sional teacher is the annual examination for a certificate. That examinations should be held, that these examinations should be rigid, so rigid and exacting as not only to exclude incompetent persons, but also to secure the best available talent for the schools, —is a just and necessary practice. But reason and humane considerations should be taken into account rather than the strict formality of complying with established custom, or any technical interpretation of law, when teachers and their work are well known to examiners, and when the teachers are regularly engaged in graded school work, especially those who from year to year work in the same grade. Why should a primary teacher, having for years been successfully engaged in primary work, and expecting for years to continue in it, be annually. required to extract the cube root of a given number, and explain the process; why required to tell how to find the area of the surface of a sphere; why required to name in order the battles of the second war with England; why to name all the rivers of South America or of Africa? Why not, once for all, so long as the teacher works successfully in one school and one grade, have one examination upon leading points in the several branches of work, an examination testing one's general intelligence and preparation for teaching-after this, whatever examinations there are let them be upon methods of primary instruction, the management of beginners in school and inquiring into one's continued preparation and study in that line of work. Many an experienced teacher in graded schools is compelled annually to pass the same examination as the most careless teacher in the county, or the one who is soon to teach her first school. This unnecessary and unjust tax upon the physical strength of teachers should no longer be assessed. In determining the teacher's health, a trinity of forces, firmly resisted, combine and produce serious results. This trinity of forces is made up of habits, carelessness and fashion. Of habits, it may be said, many teachers live too much in doors, and often in impure air. Every teacher, in some way, should so manage as to live two hours of each day in the open air. The great majority of teachers give little or no attention to the temperature and ventilation of their school rooms, or their sleeping apartments, and nearly all their time being spent in-doors, they get a very limited supply of pure air. Many teachers suffer in health because they do not eat the best kinds of food, cooked in the best way. It has been said that the political rulers of the world are persons of weak consciences and good stomachs. It may be added, I think, that the educational rulers are persons of weak stomachs and good consciences. Teaching and governing children make such great demands upon the physical system, that the most healthful and nutritious food must be had to supply the waste, and furnish new material for use. It is a shame, that even the poorest paid teacher in the work should feel compelled to live upon cheap food, or get board at low rates, or to deny one's self the luxury of the most nutritious foods, or the enjoyment of a bountiful supply of fruits in their season. A good brain worker needs a well fed stomach. If any class of people need and deserve good, wholesome, nutritious food, that class is school teachers. Whatever variety of meats the market affords, the teacher ought to enjoy, the juciest roasts; the most delicious broils; the most tempting soups. The teacher should have and use freely a variety of vegetables; of fruit, there should be, at least, whatever the season and climate affords, and as much as the system desires; of fresh lemons and fresh eggs, all teachers should be free users. It pays no teacher to live or try to live on poor, cheap or scanty food. Let those who think bran and pea soup proper and good enough for teachers be compelled to take their own medicine. It pays to have in quality of food the best and most nutritious; in quantity, a moderate amount; in frequency, three times a day, and no "piecing," or eating of fruits, candies, nuts ond pop-corn, between meals. Teachers, usually, spend too little time at the dinner table. This the heartiest and best meal of the day should be eaten leisurely; without excitement or care, and with no thought of hastening back to school for fear of being tardy, or for the purpose of doing extra work. So. But few teachers sleep as much as they ought. Sleep is nature's great restorer. "God bless the man who first invented sleep, so Sancho Panza said," and so say we all, or we teachers ought to say Not infrequently, the teacher, even at meal time is too tired to eat. If such is the case, then let him sleep, instead of eating. Often forty-five minutes of sleep can better prepare a person for his afternoon work than a hearty meal. In that case, the sleep would better be taken. Every teacher should sleep all he can and sleep soundly; he should have tact and will-power enough to let never a thought or dream of school ever enter his bed-room door. Plenty of undisturbed sleep in weil-ventilated bed chambers would years of usefulness and The wise people may restore thousands of tired-out teachers to personal satisfaction in the school room. prescribe their four and six hours sleep for smart people, and eight hours for the fools, but the sooner the teachers all get into this fool-class, the wiser, healthier and happier they will be. Much of the poor health of teachers must be charged to the fact that as a class teachers do not take care of themselves. The life of the teacher demands unusual carefulness in regard to wearing extra garments, when passing out of doors, or into currents of air, and in reference especially to clothing at evening gatherings, yet teachers are daily saying to their careful friends: "O I did'nt think;" or, "It is only a short way; or, "I do not take cold easily." As to fashion, teachers are probably no more slaves than the average of people, and yet persons as intelligent as the average of school teachers ought to think as much at least of comfort, of health, as of what people will say, or how it will look. Many teachers, through regard for customs do not dress warmly enough; do not sufficiently protect the throat, chest, extremities and especially the feet. This is not a matter of economy, but because others do so. Both lady and gentlemen teachers can be often seen, having especially the chest and feet insnfficiently protected from the changes of temperature; the arguments of anxious and interested friends are quickly answered by the silencer, "O, it looks so!" Faulty habits of sitting, standing and walking, and the resulting imperfect breathing do their evil work, as may readily be shown by an examination of the physique of any company of teachers. The demands which society lays upon the willing and energetic teacher proye often times a greater burden than is at first supposed. It is complimentary to teachers as a class that few social, literary or religious circles seem complete without the school teachers. The teacher, too, needs and must have, to an extent social, literary and religious life, and probably enjoys it as heartily as anyone. But there is a limit to endurance, and communities generally ought to make fewer demands, and ask less responsibility to be assumed by teachers, and to remember the many demands there are upon their leisure. The teacher cannot be the soul of every social entertainment in his community, give the strongest support to the literary club, carry large religious interests, and do a teachers work and maintain health. From the most humble teacher in country retirement to the city superintendent of our large cities, there is a certain amount of worry, that tells upon the teacher's health. The teacher should have each day a certain amount of time when he is entirely free from the care and responsibility of his profession. He should plan occupation that is a complete relaxation of the nervous strain of regular work. The causes of worry are legion, and any experienced, thoughtful teacher can call to mind at once the things from which there must for a time be rest and relief. Work of itself is healthful. Work that one enjoys is an appetizer. The true teacher, having the satisfactions that belong to a teacher's life should be a jolly, happy, healthy man or woman. We, sometimes, feel great sympathy for the poor, worn out teachers. Such sympathy is proper, yet we may well give much attention to the present and future teachers, and join in the chorus with George Arnold "We should make life pleasant down here below,- DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY INSTRUCTION. Recognizing the long felt want in our State Teachers Association of a Department of Secondary Instruction, a call was issued during the association for a meeting of all teachers doing exclusively High School work, those engaged in seminaries and academies, and also all teachers in the preparatory departments of colleges. In response to the call a number of such teachers met, and after a discussion of general interests and suggestions of plans for mutual improvement, a committee, consisting of H. H. Freer, Principal Preparatory Department Cornell College; F. E. Stratton, Principal of Davenport High School; N. Messer, Principal Keokuk High School; O. F. Emerson, Principal Academy of Iowa College; and Geo. W. Jones, Principal of Epworth Seminary, was appointed to report a plan for future action. At a subsequent meeting of which O. C. Scott, Principal of Oskaloosa High School was President, and F. E. Stratton Secretary, the following report was presented: Recommending, Ist, that a temporary organization be formed, and 2d, that a program for next meeting of association be prepared. On motion the report was adopted and the following officers were elected: N. Messer, President; W. G. Ray, Principal Guthrie High School, Vice President; Mrs. H. J. McClellan, Principal Vinton High School, Secretary; G. O. Jones, H. H. Freer, and Miss Lillibridge, Principal High School, Independence, Executive Committee. The Association kindly directed that programmes should be printed on the general programme, and it is hoped that an additional interest will be awakened in this department of educational work. OUTLINES OF THE IOWA READING CIRCLE. HISTORY. February-Sixth Month-Barnes' General History. Pages 153-177. First Week.-It was the mission of Alexander to diffuse the Greek language and civilization over the earth. Calling himself, Greek, he gathered about him Greek generals, philosophers, artisans and authors. His empire was of short duration. From its ruins four Greek kingdoms immediately sprang into existence. Of these the most interesting in its history is Egypt-not the Egypt of Abraham and the Pharaoes and Joseph, but the Egypt of the Ptolemys and Cleopatra and Mark Anthony and Julius Cæsar. 1. Ptolemy and his wise policy. The new elements of the population. The predominant speech. 2. The new city. The Pharos. The mausolem. The original Suez Canal. 3. The Alexandrine Library. The great work of the seventy Jewish doctors. (This book alone cost the king $2,500,000.) The vast number of the volumes. 4. The geat school. Its museum. Its gardens. The numbers in attendance. In what respect was it the greatest school in the history of the world? The famous names connected with it. Its influence on the world's measurement of time. Its influence on science. Its latter influence on religion. The end of the PtolThe romantic story Roman Empire. 6. 5. emy line, after nearly three centuries of rule. of Cleopatra. Egypt swallowed up in the The Greek kingdom of Thrace and Asia Minor. Its short duration and its annexation to the kingdom of the East. New cities founded. The Syrian Antioch. Pergamos, and the english word derived from its name. Their absorption by the Roman dominion. The one kingdom which was not conquered by the Romans. 8. Pontus and its surrender to the Romans. The kingdom of Macedom and Greece. The incursion of the Barbarians, and their expulsion to Galatia. The Achæn and Aetolian Leagues. "All roads lead to Rome." The history of this kingdom ends as end those of the other. 9. Greece as a Roman province. As it is to-day, so was it in the time of Horace and Cicero-a land of departed greatness, of sentiment, of song and story. Sunday Readings.-The prophesy concerning Alexander (the "King of Grecia") and the four Greek kingdoms-Daniel viii, xi, 3. Second Week.-If it be an instructive study to analyze the civilization of any nation or race, especially is this the case with Grecian civilization. Though Gibbon may have overestimated the influence |