Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-11-15
TEACHERS INSTITUTE.
THIRTIETH ANNUAL SESSION
SETTLED uuwN TOrHE WEEKS WORK

trenCh on Light anu NcniliiSlOn-
DIR. Tiffany on Work.
Monday afternoon. 2 o clock County
Superintendent Shaub formally called the
Institute to order. The court room was
more crowded than it ever was before on
tue first day of meeting, and no less than
500 teachers names were already enrolled
as members, and hundreds of others inter-
ested in the cause of public education
were present, filing almost every seat in
the court room.
The long meter doxology was sung by
the assemblage. standing-Prof Carl
Matz having charge Of the organ and Mr..
Kilhefter playing cornet accompani-
ment.
Rev. SylvaIus Stall, Of st. John S
Lutheran church, read the SD chapter of
Isaiah and offered prayer, after which the
Institute, under lead of Prof. Matz, sang
the hymn, "Nearer my God to Thee
superintendent Siaub's Speech.
Prof. Shaub, in a speech of some length,
welcomed the teachers to the work of the
week in which they are about to engage,
and hoped they would enter upon their
duties with zeal. He congratulated them
upon the large attendance-larger than
ever before, both Of teachers and directors.
He adverted briefly to the origin Of county
Institutes, as provided for by tho act Of
Assembly of 1867, and showed that the
Institute had entilcly outgrown the pro-
visions of the law and the expectations of
the lawmakers. He had no doubt moro
good could be done by these Institutes if Q
satisfactory mode could be provided re-
stricting the number to 100 or $50, and ar
ranged in classes or sections, SO that teach
ers of high secondary schools could meet
by themselves and discuss matters relating
only to the higher branches Of education.
while teachers of primary schools could
assemble together in districts and discuss
matters pertaining to primary edu.
cation. But no feasible method
had been devised to bring about this
change, and SO tic old teachers and the
young, those of the primary schools and
those Of advanced schools, meet on COM
mon ground. He was glad to see somany
of the old teachers prcscnt-somc of them
having attended every one Of the thirty
annual sessions Of the Institute; and he
was glad to bear testimony to the fact that
these old teachers take the greatest interet
in the work of the Institute and exercise
the greatest care in the school room and
are the first to adopt all improved methods
of instruction.. discipline and hygiene.
Prof. Shaub then read the act Of Assembly
Of June, 1881, requiring school directors
to give teachers tho full time for attending
the full sessions of the Institute explain
ing to them, however, that they would
not be paid for the days they did not at
tend the meetings. The law provides that
a record Of attendance be kept: that all
absentees be reported to the superin-
dent, and that the board of directors shall
not pay them from the days they absent
themselves from the Institute, Prof.
Shaub then outlined the work Of the week,
substantially as stated in the INTELLIGENT
GER ycsterday-regrctting however, that
DR.. Brooks would be unable to attend !;
but that in addition to the names of lee
turers announced on the programme,
Deputy Superintendent Haupt, and per
haps State Superintendent Higbee, would
be present some time during the week.
Superintendent Shaub then announced the
officers of the convention as published yes
terday, and suggested the appointment of
COMMITTEES to audit the trcasurer's accounts
and also to prepare resolutions.
Committees Appointed.
On motion the following committees
were appointed
Auditing Committec-J. IL. Wcr.h,
West Lampetcr III. L. Baton, Leacock !;
Fl. S. Diehl, Strasburg township.
On Resolutions-J. II. Wilmer, West
Hemptield w. II. lIartzler, East Done
gal S. NJ. Youtzy, East Iempfield Miss
Emily Suydam, city Miss Becky Sauer-
Der, Columbia.
Light and Ventilation in the school Room.
DR.. J. II. French, of Boston, Mass, be-
ing introduced, spoke at some length on
the matter of lighting and ventilating
school houses. He said that eight years
ago he had the pleasure of looking in
upon tho Lancaster comfy teachers
and that many of those lie saw
on that occasion were now present.
In commencing work to-day the ques-
tion presents itself What progress have
we made in tue past eight years'' He was
pleased to say that much progress has
been made the school houses are better
then they were then tho teachers are bet.
ter qualified to teach they have year by
year been learning something useful. But
there are constantly new questions arising
and active teachers must be prepared to
meet and answer them. They must know
more than they teach more than is re-
quired for the mere granting of certifi-
cate OF competency. Most teachers can
teach the several branches required to be
taught by law but this is not enough.
The laws of health must also be under
stood aud enforced. An important point
is the lighting of the room. The effect Of
study upon the eyes of students is now
being investigated by the highest scientific
authority in Europe, and it is discovered
that from 10 to 20 per cent. of the pupils
have defective eye-sight. The cause of
this is the imperfect or improper lighting
of tho school room, or lack of care or
knowledge on part of the teacher. Teach,
ers do not built school houses and are not
therefore responsible for the imper-
feet lighting Of them; but badly
lighted school may be made COM
paratively harmless by the proper
care on the part of the teacher. The
seats should, if possible, face the North,
and the light come from tho East, South
or west. In the morning the east win
dows should be curtained and in the after
noon the west ones. DR.. French said
that he himself carried through life y
very bad eye that had been irreparably in
jurcd by bad light and hard work while he
was preparing himself in school for a
geography contest. The eye next the
strongest light is the one that suffers
most. If there are windows facing the
pupil cover them up so as to
exclude the light. No one should
be allowed to face a strong light unless
the window or the eyes are shaded. The
eyes of many pupils are ruined by the i'm
proper position or distance of the eye from
the book. The pupil should sit erect while
studying with head and neck free, and
should hold the book we'll up in front of
his face, so that it may he be looked upon