Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-01-23
Current Topics.-Paper Read before
the Trego County Teachers
Association.
%. B. RoGERs.l

10. b. ROGERS.
The value of this exercise as a means
of firing the current events of history,
both at home and abroad, firmly in the
minds of the pupils is well understood, I
believe.
1t also gives zest and interest to the
usually dry, uninteresting study of Geog-
rapby, by stimulating desire to search
for the locations of the scenes of political
tragedies and revolutions, Of explora-
tions in new and strange lands; of
mighty upheavals and phenomenal freaks
of nature and of the achievements of
modern engineering skill and hundred
other interesting events which crowd the
columns of every issue of our enterpris-
ing wide awake periodicals.
These exercises may also be made USE
full in many other ways.
The pupils should answer to their
names by rising promptly to their feet
and delivering the item or items in clear,
concise manner, without stammering or
hesitation.
To reach this end, they must be led by
easy steps to put confidence in them
selves. Do not get impatient at the
rarity of news at first, or scold because
they cannot, at first think of anything.
Imagine yourself in the same situation.
For instance, being confronted by the
editor Of your local paper and asked to
give an item of interest, off hand.
In nine cases out of ten the answer will
be, II haven't heard anything worthy of
note lately when the probabilities are
you are in possession of some fragments
Of news that would be of real worth to
the newspaper man, and which you would
have gladly given IF you had only
thought of it."
Encourage the pupils by asking lead
ing questions and supplementing their
item by few remarks on the same topic,
being very careful not to eclipse the orig
inal item by some Aowery version OF the
same, which adds very little or nothing
to it as first delivered, and d.scourages
the pupil who gets the impression that
be is not competent to handle the topic.
In treating with items cleaned from
the papers, do not abruptly classify them
into good and bad. but bring the school
gradually to see for themselves, which
class of items are of the greatest worth.
Whether the knowledge that John L.
Sullivan is about to enter the prize ring
again" tends to raise or lower the stand
ard of modern civilization? Whether
"The recent advice issued by the London
Truth, the greatest Of English news
papers, to its Canadian brethren, to sever
their connection with Great Britain and
attach themselves to the United States"
has any bearing on our national future?
IN the discussion of local news / have
found that to condense the items thus
obtained into batch of correspondence
from the district to the county paper has
melted the pupils to an extra effort to
obtain items of real worth as well as
stimulating desire to read the news
throughout the paper.
Don't countenance the recital of the
pernicious gossip Of the neighborhood,
much less the vicious, debasing scandals
sometime sahoat.
You will thus lay one Of the founda-
tions stones to a life above the belittling
natures who find more pleasure in at.
tending to the moral and social affairs OF
their neighbors than they do OF their
own, the objects Of just scorn and con-
tempt.
The pupil who begins by reciting some
trivial neighborhood occurrence, or some
item CLEANED from the paper, with tremoi'
ing embarrassment, may be led by easy
stages and judicious announcement IN
till he will recite the principal current
events in an of hand, easy manner which
will never b considered vain seoom-
n