Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-02-01
THE TEACHERS. INSTITUTE.


Institute are published in full in our local
columns. The session lasted from Monday
till Friday, and was largely attended by
the teachers of this county and elsewhere.
What is perhaps surprising, is the number
of Professors who figured in the proceedings.
But in this country, it must be remembered,
titles are cheap, and generally not unaccep'
table. If an individual who runs raft
down the river is entitled to be called Cap
tain he who runs village school six months,
is perhaps, equally entitled to be called
Professor.
We have been asked our opinion of the
practical value of these Institutes. We have
already said they were commendable in
social point of view, and not entirely with
out profit when properly conducted. But
much is said and done in these bodies that
has neither point or practical value, as must
be the case in all bodies not properly organ
lied under proper head and restricted by
proper rules and regulations. The lecture
delivered the first evening is an apt ilustra
tion. The lecturer consumed about two
hours and was giving various examples
of the diversity of taste and talent in the
human family. For instance, one man liked
tea and one coffee, one whiskey and one
brandy, one was fond of sermons another of
plays; one was quarresome and another
peaceable. After listening to about one
hundred of these illustrations, we left, and
on our return an hour or two after, learned
that the lecturer had changed the subject
after giving something less than 500 of
such examples. Among the lecturers and
speakers, Professor Sanders, of New York,
seemed to engross most attention. The
Professor was the author of spelling book,
&C., and necessarily took great interest in
such bodies. He also lectured and enter
tanned the audience with specimens of read
ing. AS all clocutionist, he could not be
called model Of excellence, although he
told some humorous stories tolcrably we'll
But the Professor got out of the spelling
book one day, into deeper water and a less
safe footing. He was criticising the impro-
per use of words, and among Others, referred
to the word citizen, which, he contendcd
was properly applied to residents of city,
only, and that in addressing our fellow eiti-
gems, we should say fellow denisens. The
adaptation of word for its purposes, is,
perhaps, the best authority for its use And
since such men and scholars as Hamilton,
Jefferson, Madison, Jay, Irving, Prescott,
Webster and Others, have used the word citi
zen, it was rather waste of time, to say no.
thing of good taste and judgment, in attemp-
ting to show that it was improper. Ifhc had
referred to great author, not only of o
spelling book, but the best dictionary of the
English language in the world, he would
find that the word denisen is more properly
applied to naturalized or adopted citizens,
and that the word citizen, in its most restric
ted sense, applies only to freemen or privi-
legged class III city, but even as far back
as Milton and Dryden, the word signifed
an inhabitant.
We were present only small portion Of
the time, and these exceptions refer, of course,
only to portion of the proceedings. The
lectures and exercises of number of the
gentlemen and teachers. who took part, arc
highly commended by those who heard
them.