Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-07-03
STATE TEACHERS.
Interesting Work Mt the Forenoon Session
Yesterday.

Yesterday.
Special Correspondence Of the REGISTER.
MouxDsvIILE, July 1.-The session Of
the State Teachers Association opened
with singing Nearer My God to Thee" by
Profs. Fleming and Armstrong. Prayer
by Rev. Wood and a song by the choir iol-
lowed. Prof. Armstrong, of West Lioer-
ty. read the first paper on ''Ihe FUNCTIONS
of the Normal School" He said:
Experience shows that teaching, IKE
every other department of human thought
and activity, must change with the chang
ing conditions of society. In order that
teaching might keep its place amidst the
progress in all the other arts, sciences and
professions. professional schools have been
established.
Normal Schools have very short his
tory. The first public Normal school was
established at Lexington, Mass, in the year
1870 In 1850 there were but six Normal
Schools in the whole country; now there
about 200 In writing on the subject OF
Normal Schools, at the very outset one
meets with this difficulty-he has such va
riable quantities to deal with. He tnds
that there is no tyne oil the NOT
nal School that he can find; that
there is almost as great a
variety of normal schools as there is OF
universities. OF universities we have all
kinds. from Johns-Hopkins down to the lit
tie college scarcely better THAI high
school. So normal schools do not conform
to any one plan; they must be nodded
largely by the conditions that surrounds
them. -,
To one who would teach well three
kinds of knowledge are necessary
/. He should know the being to be
taught. 2 He should clearly understand
the subject matter to be presented. d re
should know the methods oil bringing thls
knowledge and the being together.
AS reading, writing and arithmetic were
called the three RS; so we may call these
three kinds of knowledge the thr9e Ms oil
scientific teaching. man, matter, method.
In the first we consider the powers and
possibilities of, and the spring Of action IN,
the being to be taught; under the second
we consider the material that must con
tribute to the growth of the mind-thoughts
that have come from other minds-present
ed as food for the growing mind; under inc
thi1d we consider the way that this mate
rial is to be given TO the mind-the how 10
nut the man en- rapport with the material
that is to train and develop These form
the basis for the science and the art OF eau
cation.
IL falls. then. within the province OF the
Normal school to instruct its pupils IN the
science and history of education; TO sec
that they have the requisite scholarship,
and to make them familiar with the most
rational methods Of teaching, Doth IN theory
and practice. A.,
time and attention that are given 10 THESE
three departments.
THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS
| in the principles Of the branches that they
are to teach is considered necessary III al
Normal Schools; but with US too much aC
tention is given to this part oil the WORK
Our schools will come nearer running
their mission when the attention given 10
this work is reduced to the minimum anu
the attention given TO psychology and
methods raised to the maximum. Nhen
This is done the Normal School will be per
forming its proper function, that Is tC
eouip the teacher with all he needs 10 pro
vide for him facilities for thorough ana eX
tensive scholarship, thorough instructor
in the history and art of education and IN
telligent study Of the methods OF teaching
and the opportunity for their application
Iu conclusion word with reference U
the conditions that have 10 do with th'
Normal schools of West Virginia IN par
ticular:
|
bv the uncertain and intermittent iindncla
support given them by the Legislature Il
the past. Happily they are now on goo'
financial basis. Another thing that ha
robbed these schools of much OF the success
that might have attended their efforts, u
the frequent change of principals In
saving OF Jules Simon that the master : 4
the school is most certainly true. ii W.
look at our most successful institutions o
learning. academies, colleges, common
school systems. we will find that behin'
that success there has been person
atty; that directing, controlling, moulu
ing such institutions in their grown
there has been man who has put INTO
the best work of his life. He has stampe'
his individuality upon the school or system
Garfield said: "Give me log hut witt
a simple bench, Marx Hopkins on one en-,
and ! on the other, and you may have al
the buildings, apparatus and libraries J.
is the individuality that counts in sue
work These things we can not have Il
the present condition OF the teacher tenur
of Office.
Forty years ago Horace Mann SAT-
ON the occasion of the dedication OF IN
normal school at Bridgewater: 81 conslde
this event as making an era in the progress
of education which we all know Is the Pre-
grcSS Of ClNlllZdlOn, DclcNc lldI hpi III"
schools are new instrumentality in IN
advancement of the race"
THE TEXT BOON CONTRACT.
The paper was ably discussed by Profs
Fleming and Crago, after which Prof
Cox. of Martinsburg read paper on ''Th
Renewal of the Contracts for Text Books.
Prof Cox opposed renewal, for the reason
that the average legislator knew little o
the true value of book for class use, ant
were more likely to consider cheapnes
above true merit. 1t is claimed that Tho
teacher should not confine himself tor
closely TO the text book, but the majority
of teachers do use this as their sole guide
and the better the guide the better the
teaching. If teachers are efficient the re
suit will be the same, whatever book may
be used. if not. they cannot be- However
he believed the best thing the Legislature
could do. would be to let the matter rest II
the hands of the local authorities.
MARTINS FERRY.
There are Washington parties here leas