A Public Dinner to a Teacher.

O. M. BAKER, Esq.,

DEAR SIR: The undersigned learning of your intention to relinquish the position you have so long occupied in our Public Schools and wishing to express their appreciation of your services as a teacher, and your character as a genial friend and high-minded gentleman, beg to tender you a complimentary dinner at the Kirby House at such a time suit your convenience.

as may

MILWAUKEE, March 16, 1867.

H. L. Palmer, F. C. Pomeroy, J. K. Purdy, A. G. Abbot, R. C. Spencer, and scores of others.

MILWAUKEE, March 15, 1867. Hon. H. L. Palmer, F. C. Pomeroy, John O. Sullivan and others: GENTLEMEN: Your note tendering me a complimentary dinner is

received.

In reply, I beg leave to say, that if in the faithful discharge of my duties as a teacher, I have in your estimation merited the high compliment which you propose, I am but too happy to accept your very polite invitation, and will name Tuesday the 19 instant, at 8 o'clock,p. m., at the place you have indicated. I am, gentlemen, with respect, Your most obedient servant,

O. M. BAKER.

It is with deep regret that we learn of the determination of the President of the State Teachers Association, O. M. Baker, of Mil-. waukee, to retire from the profession of teaching. In him we lose one of our best teachers, who tas long been an ornament to the profession

PROFESSOR STEVENS, County Superintendent of Richland County, complains of the diversity of text-books, there being as many as six kinds of Arithmetics in one school, thereby making it impossible to hold recitations in that study. He says, (and we say,) that recitations-are absolutely necessary to a full understanding and a proper development of the mind of the pupil in any branch of study. We would urge upon teachers the importance of securing a uniformity of text books. Get the consent of the School Board and then refuse to use but one kind in each branch; at all events agitate the matter, nor ceaser until the public see it in the proper light.

Local and General Intelligence.

MINNESOTA. The Senate has passed a bill appropriating $150,000 to the State Normal Schools.

A State Teacher's Institute will be held in San Francisco, Cal., during the first week in May.

SUEZ CANAL. It is said that this great work will be completed in a little over a year from this time.

OF 202,000 pupils in the Public Schools in Lower Canada, o $71,000 are reported to be studying History.

EVANSVILLE Seminary still prospers. Its spring term will open March 26. Rev. H. Colman, Principal.

Ar a spelling school, held in Menomonie recently, a negro boy, aged fifteen years, spelled them all down.

FLOURISHING. The present number of students in the Michigan State University is twelve hundred and fifty-nine.

BARABOO, Sauk Co., New Lisbon, Juneau Co., and District No. 2, în Neillesville, Clark Co., are to have new school houses the coming

season.

MINNESOTA.-Gov. Marshall has ar pointed M. H. Dunnell, of Winona, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He formerly held the same position in Maine.

UNIVERSITY REGENT.-The Governor has appointed Gen. H. C. Ho bart, Regent of the State University, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Hon. Jackson Hadley.

GEORGIA offers free tuition in her State University to every one of her maimed soldiers who will promise to teach as long after he leaves the University as he avails himself of this offer.

CHICAGO pays to the Superintendent a salary of $3,000, the Principal of the High School $2,400, male assistants $2,000, female assistants $1,000, and the Principals of the lower District Schools $2,000.

PROF. Oliver Arey has resigned the position of Principal of the New York State Normal School at Albany.

HON. HENRY BARNARD, of Connecticut, at one time Chancellor of our State University, has been appointed as Commissioner of Education under the new law establishing a National Educational Bureau.

REFORM SCHOOL MANAGERS.-The Governor has reappointed Hon. Edward O'Neil of Milwaukee and William Blair of Waukesha, Managers of the State Reform School, for three years from the 1st of March, 1867.

THE Michigan Legislature has passed the bill to levy annually a tax of 1-20th of a mill upon the valuation of the State in aid of the Michigan State University. The tax will amount to from $15,000 to $16,000 a year.

BELOIT COLLEGE.-Prof. Harris, who has been elected to fill the chair of Chemistry and Natural Science in Beloit College has arrived, prepared to assume his duties. He has been connected with an insti

tution at Coburgh, Canada West.

THE Grant County Teacher's Association, by order of the Executive Committee, will hold its next Annual Session at Platteville, April 16th and 17th beginning at 9 o'clock, 1st day.

The County Institute will occupy the next two days, April 18th and 19th.

THE CALIFORNIA CONTRIBUTION.-The Chicago Evening Journal says: "The Hon. Newton Bateman has just received a draft from California for one thousand five hundred and twenty-one dollars and forty-six cents, forwarded by Hon. John Swett, Superintendent of Public Instruction of that State, being the first installment of funds contributed by the public school children of California, for the National Lincoln Monument. No one has entered more generously and heartily into this patriotic enterprise than Mr. Swett, nor have the public school children of any other State a nobler record, în connection therewith, than those of California. All honor to the Golden State of the Pacific, and to her noble Superintendent of Public Instruction."

THE DIAMOND DICKENS.-Ticknor & Felds, of Boston, Mass., are now publishing what we have long wanted-a CHEAP, CONVENIENT, and ELEGANT edition of Dickens complete works. We have received the "Pickwick Papers," which is well printed on the finest of paper, splendidly illustrated and elegantly bound. The other volumes of Dickens works will be issued regularly, one each month, until the entire set (twelve or thirteen volumes) are published. Price of Illustrated Edition, $1.50; Plain, $1. 25.

OUR efficient County School Superintendent, I. N. Cundall, last night closed at Taycheedah a series of seventy-one lectures, commenced on the 3d of December. He has visited all of the most populous school districts in the county, and filled his appointments with commendable promptness. His audiences were certainly limited by the capacities of the different school houses in which he held forth; but we have yet to hear of one that was not crowded to hear him speak. Mr. Cundall's idea was good in the start, and he has carried it out to the letter, and if the good done by him bears any proper proportion to the interest generally manifested in his lectures, it will be equal to the benefit of a month of teaching to every district. (FOND DU LAC REPORTER.)

A GOOD CHANCE FOR SOME WORTHY YOUNG MAN. On the reorganization of the State University, last winter, and conferring on it the Agricultural College Land Grant, it was provided that one pupil from each Assembly district should be entitled to free tuition. The following is the section of the law with reference to this matter:

Sec. 9. One qualified pupil from each assembly district, to be nominated by the representative of such district in the Legislature of the State, who, other things being equal, shall prefer an orphan of a soldier who has died in defense of his country, shall be at once and always entitled to free tuition in all the colleges of the University.

WE extract the following items from the report of the Board of Education of the City of Milwaukee, for the year ending Aug. 31, 1866-Number enrolled in the public schools, 7,968; average number belonging, 4,634; average daily attendance, 3,829; number attending private schools, 5,644; absences during the year not occasioned by sickness, 148,400. The superintendent of schools is allowed a salary not to exceed $2,000, and is to be a college or normal graduate. Ho is, however, to be allowed a clerk at $600. It will be perceived that, ifre compare the average daily attendance with the number enrolled, gives but a trifle over 48 per cent., while if we compare it with the average number belonging, we have between 82 and 83 per cent.

Book Notices, &c.

SCHOOLDAY DIALOGUES. Compiled by ALEXANDER CLARK, A.M. Published by J. W. Daughaday & Co., Phila

352 pages, 12 mo.

delphia. 1867.

This a neat little book, composed] entirely of dialogues, both prose and poetry, comic and sentimental.

The most of the selections are

new and we believe none of them have been published in any other work than Clark's School Visitor. The dialogues are appropriate for ordinary rehearsals as well as for the most select exhibitions. We hope to see this book in general use.

OUTLINES OF MATHEMATICAL SCIECNE. By Charles Davies, LLD., Author of a full course of Mathematics. Published by A. S. Barnes & Co., New York. pp 168.

The object of this work is to furnish to the teacher, and the schoolroom, an aid and guide in his daily labors of giving Mathematical Instruction. The work is an analysis, in an abridged form, of the system of mathematical instruction pursued at the Military Academy for over a third of a century, and which has given to that school its popularity as a school of mathematical science. It aims to teach the principles of mathematics, proceeding on the plan that Science should precede Art. Every teacher should secure a copy of this at once.

WILLSON'S SCHOOL AND FAMILY SERIES OF READERS AND SFELLERS. Published by Harper and Brothers, Franklin Square, New York. This Series consists of seven Readers, a Primer and two Spellers.Between the Second and Third, and Third and Fourth there is an Intermediate Reader designed for use in city and village schools. These Readers have been generally introduced throughout the United States and are, we believe, well liked wherever used. The engravings and paper are good; typography, clear. The subject-matter is appropriately divided and the aim of the author is not only to teach the science of reading, the different styles of English composition in Prose and Poetry, but a knowledge of Natural History and other Natural SciThe fact that they are successfully used in the New York city schools is a strong recommendation in their favor,

ences.