OUR LIBRARY TABLE. BOOKS. THE ARTHURIAN EPIC is the title of a new book from the press of G. P. Putnam's sons, in which the author, S. Humphreys Gartien, presents in splendid style a review and criticism of the Cambrian, Breton and Anglo-Norman versions of the legend and of Tennyson's "Idylls of the King." The author gives us quite ad extensive historical sketch of the old epic, and also treats of its writers and of its bards and chroniclers; the characters in the story are then taken up in turn and the merits and demerits of the various versions commented upon. The book has been recommended by Abbey Sage Richardson, the eminent New York lecturer, as supplementary reading to her course of lectures on the Arthurian Romances. PROF. F. E. ROCKWOOD, of Bucknell University, has prepared a superior edition of Cicero's De Senectute. The introduction is especially valuable, containing as it does a sketch of Cicero's life, and an account of his literary and philosophic achievements. The text is enriched with numerous literary and historical notes that will prove interesting as well as instructive to the student. The price of the work is 90 cents. Published by the American Book Company, New York. Legends of THE RHINE, by H. A. Guerber, author of "Myths of Greece and Rome;" "Myths of Northern Lands," etc., etc. Published by A. S. Barnes & Co., New York. An exceedingly interesting volume, profusely illustrated. The historic river is made to speak to you out of the centuries, and shore and wooded height tell marvellous tales. SIEDEL'S "Die Monate" and "Der Lindenbaum," and Stifler's "Das Heidedorf" for the students' use. Convenient little hand-books with vocabulary, 25 cents each. American Book Company, San Francisco. BECKONINGS FROM LITTLE HANDS: Eight Studies in Child-Life. With designs and drawings by the author, and with process-work copies from photographs. By Patterson DuBois. This book appeals to students of child-life and childnature, because of its scientific deductions from careful observation and experiment on the part of an observing father in peculiarly close relations to his little ones. A book of 182 pages. Price, $1.25. For sale by booksellers, or mailed, at this price, by the publishers. John D. Wattles & Co., 1031 Walnut street, Philadelphia, Pa. PROF. VOLNEY M. SPALDING, of the University of Michigan, whose deservedly popular Introduction to Botany" was last year published by D. C. Heath & Co., Boston, has just made a special trip from Europe, where he is spending some months in study, to Boston, for the express purpose of supervising some revisions in the Botany. The new edition of the book is now ready and is sure to meet with even greater favor than was accorded the earlier edition. A. FLANAGAN, 262 Wabash avenue, Chicago, the well-known publisher, has issued the second edition of Carl Betz, "Gymnastic Tactics," part second. Teachers will be especially pleased with this work. It contains Tactic Evolutions, Fancy Steps, Fancy Marches, March and Song, Reigen, Music, Songs, Marches. Dances. Price, 75 cents. Special rates to schools. Write to publisher. CHRISTOPHER SOWER COMPANY, Publishers, 614 Arch Street, Philadelphia, has published Vol. IV. of Magill's Modern French Series. This volume reproduces "Jean Mornas ou l' Hypnotisme," a study of Parisian life treating a problem of great interest--that of the responsibility of a hypnotised subject-by Jules Claretie, of the French Academy, who has cordially consented to our reproduction of this work, and who has written for it a biographical sketch which is presented in the original. The same Company has published "The Word-Builder," an advanced spelling-book, containing systematic and progressive exercises in wordbuilding, word-analysis, defining, and composition. The book is an excellent one, and has been carefully prepared by Supt. A. J. Beitzel, A. M. G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS published last year a book entitled "Five Thousand Words Often Misspelled," by William Henry P. Phyfe. It is a carefully selected list of words difficult to spell, together with directions for spelling, and for the division of words into syllables. With an appendix, containing the rules and list of amended spellings recommended by the Philological Society of London and the American Philological Association. It is a most valuable little book, and should be on every teacher's desk. 16mo, cloth, 75 cents. CICERO AND THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, by Strachan-Davidson, Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons. For sale by Payot, Upham & Co., San Francisco. A handsome volume of more than four hundred pages, well illustrated and printed in the best style. It gives an English student a clear picture of the great orator and his times. A. W. ELSON & Co., Boston, publish the best portraits we have yet seen of noted Americans. Those of Washington, Lincoln, and Longfellow are especially appropriate for the school-room. They are furnished by the publishers at $5 each. Send for catalogue. CALIFORNIA SCHOOL NOTES. LOS ANGELES.-The friends of education in this portion of the State will, many of them, be pleased to learn that Professor J. A. Foshay has been appointed Superintendent of Schools of this city for a term of four years. This appointment gives eminent satisfaction to the teachers and citizens of Los Angeles. He is not a new man among us, but one whose two years of service as Deputy Superintendent have proved him to be thoroughly qualified for this work. He has been six years a member of our County Board of Education, and before coming to this State was for six years Superintendent of the schools of Putnam county, New York.......The present is felt to be rather a trying si uation for the Los Angeles schools, and we feel sure they are in the hands of a man who will extricate them from all embarassment, and gradually introduce such reforms as will bring in an era of growth and prosperity which will place the schools of our city in the front rank with those of the foremost cities of America. In this he has the best of help in his deputy, Chas. L. Ennis, also a tried man in this city, and in a corps of about three hundred teachers, nearly all of whom have been reelected after giving proof of their fitness and ability.-H....... .All the Marysville teachers were reelected with the exception of Mrs. Nina Foulk, who is succeeded by Miss Adah L. Townsend.......Miss Jennie Rosamond White, of Nevada City, was elected assistant High School teacher. She has been teaching in the Pasadena High School, and will assist Professor Stokes......The good citizens of San Luis Obispo, by a vote of 127 against 14, have, with Mr. Leroy D. Brown as Principal, re-established the High School in Mission San Luis District, and the trustees are building a fine laboratory for the building to be occupied.... Mr. W. S. Thomas has been called from San Bernardino to the Principalship of the High School at Petaluma with Mr. Sharpe and Miss Salina Sharpe as assistants....... Professor George R. Kleeberger, Vice-Principal of the State Normal School in San Jose, has handed in his resignation to President French, of the Board of Normal Trustees. "Prof. Kleeberger will accept the Principalship of the State Normal School at St. Cloud, Minn. He was granted a year's leave of absence by the Board at its last meeting here, and announced that during that period he would attend the State University at Berkeley, in order to complete his studies and obtain a doctor's degree. Since then, however, he has received a flattering offer from the Minnesota school, and did not feel that he could afford to refuse it."-Chronicle....."Professor Lewis, who will occupy the position made vacant by the drowning of Prof. Harold Whiting in the wreck of the steamship Colima, is a young man of great promise. He received recently the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University. For some months he has been a lecturer in the Bliss School of Electricity in Washington. He has also for a long time been an assistant in the physical laboratory of Johns Hopkins University."-S. F. Chronicle....... We are pleased to hear that the Commencement Exercises by the graduating class of the Santa Barbara High School were the most satisfactory ever held there. Of the twenty-five young men and women graduated, the majority will enter either the State or the Stanford University. There was an enrollment of 174 in the High School during the past year; and it is expected that there will be an enrollment of 200 during the present year. The trustees have shown their good judgment in holding a good man when they have him. They have rec lied Mr. C. Y. Roop for another year at a salary of $2,000....... On visiting the Southern California Teachers' Association, we predicted that Prof. T. H. Kirk, ex-Deputy State Superintendent of Minnesota, would not be allowed long to remain in the quiet seclusion which he had sought among the hills. We were right. The people of San Bernardino are the lucky ones who have been so fortunate as to lure him out of his hiding place. We "have a wild desire to speak on this subject" at greater length, but will content ourselves with saying that the people of S. B. have captured a level-headed, independent and progressive teacher-C..... Mr. A. Huckins, Principal of the North Vallejo Grammar School, in company with his wife, his sister, Misses Rounds and Lucy, teachers in Vallejo, and several others, spent the vacation in Alaska........... Several changes were made in the corps of teachers in San Jose public school, but Mr. Frank P. Russell, who has served as City Superintendent for several years, was reëlected for a term of four years.... .Mr. N. B. Countryman, who is so well known among the teachers of Alameda county, will teach under our irrepressible brother, Job Wood, of Monterey county, during the coming year....... .Mr. S. W. Charles has been recalled to the Principalship of the Palo Alto schools-a worthy compliment to a most worthy teacher......In the unfortunate burning of the Court House in Fresno, Supt. Kirk lost some of the papers and books of his office; but it is stated that he succeeded in saving the most important records, so that the school work of the county will not be materially embarassed...... The Board of Trustees of the Vallejo schools are making some radical changes in their school grounds. They have moved the Primary School building in order to make room for the Grammar School building, which is to take the place of the one burned one year ago. The new building, a cut of which will appear next month, is to be an imposing one; but we fear that it will be found to be a little too "lofty" for the convenience of teachers and pupils......On the 20th ult. the Illinois School-house, in Sutter county, was burned, in the evening, after Mr. Strange, the new teacher, had arranged everything to begin school the following Monday. ...In the same county the good people of Cottonwood district have at last succeeded in securing the ground and the tax for a schoolhouse. This news does our soul good; for they have long needed and deserved a good and commodious home......State Supt. Black, Prof. Earl Barnes, of Stanford, Mr. Hall, of Vacaville, Prof. Keyes, of Throop Polytechnic, our correspondent, Miss Everett, of Sutter City, and many others did good work in reminding the members of the N E. A. of the standing invitation which California ever extends to the Association to come West, and that a most cordial reception awaits their coming......County Superintendents, like other teachers, enjoy an occasional outing. Mr. Graves, of Tehama, has been hard at work in his office on his beautiful little fruit ranch, and is now fishing for trout. Mr. Kline, of Sutter, is resting at Pacific Grove, preparatory to a good year's work ahead.......R. J. Bennett, recently a teacher in Ottawa, Ont., has been appointed special teacher of writing in the public schools of San Jose......The Superior Court of San Luis Obispo has decided that the claim of ex-County Supt. Armstrong for $305 salary as secretary of the County Board of Education must be paid...... TEHAMA COUNTY.-Schools are nearly all engaged and teachers are away for the summer at various places. Prin. G. K. Bingham spent a few weeks at the foot of Mt. Shasta. Prin. F. E. Johnston is enjoying the balmy air at Pacific Grove. Prin. J. D. Sweeney has been spend ing the hot season in the harvest field, where he stores up energy for winter use. Miss Anna Morgan is teaching a summer school at Yellow Jacket. Vice-Prin. R. L. Douglas is visiting relatives on the bay. Miss Gilmore is at Monterey...... Red Bluff teachers are as follows. Messrs. G. K. Bingham and R. L. Douglas, Misses Fannie E. Johnston, Anna Morgan, Laura Bettis, Alice Wright, Kate Knetzer, Naomi Baker, Nellie Dodson and Lottie Alvord, San Jose Normal; and Miss Towne. Miss Johnston will be principal of Lincoln School, and Mr. Bingham of Oak School...... Miss Dora Gilmore will teach the primary department at Corning, and Miss Mattie Moore that at Vina ..... A new district has been organized at what is known as "The Bend," north of Red Bluff. Vina will build a new two-roomed building before school re-opens...... Tehama county is behind the times in regard to organized high schools. We should have at least ONE. We could have two. Neighboring counties are leaving us behind......Mabel Baker will teach at Brown District, Edith Johnson at Burr Valley, Bessie Barnes at Red Bank, and Zella Whitford at Fruitland...... The County Board will add a short course in Algebra to the Ninth grade for next year. The Eighth will do more work in Geometry than heretofore. Two years will be devoted to Advanced Geography. Double Entry will be taught instead of Single. (Good!) Irving's Goldsmith will be removed. (Good again!) All will be made known as soon as possible...... Why can't we hear from other counties once in a while?...... Mr. James G. Kennedy, so well known throughout the Coast, has been promoted by the San Francisco School Board to the Principalship of the San Francisco Normal School. S. BLACKBOARDS. It is estimated that more than half the schools of California have poor blackboards—a miserable makeshift upon which neat work is impossible, and so rough that the rooms are filled with chalk-dust, spoiling clothes and injuring eyes and lungs. "Nothing More Important than Good Blackboards!" WHY NOT HAVE THEM? The Haynes Veneer Blackboards Are fully equal to best natural slate, but fortunately we furnish them at about half the cost. We also carry in stock and furnish at reduced prices: EVERYTHING REQUIRED BY SCHOOLS: FURNITURE, BELLS, MAPS, CHARTS, GLOBES, APPARATUS, BOOKS, and GENERAL SUPPLIES. New Illustrated Catalogue on application. Write us. The Pacific School Furnishing Company, WILLIAM L. OGE, Manager. 723 Market Street, San Francisco. |