'THE ATLANTIC, dependent alone on reading matter for its success, is brilliant above all others in this respect, and never has been so fres, so versatile, so genial, as it is now."-The Literary Wor'd, Boston. THE JANUARY NUMBER OF THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY FOR 1885 Will contain the first of a series of papers entitled, THE NEW PORTFOLIO, By OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. It will also contain the first installments of three serial stories, namely: A COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, By MRS. OLIPHANT, Author of "The Ladies Lindores," "The Wizard's Son," etc. THE PROPHET OF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS, By CHARLES EGBERT CRADDOCK, Author of "In the Tennessee Mountains." A MARSH ISLAND, By SARAH ORne Jewett, Author of "A Country Doctor," "Deephaven," etc. The July ATLANTIC will contain the opening chapters of THE PRINCESS CASAMASSIMA, By HENRY JAMES, Author of "The Portrait of a Lady," etc. TERMS: $4.00 a year, in advance, POSTAGE FREE; 35 cents a number. With superb life-size portrait of Hawthorne, Emerson, Longfellow, Bryant, Whittier, Lowell, or Holmes, $5.00; each additional portrait, $1.00. New subscribers to THE ATLANTIC for 1885, whose subscriptions are received before December 20th, will receive the November and December numbers of the magazine free of charge. Postal Notes and Money are at the risk of the sender, and therefore remittances should be made by money-order, draft, or regis tered letter, to HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY, 4 PARK STREET, BOSTON, MASS. CALIFORNIA TEACHER ANFOST HOME JOURNAL. FANUARY, 1885. VOL. III, No. 6. Ein Official Organ of the Department of Public Instruction. SAN FRANCISCO: THOS. E. FLYNN & Co., PUBLISHERS, 213 SANSOME ST., The California Peerless Desk. The Best and Heaviest Eastern Castings. The Best Finished Maple Woods. The Best Seat-Hinge, perfect in construction, very strong. No strain or wear upon the Bolt. Never works loose, and is the only seat-hinge absolutely and permanently noiseless. 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GILBERT & MOORE, FURNITURE AND CARPETS, 18 & 20 Sutter Street, San Francisco, Cal. 259921 The biennial report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction has come to this office. It is by all odds the ablest document that has ever emanated from that Department. It embraces a wide range of topics, to which we earnestly call the attention of every thinking man and woman, who feels an interest in the progress of our public schools. The following extracts fairly indicate the spirit which pervades this report. NATIVITY OF CENSUS CHILDREN. For 1883, the Census Marshals reported the nativity of 322,094 children not more than seventeen years of age. Ac 408 CALIFORNIA TEACHER AND HOME JOURNAL. cording to these reports, we had in this State in 1883: Native born children, both parents native born, 158,722; native born children, one parent foreign born, 44,341; native born children, both parents foreign born, 113,160; foreign born children, 5,871. Or, expressed in percentage, in 1883: Per cent of our children of native born parents, 49.27; per cent of our children who had one foreign parent, 13.77; per cent of our children who were of foreign parents, 35.13. For 1884, the Census Marshals reported the nativity of 319,286 children not more than seventeen years of age. According to these reports, we had in this State in 1884: Native born children, both parents native born, 157,835: native born children, one parent foreign born, 44,805; native born children, both parents foreign born, 112,359; foreign born children, 4,287. Or, expressed in percentage, in 1884; Per cent of children of native born parents, 49.43; per cent for children who had one parent foreign born, 14.03; per cent of children, who were of foreign parents, 35.19. GENERAL CONDITION OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I am able to state that our public schools are in good condition, and are continually reaching forth towards a betterment. The influence of the Normal Schools is being felt more and more; and the graduates of the State University are becoming more and more frequently members of the teaching profession. Although there is room for much improvement of this direction, still it gratifies me to believe that the people are evincing greater interest in the schools where their children are being educated. There is much liberality and enlightened foresight displayed in the manner in which |