The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-04-28

llle use OF Inc daily papers as auNlIlarleS to
the teachers, because Mr. Suuier had said
Yesterday that there were very few men
that had sense and ability enough to read
and properly understand and digest the
contents OF a daily paper i'll A proper and
profitable manner. However, between
them be it-our business is to report.
The Institute adjourned when the fat
| man got through talking about reading,
and everybody went ont in q good humor.
somehow the teachers got to t4lking about
grades. and il came out that there were six
grades of scholarship in the schools of this
county, and some of the teachers seemed
to be perpleXed by the working of this
grade business. For instance pupil might
he able to read in the sixth grade and only
able to cipher in the third grade Some
one asked the fat man what he would do in
that case, inadvertently we think, and used
the expression 4" keep back" In the after
noon he told them that was verv bad eX
preston, one that they ought not to use
We agree with him. When we went to
school it was the aim of most teachers to
push their pupils ahead, not to keep them
back; and we are glad that the fat man
thinks A he does, and don't want any pu
pill kept back. The fat man is very good
humored and tells Il story well. He told
one like this: y teacher got word from
one of her patrons to advance his son from
the fourth to the fifth reader. She did it.
In week or so afterwards she got word to
advance him from the small to the large
geography, and said he, she put him in
the large geography Now we suggest
that it would lave been better for the boy
and the reputation of the teacher. and
woIld not have hurt the story, if the teacher
had put the geography into the boy.
Early in the afternoon, the lady that
teaches the Kindergarten in Elkton, came
into the Hal and brought seven of the
pupils OF the kindergarten with her. She
She came, we think, at the invitation of
the fat man. to show the beauties of calls
themes, and the pupils We're arranged upon
the platform and the performance began.
We shall not attempt to describe that
performance. We could not do it, and
would not if we could. These young la
dies did not enunciate the numerals but
the man played upon The organ, and the
lasses did every thing that you can i'm
agine laSSes able to do in an erect position.
They did not try to kiss their own elbows
or bite Oft their own ears but tried TO do
almost ever thing else. Few soldiers are
better drilled i'll the manual of arms than
We're these seven little maids. Whatever
credit belongs to this kind of thing the
teac.-er OF this class should have it i'll am
pie abundance.
In the kindergarten this thing is ali
right, but when it is introduced into the
common schools. and each one is furnished
with an organ, we think perhaps the tax
payers of the Stae may be made to see the
necessity of looking little after the school
system, thing few OF them do now.
The lat man, rs WAS his wont, told us all
about grammar and how 70 teach it and
then the second topic the relation of teach
erS and parents came up and the hour of
adjournment came soon AFTER and all hands
went out.
We went back in the evening and no.
ticed that the fat man had disappeared.
Mr. Squirr nominated Judge McCau ey
for President. who, after Il short address,
sat down, and then the man at the organ
ground out some music, and the Judge
arose and introduced Mr. +. Johnson, of
Eikton, who proceeded to max @ an addre -.
For a Young man Mr.. J. spoke reaSona-
bly, well, and appeared to have a clear per-
ception of the subject of common schools.
The Judge then announced an essay by
Miss Biddle, to be read by Miss Sauter.
The essay was upon school institutes and
associations. Miss $. made her wav to the
platform and read. The essay was good
aud closed with few lines OF poetry, which
We're mournfuily appropriate to the sub
ject discussed.
Then a quartette sang a song about clap
ping hands for joy. We noticed during
the first performance of the "calisthenic I
exercises there did not appear to be much
joy about the clapping of the hands.
The Judge then introduced our talented
voung townsman. II. {. Tharkery. Bob
always speaks well; AT least he always
does when we have the pleasure Of listen
ing to HIM, and upon this occasion fully
sustained his reputation as a graceful and
eloquent speaker His speech was 1.-THE "
speech of the evening. Seldom have we
had the pleasure of listening to better
one. There was but one drawback upon
our pleasure in listening to Robert. and
that was the fact that the fat man was not
there 20 share it with us.
Then we had music, Il duet-The Muir
mn lE n nd
sung.
The Judge then introduced q. w. Cruik-
shank, Esq. Mr.. C.s speech was practi-
cal, and we thought just a little bit pung-
ent, sometimes when he spoke about some
of the speeches that the teachers and 9TH
ers had made. We are sorry to say that /
we could not hear the latter part of Mr..
C.'s speech very well, and we must add
that we were sorry the fat man was not
there to tell him to speak louder. Not be
ing able to hear the speech, we thought it
"A little bit tedious and our mind, in spite
of all our efforts, would run upon the
PRAYER of the Old preacher that was asked
10 close an anniversary meeting. After
listening 10 many long and tireSome
harangues he prayed AS follows: 80 Lord
| forgive the tediouSneSs OF the speakers and
the sleepineSS of the hearers. Amen.''
Mr.. c. made very graceful apology, and
closed before he reached the end of his
address.
After another song, the Judge introduced
J. f.. Wilson, Esq. John made himself
heard by the audience. He spoke about
Cousin Jim, and advised him or her, as
the case may he, to pitch in and stir
! things up.
Miss Mate l.. Roberts Cbv the way, whose
mate is she?l then read from book. She
| has Il voice as musical as sparrow. We
| thought we understood her rather better
| than We USUAL understand sparrows, but
! "a f.,iIt.l N nn,larStarI al
| she read.
Then they sang song about the % Night
| Birds. and we We're reminded that we, like
them birds, would have done we'll had we,
ike them, retired TO roost an hour or so
before. The Judge said the song was to be
called Night Birds We believe, how
ever, he made slight mistake. Itsounded
to rs like Goodnight; at least there was a
great deal of " goodnight" in it.
Repairing to the Hall, on Friday morn
! ing, we found but few OF the teachers
in attendance; they and the fat man too
had - folded their tents like the Arabs and
as silently stolen away However, the
Institute was opened by Mr.. Hanna, of
Port Deposit, VINO made a very beautiful
and appropriate PRAYER. Dir. Squer took
the chair, and said there We're vet two sub
jectS on the programme that had not been |
discussed and they began to talk about |
the first one: the true position and duty |
of common schools in the State 1t seemed |
an wkward way to state the question, but |
perhaps the awkwardness was with us. |
During the discussion, Judge McCauley
was called upon to give his views on the
, subject, and he very frankly said he did
not understand il very well, or, to use a
common expression, "he did not know
what they We're driving at" Dir. Squier
gave him word of explanation, and the
Judge went on for while and then adj
iourned to the platform to have a chance to
use the black board to illustrate his re-
mark by diagrams, which he did in his
USUAL quiet and happy manner.
Then we had what we think Dr. Suuier
called IA "a little interregnum "-ifw we mis-
took the word, the DR.. will pardon us, we
hOnel. during which he said each might !