RESOLUTION adopted by the American Institute of Instruction at the Annual Meeting in August, 1863. WHEREAS, the security and honor of the whole country require in the military and naval service the right sort of men with the right sort of knowledge and training; and whereas, the military and naval schools established to impart this knowledge and training will fail in their objects, unless young men are selected as students, of the right age, with suitable preparatory knowledge, with vigor of body, and aptitude of mind, for the special studies of such schools; and whereas, the mode of determining the qualifications and selecting the students, may be made to test the thoroughness of the elementary education given in the several States, therefor Resolved, That the Directors of the American Institute of Instruction are authorized and instructed to memorialize the Congress of the United States, to revise the terms and mode of admission to the National Military and Naval Schools, so as to invite young men of the right spirit, and with vigor and aptitude of mind for mathematical and military studies, who aspire to serve their country in the military and naval service, to compete in open trial before intelligent and impartial examiners in each State, without fear or favor, without reference to the wealth, or poverty, or occupation, or political opinions of their parents or guardians, for such admission, and that in all cases the order of admission shall be according to the personal merits and fitness of the candidate." X. STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATIONS. CIRCULAR. THE undersigned will devote as large a portion of each number of the "American Journal of Education," for 1864 and 1865, as shall be found necessary, to a minutely accurate, but condensed, account of the State Teachers' Association, or in the absence of any distinctly professional organization, of any State Educational Association, and in the absence of any such State organization, of any similar County or City Association-for each of the United States. For this purpose, he will be happy to receive communications from the President, or Secretary, or from a committee who may be instructed to furnish the same by any Association, covering the following particulars. I. Any historical data respecting any Educational Association, prior to the organization of the present State Association. II. The establishment, including the date, names of the original movers, the Constitution, or Articles of Association, and the first officers, of the present Association. III. The officers, place and time of each regular meeting, the Subject of each Lecture, Written Report, or Paper read at each meeting, with the name, residence, and professional designation of author, with the Subjects of discussion, and Resolutions relating to schools and education-for each year. IV. List of any printed documents issued at the expense, or under the auspices of the Association. V. List of members, with the name of the institution, or educational office, with which they are connected, and their Post Office Address, who attended the last (one or two) regular meetings of the Association, held before the date of the sketch. To give personal interest to these historical summaries of the doings of the several State Associations, the editor will be happy to insert brief biographical notes of the educational activity of the teachers, whom their associates have selected to preside over and engineer their movements, together with the portraits of the same-so far as reliable data for such sketches, and the portraits shall be furnished. Copies of the signature, or sheet containing the Historical and Biographical Sketches, with the Portrait, if any, will be furnished, when ordered in advance, at the mere expense of press work and paper-and the number of the Journal in which the same is printed, will be supplied to the Associations, or the members, at half the usual price of a number. HARTFORD, CONN. HENRY BARNARD, Editor of the American Journal of Education. P. S. The first of these series of Sketches will appear in the number for June, 1864. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, for 1864, will be published on the 15th of March, June, September, and December, on the following TERMS: For a single copy, one year, if paid after March 15th, For a single number, For five copies in one order, for the Journal, should be addressed to $3.25 1.00 12.50 All communications relating to HENRY BARNARD, Hartford, Ct. Postage on the Number for June, paid in advance where delivered, 4 cents. II. FRENCH VIEWS OF EDUCATION,... RABELAIS. Education of the Giant Gargantua, and his son Pantagruel,. III. JOHN MILTON AND HIS EDUCATION,....... Home Training and Influence,...... Book and School Education-Private and Public,. 147 149 159 160 161 Cambridge University-Christ College,.. Foreign Travel,.. 167 170 Dr. Johnson's Strictures on Milton's Academy,... Milton's defense of himself, and the People of England,.......... IV. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION OF TEACHERS IN PRUSSIA-continued,.. 199 138 191 VI. HISTORY OF COMMON SCHOOLS IN CONNECTICUT-continued,. I. ARISTOTLE AND HIS EDUCATIONAL VIEWS. MEMOIR. ARISTOTLE, as a thinker, writer, and an actor, belongs as legitimately to the history of pedagogy as to the annals of philosophy; and teachers should claim him among the most celebrated and brightest names of their profession, to whom king Philip could write on the birth of his son Alexander-"know that a son is born to me, and that I am thankful to the gods, not so much for the birth of a boy, as that he is born in your times. Trained up by you, I am in hopes that he will become worthy of me and of succeeding me upon the throne." He was born B. C., 384, at Stagira, near Chalcidice, the most populous part of northern Greece. His father was Nikomachus, physician and friend of the Macedonian king, Amyntas II. At the death, apparently early, of his parents, he had the good fortune to come under the care of Proxenus, a faithful guardian, and careful for his bringing up. In return, Aristotle erected statues, as marks of gratitude, to him, his wife, and parents; and afterward adopted and educated his son. At the age of seventeen, Aristotle was attracted to Athens, then the center of civilization, chiefly by the fame of Plato. Here he devoted himself for twenty years to the study of philosophy, although he apparently continued his favorite physical and chemical studies. His persevering labor, and the zeal with which he studied. the works of past and present philosophers so highly recommended him to Plato that he surnamed him "The Philosopher of Truth," and the soul of his school; and used to call his house the house of the reader, from his indefatigable researches into all possible philosophical writings. He used to say "Xenocrates needs spurs, Aristotle reins." The variance which after a time sprang up between Plato and Aristotle may have originated in radical difference of character. Perhaps Aristotle, as is reported, gave too much attention to his person; or perhaps, according to the ideas of the other philosopher, was too much a man of the world, he was too early in life seeking to pursue his various departments of investigation, and |