St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-08

ris has fine irOnical touch.
and he complimented DR.. Sheldon for
his remuneration of crankism on this
subject. This sally was greeted with
laughter. DR.. Harris is an advocate of
spontaneous training allowing the
children to take their own physical out
door exercise. Quite different view
was taken by Prof. 2. Richards, of
Washington. The professor is one of
is short, wiry, well-preserved man,
bearing a strong likeness to Cardinal
Manning. The professor is lecturer
on education. and was the first presi-
dent of the National Educational asso-
citation. His opinion carries much
weight in the council, largely owing to
the original opinions which he invaria-
bly, enuncates. Prof. Richards posi-
tiOn on this question attracted consider
able attention. He said:
1t would not only physically train the mus
cles of the arms. the legs and other parts OF
| the body but would also train the muscles OF
| the mOuth-the tongue. would have some
of our educators educated so that they can
speak distinctly, so that when they are utter
| Ing their wisdom upon this floor and other
floors the people can hear what they say and
utterances of this body and other bodies is
understood by the congregations ano audi
| ences who are listening to them, simply be-
cause they have not had that physical train
tongue. The difficulty is there, and it begins
with the first lessons given to chill
| dren. We all of us were put through
| q course of physical mouth training Whlch IS
| perfect abominable. The muscles OF the
mouth should be trained SO that the child can
enuneiate sound. One-half of the people
do not know when they enunciate true ele-
mentary sound AT present children grow
up mumplers-mouthers-o words; not only
| the children but the educated men.
Supt. Hailmain, of Peoria, ILL.,, took a
| broad view of the question, supporting
| the general tenor of the report. MIR.
Calkin took occasion to explain certain
| points in the report, incidentally men
| tioning that in the schools of New York
| twenty different dialects were spoken
| by the children. DR.. Harris having in
| dicated that he was not imbued by a
soul-burning desire to father the con-
clusions of the report, was asked by
| DIR. Hinsdale to give tine members
| the benefit Of his views on physi-
cal training. DR.. Harris responded.
| He was staunch supporter OF the old
time recess. where the boys and girls
| could 90 out into the air, freeing them
| in school and the cramps of the wit.
/
| the training of the vital organs.
| Supt. Greenwood, Of Kansas City,
strongly advocated physical training.
| He animadverted on the crooked bodies
| of the pedagogueS to be seen on the
street, urging that this was one great
reason why there should be more sys-
tematic training of children. The cry
that the children of this country were
becoming a puny set was wrong. He
had weighed the children in the schools
| of Kansas City and found that. at the
ages of six, ten and eighteen, the boys
and girls weigh ed more, upon the aver
age, than did the children of Europe.
This bosh that we heard about Ameri-
cans becoming intensely nervous had
no existence. AS nationality
crooked, in our shoes than any other
/ intelligent nations of the earth. Prof.
F. L. Soldan. of st. Louis, took turn
at the suggested training of the muscles
of the mouth. He, however, toOk.a diff
| ferent view to that of Prof. Richards.
| To him it looked as if we had perhaps a
| little too much mouth training.
Prof. Richards Gnterruptingl-Too
much mouth talking, not enough mouth
| training.
Prof. Soldan retaliated that language
| training was what was required. Prof.
| Fitzpatrick, of LeavenWorth, Kan., per-
| hapS one of the most advanced education-
| alists in the council. took most decided
| view. He declared considerable dam
| age was being done to children by this
| physical training, from the kinder
| garten upwards. 1t was like the teach
| Ing of physiology by teachers who tdid
not understand the first principles of
| physiology. For teacher to start to
| teach physical exercises without
a thorough knowledge of pbysi-
| Ology and anatomy seemed to
him great mistake. Prof.
Allyn, of the normal school, Carbon
dale. ILL.,, introduced another side to the
question-the moral side. He urged
| that moral training must come in very,
very early if it was to be very effect
ual. The sentiment of the council,
however, was decidedly interested in
the physical and language training of
children. and, as consequence. no one
at once followed up the side taken by
Prof. Allyn. DR.. Hancock queried the
| position urged by DIR. Harris in his adj
Mr.. Hancock argued that while
spontaneous exercise was all very
1 we'll in its way, it was not enough.
/ Symmetrical bodies would not come
| from spontaneous exercises. There
must be additional physical training to
/ supplement this spontaneous exercise.
/ DIR. White was very earnest in his plea
for language training. There was no
| other branch, he said, in which their
schools were so radically deficient.
Training in language should give the
| child the power to express his own
knowledge, whatever that may be, in
clear, accurate and forcible. if not in
| elegant language. Prof. G. G. Rounds,
! of New Hampshire, having entered his
| Endorsement of the report, DR.. Hinsdale
moral education. His conclusions
| were:
/ / think the time has come when this whole
i subject of moral education ought to be taken
/ up by men and women who have given some
| attention to it. Something elementary in
whether it might be done in the way of fur
| nishing the teachers with some rubric, pro.
gramme or an outline which would give
them more distinct ideas in regard to this
matter, because am satisfied, so far as the
teachers generally are concerned, their short
| comings are not so much of purpose and
spiritas they are of intelligence and under
| standing.
Much spirit was given the conclusion
| of the debate by DR.. Harris, who en-
tered strong protest against any in
| sinuation that we were not including
moral instruction in our schools. He
claimed that the four elements--punc-
| tuality, regularity, silence and indus
try-which were taught in every school,
were conducive to the uplifting of
morals. He also made a cut at partisan
religious newspapers, which. Deca use
| of the absence of religious training, as
| sumed there was no moral education in
| our schools. These newspapers based
their arguments on hysterical statistics
regarding the crimes of the country.
DR.. Harris. amid hearty applause, de-
nounced the authenticity of these sta
tistics and showed that our jails and
penitentiaries were largely recruited
from the illiterate.
/ The remarks of DR.. Harris reused
several members, and despite it was
after 12 O'Clock, the time for adjourn
ment, many jumped to their feet ''jusl
to ask question" Prof. Richards Sc
cured the permission of the council. He
asked DR.. Harris whether the foul
elements-punctuality, regularity, 81