Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-10-08
Teachers Institute


more satisfactory than one of these "av;n,
Normal Schools" And perhaps a p,r,;os
oil your SPACE cannot be better occupied thu.
by some appropriate remarks in rel,,;."
thereto. 1t will serve the double purno.a -
renewing and deepening the impression mad.
upon those present, and be of much s,.r,..
to the absent. An educational meet;r.
a lens where these convcrsins RAYS Of III.
(reachcrs) come to q focus. Each ind;v;a..
al teachers knowledge becomes mart and ,.-
eel of our own. We throw II all int A..
common receptacle that all may tax, H..
which is suitable. These Institutes nrs,o,I
ed upon as indispensable to the complete sue
cess of the teacher. They have thor ;na,.
ence upon the one fourth part Of u,;n..-
population-her scholars, yea; and ipd;roc.
ly upon the other three fourths. II .,h
jcct for praise, that Mime nobly mnr,.,.
these institutions, and it is to be bopcd ~.
her teachers will appreciate them. Tb..
this is the case, doubt not.
Our lens for Hancock County, was VIII,
ing's Hall, Ellsworth. Messrs Brown -.
Northcnd were at their posts early. shall
attempt to give brief account of Some -,
the exercises. After the devotional, e,.-,;..
each day, there were taken up the followin,
themes for OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, Ar;,b'
metic, Grammar, Geography. Spelling, Pen.
manshir. Moral lessons, Study of words p,o.
nuneiation, Lectures, &c.
READING. The subject of Rcadio, w..
ably presented. A gradual succession ~.
made in the unfolding of it, commene;,,
With the rules. 1t was thought well no, to
learn all, but to SAY they were all founded on
nature. Asa general rule this was given
Read naturally. Good reading defined a. thu
appropriate intellectual and the emotional
u.tcrAncc OF written language. To be in ,sl
lectual' 1T needed close study 50 as to give
the authors m-annS. To be emo tional, tho
mind and feelings should be fifty moved.
good degree Of attention was paid to ar,icu.
iation, accent. emphasis, infection and mod.
ulation. Plaintive, joyous and sublime
pieces oil poetry were read with fine cfIect.-
\ sound theory was given, but it was all
SUI ported by practice. Mr. Brown attached
much Importance to vividness in reading.
and most truly did he cvincc it in his read.
ing of the Pipes Of Lucknow lie adopt-
ed Prof Russell's system Of teaching Elocu.
ton, from the many tersc rules and remarks.
l Gull the following; Study the conssruc
ton Enunciase clearly, Discriminate; See 70
1t that your pupils are taught early to speak
rightly. The worst tones are produced in
learning the Alphabet. Habits OF drawlinr
and mcnotony must carly be corrected, then
will the quality of voice DO more pure the
head and chest tones be properly cultivated.
Better have one paragraph we'll read, thana
volume i'll read; but we are satisfied that all
can not makcso,d readers any moro than all
can make good painters. The right shades
and outlines must b, brought out BY the
one, and the right accent and emphasis BY
the other. Every lesson should be made the
subject Of inquiry. for example; supps.
lesson to be given on tho lines to seneca
Lake"
On thy fair bosom, silver lake,
Tho wild swan spreads his snowy ssiI,
And round his breast the ripples break,
As down he bears before tho gale"
Such questions rs these would suggest
themsclvs;-What is lake? Where j,
Seneca Lake? Why called silver? VIVA.
is the bosom of the lake ? why fair What
is swan what his sail why called snowy?
What are rippla2 what causes them -
What is gaie7 What by btars before it?
Almost any piece will admit Of similar
questions, and it will be both pleasing and
ARITHMETIC. Tho teacher was taught -
this branch where the young pu
p'l would commcncc-at unity; the uni, be-
ng the basis Of numbers All children how
'ver young, have u clear idea OF one thing
10 ex Lain from this, it is well 10 take some
sensible object. AZ marble; but care should
DC taken that the pupil does not confound
The id>a with the object. II is the number of
'tjects. not the objects themselves hor-
many is the unit. First, present one mar
Die, then two, having it distinctly understood
hat the former is named one; two ones tuo;
md s, ON with the nine characters.
These first trainings are the most import
INT, They should tend to promote the men
al dicipline Of the pupil. For this purposs
much time should he spent in oral and writ
en- exercises on the fundamental rules of
arithmetic. The result is 10 develop tho
a.ent mathematical powers of the boy
Rapid methods and various contraction,
hould be a daily exercise Practice them
md you will be astonishcd at the wonderful
progress made by some pupils-you will find
many adopts. Exercises were given to show
The method at the Institute. The shortest
written computation made by any member,
VAS the addition Of five columns Of six figures
ZACH, in twenty-one seconds.
GRAMMAR. Upon this branch of study,
The members Of the Convention eyinccd much
interest, and numerous interrogatories
were pleasantly and instructiyely answered.
The work Of conciliating all opinions was
we'll done, in spite Of the tenacity each had
or his Murray, Weld, Wells, Greene, Brown,
'r Clark. Syntactical pairing was carried
TO some extent. and with a good degree Of