afternoon. Mr. Hammond moved to amend Mr. Stearns's motion, so that the proposition should be indefinitely postponed, which amendment was passed. After much discussion on points of order, the vote to indefinitely postpone was rescinded. Mr. Hammond then withdrew his motion to indefinitely postpone, offered as an amendment to Mr. Stearns's motion, and Mr Stearns withdrew the original motion, and moved the adoption of the amendment to the Constitution, proposed by Mr. Peirce, of West Newton. After much debate upon the merits of the question, in which Messrs. Stearns, Smith, Leach, and Prof. Crosby participated, it was decided in the negative by nearly a unanimous vote. Mr. Capron, of Worcester, moved to re-consider, and his motion was negatived.

The following amendment to the Constitution, to wit:-"All practical female teachers in this Commonwealth, who shall sign the Constitution, shall become honorary members of this Association," after discussion by Messrs. Stearns, Babcock, of Newton, and Strong, of Springfield, Goldthwaite, of Westfield, and Kneeland, of Dorchester, was unanimously passed.

The 3d Proposition, after remarks in opposition to it by Messrs. Hammond and Stearns, was indefinitely postponed.

It was then Voted, that the amendments as passed should be incorporated with the Constitution.

The debate on "School Superintendence" was then resumed, and after remarks by Messrs. Leach, of Roxbury, Newell, of Holyoke, Tower, of Boston, Hagar, of West Roxbury, and Smith, of Cambridge, the Association adjourned to meet at 2 o'clock, P. M.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

The Association met according to adjournment. The report of the forenoon's proceedings was read by the Secretary.

Mr. Wells, of Westfield, remarked upon the relation in which the "Massachusetts Teacher" stood with other educational journals in the United States, in regard to exchanges, and on his motion it was

Voted, That the Massachusetts Teachers' Association assume the expense of sending twelve copies of the "Massachusetts Teacher" to the editors of the New York Teacher, in exchange for the same number of copies of that journal;-the payment for the New York Teacher to commence with the number for October, 1854, and the exchanges for each year to be received by the editors of the Massachusetts Teacher for the same year.

Mr. Hagar referred to the debate on School Supervision, and offered the following Resolutions :

Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to take into consideration the subject of School Supervision,-to consult

upon the subject with the friends of education throughout the State, and to report, at the next meeting of the Association, a plan of Supervision, which, in their opinion, will be more efficient and satisfactory than the one now in use.

Resolved, That the same committee also consider, and report upon, the expediency of applying to the Legislature for the enactment of a law providing for the appointment of State and County Boards of Examiners, who shall have power to examine candidates for teaching in our public schools, and to grant certificates of qualification to competent persons.

After remarks by Messrs. Leach, Strong, Kneeland and Hagar, these resolutions, on motion of Mr. Gage, were unanimously adopted.

Voted, That the committee to carry out the above resolutions be appointed by the Board of Directors for 1855.

The Association then proceeded to the election of officers for the ensuing year. The following gentlemen, constituting the nominated list, were unanimously chosen.

Josiah A. Stearns, of Boston, President.

Benjamin Greenleaf, of Bradford; George A. Walton, of Lawrence; George Newcomb, of North Chelsea; Caleb Emery, of Boston; Eben S. Stearns, of Framingham; C. C. Chase, of Lowell; Samuel W. King, of Lynn; D. B. Hagar, of West Roxbury; F. N. Blake, of Provincetown; C. B. Metcalf, of Worcester; Loring Lothrop, of Boston; P. B. Strong, of Springfield; William L. Gage, of Taunton; John Wilson, of Dedham, Vice Presidents.

J. E. Horr, of Brookline, Corresponding Secretary.
Charles J. Capen, of Dedham, Recording Secretary.
Benjamin W. Putnam, of Boston, Treasurer.

Charles Hammond, of Groton; Daniel Mansfield, of Cambridge; J. P. Cowles, of Ipswich; John Bachelder, of Lynn; Ebenezer Hervey, of New Bedford; George Allen, Jr., of Boston; A. M. Gay, of Charlestown; John Kneeland, of Roxbury; B. F. Tweed, of South Reading; James A. Page, of Boston; George Capron, of Worcester; E. Smith, of Cambridge, Counsellors.

Mr. Wells gave notice that he should, at the next annual meeting, renew the motion to amend the Constitution, so that the Vice Presidents shall be members of the Board of Directors.

A lecture was then delivered by Mr. Charles Hammond, of Groton; subject," The Relation of the Teacher to the Age." Letters from distinguished gentlemen, expressing their sympathy in the objects of the Association, and their desire to cooperate, were read by the Secretary. Among them were letters from President Walker, and Professors Peirce, Bowen, Child, Lane, and Chase, of Harvard University; Professors Agassiz

and Horsford, of the Lawrence Scientific School; President Stearns, and Professors Tyler and Jewett, of Amherst College; Rev. Mark Hopkins, of Williams College, and Dr. Oliver W. Holmes, of Boston. The, most of these gentlemen desired to become members of the Association, and transmitted their admission fees.

The Association then adjourned.

EVENING SESSION.

The Association assembled at 7 o'clock. A debate on the subject, "Ought one Scholar to assist another in his Studies," was sustained for a short time, after which a lecture was delivered by Rev. F. D. Huntington, of Boston; subject,— "Unconscious Tuition."

A presentation to the Secretary by members of the Association, succeeded the lecture. The presentation address was made by Mr. W. L. Gage, of Taunton, and was couched in graceful language, and in expressions of warm personal friendship, which, however poorly deserved, will long be remembered by the recipient. The Secretary responded.

The following resolutions, offered by Elbridge Smith, Esq., Principal of the High School, Cambridge, were unanimously adopted. After which the Association adjourned to meet at such place and time as the Board of Directors should appoint. CHAS. J. CAPEN, Sec'y.

RESOLUTIONS.

Resolved, That the thanks of this Association are due to the town of Northampton, and to the Edwards Church and Society, for the convenient accommodations afforded for the meetings of the Association; to the citizens of the town for the hospitalities which they have generously extended to the female teachers attending the sessions of this body; to the several Railroad Companies that have facilitated the attendance of teachers by the reduction of fares, and to the several newspapers that have gratuitously given notice of this meeting. To Dr. S. A. Fisk and Mr. Wm. W. Mitchell for their successful and valuable services in providing for the convenience and comfort of those in attendance on the meetings.

Resolved, That the thanks of this Association are due to the Rev. J. P. Cowles, of Ipswich, to the Rev. Charles Hammond, of Groton, and to the Rev. Frederick D. Huntington, of Boston, for their eloquent and instructive lectures delivered during the sittings of the Association.

Resolved, That the thanks of this Association are especially due to Charles J. Capen, Esq., of Dedham, for a long period

of faithful and arduous service as the Recording Secretary of this body; that whatever of pleasure and success have attended our annual meetings - whatever of ability and instruction have been found in the pages of the Massachusetts Teacher, and whatever of accuracy and good taste have been exhibited in the publication of the Transactions of the Association, are in an eminent degree due to his assiduous and scarcely intermitting labors.

REPORT OF THE PRIZE COMMITTEE FOR 1854.

The Committee appointed to examine the Essays and award the prizes which were offered by the Massachusetts Teachers' Association, have attended to their duty, and ask leave to pre sent the following Report:

Twelve essays in all, three from the members of the Association, and nine from the female teachers of the State, were received by the Secretary, and submitted to the Committee for examination. They were then read by the Committee separately, and each member formed an independent opinion. Of the three submitted by the gentlemen, no one, in the estimation of a majority of the Committee, was deemed worthy of a prize.

Of the nine presented by the ladies, three were at once selected as the best, and were re-examined with much care. The Committee were unanimous in opinion that the three were decidedly meritorious productions, but were not equally agreed in regard to their relative merits. They were then submitted to three other gentlemen of practical talent and eminent literary ability, who also examined them separately and gave independent opinions, without knowing the views of a single member of the Committee. These gentlemen differed, likewise, in regard to the respective merits of the three essays, but agreed that they were all exceedingly creditable to the writers.

The Committee have, therefore, unanimously resolved to recommend:

That both prizes be awarded to the ladies; and that the amount, forty dollars, be divided in the following manner: a prize of fifteen dollars to the essay numbered 7, on The Motives to be urged in the business of Education; another of the same amount to number 3, on Easy Methods of Instruction, and one of ten dollars to number 9, on the same subject. Respectfully submitted by the Committee.

DANIEL MANSFIELD,
ELBRIDGE SMITH,

BENJAMIN F. Tweed.

Unsuccessful Essays, with the envelopes unopened, will be returned to their respective authors, on application by them to Mr. Samuel Coolidge, Publisher of the "Massachusetts Teacher."

THE

MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.

Vol. VIII, No. 2.] PARMENAS B. STRONG, EDITOR OF THIS NUMBER. [February, 1855.

DR. WHEWELL ON INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION.

WE have thought a good service would be rendered to the readers of the "Teacher," in directing their attention to the recent Tract of Dr. Whewell, on the "Influence of the History of Science upon Intellectual Education.'

We propose to set forth in a general review, some of the principal points of this discourse, lately delivered before the Royal Institution of Great Britain, and which is one of a series of lectures recently given before that learned body, by some of the most distinguished thinkers and scholars of the present age.

A contribution to the literature of education is especially worthy of consideration, coming from one so eminent as the Master of Trinity College, the author of the Philosophy, and the History of the Inductive Sciences, works of enduring worth, and the highest reputation. In all the departments of science and literature, no man of our times has a higher rank in the judgment of scholars, than the author of this Lecture.

*

The Tract of Dr. Whewell on Education is especially worthy of the attention of American Teachers, at the present time, because he has furnished an opinion which has a bearing on questions of great moment, now earnestly discussed by teachers, in relation to what really constitutes true progress in the work of education; and the relation of the work of the teacher, to the work of the discoverer and inventor.

* The recent work on the "Plurality of Worlds," is supposed to be from the pen of Dr. Whewell.