Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-08-31
The Educational Picnic.

Picnic, ~, (French piquenique
Formerly an entertainment at which
each person contributed some dish o.
article for the general table;in presen
use, an entertainment carried on by I
party on an excursion of pleasure in
to the country; also the party itself
- Webster.
No enthusiasm about that.
Cold, hard, business-like definition
Good old Noah Webster probably
never was at one in his life or be
would certainly have put more color
in his definition of picnic. Some
old dyspeptic has told Webster all he
knew of that peculiar feature of this
land of the free, and that's why there
is such an absence of enthusiasm m
about a picnic as it appears in Web.
ster's Unabridged.
Now, if he could have been at the
Educational Picnic at Slippery Rock
Park on Wednesday,
To begin with: Everybody in Gen.
treville was there, nearly everybody
of Harrisyille and a great many from
everywhere else in the county. The
teachers were there, the friends of
education generally were there, and
the Professors wers there, and let it
be known that when they get out
they have a time. The weather
was fine, and everyone had more than
barrel of fun,
The first event of the day was a
ball game between the Centreville and
Greenville clubs and Ourville beat
Theirville by a score Of l3 to 10,
which goes to show that education
and athletics go hand-in-hand.
Dinner was announced at twelve
o'clock aud the only way the amount
eaten could be accounted for was on
the supposition that everyone was a
hearty eater and mighty hungry, and
that everything was perfectly splen-
did," The way spring chickens of
the vintage of '88 disappeared was
appalling and was enough to make
the Undertaker's Trust shake in it's
boots.
After dinner school was called and
speeches were made by some Of the
leading educators of this vicinity.
Prof Mackey, Sup't of City Schools
here, spoke first, and cautioned the
Normal School in the selection of the
Faculty saying that the school would
be as its teachers. He made a very
logical address in favor of education
as polish and refinement. and plead
for its appreciation as an inward en-
joyment and for self culture as being
an idea over and above its value as a
practical benefit in life.
Lev. McQuistion, Esq. made an ad-
dress on moral training in connection
with science, thought morals could
be taught in the schoolroom without
the Bible, and said that all the COM
monwealth expected of our public
schools was to turn out good citizens.
Sup't Of Pittsburg Schools, George
j. Luckey was a mirthful and i'm
pressive speaker who opposed teach
ing religion and science in the same
school and thought France was made
infidel On that account, giving as his
reason that requiring everything to
be demonstrated makes one want the
fact of our creation by God to be
demonstrated, too. Prof Luckey
evidently forgets that even in math-
ematics there are truths which defy
demonstration. Two parallel straight
lines, however far extended will never
meet, yet vino can demonstrate it? He
closed with the Catacomb story which
was heartily applauded.
Prof. Hamilton, Sup't of Allegheny
Schools. spoke in an entertaining ard
instructive manner.
Hon. G. w. FIeeger made short
address complimenting the people of
Centreville on their enterprise in TAX
ing hold of the Normal School mat
ter, and their energy in making a sue
cess of it.
Sup't of Mercer Co. Schools, S. II.
McCleery, in his remarks, compared
the reports of graduates and qualii,
cations of teachers in the Counties OF
Western Pennsy lvania and showed
what a benefit Normal School is to
it's county.
Altogether the picnic was one Of
the pleasantest affairs that has been
held for long time and handsome
sum was cleared, besides.
The Trustees of the Normal School
who composed the committee of
arrangements are to be given great
credit for the success which crowned
their labors.