Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-12-10

Of the morning session Thursday II. R
Rothwell, Melleme; Emma Sylvester
Green Spring Mrs. Raymond, Newark
Mary @. Lingo, Middletown; Amy
Strahan, Fairyille; A. O.. Palmer, Chris.
tiana NJ. g. Morrison, Grubb's Corner
Lizzie McCabe, McDonough Herman
Dessey, Odessa; Hettie E. Wilson. st.
Georges ]. G.. Fisher, Newark; b. A.
Groves, Red Lion; Prof. f. Il. Wright,
Middletown College Mrs. A. s. Wright
and Miss A. s. Wright, Middletown ;
Mary H. Budd, Middletown.
Every scat at the institute meeting Fri
day morning which gathered at the high
school building, French street, between
Fifth and Sixth streets, was filled. There
were probably 300 teachers present. Num-
bers were standing at the doors, unable to
find seat. Those occupying seats on
the platform were DIR. John II. French,
President j. Fl. Caldwell of Delaware
College, DIR. Keabies, Isaac Il. johnson,
principal of the Friends school, DIR. Raub,
the Rev. Wis. Murray, II. o. Collins, DR..
Schaeffer, Prof. Graham, State Superin-
tendent Williams md Assistant Superin-
tendent Carpenter.
LIZ ANs Os EOlitGhCE bDOhc upon Ine B1lD-
ject OF School Discipline" In his usual
discursiye manner the speaker Travelled
over very wide sweep of this most i'm
portant subject. His theories, illustrations
and application of novel ideas in this
connection closely held his audiences at
tention. The speakers words tended more
in the direction of doing away with and
condemning wrong practices than chang
ing that that is good.
In reply to questions from Isaac 4.
johnson of the Friends school, DR..
Schaetfer said; 81 believe that q time
occurs when it is necessary to expel a
boy. Surgical operations are needed
sometimes. In the German universities
there are prisons, sometimes with iron
bars" In regard to errors, the lecturer
said that teachers often make the mistake
of treating all pupils similarity. Now
that Is mistake; no two pupils are
alike. Punishment should be adapted to
the nature of the pupil. If you can
make every one of your pupils imagine
you like each one the best, you will be
most fortunate teacher.
DR.. j. H. French, institute lecturer of
the state of New York, next took up the
subject of arithmetic. This is the third
time DR.. French has appeared as an in
stitute lecturer in Delaware. He said
that it is usual in New York to make an
nual appropriations for the purposes
of an stitute. To each district is given
a certain sum from the fund appropriated
by the state to aid the teachers in attend
ing such meetings as the present one. DR..
French left an institute Thursday on the
shores of Lake Ontario where there were
4l8 registered teachers. For four
months he had been on an institute cam
paign throughout the state of New York.
.teverting tU the theme which he
ld been asked to speak upon, he ques.
soned any great virtue existing in the
,reat wave that had passed over the land
IN recent times, driving away the subject
Of mental arithmetic from the public
schools. The great purpose of this study
of course is its value in developing the
perceptive faculties. The child whose
perceptive powers are properly trained
enjoys much more of life and afterlife
than the one who has made no effort in
that direction. Mental arithmetic fell
into disrepute because standardization
was too much used. No results
came from such teaching, because
the teachers themselves were salts
fed with it alone. Under those circum-
stances the almost total disappearance
of this study from the school curriculum
is not much to be surprisedat. But, said
the speaker, I, who have given us many
years to this teachers profession as any
in this room, have seen many such revo-
tions. have seen these upheavals ap-
pear and have watched their disappear
ance and the nature and cause of the in
cident. The speaker continued, impart-
ing to his listeners the belief in his mind
that this dropped study would probably
soon reappear in the school-room.
DIR. French then entered closely
into the technicalities of teaching
primary arithmetic, condemning certain
abuses, especially explanations, SO often
given by teachers, which explanations
themselves require explaining. DR..
French believes in memorizing. A cry
was recently rails, d away with memoriz-
ing from schools /" These people taught
that if the child were taught to understand
the matter there would be no need of
memory or rote work. This is true in its
place but does not blot out the necessity
of memorizing. Facts must be known
even by the crudest mind before the
simplest thought can be devolved or ex-
pressed. So certain information must be
memorized.
Prof. Graham of the high school, con-
sidered that DIR. French was altogether
too theoretical. The speaker had been re-
stricted to five minutes speech and
therefore was somewhat at o disadvantage
in his hurried criticism.
Superintendent Harlan was allowed
three minutes. He said he thought that
perhaps the pupils in the Wilmington
schools are trying to do more than their
physical capacities would properly allow
them. Public sentiment is coming
around to the point of not forcing up the
bright and feeble children. that promoting
for promotion's sake is wrong and hurtful
in very positive sense.
DIR. Caldwell, President of Delaware
College who was on the programme for
an address to teachers said that from
force of habit he must take a text. Moses
said, 81 would that all the Lords people
were prophets, and that He would place
His spirit upon them" Moses did not
mean that he wished them all seers of
coming events. He meant teachers of
Gods truth. If your vocation is to teach
| Gods truth, then God has called you to
your vocation in life. President Cald-
we'll, after referring pointedly to the
moral as we'll rs mental responsibilities
of those in the teachers profession
| and the opportunities in their hands, re-
| verted to the position Delaware College
now holds in connection with the educa-
tional forces of the State. The speaker
made reference to his charge at Newark
explaining its advantages and present
adnptability of the needs of the State.
Previous to closing the morning ses-
sion the following committees were up
| pointed; Executive committee, Mrs. A.
s. Wright, Middletown; Fannie M.
Briscoe, Newark ; Rachel s. Bigger, Cen
trevillu. On neurology, Sallie Lumb,
Newark; Agnes M. Ray, Middletown
Ella Talley, Wilmington.
The fifth session OF the New Castle County
Teachers Institute opened punctually at 2
| O'Clock in the afternoon. The Rev. W.
L. s. Murray offered prayer, after which
the first speaker on the afternoons pro-
| gramme, DIR. N. G. Schaeffer, took the plat
form. At his appearance an audible ex-
| preston of satisfaction proceeded from the
audience Of teachers. The lecturers smil-
| ing face indicated his appreciation of the
compliment. The speakers subject was the
Use OF the Globes"
| 1t is good thing, he said, to have school
\ apparatus but q better thing to know how
to use it. II the school lack the apparatus
the teachers ingenuity should supply the
want. But when good fortune supplies a
school with such apparatus as this (pointing
to the globes) the teacher should take the
brst OF care OF it. The coloring needed to
| distinguish the rentgeographical boun.
| diaries, &c., readily fades, and a cover
! ing is needed when not in use. All
that is needed is little muslin
The teacher can get his sister
to sew It, II he has no sister OF his own he
can easily get some other fellows sister tc