Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-28


tenn educates the eye, tongue and ear, it
not being calculated to cultivate the memo
~, rapidity and accuracy being its chief
claim to merit.
The topic of stthe remedy for hardness
and irregular attendance" next In order on
the programme was next taken up, the
first speaker being Supt. German, Of
Stearns county. The speaker referred at
some length to this pernicious and grow
ing evil in tho public school system; among
the chief inducements to insure good at
tendance be rated az first in order the
qualification, good nature and winning
character Of the teacher; many teachers
were cross and ill natured which drove
away the pupils, while others were cheerful
and had knack of making the school
room pleasant and agreeable.
Superintendent Rolleson thought that
music and singing was a powerful induce
ment to insure good attendance. He
also thought that reading selections and
other similar inducements at the opening
of the school was great inducement; but
greater than these, he thought the greatest
incentive to prevent hardness was love and
gentleness on the part of the teacher.
DR. HEwITT's ADDRESS.
DR.. G. N. Hemitt, of Red Wing, was then
introduced and he proceeded to deliver an
address on the necessity of cooperation
with the state sanitary board. j
In commencing his address DR.. Hewitt
alluded to case of smallpox which had
caused originally four deaths in the fami-
ly, and for want of disinfection the
disease has now spread to adjacent dis
tricts, where it is raging in one OF two
settlements; one whole family had been
sewpt away by the bosom of small pox
and now community was threatened.
DR.. Hewitt then demonstrated how the
disease in this instance had been wholly
due to want of proper care in disinfecting.
What was due smallpox was applicable to
other diseases, such as diphtheria. Edu-
cation did not consist in the mere training
of the mind; imagine a child with nothing
but brains; it would be preposterous; yet
in such connection as this nothing was
heard but methods" training, culture,
etc.
contagion was alluded to, and the fright
full mortality caused thereby fully pic
tured. In this state alone 45 per cent. of
all deaths were of children under five years
of age, and 40 per cent. were under three
years of age. Many of these the speaker
thought might have been prevented had
practical knowledge of hygiene existed.
The lack of cooperation was alluded to,
and the speaker thought that the time had
come when qualifications for the position
of teacher should include q knowledge Of
hygiene; most text books on this subject
were mainly unmitigated bosh; knowl-
edge of physiology was counted by the
speaker as necessary to the publications
of teacher. A graphic picture was
given of the : widespread ig-
norance prevailing among the educat-
ed classes regarding contagious diseases.
Allusion was made to the devices employ
i ed by the ignorant to ward off disease, and
the nonsensical advice offered by irrespon-
sible parties. One nun few days ago had
burned pound of sulphur in his woods to
ward off smallpox from his district. The
superstitious prejudice against vaccination
was referred to at some length as being
the chief obstacle to the eradication of in
infectious diseases; the prejudice; against
vaccination, he said, was the chief
cause Of infection among children
A cool head and q modicum of common
sense was characterized al the two great
factors in cases of emergency. The
speaker urged the cooperation of all en-
gagged in the work Of education; he thought
that knowledge which directly bore on
human life should be more essential than
anything else; there should be the warm
est kind of cooperation between the local
health boards and the teachers of the
schools; members of families containing
cases of infectious diseases should be
vigorously excluded from the schools and
vaccination should be universal. In con-
clusion he entreated the hearty cooper
alton of the superintendent and all in
teligent men and women.
Supt. Kiehle followed with timely re-
marks apropos of the address of DR..
Hewitt, urging maximum of hygiene to
minimum of oratory and physiology;
every school, he thought, should be a
sanitarium.
GRADED STUDIES.
Supt. Smith, from the committee on
graded course of study, submitted report.
The report was unusually long, the main
feature consisting in the recommendation
that all the common schools of the state
be graded, according to the plan used in
Hennepin county.
The committee recommended the adop-
ton of the report with the request that tho
state superintendent prepare the necessary
blanks for carrying out the provisions of
the plans embodied.
On motion the report was adopted by a
rising vote and Superintendent Kehle in
formed all present that he would use every
means in his power to further the objects
of the report.
DR.. A. D. Mayo, of the New England
Journal of Education, Boston, was intro
duced and proceeded to deliver very in
teresting address on the subject of educa-
ton; he outlined the early system of edu-
cation in the East as compared with
the present methods in New England with
the work as conducted in Minnesota. He
spoke of the system of county superin-
tendents, and. gave it as his opinion that
the methods employed in the Northwest
were equal to any in the country.
The committee on resolutions was an
nounced by the chair, as follows: Super
intendents Sperry, of Dodge; German, of
UrVa- =