The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-12-29
Edneational aFeetIng

JUNCTION ScHooI. HOUSE, Dec 10.
A meeting was held at school house,
district No. %, the object of which was
to bring together the people of the dis
trict and others, for the purpose of pro-
noting the cause of education.
The meeting was called to order by
the teacher of the school and the object
made known, upon which Mr- Rogan,
the teacher of the Rapids school, was
introduced as the first speaker. MI
Rogan touched upon the manner in
which district schools were formerly
conducted and the disadvantages against
which the pupils had to contend, con-
trasted with those of the present day,
though Notwithstanding the improve
ments that have already been made,
there was still need OF improvement
and reform. He deemed it advisable
for district schools. as far as practicable,
to adopt the graded course as laid out
by the county superintendent, thus
econOmizing the time of the pupil
| by teaching only those subjects on
branches that would be of practical use
to him, should his school life here close.
The present excessive use of text books
should, TO great extent, be abandoned
and originality be urged in its stead.
Mr.. Cook, the second speaker, rose
with some reluctance, but spoke at
length upon the different ideas advanced
by Mr.. Rogan. He fully coHcurred with
the idea advanced in reference 10 the
use of text books and originality, and
made mention of the fact that our best
educators ancienily taught without the
use of text books, and, judging by their
scholars, with the best results; but as
printing presses came into use and the
use of books were Introduced into
schools, the people gradually fell into
the error of their constant use-ln error
of which they now see the folly. and
are now trying to retrace their steps back
to the time when education did not con-
sist in the amount of other mems ideas
that they had committed to memory, but
in the ability to originate for themselves
Though there were many Improvements
in the method of conducting schools. yet
men rose through all obstacles, and the
idea that pupils are to be educated with
out mental exeriion upon their part
should not enter their minds.
Mr.. Blankenship, the third speaker,
talked short time upon the inconven-
fence of the school houses when he was
a school boy, and of the peculiarities of
conducting the school, one of which
was: The teacher was required to put in
nearly the whole day in the school-room.
The amount of time thus put in was an
index to the quality of the teacher.
The fourth speaker, Mr.. Snow, said
he had always been a. friend to educa-
tion and conquered in the opinion that
had been gwen. Mr.. Snow spoke MAIN
ly upon the subject of government.
He referred to the limb as a former
method OF correction, but did not see
but that the present method was fully
as effect ual as the former, at any rate
he believed that the children of the
present day were as far advanced as
those under the former mode.
Mr.. A. E. Stoughton, the fifth speaker,
dwelt mainly upon the subject of origin
ality. He deemed it necessary that
children should be taught to think and
act independently and not to accept the
ideas of popular men because they were
popular, but to examine for themselves.
He gave his own experience with the
| study of grammar and claimed that had
it not been for the method of teaching
that branch from the blackboard, he
would have known much less of that
study than he now does.
The speaking ended by few remarks
made by the writer In reference to the
duty which parents owe to their child.
rem. That that duty did not consist in
merely sending them to school it would
Seem as some did, merely to get them
out OF the way and thinking that the
whole responsibility rested with the
teacher. How quick the teacher OBJ
serves the degree of interest manifested
by the parents and how natural to re-
spond according to that degree and how
quick the child to discover the indiffer-
ence manifested by either. The CO.
operation of the parent and teacher are
necessary for the benefit of the child.