The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-01-08

lCensinued Frorn llllsl Page.l

infendenf for many years
County superintendent Coughlin-
language study. The reforms that com
across the horizon OF professional work
always do some good. language as W
study il, at the beginning deals with th'
symbols ofthought. after time il be
comes incidental. language will no
ever be taught BY teaching at oae time
and in one branch, and then neg
lecfing 1t in all other branches i
must be .aneht incidental
The frst language lessons that wer'
published were merely easy methods o.
learning grammar. language lessons
should lead to composition and not tC
technical grammar What we need j:
an elementary rhetoric rather than an ell
ementary grammar Composition should
be oral and written; oral being OF pri-
mary importance and having the prefer
ence. Lead the children as soon as pos
sible to tell you their own stories, that
nobody else knows and y0u don't know
Don't criticise the children too closely
at first Ny idea Of good teaching i.
where the child is at absolute freedom OF
thought and expression and yet never
ovefsteps the bounds of proPriety- Lad
the children to accuracy ofexPression.
The highest power Of expression Is Ian
guage. and it is your business to see that
the child gets at the correct forn-at the
truth. A child cannot tell what he does
not understand, man can't either.
II iisa very important thing to know q
thing, and it is. perhaps, still more i'm
portant TO know when you don't know
q thing Education is finding the truth
and giving it expression. A correct sen
fence doesn't always prove the correct use
Of language Children viii use correctly
words they don't know the meaning Of
in sentences.
DR.. Brooks continued his lecture on
the use Of perception The frs, faculty
OF the intellect Is called perception. The
avenues Of the mind are the FIVE senses.
They have been called the eateways of
the soul. Perception gives Us the lowest
kind Of knowledge, but without peroep-
ton there could be no knowledge If
all the five senses, the gsteways Of the
soul, could be closed, wins tever the Crest
Father may have in store for such an
imprisoned soul. can see no means Of
development liz our teaching We have
too mach neglected the perceptive pow
ers. We have not cultivated the percep-
tive powers
When the child starts TO school the
teacher closes the book of nature and
starts him on an entirely new line. The
iirst class should be Geometry. The
children Of Eve years of age should be
pursuing the study Of Geometry. In the
best schools this is being done. The
second class should be the Doing class
Get a table and put the children at If
with geometric forms, paper and pencil,
and let them draw these forms; let them
Do geometry. The third class may be
the Taking class" for the study Of
language.
Professor Frye continued his InstTuc-
iions in Geography. At the request Of
the Institute. Professor Frye gave syn
opsis Of the revolution in Brazil.
The second step in teaching Geography
is to develop the power OF the child 70
perceive, to imagine the forms OF natural
o ojects. When you study the brook, the
mountain, etc, take the most beautiful
gems os poetry and prose bearing on the
subject and store them away.
Adjourned to $50 p. m.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION.
Institute vas called 10 order at I.3G.
Music by the Institute, conducted by the
Musical Director.
A talk by 5 D. Elriek, of Berlin. He
said
A profession Is that which one profess
g one that he claims to understand. We,
IL teachers, are engaged in the profession Of
teaching. How shall we retai1 our places in
the profession Think Of the number Of per-
sons who are fitting themselves for some
Profession. Is there not. then. some danger
in store for us elder teachers May not the
future bring forth superior set Of teacher ?
Younger men. who will be our superior in
every respect Schools are rot made for
teachers. They are put into them, and for
fourteen or fifteen years of the life Of the
child we have him under our control. We
should read the textbooks on the profession
that we can procure. We have many sdvan-
fages over the teachers of earlier days We
have this Iastiiuse, with al. that j gives Us
~ are paid for our time, and with econOmy
this money viii bear Orr expenses We are
q fair representation ofthe profession in SON.
erset county. How do we compare with the
teachers in other counties Have you ever
heard any comparison made Have yoG
ever heard one 10 our disadvantage If 80,
who was spoken of Teachers should re-
spec and encourage one another. Teachers
A1sIcI many fAs-iAuicAtc- LAY
after day, it may be, the teacher devises Hew
pla rs. and yet his work may not be sue
cess. He IS lAbOring under Disadvantages
how many Of Us viii 20 TO him and pour
into his ear words Of sympathy, and il may
be OF advice lie; Us cultivate that spirit
which will rejoice in the success of Others.
and lei Us 20 forward in this, the noblest
work that man has ever been called upon
TO do.
Music, by Miss Fee. Of ConnelIsTiile.
Dr.. Brooks continued his instruction In
teaching the elements Of fractions. have the
pupil use the percepiive powers. The con-
e-,stion Of a fraction Is . very complex con-
ee,f first We want the conception Of the
unit. then Of the fraction. Indian boys and
girls. who thoroughly understand the fnBda-
mental rules, as well as white boys snd girls
tail when they come to fractions. The same
Is true Of the colored boys and girls in the
South Never forbid thing before the thing
is done Teach the abstract by means ofthe
concrete. Measure the actual units OF denOm-
li4Ape u1hioeiS- w t~11. A1N0cA y @Aac . e
than by the ear. Never call attention to the
misspelling o. written word simply erase
the wcai and write il in correctly. Percep-
tive power may be cultivated in the writing
OF compositions. Don's try 10 tell what you
don't know LEI the child look at something
get an idea Of it. and then tell what il knows
The greatest writers have written from what
they saw. Homer. and Milton. and Shakes
peare, and Byron. and wadsworth. and
Barns and many Others. have filed their