institute is a school and not a debating society-instructors, that they are to teach rather than lecture.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS.

1. It is the province of the institute to show that the teacher i awake to the highest interests of his profession, and, through thi agency, the meritorious teacher is afforded the opportunity of orgai. ized improvement.

2. The conductor should require members to be punctually present, and no time should be lost with useless preliminaries neither should he permit the exercises to become dull and monote

nous.

3. Promptness and dispatch should mark all rulings of the conductor; much of the interest and profit arising from the institut may be secured by prompt and equitable decisions. The conductor should not retard the work with lengthy discussions of technicalitie nor should the time of the institute be consumed nor its best pur poses thwarted by an ostentatious display of parliamentary usage

4. The place of meeting is important and should be well consid ered. The time is equally important, and, other features being favorable, the most convenient season is, perhaps, during the summer

vacation.

5. The notice of the meeting should be ample, by programmes circulars and the public press.

6. In the normal institute, if the attendance of teachers is very large, more effective work may be secured by making subdivisions or classes.

LOCAL INSTITUTES.

Local teachers' meetings are growing in influence and in num bers. They are well attended and are imperceptibly widening and helping the teachers' work. A full, free and actual expression from the teachers is more easily obtained at these meetings, and better facilities are afforded here for personal views on teaching and methods than can be secured at the county or district institute.

So interesting have these meetings been in some counties tha every teacher has been present. In some places regular practice classes in methods have been established and the regular daily work in the several schools represented has been exemplified These exercises inspire the teachers with greater enthusiasm in their profession and will secure good results in the school-room.

NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION.

This association was held for the year 1888 at San Francisco, Cal., July 17, 18, 19 and 20. This was one of the grandest and greatest sessions of this national convention of teachers ever held and was largely attended by teachers and friends of education from all parts of the Union.

In view of the importance of holding the association on this east and of the great impetus it would necessarily give education on this coast, a special effort was made to secure a large attendance from this State. At a meeting of the State board of education, held early in May, the Superintendent of Public Instruction was authorized to issue circular letters to all superintendents and teachers in Oregon, placing before them the importance of this great convention, the rates of travel by the various transportation companies, and such other matters as might be deemed necessary. This was done and very reasonable rates were obtained from all of the railway and steamship companies. The attendance of teachers and citizens from Oregon was estimated at about four hundred.

OREGON HEADQUARTERS

Were established at the Occidental hotel, San Francisco, and kept open for ten days with the following objects in view:

1. As a general bureau of information relative to this State for the visiting teachers from the East.

2. As a central and official office for State registration, etc., for all teachers, superintendents and citizens from Oregon during the days of the national association.

3. As a registration office for all visiting teachers from other States and Territories.

4. As a central office for the distribution of immigration litera

ture.

5. Here, also, the Oregon teachers invited their friends and vising teachers from the East, and extended to them an earnest and Cordial invitation to visit our State as they returned to their homes, thus securing the opportunity of seeing the magnificent scenery, avantages, attractions and resources of Oregon and the great northwest.

Several thousand of the Eastern teachers and tourists visited and registered at the Oregon Headquarters, and over two thousand [assed through our State returning to their homes.

The industrial department and educational exposition were int esting features of the association.

The exhibit of the

PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Received great praise and was honored with high awards of me for its excellence.

PUBLIC EDUCATION.

In this country every youth has the chance and the right make himself honorable and useful. This chance is as free as a and is furnished him on every hand, ready-made to occupy upright position in the community. Every inducement that a ge erous government can bestow is held out to him. Public scho and higher institutions of learning are everywhere. The teache in our colleges and universities are doing a grand work for educ tion of the youth of our State. Every enterprising boy who striving to become an intelligent and useful citizen, may secure liberal education in these institutions of learning. Beginning the primary school, the ambitious youth continues his coar through the various grades until he reaches the university or e leges.

Here, with the advantage of more mature years and thought, 1 is prepared to acquire that higher education that imparts streng of character and refinement of manners, rounding up his wor and entering the walks of life as the self-poised and well-balanc man. The way is open, then-there is no established rank, no li of aristocracy, no obstacle worth naming, indeed, in this State, th stands in the way of any boy or girl who is struggling upward We have now, in part, a comprehensive system of education, ar this system must continue to be advocated, established and extende thus making the way ever open and easy to the children of the ri and of the poor. Has our country lost any thing by its genero system of public education? Do we regret that the free publ schools and colleges of Oregon have already furnished the comm nity tens, yea, hundreds of intelligent men and women? Dow regret the policy of leaving the avenues to honor and eminence ope to all? Do we regret that grand basis of freedom and intelligen upon which our government rests? Do we regret from that fre dom of education that has furnished the opportunity to thousan

of poor boys and girls to rise from obscurity to the highest places in the government, literature and science?

Again, from another standpoint, every man is a factor in and member of society. In this he has no choice. It is absolute and compulsory. What sort of factor, then, shall he be? His duties to himself are modified by his duties to his neighbors. Forces operate upon him that tend to preserve his own independence and dependence-in other words, these forces render him subject to social, civil and moral laws; these forces tend, on the one hand, to cause the individual to disregard the claim of society upon him, and, on the other, to cause society to disregard the right of the individual. Is it wrong, then, to magnify man, or debase him as an individual? Is his freedom of thought and speech to be restricted because it is abused? Are free institutions to be condemned because they elevate the masses? By no means; but, on the contrary, the chief glories of a free government, with free institutions and free schools, are that they make men capable of self-government by pressing upon them individual responsibilities. A people who are not free can never be strong. True manhood is the ripened fruit of independence. The foolishness of youth must be tolerated to secure the soberness of agc.

With this view of a social status, what will insure proper respect for authority more than education? Not a smattering, but a full, strong, liberal education! Some contend that the multiplicity of denominational and other institutions now on hand has a disintegrating influence on society. If this be so, then let it be counterbalanced by the reconstructing influence of a more liberal lucational policy on the part of the State. Learning brings with it judgment, weight, discretion. If free forms of government give higher position and increased privileges to the individual, they must stek to make him worthy of the trust reposed in him. If government grants the right of suffrage, it ought to insist upon an intelligent exercise of that right. Those who have not been taught to rule themselves cannot wisely rule others.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

The statistical reports, submitted by the county superintendents, and closing March 5, 1888, show that at that time there were 1518 organized school districts in the State. Many of these districts are very large, often embracing within their boundaries from fifteen to twenty-five square miles, while the average for the entire State is

not under nine square miles. It is evident that one obstacle to i best school work in these large districts is the great distance to traveled by many of the children. This applies particularly to t new counties established during the last few years.

Children living in the small districts can attend school w reasonable ease and regularity, while to many living in the lat districts the schools are not accessible, because of the great distar to the schoolhouses from their homes.

The boundaries of school districts are often determined by t school population, and, as a result, the small districts are necessar more populous in proportion to their areas. The small distric therefore, have many advantages, the school houses being near hand, the school terms are usually longer and the daily attendar being more regular and prompt, the efficiency of the school largely increased.

The power to locate school houses is now vested by law in t board of directors in each district. This authority is to be exercis with great care and without prejudice, and the wishes of the peop are to be consulted as far as practicable, taking into account t future as well as the present convenience of the people of the d trict. A site near the center of the district must be selected, unle controlling circumstances shall demand a different location. If o districts were regular in form and the school houses central located, there are few children who could not attend at least thr or four months during the year. As it now is most of our distric are very irregular and indefinite in their boundaries. In the mou tainous parts of the State the districts are often broken by de ravines and rocky spurs. In winter the roads are almost impas ible, and in many cases the children must travel from two to fi miles to reach the school house. This is a great difficulty, in t way of making our schools effective and useful.

The rapidly increasing population and the present active develo ment in many parts of our State, give promise of advancement i our public school system. Many people now seeking homes in th country are from States where the schools have been built up practical and intelligent legislation. The influence of this imm gration is promptly manifested by greater enterprise in many way

A great impulse has been given to school work also. Th influence is felt in the building and furnishing of better schoo houses, longer school terms and better teachers.

A judicious application of the law in regard to the location school houses will do much in fostering and advancing school faci