Spite your rhyming and your chiming, words and meanings shift and shuffle, As thousands have before. Then your "eyes had all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,"- Felt the fiames of fierce affliction as you prayed, “O for a Diction- No more demon eyes are glaring, no more phantom oaths are swearing; store, On your table, evermore. Thoughts and words from all their sources, sparkling through their classic courses, Flashing up from new resources; Arab, Roman, Hebrew, Celt and Moor, Into this their treasured lore. Science, through each nomenclature, arts of every name and nature, -New York State Educational Journal. Official Department. LAWS RELATING TO COMMON SCHOOLS. Below are given such laws enacted at the last session of the legislature as relate to common schools, which are six in number: (1.) Chapter 56 amends section 16 of the School Code, and makes it the duty of the town supervisors to extinguish any school district which fails for two years to maintain a school, by attaching its territory to some other district or districts. (2.) Chapter 156 provides for the schooling of such children of school age as are maintained at public expense, in the district where they are then resident, and for paying to the district the cost of their schooling. (3.) Chapter 281 amends section 48 of the School Code, and gives power to district boards to purchase school apparatus, under the approval of the county or state superintendent, to an amount not exceeding $75 per annum. (4.) Chapter 300 amends chapter 164 of the general laws of 1872, and authorizes the state superintendent to apportion school money to districts legally entitled to the same, but which have failed to receive it in consequence of any mistake made by a town or district clerk or other officer. (5.) Chapter 272 provides for placing habitually truant children in the cities, between seven and ten years of age, in truant schools. (6.) Chapter 60 enacts certain additional regulations in regard to school districts which have borrowed, or may hereafter make application for a loan, from the trust funds of the state. (1.) Chapter 56. AN ACT to amend section sixteen of chapter one hundred and fifty-five of the general laws of 1863, entitled "an act to codify the laws of this state relating to common schools." The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate aud assembly, do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section sixteen of chapter one hundred and fifty-five of the gen eral laws of 1863 is hereby amended so as to read as follows: Section 16. Whenever any school district shall for two successive years, neglect to maintain a public school as required by law, it shall be the duty of the supervisors of the town containing the district, within thirty days from the expiration of the two years aforesaid, to attach said district to such other adjoining district or districts in the town as they shall judge proper; and if the district be a joint district, then the supervisors of the several towns embracing parts thereof shall, within the said thirty days, dissolve such joint district, and immediately proceed to attach the several parts thereof to other districts in their respective towns, as hereinbefore provided. And whenever any district shall become extinguished by reason of the attachment of its territory to some other district or districts, the supervisors of the town or towns embracing such district shall take charge of the property belonging to the same, at the time of its extinguishment, dispose of the same by grant or otherwise, and apply the proceeds to the discharge of its debts, paying over the remainder, if any, to the treasurer of the district to which the territory has been attached, in proportion to the valuation of the property attached to each, as appears from the last assessment roll of the town or towns. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 26, 1873. (2.) Chapter 156. AN ACT in relation to the education of children of the county poor. The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Whenever any person of lawful school age shall be maintained at the public charge, such person shall be deemed for school purposes, residents of any school district in which they may habitually live. SECTION 2. In case the person be so maintained by the county, the county board of supervisors shall, for each year, allow to any district in which such person may attend school, an amount for each person so attending, which shall be equal to the amount expended in that year for each pupil in such district for school purposes, which amount shall be reckoned by the district officers, without reference to the number of pauper children attending the school, and in case such person be maintained by any town, such town board of supervisors shall allow to any dissrict in which they attend school, an amount which shall be reckoned in the same manner as herein provided in cases where the pupils are maintained by the county. SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved March 13, 1873. (3.) Chapter 281. AN ACT to amend chapter one hundred and fifty-five of the general laws of 1863, entitled "an act to codify the laws of the state relating to common schools." The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section forty-eight of chapter one hundred and fifty-five of the general laws of 1863, entitled "an act to codify the laws of the state relating to common schools," is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Section 48. The said district board shall have the care and keeping of the school house and other property belonging to the district, except so far as the same shall be especially confided to the care of the clerk, including all books purchased by the districts for the use of any children; and the said district board shall have power to purchase a record book, in which the proceedings of the meetings of the district and of the district board shall be recorded, and a book for keeping in proper form the treasurer's accounts, together with such blanks and stationery as are necessary for doing the business of the district in an orderly and businesslike manner, and such charts, maps, globes and school apparatus as they may deem necessary, not exceeding seventy-five dollars in amount in any one year; and the clerk of such district shall include the amount of such purchases in the next annual tax to collected in such district; said charts, maps, globes and apparatus shall be such as may have been approved by the superintendent of public instruction, or by the county superintendent of the county in which said district is located, as of a character suitable for use in the schools of the state; and provided further, that such purchases shall be unanimously approved at a regular meeting of said board, at which all the members thereof shall be present." SECTION 2. Section six of chapter one hundred and eleven of the general laws of 1867, is hereby repealed. Approved March 19, 1873. (4) Chapter 300. AN ACT to amend section one, chapter one hundred and sixty-four, general laws of 1872, entitled an act to amend section one of chapter seventy-five, general laws of 1866, entitled an act to amend section sixty-eight, chapter ten of the revised statutes entitled "the state superintendent," and to add a new section to said chapter seventy-five of the general laws of 1866. The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section one of chapter one hundred and sixty-four of the general laws of 1872 is hereby amended by adding thereto the following words: "And in case satisfactory evidence shall be laid before the state superintendent that in consequence of a mistake by a town clerk or other officer, money was not apportioned for and received by any school district from the income of the school fund, to which said district was legally entitled by reason of having maintained five months' school during the last preceeding school year, the said state superintendent is hereby authorized and directed to apportion to said district from said fund, the amount of money to which it shall be found entitled; provided that no such apportioment shall be made unless the application and evidence in regard thereto shall be laid before the state superintendent within two years from the time when such mistake occurred. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication, and shall be construed to cover mistakes made, as recited in the previous section, in the years 1871 and 1872. Approved March 19, 1873. (5).-Chapter 276. AN ACT concerning truant children and absentees from school. The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Each of the cities in this state is hereby authorized and empow ered to organize and establish truant schools for the instruction and attendance of habitual truants, wandering about in the streets or public places of any such city, having no lawful occupation or business and not attending school, between the ages of seven and sixteen years; and also to make and enforce all such ordinances, rules and by-laws, respecting such children as shall be deemed most conducive to their welfare and the good order of such city. SECTION 2. Any child convicted of being an habitual truant, or of wandering about in the streets or public places of any city, having no lawful occupation or business, and not attending school, between the ages of seven and sixteen years, may in the discretion of the justice or court having jurisdiction of the case, be committed to any such truant school,provided for the purpose under the authority of the next preceding section, for such time, not exceeding two years, as such justice or court may determine. And the police authorities after such convic tion and sentence, are authorized and directed to enforce the daily attendance of such children, at the truant school so established: provided, they are found wandering in the streets. SECTION 3. Such justices of the peace and other judicial officers and courts as have criminal jurisdiction, shall have jurisdiction of all offenses under this act, and under the ordinances and by-laws which may be passed or ordained under the authority thereof. SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and publication. Approved March 19, 1873. (6.) Chapter 60. AN ACT to facilitate the collection of money owing from school districts to the trust funds of this state. The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: SECTION 1. In addition to the statements now required by law of a school district applying for a loan from any of the trust funds of this state, there shall be furnished, if the application be from a joint district, a statement showing the assessed valuation of such district in its several parts, so that the valuation of so much of it as lies in any town of which it is a part may be readily known. And such statement, together with the statement in aggregate now required by law, shall be taken as the true valuation by the secretary of state, until an amended statement is made. SECTION 2. The secretary of state shall, in every year, furnish to the county clerk of each county in this state in which lies any school district or part of district which has effected a loan from any of the trust funds the amount which will be due from such district at the same time that he furnishes to that officer a statement of the state tax. It shall be the duty of the county clerk, on receiving such statement, to include the amount due from such district in his apportionment of state taxes to the town, but it shall be carried out in separate column, and the district from which it shall be due shall be specified. The town clerk shall charge such amount on his tax roll, to the district upon which it belongs, and the tax shall be collected by the town treasurer, and paid with the state tax to the county treasurer, who shall pay it to the state treasurer with the state taxes. And similarly in the case of joint districts, the amount due from such part of the district as lies in any town shall be collected in the same manner as above provided in cases where the district lies wholly in one town. SECTION 3. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed. SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 26, 1873. Query and Scrap Box. As the "Box" is getting pretty full each month, we must hereafter decline answers to questions which have already been sufficiently answered in previous numbers; and where several answers to one question, substantially the same are received, we must be content with giving one, and the names of the several respondents. We omit good answers to questions 126, 127, 128 and 132, from our frequent and attentive correspondent, D. M., on this account. We have much matter left over for next month. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. 124.--Wherein does the Constitution of the United States differ from the Constitution of Wisconsin? They differ in being neither alike, nor yet unlike. The United States Constitution guarantees certain fundamental rights to the people of the United States, provides the machinery of the general government, adjusts the relation of the States, etc., etc. The Constitution of Wisconsin assures to the people of the State the enjoyment of those guaranteed rights, together with others not inconsistent therewith. The United States Constitution furnishes an outline chart of government, outside of which State Constitutions must not go, but within which they may supply such details as are consistent with the general design.—S. D. F. 121.-Is the school law, requiring the constitution of the United States and of the state to be taught in the common schools of the state desirable and wholesome? Admitting that some knowledge of the constitution of our government is necessary to the faithful discharge of the duties of a citizenship, it follows that such knowledge should be imparted to our future citizens, and since it is not likely to be given elsewhere, we must regard the law requiring it to be taught in our schools as "desirable and wholesome.". 126.-When and by whom was America first discovered? Every school boy will answer, as every school mother and mistress has taught him that "COLUMBUS discovered America in 1492;" and this in face of history that assures us that it was discovered by Northmen in A. D. 1000. But the fact that the country was then inhabited proves that it must have been discovered by somebody at an earlier period. Relics of a race more civilized than the Indian, found in various parts of America, shows that not even "POOR Lo" can boast of being the first discoverer of America, and renders the pursuit of any intelligent answer to the query profitless. When the American continent arose from the bed of the primitive ocean, the All-Seeing Eye first discovered it. Here let us rest.-S. D. F. America is supposed to have been discovered by BIARNE, son of HERIULF BARDSON, while on a voyage from Iceland to Greenland, in the year 986. He was carried by a north-east wind and current, to the south, till he struck the coast of America, and then by an opposite wind along the coats of Newfound |