Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-06-18
Teachers' Convention Mt WestbOrO'.
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SECOND DAY.
The convention re-assembled on Saturday
morning at half past nine o'clock, and in the
absence of the secretary, Mr.. j. X. Lombard
of Worcester was chosen president pro tenn.
The subject of 'the best means Of inducing
voluntary study on the part of pupils" was
discussed. Mr.. Carter OF Fitchburg advocated
the topical system, and spoke Of the impor-
lance of order in the school room. There was
no other way for the teacher to get along COM
tortably, but by drawing the reins as tightly
as is prudent 1t cannot be done suddenly,
but every term there must be progress in this
direction. We cannot begin by holding up the
lash but by inducing pupils to co operate.
MIR. Grassie of Bolton said he had tried the
dormant system and it did not work What
| should he do? Mr. Carter advised, ii he had
tried to put his pupils to sleep, to bring in era
dies. Mr.. Grassie alluded to the method pur-
sued at the Reform School workshops, where
absolute quiet is not required Mr. Marble
of Leomnster remembered, that in the Sc. DOL
rooms at the Reform School, no eommunica-
tons are allowed. He then spoke of Mr.. Ha-
gar's lecture. The duty to make our scholars
thinkers, was Obvious who performs 1t :?
cia Mr. NJ said he remembered but one
teacher in a common school who ever taught
him to think A professor OF Dartmouth
College said he was fifteen years old before
he ever had thought. He was called a first
rate scholar, but it was the result OF memory
He once asked himself what accent meant, and
having found out for himself, he spent the day
enthusiastically asking himself the a0hys of the
lesson he had learned.
Rev. Charles Hammond, principal of Law
renee Academy at Groton, was then introduce
ed, and gave an able and instructive lecture on
the moral educatian of children taking for his
text the words of the poet Wordsworth, ''The
child is father of the man." He said man of
true sensibility and piety, deserves never to
forget his youth. The days of youth are
brief, but it is compensated by hope of long
life and of the blessings which life has to give.
This illusion the teacher should be unwilling
to dispel. The mother of Webster died when
he was young, but she foresaw his future
tamer. All nations have had their fortune tel,
l(rs, because so many wish to know of the fu-
ture. Astrology and phrenology profess to be
based on science. Though the power of divi-
nation is denied to mortals, some few men
may speculate so that the results shall be re-
markable. This is the result more OF insight
than foresight Prophet and poet were the
same. There needs no other qualification
than that obtained from history and COM
mon sense to understand all the Pile.
nomena of society. We may read the
destiny of some of our pupils, but the teacher
is not likely to turn necrOmancer. The prog.
n0stcs of greatness do not always exist. The
only way to judge of the future is by the con-
ditions of success. AS we are professionally
called so often to prognosticate, shall we not
have a chart of favorable signs The speaker
then enumerated among these signs-1, Sc.
robustness; and 2, earnestness Of purpose.
There was, he commended, a broad distinction
between what was honest and what was hon
orable. The glory of the word honeStus had
faded away in the elimination of that distinc-
ton. Many are very jealous of their reputa-
ton, but careless of their character. Persons
of high character are troubled by remorse, if
they have done wrong. How many pupils
excuse themselves by saying that it was done
a great while ago. The well known character
of Byron whom the speaker termed the Ovid
Of modern times, was alluded to in illustration.
Byron was reckless of all restraint, but he err
ed not from want of knowledge, but from want
of will to do right. Our fault is, paying too
great devotion to mere intellect We should
reverence, above all things else, a spirit of the
good, and just, and true.
During a recess, after the lecture, delega-
ton of about forty boys from the State Re
form School came in, and were addressed in
an appropriate manner by Rev. Mr.. Jones and
Mr.. Hagar. The boys favored the audience by
singing two songs. Prof. Bigelow of the State
Normal School at birmingham then gave the
teachers illustrations in teaching elementary
arithmetic, The convention passed vote of
thanks to the citizens of Westboro' for their
hospitality, and to the Boston and Worcester
Railroad for return tickets, and adjourned sine
die at about three o'clock p NJ.
AT an early hour, previous to the morning
session, about seventy of the teachers, by the
polite invitation of the superintendent, Mr..
Starr, rode over to the State Reform School,
two miles distant, and were shown around the
institution, expressing their admiration of the
arrangements there.