The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-04-30

be an exception.
TIE idea eff holding institutes in all
parts of the county, each to continue for
week, originated with DR.. Franklin
Taylor, in 1857 when he was superinten
dent OF Chester county. He held some
twenty-five or thirty during his term of
office, and thus borught the local institute
within the reach of almost every citizen
of the county. His object was to make
the people acquainted with the school
system 10 its practical workings, and to
suggest and illustrate the importance of
better teachers, better houses and better
educational appliances. The doctor had
rare tact of managing popular audience,
and the interest in the institute always
increased to the close. Local talent was
utilized, and small fee at the door one
or two evenings, or sometimes voluntary
contributions by citizens, met all expenses
Those institutes are bearing fruit in
Chester county to day.
DR.. Taylor's successor held uine local
institutes during the war but the evening
sessions were sometimes given up to
patriotic speeches, and the enlisting of
military companies, and interest in the
institute waned The late superintendent,
Prof. Geo. l.. Maris, revived it, organized
it more perfectly than it had ever been
before, and made it as attractive as ever
With the teachers he brought 10 the
children, and had them give recitatons
and readings, and appear in classes. This
proved an attractive feature
The superintendent of Bucks county,
H. B. Eastburp, Esq has within the last
two years, held eight local Institutes, each
continuing a week. These have been
among the most attractive meetings ever
held in the county. In nearly every
instance no hall was found large enough
to hold the people who would come, in
some instances, eight or ten miles to
attend the institute. Once, on account
of the numbers in attendance, it was
found necessary to organize second insti
tute in another hall. Prof f A. Allen,
of Mansfield, who has, probably, attended
more teachers institutes than any other
man living, was employed at all these
institutes, and the people seemed never
tired of listening to him day or night
The drill in vocal music, using the Music
Page Supplement of The School Journal,
proved one of the most attractive features
Among the lecturers and readers for the
evening exercises were Drs Wiletts and
Warren, Daniel Dougherty, Esq, and
Prof. Il. V. McCully, of Philadelphia.
The leading features of the Chester coun-
ty plan, as originated by DR.. Taylor, and
systcmatized by Prof. Maris, were adopted
by Mr. Eastburn, with such notifications
as the new circumstances required. The
mode of procedure was substantially as
follows: The institutes were appointed
on consecutive weeks, and the time and
place of each announced In the county
papers some weeks in advance. The
superintendent then visited as many
schools as possible in the vicinity of the
localities where the institutes had been
appointed, arranging with teachers for
writing essays on specified or appropriate
topics, and for preparing their scholars,
without interfering with the regular
routine of school duties to take part in
the exercises of the institute. He con
suited the directors, teachers and citizens.
and either himself, or through them made
all the necessary local arrangements. The
consent of the board of directors had to
be obtained before the teachers and pupils
could adjourn to the institute. The effect
was, for month or more previous to the
institute, to invest all the regular school
exercises with an unwOnted interest and
attraction The opening session Of the
institute, Monday afternoon, was occupied
almost exclusively by the children in
reading, recting and singing. This
arrangement always secured full house
at the beginning, without regard to the
weather; as the children must attend.
They had been preparing for it, and
auxiously looking forward to it for long
weeks. The schools were in regular
session in the forenoon, and at noon the
parents and citizens took the children
and teachers from their school houses to
the institute in wagons or sleighs. The
greater the DuMber of children in atten-
dance the greater the number OF parents
to hear them, until standing room was at
premium Everybody was surprised to
see everybody else there ; aud all were
surprised and delighted to find the in
stitute at once so popular The superin-
tendent embraced the opportunity to state
the character of the local institute, and to
enumerate the principal topics that would
be discussed He spoke of defects and
needs, and Of what he desired and hoped
to accomplish by means of the institute.
He invited all to come together for
week, and discuss with the most perfect
freedom all matters relating to the educa
tional interests of the community. All
who bad complaints or suggestions to
make in reference to the school system,
or its administration, or in reference TO
modern modes of instruction, or of school
management, were promised full aud
patient hearing. Some interesting subject
would be briefly discussed, but was
generally dropped, like Sam Welier's
valentine, at just such point as to make