OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13268, 27 April 1905, Page 10

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN.

FOR BOYS AND GIRL'S, [Conducted by Magisteb, to whom all communications must be addressed.] A LITERARY TRANSPOSITION. I suppose many of you have noticed that tho limbs of a.'sentence mav' citen be variously rearranged - without materially modifying the meaning. -Take such a lino asHomeward tho ploughman plods his weary way. This can be written— ' . The ploughmau homeward plodi his weary wayThe ploughman plods .his weary way homeward. His weary way homeWard the ploughman plods. And so on. Here's a line you may work .out some evening when you have a spare hour or bo. I'll give various readings of it next week 'for you to check yourselves: - All day the smith shall stand for us.beside tho flaming forge. - ' • You may find the renderings more numerous than you think. SIMPLE DIVISION SUMS. Tho following has been sent to me as two methods of doing division sums,.,the first to show the easy proof not known to all, the latter to show the short method advo catcd in the upper classes, and appreciate'' by business men:— G053 ■ 6053 356 | 5968317 r«U I 59G5347 5916 mi 3047. 5234 ' — 4930 . 83 3047 2958 89 . 5968347 The first is proved l bv adding tin rnree products 5916, 4930, 2958, and the remainder (89). The second is worked like this: The 6of the quotient being obtained, the division is multiplied and the subtraction dono in one operation—6 sixes are 36 and' 2 aro 38; put down the 2. Six eights are 48, and 3 are 51 and 5 ar0.56; put down tho 5, making the remainder 52. liring down tho 3, and as (ho division is' not contained in tho new dividend 523, put 0 in tho qutient and .bring down the 4. The divisor goes five times. Five sixes are 30, and 4 aro 34; put down the 4. Five eights arc 40, and 3 aro 43;: tho unit being a 3 to bo taken from a 3, put down 0 aiid carry 4. Five nines are 45, and 4 are 49 and 3 aro 52; put down tho 3, making the remainder 304. Bring down the 7, and the divisor goes 3 times. Three sixes aro 18, and' 9 are 27; put down 9, and carry 2. Three eights are 24, and 2 are 26 aiut 8 aro 34; put down the 8. Three nines aro 27, and 3 aro 30. As nothing is required to make up the 30 to bo subtracted from, the sum is finished; and is done in less time and, occupies less space. If you haven't tried this method, how you like it. Commercial arithmetic is now being taken at the Technical Classes, and as short methods arc practised there I hope that, as many as can will attend the commercial, arithnietie-and, indeed, all other classes. I -did intend before this to bring these classes under tho notice of my readers, junior and senior. Many cannot attend owing to distance or the hours subjects arc taken.. Why not, when possible, arrange with teachers for copies'of notes, and l enrol as students working by correspondence. American schools of . eorrespondonco are greatly in vogue, though wo have our technical schools and syndicates in Auckland and Christchurch who teach by correspondence, and 1 whoso lessons aro. as far as they aro organised, adapted lo New Zealand requirements. Distance, however, lends enchantment to.the view. SCHOLASTIC ANECDOTES. The following will bo appreciated by my , senior readers, especially those who condemn tho practice of giving sums ,of no real practical value:— The Schoolmaster relates at length an I amusing incident which " transpired" (sic) ■ at the Liverpool Conference. Dr Macnal mara handed to Sir W. AnSon a sum that i had been set to children of 11 in a Berkshire scholarship examination. "He had i seen the question on the 15th of Octcobcr last, > and had not quite satisfied himself about t the answer yet. If Sir William could not I. work the sum, 'there was no one in Engf land could." Sir William, after an hour ' and a-half's reflection, adroitly , avoided' the 3 problem, answering in parliamentary 1 language that he required notice of that 1 question. The problem was: "A frano is : worth 9.} d and a dollar 4s l|d. What is the least debt in dollavs that can be paid in ' francs?" , . * We call cap tho story by one of Mr Matthew Arnold. Mr Arnold had just ree turned from one of his official visits to tho j Continent, and was extolling the superiority j. of French teaching. "Fpr instance," ho 3 said, "in arithmetic they do everything by e the unitary method," A Charity CommisB sioncr who was present asked for an cxplanation of the term, and, failing to underij stand Mr Arnold's account, asked how ho s would work by tho linitaryi method the sum, "If two men plough a field of 10 3 acres in two days, how many days will it i, take four men to plough a field of five ] acres?" Mr Arnold pleaded that he could o never do a sum in his head, and retired, c with the sum written down, into ti corner. When, after a long interval, he appeared i- again, Sir R. was departing, and a voice o was heard at he top of the stairs crying: "I say, R., was that a jreal sum you set me or only a sell?" At the dinner of the Incorporated As;o----y ciation of Head Masters; the president. (Mr 5 Went) told a good story, for the autheinticity of which ho vouched.: A head'mistress r recently received a letter from, a mother e asking that Sclina might be excused from Scripture lessons—" her father and I. having j given the subject our careful consideration. e have come to tho conclusion that French ( f conversation will be more useful to her herev after." « NEWSPAPERS IN PUBLIC SCHO'ULS. y I'know that in many of ourschools.it is now customary to' use the Qtago Daily 10 Times and Witness newspapers—and what l ® better means can bo' Employed than our daily newspapers and illustrated* I—but, j judeing by the following- clipping, we are a littlo beyond the Americans: — ''In;many pnblio.schools, in America the - daily newspaper is being.,'added, to tho curriculum. At a recent.. : annual, institute " of the Bucks County Teachers' Association. : ' held at Beading, Pa„ instructors requested !r that daily newswpapcrs be placed in every school. It was suggested that a.' morning 10 newspaper class'* be established and 20 0 minutes devoted to the reading" and .'discussioh of tho news. This idea, has been in practice for 'somo time' in the sohools of ; several 'large' Western cities. The teachers 5 _ read the news to the pupils;, who in turn e . pass comment the vnfiti'us items', and their significance. Tlie practice is meeting , .with such favour that it- h possible ■ that it will be generally adopted bv the enteric prising school -director of the country. n Of course, only sane and decent newspapers id are selected liv tho teachers.". . I: WHKX DADDT WAS A BOY. 18 Perhaps some oh you .will , read the fol- , lowing' witli interest. '.'Where!' daddies: '• sc very good a. generation , ago? . ' ;j 16 I'm very, very, naughty" ajiit I play most awful rf j . - v -;i----'d ,My_ dadiiy says he:wasn't-hal| as -bad:when hf J 5 was.six,; •': ■''' |■/.: />; Ha .never Tan/aiviy from school,inorltxroke hii 3 ' pretty toy— . . : . ./• g Thjy simply couldn't do v ßUch .-togs'wh«t B- ■ daddy was W boy, 1 :': - ;.; 7 ''V- ;'

It's-"Baby,' don't do suck naughtyj'iauglity

things as that! ..... 'v l . ; f..' Baby, . let. 'doggie' be!. Don't tease the pussycat!" : It's '"Baby", this;. and- "Baby"- that,. aiiil' "Baby, don't annoy; . ..-v... . Your cladch- nwer did ancli things .wlion-daddy was a bey!" ' • ' 7'. They never put a scuttle full of coals on-lutty's ' . tail,..-. ■ ■ ■ ■ Or tackled dogs to empty cans to hear them . yelp and wail, Or stood the oat in walnut shells to see lier jump for joy, .. Or eripnle frogs, or anything, when daidy was a boy! J ' ~ . ' Then what's the use of pussy cats, or coals, or can's, or dogs, • i Or kittens, or ot walnut shells, or,croaking, ' ■ thrilling frogs? • And why should not my Sunday clothes be freshened up with paint?. ' But; daddy never did such things,'when daddy was a saint. , : "> . But, if they never lost themselves, nor greased _their hair with glue, Nor speckled, sister's frock with 'ink, nor chopped themselves in two, Nor stirred the bee hives up with sticks, nor ■ howled for every joy; I wonder what 011 earth they did when daddy. was a boy! , ' I s'pose I'm vory wicked, not fit on earth to stay— •' In fact, if I must be so good I'd rather fly away. If all that daddy tells me is the truth without . alloy, I guess they didn't have much fun when daddy was a boy. ..." Arthub Hensley.