Final reflections. Dependence of the city and the country on each other.

We might remark to the pupils that it would be allowable to begin abruptly by giving a lively description of the animation in the market; then introduce as incidents, circumstances of place, time, etc.

The work of making a plan for a composition is one of the most profitable for pupils. We should use it often, especially at the beginning of the session and at the approach of the final examinations.

Instead of always proposing the subject at the moment when it is to be written and obliging the pupils to compose immediately whatever may be their state of mind it would be well from time to time to give the subject a week or so in advance. The ideas would then be collected more abundantly, distributed with more order, grasped with a certain degree of art, and the pupils would acquire more taste for the work. In the higher classes we may adopt less laborious plans. For instance, divide the blackboard into two parts; on one part write the summary of the subject; viz.: the principal ideas in the order which they should be developed; on the other a resume of the details obtained by questioning the pupils. For example,

MILK.

Origin―The cow, the goat, etc.

Utility-Valuable article of food, indispensable for infants; many other uses.

Products-Cream, butter, cheese, etc.

It may be objected that the method of composition to which I have referred is too slow, too tedious. The same objection is made against the study of music. Parents want their children to be able to appear in concert after a month's study. The tendency of the day seems to be for cramming. The complaint of the old lady that her son would get bow-legged from all the books he was carrying has a point to the jest. People seem to forget that one lesson well mastered is the best preparation for the next one. If more care were taken with preparation for

composition we would not find so many pupils writing such slovenly essays.

The usual style of composition-writing with one who has not been well prepared is to begin without a capital, go right on, using "and's" and "so's" every half line with no punctuation, not even a period at the end-it is to be continued in our next like a magazine article.

In developing a subject we may do so orally, or we may use the blackboard, or have the pupils use paper.

We should insist that the pupils devote considerable time to correct the first copy of their compositions. The teacher in making corrections should, first, see if the plan has been followed and the ideas properly connected; second, underline defective passages, as also some of those that deserve praise, and note on the margin the praise or the defect; third, modify one or two phrases or sentences either by the suppression of useless words, or by the substitution of terms; the pupil will thus see how he ought to express himself; fourth, mark one or two passages which the pupil should rewrite and submit again; fifth, mark his appreciaiton of the composition,--so many points for ideas, so many for expression, orthography, etc. He should not be too severe, nor should he point out all the defects, but rather pursue two or three on all the copies of the class and during many successive compositions. The teacher should not put his own work on the pupils' copies. He should call attention by annotation or conventional signs to the principal points to be corrected, their accuracy, the changes of paragraph. As regards expression he should pay attention to phrasing, propriety and precision of terms-value of images, orthography and punctuation.

It is necessary to correct all copies? Sometimes it is impossible or useless. Read them. Correct some determined by rule. Other methods for correcting composition may be used. For instance: Put a composition not the worst on the board. It would be against the esthetics of pedagogy. To develop taste. we must excite admiration, not disgust. You may read a composition and call for criticism from the class, or you may have every pupil in the class in turn write a sentence or two of his composition on the board; then criticise.

Encourage good compositions. Have contests; reward those who present the best papers; place their work on exhibition or put it in an album.

Before concluding, let me repeat the words of one who wrote well on the art of composition: "We all speak like the people we converse with; we all write in the style of the books we read. At school it is almost always the case that the boy who reads most composes best. Further, the style of his composition betrays the kind of books he reads. A beginner can not be too careful in the selection of his reading; his compositions can not rise above the level of the books he reads. If you wish to write strong, clear, beautiful English you must read books that are English. To have talked much and read much is of more advantage to the student of composition than to have analyzed and parsed half a library."

DISCUSSION.

Chairman-The paper to which we have listened has, I am sure, many excellent points of instruction for all those who are interested in the development of language, and especially for all who are teaching language. It has been suggested, to the Chairman, that some of the members present would like to ask Brother Anthony to give us the names of some text books which he would recommend in composition.

Brother Anthony-I think that nearly all publishing houses at the present time have works on language lessons that are instructive and something on the lines of the paper that I have read. I would not care to mention the names of publishing houses, but almost all of them that publish school books will have books carrying out exercises on the lines which are in the paper, and one can easily get specimens of writing from them by writing to any of those houses that make a specialty of school books.

Chairman-I would like to ask Brother Anthony a question if he will kindly allow me, as to how far he would recommend taking selected passages from the Bible to be used as specimens of composition in our elementary schools-say from the Old Testament as well as the New.

Brother Anthony-I think, Father, that is a very good thing to do, especially some of those passages in the Old Testament, also the New, that relate directly to morals. The different chapters in the Bible histories, for instance, are very good for this. I think it would be well to recall them frequently. We have had practice in my own class of reading a chapter from the New Testament every day, begin

ning the religious instruction, and also in the morning a little reading from the "Imitation of Christ." I make them give compositions on those chapters that are read from the New Testament, to be followed by little discussions.

Chairman-I do not like to keep Brother Anthony on his feet too long, but I would like to ask him a question which I am sure is important, and that is, at what age, or in what grade does he give the practice of composition in the schools?

Brother Anthony-I think, Father, that it ought to begin just as soon as children are able to express ideas-in the very lowest class. Of course in the lower grades the exercises are very simple. The child ought to be graded in composition the same as in any other subject. I think that is generally practiced in the schools now.

Rev. W. D. Hickey-I would like to speak a word in regard to the character of compositions. This was strongly impressed upon me a little over a year ago when one of the daily papers in the city in which I live, offered premiums for the best Christmas stories written by the school children, both Protestant and Catholic. These compositions were not to be signed at all by the writers, and were to be kept in the order in which they were received, and were to be examined by a committee appointed for that purpose. This committee was to consist of a Protestant lady and gentleman, and one Catholic representative. The Protestant lady was very cultured, and she told me afterwards in speaking about the compositions, that they could tell at once which came from the Catholic schools, and which from the Protestant schools. She said there was a religious tone about them, and there were clear cut ideas about Christ and about Christmas. This Protestant lady said to me, "I saw how clearly religion is impressed upon your children by the ideas which they have expressed. In reading over the compositions which came from the public schools, we found there was an absence of religion, religious ideas about Christ, about God." There were, I think, twenty-four of the public schools competing for these premiums, and five Catholic schools competing. Five prizes were awarded, and three of them went to the Catholic schools, and one of the public schools got the other two prizes. I know in our city an incident of this kind made a better impression in behalf of the Catholic schools, and it certainly did a great deal of good in our locality.

Chairman-The time now has come for the close of our work, and I wish to express in behalf of the Conference our most sincere thanks to the Rev. Fathers, and to Brother Anthony for the excellent papers they have given to us during this Conference. There has been much of instruction and interest displayed, and I am sure many practical lessons have been learned by all who are interested in education.

Seminary Department.

Third Meeting of the Educational Confer= ence of Seminary Faculties.

Report of Proceedings.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13.

The seminary conference held its first session on Wednesday morning, July 13th, the president, the Very Rev. Patrick McHale, C. M., opened the meeting with prayer. The minutes of the preliminary meeting held at Dunwoodie on April 26th, 1904, were read and accepted.

The president, in his opening address, referred to the loss which the seminary conference sustained since its last meeting in the death of Dr. Hogan, Superior of the seminary at Brighton and of Dr. Magnien, Superior of St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, two men, he said, who upheld the highest ideas of seminary life and did so much to realize them, holding fast to the best traditions of seminary training, yet very far from reactionary views or measures. The ideal seminary had been traced in outline by the III Plenary Council of Baltimore; it would be the business of the conference to point out certain aspects of seminary life that needed attention, and to show how the actual seminary may be brought near to the ideal.

The president next mentioned the proposal that had been made to the seminary conference to affiliate with the school and college conferences, and thus form together one organization. The "articles of organization" which had been drawn up, were read and the conference decided that a committee be appointed by the chair to inquire into the matter and report upon it. The chair appointed Fathers Dyer, Selinger and Grace. The first subject selected for discussion was the "Qualifications Necessary and Desirable for Entrance into our Seminaries." The first