The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-01-03
YESTERDAY WITH THE PeDAGOGuES,
The Pubic and Its Relations to the
School.
interesting Papers by President
Small and others.
Rev. Or. HiII's Contribution and Mrs.
Palmer's Lecture.
Especial TO the Press. ]

4
Especial to the Press.l
| WATERvILLE, Jan1ary 2.-The Maine
Pedagogical Society continued its meeting
today. The association meets for the day
sessions In the beautiful and spacious main
school room of DIR. Hanson's Coburn CLASH
cal Institute. Every foot Of space was
| crowded. The opening number Of the pro-
| gramme was the question "What has the
| public a right to demand Of the public
| sch0ols?"
President Small presented paper in the
| planest of plain English and admirable In
scope and expression. The public really
has right to demand whatever 1t will Of the
public school. No other body polite or edu-
cational has a right to dictate tothe public
| in this matter. What the public should de-
mand may be partly gathered by study OF
what 1t has demanded; partly by gathering
| opinions Of true educators and In part by un-
| studied opinion. and manifest symptoms OF
| society. The higher question Is what ought
| the public to demand of the public schools?
Well it ought to ask the schools to give the
| young the keys of knowledge. More than
| that to give trend toward knowledge, a
| love of knowledge. The public school
should teach love OF justice and loyalty to
state and nation. Moreover, the school has
primary function to teach the rudiments OF
social science and political economy, coupling
| them with moral and ethical training. All
| this Is as feasible as are the grammar school
| lines Of arithmetic and geography; civic
| morality as 10 the ballot, the tax obligation
| the golden rule In civic relations should be
| m de known. There Is type OF practical
| civic. virtue based on a true political reIi-
gion which the school ought to teach and
tuhfah IA nuhifp 0upht dpman6. 'IhA
| school must meet its obligations by teaching
| In real, practical shape, political economy,
political ethics, political religion. A paper
of greater value has never come before the
association.
How the Demands are Met.
"ro what extent are the public schools
meeting their demands ?" This inquiry was
ans wsred by Principal E. P. Sampson Of
Thornton Academy, Saco. Mr.. ,ampson
sent out four hundred circular letters asking
what demands ought to be made on the
schools and requesting specific answers TO
what ought to be regarded a, essential stud
les, what are we'll to have but not essential
and what are not needed. A good number
of answers were received The consensus
of opinion is In favor Of special attention to
the dead, and limitation of scientific stud
les. Industrial and mechanical studies are
not yet favored by the majority. Moral
teaching and training gain almost unaDi-
nous favor Of the correspondents. There
are too many branches, most of the letters
say. Some insist that teachers and school
boards are making attempts to do more than
Is wise, and when they take fewer branches
and teaches them more thoroughly they will
better fit the pupils for the practical rela-
tions Of life. A few think the state should
give free classical and scientilc course, but
most doubt the expediency of this. This ex-
celent paper concluded with some general |
ideas Of the range Of the efficiency OF our |
schools. Our district system makes our |
schools mobilize, irregular and so, inefficient
We must systematic our schools, look for
better teachers and demand better methods.
As the schools are now they are not meeting
the requlsiticns that ought reasonably to be
made. When we look after the schools as
we do after our railroads, our savings banks,
our farms and cattle, then our education will
be nearer what 1t ought to be.
The discussion which took quite range
was participated In by Rev. j. l.. Seward,
who thought the old is better, and that the
secret Of sound education Is to compel the
child and young man to study things they
dislike.
Professor Robinson said it was easy for
most folks to bring no other peoples chill
dren, but when 1t comes to our own we find
1t desirable to make study palatable, and
find the true clew to right methods In max
ing truth attractive.
Professor Jordan Of Bates College, was
ready to claim that on the whole the new
system Is doing much more than the old for
the average pupil.
Professor Estabrooke believed that teach
ers are not wholly accountable for the de-
fciences Of the school, for the school boards,
after all, are the controlling powers. He
was confident that the schools of today are
turning out more good scholars than the old |
Mr.. Snow Of Yarmouth, believed in the |
schools of our time and thought their great |
drawback Is the state of public sentiment
which needs enlightenment.
President Fernald spoke p0intedly and
earnestly for the school of today.
The Teacner's Efficiency.
Principal ]. Fl. Parsons of Augusta. gave
at this hour his sound common sense paper
on "How can the Teacher Grow in Eficien-
cy?" If the teacher would make progress
he must be in love with his work. He
should be ever set king enlargement by
study in some other field. science, history,
literature. The teacher must keep ever In
view the object at which he aims, and he
The teacher must be social, ambitious
to have the best methods, apt to
read and strive to have good books In
his professional line, and some sound period
master quality for the teacher. Let there be
mere work. and there will be less
worry and less WEAKNESS. 1t less tiresome
to be fresh and free than to live in meagre-
ness of knowledge and routine Of methods.
The teacher will grow under the stimulus of
of high intellectual and moral ideal.
The Teaching of Language.
The convention welcomed cordially Miss
Mary Hyde of Albany, N. Y, who spoke on
teaching language. First find out where your
pupils are, then adapt your instruction. In
the first year (the first reader grade) the in
struction should be in connection with other
branches, and unconscious on the part of the
child. Work should be definite; correct
forms of writing In nouns and verbs. In con-
fractions and abbreviations. A little later,
make the sentence the bass of your work
simple statements to be made by the children
about familiar things. Give children, in the
more advanced stages, fables, fairy stories,
anecdotes about noted men, and have them
reproduced In oral and written form. Let
the selections used for reproduction be worth
remembering. Take up oral before written
exercises. Use stories, objects, pictures, as
subjects for composition. Cause the child to
forget himself. Choose all stories and pic
lures so as to make sure of their refining in
fluence. Lead your class upward while you
Lad them onward. Have the children write
| little letters from the start Cultivate he
| taste before the child by telling stories
and showing pictures. MemOrise bits Of well
| selected poetry. Mould the character from
the beginning. All the language work CEN
| tres round two points. Teach the children
| to appreciate your literature and bow to ex-
| press well their thoughts,
Other Papers.I
Principal Purington of Pennington Nor
NAL School discussed most ably the question,
| DO the pupils in the public schools fail be-
cause OF an imperfect system and defective
| courses Of stndy?" Mr.. Purington said he
was compelled to put under severe criticism
the school system of the state. We lack, al.
| most universally, adequate supervision; we
have no supervision. No business would live
year with such oversight, or, rather, lack
| Of oversight We turn out some fair schol.
| ars. but TINS is mainly in spite of the school
| system. he remedy is, revolutionize the
| school system. A state superintendent,
| board Of county supervisors, system Of
| state certifcated teachers. the town system
these are some suggestions In the line Of cure
| of our evils
Faulty methods of instruction." was the
| theme of a graceful and convincing essay by
/ Mies Eapnta ID ardu Cunorintandopt ~