they were unfortunate thru lack of knowledge. We owe it to the pupils, as well as to ourselves and society, to teach the right. It is far more imperative than to avoid wrong doing: the one forms character which wills to do right, while the other is simply insistent against wrong. Hence, we should strive for the formation of character, since it relieves one of the reformation of habit.

Perhaps no one thing tends more to the development of character than self-control, and self-control is the product of a cultured will. It will do no good to harangue the child on the necessity of controlling himself, but make him see that his powers are of no value unless under control. Give him examples of powers which are useful under proper control and harmful when they break away, such as, the fiery horse, the engine in motion, steam, water, electricity, and fire. Then fitting illustrations nearer home, such as, the muscles of the hand under complete control giving to us specimens of perfect penmanship and pictures pleasing to the eye, while the less culti vated hand makes "pot hooks" and daubs. What wonderful control the baseball pitcher has over the muscles of his hand and arm, each acting when he desires and at the instant the will commands. But should one of his muscles refuse to obey just as he wished to put on a fancy twirl, the result would be utter failure.

So with the will. One without a will does the bidding of others, it may be for good today, for bad tomorrow. The culture of the will is a delicate

problem of education. To strengthen it we must, in a measure, respect the spontaneity of the child, which is the very germ of his independence and liberty. Parents and teachers oftentimes are too anxious to "break the wills" of their children and, in so doing, are surely preparing weak and flabby characters wholly incapable of self-control. Kant says: "We must not break the wills of children, but only direct them in such a way that they will know how to yield to natural objects." "Let the child early feel upon his proud head the hard yoke which nature imposes on man,' Rosseau, "the heavy yoke of necessity, under which every finite being must bend."

says

The child should be neither a slave nor a despot. He should neither be constrained blindly to obey unreasonable orders, nor crossed in all his inclinations. Neither should he be gratified in all he wishes. He must be resisted at times, for it teaches him to resist his own desires. By acquiring the habit of obeying others, he learns to obey his own reason and listen to conscience.

But a few years since our boys indulged in a great deal of profanity on the school grounds, and nearly every other one swore, apparently for pastime. The boy who could "rip out" the loudest oath was looked up to as a very important personage, an example worthy of emulation. This was the first of many vices I sought to dissipate their minds of by presenting to them the characters of men illustrious in history, by choice gems of literature, anecdote, and fable and by constantly moving about among them during recess time. Thus they slowly but surely began to change their habits and strengthen their wills. After seven years of this evolutionary process, I can proudly say it is seldom an oath is uttered on the school grounds, and we all congratulate the boys for it.

But, parents, do you pause to think that we have the pupils but six of the twenty-four hours of each day? Unless they are carefully guarded as to the company they keep and the habits they form during the other eighteen hours, how can we hope to see the plant in embryo blossom and bear fruit of that high order we all desire? We invite your close coöperation. With it we can, no doubt, eliminate profanity from the vocabulary of a very large percentage of our boys. It needs but vigilance and firmness, with a true appeal to right because it is right.

Right is not inborn. It is a matter of growth and varies with the education and age of the individual and the atmosphere in which he moves and has his being.

I find that a large per cent of children tell stories. Earl Barnes, late of Stanford University, says: "All children lie." This lying is due to several causes. With some it is inborn, while others in the infant stage are unconsciously taught to tell stories by their parents and acquaintances. How often do we parents find ourselves saying: "Look out, deary, the bear will bite you, 'stay inside or the man will catch you, Johnny,” “look out, or I'll cut off your ear," and much more such nonsense. In a short time these little ones are heard talking in like manner, and thus the habit of telling

Address to the Patrons of the Livermore' Schools.

321

stories is gradually but surely being formed. Such food for the imagination is disastrous.

Realizing that there is a great deal of story-telling among our pupils, I began a series of investigations hoping thereby to find the main reason for it. The results I herewith append, and they deserve the serious consideration of every parent who has the welfare of his children at heart.

These figures reveal the unmistakable fact that a large per cent of our children lie to avoid punishment and some thru force of habit. All say it is right to tell the truth but seventeen, and assign as their reasons that it strengthens character, builds a good reputation, and makes us happier with ourselves and our Maker. How potent their argument is in behalf of truthtelling! Could a stronger appeal be made to place their children on a higher moral plane? When our children say it is right to tell the truth, yet dare not for fear of being whipped, or thru force of habit and evil association, must we sit idly by, or shall we organize and thru organization devise ways and means by which we may secure the confidence of our boys and girls, and thereby instill a love of truth and establish a code of honor that will ennoble their lives and glorify their deeds in time to come?

In our opinion, a parent's club with meetings once a month for the purpose of discussing these all-important subjects would be a long step in the right direction. Parents, you must help us. We have your children but six hours out of every twenty-four, hence should not be held responsible for more than one-fourth of the immorality that lurks about us. Coöperation means a wonderful victory for you, for the school, and, most of all, for the pupils. Then let us unite. It is the age of combines; and thru combination and centralization build strong, enduring characters for our boys and girls that "moth nor rust can corrupt nor thieves break in and steal."

THE TEXT-BOOK IN GEOGRAPHY

BY J. D. SWEENEY

I do not know but that contrary to time-honored custom and in spite of such excellent works on geography as Frye's, Redway's, and others I prefer the text-book to be much smaller in size than the ordinary one. Our present style is unwieldly and difficult to handle or to carry. When open

on the desk the entire surface of the same is covered. When in the desk it occupies a great part of the room and is easily damaged. The reason given for the present size is the supposed necessity for large maps. This need should be supplied by good wall maps and atlases. A book such as Tarr and McMurry's is of the same size as the other school books, is easily carried, and in many ways is more desirable than the present elphantine volume.

The material should be arranged topically as far as possible. The world as a whole would thus be presented to the mind of the student. Special articles should be devoted to such important subjects as gold, iron, wheat, and cotton. Special maps and charts should show the great rice, cotton,

corn, wheat, and forest belts of our nation. In this regard Frye's book is good. The relative value of our country's products as compared with the products of the world is uniquely shown in Redway's Natural Geography. The pupil is not apt to forget such graphic representations. Other countries may be studied separately, and each state may be briefly treated. The text should be so arranged as to attract the attention to the important points. This can be done by the use of bold faced type as in Frye's "Elements." The type should be large and plain.

Illustrations should illustrate and not be mere pictures.

They should

bear some logical relation to the subject matter. Illustrations, if accurate and timely, possess great pedagogic value. No doubt it may be considered treason to condemn our semi-sacred state series, yet I must say that many of the illustrations in the geography and history are crude, wretched, and grossly inaccurate, as for example the cut of a California harvester on page 294 of the state history. Compare it with that found in "Carpenter's Geographical Reader." Tarbell's text-book has whole pages devoted to illustrations, a good feature.

The importance of the maps of the text-book cannot be overestimated. Our books as a rule have all their maps drawn to different scales. Each map is made to fit the page, and South America is made to cover the same area as Eurasia. Nothing could be more illogical, unpedagogical, or misleading. The ordinary boy or girl in lower grades pays little or no attention to scales, and, as a natural result, the ordinary map creates false ideas about the sizes of continents or states as compared with each other, and these early impressions, as many of us can no doubt testify, are very hard to eradicate. Hence, all continents should be drawn to the same scale, all state maps the same, and all foreign countries to the same scale as the map of the United States. Redway most nearly approaches this ideal.

In quality maps should be of the best. All the essential features should be presented as nearly as possible to the eye. Colors should be distinct so as to clearly show boundaries and, at the same time, the colors should harmonize. The school map should have but few names, as a "jumble" of terms is confusing; and of what real value to children are such names on a map as Passarowitz, Kragonyevatz, Leskovatz, and Simnitza? Leave such for a comprehensive atlas. I consider the Tarr and McMurry maps as being the best for lower grade pupils. With such physical maps are not needed. In advanced text-books railroads, temperature, rainfall, commercial routes, etc. should be shown on separate maps. As to the value of these, I can recall early impressions made by animal maps where the animals of the several continents were pictured upon maps of the same, and I would include such maps in my ideal text-book I have before mentioned charts, diagrams, and maps to illustrate products. Relief maps should be clear, distinct, and accurate. Mr. Frye has some very excellent maps of this character.

As the earth is designed to be a home to man, and as the industries and social conditions of man depend largely upon the natural features of the earth, I deem it proper that grammar pupils should know something of the