Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-01-03

ter1al forms. Hence we see That the country boy,
II his book education has been IA good the city
boys, has the stronger mind Of the two. His ex-
perience with things has been an education to
him. Our public school system admits the intro
ductlon OF the industrial element In these ways: |
ny The more thorough education OF the senses, |
especially of the eye, by exercises in form, size,
distance, height, capacity, etc. (2) Technical |
drawing. (3) The elements Of the natural |
ura history. To make this system practicable |
there should be in each normal school teacher |
whose whole time should be devoted TO giving in |
struction in these branches Of knowledge and the
methods OF imparting them.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
An audience of FIVE hundred people, chiefly
educational workers, was present at the opening
Of the afternoon session. " Reading in the pub |
lie schools" was the topic assigned for discus
sion. The consideration Of the subject was pre-
coded by an exercise that was an agreeable in
novaton upon the former customs. Miss 4. f. |
Sweet OF the primary department Of the Mont
peer Union school led to the platform a class Of
juveniles with primers In hand. Arranging
themselves with the quetness and order Of well
drilled troops, an exhibition of the possibilities
which lie In skillful elementary instruction In
reading was made. The little people spelled
words phonetically, read with dstinctness that
made their childish tones audible In all parts Of
the large and well-flled room and with an ease
and freedom from which all that is unnatural or
artificial was conspicuously absent The exer-
else was not a " cut and dried |" affair, but was
the legitimate product Of good teaching The
children ere loudly applauded and departed az
they came in military order, with the air and
noncbalence Of veterans Specimens of the
writing of these pupils were exhibited and they
won great commentator. Miss S. G. Chase OF
Mortified illustrated by class of boys and
girls from the school of that town Methods and
rules in grammar school reading" The proper
and natural posture for reading while sitting, for
reading or speaking while standing, the manner OF
holding the book and the management Of the
breath were subjects Of painstaking care and
drill. familiar understanding of the piece to
be read, vivid conception Of time, place and
meaning or sentiment, were all inculcated. That
these elements had all been successfully reduced
to practice was shown by the reading OF " Paul
Revere's Ride" parts of which were read In con-
sert with the exibility, the distinctness and the
Evolutionary precision of a single well drilled
Voice The reading of individual pupils was ex-
cellent, and showed concusivey that Miss Chase
IL an expert in instruction in the first of 1.-THE
three RS" " Supplementary and cheap reading"
was the subject OF practical and interesting
paper by L. V. Haskell, principal Of the Windsor
high school. He believed in good newspaper
for every school. By this means and by utiz-
ing such periodicals as 81. Nicholas The Pansy
and the Youths Companion, he would endeavor
to put to practical test the rules of the text
book and the instruction in the class.
Rev. l. G. Ware of Burlington read a paper
upon The library, an aid to the reading class"
which was excellent in thought and very admir-
able in direction. He pleaded for naturalness
against prggishness in reading and believed that
the town library affords the best means of cult
waiting this desirable quality. Possessing IL
btary, selections from it should be made by the
teacher assistance instead of allowing the pupils
to browse at will. In Burlington this was the
practice and was attended with beneficial results
in the formation of correct tastes and in dvorcing
pupils from the lion system of the school-room.
He recommended the early English fairy tales,
the Pilgrims Progress, the Vicar Of Wakefield,
Scotts Talisman and other works OF similar char
acter as children's classics. By judcious selec-
tons side lights may be thrown upon the instruc-
ton of the school-room that will add much to the
usual stock of intelligence and Danish the rou-
tine, the leaden system Of the schoo-room
q. II. Godthwait, principal of St Adams
| graded school, in a few impromptu remarks rein
| forced what had been said upon supplementary
reading. He had found the practice highly ben
efcial in creating more facile style Of express
sion and in developing correct tastes in reading
| F. i. Whittier principal OF Derby Academy,
spoke in favor Of school libraries. lie urged the
teachers to go to work, to wake up, take a pro-
gressve stand in this matter, not TO be contented
with airing their theories in educational meet
| ings. They should get reference books into the
schools, create the nucleus OF library and by
| systematic efforts add to 1t from year to year
| lie gave the " Anticipated ideas good warm
ing up and intimated that it was time for them
| to CO.
Edward Conant, principal OF johnson Normal
School, spoke briefly upon 1.-THE cultivation of
| taste in reading" He went over the subject Of
school instruction in reading, its mechanical diff
| ticulties, the desirabity OF training pupils to
recognize words at sight the utility of mental
| picturing, Of mental vision in the business of
reading He would have the higher classes read
| other books than the school readers. Cultivate a
| love for Shakespeare, and when a scholar is Sc
curely anchored to him there would be no danger
of a relapse He advocated the formation of H.
braries in the schools He would divide classes
into literary clubs, buying half-a-dozen copies of
some work for the use of the club. This might
| be done by the schools Of a town, and when dis
trict l has finished them pass the books along
| to No. 2 for use next winter, and so on. He be-
| believed the formation of town libraries for
| schools would be one of the advantages that will
come with the adoption of the town system Of
schools.
| FRIDAY EVENING.
| Trinity church was filled to hear lecture upon
Recent Educational Progress" by Professor G.
| Stanley Hall of Harvard college. The lecturer
spoke of the present rs a period of educational
awakening We are enjoying an educational
| renaissance 1t is not the first but the present
has certain features peculiar to itself There is a
| wdened interest now which has not characterised
any prior awakening. This revival seems to
come from abroad, The German schools have
contributed to it, Germany lays the foundation
of empire in her schools. The present move
ment is universal. The effort to make teaching
| professional by the establishment of chairs Of
| pedagogy in the colleges is distinguishing fea-
| ture in recent educational progress. Industrial
education, education for women, religious edu-
cation, articles in the public journals, show that
| we are living in period of revival. We need it,.
| our republican form OF government demands ed
| ucation a. defence against the evils that troop
| in its train. The question OF republican govern
ment is question of education and this fact is Il
| sufficient excuse for the precedence given to
| technical matters The first item to he consid-
cred is progress to health and physical vigor.
| The lecturer found evidence of the decay of
physical vigor in the low percentage of boys in
good physical symmetry in the public schools of
Boston and in the anxious faces of brain-worke ed
girls in the public schools everywhere. The ideas
| of physical culture which prevailed in Rome and
Greece and which exist in Germany are absent in
our schools Weak muscles imply weak nerves
and II the nerves are not as strong as the brain
the chasm begins to yawn Modern inventions
| have largely superseded muscle. Physical cul-
tuTe is very vital agent in educational progress
and we can find methods to advance i II we
| sincerely seek them. The lecturer dwelt upon
the necessity OF hardening the physical system by
iudcious exposure and exercise, by the cold bath,
by reference to the kindergarten schools and the
German gymnasums. Children, he said, should
exercise the body to strengthen it, not to COM
pete in games Reading and drawing were items
In the review of educational progress upon which
Professor Hall dwelt, impartng much interest
ing information and conveying many useful hints.
His treatment of the last item in his review, the
study OF CHI idren in general, was philosophical
and the points he made lie at the very fouhda-
ton of rational instruction of young pupils lie
read the result of extended researches under
taken to find out what children are thinking
about what their ideas of ordinary things are,
how they are derived and by what processes they
arrive at conclusions The statistics he gave
were amusing and suggestive and showed what
crude notions young ideas have of things which
their elders know by long experience, and about
which it is too often taken for granted the child
ia equally familiar, when in fact the youthful
mind may be "A blank in regard to those matters.
In the brief space allowed in a newspaper report
no adequate conception can be given of the char
acter and scope Of this lecture. As the professor
developed his subject, and especially the closing
portion, thoughtful listeners began strongly tC
realize the force OF his observation that Teach.
ing is like pouring water from very large tut
into very narrow necked bottles" and to "Teact
what we teach, well, that the impression left
upon the minds of children - shall not be like 0
sheet of much used blotting paper" seemed tt
be work which WAS invested with new and tire
mendous responsibility.
SATURDAY MORNING.
At the business meeting after much discussion
the existing officers practically made officer,
| till the next regular meeting and 1t was the ex
pressed sentiment that the next meeting SHOULD
be called at Montpelier some time during the fal
| and that the executive committee should so cal
the meeting and prepare a programme accord
, ingly-giving day to the discussion of higl
| school subjects.
Professor Osbun then metamorphosed th'
large assembly into class of school children anc
proceeded through an hour to give them some in
struction in elementary science. By simple ap
paratus which any teacher OF ordinary inge
nnity devise he illustrated the action of th'
. natural forces and how they utilized for every
| day purposes The working of the telegraph anC
! telephone exempihed by very simple appa
| ratus which any teacher can construct who IL ia
| miar with the elements Of natural science ant
who can obtain couple OF magnets, piece o