Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-18

every one takes in growing life from
their own hands-in tree-planting.
In Southern California deforested
mean increased intensity of
drought in sumMer, and fiercer floods in
winter. Other countries have been in
iured or destroyed by undue forest denu-
dation. What has been may be again.
Let Us then have an Arbor Day. Should
this be established this year, it would
be we'll to have each child bring bottle
of water to use in planting it's tree.
Every Californian should plant at least
one tree year. An Arbor Day will do
much to stimulate tree planting. For
my mite in this direction, will present
upon the notice of the County Superin-
tendent 10000 trees to the school child
rem of Los Angeles county.
The afternoon session began at about 2
o'clock. w. s. Monroe, of Pasadena,
spoke on the teaching of science in the
public schools. He said: There is a
greater demand now than ever before for
the proper teaching of science in the
lower grades of our schools. One of the
reasons why our high schools are not
more successful than they are is that the
pupils come into them entirely ignorant
of the fundamental principles of science.
The elements are simple, and can be
taught to the youngest children in the
schools. Science teaching in the past
has been very poor and incomplete. In
my own experience it consisted only in
the memorizing of facts from textbook.
Science is organized knowledge; it may
be obtained either from the experience
of others or through our own experience.
1t is the function of the school and
teachers to lead the child to acquire for
himself the great facts of nature.
For example, let us review in brief g
series of lessons on insects. On Friday
the teacher suggests that each member
of the class bring on Monday some in.
sect, and / would advise that it be some
insect which will not be obnoxious. The
natural squeemishness of pupils must be
considered, although in time it can be
overcome. Assign thirty minutes day
for the work, and give it to the school as
a whole, no m utter how many grades il
may contain. Each pupil has his insect
on Monday. By questions you elicit
statements With regard to the various
parts of the cricket. You must yourself
thoroughly understand the subject, not to
tell them about it, but to correct the errors
into which they will naturally fall. A
cricket furnishes an excellent lesson in
anatomy. On Tuesday you will have a
lesson. You place para
graph outline on the blackboard, which
the pupils under your questioning
will fill out Wednesday may be
devoted to. criticism, but what
is written should be corrected in the
classroom by yourself and the scholars,
and not taken home. Begin with the
errors that are common to most of the
class and center your efforts on thenk
Use Thursday for copying and correcting
the exercise and for drawing. If draw
ing is of any value it is for its use in
study. Pupils of the last decade OPP.
pear to have learned very little from
the reproducing of pictures. To be of
value, drawing should be from the OBJ
jects themselves, and should begin with
the youngest pupils. The reason why
there are difficulties in the teaching OF
drawing is that it is usually not begun
until the pupils have reached a point
where their mental concept of a picture
of an object is so far in advance of their
ability to reproduce it that they become
We want a closer rel ,tion
between drawing and school work. Friday
we will have dissection and mount
ing lesson. Notice how the limbs are
and ere the wings are at
tached, and mount it in correct position.
1t need not be urged that you have no
appliances. A needle stuck in a pine
stick will do for dissection, and few
and little mucilage for
Kill the creature in humane
and instead of teaching cruelty
My plea is that we should have intelli-
gent teaching in this work. Unless You
have definite plan you will make
farce of it. You must work out the de-
tails of the plan yourselves, and you
must be enthusiastic in the work to in
still interest in the pupils. This method
will often do wonders for some dull boy
or girl. IN this climate it is especially
as insects and plants can be
obtained every day in the year.
At the conclusion Of his remarks, the
speaker showed a number of comp posi-
tlons on insects. with samples of the
creatures mounted on paper.
After a recess of few minutes Miss
King, of San Diego, sang solo, and L.
D Brown followed on the subject of
Patriotic Education" He said:
With your knowledge of mental sci
ence and of education, you will be able
20 assign the right place in the general
scheme for instruction in civics and in
patriotism. To know our country is to
love her beyond all other countries. The
first thing in instructing our youth in the
duties of patriotism ia TO teach them
what our country is. We should teach
physical geography in the light of his
tory-that the American continent is to
be the scene of the greatest development
of civilization ever seen. 1t ID great
satisfaction to study and teach science, but
the teacher has more pleasure in the
thought that he instructs those who are
to rule the nation. The love of country,
ia one of the grandest sentiments that
Can actuate the human soul. | would
have every teacher feel that the country
is his and that every stripe aud star on
the flag have meaning for him. The
teacher must know and love his country.
The history of the country must be
tanght in patriotic way, aRd we ought
to make more u5e of that side or litera-
ture which slim ulates patriotism.
There is perhaps the greatest spirit OF
unrest among our people that has ex-
listed for quarter of century. We
must encourage the young men and
women to look beyond themselves, urg-
iug the moral eide of education. We
should spend more time in intoxicating
the necessity of developing themselves
to better citizenship.