and, in addition to his own proper work, he taught whatever there was no one else to teach. For several years he held the reins of discipline entirely in his own hands, and, both by day and by night, watched over the students with truly parental care. He did not care especially to make the college popular, as it is called; but he labored most earnestly to render it a school of thorough discipline and of sound education."

The result of such assiduous labors and a management so skillful was most happy. The professors were roused to new exertions and more thorough instruction; the chair of moral and mental philosophy and political science, in which hitherto the works of Paley had been the only text-books, without even a caveat at their errors, became thenceforth the glory of the university; and his lectures and discussions on these subjects, followed in due time by his excellent text-books, not only attracted students to the university, but also exerted a powerful influence on their subsequent career. The library rose to a respectable rank, and a permanent endowment of $25,000 was secured for it. Its increasing size required ampler accommodations; and Manning Hall, with its fine library and chapel-rooms, was erected. 'The new president's house and Rhode Island Hall were erected; and, on Dr. Wayland's earnest appeals, the endowment of the university was considerably increased.

Yet, with all these evidences of success, Dr. Wayland's ideal of a university was not reached. The number of students did not increase, but actually diminished, and the annual expenses had become greater than the annual receipts. He investigated with great care the existing system of collegiate instruction in the United States; and, becoming satisfied that a radical change in some of its features was demanded, gave expression to his views in a little volume published in 1842, entitled, "Thoughts on the Present Collegiate System of the United States." The fundamental idea of this work was, that borrowing our system of collegiate education from that of Great Britain, and changing for the worse some of its best features, we had provided only the kind of education demanded by those who were intending to enter one of the learned professions, thus almost excluding the commercial, mechanical, and agricultural classes, which had done most for the organization and endowment of colleges; and that to offer to these classes the advantages of such an education as would be best adapted to their wants, the study of the classics should be made optional to those desiring an education for other than professional purposes, and that those who chose to take only a practical course should be allowed college honors expressive of their attainments.

But the corporation was averse to any change, and for some years matters remained in statu quo. In 1849, despairing of any decided improvement while the existing system was retained, Dr. Wayland resigned

"He received the degree of D. D. from Union College in 1827, and from Harvard University in 1829. The latter institution conferred on him the degree of LL. D. in 1852.

the presidency. The corporation, unwilling to release him, asked if he could not be prevailed on to remain in office. In reply, he stated freely the reasons of his resignation, and suggested such changes as he believed essential for the largest usefulness of the university. The board thereupon appointed a committee, of which the president was chairman, to propose any changes which might be thought needful in the system of education in the university. The report of this committee, which embodied and developed with greater fullness, though with some modifications, the views first set forth in the little work already named, was presented to the corporation in March, 1850. It proposed the organization of fifteen courses of instruction, varying in length from one term to two years. The selection of courses should be optional with the student. No student was to be admitted as a candidate for a degree, unless he had honorably sustained his examination in such studies as might be ordained by the corporation, but there was no obligation to proceed to a degree.

This system was, on the whole, a great advance in collegiate education. Nevertheless, it was not sufficiently radical. The college degree was still controlled by the corporation, and was only bestowed upon the proficients in the courses which most nearly corresponded to the old college course; and thus one inducement to a high degree of proficiency in those studies best adapted to the needs of the non-professional classes was taken away. But the experiment was tried, and proved reasonably successful. An endowment fund of $125,000 was raised by subscription in four months, and the university commenced the year 1850-1 under the new system. During the second term of that year the number of students increased to 195, and from that time to the date of Dr. Wayland's resignation the average was 249.

On the 21st of August, 1855, his resignation was again sent to the corporation; this time not from any discouragement in regard to the condition of the university, for it was enjoying a higher degree of prosperity than at any former period, but from the state of his health. It was accepted with regret, and only from the conviction that it was indispensable to the preservation-of his life.

During the whole of this period of almost thirty years he had toiled as few scholars have been able to do. Seeking and obtaining physical vigor by the cultivation of a large garden, he devoted the best hours of every day to close and assiduous intellectual labor. His wonderful activity in his duties as the head of the university were but a part of his labors. He was accustomed for many years to preach to the students every Sabbath and his sermons, though not marked by the graces of oratory in their delivery, were replete with sound and vigorous thought. For two or three years he preached with great acceptance in the First Baptist Church in Providence.

But his great work, so far as his relations to education were concerned, were his text-books. For eight years after he entered upon the presidency,

;

he taught Moral Philosophy by lectures and discussions. Having, by this long course of study, settled fully the great principles of the science, he gave his "Elements of Moral Science" to the public in 1835, and for thirty years it has continued to be a standard work. The last labor of its lamented author was the revision of the final proofs of a new edition, in which, without modifying any of the postulates he had laid down thirty years before, he had changed and added many illustrations, and made the work more worthy of the welcome it has received in this country and in Europe.

In 1837 his "Elements of Political Economy" was published, and though meeting with less universal success than his preceding work, as was to be expected from the diversity of views on the subject, and its connection with partisan warfare, it has enjoyed a high degree of popularity. It is marked by the same clearness and precision of thought characteristic of his Moral Science. His "Elements of Intellectual Philosophy," though its substance had been given to many successive classes in the lecture-room, was not published till 1854. Here he was treading upon difficult ground, and, amid conflicting systems, could hardly hope to satisfy all. His aim was to give a clear and impartial as well as comprehensive view of the Elements of Metaphysics, and he was remarkably successful. Of his other works, which are numerous and indicate the versatility as well as the high order of his intellectual powers, this is not the place to speak, as they were not devoted to educational topics.

But his labors in the cause of education were not confined to his own university, they were coextensive with the limits of the world. In his own State, the efforts for educational reform in the public schools found in him a zealous and efficient leader. In the founding of colleges and theological seminaries, in the promotion of a higher and more truly liberal education among clergymen, and in the establishment of training-schools in the mission stations in foreign lands, he was always an efficient helper.

The affection and esteem in which he was held by the people of the gallant little State of which for thirty-eight years he had been a resident, were high evidence of his moral worth. Of all her citizens, there was none whom Rhode Island more delighted to honor, none who would have been more heartily welcome to any gifts she had to bestow. More than once he was urged to allow himself to be nominated for United States Senator; and had he consented he would have been elected by acclamation. Such honors as he would accept, the State heaped upon him. He was the chosen counselor in all her educational matters; director and president, if he would serve, in her hospitals, asylums for the insane, and her reformatories; an inspector of her prisons, in which he regularly taught a Bible-class of prisoners, and often preached; president of the Society for Aiding the Poor, and an officer in nearly every social charity of the city, and the counselor and friend of every one who went to him in perplexity and anxiety.

His death was comparatively sudden and unexpected. He had overtasked himself in the final revision of his "Elements of Moral Science," while suffering from a heavy cold: on the 26th of September, 1865, he was smitten with paralysis, and survived four days, without return of consciousness.

THE

MARKING AND AVERAGES.

HE prevailing system of marking daily recitations, adopted in all our institutions of learning, though conducive to the highest good, is. attended with great labor, and much that is useless. Under the college and public school system of this country it is the only method by which trustees, committees, and parents can know the real and comparative standard of the scholar. By it the spirit of honorable emulation can alone be secured, and it is the only true standard of promotion in the class, or to higher classes and schools.

Having governed a school of one hundred pupils for some time by this instrumentality alone, I have sought to make it as thorough as possible, and at the same time to rid myself of all unnecessary work. I pass over the many methods of recording the value of the daily recitation, for in this the teacher seldom finds difficulty. There are scores of pupils who will rule his book, date it, record the names of the classes, and be glad of the opportunity. It is easy to sit in the presence of his class, and in the book thus prepared, record the pupil's mark as he recites.

But the labor is at the end of the month or term, when he is compelled to make out his summary for the inspection of the committee or the parents. Beginning with the reading-class, he must add a column of twenty numbers, more or less, and divide each sum by the whole number of recitations. Thus class after class must go through the same operation. The term closes on Wednesday, and he must have his report ready to read on Friday afternoon. He wishes to be faithful, for he who seeks to adopt this marking system, and is not as true as a banker, secures the contempt of his pupils, and fails. He must consequently spend sleepless nights over this averaging. This leaves him weary for the beginning of the next month, when he mosts needs his concentrated energy, to give his pupils a first-rate start.

No. 2

READING.

589 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | Averago 7a 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 8|8a|5|98 7|X|9a 6.55

18 | 48 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 30 | 33 | 35 | 37 | 47 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 58 |—

| 59 | 69 | 6.55

By examining the above table, every teacher will recognize a familiar

face. There is J. Roe's account with the reading-class for the month of October.

The month closes, and J. Roe retires to the playground. Pedagogue's work is not yet done. He only dismisses the aforesaid to resume his task thus seven and nine are sixteen, and six are twenty-two, and eight are thirty, and seven are thirty-seven, etc., finding the sum of all the figures to be one hundred and thirty-one, which divided by twenty, gives the average six and fifty-five one-hundredths. In a school of thirty classes, and more than thirty pupils in each class, there are nine hundred of these difficult problems, a task which can not be performed in a shorter time than seven or eight hours. After all this, these averages must be recorded in a journal and on the reports. Let us try and save the above eight hours. Look now at J. Roe's account, No. 2. The maximum of merit, as before, is ten; the minimum is zero (0). If he gets ten for twenty days, they will amount to two hundred. But the first day he gets three off; mark it down. The next day he is to get nine; mark one more off and make it four. The next day he is to get six ; and it is just as easy to take four more off, and write eight, as to put down six. So we mark for the month. On the eighth day he is absent, and gets 0, therefore we count the whole ten off. Likewise we count ten off for the seventeenth and twenty-sixth. At the end of the month we find his offs are sixty-nine. The half of sixty-nine, at a glance, is thirty-four and five-tenths, which, subtracted from one hundred, gives six, five, five, or six and fifty-five hundredths by reducing the hundred to ten, the maximum of merit. Or thus we arrive at the same conclusion. Sixty-nine from two hundred gives one hundred and thirtyone as before, which, divided by twenty, gives six and fifty-five hundredths. This works equally well for any factor or multiple of the maximum. If now there were eight recitations a month, subtract the offs in the last column from eighty, and divide by eight, and so for any other number.

Another plan of averaging is to add the real marks, from day to day, and divide the last number by the number of recitations. The objection to this is, that in every case the numbers would be very high, at last containing three figures. In the case of perfection, no mark need be made at all, if we count the offs; while, if we add the real mark, it would after the tenth day occupy three figures each time. The offs need never occupy more than two figures, for in case of absences the ciphers can be marked instead of a for absences, and added on at the end of the month by glancing from the name to the right. And if a pupil misses a lesson every day, or get below five, he should be suspended from the school. If, now, J. Roe come excused for his absence, he may be allowed during the month to make up the lesson before he recites with the class, and he may be settled with in the column of the last day of his absence.

There may be queries suggested by those who read this. The writer will be happy to answer them in future numbers of the MONTHLY.