Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-27
COMPARIS0NSODIOUS.
The Superiority of German Over
American Schools Dwelt Upon
AT THE PEDAGOGUES' INSTITUTE.
Reasons Why the Prussian Method is More
Successful Than Ours.
COUNTY PRINCIPALS NOW ORGANIZING

vein, yesterday, at the Teachers Institute,
and each handled his subject in a manner
warranted to produce lasting impressions.
The session was called to order by Superin-
tendent P. A. Shanor, of McKeesport, after
which Rev. Mr.. Johnston, of Freeport, led
in devotional exercises. The singing, as
usual, was under the able leadership OF
Prof W. S. weeden, who also favored the
teachers with several solos, rendered in an
excellent manner, during the day. Miss
Ida Boyle ofieiated at the piano.
Prof. James nj. Caughlin, in an address
on Interest and Attention of Pupils in the
Schoolroom," convinced the teachers that a
boy could not and would not learn unless
his undivided attention was given the sub
ject in question. and that in gaining his at
tention long step was made in his educa-
ton. Prof. Caughliu's fund of anecdote
and story, whereby he illustrates his lee
lures. is inexhaustible and productive of any
amount of merriment, at the same time &C
compIishing the desired results.
Dr. Theodore B. Moss followed, on the
subject of German Schools" and from his
knowledge, gained while abroad, was COM
PEELED to make some very unfavorable COM
parisons between the German school system
and our own. According to DR.. Moss, the
Germans are eminently more practical, and
develop the eye, the ear, the hand, the foot
and, in fact, every faculty, instead of the
memory, simply.
ADOPTED FROM THE GERMAN.
DR.. Moss referred to several features of
the American school system already adopted
from the Germans and predicted a great
many more as Germany has the most per-
feet school system in the world. In his adj
dress, DR.. Moss proved himself a thorough
master of the educational question, and was
congratulated on all sides by his listeners
as having given q very powerful and In
structive talk.
DR.. A E Winship's was 'The Dull
Boy" far more numerous than the dull
girl, but preceding 1.-The Dull Boy" was an
introduction that proved the speaker had
never been of that class himself. In fact,
such a volley of wit, in such polished
language, with such finished delivery, is
seldom heard as rolled from the lips
of DR.. Winship,. as he compared
England, with her practical aggressiveness
and desire to "pick up" everything and
every country OF value, even if she had to
''pIek up" genuine American in order to do
so;Germany, with her senumentality and i'm
practicability; France, with her ability to
dictate fashions, with America, the greatest
nation under the sun for solving problems
of any character; America who has never
yet failed in solving a problem, and who
never must fail, but who needs all of her
children, even the dull boy, to perpetuate
her successes. Then followed a treatise
that made even the most stupid boy inter-
esting for some time, and gave the teachers
many point as to how to detect and in
struct the dullest of boys.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
AT the afternoon session Dr. Winship was
the first speaker. The subject of his talk
was "What Books Should a Principal
Resd?" He began BY saying that all edu-
Gators should continually enlarge their
ideas and broaden their minds BY reading
thoroughly good books. The educator, to
keep up with the times, must depend on
books. The number of books read is not
material. Books that are elevating and in
structive should be selected. Those teachers
whose pecuniary condition will not permit
large annual investment in books should use
more care in selecting their mental pabulum,
and should make themselves masters of the
books they do read by repeated readings.
Fifty times is not too often to read some
books.
SOuSullu, OI 11uZeTQe
county, opened his address BY few remarks
on a subject that is dear to the hearts of
teachers-salary. Under the present sys-
tenn OF paying teachers the individual has
little or no incentive to do good work. A
better plan would be to introduce sliding
scale of salaries. The teacher could be en-
ployed al a salary of $40 per month, with the
condition that he would receive $40 at the
end OF the second month, and in like man.
4, Al
the term, when the board should vote to nav
a teacher who had been eminently successful
say $50 per month for the term. This would
provide an incentive to good work that is
now lacking.
The county superintendent of schools in a
popular county like Allegheny can spend
but a short time at any particular school.
Some teachers imagine that, therefore, the
superintendent cannot form just estimate
of the work they are doing. This is great
mistake. The superintendent, who is nee
essarily trained educator, can tell whether
he is in good school or poor one in a very
few minutes after ne enters. In a school
where the teacher is master of his profession
the children will be quiet and orderly in at
tending recitations and reciting, and at
their desks they will be working diligently
at their lessons. In the school governed by
q poor teacher the pupils will be noisy, the
room will be untidy and most of the scholars
will be idle.
SOME OF THE SIGNS.
These are some of the signs that bear evil
dence to whether the teacher is master of
the situation or not.
DR.. Moss continued his address on Ger
man public schools. The Germans make |
the end OF education to develop the facul- |
ties, rather than to store the mind with |
facts. We, the teachers in this country.
should Keep it more clearly in mind that |
our work is to prepare our pupils for the |
lite they are to lead after leaving school. |
The highest excellency of the Prussian sys- |
fem of education is that it prepares the |
pupils for their after lives. A second diff |
terence between the Prussian method and |
ours is in the means with which they seek |
to realize the end in view, viz, thorough |
preparation OF teachers. Prussia has a pop |
ulatiou six times as large as Penn
sylvania. We have II schools for |
the instruction of teachers, outside /
the larger cities, and Prussia has 115 We |
graduate about 500 teachers every year;
Prussia graduates about six times as many. |
The Prussisn teachers enter the profession |
for life; here they are required to teach only i
two years Prusslan teachers rarely change |
their profession. as they cannot afford to do |
SO alter spending three years in a seminary |
to prepare themselves tor teaching. Ninety |
per cent Of Prussian teachers are men; in |
our larger cities 80 per cent are women. On |
this account Prussia loses fewer teachers by |
marriage than We. During the past so years /
the average time Prussian teachers have re-
nained in the profession is II years; In the
United states about three years