852 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



explored the whole length of the river. As 

 determiaed by the author, " Glazier Lake " 

 is in about latitude 47° ; is 1,585 feet above 

 the level of the sea, and is 3,184 miles from 

 the Gulf of Mexico. The river reaches its 

 highest northing at Lake Bemidji, in the 

 neighborhood of latitude 4*7° 30'. Captain 

 Glazier's claims to be the discoverer of the 

 true source of the Mississippi have been dis- 

 puted by some persons, who have affirmed 

 that the lake which has been named after 

 him was not unknown to Schoolcraft, and 

 that it has been visited by hunters. The 

 author replies to these objectors by affirm- 

 ing that, no matter how many persons may 

 have known of the existence of that body of 

 water, he was the first to explore it, to gauge 

 its dimensions, and to determine that it is 

 the ultimate source of the Mississippi ; and 

 he cites a large number of declarations of 

 geographers and of men versed in the his- 

 tory, geography, and traditions of Minnesota 

 which support his claims in this shape. He 

 represents " Glazier Lake," though its super- 

 ficial area is less, as being deeper and con- 

 taining more water than Itasca Lake. The 

 story of the explorer's journey is very pleas- 

 antly narrated, with descriptions of the nota- 

 ble points along the river and the more 

 striking scenes, and is embodied in a neat 

 volume which is adorned with appropriate 

 illustrations. 



Lectures on Pedagogy : Theoretical and 

 Practical. By Gabriel Compatre. 

 Translated, with an Introduction, Notes, 

 and an Appendix, by W. H. Patne, A. M. 

 Bof5ton : D. C, Heath & Co. Pp. 491. 

 Although deeming that the best system 

 of teaching "which we make for ourselves 

 through study, experience, and personal re- 

 flection," M. Compayr^ says also that "in 

 order to aid the reflection and guide the ex- 

 perience of each novice in instruction, the 

 book is very far from being useless though 

 it do nothing more than stimulate personal 

 reflection. It is just in this spirit, less for 

 imposing doctrines than for suggesting re- 

 flections, that this modest volume has been 

 written." He divides the treatise into two 

 distinct parts, theoretical pedagogy and prac- 

 tical pedagogy. In the first part, after a 

 general consideration of the function and 

 limits of education, the author states the 

 general principles of both physical education 



and intellectual education, and then takes up 

 the special culture of the various faculties, 

 beginning with the education of the senses. 

 Besides treating of the essential faculties 

 which are constantly being employed in 

 mental operations, he makes a plea for the 

 culture of the imagination, justifying this 

 tribute to its importance by a quotation from 

 Mr. Blackie, who says : " It is the enemy of 

 science only when it acts without reason — 

 that is, arbitrarily and whimsically ; with 

 reason it is often the best and the most in- 

 dispensable of allies." The education of 

 the feelings is also urged in a chapter which 

 leads up to the subject of moral education. 

 Esthetic and religious training are likewise 

 included in the scope of education. Under 

 practical pedagogy, methods of teaching and 

 rules of school management are treated. In 

 regard to the importance of method he says : 

 " There is nothing to be expected from a 

 discipline which is hesitating and groping ; 

 from instruction which remains incoherent 

 and disorderly, which fluctuates at the mercy 

 of circumstances and occasions, and which, 

 being wholly unpremeditated, allows itself 

 to be taken at unawares." The principal 

 methods of teaching to read are first de- 

 scribed, some advice on the teaching of writ- 

 ing is given, and the simultaneous teaching 

 of reading and writing is touched upon. The 

 author has a chapter on object-lessons, point- 

 ing out their true character, and telling how 

 they have been distorted by some teachers. 

 In dealing with the study of the mother- 

 tongue he points out some general princi- 

 ples, and tells the special use of grammar, 

 dictation exercises, analysis, composition, 

 elocution, and literary exercises in teaching 

 knowledge of language. The teaching of 

 history and of geography are treated in like 

 manner. His chapter on the sciences is de- 

 voted mainly to arithmetic and geometry, 

 while the physical and natural sciences are 

 disposed of in three pages. He seems in- 

 clined to rate the acquirement of facts as a 

 more important purpose of science-teaching 

 than the formation of the habit of observa- 

 tion ; therein, as in what few other sugges- 

 tions he gives on this subject, following the 

 French official programme of instruction. 

 Methods of moral and civic instruction, 

 and the teaching of drawing and music, are 

 treated in some detail. Manual labor for 



