News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-10-21
The Teachers, Instifute.

| 1loH VI OledrnS q Sons CuD factory LOT Tile
coming year, over one hundred thousand
tubs.
| The Teachers' Institute.
The Lamoille County Teachers Institute
opened Wednesday eve'g, Oct 18th, with lee
ture by Mrs. Mary H. Hunt of Hyde Park, Mass
She began by speaking of the needs of our land
the unification and the brotherhood of all races.
| The doctrine to 'call no man common" is at the
basis of our government. How our nation differs
from others in the power of assimilation of vari-
GUS nationalities, was illustrated. The main
question for the nation is, do we receive these
people into right conditioner" Not while there
are open saloons! Then followed graphic &C
count of the speakers winter in Washington
in working for the passage of the bill requiring
the teaching of the effect of alcoholics and mar
cotics on the human system in all the schools I'M
der national supervision. The law as passed
was read and the force of the different items ex-
planned Vermont was the first State to pass a
law requiring scientific temperance instruction
in the public SchOOlS-other States followed her
lead. The law was a first step; but it is a law
without penalty, cOnseQently weak and requires
strengthening. and that is the work before us
this winter. The influence of the women OF the
State, of the w. C. T. u has been and is power
full in this work.
The influence of Mrs. Hunt upon her audience
is masterful and magnetic; her style is terse and
logical, so that we follow without effort. One
feels that standing before him is woman of I'M
bounded courage and perseverance, thoroughly
in earnest, master of herself and of her subject.
Her address is finished and scholarly, and alto
gether pleasing.
A song, "She Sails by the Stars" followed the
lecture, and the audience adjourned well pleased
with the evening
The Institute met on Thursday morning at 9
O'Clock. A paper on Scientific Temperance In
struction'' was read by Miss Lettie NJ. Lepper,
after which Mrs Hunt spoke to the teachers,
telling them of the special need of inStructing
the children carefully in temperance principles
them hints teaching
the best books to be used, and various illustra-
tive experiments, and answering questions which
Altogether it would seem that the teachers of
the county must have received an impetus in this
branch of their work, and have been convinced
of the necessity thereof
After a short recess came talk by Supt.
Fisher of Weymouth, Mass, on Geography.
Much, he said, has been taught or committed to
memory in geography which had better have
been omitted and much of the real geography
has been crowded out. He proceeded to speak
of the essential points to be taught and to illus
trate modes of teaching.
Mr.. Mowry of Boston, Mass, followed in talk
upon Spelling.
In the afternoon the convention met at 2
O'clock, and listened first to talk by Mr.. MOwry
upon " Classification and Discipline in Ungraded
Schools following which Mrs. Story, of the
Normal School read paper upon Reading, and
Prin. Campbell gave a talk on the same subject.
Mr.. Fisher afterward continued his talk on
Geography. The exercises of the day were in
structive and practical, and could not fail to be
of benefit to the teachers, good number of
whom were present from different parts of the
county.
On Thursday evening Hon. VIM. A. Mowry
of Boston gave his entertaining and instructive
lecture, g The Mississippi Valley, and how we
Secured it."
Mr. Mowry gave in outline the extent of the
American possessions of the great powers
Spain, France, and England-at the middle of
the last century. Thirteen small English col
onies lying along the Atlantic seaboard scarcely
one reaching inland one hundred miles; the
Spanish possessions on the south, reaching from
tha fn 10 sci nni
cupying the valley of the st. Lawrence, the great
lake region, the immense valley of the MisSlS-
sippi, stretching from the Alleghanies to the
Rockies.
In consideration of the facts that the home
powers were almost continually engaged in war
fare, that the French had, through their priest
Indian, the speaker questioned what reasonable
hope had the English of extending their terri
was given a brief review of the French and In
dian war to the fateful battle of Quebec, result
of which France coded TO England Canada and
all her territory east of the Mississippi, except
small district in and around New Orleans, which,
together with her territory west of the MSSiS-
sippi, with the consent of England, passed to
Spain.
The battle of Quebec was regarded by the
speaker as the first great objective point towards
securing the Mississippi Valley.
The next topic presented was the Revolution
airy War,.-the surrender at Yorktown, the treaty
Most graphically was pictured the cunning of
the French to whom we had owed so much, Ill
the sharp practice of Franklin in checkmating
them, thereby securing to us the vast region
north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi, Il
vast not only in area, but now in population,
produce, and railroads, and still more vast in
future possibilities. By this treaty New Orleans
was to be kept open to Americans as a port of
deposit OF produce. In violation Of this proyis-
ion the port was soon closed, causing great dis
may to the settlers upon the Mississippi and its |
branches. The unrest and dissatisfaction of
these settlers becoming dangerous to the very
uQtrieQ government. PreSl-
dent Jefferson, learning of the secret transfer to
France of the Spanish possessions, including |
New Orleans, asked Congress to buy of the |
French New Orleans, that it might be an open
port to the Americans for all time, Congress re- |
piled, "Noi the Censtft9tt0n gives no power to |
Nevertheless Robert r. Livingston, our Minis |
ter at Paris, interviewed Talleyrand the French |
Sec. of State, about the purchase of the little |
island. The audience was told of the blank re- |
fusal, later of the European war cloud, of Ma |
poIeOn's prophetic vision of the immediate seiz-
in America in case of war between England and |
France, of the empty Golfers of France, then the |
startling proposition OF the French Sec. of the
the entire French territory reaching from the |
to the Rockies, including the port |
Of New Orleans. At this juncture Monroe ar
rived at Paris with instructions to buy strip of
land along the eastern bank of the Mississippi
sufficient to ensure western commerce an outlet
TO the Gulf. The two ENJOYS, far seeing, dared |
to 90 beyond instructions and accepted the offer
Of the French, and thus added nine hundred |
thousand square miles of territory to the United |
States. The foresight of Napoleon completed /
5he event foreshadowed by the battle of Quebec:
So thrilling were the incidents portrayed that |
The large AUDIENCE sat spell-bound to the close
The devotional exercises of Friday morning |
we're followed by lesson in Primary Arithmetic,
in which class of little boys and girls were sub
as well as to that of the audience. |
This was most happily conducted by Supt. Fish /
er. He Illustrated work in this subject through |
the 1st, I'd and Sd years of the childs school life
Supt. Fisher was followed by Mr.. Mowry in a |
talk upon Civil Government. He suggested three |
methods of teaching: The Synthetic, the in
were discussed, the morning session closed.
The afternoon session was opened by the read |
ing of an able paper by Prin. Redmond of Hyde |
Park in which he showed the utility OF the |
pher, the SCIENTIST that imagination goes hand
that it is early developed in the mind of the |
child; hence the necessity of the teachers study
of this faculty.
illustrating his method of teaching percentag e,
After recess, Miss Bruce, teacher in the
Johnson Normal School, gave an interesting ac- |
count OF the workings of the summer school at |
Saratoga, which she attended during the past |
summer vacation: Mr.. Mowry then gave talk |
ant, as it enters into all matters of life Thought
properly formed in language language the great
est mark OF difference between man and animal
In the school, language work should be written
very largely Franklin and Grant model writer's
always aiming straight at the mark. Study Adj
olson and Hawthorne for STYLE How can Won
eriticise language without knowledge of gram
mar He. advised close analytical study of
choice portions of composition,
After this exercise the question hox was
opened and questions discussed by Profs Camp
bell, Mowry, Fisher and Others
Friday evening Mr.. MOWry delivered his lee
ture, "a Winters Ride Across the Continent on
Horseback, and its Result" 1t was a vivid de-
scription of thrilling passage of American his
tory. ~
Saturday morning the Institute opened with
diminished numbers, as many had returned to
their homes. But no better work was presented
during the Institute than that given at the last
session. Miss Hatch. the teacher of the Model
School, in most charming manner illustrated
With class OF her pupils, the New Departure"
~ was an exercise in writing and spelling. After
this, Prof. Campbell presented large array of
apparatus; nearly allmade by himself and pupils,
with which he Illustrated principles of physics
showing teachers how much can be done in this
subject even If they do not find at hand a good
apparatus. With this the most interesting and
profitable County Teachers Institute held in
Johnson for many years was brought to a close
we would not fail to express thanks to the
SINGERS OF the town, and to Miss Bell Hall of
MorrsVille, for their contributions to the gener-
al success of all.