Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-11-28

cheapest. noy7-lm.
Proceedings of Teachers Com
VentIOn.
The Miff1in County Teachers AssOci-
alton, met in the Court House, at Lewis
town, on Monday, Nov. 10, and continued
in session during the week. At least
seventy teachers were in attendance. every
district in the county being represented.
Instruction was given in eIocution. bv
Prof. Mark Bailey; in OrthOepy and spell
ing! py w: w. woodruff, Esq; in Arith-
metic, by Prof. K. Brooks; and i'm men,
manship, by A. S. Manson, Esq. In
| addition to these exercises, repOrts were
read upon practical educational questions
some of which were followed by interest
| ing discussions.
Prof. Bailey's lectures and readings at
tracted large and intelligent audiences and
were received with much favor. His in
structIons in reading during the day ses-
| slons were based, not upon an arbitrary
system of elOcutiOn blocked out to suit the
notions of some teachers of the art, but
were founded upon close observance of
the laws of natural expression, and hence
were eminently practical.
The instructions in orthoepy and the
spelling lessons given by Mr.. Woodruff,
were new and instructive features of the
institute. The teachers present were form
ell into a spelling class and 500 words were
spelled, the four best spoilers receiving
prizes. Mary McCord, Adelia f. Thomas
and Kate +. GWinn all of Lewistown, re-
ceived the first, second and third premi-
ums; the first being Worcester's Una
bridged Dictionary, the second, Lossing's
Illustrated United States History, and the
third WOrcester's Comprehensive Die
tionary. Mr.. w. C. McClenahen, of
LOcke's Mills, received the fourth premi-
um, consisting of WOrcester's School Die
tiOnary. These spelling exercises were
interesting and were engaged in both by
teachers and citizens.
Prof Brooks explained in avery interest
ing manner the metric system of weights
and measures recently authorized by Con-
gress, and gave a clear exposition of arith-
metical language.
On Friday evening Hon. J. =. Wick
ersham, State superintendent, delivered
an able, eloquent and stirring address on
the " Educational Needs of the State. y
Among these needs as stated were. a
lengthening of the minimum school term.
an increase of the State appropriation. a
more efficient grading of schools in town
and country, the education of public SEN
tlment, and closer school supervision bY
means of local superintendent for every
twenty schools whose duty il shall be to
spend one day every month in each school.
II is not the intention of the school de-
partment to push all these measures inn
mediately through the Legislature. but to
call the attention of the people to them
and secure such action from the Legisla- |
ture as may be practicable
The Mendelssohn Association enliven-
ed the evening sessions of the institute
with excellent vocal music.
At the close of Mr.. Wickersham's lee
ture J. X. HartZler, chairman of the COM
mittee, read the following resolutions,
which were unanimously adopted:
ReSOtCed, That our thanks are due to
those citizens of LewistOwn who have ex-
tended their hospitality to members of
this institute, to the County Commission
ers for the use of the Court House, to A.
5. Manson, Esq, w. w. Woodruff, Esq,
Prof. Edward Brooks and Hon. James 2.
Wickersham for their lectures. and to the
MendeissOhn Association for the excellent
vocal music with which they have so gem
erOusly favored us.
ResOtVed, That the lectures on eIOcution
and the readings given by Prof. Bailey
have been characterized by so much sim
plicity, originality and naturalness as to
merit our hearty admiration that we feel
encouraged and hOnOred by the presence
of this distinguished educator and by his
deep interest in the improvement of pub
lie schools
On Saturday morning, in view of the
editorial which appeared in this week s
Gazette concerning the educational col
umn, Mr.. Hartzler offered the following
resolution, which, after an interesting dis
cussion participated in by Mr. Wicker
sham, Col. Mcfarland Mr.. MOhler, Mr..
Uttley and others, was unanimously
adopted:
ResoiUcd That we cheerfully accept the
structures contained in the article entitled
The Educational Department" in this
weeks Lewistown Gazette, and we here
by return our thanks for the favor done
us in the past by Messrs. G. d G. r. Fry
singer, and we hope that short, pointed
and interesting articles, adapted to keep
alive and foster a healthy interest in our
educational affairs will be prepared by
teachers and others and be published from
time to time.
The following officers were elected for
the ensuing year: President, w. G. Nc
Clenahen; Vice Presidents, r. S. Hen
dersOn and Adelia +. Thomas Secretary,
d. H Zook: Treasurer John Mohler
Executive Committee, Martin Mohler,
w. III. Prideaux, and Jennie Walters.
]. NJ. BELL, Pres.
d. H. ZOOK, Sec. pro. tenn.
LewistOwn, Nov. "a, 1866.