The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-06-19
From the Sentinel
The County Superintendents. t..

ton the Hon. NJ. B Hopkins, the coun
ny superintendents of the state met II
wise conceive yesterday afternoon, IL
the high school building. Shortly be
fore O'Clock these intellectual-lookin.
gentlemen could be seen very slowl,
vending their way toward said buidin.
(for the day was said to be bot) and a
the time announced, the exercises wer
opened by the stage superintendent tax
ing the chair and calling the meeting I,
order. Superintendent Bnford of Han
cock county and Griffith of Switzerland
county were chosen secretaries. Super
intendent Hopkins then addressed tn,
meeting with the following pertinen
remarks:
GENTLEMEN In compliance with m,
own convictions Of the public interest
and with the Judgment of few of YOU
number with whom l have had an op
portunity TO consult, have invited you
TO meet again i'm this beautiful city 70,
mutual consultation. You are now wis.
cr IN your present official capacity thar
you were one year ago; and I hope you
have an increased ambition to serve
your state in the great work Of cducat
ing her 654.UO0 children. You have met
for the purpose of detailing your expe.
riences in the past, and making sugges.
lions TO each other touching YOUR WORK
for the future. I need not say to YOU
that your office in our state is an expert.
ment The people will judge you BY
your fruits. Ii they see ia your admin.
istration decided indications of progres.
without too great expenditures. they
will approve the late school law and
continue the office Of county supern.
tendent. But ii the results should fail
TO bear a just proportion to- the costs
they will certainly demand of the next
legislature the abrogation OF the Office
The injecting. gentlemen. is now in your
hands, bat before proceeding To business.
in compliance with proper usage on snch
occnsions. we will address the throne OF
Divine Favor.
A prayer was here Offered by the Rev
Joseph Franklin, superintendent OF
Madison county. The meeting was then
ready TO proceed to business, which II
did by calling the roll of county super
inieudcnts.
II was then moved aud adopted that a
Of five be appointed to whom
all resolutions Offered during the meet
ing should he referred without discus
sion. Mr.. Smith, of Marion coun.y.
then moved that superintcndcnt's sex
pcrience' meeting be held in this hall al
$ o'clock this evening. which was also
adopted. The program of the afternoon
was then opened BY the reading Of Pa
per No. l.
THE GRADING OF COUNTRY SCHOOLS,
It's praciicability and its advantages. by
J. ii. Snoddy. of Jasper county. The
gentleman remarked in opening. that
the necessity of graded district schools
was, he thought, apparent 10 all. sill 10
bring all 10 an acknowledgment of It's
needed some arguments.
Classes may be defined a. bodies Of stu
dents of similar attsinments, while
grades are steps in the progress Of the
school. and they do not depend on the
individual scholar. but are an arbitrary
relating 10 an undivided
school. Gradation may apply toa num-
Der of schools. while TO facilitate the
work Of the grades pupils are placed IN
classes. Since then the course of study
is somewh hat arbitrary Il Is placed in
the hands of the school officials TO grade
the schools under their charge: hence.
to be the most effective, all schools =
county. city. and district = should be
graded, for only in this way can the kind
of instruction be wisely determined
only in this way can the direction of it,
labors be made ineligible both TO the
teacher aud the iintendent. The
state board has furnished us a hint OF
some such course in n series of resolu.
tions or recommendations but nothing
definite or decisive has been placed III
our hands. So long as we still continue
to have such abnormal developments a.
|" Jeems Phillip"in in the +" iIoosier School.
master who was so troubled to know
how TO spell his words, so long shall oul
work be retarded in an intelligent and
practical understanding Of the wants OF
the present school system Of instruction
One of the most needed wants Of oul
present system of instruction is q prac
Itical
COURSE OF PUNCTUATION
so that teachers will not write on thei
papers that comma means time enough
Ito count one. a period time to count six
etc. Gradation Is needed to protec
schools from the whims Of parents an,
students. Ii Is said that school teacher
can do this: but why should not the dis
trict schools have the same state grada
tion allowed 10 the county aud cit,
schools? This method of gradation Ii
schools would help teachers in doiu,
their work aud would oust "hobbies
and "hobbyists" from the school room
Again gradation Is needed to produc
uniformity in the different schools. L