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the lessons in English literature are used with considerable effect. The literature and language lessons are regarded as complementary, and one is used to re-enforce the teaching of the other. The aim in literature is, inter alia, to enable the pupils to understand the thought of the works studied. Notes should be employed only so far as they are necessary for this purpose. If the lessons consist largely of notes on geography, history, philology, &c, the thought of the passage under consideration, is apt to be buried under the wealth of detailed, information supplied. There is frequently a tendency to neglect simple, homely illustrations taken from the pupils' experience, and to furnish instead text-book explanations. Detailed knowledge —often given by inexperienced teachers —is apt to confuse rather than to shed light on obscure passages. In not a few schools the beauties of the choicest pieces are well taught, and the pupils' appreciation of the charm of the figures of speech is appealed to with considerable effect. The test of effective teaching is the ability of the pupils to express their own ideas in well-chosen language. Some of the sohools devote a considerable amount of care and thought to this aspect of their work, and. steps are taken by means of specimen lessons with suitable blackboard teaching to show how ideas should be logically set out. The most difficult phase of composition is the ability to divide the essay into paragraphs, and, as might be expected, it is here that the pupils' own efforts are least satisfactory. The unity of the paragraph is often destroyed by the introduction of irrelevant matter, and by frequent digressions from the main idea with which the paragraph deals. A careful study of a good standard author would go. a long way in removing some of the defects referred to. Of course, it is not to be expected that pupils-who have been in a secondary school for two years should have more than an elementary knowledge of the nature of a paragraph. The teaching of history in some instances consists largely of taking down notes at the teacher's dictation. This method is of little value, and is more likely to create a feeling of dislike in the minds of the pupils for the facts of history than to stimulate a desire on their part to know how our Empire has grown and how our great privileges have been obtained. Text-books—and their number is legion -arc available at small cost. The most important thing is the way in which they are used. As an auxiliary to teaching they are indispensable, but they should not be used, as a substitute. A good oral lesson with a reasonable use of the blackboard and other aids should precede the pupils' reading of the text-book at home. If the teachers' exposition is stimulating, the preparation of the reign or epoch at home will be carried out in an intelligent manner. In this way, especially if a few important dates are memorized, a reasonable understanding may be obtained of the leading facts of English history. As far as possible a knowledge of the remote should be gained, by a reference to everyday happenings. In geography the facts of political geography are associated with the physical-aspects of the subject, and the interdependence of the two is generally recognized ; but here it is sometimes found that pupils are able to describe with considerable detail the leading facts set out in the text-book without seeing the bearing of these on the locality in which they are living. It goes without saying that a knowledge of the geographical facts of distant countries and the phenomena of the tides, seasons, climate, &c, should be based upon a first-hand knowledge of the world which is tho pupil's everyday environment. There is a tendency to teach too many place-names. When it is borne in mind that most of the textbooks in use have been written from the English point of view it will be seen that the topography needs revision to bring it into line with our New Zealand standpoint. Most schools teach Latin by the traditional method, but in a few instances the " direct method " is used. Where the former method is in use an easy reading-book is often introduced during the second *■ or third term. Some teachers, however, keep their pupils unduly long with the uninteresting repetition of the sentences in the text-books. The sentences have been selected to illustrate the grammar, and as there is no connection between the thought of one sentence and another there is little to maintain the interest. The success of the lesson depends primarily on the ability of the teacher to create interest in the work and not on the interest which ought natuially to arise if there was a unity in the subjectmatter. To avoid the tedious nature of sentences designed to drill the pupils in case endings, &c, some teachers introduce an easy reading-book and question in Latin on the piece read ; others have introduced text-books in which, largely through oral exercises, the grammar is learned to some extent as it is learned in acquiring a knowledge of the mother-tongue. More than this in the series of direct methods is rarely attempted. 1 notice, however, that a text-book very recently published exemplified a still further step in this desired direction, and the method is commended to the notice of teachers. In the preface the author says, " This book attempts to embody, in the teaching of Latin, those scientific principles upon which a fairly general agreement has been reached. The lessons are dramatic in form, and the teacher has. the difficult task of judging how far the pupils understand words which are not to be translated." He adds that "by following the order of nature it should be possible to dispense with the use ol English in acquiring Latin and so realize the direct method." In French the direct method is adopted in almost every school, the grammatical method being used in those smaller district high schools where the teacher has two or three divisions to teach. Even here the pupils almost invariably begin with reading French and learn the grammar incidentally. The main difference between the teaching of French in these schools and in those in which there is a teacher for each form is the small amount of question and answer on the piece that has tteen read. In some schools excellent oral practice is given in French, and considerable facility of expression is.attained Good use is also made of pictures or objects which form the basis of conversation. Ordinary everyday, topics, such as the weather or recent occurrences, are used with great effect in some instances. The teaching of French in the best schools has reached a high standard, and there is almost complete unanimity among teachers of the superiority of the direct over the grammatical method. The interest created from the first in using a language as a means of communicating thought is a matter of such outstanding merit that any unprejudiced critic could not fail to pronounce in favour of the oral method. It certainly makes greater demands on the teacher, but this is amply compensated for by the interest of the pupils and the rapid progress made.