The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-02-03
State Teachers Association.

State Teachers Association.
The Vermont State Teachers Association
Id three days session in Burlington
inuary $3.50 An address of welcome was
ade by Mayor Woodbury., which was re-
bonded to by Professor Hardy. A discus
on on "School Supervision " followed,
hich was participated in by Principal A. II.
ampbeii Of Johnson Rev, G. II. Merrill of
rattleboro and Rev. j. X. Fuller of Bakers
ED. Principal Conant of st. Adams read
paper on "Schoo Hours" which con-
ined the following points; First that five
burs in the school-room is enough for
Eacher and scholar; second, that the ses-
ons should be abridged, If necessary, but
ave no recess, which theory he supported
h the general grounds OF giving more time
ht of school to the children of INDECENT
arents and the avoidance of contanin-
ting influences on the playground; third,
hat detention after school hours as a
batter of discipline should be avoided, as
Exhaustive and productive of no good to
ither teacher or scholar and, fifth, that
ONE lessons should be judiciously assigned.
Pf course there are exceptional cases, and
here are some scholars so conscientious and
tudious that they ought by all means to be
estrained but, speaking from experience,
he foregoing suggestions are capable of
broad and general application. A general
discussion followed his paper.
| Principal Conant of Randolph Normal
School discussed the newly-adopted en-
france examination for the state nomal
schools. In the evening Governor Pingree
Ilelivered an address, in which he empha-
tized the paramount importance of the COM
mon schools of each state to the welfare of
bur national Union, and said: "The COM
|non school is the hinge on which the sta
|blity and the success of our republic has
burned Free institutions cannot subsist
unless kept well in hand with free instruc-
fion 1t is our duty to make education CO.
Extensive with the elective franchise" In
Governor Pingree said: "There
has been expended in Vermont about a
million and half of dollars in support of our
Thousand children of school age, and nearly
seventy-ive thousand are under the direct
influence and care of the public school teach
ers There is no vocation in life so po-
tent for good as that of the public school
teacher"
There was a much larger attendance Fri
day. Principal A. w. Dana of Barre read
an interesting paper on Little Things in
the School-room." This was followed by a
very appreciable rendering of Glow the
Old Horse Won the Bet" by William II.
Hopkins of st. Adams. The "Relations of
the School to the Home and Family, to Tenn
perance, to the Community and to the State"
were then discussed, the principal speakers
being Rev. George n. Chase of Derby, A. n.
Adams of Fairhaven and Superintendent
Dartt.
In the afternoon Principal Holden of
Plattsburgh read paper on The After
life of High School Graduates. President
Buckham gave familiar talk on What
the College has to Say to the Fitting School,"
making some pertinent suggestions to teach
ers of fitting schools, and closing with a
gentle hint that the University of Vermont
would be glad to receive an increased num-
Der of boys and girls from the several high
schools represented at these meetings.
Principal Willard read paper on The Re-
lation of the Secondary School to the Col
lege." Miss Bliss of st. Adams appeared
with class of nineteen young scholars, and
demonstrated what can be done in teaching
numbers to very young pupils by means of
blocks. Following this came an interesting
class exercise in reading, conducted by Miss
E. j. Chapman of Burlington, and an exer-
else in music by Professor n. H. Thompson
of Burlington. In the evening Rev. DR.. c. N.
Sims gave an address on Neighbors-a
Study of Society"
Saturday morning Professor Bracket of
st Johnsbury Academy gave an address
on Natural Science in the Common
School," Mrs. j. II. Baird of Burlington
read an essay on The Proper Order of
Studies," and the exercises closed by paper
on Fine Art in our Common Schools" by
Miss E. l.. Harrison of the Methodist Sem
mary at Montpelier.
Officers were elected as follows President,
A. l.. Hardy of st. Johnsbury; vice-presi-
dents, Ezra Brainerd of Middlebury, j. j.
r. Randall of Rutland, Rev. j. H. Merrill of
Brattleboro, E. W. Howe of Bennington,
NJ. o. Perkins of Windsor, G. n. Henderson
of Newport, G. A. Bunker of Peacham, o.
P. Conant of st. Adams, o. H. Campbell of
johnson, o. n. Dana of Barre, w. n. Phelps
of South Hero, L. w. JENNIE of Island
Pond. In relation to the national move
ment for temperance education, resolutions
were passed petitioning congress to enact a
law requiring scientific temperance instruc-
ton in the public schools of the District of
Colum bia, the territories, in the military
and naval academies and Indian and colored
schools, supported wholly or in part by
money from the United States treasury.
A committee, consisting OF Governor Pin
gree, State Superintendent Dartt, President
Buckham and Principal K. Conant of Ran
dolph, was appointed to present the claims
of the town school system to the next legis-
lature.