The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-04-28
FVT INT NVVTI W MI
The Institute as seen by QuiIp. and Wha
he thought of it.

he thought OF it.
WEDNESDAY MORNING.
The Institute met and was opened by
prayer, very solemn and appropriate, by
Mr.. Sqnier, Superintendent; after which
the roll of teachers was called, when Mr..
Squier delivered a short and very instruc-
tive lecture TO the teachers. Then, much
to the establishment of your correspondent,
and as he thought, of most of those pres
ent, some one begun TO play upon the organ,
and n pretty little miss sung a ditty about
her beau Charley. She sang it well and no
fault can be found with the performance.
We suppose she was invited, at least she
appeared to have the countenance of the
officers of the Institute. But what rela-
ton there is between a song about Charley,
the walter, and the duties of the lnsti-
tute, or the profession Of teaching, We are
left to imagine-may be the officers thought
that Jeaur were the burden of the thoughts
of the young ladies present, and song
( about them would be tit and appropriate.
To your correspondent it seemed ridicu-
lousy inappropriate aud improper. The
song about old dog Tray would have been
/ much more in place than the yarn about
Charley. However, the song was sung and
it did seem that the fat man, who ran the
machine, had somehow or other got it
through his wool that there might be cause
of complaint on the part of tax payers and
parents about paying teachers money they
do not earn. We are glad it is SO, not that
these pretty misses get money they do not
earn, but that the fat man has at last found
! it out; other people knew 1t some time ago
/ The fat man said that in England the teach
ers' salaries were graduated by the progress
/ of the scholars, and we were much i'm
/ pressed with the justice of this plan and
/ thought if it were applied to Cecil county
| now, the salaries of some teachers would
soon be smaller than the little end of
nothing whitfield down to a point Then
| the fat man told a story about young man
! sent to the Normal School we'll recommended
! by the Superintendent as one of the best
scholars in the county he came from, who
/ failed after three trials to add correctly a
! column of about twenty items, making a
/ total of seven hundred and twenty dollars
| and some cents.
The fat man said he was here to assist
| the teachers in mastering the duties of
! their profession, and if they would write
/ out any questions they wished to be en-
| lightened upon, he would try and answer
! them. Your correspondent thought that
he would like to ask this question, ''Of
! what use is State Superintendent Of Pub
/ lie Scho0is?' but then he thought that the
fat man might think 1t personal and might
! be offended, and that ne had better hold
/ his peace, or rather his pen, and not ask
| the question.
h, L.. fDr Il
/ and upon going back in the afternoon your
| correspondent found the Institute engaged
! in the discussion of the different methods
of teaching arithmetic Your correspond
ent was much edited in hearing the teach
! ers tell how they encouraged their pupils
| to bring marbles, nuts and acorns to school,
| and the marvellous success they had in
| teaching the science of arithmetic from the
aid of these things. Your correspondent
did not forget having once taught little
! himself: how he used to be annoyed by
mischievous urchins bringing nuts to school
| and eating them there: then he bethought
himself that times had changed, and what
was forbidden then, in the changing revo
luton of time, has come to be encouraged
now; what was a vice forty years ago has
come to be a virtue now. The teachers
seemed to be much in favor of the nut and
marble system of doing the thing. We are
glad to be able to say that, when the white
teachers had had their say about the nuts,
acorns, marbles aud such things, a colored
teacher awaited himself of the opportunity
of having his say, and he said it very well,
comparing favorably with any of his white
brothers that had spoken upon the subject
Then tie fit man arose and sad "thdt he
agreed tcW eoeryb0dy, and If they aoantsd to
teach successfully, just 10 do ererythtng that
each teacher suggested and ii trould be all
riyM." Then he suggested that when the
teachers got their pupils as far advanced
as to denominate numbers, they should, in
addition to the nuts, acorns and MAJ bles,
have some strings and a pound weight; the
strings should be at least a yard long, and
the pupils could tie knots on it to desig-
nate the feet and inches.
After the subject of arithmetic was dis
posed of, the Institute took up the subject
of Synthetical and Analytical teaching, and
after some vague and indefinite remarks
upon that subject by some of the teachers,
the fat man appeared to come to the con
cusion that there no difference be
tween the two, or to speak more plainly,
each method should be used in connection
with the other.
Then the teachers were called upon for
their reports upon the condition of their
schools. Generally their reports were dole
full ones about leaking roofs, bad furniture
and worn out buildings; how the desks
were cut to pieces, etc. How much the
nut, acorn and marble system of teaching
had to do with the juvenile depravlty that
manifested itself III the cutting of desks
aud destruction of school property, the In
stitute, nor the fat man that run it, did not
say Your correspondent wondered much
if there might not be very intimate con-
nection between those things. However
his business being to report the proceed
ings of the Institute, he will not dare to
hazard an opinion upon the subject.
Thus closed the afternoon session. At
night we went back and learned that the
evening session was to be devoted to select
readings and addresses, lnterSpeIsed with
music, both vocal and instrument. In the
fulluess OF time the performances was be-
gun by Mr.. Hanna, of Port Deposit, read
ing Shamus O. Brian; that is to say, Mr..
Ii. acclaimed it. while the fat man had the
book on the table before him and looked
on to see that he made no mistakes, and
was ready to prompt the speaker when his
memory failed him. This was well, for
his memory was a little treacherous OF de-
fective at one time, and the fat man had to
tell him what came next. However, he said
his lesson pretty we'll, and would have said
it better, only he tried to ape the rich Irish
brogue, aud spoke so fast that he could not
be distinctly heard. One of the audience
said he spoke like a threshing machine,
We once heard school boy speak the same
piece upon the same platform, and think
the boy the better speaker.
, Then young lady read from book.
We failed to learn her name, or the name
of the poem she read, but received the i'm
: preston that it was about painter who
was torturing a fellow mortal to death. in
5 order that he might be able to paint his
, dying agonies.
Then a little lass and one not so little,
sang duet in very pretty and creditable