Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-05-27
THE TEACHERS CONVENTION.

the Windham County Teachers Association,
held in this place last week. must have more
than equalled the expectation of its projectors.
Upward Of fifty teachers were in attendance,
prominent educators were present from this
and adjoining States and the attendance of
Interested spectators filed the hall 10 nearly
or quite its full capacity. In his address Of
welcome, Friday afternoon, Col. Kittredge
Hasllins struck the keynote of the whole pro-
ceeding by urging upon the teachers the great
fact that the whole Of education is not com
prised in nero intellectual culture, but that
the pupils whole nature must be developed
love Of justice, truth and temperance must
be inculcated, and broad foundation for
good citizenship be laid. The response 10
this address was by Hon. Justus Dartt, State
Superintendent of Public Instruction, who
spoke of the necessity of furnishing good lit
erature for the young, and introduced a dis
oussion, in which he was followed by Princi-
pals Boynton Of Townshend, Blake Of West
Brattleboro, and Bingham of this village.
The latter in his remarks spoke especially OF
the great difference in capacity TO learn which
every teacher discovers in his pupils, and said
that practical teaching is that sort of teaching
which enlarges or develops this capacity. II
digging at the shaggy sentences Of a dead or
foreign language develops the learner, that is
what the pupil should be taught, no matter
If he never uses these languages once in
after life. IL digging at q knotty mathemati-
cal problem develops the capacity of the child,
that is what he should study, no matter IL he
is never to use the problem. Rev. G. Z. Mar
tin of this place and Rev. DR.. McColester of
Bellows Falls gave brief and valuable address,
es, and Mrs. Kenyon Of Leland & Gray Sem
mary read very suggestive paper on Com
posio Writing" illustrating the ease with
which even young children may be made, UNI
der right methods, TO describe what they see
and know of tangible objects. W. +. Roche
leau, of the Randolph normal school, gave q
practical paper, with map illustrations, on the
Geography of Vermont" and the proceed
ings Of the afternoon closed with an admirably
conducted reading exercise by class Of five
pupils from the Hinsdale hgh>school, under
| the direction of the principal @. p Hall.
During the afternoon Miss Alice Brown teach
err of elocution at Leland & Gray seminary,
gave recitation, 1.-THE organ builder"
AT the Friday evening session, Rev. 7. NJ.
Butler Of pownshend gave his lecture on
Books and their influence" and H. w. Viii.
lard, principal of Vermont Academy at Sax
tons River read a paper on "The prepare
tion of teachers for their work" Mr. Butler
strongly condemned the present tendency TO
read fiction to the exclusion of all strong and
invigorating intellectual diet, and urged the
necessity to the young of wise choice in
books. Mr.. Willard compared the status of
the teachers profession and the attainments
required in this country, and especially in
| Vermont, with the system which exists in
Germany, where the schools are a government
institution, the teachers being carefully edu-
Gated under governmental supervision, and
their tenure Of office being assured during
life or good behavior, with a provision for
proper support when their active life is past
| Miss Brown gave q recitation, Archie Dean I"
At o'clock Saturday morning a business
meeting was held, and permanent organiza-
ton effected with the following officers Geo.
| A. Brown, Bellows Falls, president Ira X
Batchelder of Townshend, b. +. Bingham and
| O. L. Blake of Brattleboro, d. X Barry of
Bellows Falls, vice presidents Miss Abbie
Wellman, Brookline, secretary; @. @. Boyn-
ton, Townshend, treasurer; K Haskins of
Brattleboro, H. W. Willard of Saxtons River,
and Mary Barry Of Bellows Falls executive
committee. At the opening of the regular
morning session, ID. L. Mansfield of Dummer-
ston gave a very excellent and carefully-pre.
| pared paper on THE town superintendent. 4"
| A. W. Edison, principal OF the Randolph nor
NAL school, followed with a well. considered
paper on who shall teach Z" epigrammati-
cally summing up the prime requisites in the
teachers calling in these words: "Wise as
Solomon, patient as Job, strong as Samson"
| A. NJ. Bailey, principal of the Keene high
1
ton with his half talk on Arithmetic, {"
with blackboard illustrations. Mr. Bailey con-
demned IN toto many of the present methods
of arithmetical work as taught in books; he
would have the practical work in fractions
| greatly simplided, and made q strong point
in urging the folly of numbering up the pu-
pills mind with special processes in interest
percentage, longitude and time, etc. If the
| pupil can perform operations by any method in
| thaoa divfcsnna 81 L.
for ordinary practical life. If he ever be-
comes a specialist in any department. he will
then learn the requisite short cuts. Geo. A.
Brown, principal of the Bellows Falls high
school, gave finished address on "What sort
Of citizens ?"-his answer being, in short,
men Of health, good habits, and thorough
character. Mr.. Dart gave a short, practical
address. F. G. Wheatley, principal of the
| Springfield high school, who had been put
down for paper ON practical Arithmetic, +"
said that he could do neither more nor less
than endorse what Mr.. Bailey had said A
paper by A. L. Hardy, principal Of the West
Randolph high school, on 1.-The importance
Of every young man to himself, closed the
morning session.
At the afternoon session, in the absence of
Hon. ]. w. Patterson of Hanover, N. H., Rev.
Geo. b. Cow of Brattleboro opened the ex-
ercises with a paper devoted to the considera-
| biOh VI tho plONluOc VI tnb DuUnC hCnOOh III
our Republican system, and the branches
which should be taught in them. When so
few are able TO continue in the schools and
complete the higher course, he believed the
public funds could not be rightfully devoted
to instruction in ancient or modern languages
or other branches not pertaining to the work
of practical life. As roofing and grounding
the pupil in the theory and practice of our
American institutions, history in the broadest
| 10 III A. 4.
sis of all instruction must be in the principles
of common morality and the manly virtues.
L. V. Haskell, principal of the high school,
Charlestown, N. H., gave q brief but excel
lent paper on "What our age demands of
teachers, and then followed half-hour ex-
ercise by a division of Miss Slason's present
class in fractions from the Brattleboro gram
mar school. The exercise began with explain
atoms and definitions of principles, followed
by rapid mental work from blackboard EXAM
Piles in all the processes in fractions, both sim
pie and complex. Work in percentage and
in the measurement Of surfaces and solids was
also given, in all Of which the class showed a
very remarkable facility, and gave an insight
into the thorough and competent work done
by their teacher. There was brief discus
sion of the question of school supervision,
led by O. u. Boynton, at the close Of which
Mr.. Boynton presented resolution, which
was adopted, thanking Mr.. Bailey of Keene
for his address on arithmetic, and expressing
the wish that Mr.. Bailey might write a text
book on arithmetic, with the ideas advanced
by him as its basis. Mr.. Boynton also sub
mltted the following resolution, which was
adopted:
WHEREAS, we the members and guests Of the
Wtndham County Teachers and School Oficefa' Asso
caton have enjoyed the generous hospitality OF the
people OF Brattleboro during our two-days' eonyen-
ton; therefore,
Resolved, That we hereby tender to them our Ain-
cere thanks for their cordial welcome to their beaut
full homes and bountfu tables and that we are also
deeply grateful to Hon. Edward Crosby for the OF
his elegant hail. to the band for their enchanting
Sic to Miss Cooke and her class of singers for their
most acceptable additions 10 our entertainment, Ia
the business for their many courtesies and aten-
tons, to the railroad companies which granted free
return passes, and to all who have In any way con-
trbuted to the success Of the most delightful eduea-