The Portland daily press., 1875-11-24

auopteu WHICH Will DeSC secure gO0u RESULTS
admitting the Importance OF aXloms and prln-
cipleS which are to be impaired by authority
we find that principles are best appreciated
| even in childhood by the practice of the truths
| taught. From the object lessons of the Kin.
| dergarten, through all the exercises of public
| schools, to the tasks assigned by the college
professor in the labratory. all successful teach
ing of science is practical. In literature there
| is need of practice that grammar may not be
| judge of words alone, and names of classes
and relations without any significance to the
pupil, and rhetoric confined to names of
| tropes and definitions of style and taste. In
| natural history we can hardly imagine any live
| teacher listening to memoritor Rotations from
q learned ttxt book. They place the objects
themselves and not the description in the hands
of the pupils, training the perceptions TO notice
| the exact outlines, the minute popularity,
| the full Misunderstanding the judgment to COM
pare, 10 arrange,to classify-to train the reason
| to infer with certainty, to train the imagina-
ton by steady flight, to read the very thoughts
OF the creator.
Mr.. r. Woodbury. of the Pennington Nor
| NAL School, read a paper on "Why have we so
| many poor teachers?' He very soon told the
| audience why, which is shown by the follow
ing: In an examination of so teachers it was
| found that - per cent. of the number began to
| teach under Is years of age, "a per cent. less
than sixteen years of age, Ga per cent. less than
seventeen, and "a per cent. under eighteen
years of age. Nearly half of the fifty never
| attended any other school than the town school
aud but five had read any work on practical
| teaching. To remedy the evil of bad teachers,
he would have no person allowed tie teach who
was not eighteen years of age. He would
have them obliged to take course of special
training Second, he would have a rigorous
system OF examination and certitication of
| teachers. Mr.. Woodbury. both criticised and
satirlzed the present practice of examining and
certiic ,ting teachers 1t was the bane of our
schools. A few did the work well, but most in
so wretched a manner as not to save the whole
from bad odor. He favored county board,
chosen by town committees, who shall examine
all the teachers. He would have longer SEES
sions of schools, which could be done by the
abolition of the district system or the CONSOLE
dations of districts.
The paper was an excellent one and might be
put under the head of SATIRE
The fifth paper was read by Mr.. J. M.
Hawkes. of the Pembroke High School, on
Drawing in the public schools The essay
was one of unusual interest and of practical
| value.
| Prof. Carmichael next addressed the Associa-
| ton on Science Teaching He said that the
text books are imperfect. The only way to
| teach natural sciences proftably is to teach
attention to a circular issued by himself and
| Prof. Robinson of Bowdoin College, in which
| it is proposed to give course in chemistry and
| minerology, extending through six weeks, be-
ginning July II, 1876, at a cost Of about $40.
| Those who take this course will have all the
| advantages of laboratory instruction.
N. A. Luce was elected state editor Of the
New England Educational Journal, and the
President of the Association member of the
| Advisory Board. State Superintendent John
son urged the claims of the Journal. He
| thought that few teachers took that or any
| other educational journal, but a hand vote
showed that most of those present patronized
some educational periodical.
| At the business meeting held at 81 o'clock,
the following committees were announced:
~, On Nominat z. A; Luce Of Augusta, R.
On Resolations:-G. F. Fletcher of Castlne, j. M.
| Hawkes. of Pembroke, B. Pease of Bangor,
On CentenniGI:-E. Hunt OF Portland, S. D. Thurs
ton of Bangor, Thos. fash of Lewiston, E. Stone OF
Biddeford, Ara Cushman Of Auburn, A. L, Tyler of
Rockland, S. f. Dixie of Bath, Warren johnson of
Augusta, Mrs. Judge Dickerson of Belfast, j. B.
Redman OF Elswort6 Hon. W. j. Corthell Of Calais,
E. Berry of Gardiner, H. Fairfield of Saco, Rev. A.
| r. Crane Of Halowell. W. s. Knowton Of Houlton,
Bethel, D. H. Knowlton OF Pennington, Hon. Isaac
| Hobson of Wiscassett.
| OF this committee, Hon. Warren johnson, Ephraim
| Hunt and Thomas fash were chosen an Executive
Committee
The houses publishing school books are near
| ly all represented here by pleasant and per-
| suasve gentlemen.
| Mr.. Fletcher, of the Castine Normal School,
has brought with bm a large number of speci-
mems of the drawings of the pupils of that
cnhoo1 Mr. aico avh ha
work of his school at Pembroke. Both are
wonderful illustrations of what may be done
in our schools in this department.
In the afternoon a paper of interest on
'iSchool Discipline" was read by A. f. Rich
ardson. principal of the high school in Bridg-
ton who claimed that the teacher ought to be
| able to govern himself and keep himself pure
| from all defilement. Then the discipline of the
school room will be easy.
| Perhaps the most entertaining and interest
| ing paper of the series was then read by Prof
| A. H. Davis of Bowdon College, on "Juve-
nile Reading" He took the ground that Eng
| lish literature was not properly taught in our
| schools; that portion Of the time could prop
| erly be given up to the best English classics
| without interfering with the regular studies.
| Prof. M. G. Fernald of the State College of
! Agriculture, read paper on the ''Relaton of
Education to Labor" showing the necessity of
! training those who are to work with their
hands; that education is as much a help to
these as to those who crowd the learned pro-
| LESSONS. The afternoon session closed with
brief paper by Mr. A. 81. Kelley of Belfast, ON
the 'Reation Of the Teacher to his Employer"
The Senate chamber was given up to the exhi-
bition of drawings, done by the scholars in the
schools of the state.
The evenings exercises began by the reading
of practical and argumentative paper on
''The Qualification of Teachers by d. L.
Smith, Principal of the johnson School in
Topsham. He took high ground and held up
an exalted standard for the teachers to fol-
low.
Rev. Thos. Hill, D. D., of Portland. advo
Gated in an able and scholarly paper the teach
Ing OF natural history in the primary schools,
and even to the youngest scholars. Teaching
| through the eye as form color and substance, is
tie most effective teaching He asserted that
children should be taught strictly scientific
! truths
! A. z. Marble, Superintendent Of schools in
| Worcester, Mass, presented as the essay of
the evening, thoughts in regard to the repre-
| sentaton of Names educational work at the
(, Centennial.
| At the close, Mr.. johnson, state superinten-
dent of schools, gave a reception to the mem
bers of the association at his house
The meetings close tomorrow.
The Proposed A n,endmcnts TO the Savings
Bank Law.
AUGUSTA, Nov. 23.-Mr. Bolster Bank Ex-
aminer, has sent the savings banks bill,whch
it is proposed to lay before the Legislature. 1t
proposes to reduce the state tax to three quar-
tiers of one per cent, to exempt national bonds
from that tax and allow money to be loaned
on names under certain conditions. 1t also
provides that banks keeping their securities liz
safety vaults out of the state shall pay the Ex-
aminer for visiting those places to examine the
same. S.
ITO the Associated Prass1