Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-11-23

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Miss Olive A. Pond, Lewiston.
DIR. True urged the importance of more at
tehtion being given, and time expended in
these meetings to the study and discussion OF
natural sciences.
| c. c. Rounds, Principal of the Normal
School at Pennington, then gave a lecture on
| the subject of discipline"
| He said there is wide difference between
| instruction and education. Illustrations of
this fact may be drawn from all departments
| of human activity. The powers should be all
| trained for the most effective use. The OBJ
ject of discipline is, first, to give perfect re-
suits second, to husband power. The less
the volitional effort required to carry through
chain of mental operations, the more men,
tai energy remains for other use. Perfect
| discipline reduces mental exhaustion to a
minimum. There is great need of further
| mental facilities-the requirement of short
| hand simple arithmetic. Third, to bring in
| higher order and wider range of ideas and
| thoughts, as the efficient cause of human ac-
| tvities. The means are now nearly all at
| hand, for teachers can draw from almost
all repositories of thought. There must
be careful drill in elementary mental pro-
cesses, in combinations of ideas, SO that
we may be most perfectly trained for
the ordinary exigencies of thought and life.
Too exclusive attention to general abstract
principles, results perhaps in cultivatng
power of philosophic thought, and does not
| make man wise in his own day and genera
| ton-does not make n man of practical
efficiency. The general laws must be philo-
| sophically and thoroughly taught as to
lead to the most pertec. assurance of their
universally and truth. The speaker showed
| the necessity of covering a broad field. We
learn by study what we are determined to
learn. The mental powers are most easily
developed and cultivated in early life. The
present system of education is faulty. Dis
cipline does not consist merely in gaining
knowledge of detached facts; they must be
studied in those connections, those interrela-
tons which can alone give them significance
and value; which alone can make them re-
preventative of the spiritual Kosmos, which
W
have given only the principal points of the
| lecture, which was Untitled with thought, and
abundantly illustrated.
| The Association then adjourned TO even
ing.
Mr.. fash from the nominating committee
reported the following names for committee
| to petition Legislature for funds to defray the
| expenses of Association Nelson pingley of
| Lewiston, c. c. Rounds of Pennington, A.
z. Stone Of Portland Report accepted and
adopted.
The topic ''Self Improvement of Teachers"
was then taken up. Discussion opened by
A. p. Stone. He said that teachers must do
| something for self Improvement Teachers
who do not make an effort to enlarge are grow
ing small and narrow, and into stereotype
routine. Our daily prayer should be to keep
out of the ruts. The points made by Mr..
Stone were thes,. LIST, A teacher must see
work outside OF his own school. He is stu
ated differently from other professions. He
is working upon minds beneath him, the ten
dency of which is to weaken him. I'd, He
must attend teachers meetings and Institutes.
| We should go home from this meeting with
an increased respect for our work. Il these
meetings we are constantly getting new ideas,
catching sparks of light that are thrown out.
| 3d. teachers must read, but woe to us if we
attempt to teach by the book. Take the edu-
cstional magazines They will be found treas
ures of knowledge. They DC nc: give US Sc,
rules, but only light.
Mr.. Stetson said the teacher ought to know
something about everything. twill be found
that some of our eminent scholars do not
really know as much as the teachers in the
primary schools. We want positive knowl-
edge. in the first place. We may take prac-
| teal lessons from the various branches of in
dustries that lie all about us in the world.
Should converse much, listen to the CONVEX
sation of those about US, mingle in the best
society, and draw by means of books instruc-
ton from all the worthless of the past.
| DR.. True related his experience in the line
of self Improvement when he first entered the
profession of teaching and his juvenile efforts
as writer for the press.
w. II. Lambard, Principal Of the Au-
gusta high school, put a high estimate
ON the self education which the teacher re-
ceives from his books. There are thr.e
kinds of education First, direct - that
which is impaired in school by instruc-
tors. Second, indirect-that which we re-
ceive from our surroundings. Third, self
education. After we have been led through
the schools and academies and the colleges,
| tue ttdCHSI, WIN HAS DecH our Sulue, leaves
us, and we must go alone. That teacher must
be presumptive who at that stage can say,
"Now 1 am fitted for teaching" The mind
cannot stand still. 1t must either retrograde
or advance. He was not in favor of intro
ducing special studies into the schools of high
grade, as there was no time to devote to these
studies.
On being invited Miss Pond of Lewiston
recited in very acceptable manner poem
by Charles Mackay and pathetic little piece
entitled 'The Return of the Hillside Legions.'
The President read a letter from Hon. John
ID. Philbrick, City Superintendent of Schools,
| Boston, who was announced to speak upon
the subject of school supervision, regretting
his inability to be present to perform the SER
vice set down for him. 1t would please him
to meet the educators of Maine in convention.
The State has advanced in several important
respects within n few years, and in one es-
sential particular, that of school supervision,
stands prominently among her sister States
of New England.
State Superintendent Johnson referred ap-
propriately to the recent death of Rev. DIR.
Ballard, the first President of the Association,
and offered the following resolution, which
was adopted by rising: