Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1879-10-29
THE TEACHERS INSTITUTE

county held a session in Dayton last
Saturday. The teachers OF this coun.
ty, in conjunction with superintend-
ent Young, had been talking " Insti-
tute" for nearly two months, had
postponed the matter twice, and,
finally, after tremendous efforts, sue
ceeded in holding the above men.
toned meeting. Such dalllance is
not commendable-it tends to damp.
en- the ardor of the patrons OF edu-
cation-and we hope that in the fu-
ture definite time will be set for
the meeting and adhered to. A par
tial atonement, however, was made
by the Superintendent and teachers
in the work of last Saturday. How
best to teach grammar, reading and
geography were the themes dis.
cussed. These are certainly live is.
sues and concern the entire teaching
fraternity; and. further, they init
mately concern the we'll. being of our
educational system. Teaching is es.
sentially progressive science
methods of illustrating principles
and imparting Information are con-
tinually being evolved from the
minds Of live teachers, and teachers
institutes, when held forthe purpose of
exemplIfying these, are efficient agen-
cies in the promotion of knowledge,
and should merit the Encouragement
Of press aud people. Teachers should
ever be on the alert to grasp meth.
DDS Of imparting instruction. They
should be so many live fortresses to
prevent
the busy world from treading DER
The paths they trUd some forty years before.
We are glad to be able to say
that the teachers of Lyon county
appreciate the advantages Of
such a meeting and are equal
TO the task of successfully con-
Quoting one. We shall, in this ar.
ticle, direct the readers attention
chiefly to the views presented in re.
gard to teaching grammar-ordina-
rally a very dry subject--to the
youthful mind.
Messrs. Bray and Baker presented
the idea that, after the Technology
of the subject was once thoroughly
understood by the pupil, the major
portion of the time should be given
to the pronouns, irregular verbs,
false syntax, and punctuation. They
would have pupils illustrate the use
or misuse of these as far as learned,
in their conversation and in frquent
composition writing. Taught in
this way grammar becomes an in
terestipg subject to the pupil, for he
is thus made to see and feel its prac-
teal utility and importance.
Professor Casebeer held that gram.
mar is usually taught children at too
early a stage of their school progress;
that pupils should receive only oral
instructions in this branch until they
have mastered the more fundamen.
tai branches. To this course, how
ever, there seems to us this objec-
ton: Nine. tenths of our public
school children fail to fully master
those other branches before leaving
school, and would, therefore, have
but a diminutive smattering of a
branch of education which all of
them have much occasion to use.
But it may be true that grammar
when not taught by practical meth
DDS and made interesting to a class,
ought not to be taught till Il very
late stage in the pupils career, If at
all.
The meeting was enlivened by
music's ethereal voice, Mrs. Hornics,
Miss Leslie and Miss Randall being
the contributors.
The following resolution, proposed
byJ. E. Bray, was unanimously
adopted: Resolved, That we, the
teachers of Lyon county, cordially
and earnestly invite parents and all
friends of education to attend our
meetings.
The institute then adjourned to
meet in Sutro, at the call of Superin.
tendent Young.
A ViOlinist Wanted.