Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-01-01
Local ano State Trms.
Meeting of tins state Educational Associa-
ton at Brunswick.

ton at Brunswick.
In the Grammar school section. Mr.. J. A.
Green of Pennington, read paper on the
Limits of Grammar School work" He ad-
vocated that reading should be taught so
that pupils leaving school can read intelligi-
bly, and with pleasure TO themselves and
hearers. Writing should be taught by daily
exercises in copy books, until the forms are
familiar. Teach pupils to spell words in
common use and waste no time on those al
most never used. In arithmetic teach prin-
ciples excluding matter not clearly impor-
tant in ordinary pursuits Teach geography
of countries in the order of their importance.
In grammar. teach rudiments of technical
language. Drawing and history should have
a place. Teach habits of observation, po-
likeness. honesty. kindness. benevolcncc,
thoroughness in whatever is undertaken.
l.. q. Straw of Saco, would not have min
listers lawyers. nor doctors, rs supervisors
of schools MANY think that education con-
sists in loading the memory trusting to luck
for better things. He would memorize tech
ncal points, definitions, &c. refined down to
the last degree OF accuracy. even beyond the
range of the childs comprehension. He
would not expect scholars in the Grammar
schools to master the absurdites of gram
mar of text books in use Reason and ex-
perience show them To be nj varience with the
order of mental discipline
Mr.. r. Woodbury. of Pennington. read a
paper on the Value of old style parsing and
analysis" wherein he advocated that parsing
was of no value until the forms of the Ian
guage, and the process of sentence building
understood so that the ideas of the author
and his method of expressing his thoughts
may be comprehended by the scholar when
parsing exercise is attempted
''Iiow can the upper grades remedy the
defective work of the lOwer?" was discussed
BY f. +. G. Robbins of Deering, and A. w.
Burr of Halowell, and W. Harper of Farm
ington.
Miss Norton of lewiston read a very sug-
gestive paper on GLOW shall we secure good
readers" Many of her suggestions would
b. valuable to those teachers-and alas, there
are too many of them-who teach without
method. and never succeed in making good
readers of their scholars.
Miss Sarah II. Chamberlain gave some
very excellent rules for ''School manage
ment." The teacher should be watchful and
vigilant working herself and keeping her
pupils at work, and one who could exercise
patience even after it ceased to be virtue.
In the Primary lecture Mr.. &. G. Rounds
gave some excellent ideas on primary
Work" The child upon his entrance to the
primary school should be received by one
with the sympathies of II mother. and the or
ganizing power of n teacher. The work of
the primary school is not so much to give
definite body of instruction in certain lines of
school study, as to give the pupil such train
ing as will best fit him for doing such definite
work in the higher schools and the formation
of such habits as will make the pupils gentle
manly and and lady like in all the relations
of life. Cultivate the perceptive powers by
object teaching The foundation of arithme-
tic and geography must be carefully laid and
especially must there be careful training
in the command and use of the English Ian
guage. Instruction in reading is the most
important duty of the primary teacher.
Miss Hamby of Pennington gave some
practical thoughts on reading and Miss Mary
f. Plummer Of Portland on 'School Manage
ment."
Miss Pettingill of Lewiston gave class
exercise on color; teaching the children to
name the colors and select different shades
and tnts from worsteds, blocks, cards, etc.
A very excellent paper on "Form, number
and geography" was given by G.. A. Rob-
ertson of Augusta.
Friday evening, b. p Snow read paper on
"Free High Schools" wherein he advocated
that the duty of the State was to enlarge the
opportunities of procuring an education; to
seek the maximum and not the minimum
standard of excellence. BY making the Free
High Schools fixed factor we remain true to
our past history, since they are an essential
part of the typical system of the common
schools Of New England. The people of the
country admit the desirableness of such
schools when they say they are good thing
for the cities. Free High Schools of Maine
are an immense help to the common schools,
A. al. Al.
encourage better house and school furniture,
larger appropriations and improved methods of
teaching. The power that builds the common
school comes down from the schools above. OPP
position to Free High Schools comes not from
thoughtful men. Those best qualified to Judge
of their worth are in favor of them. These
schools are threatened. Let not the cup of
cold water be refused to thirsty scholars. Let
the friends of education rally to their support.
The discussion was postponed until Saturday
morning, and the Association then listened to
very able and interesting address by Rev.
DIR. Robbins, President of Colby University,
Waterville, on the theme Character in Edu-
cation"
Our system of education is defective in that
ii lacks systematic instruction in morality.
The moral and religious faculties which are
worthy Of the highest culture have received
only very superficial education AT best in
our schools and institutions of learning.
The end and aim of education should be the
highest development of the physical nature in
order to best promote the interests of the NOR
al and spiritual. God and the spiritual law
may be known by inductive science, and edu-
Gators must not forget that man is by nature
a religious being. The concurrent opinion of
the best men of all times and countries is
that religious and moral training is the end and
aim of all education. The child ought TO be
surrounded at home, school and everywhere
with an atmosphere of moral and religious
purity. Such education was essential in life
20 the success of the individual in the light of
both worlds. A want of nice discrimination
between right and wrong has made more ed
ucated men bad than any other course As
the sphere Of civil liberty is enlarged there
must be corresponding enlargement of the
moral and religious forces, else society will
fall into the well of unbrdled license. If
children be sent from our schools, impure,
thoughtless, goddess, the men of the future
will be impure, thoughtless, and goddess
also Whatever you would have appear in
the national life, you must put into the public