The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-10-31
TEACHERS INSTITUTE.
Afternoon and Evening Sessions Ad-
dressed by Educators.
GOVERNOR lADD'S ADDRESS.
He Talks Of the Educational Standing of
Rhode Island-The Effect Of Immi-
grafton Upon the schools of the state
The system of Enrolment.

The High School department continued
its session i'm the lower hall Of the y. NJ.
@ A. building yesterday afternoon. g. /.
Hopkins, instructor in mathematics and
physics i'm the Manchester y. H., High
School, was the first speaker. His sub
iect was Methods i'm Geometry" His
address raised very interesting discus
sion in which ID. w. HOyt. Mr. Currier of
Johnston, MIR. Tuck of Pawtueket and
Prof Davis of Brown University took
part.
Charles II. Allen, instructor Of science
i'm the New Bedford High School then
spoke on 1.-THE Function of the Labratory
in High School Physics"
The general subject of the Session of the
Institute yesterday afternoon, was Phys
zeal Education"
The Grst speaker was Baron Nils Posse,
NJ. ID. director Posse Gymnasium Boston.
His subject was The Necessity OF Physi-
cal Education and the means OF lntroduc-
ing IL into American Schools" lie said
that il was impossible to acquire IA high
standard of moral and mental develop
ment when physical culture was neglected.
"Esthetic Physical Culture from the
Delsarte standpoint" was the subject OF
the address Of G Wesley Emerson, NJ d.,
LII. d., President of the Emerson College
of Oratory, Boston. Prof ID. ;. Babcock
and Tongue" This address was Illus
trated with models. After discussion
on this subject by DR.. Baker OF the y. NJ.
G.. A. gymnasium, the meeting adjourned.
A collation. was served in y. NJ. &. n. hall
at 5:30,
At the evening session very pleasant
program was listened TO- This included
singing by the Apollo Male Quartet of
Boston.
The Rev. Leighton Parks, rector of
Emmanuel ChurchS Boston, gave an adj
dress on public Education as Vital
Factor in American Life"
"Ihe Public School as an Instrumental
ity for Social Advance" was President
Andrews subject.
Gov. Ladd's Remarks.
Mr.. President Ladies and Gentlemen
1t has occurred TO me that. on an occa-
sion like this, and before such gathering,
il may not be amiss for me, as Chairman
of the State Board of Education, TO invite
your attention for few moments TO the
relationship which exists between the
| State government of education, and in
! quire into few OF the prevalent ideas as
| 10 the status and progress OF education
| here in Rhode Island.
! The recent census reports show slme
very interesting figures. Perhaps al OF
| you may not be aware that in the ratio of
| public school enrolment to population,
! Rhode Island only held her own the past
! ten years, yet in doing that she made a
| better showing than the rest of the New
! England and Northern Central States.
! The indication is that the progress of pub
/ lie education has not kept pace with the
| growth of population. Many of you are
! doubtless aware that Rhode Island is
! looked upon abroad as being behind many
| Northern states in educational matters
that this State is even remarkable among
! Northern states for illteracy Indeed,
according TO the census report TO which |
have referred, while Rhode Island makes
! better showing SO far IA the ratio of adj
| vancement goes i'm the last ten years our
| State is still behind all others in its ratio
of enrolment to population. According
/ TO these remarkable figures il would APP
| pear that only six states and territories,
! namely, Louisiana, Montana, Wyoming,
! New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahama, are
| behind us in public school enrolment To
! population.
THE explanation given by so many of
! our own people for this condition Is that
! we have so many foreigners that we are "A
manufacturing state, thickly settled ; but
! il seems TO me that an explanation or AN
! excuse is not so much needed as "A study OF
the facts, for that will correct the impress
sion. SO far rs immigration has had an
/ influence, the figures show that the greater
portion of the New England and Northern
! Central States have shared IL at least
| equally. and Western States even more,
I
Rhode Island has held her own during the
past ten years would indicate that, III inn
migration has SO seriously affected our
standing, we have suffered less FROM it
than many other states after all.
Rhode Islands Systsm of enrolment
is held up as "A model, and here it is that
our State suffers by having its returns
compared with the padded and inaccurate
returns ofother Stotes. My attention was
recently called TO an address made IN one
OF the Southern states rejecting on our
public school system as not making bet
ter communities, citing Rhode Island rs
having more paupers and criminals III
proportion to population than many of
the Southern States. / have no know
| ledge where the speaker obtained his fig
ures, but he stated that Rhode island had
one native white prisoner 10 i,3of OF her
population. While that statement may
be true, IL is not SO bad as IL looks, and It
is certainly not fair To compare Rhode
Island with other states on that basis.
I What constitutes u crime in this State
| may be quite different from what consti-
tutes a CRIME in other states.
"Mhen the General Assembly was at
Cranston the other day, there were some
600 people there in the various institu-
tions, but only III of them were States
Prison conviCts. In making up the total
number there are so many poor people
vagrants and drunkards, whom the State
chooses 10 remove from the communities
and keep in confinement rather than per
init them TO walk our streets. Many of
YOU who have travelled in the South know
! too well how conspicuous is the compari-
sou. This State for trihug gmisdeameanors,
places aJ Cranstun boys and girls, men
and women with n view 20 reforming
them, educating them, and making them
good citizens, while many allow them To
develop and consider them only when they
become a serious menace.
.f "A. .as.fs ,...l
the individuals composing IL depends
| largely the future ct our schools
nIRGIAlA nN nIGH sInI.II