Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-08-17
THE SUMMER SCHOOL.

! ed MONDAY morning by M. y. SUOn6.
/ The work of the proceeding week was
carried on, with the addition of some
new features and a little change in the
! order of exercises.
Miss L. S. Smith, supervisor of draw
ing in the public schools of fGreenfeld,
Mass. read an essay at the opening
exercise, in which she stated that the
object of her work here would be to
| invite attention to the training of the
eye and hand. There is arapidly grow
ing tendency to make the study a
prominent one. The tide has fairly
set that way, and we as teachers must
go with it. The more willingly and
cheerfully we take this up the better
teachers we shall be. 1t is not and
will not be all fair sailing, many will
doubt and question the use of draw
ing and the need of its being made
compulsory. VIII you not take this
up wisely and energetically making
plain to all that there is some good in
this new subject that we are required
to teach? The subject of drawing has
a bearing upon the studies already
pursued in the schools, so that instead
of robbing the other studies of valu-
able time it will make them easier,
more interesting and more useful. Let
us assume that the three essential
studies are reading, writing and arith-
metic. In reading we are obliged to
name words, which are forms, by sight,
since we learn to read by distinguish
ing forms, learning to distinguish
forms quickly by means of the train
ing of the eye, given by drawing is
great help in reading. One author
says good spelling depends largely
upon good memory of forms. Writ
ing is the expression of few forms
called letters. Drawing makes pos
sible the expression of every form in
the universe. To the natural science
drawing is indispensable. In time to
come he who lacks the intelligent help
of a skillful hand will be so much be-
hind. 1t will be equally necessary to
the minister, the lawyer, the architect,
the carpenter, and the teacher. The
difference between the trained and
the unframed hand can be illustrated
by the bar of iron that in it's rough
state is, perhaps, worth five dollars
and the same made into watch springs
that are worth $50, ,OOO, 900. We see
the advance drawing is making by the
fact that all kinds of reading, even
advertising, is required to be fully il
lustrated. Miss Smiths method of
teaching drawing was not to begin
with straight and slanting lines drawn
on slate, board, or paper, but with the
type forms, sphere, cube and cylin
der. She would train the pupils to
observation, thought and expression
of these forms, (D AS wholes, with
clay. % By parts with paper, sticks,
etc. Many specimens of the work
done by Miss Smiths pupils were
shown ranging from the clay forms
and paper cuttings of the first grade
up to the crayOn work of the high
schools. The teachers were shown
just how and why to work as far as
was possible in SO short time.
DR.. Campbell's work in psychology
was somewhat interrupted on account
of new subjects being introduced this
week, but several minutes were de-
voted each day to answering questions
handed in by the teachers. The talks
on geology and astronomy were con-
tinued and expeditions were made to
clay banks near the village. On one
of these expeditions fine view of the
moon was obtained, through the tele-
scope. Minerals were brought in and
classified and the teachers were shown
how to make beginning in geology
with class of pupils.
Thursday evening DR.. Campbell
gave a lecture on. "The Schools of
Europe" 1t was my privilege to
spend a few months of last year in
Europe and a part of that time was
devoted to the study of school sys
TENS and methods of instruction in the
schools of the various countries. [ find
this to be true in the best schools of
every land The methods of instruc
ton are very much the same. The
work done and the results obtained
are very similar. In nearly all the
countries of Europe minister of edu-
cation is appointed by the officers of
government. The people have no .di
rect voice or vote in the management
of their schools. Often in our coun
try the entire management of the
school is left to little district. We
are not always willing that any one
should even come in to advise us in
regard to our work. An absolutely
free school is not known in Europe.
The pupils must pay tuition. Atten-
dance at school is compulsory and for
a longer period than with us. France
neglected her schools until taught by
Germany the superiority of an educat-
ed soldiery. Italy, once the first of all
nations, is brought to the lowest level.
One writes: "Do not censure and
condemn us because we are SO low,
but have compassion upon us and
commend US, that, after SO many CEN
turies of oppression we do not walk
on all fours." 1t would be impossible
to describe such scene as we saw in
Naples. The street was narrow, the
houses very high and the rooms in
which the people lived were little more
than dens in which were kept the DON
key and the hens and chickens. The
children swarmed in the streets.
Only one in one hundred is educated.
The little tots lying about on the bricks
or in the mothers arms were as hap
py apparently as any children in the
world. But on the faces of the older
children there is a hard, sinister eX-
preston, which seems to deepen with
years. 1t seems to us almost hope
less to expect better things of Italy,
but the Italians have hope of a better
condition of things. The people of
Switzerland are well educated. They
have good school-houses and the child
rem enjoy the school. The most beau
tiful building in the village there is the