Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-27
THE ROD WIELDERS.
Six Hundred From the County Begin
Their Annual Institute.
PRETTY GIRLS IN THE MAJORITY.
Able Lecturers Amuse and Instruct the
Earnest PedagOgues.
DIRECTORS WILL HAVE THEIR TURN

The County Teachers Institute opened
Yesterday morning in the High School with
600 bright teachers present The majority
OF the number were ladies, and, like all lady
school teachers, the majority were pretty
indeed, quite handsome.
Superintendent Hamilton stated that the
daily sessions would commence at $50
o'clock. adjourn at noon, and recommence
at 1:30 o'clock in the afternoon, closing at
o'clock.
After enrolment the teachers adjourned
for dinner and reassembled in the alter
noon.
Prof. A. E. Winship, editor of the Boston
Journal of Education and of the american
Teacher, delivered the first lecture. His
subject was Psychology" The lecture
was profound and extremely interesting.
The speaker said: Psychology as we need
it has to do simply with our ability to teach
better 1t will aid us in teaching four things
to know, to think, TO do and to be. In order
to attain this power we need to know the
child's mind not what it is but how it acts:
First how it acts naturally; second, what
we may do for it; third, how we may best
do it; fourth, when it can be best done.
The first distinction regarding the minds
activity is that it grows by feeding and
develops by exercising This is illustrated
by the way a child eats for growth until 10
or Is years of age, and then when growth
ceases he exercises for development because
he eats. Feeding for growth and exercising
for development are as essential in mental
activity as in physical lille.
THE PERIODS OF GROWTH.
''There are three great periods of mental
growth and development. First under z
years of age, between and IA and over IA
years. In the first period sense, hunger
and word hunger are the characteristics.
The second period brings an Intuitive de-
yelopment and the third the natural and
thinking development.
Prof. Winship, gave numerous illustra-
tions during his remarks which added greatly
10 the interest of his subject.
Miss Tillie Coffin, of Millersville, was
next introduced. The subject of her lecture
was History" The subject was we'll
handled and was greatly appreciated. Miss
Coffin reviewed the essentials of history,
what makes history and how to teach ii, eau
tioning all teachers to awaken interest in
the study by illustrations, and to morally as
we'll as mentally educate the pupil by
pointing out the great and good qualities
predominant in historic characters. The
speaker spoke very earnestly of the power
of history as a moral educator and as a
"series of living pictures" from which to
profit by the good and fear the example of
the bad
DR.. 2. X. SNYDER, principal of the Read
ing schools, closed the proceedings of the
day with bright and witty lecture on the
"Modern Teacher" He said:
''The proceedings of this institute will
give you plenty of the old objects, but like
bread, it is always palatable. The medical,
theological and legal professions are all
modern, so why not the teachers profession.
We are modern; we have now the develop
nent of the hand and body.
HEALTHY BODY NEEDED
manual training as weaving itself into the
.ducatiou of the modern teacher. A healthy
BODY makes a sweet disposition in the
eacher. That is an indispensable feature to
mpart and infuse into school work and into
he child.
: "The teacher should analyz. herself, de-
velop her own mind, and adapt herself to
her profession. Study the nature of the
child, and do not infict corporal punish
ment 1t is barbarous. The idea of a
teacher bending over a little child with
heavy rod in hand, about to strike, is a pic
ture OF cruelty. A child may die from the
shock. Never shake a child, either; it is
more dangerous than the use of a rod.
think that the modern teacher avoids pun
ishing. Years ago little girls were given as
hard thrashing as the ruffianly boy.
1.-The modern teacher should develop the
faculty of grouping ideas by chain of re-
lationship.''
Here the speaker took a round pebble
from his pocket and asked some one to tell
him why it is round. A dead silence
reigned for minute, when a small voice
from the audience said: "From rubbing
against other pebbles"
He closed his address by some good max
inns for the teachers to follow.
To-day will occur the first institute of
directors. There are 79 school boards in the
county, and each will be represented. The
meeting will be at the Pittsburg Female
College. President A. E. Stewart will de-
liver an address, and will be followed by
the County Superintendent.