6. What articles do they make?

7. Have you ever seen a woollen-mill? A cotton-mill? A shoeshop? A machine-shop? A flour-mill? A saw-mill? A blacksmith's shop? A quartz-mill? A carpenter's shop? A printing-office?

8. Are there any traders or merchants in or near the place where you live?

9. What articles do they keep for sale?

10. What do they buy?

SET II.

1. Have you ever seen a gold-mine? A silver-mine? A coalmine? An iron-mine?

2. What mines in your State do you know of?

3. Are there any fishermen near where you live?

4. What do they catch?

5. What kinds of fish have you yourself ever caught?

6. Are there any vineyards in or near the place where you live?

7. What is made on those vineyards?

8. How is wine made?

9. Are there any fruit orchards near you?

10. What kinds of fruit are raised?

SET III.

1. Are there any stock-farms, or ranches, near you?

2. What kinds of stock are raised on them?

3. Name any seaport cities in your State.

4. Name any manufacturing cities.

5. In what parts of your State are the best farms?

6. In what parts the richest mines?

7. In what parts the most extensive orchards or vineyards.

8. In what parts are there lumber-mills?

9. In what parts are the largest stock-ranches?

10. In what parts are the largest vegetable gardens?

SET IV.

1. What kinds of forest trees grow in your State?

2. In what parts are the largest forests?

3. What kinds of wood do you burn?

4. Of what kinds of wood is your house built?

5. Name all the kinds of trees that you have ever seen growing? 6. What wild animals are found in your State?

7. Which of these have you ever seen?

8. What birds live in your place?

9. Can you tell the names of any wild flowers growing in your place?

10. What kinds of fishes can you catch in your brooks, rivers, or ponds?

SECTION VII.- -COMPOSITIONS ON GEOGRAPHY.

Read this to the class as a model. Let the pupils note on their slates the order of the "heads," and then reproduce from memory, dividing into paragraphs, but omitting the "headings."

1. THE NEW ENGLAND STATES.

1. [Name.]-The six Eastern States were named New England by the early English explorers and settlers.

2. [Surface.]-Along the Atlantic coast there is a narrow belt of lowland, but, in general, the country is either hilly or mountainous. The White Mountains in New Hampshire are noted for picturesque scenery.

3. [Climate.]-The winters are long and cold, and in the northern parts of this section snow falls to a great depth. The summers are short, but hot.

4. [Lakes and Rivers.]—In Maine and New Hampshire there are numerous small lakes, filling the depressions among the hills and mountains. The principal rivers are the Penobscot, Kennebec, Connecticut, and Merrimac; but there are a great many smaller streams that supply abundant water-power for manufacturing purposes.

5. [Sea-coast.]-The long line of sea-coast has many deep and safe harbors that afford excellent facilities for commerce.

6. [Forests.]—The hills and mountains of the northern parts are covered with extensive forests, which supply great quantities of lumber.

7. [Occupations.]—The soil of New England is neither fertile nor easily cultivated. The leading occupations are manufactures, commerce, ship-building, and fishing.

8. [Cities.]—The largest city and chief business centre is Boston, which ranks in commerce as the second city in the Union. Among other important places are New Haven, Providence, Worcester, Portland, Lowell, Lawrence, and Manchester.

Exercises on Outlines.

Write short descriptions of the different sections of our country from the following outlines, slightly changed from the preceding.

I. The Middle States. 1. Name. 2. Surface. 3. Climate. 4.

Lakes and Rivers. 5. Facilities for Commerce. 6. Occupations. 7. Mining. 8. Cities.

II. The Southern States.-1. Name. 2. Surface. 3. Climate. 4. Rivers. 5. Agriculture and Products. 6. Cities.

III. The Western States.-1. Name and Position. 2. Surface and Soil. 3. Rivers. 4. Agricultural Products. 5. Railroads. 6. Cities.

IV. The Pacific States.

II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF OUR COUNTRY.

Read to the class and require an abstract from notes.

Name.-Our country is called the United States because it consists of a number of States united into one nation, under one general government.

Rank. It ranks as one of the most powerful, civilized, and populous nations of the globe.

Position. It includes the middle part of North America, and extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Mountains.-There are three great mountain systems—the Rocky, the Appalachian or Alleghany, and the Sierra Nevada. Physical Features.-These mountain ranges make three great natural divisions-the Atlantic Highlands and the Atlantic Plain, the Pacific Highlands and the Pacific Slope, and the Valley of the Mississippi.

Rivers. The Mississippi is one of the great rivers of the globe. Its chief branches are the Missouri, Ohio, Platte, Arkansas, and Red rivers. The other large rivers are the Columbia, the Colorado, and the Yukon, all of which flow into the Pacific. Lakes.-Along the northern border there is a chain of great lakes which have an outlet through the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic.

Occupations.-The Atlantic Slope is the manufacturing and commercial section; the Mississippi Valley the agricultural section; and the Pacific Slope the mining and grazing region. Climate. Our country, as a whole, has a temperate climate. The winters in the northern parts are long and cold; in the southern parts, mild and short. The Pacific Highlands have but little rain. Products.—The farm-products in the northern belt are grain, fruit, and vegetables; in the southern, cotton, sugar, rice, and tobacco.

Mining. The minerals of the Atlantic Slope are coal and iron, and coal oil, or petroleum; of the Pacific Slope, gold and silver; of the northern part of the Mississippi Valley, iron, lead, and copper.

Exports. The leading exports are cotton, tobacco, breadstuffs, petroleum, and manufactured articles.

Cities.-The chief seaports are New York, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Baltimore. The great inland cities are Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati.

Capital.-Washington, in the District of Columbia, is the seat of government.

Government. The government is a federal republic. Congress

makes the laws; the President executes them; and the Supreme Court decides questions relating to the laws.

Exercise on Outlines.

Describe the following countries by filling up the outlines given:

I. France.—1. Rank. 2. Agricultural Products. 3. Manufactures. 4. Exports. 5. Paris. 6. Other cities.

II. The German Empire.-1. Government. 2. Surface. 3. Rivers. 4. Agriculture. 5. Cities.

III. Empire of Russia.-1. Size and Rank. 2. Surface. 3. Rivers. 4. Seas. 5. Resources. 6. Commerce. 7. Cities.

IV. The Chinese Empire.-1. Size and Population. 2. Products and Exports. 3. Cities. 4. People.

V. Empire of Japan.-1. Position. 2. Products. 3. People. 4. Cities and Commerce.

SECTION VIII.-FACTS ABOUT OUR OWN COUNTRY.

Note.-Require all pupils in the grammar grades to copy these summaries into blank-books, and then to memorize them. Out of the mass of text-book details it is desirable to fix in the mind a few leading facts, so that they will stay learned.

I. PHYSICAL DIVISIONS.

1. The Mississippi Valley.

2. The Pacific Highlands and the Pacific Slope.
3. The Atlantic Highlands and the Atlantic Plain.

1. The Rocky.

2. The Alleghany.

II. MOUNTAIN RANGES.

3. The Sierra Nevada.