The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-06-26
THE STATE TEACHERS.
ONE OF THEIR VERY INTEREST.
ING DAYS
Voted the Best Day Of ali..The Work
Of the Day..Meetinys Of Clubs.
Notes, Personals, &c.

Voted the Best Day Of ali..The Work
Of the Day..Meetinys Of Clubs.
Notes, Personals, &c.
ATLANTIC HOTEL,
MoREHEAD CITY, June "a.
To-day was Natural Science Day"
with the teachers.
There was large and greatly inter-
ested audience in the assembly hall
during the day It was expected that
the exercises would be specially inter
esting and they were. 1t had been an
nounced that there would oe some work
by the ''Sea Club" of which Prof. W. L.
Poteat is president, and another attrac
ton announced was lecture on "How
to Teach Botany in Public Schools" by
Prof. W. F. Massey, of the college of
agriculture and the mechanic arts.
This paper was the first feature of the
days exercises. It was listened to with
profound attention. Prof. Massey said
that there was one general failing in the
system of teaching public schools.
Teachers and pupils generally learned
enough from books, but they had hith-
erto failed to win that practical
information which could only come from
the questioning and handling Of nature.
One great trouble with the boys who
came from the schools into the colleges
was that they had been taught to memo
rize facts from books, but had never had
any practical training in any of the
sciences. IT q boy could have the prop
or training he would, by the time he was
ten years old, have some understanding
of miueralogy, geology, botany ETC., as
well AZ geography. Most Of the boys in
the schools would always be in direct
contact with nature, because most of
them would work in the woods and the
fields, but nature had hitherto been q
sealed book to them because they had
never been induced to inquire into the
secrets. They had never been taught to
think about them, and they did not usu.
ally make voluntary, practical 1bserva-
tions. He illustrated the point by citing
a simple instance. A man who had
been farming several years, saw that his
crops aud trees we're being ravaged by
caterpillars. He sought to destroy them
and went out every day and burned
their webs and nests. But there appear
ed to be no perceptlble diminution
In the nnmOer of the worms nor
any decrease in the havoc they work
ed This went on for some days, until
the farmers little daughter went to him
and said: "Papa, know why you do
not hill the .aterpillars. You 60 out
every morning to burn their nests, and
Just at that time the caterpillars are
away from home getting something to
eat. When they come back and ind
their webs gone. they make them over
again" This opened the farmers eyes.
He watched the caterpillars, found when
they all were at home, and then he soon
freed his crop from the pests. This was
but an illustration of the "want Of
thought and observation" which was 50
general, and 1t was general, because
there was no practical study OF science IN
the public schools. Prof. Massey ap
pealed for change in this respect. He
wished that there might be q science de-
partment in all the public schools. AT
ter he expressed this wish, he entertain
ed the assembly for some time by show
ing how the study of plants might b,
conducted in the public schools in sim
ple but effective manner.
Prof. W. L Poteat discussed Prof
Massey's paper, and advocated stud.
of botany, beginning with the love,
order Of plant life. He thought i
advisable to begin with the simpl
aud work up to the complex forms Q
plant life. This might be done with th
and OF a microscopic; and he did no
think any school was complete withou
a microscope. He thought that an
school committee would do q marvel
lousy good thing to suspend the schot
for two months, If necessary, for tn
purpose of accommodating fund to pul
chase that instrument. The lower orde
of plants was discovered and classiie
in lS42. Our schools knew but littl
about this order, and hence We wei
about fifty years behind time. Th
fault of the schools could be easil
remedied by study of the plants wit
the aid of q microscope.
Prof. j. A. Holmes, of the State Un
versity, also advocated the study
botany from the bottom up. He hs
observed that people generally care
very little for hearing about "botany
DuC ne n6O uOtlC0O tuHt Wu0u0VcC
took up plant and tried to tell som
thing about it, 1t was very seldom th
ihe listener did not become greatly i
terested He believed in the study
plants on account Of its immense prac
cal value, and he hoped that our ef
Gent state Superintendent Of Public
struction would give his attention al
encouragement to this branch Of stu
in the public schools.
Prof. W. L. Poteat followed Pr,
Holmes in lecture on "Animal Stud
for Children"
He began by saying that, just 40
there was net tue for this branch
study; that the school period was
ready too short, and besides being I
short, it was too full, and nothing 9
could be incorporated into the course
study. He didn't like this condition
things. He laid down the prOposit
that the study OF animals and matt
was q supreme necessity, and he
nounced any condition that did
make room for supreme necessit
He said that children loved auimals b
ter than anything else. They
rather play with dog or kitten Il
with anything else. Whatever q CT
might be doing. he dropped proceedil
at proposition to 90 to Sec the hors
This allowed that children had