Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-02

Permanent Interstate Convention as fol
lows: Prof kirkpatrick, Of Tennessee;
Prot. Woodward, Of Alabama, and Prof
Roberts, Of Georgia.
Prof. A. Pickett, Superintendent Of the
Public Schools Of Memphis, then opened
the regular Order-subject: The Student as
an O5jectire Element. He began by say
ing our schools have done great good. It
was here our youth should commence and
90 up. Schools have taken men from the
lowest rounds Of civilization and made
them what he saw before him. Can we
see another step forward?
The schools in Tennessee are in many
places good. II We do our duty We may
advance. The duty here was 10 find the
way up higher, blaze the path Of more
excellent way, improve on what We have as
we'll as hold our own. This was the duty
of the hour.
The student is an objective element in
more senses han One-he objects at every
step, aud all the time. In this lies the
point Of the speakers objection to the pres
ent mode Of instruction. The pupil was
not lump Of clay 10 be moulded as the
potter mOulds clay. We have had 4 Physi-
cal, mental and religious labor long enough
under compassion. In our system there
was only '.gO thOu;' aud not "let me iu."
The only hope was 10 put a spirit into the
pupil that would impel him 10 iiY M the
mountain Of difficulties.
First, then, the trouble lies in the gov
eminent. We never shall govern until We
make 4 business Of governing. We are not
so far in advance Of this officially as some
Of the older States. In a MOhanmedan
ua1es,D1 HHo fnnrffru1 If
eminent. They take a boy, lash his feet
together, tie his hands and lash him with
cat-O-nine-tails and nobody laughs, scoWls
or looks angry. And in Ohio and all over
the North the systems Of discipline, only
few years ago, was not much better than
that Of the Turks.
And even now government was little else
than a system Of epressiOn-sheer brce
work.
Ten teachers were turned out because
they didn't govern enough where one was
turned out for any other cause.
Youth must be made a part Of their own
government, become habitUat5d to disci-
pline, learn TO obey willingly, and because
he likes to obey. He can only be well
governed from habit. II all require the
pupil to obey a thousand times daily, Obedi-
ELGE UtElLAEo sEEOIfA ll1illLHs
The speaker had read in a book, train up
a child in the way he should 60. He had
also read in the news Of the day that a GER
tain city spends S6,OO0,O0O for poor drink
and 100000 for schools. Here lies the
difficulty in government. With such eN
amples before them, how can we expect
right thought, right direction, right natural
bent among our yOuih2 We must first
learn to govern ourselves, then we may I'M
deTtake to govern Othcrs-children.
The speakers father established in Ohio
40 years ago in a normal school q true Sys-
tenn Of control that was not for the school
room, but went out with the young men
and women and lasted them through life.
They learned TO control themselves first
and were fit to control others. This refer
ence was TO Rev. DR.. Graves, Of Win
chesteT.7 A gentleman says: teacher, /
send you ten sons; l want you 10 educate
them. First, they must learn self-contrOl,
and second, have implanted in them
thirst for knowledge. Then give them lib
erty and turn them out into the world.
This is education; It is all the schools can
DO. Drive then and they viii move while
driven and stop when the fear Of being
driven ceases. The task-master says, get
from there to there before you leave this
room, or III punish you. This method
must be changed. Il rObs the schools Of
half their benefits, converts them into priS-
ons, makes what good they do accidental.
ID. II. Rains followed MI. Pickett in a
discussion Of the duty Of the teacher in
the system Of school government. First,
: e must learn sell-gUyernment. Present
an example in the teacher Of power, beauty,
love, combined in selfgOyernmeHt, ana the
child learns obedience. Let us not pay all
our attention 70 the children, but turn our
eyes inward that all NAV grow in power
/ for usefulness. The teacher is an obiec-
tive element also, and as such should en-
deavOr TO be an object worthy Of respect
and love.
Prof. Caldwell referred 10 the suggestive
idea advanced by Prof Pickett. In his
contact with parents he found IL generally
| assumed that the teacher should DO the
! wO K for the cnild-the child being only
subjective, a mere receptacle for
| the ideas in the books IN It are 10 be pump
ed into it By the teacher.
The teacher must not only do the part
Of teacher, as implied in the title, bat
must work up the material and hX il ia the
mind Of the pupil. The true object o. ed
| ucauOn was the teaching Of children how
/ TO find out things for themselves. The
| dullest plOddeTs as children often sueteed
! best as men. They are apt 10 90 10 the
/ bottom Of things while your bright lad was
/ apt to be a shallow one.
Rev. Dr. Graves referred 20 the c0mp!i-
ment Of Mr. Pickett, a former pupil Of ms
| The old are ant TO be earrulOus. As an
educator he was one Of the old. He hsd
| scent 81 wears, and not lost IS many days
| in the school room. An old minister had
| labOred MANY wears ana seen Tao fruit ol hts
labors. lie advised his congregation 10 dis
miss him. One convert appeared ami he
thanked God and was willing To labor ten
wears longer. The Doctor had one lleSeI
and be was willing 90 remain in harness.
The trouble with teachers was their lack Of
understanding mental law To govern mind;
we must know the laws that control mind.
Prof. Butler said the evils that appear m
our schools all point to one remedy. that
remedy is the educated, trained teacher.
To make the schools better we must Deglh
at the bottom. We must fOrestall error by
teaching ariaht those who usually make
| tbsm Had the Legislature given the
Superintendent Of KnCX county the power,
and compensated him for it, 10 go through
the whole Of Fast Tennessee and hold 10,
Eitutes in every county, the efficiency Il
= -oNools would have been doubled al &.
1880. OUr system was too cheap
nd every one who would DO any
worth doing must display the cheap
of his device if BE- would have It
ed. The institute was cheap normal
d, and he would put up with that,
ng something better.
Of Mlburn, Of HOlstOn Seminary,