Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-11-07
Teachers institute.

NJ, President Mcdonald III Tue
chair. Report from Committee on
Music. On roll call, thirty-eight
teachers were voted absent. Crit
les for yesterday reported; also
Committee on Questions. Critics
for the day were appointed.
Mr.. Hewes addressed the Insti-
tute on the metric system. He
favored this system on account OF
its simplicity and uniformity,
among other reasons. The intro :
duction of this system would cave
a great deal of time to pupils. lie
therefore favored its early adoption
and use.
Mr., Warren took the opposite
side, admitting that for purposes of
computation alone the metric sys-
TEN was very superior to the old,
but he held that for the purposes Of
commerce it was very inferior. He
showed that though it would be
quite simple to leglslate on the sub
Iect, yet its enforcement would be
impossible. Laws to which the
public sentiment is opposed are use
less-worse than useless. he
showed many of the inconvenience
that would naturally follow from
any such change. The introduction
of this system would abolish all
present knowledge. He hoped the
day will never come when we can
adopt or enforce any such system.
Mr.. Hewes in reply showed that
the change could be brought about
gradually. He admitted the diff
culties to be met, but believed they
were not unsurmountable nor such
as would seriously interfere with
business. If the difficulty OF ac-
compIishing any project be q legit-
innate and sufficient reason for not
attempting it, then many of the
affairs of life would remain unat-
tempted and unaccomplished. He
expressed hope that the time
would arrive when there should be
but one Language and one system oil
weights and measures.
Mr.. Hall favored the metric sys-
tenn, but did not think it necessa-
ry to have any compulsory law
that the legislation now had on
the subject is all sufficient. Near
ly all the scientific journals in the
country use this system. MIR. Du
Bois considered that the decimal
or metric system was not so simple
as some think it to be.
Mr.. Henderson declared himself
to be partly on both sides of the
questions. He was in favor of
change, but not of sweeping
changes. He would like to have
the changes made gradually. He
was opposed to the decimal eystem.
If any sweeping change is to be
made, let 1t be to the square of
eight. He showed inconveniences
that must arise from the introduce
ton of the decimal system.
Mr.. Barrows said he favored O
system such as that advocated by
Mr.. Henderson, hut that it was at
present purely theoretical and in
volved very radical changes. The
metric system, on the contrary,
Is not Epurely theoretical, but has
been tried extensively and ap-
proved, and he thought that it
should be adopted and enforced by
legislation.
Mr.. McDougal thought duode-
cimaI system superior to any other.
After recess Mr.. Hill suggested
! that committee he appointed, TO
consist OF the present and incom'
ing SuperiRtendente, together with
| two or three or more experienced
teachers, to correspond with Mr..
Campbell, State Superintendent,
on the matter of school legislation.
He said that the fears expressed by
Mr.. Hall, yesterday, that, under the
new Constitution, the country
would be cut off from the advant-
ages they at present enjoy, were
entirely groundless.
Mr.. Quinn read en- essay on the
"Schoolmaster in Fiction" Fic-
ton, like poetry, 1ourishes best
in fields watered with human
blood. This accounts for the alb.
sence of the teacher from ancient
fiction. In the fictions of Dickens,
Scott, Thackeray and Others the
schoolmaster is brought in but new
er as a leading character. Dlckens's
school masters are no great honor
to the teachers profession. After
citing several Of the characters of
fiction he contrasted the labors OF
the true teacher. He next gave
some of his own experience under
the tuition of au "Exile of Erin"
who believed in the old adage that
"Iickin and learnin" went together
and who used "words of learned
length" and "switches equally
long.o
Mr.. Wenk spoke few words in
favor of the Ne,O England Journal
of Education, Mr.. Mack said be
took it and approved of it.
Mr.. Matthews stated that he took
subscriptions for the Chicago Jour
nal Of Education.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Institute called to order at l:15 P.
N. Little Miss Lille Moehl sang
with MUCH pethos and feeling,
"Llttle Barefoot" To power, flex-
ibility and smoothness of voice she
unites clear and distinct enuncia-
ton, qualities not always possessed
by more pretentious singers.
"High Schools; Their Scope and
Necessity" was the subject of an
essay by Prof. G. III. Kimball.
Some object to High Schools on
the ground that they merely pro.
Educe hoodlums. He showed the
utter lack of foundation
of any such accusations,
and that consequently the
traducers of the system are either
unpardonably ignorant or outrage
Gus falsifiers. He showed the accu-
sation of their impartIpg too high
q degree of education to be equally
false and absurd. The assertion
that they are for the benefit of the
rich and not the poor, he showed