The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-07-13
TEACHERS IN SESSION.
a Gathering from Two States at the Blue
Mountain House.

prominent Baltimoreau would say an
atmosphere of intellectually pervaded
the Blue Mountain House to-day, apd
will float about the place for two days
more. 1t is due to gathering OF meia-
bers of the Mary land and Delaware State
Teachers Association, who began their
joint meeting this evening. About 40
! ladies and gentlemen were present. The
ladies were not of the old stereotyped
style of schoolmarm, wearing goggles and
carrying a birch. but pleasant intelligent
looking women. The Maryland ladies,
as usual, bore the pleasant state imprint,
while many of the Delawareans had the
desirable peach blow appearance. The
arrivals included very few Baltimoreaus,
but most of the counties of the state and
| Delaware were well represented.
The meeting opened with prayer by
Rev. VIM. Dale. Mr.. p. n. Wilmer, of
| Hagerstown, made an address of welcome
and dwelt upon the many historical
events surrounding the locality of the
meeting. Gov. Benjamin L. Biggs, of
Delaware, a venerable looking gentleman
in appearance, not unlike MIR. Mosher, of
prohibition fame, made response. He
spoke of the honorable and important
vocation of the teacher. He urged that
| SCuOOlS, sChooio
and colleges, be literally sustained, and
favored the education of both sexes. Men
! of all callings should be educated. The
| American government rests on morality,
virtue and temperance, and this the
teachers of the young should not forget
or sever from these very principles of the
| foundation of good education.
| Mr.. III. G.. Weimer, president of the
| Maryland Association, delivered an ad-
dress on the duties we, as educators, owe
to the state He dwelt upon the duty of
| the teacher to calculate the importance
of the work done in the public schools.
| TO calculate the value of the minds and
characters of coming generations of this
| commonwealth-at task not to be attempt
| ed, for to gauge the human mind is to
measure the infinite. Intelligence in a
| government like ours is an absolute ne.
cessity. A republic could not long endure
with the masses kept in illiteracy. The
| immense power welded by the news
! papers of to-day is due to national intel
ligence The freedom Of the press would
| be an empty phrase without the Influence
| of the schooroom and the teacher. An
unread editorial were as well unwritten.
| The greatest book would be but printers
| ink and paper, were it not for the intel
| ligeut and educated mind that reads and
| comprehends it. But We would not be
little the work done by the press. This
is the q eatest social and political power,
perhaps, in civilized countries. Without
the press the mass of our people would
know nothing of the affairs of state. A
star chamber secrecy would be the inevl-
| table result. Thus we emphasize the
duty We owe the state in preparing the
public mind to be benefited by the great
boon of free press and an open Bible.
In this vast country we are now spending
annually millions of dollars for public
school education. The state of Maryland
spends annually nearly two millions. We
are responsible to the state for the proper
expenditure and use of this sunni not
directly, then indirectly. II unfair use
be made OF it, the evil can be corrected
only by creating right public sentiment,
and herein rests upon us the work OF
creating proper public sentiment and leg
islation. We are, or should be, experts
in this work. Mr. Weimer thought the
association should have committee on
legislation, and through it acquaint the
! lawmakers with the present defects of
| the school system. The vast immigra
ton now tiocking to our shores must be
Americanized, or it will Europeanize us.
| These immigrants must come to think
free and pulsate with the American heart.
Our social and political system must be
taught them. The child of the Italian,
German and Irish must lose the brogue
and accent of his mother country, and
not only be with us, but of us. Much of
this change comes by education. 1t is not
the naturalization papers granted by the
country which makes the American citi-
zen, but the training and education given
by the teachers to the foreign, born child.
| The children of these immigrants must
| be lifted by the public schools. and make
! it a moral strength, rather than an over
| hanging evil. He made plea for manual
training schools.
Superintendent Herman Bessey, presi-
dent of the Delaware Association. con
cluded the exercises with "a we'll written
address on the Genus of Teachiug.'
The exercises were interspered with
music by an orchestra.
WEDNESDAYS SESSION.
! At the morning session of the joint
meeting of the Maryland and Delaware
| Teachers Association Professor M. A
| Newell entertained the audience by his
address on Teachers Certificates and
Oi OlllCt. vi lue lOTEl6T lie
showed the necessity on the ground of
scientific calling, which makes it obliga-
| tory of its patrons 90 insure themselves
against frauds and impostors. The
speaker admitted, though, that they were
not conclusive, as highly scholastic
qualification is not always associated
with technical ability, management and
executive power. The tenure of office is
a bugbear to many teachers. This should
not be; after a moderately successful
trial of the ability of a teacher, he or she
should be retained for the benefit of the
school, as the continual change works
harm to perfect school system; teachers
should be retained during good behavior.
He wittily quoted an extract ANY per-
son shall not be put out of office until he
has got to the end of it,
The next paper read was by DR.. w. L.
GoOding, of Dover, Del, on Psychology
and Pedagogy, in which he claimed that
an intimate acquaintance of this science
as applicable TO the duties of the school
room was no more requisite of the
model teacher than was a thorough
knowledge of chemistry and astronomy
Rev. John Squier, of Cecil, offered some
very pertinent remarks on this subject,
endorsing the views expressed in the
paper.
Mr.. NJ. A. Newell then read an ella
borate report on the working of the State
Reading Circle, claiming for the same
great benefits for the usefulness of the
teachers and improvement in their work
as result. The exercises were inter-
spersed by a piano recital rendered by
Miss Annie F.. Dashiell, of Washington,
D. G. Her Interpretation of Godard's
Mazurka No. ? was very fine. The after
noon session was devoted to two papers
on teaching history by Il. H. Alvey, Jr.,
of Hagerstown, in which the advantages
OF the historical charts were ably put
forth, and paper on the scope of the |
high schools by NJ. w. A. Eckels. of
Snow Hill, Md, which was discussed by
o. II. Bruce and J. II. Whiteman Mai. |
II. E. Alvord, president of the MARYLAND |
Agricultural College, gave very timely |
address on agricultural Education for |
Young and DID, winch was listened to |
with marked attention.
The main feature of the evening session |
was Professor j E. NcCahan's illustrated |
lecture on California. He was ably as
sisted by Messrs Russell & Co., of Balti-
more, who had charge CT the views.
More Information for the Farmers.
WASHINGTON, July 10.-Secretary Rusk
today took an important step in the work
of reorg aniZation of the Department of