Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-02-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MONITOR. ]
WASHINGTON, February 10.


Washington, February 10.
Almost every week is marked in
Washington by the meeting of some
kind of convention. One of an I'M i
usually interesting and important
character has just adjourned. 1t
was the department of superinten-
dence of the National Educational
Association. A number of distin-
guished educators were present, from
Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Gin
cinnati, Denver, and various other
places. Educational questions were
discussed by the delegates, and
speeches made in favor of generous
Congressional and for public schools.
Hon. J. w. Haworth, superinten-
dent of Indian schools first address
ed the convention in regard to the
condition of Indian education, stat
ing there were now four hundred and
seventy-two such schools in opera
ton, and over fifteen thousand pu-
pills. DR.. Bicknell of Massachusetts,
then offered resolution that a COM
mittee be appointed to bring the
question of education in Alaska be-
fore the proper committee of Con-
gress. Mr.. Bingham, of the North
Carolina Bingham school, in his re-
marks on "National Aid to Public
Schools" admitted that illiteracy pre-
vailed among his people, but humor-
| ously added he would not allow it to
be said by any one else. Speaking
on the same subject, Hon. Mr.. Dick
inson of Mass. expressed the idea
that whatever should appear in the
citizen or in the nation, must first ap-
| pear in the schools, and that no edu-
cation containing the two elements,
national and individual development
could be produced except in the
schools of the people. The questions
of calisthenics and recesses were
lengthily discussed, and at the clos
ing session a paper on "Hand Work
in schools" was presented by Prof.
Ordway of Boston giving an enter
tanning description of his experience
among the technical schools of Eu-
rope. Another paper was read OF
''Public Instruction in Industrial
Pursuits" the argument being that
as industrial education was, as yet
of an experimental nature, it shoulc
be confined to technical schools. Col
Rogers of New Orleans addressed
the association on the educatiOna
department of the coming exposition
in that city. DR.. Jeffries FOLLOWED
with an interesting paper on "Edu
cation of the Normal Color Sense,
urging the necessity of optical edu
cation as preventative of colo
blindness using charts illustrativ
i of optical delusion. The next pape
was on reading; how to induce pu
e pills to read the best literature, b
the Supt. of the Pittsburgh schools
: Mr.. Lackey. He attacked the scrap
book reader, and it's allies, the spe
. Ter and grammar, and approved
:. the inroduction of entertaining an
: instructive historical books in plat
II of the present fragmentary reade
J. He spoke of the absurdity of tel
he year-old child trying to read proper
he the masterpieces of Webster, Clay I
Calhoun, or of attempting to ent
" into the feelings of Demosthen
III while addressing the Athenians, al
as said one difficulty was, that readil
is was COMPOUNDED with elocution, al
v that the pupil who understands VIII
a. he reads requires no drill on emph
re sis, infection, or facial expressio
be He abused the spoilers for not bel
St filled with words of every day us
a but with columns and pages of wor
re with similar sound and composed
he certain number of syllables, who
'st photography the pupil was requir
nd to master without knowing tn
on meaning. He said he would like
ed chastise the United States spelli
nd book every morning for the bruis
he he had sustained a third of cent?
md ago in the old log school house
i've cause of his inability to master
ear contents. Before adjournment, c.
gresham Willis of Kentucky assul
I'VE the convention of his active coon
oal alton as a member of the House &c
mittee on Education, adding t
The some of this committee were badly
our need of missionary work, that Il
rn- were devising means to get rid
ex- the surplus revenues, while the mil