Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-06
THE TEACHERS.
Closing Session of the County
Institute.
GOOD MANNERS AND MORALS.
Resolutions Adopted by the Meeting
Assembled-County Teachers
Association.

dent Seaman in the chair. The session
began in Turnverein Hall at 8 o'clock,
the roll being called by Assistant Secre-
retary @. E. Jones.
Superintendent Monroe presented the
subject of manners and Morals" He
said: "It is decidedly the province Of
the public schools to teach the children
the difference between right and wrong,
especially as many of the scholars are
from homes where politeness is strang'
or, and where the child il left alone in
these matters, would grow up to be dis
grace to himself and the school in which
he was taught. l believe myself in Great
ing in the schools moral atmosphere,
whit h all the children must live in, and
thus uuconsciously they will learn what
is right, and be taught to blush when
thew hear of things that are morally
wrong. It is for this reason particularly
that would have the teacher be model
in this respect, and teach by precept as
we'll as by example. Ihave heard teachers
take hold of subject before the school,
and by so treating il bring out a moral
at the end of the lesson. that is for ever
impressed upon the minds of the scholars.
II remember one instance particularly
which occurred in Pennsylvania in the
region where so much anthracite coal is
m ined. Day after day news came of
terrible disasters in the mines, and the
children of the school, when they left
their fathers and brothers in the morn
ing, never knew whether they would
ever see them alive again. This teacher
had q lump of coal on her desk, and in
the early part of her lesson had the chill
dIen give her description OF what it
was, how it was procured, for what pur-
pose it was used, and how it was discov-
cred. Then, presently, she branehed off
and asked the children if they knew how
it was procured, who procured it, and, of
course, each child said that either its
father or brother was engaged in the
work of mining. Then the dangers of
the work were touched upon, and the
children were asked why their relatives
did such dangerous work. The answer
was that they had to do in order to get
money to feed and clothe the children.
Then came the best lesson on filial affec-
tioH that 1 have ever heard in any school
and you can hardly imagine how it was
impressed on the minds of those chill
dren.
"Now, in order to bring the subject of
Manners and Morals before the class in
an interesting manner, would have
that all teachers should use some book of
quotations from our best authors, and
every day place upon the board QUOTA
tion for each class to memorize. Each
class should have different one, for the
that l,at tuh he, n
ate to the children in the primary de-
partment, would be inappropriate fer
those in the intermediate and grammar
especially prepared for this purpose by
Mrs. Hoitt, which may be procured for
about 81, and am sure if you would all
get it and give my plan trial, you would
be highly pleased with the result.
sit is well known to most of you that
in the olden time the ancients we're in the
habit of nwearing amulets with which to
keep off the evil influences. Now 1
would that all OF you should place next
to the hearts OF your pupils an amulet of
the best and purest sayings of our great
men, and by filling their minds with
these little gems Of literature do great
amount of good. If you impress on their
minds pure and holy aspirations in their
early years, when they grow up to go out
into the world. it will be next to impos-
sible for them to forget your teachings"
The speaker then went iuto long pro-
gramme and description of how to ar
range in the schools for the teaching Of
these subjects, and stated that in every
instance all children should BIZ taught to
behave themselves, both in school and
at home. They should be instructed in
shcol how to behave at the table, how to
entertain callers, how to walk he streets
properly and orderly, how to treat elderly
people; and above all, how to under
stand and do their duty to their parents.
The subject of manners and morals was
something that too little importance was
attached to by many of the teachers in the
country, and when children were dis
orderly and misbehaved, often the
teacher was great deal to blame.
At the conclusion of his remarks on
this subject, the speaker thanked the
teachers present for the kind reception he
had met with the first time he had ever
attended California Teachers Institute,
and gave them many kindly words of ad-
vice as to their duties generally. He
said every teacher should have an ideal,
and have it set as high as possible, and
then work up to it. AS the apex was
being reached the ideal should be set up
another peg, and so on, until perfection
was finally reached. He then made
few remarks of mplimentary nature
about the County and State Superintend-
ents of Schools, and finished by stating
that the daily press of the city deserved
the lasting thanks of the teachers for the
interest the papers had taken in the work
of the Institute, and the great help given
the teachers.
Superintendent Seaman answered
questions that had been handed in, re-
garding points in the school law.
COUNTY TEACHERS ASSOCIATION.
A Los Angeles County Teachers Asso-
citation was organized by the election of
A. E. Baker, President, Mrs. M. L.
Chapman, Secretary, and Jessie A. Mil
lard, Treasurer, to serve with the County
Superintendent and some member of the
County Board of Education as an Exec
utive Committee. One object of the
Association is to hire and furnish room
in this city as general headquarters for
the teachers of the county.
The Committee on Resolutions pre-
sented the following report, which was
read and adopted.
WHEREAS, We appreciate the benefits
to be derived from successful Institute,
both professionally and socially, there
fore,
Resolved, That we recognize in our