The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-12-30
Committee on Teachers and Places-W. j.
Corthell. Augusta.
State Editor of N. E. Journal of Education
N. A. Luce, Augusta.


RESOLVED, That all agencies for promoting the eff
cheney of teachers as institutes conventions and
schools for special training should receive the
couragement and support OF the friends of educa-
ton.
Resolved, That no persons should be authorized to
teach in our common schools, except those who have
had special preparation for such work IN some higher
institution OF learning, and are at least Is years Of
age.
ResolUed, That applicants for admission to any
grade of our public schools should be examined by
the teachers in that grade.
ResoIUed, That the introduction of free textbooks
into the common schools of the state would be
public benefit, by increasing the efficiency of the
school work and lessenng the expense of the indi-
vidua and that we, as an association recommend to
each city and town the adoption OF this plan
Resolued, That we recommend to the next Legis-
lature the enactment of law providing for the es-
Enlistment of city and town libraries throughout the
state.
RESOLVED, That we recognize with pleasure the
growing influence of the New England journal OF
Education, and heartily recommend It as an import
ant aid to teachers in all grades of schools.
heso Ued, That we hereby express our high appre-
citation of the very able papers presented at this
meeting OF the association and we recommend to the
Executive Committee that provision be made for
printing such OF these papers as they may think ad-
visable.
RESOLVED. That the thanks of this association be
rendered to the City Government of Bath for the
fee use of the City Hail. to the railroads and hotels
citation and to the Phi Pho Society for their invita-
ton to us to attend the interesting lecture Of Prof
Marshall.
1t was also decided that the meeting shall be
held during Christmas week. An invitation to
meet at Lewiston was extended by the teachers
of that place. The attention of the association
was called by Mr.. Rounds of Pennington to the
meeting of the committee on instruction to be
held at Hallowell during the first week of Feb
ruary.
DR.. Hill answered the question, Ought the
fn1 of sill lot+ ~, l.
tinued? He advocated the adoption of Mr.. A.
j. Ellis method of spelling.
A paper upon arithmetic by Rev. DR.. Hill of
Portland was read. Little children should not
be forced to do head work. Small wooden
bricks, corn, beans, &C., should be used with
children under ten years to impress ideas of
numbers. Reasous for processes should be
kept from pupils until they are fourteen. Writ
ten arithmetic should be commenced at ten.
The four elementary rules and decimal frac-
lions should be studied first. Reasons should
come last.
A paper upon the Metric System, by W. f.
Bradbury of the Cambridge High School, was
next presented. Mr.. Bradbury presented
weights and measures that were named IN the
system, enabling the audience to see the length
of meter, capacity of a liter, &c. He gave
the history of the growth of the system, its
adoption by most of the countries in the world;
and its advantages over other systems.
The following resolution was adopted upon
presentation by DR.. Hill
Whereas, The Metric System commends itself to
the judgment and commands the hearty approval of
all who have intelligently examined its principles;
and
Whereas it has already been made lawful system
and is in successful practical operation with over
20O000,O00 of the people of the most advanced ma
tions; and
Whereas we believe its introduction among the
people of the United States need encounter 20 prac
tca difficulties at all comparable with its immense
advantages; therefore
Resot0ed, That we, members of the Maine Teach
ers' Association. earnestly recommend its adoption
as the only legal system of the United States at an
early day.
The last paper was on Rhetorical Drill, by
Mr.. Reyes of the Biddeford High School, Diff
ficultes in teaching reading and speaking were
considered. The teacher must be able to d.
not merely to know how to do. No absolute
rules can be observed. Individual tact must be
exercised.
After appointing committee composed of
Rev. DR.. Allen of Oroho, c. G. Rounds of
Orono, and w. J. Corthell of Augusta, on Dr.
Hills resolution, the association adjourned