Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-08-28
SECOND DAY.
MORNING SESSION.


O'Clock, DR.. Hamilton, County Superin-
tendent, in the Chair, who announced that
Professor Joynes would address the Insti-
tute.
Upon taking the stand Professor Joynes
stated that he did not visit the Institute
with the intention Of saying anyth ing, and
was surprised to learn that he WAS expect
ed to deliver an address on school disci
pine. 1t was a subject that he was not
posted on, as he could not be said to have
taught school. The discipline Of his day
was very sharp, and he still had acute
memories of it,
Since he must talk, he would take for
his subject Readers and Reading. He
held the theory that there was no inherent
difficulty in good reading, but a radical
error in teaching of readers in the begin
ming that error was failure to create a
sympathy between the teacher and the
scholar, and in working contrary to the
dictates of nature. His experience had
been that children were the best takers,
and talking together gave the most natu-
raj emphasis. The proper conditions OF
reading were an address to the ear OF
good listener. These conditions were mis-
placed by the ordinary methods OF teach
ing reading, and there was no sympathy
between the pupil and the teacher. In
stead of the ear the eye was used, and in
stead of listener the pupil had a critic,
and few of us can stand criticism. Chill
dren could read things to each other with
proper emphasis: that they could not read
to teacher without bungling over. be-
cause the critics eye WAS substituted for
the listeners ear. His theory for the con-
ditions of sympathy was that the only book
open should be that Of the teacher, and
that it were better the child make an hun
bred mistakes Of form than have it's inter
est broken up by corrections at the time.
AS to readers he held that there should be
more continuity and repudiated artificial
paragraphing and signs OF infection. Let
the child understand the subject and it
will give the proper emphasis. He advis-
ed, in conclusion, that each school be pro-
vided with library ofsuch books as San
ford and Merton, and that the teacher
should ever labor to get Nature on his or
her side During his address he took oc-
oasion to compliment Superintendent Bin
ford, of Richmond, a number of times.
MI. Binford next took the tloorand made
short address on spelling, advancing the
idea that we learn to spell from reading,
ind urging written spelling exercises. He
made the special point, that all words
liable to be misspelt should be introduced
in the lessons as often as possible, and
chat spelling was always in order.
MI. Ladd, City Superintendent, followed
Mr. Binford ON the subject of English Gram
mar. He did not like much the idea Of
teaching by he old Book Method. By
the Book Method you begin at the wrong
end Get the child to begin at the begin
ming by putting on paper the names of OBJ
ects that they have seen. A teacher
should come down to the level Of the pu-
pill Take the word 'stable," ask the child
what is the first letter, give him an oppor
tunity to find out, and he will tell you it is
4 consonant. Then show them the conso-
nants on the board, and pursue the same
course with the voWels. Let necessity
be created in the mind Of a child for
thinking and you induce thought. The
course is to create a necessity for orthog
raphy, and then the children will see it,
Mr.. Ladd's theory is in short, to create
necessity for all parts of speech, aud by
gradually inducing the child to think, and
by interesting it, leading it to form senten-
ces. At this point the Institute took q
rest of twenty minutes.
= Upon the resumption of the exercises
Mr.. Binford addressed the Institute on
Arithmetic in primary schools. In Arith-
metic like everything else, you have to be-
gin at the beginning. Children are used
to counting with objects, therefore, begin
at school with them by counting objects =
making numbers represent tangible OBJ
jects, never forcing them beyond their
comprehension, and counting from one to
nine, then take the mineral frame. Move
the balls and count them, move them and
let them count them, and let them move
them and count them, never missing a
stop, OIL allowing the pupil to become me-
chanical. After you get to nine then
teach them the value of numbers from l
to 8 then teach them to count from 10 to
10 and teach the figures that is, that a
certain figure represents a certain number
of objects OF marks on the board. At this
point the hour of one o'clock having az
rived, the Institute adjourned to meet at
half past O'Clock.
EVENING SESSI ON.
Tna Institute met pursuant to adjourn