Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-03-01
WASHISGT yN LETTER.
..spopdepee of tn, CITIZEN.

Correspondence of the CITIZEN
 WASHINGTON. Feb. 19, lsSA
 Almost every week IS marked in Wash l ngton by the meeting of some klnd ot One of an unusually inter 1 esting and important character has just adjourned. It was the department of of the National Ednea- tional Association. 4 number of dis tiuguished educators were present from Boston. Philadelphia, Baltimore, Clneln- natl. Denver and various other places Educational questions were discussed bv the delegates, and speeches made ln favor of generous congresslonal sld TOT piIrD Hon J W. Haworh, superintendent of Indian schools, first addressed the convention in regard to the condition or Indian education, stating there were now four hundred and seventy-twO such schools in operation, and over fifteen thousand pupils. Dr. Bicknell, Of Mas sachusetts, then offered a resolution that a committee be appointed to bring the ouastion cf education in Alaska before inc proper committee of Congress. MT. Bingham, of the North Carolina Blng- ham school, in his remarks on National Aid to Public Schools" admitted that illiteracy pre=alled among ms people. but humOrously added he would not allow 1t tO be sad by any one else- Speaking On the same subject, Hon. MT; Dickinson, of Massachusetts, expressed the idea that whatever should appear ID the citizen or in the nation. must hrst appear III the schools, and that no educatiou containing the two elements national and individual development could be produced except m the schools of the people. The question or calls thenics and recesses were lengthlly dls- l cussed, and at the closing session paDer on "Hand Work on Schools wa presented by Pro'es or Ordway, Of | Boston, giving an eDtertalnln2 deserlD | tion Of hIs experlence among th | technical schools of Europe. Another | naper was read on "PublIc Instruct Oh | in Industrial PufsuIts" the argument | being that, az industrial education was, | as vet, of an experimental nature. lt | should be confined to technical schoolS | Colonel Rogers, of New Orleans, ad- | dressed the association on the educa- | tional department of the eom'nt exposition at that city. Dr. Jetfrles followed with tn interesting paper on I .Education of the Normal Color Sense," urging the necessity Of Optlca education as preventative or color blindness; using charts lliustra- tive of Optica. deluslOn. The next paper
 was on reading how Co induce the pupils to read the best literature, by the super intendent of the Pittsburg schools, MT. l Lackey. He attacked the scrap-boOk
 reader, and it's allIes. the spelier and grammar, and approved of the intro duction of entertaining and instructive historical books in place Of the present
 fragmentary reader. He spoke ot the
 ab-urdity of n ten-year old chlld trying
 to read the masterpieces or Clay, MeO
 ster or Calhoun, or attempting to enter
 into the feelings of DemOsthenes while
 addressing the Atheniaus, and said one
 difficulty was, that reading was con.
 founded with elOcution, and that the
 pupil who understands what ht
 reads should require no drill on emphasis, infection. or facial ex-
 pression He abused the spoilers 10 not being filed with words of every da.
 use. but with columns and pages OI
 words with similar sound and composed .
 orthography the pupil was required tc
 master without knowing the meaning He said he would like 70 chastlse the United States spelling book everJ morning for the bruises be had sus-
 tained a third of a century ago ID the old log school house because of hi; inability to master it's contents Before ] adiournment Congressman Willis 0i Kentucky assured the convention Ot hls
 active cooperation as a member of the
 House Committee on Education, adding 2
 that some Of the members of this con-
 mittee were badly in need of missionary
 work, that they were devlslng means 70
 get rid of the surplus revenues, while
 the minds of their children were be nighted He thought the questions o
 taxation, tariff, rivers and harbOrs wer' lesser ones than that of education to
 the masses. In bOdy the members O
 the convention went to the White Hous aud called on the President to whom they were introduced by the Conn s who, in a short address aliuded to Pres ident Arthur's own experience in teach
 ing during his early life. In responding the President sand hls school teaching
 days and years were the happiest tune , of his life. He expressed hIs apprecia
 tlon of the importance of the work O
 educating the young, and gave assur
 ances of his earnest cooperation in tn
 cause of public education.