Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-09
PROBLEMS IN TEACHING.
President Bashford Tells the Ohio Teachers
Association What They Area Defense
of the Public Schools-The Instructors
at Work for Chautauqua.

| clear and cool at Chautauqua and the brac-
ing lake breezes revived and invigorated
the students and people generally, bringing
| cheerful spirits to everyone. The exercises
incident to Chautauqua proper were held
/ this afternoon. DR.. Herbert B. Adams, of
Johns Hopkins, lectured in the Hall OF Phil
osophy at 23O on the Republic of Venice"
He made a comparison between the primi-
tive village and the city of Venice. Both
these foundations were built upon piles
driven deep down in the water for purposes
| of safety from enemies on the main land.
| The speaker gave an interesting account
| of the origin of Venice, and said Its great
| service was the reunion of Occident and
Orient by commercial ties. Venetian ships
| carried the Crusaders eastward; Marco Polo
was Venetian, and his voyages to Cathay
| inspired Columbus to seek q western world.
John Cabot, a Venetian, first planted the
English flag on North American shore.
At O'Clock, in the same place, Prot. Mar
| tin L. Dooge lectured on the Deph1 Oracle,
| and gave very pleasant account of his
| visit there as well as history of the place
| and its famous responses: Alto O'CLOCK oc-
| Cured the G. L. S. c. round table, and at P.
| M. the vesper service in the amph1theater.
Session of Ohio Teachers.
The Ohio State Teachers Conference con-
vened again this morning in the am
| phitheater The following was the pro-
| gramme: Morning session, o'clock - In
| augural address, G. A. Carnahan, Cincinnati;
discussion by Superintendent J. +. Lukens,
Lebanon: discussion, examination OF teach
ers, "What are the best results ana now can
| they be secured, - E. s. Wilson, of 1ronton;
| S. j. Wolf, Lancaster; B. +. Dyer, Madison,
vile; NJ. F. Hard, Salem, followed by general
discussion. Address, public Schools as a
anon: discussion by C. S. Wheaton, Athens,
and Anna M. Osgood, Columbus
Afternoon session, 2 o'clock-Paper, pro
fessional stagnation, Its causes % ana hene- aHne-
dale; discussion by Superintendent James
L. Duncas, Bridgeport, and 4. =. smaSk, liI;ts,
FrazersbuPg paper music IN Pinna. Phe ruSiic Sis,
cussion by Prof w. H. Pontuis, Mansneld,
and Prof. L. A Collins. &enia.
Problems Found in Teaching.
The evening session was extensively in
teresting President James W. Bashford, of
the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, de
livered the annual address to the conyen-
tion and it was most striking and thought
full paper. The subject was, problems in
American Teaching" Said the speaker:
make the tl mastery @ y, Of the three Rs the.pos,
session of every child in America. Our sue
cess in this attempt forms, perhaps, the
brightest page in the entire history OF edu.
cation. Leaving out the colored people of
the South, who have been recently thrown
upon the nation, and the more recent immi-
grants, it is safe to say that over 80 per cent
of American-born children can read and
write at the age of 10.
r "The advance sheets of the census report
showed that Il, ,592, 72l children were in the
1880. These statistics show q gain of over 26
per cent in school attendance, as compared
with the gain of 26 per cent in population.
Education of Colored Children.
ga large problem awaits us in the Sonth,
but the splendid philanthropy of individ-
uals, as well as the remarkable cooperation
of the Southern States, makes the education
of every colored child only question of
time. Politicians in Wisconsin and Illi-
nois may yield to the demand of the foreign
element and establish schools from which
the English language is excluded, but such
schools can be only temporary. The Ameri-
can people are irrevocably committed to the
free school system. The wonderful adoption
of this system to our needs eliminates race
prejudice by putting the children on a COM
mon intellectual platform, thus fostering
the democratic spirit as no other institution
in the Republic.
"But our success in popularizing primary
education makes still more marked our
failure to popularize the higher education.
This is the first great problem now before
American teachers 1t is shown by compe-
tent authority that only one young man in
500 is a college graduate, and yet this mere
handful of college-bred men furnish % per
cent of the members of Congress, 46 per cent
of our United States Senator'S 65 per cent of
our Presidents and 73 per cent of our Su-
preme Court Justices
Another competent writer has recently
pointed out the fact that less than per cent
Of our children complete grammar school
course; less than per cent high school
course, and only one-fifth OF 1 per cent
college course.
A Drop Into Sarcasm.
s1 have often wondered that an agitation
against higher education has not long since
arisen, on the ground that it is essentially
aristocratic; that the mass of people are
taxed to support schools of which they take
no advantage"
The speakers second proposition was the
necessity for broadening the course of edu-
cation SO as to include an industrial train
ing. His third proposition was that the aim
of an education was not to put out children
bnt fundamentalfy to develop a noble man,
hood and womanhood.
His last proposition was in the form of a
faculties of the child without trenching
on the province of the Church? The
State may adopt three courses: First the
Roman Catholic solution, dividing the
The State will not adopt this. Second, the
State may declare that the child needs no
spiritual training, This solution would re-
suit eventually in the downfall of the
Republic Third, the State may adopt Dan
iel Webster's solution and declare that
theresa system of moral and spiritual
all the churches are agreed. By adopting
this system, and recognizing God and His at
tributes of justice, mercy and purity, the edu-
cation of the twentieth century will have
been glorious.
Extent of Chautauqua's Work
Some idea of the extent of the work here
can be gained by summary of the faculty
in the several educational branches as fol-
lows: College of liberal arts and schools of
sacred literature-Lewis Miller, President,
Akron, O.; John II. Vincent, Chancellor,
Buffalo; William r. Harper, Principal, New
Haven; John II; Daniels, Registrar, New
University; Prof. Herbert B. Adams, Johns
Hopkins University, -Baltimore; Prot. H.
BatcheldeIs Hamlin University, St. Paul;
Divinity School, Philaeelphia; Prof. Edward
W. Bemis, Vanderbilt University, Nashville;
Prot. George S. Burroughs, Amherst College,
Hamilton Theological Seminary, Hamilton,
N. Y; Prof. Harr W. Cutting, University of
Dakota; Mile. Leardelagnaue, Ottawa
High School, Ottawa, I'LL; Prof A Derqpge'
Martin L. Dooge, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor; Prof J. T. Edwards, Chamber
lain Institute, Randolph,N. Y; Prof. Bichard
william II. Green, Princeton Theological
Seminary; Prof w. r. Harper, Yale; Dr. |
Robert Francis Harper, Yale: Prof. William
Charles Charles Horseweii, Northwestern University,
Evanston, I'LL; DR.. j. L. Hurlbut, Chautau-
qua, Normal Department New Work; York; Prof
d r Johnson Boston + nifed Maler nae
Prof W. D. McClintock, Wells College,
Aurora, n. Y; Mrs. P. L. McClintock, Wells
ford Conn; Prof. Thomas D. Seymour, Yale;
Prof Frederick Starr, American Museum of
Natural History, New York; Prot. Lewis
Stuart, Lake Forest University, Lake Forest,
T,,b Ruf 40 1n.