The Portland daily press., 1873-11-11

The Teachers Institute for this county con-
vened in the Common Council room at q o.
click yesterday afternoon. About $50 teache rs
were present, nearly all of whom were ladies.
Among the distinguished educationists
pre. ent were j. W, Cortheil esq.,, of Calais,
Prof. F. A. A Hen of Tioga county, Pennsylva
MIA ant j. w Brown of the Reform School,
st. Paul, MINI.
The Iuse.ing was called to order by Mr. n
j. Haines OF the Park street Grammar School,
after which Pr of. Allen took the institute in
hand,
The professor suggested that no pupil should
be ad United 10 school under six years of age.
As the limit of age in the school is usually
sixteen years the teachers work comes chiefly
among children of eleven years of tage Two
kinds of lessons are 20 be taught, lessons OF
facts and lessons of phil rsephy. When child
is growing inordinately his parents should not
send him to school. but they WILL ana the teach
er should be careful what ms. @aetlon is glVen'
AS long as boy or girl is gro, wing &c should
not be pressed. 1t requires to ave bis BRAIN
rest, since all the nerve power theL goes to the
stomach. When the child demanS us simple
processes alone, teach him facts, but when he
asks why thing is so then teach him the phi
losophy of the thing
Then again, the child, until after ten or
twelve years of age should not have more than
three figures enter into his arithmetic lessons;
that is sums where over three figures are en-
ployed in the column, say 365. Some exc client
illustrations Of the case with which figures
were added by combnatisns of the ten digits
were given Therefore the first point to be i'm
pressed is the teaching of processes, the how
toido thing. In the fact period of life always
teach facts so that child will not have to re-
member something else before he can remem
Der the matter 10 hand. There should he three
studies, and only three, taught in all schools
until we desire to study a profession. These
should be LIST Language. I'd Physical Science,
Sd Mathematics. In this way there would b e
no separate Individual developments in lik es
and dslikcs; no preference for grammar over
mathematics, or cases where people had run to
seedin ma shematics. 1t must be remembered that
we are no W speaking of the commencement of
teaching that where little boys and girls are
pupils. Under the head of language comes
First, Words, for the child is taught by the
ear. u nder this head also is included correct
articul' ,ton and pronunciation How many
have + eceived a school education.
Scef md. Reading with oral composition.
Time enough to teach spelling when you begin
to te ach how to write.
IL .ird. would embody all my teaching of
LAM !uage under the heads of foreign, living and
des d.
fourth. Physical Science. The professor
suggested the following order of study: l Phys
iology; 2 Botany; Zoology; A Geography and
history; 5 Philosophy; Chemistry. In the
district schools Geography is taught where
Philosophy should be.
yynh. Mathematics First under this study
would place Geometry of forms i-e-of blocks;
Q Arithmetic, mental and written; Algebra;
4Ge.,metry by demonstration. His idea was
to left the child 60 through percentage in
Arithmetic and then throw it aside. Put him
then into ALGEBRA, beginning at the equations
aud YOU will fit him for all the practical purpo-
ses of lifa.
After an intermlss'o n of fifteen minutes the
professor resumed his lecturing by speaking
upon tne I'm oortance of study in schools ana
tne moues OF Introducing physical studies into
.ne primary schools, His ide a was that chem
lstry, physiology and natural h istory should be
taught in all common schools.
At . o'clock the sessioa adionrnod 70 ,,oo+ a.
2o'clocd this afternoon in the High School
building which is larger and more co,veniant
AT 2 o'clock Prof Allen will Introduce tbe
subject of ''Study and the means of redncina
study on the part of the pupils" At O'clock
Prof. Corthell will give one of his deeply inter
esting lectures on Language"
There will be only afternoon sessions during
the week.