The Portland daily press., 1871-05-26
Teachers, Institute,


nounced to be held in this city under charge
of j. B. Webb, County Supervisor, began
Thursday afternoon. There were 175 teachers
present, chiefly from Portland, Cape Elizabeth
Deering and Windham. The afternoon ses-
sions OF the schools in the three first named
towns We're suspended in order to give teach
ers an opportunity to avail themselves of the
advantages offered by this meeting and the in
struction to be derived. The exercises began
at o'clock. The hour from two to three was
assigned to Mr.. l.. w. Mason of Boston, teach
er of music.
Mr. Mason commenced by stating that most
of the objections that presented themselves in
the introduction of musical instruction into
schools have been met and done away with.
Those thought to be the greatest were found to
be very small. The greatest difficulty to over
come 10 his experience was the unwillingness
of school directors to afford the time for daily
instruction. If you adopt the Boston system,
which l am here TO represent, you must take
into consideration that Boston in her rules and
regulations, require that each regular teacher
in the primary schools give ten minutes each
session-twenty minutes each day-to instruc-
ton ia singing. He then proceeded to we a few
illustrative lessons with a class of children
from the primary schools. These lessons will
be cOntipued Tomorrow at o'clock, with the
same class of children, thus affordipg our
teachers with specimen of the Boston meth
cd. f.. .-is.lsa
Mrs. Olive Pond Amies of Lewiston. follow
ed with instructions in reading. The teacher
commenced teaching the alphabet l,y first lead
ing the children to distinguish and make the
short sourd of q, and thorough drill was given
until all were supposed 10 recognize and give
the sound. The card upon which the letter q
was represented was shown the children tell
ing them that what they saw on the card
meant-the teacher giving short sound Of a..
The children were then taught in the same
way to distinguish and initiate the sound of t,
both by the use of cards and the black boaid
The class then gave sounds as tie teacher made
the characters, repeating them nearer and
nearer together until the class were able of
themselves to make the word 81. The hard
sound OF C was then taught iu similar man
ner, the class uniting it with the little word at,
| by speaking quickly just as the teacher point
| ed or made on the black board, until the word
| cat was pronounced by all. One great advan-
| tage claimed for this method is that the child
| is put in possession of key by which be is en-
| abled to help himself The child makes the
| word himself instead Of obligiDg the teacher to
| tell him everything. The teacher explained
| what was to be taught children during the first
| year before they take the books and then pro-
ceeded 10 drill the class aoith books, teacher
| and child reading words alternately: then in
/ TtteTecu OTutT, LuS uOSt ulIlCult WOTuS U6lUS
| printed upon the board, and the children
taught their name and meaning and where ia
| find them in the lesson. The children read to.
| gether and Individually, and the class CRITICS.
| ing. The children were made to read natural
| ly by being told TO read as they talk, and try
| ing over and over again instead of repeating
| and initiating after the teacher. Tits impossi.
| BILE to report such lesson as the above. Voice
| gesture and manner are necessary to make il
| as children see and understand 1t.
| In the evening Mr.. G. @. Rounds lectured
on Thought and Work. We give an abstract
| No one can fail to notice tho too general dis
taste for downright work, as is SHOWN by the
unwillugness to thoroughly learn any art, by
| the crOwding of all the avenues of profession.
al and commercial life. and by the unprofita
BILE attempt made by SO many to '1ive by theil
| wits" The effects of this state Of things upOr
the wealth of the country was next illustrated
Unskilled labor results in low wages, public
poverty and ignorance. ldleness or tffeminatt
| pursuits deteriorate man, physically, intellect
ually and morally, and the moral deterioration
| is of such character as to produce a most dis
astreus effect upon the political life Of PEG
| pie OF 1000 criminals in the penitentiarie
| of the United States in 1868 ninety seven ne
cent. had never learned trade; in New Yorl
| in 1864 seventy-twO per cent. had never learned
a trade. In Baden, by course of industria
| education, the number of criminals was re
| duced in eight YEARS from more than 1000 t.
lass than 700 Among the causes of the avoid
| aBce OF work, one of the most prominent il
the tendspcy of public education. Gu
schools fit their pupils fer no vocation excep
bookkeeping and teaching. Statistics wer
| presented showing the attention given to tech
nical and industrial education ip Wnrtem
berg, Prussia. saxogy and Switzerland
Maine, in order to rank with W urte m0erg
| would need in schools of this kind 81 tea4aer
and 1888 pupils. This department OF educa
flan Maine has got to organize eAs9.
| Hemedy-The schools must be brought int
closer relations with the industrial pursuits Q
the people. Teachers must inform tbemselve
concerning the industrial processes of the PEG
pie, and explain to their pupils the principle
1 upon wnlcu those processes are based PuDil
must be led to honor labor. The superior edu
eating power pi certain trades was stated, an,
the necessity OF the education of the world a
a compliment to that of the school. was ON
forced Science is not a playthine. Int thin
fer US. A work of art is an embodiment !
thought. G machine is condensed and solid
| fed topic The st09ns engine embodies the req
| sOuing of a hundred men. Such emhodimeni
of thought are most fit subjects for stud,
Results of change Of the system Of educs
ton in the direction 'signiied upon publ
| wealth, morals and happiness was then alude
to. IL would give higher order of things :
the moving powers in life. Ideas which moy
/ us to activities must have relation to those al
tiyties. ideas belonging to one system car
| not move Us to the activities which cOmpl
ment the ideas belonging to another system
The narrow, sometimes miscaled h0TOug
system of education is fundamentally wron
The necessity of work is stamped upon Il
nature of mind. Work is the complement I
The sneaker, in closing, briefly alluded to Il
| rise of working men to controlling lnnuent