The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-01-07
State Teachers Association.

thirty-fifth annual meeting at Montpelier on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last
week The meeting differed from its pre-
decessors in the marked practical nature of
its exercises, and while the attendance was
not so large as it has sometimes been, the
work done was as forcible, instructive and
generally interesting as that of any preceding
convention. Another distinguishing fea-
ture was the low temperature of Capital
Hall, where the sessions were held.
THURSDAY MORNING.
The meeting was called to order by Presi-
dent c. A. Bunker, and the teachers were
cordially welcomed by Rev. L. p Frost of
Montpelier, who eloquently referred to their
important work and expressed the best
wishes for the success of the meeting, after
which the president delivered a brief but APP
propriate address. " Reading" was the sub
ject of discourse by Principal John Picl<ard
of Ludlow. He deprecated the practice of
sighting the reading lesson, so common in our
schools and insisted that the study was of
first Importance and, when properly taught,
of great interest and instructiveness. Prin-
cipal A. w. Dana followed, having for his
theme Wasted Powers" The custom of
devoting ten years to the study of the royal
branches of arithmetic, geography and
grammar, he said, was an error. Other
studies, as important, should share the
time. He would condense and shorten the
arithmetic, simplify grammar and make the
BtORIdpHy tnt dStnu VI Only DIdCllCdl lllltl~
ligence.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON
The first exercise of the afternoon was the
presentation of class work by Miss Thompson
and pupils of Northfeld. This consisted
OF recitation in physical geography, the
topic being g South America" Miss Thomp-
son proceeded in her ordinary method.
First, pupil was appointed to draw the
outline of the country upon the blackboard,
and, from time to time, the members of the
class succeeded each other in filling out the
map defining its political divisions, noun
tains rivers, cities, etc, the recitation going
on meanwhile with the rest of the class
Several specimens of the productions of the
country, all procured by the pupils them
selves, were upon the table, and were the
objects of discourse by different ones to the
class from independent information. The
children were from ten to twelve years of
age, and exhibited the liveliest interest and
thorough preparation. This exercise, and
the other class exercises of the convention,
were peculiarly beneficial in showing the
best methods of instruction. A class from
the Montpelier schools, under Miss Chamber
lain, next gave recitation in Language"
The children were about ten years of age.
The lesson consisted of the correction of
errors in sentences, with regard to capital
ization, spelling and punctuation, filling out
skeleton sentences, writing upon the board
and constructing sentences. The class had
been given the subject, "a Day in Vaca-
ton" by the president, upon which COM
positions had been written, during the pre-
ceding exercise, and which were read at the
close of the recitation. The style in which
this work was done by the children would
do credit to those of maturer years. Miss
Chamberlain uses no textbook but mparts
the knowledge to her class orally, and, it
appeared, with the most satisfactory re-
suits. The exercise awakened much inter-
est and an incredulous gentleman thought
to puzzle the class with the sentence, Two
boys were too late to get in but it was
correctly written upon the board.
THURSDAY EVENING.
large audience assembled in Capital
Hall in the evening to hear the address by
President S. G. Bartlett of Dartmouth Col
lege ON What the Spade has done for HUI
man History" The subject had reference
to the development and confirmation of his
tory by excavation. The speaker told how
the customs, religions and movements of
the prehistoric races had been determined
by the spade-in short how their history had
been unraveled. He instituted interesting
comparisons between the races of this CON
tinent, the mound-builders, copper miners,
Esquimaux and the races of Mexico and
Peru, and those of Europe, the cave men,
river-drift men and lake-dwellers, etc.
From the ruins of Egypt, Assyria and
Babylon he declared that information had
been obtained of the manners of their peo-
pies as full as we possessed of our immedi-
ate ancestors in this country. The labor of
excavation now going on was alluded to-
and, in conclusion, the speaker asserted that
no fact had yet been revealed by the spade
not in harmony with the Scriptures. The
lecture was exceedingly interesting and
while not in strict line with the work of the
association in one sense, it afforded much
instruction on a topic that few would look
into independently.
FRIDAY MORNING
"Grammar" was the topic for discussion, but
of of teaching hot mob,
of study the merits of textbooks in use
We're discussed, the result of which was of
no Importance and the time was next to
wasted. 1t became apparent, however, that
the Reed Il Kellogg grammar was a book
of many merits and comparatively few
faults 1t was also settled that the practice
of diagraming was excellent for those who
lilSedit, and full of bad things for those who
did not like it. After this hiatus Mrs. e. G..
Greene of ST. Adams engaged the atten-
ton of the meeting with an illustration of
Methods in Physiology and Hygiene"
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
In the afternoon Miss Alice III. Burt with
class of seven, from Burlington, gave an
example of her method of teaching reading.
The children ranged in years from nine to
eleven and were given selection from Miss
Alcott's Little Men" Miss Burt makes
the reading lesson reach great ways. 1t
includes not only correct style, or eX-
preston, but also definition, composition and
narration. 1t is made a step in literature,
and, in short, is as comprehensive as possi-
BILE Miss Burt employs much collateral
reading and never desgnates a lesson prev
ious to reading. Appleton's reader was
used. The exercise presented many origi
nal and valuable ideas. Professor n. III
Thompson, with class of children from
Montpelier schools, showed how he taught
them music
A business meeting was held after adj
journment and the following officers for the
ensuing year were elected: President, b. f
Bingham of Brattleboro; secretary, j. NJ
Hit of Mortified; treasurer John Packard
of Ludlow; executive committee, S. w
Landon, G.. G.. Cove, e. A. Bishop The
committee was instructed to arrange for
meeting in the third week of October next
at either Rutland, Burlington, Bellows Falls
or Montpelier.
FRIDAY EVENING.
A lecture was given in the evening at the
Church of the Messiah by Professor Charles
Il. King of Lewis School, Boston, his sub
ject being Fingers and Eyes" Mr. KIM
had brought with him from his school
large amount of apparatus, such as maps
charts and curiosites, illustrative of differ
ent things, by means of which he great.
facilitated the labor of mparting lnowledg
to children. He claimed that it was NOR
natural for the child TO learn by seeing o
doing, and presented "A strong argument, a
well as numerous evidences of success fror