The Republican journal., 1892-10-20
Waldo County Teachers Association.

School room, Belfast, last Thursday and
Friday. There was good attendance of
teachers and much interest was manifested.
Hon. n. A. Luce, State Superintendent of
Schools, was present and gave the society
much valuable assistance. Prof. A. +. Rich
ardson, of the Castine Normal School, with
his teachers and about sixty pupils We're
present and participated. Miss Jennie NJ.
Colby, of the Gorham Normal School, gave
the association Il number of exercises in the
Swedish system of physical culture and cap
tlvated all by her manner. The teachers
We're entertained by the friends of the
schools and all We're loud in praise of Bel
fast. The pupils of the High School assisted
i'll rendering excellent music during the ex-
| trriSes.
Tie program opened Thursday morning
with an address of welcome hy Mr.. F. W
Chase, principal of the Belfast High school.
Which was responded to by L. Q. Bow ler, of
| Palermo, president of the association. The
remainder of the forenoon was taken up by
Miss Colby i'll her Swedish physical culture
exercises.
In the afternoon Miss Winnie Simmons,
of Morrill,, read paper on "Temperance In
struction,' III which She advocated such in
struction. Her paper evidenced much
thought and reading and was most favorably
commented upon. Tile ESSAY was discussed
by Mr.. Ross Z. Higgins, of Thorndke, who
would teach temperance mildly and avoid
anything radical, believing radicalism to be
wrong. Temperance he considered ID poiti-
cal question.
Mr. \. A. Luce said that the requirements
| of teaching temperance in the schools We're
| as old the State itself. The laws required
that temperance should be taught in both
private and public schools. While these
laws remain on the statute books it is i'm
perative to teach temperance Tie system
| is not satisfactory i'll some respects. There
| are in Maine 1 621 schools, 3,1S2 of which are
ungraded. In 2,6:50 of the schools hygiene is
| taught more or less.
| The next question taken up was ''To how
many studies at one time should a pupil be
confined q Mr.. f. W. Brown, Belfast,
| thought three enough. Mr.. Carleton, of
| Troy, said that under the present system he
knew of no remedy for this question. In the
country schools the pupils attend to the
| supervision. Mr.. j. w. Farrar, of Sears
| mont thought there should be better super
vision, with prescribed course of study.
After a short recess and a song by a. Q.
Knight, some time was given to the contents
of the query box. The questions related
mostly to individual eases intended for eN-
| pIanaton by the State Supt., but a few We're
OF general interest and are quoted.
"Can we have d course of study for ungrau
ed schools! !!' Ans. by Mr. Luce, who said
Eyes, the schools of Augusta and New
Gloucester furnish examples, hut they re
Iuire ii system Of management which pro-
vides for same length Of term and same de
gree of excellence.
"How much time should be given to te1n-
perance instruction i'll the schools ?? Mr.,
Chase said: More time in the lower than i'll
| the higher grades, because at the age of
fourteen or fifteen years character is FORM
ed and he emphasized his statement by the
| quotation ''teli me a boys training before he
is ten, and | will forctell his future.
| "The pupil who Will not learn his lessons
| WAS considered by Miss Grant, Of Rockland,
| VINO maintained that bird that c0t sing
and ,ront, &c." One resource always open
to teachers is sympathy: the sympathy
| which comes ui a personal interview and the
| contagion of busy work, and the cons clen-
tious teacher will give to such her serious
| consideration.
The +. NJ. program concluded with an eN-
| crcise in Physical Culture by an eNtempo-
rized class under the direction Of Miss Jen-
| NE NJ. Colby, of Gorham Normal School.
| Htr exercise consisted of light gymnastics.
| with an adaptation of the Swedish system,
| the Same taught in the Gorliam Normal
| School for two years. under the direction of
DIR. f. y. Whittier, Director of the Sargent
| Gymnasium, ut Brunswick.
Parents and teachers are learning to real
| illi n ,4Nln ll,r
without bodies and the Introduction OF some
form of gymnastics i'll the schools is already
| looked upon With favor. The session closed
with singing by MIR. Chase, and ad lournment
| was made to Pierct'S Iarlur Theatre at 80
| o'clock.
At that hour IL good sized audience was in
attendance, and the session opened with
vocal duett 10y Misses Colhurn and Davis.
| President Bowler then introduced W. w.
| Stttson, Supt. of Schoo $, Auburn, who adj
| dressed the Association. He reviewed the
progress of education and the development
of the race from primeval to the present time,
and enumerated the benefits descending to
us from Greek art, Roman law, Hebrew
| faith, and the TeuJon'S love Of home and
| kind, by individual amaigamation. because
ii family has produced IL" great names does
not argue that there is no greatness in the
| line, but, from Homer to Lincoln, from
Plato to Emerson, wherever pre-eminence
| has been earned, 1t has been purchased at
/
| bltlon. He gave to woman ii full measure
| of efficiency in the conduct and conditions
| of life, and supported his statements by sta
| tStlcs The lecture was full OF kindly
| humorous alluSionS to the female Sen. AS
| wisdom is best ,liSctrned at long range, he
| forecasted the future by interpreting the
| present, and declared his belief that the
| coming man is to he-a woman.
a song by Miss Frank l.. Davis closed the
public exercises, and Immediately after an
| informal reception was rendered the visiting
| teachers. and an nour pleasantly spent i'll
| singing and refreshments.
| FrluaNS session convened i'll the High
| School room and was opened with music by
| the school chorus. Election of officers fol-
| lowed, and resulted III the old board being
| retained, including the executive committee.
! The discussion of the old but eNer-new topic,
| ''The Dull Pupil: What can do for him?
What can we lead him to do for himself?'
was opened by Mr.. Chase. who advised Civ
| ing credit for what lie tried to accomplish.
| Mr. Carleton, of Troy. would study the dis
| position of the scholar, as uullneSS may be
| but a synonym for mental inactivity, and
| alternate oral and object teaching would
| draw ont his mental faculties. Miss Gould,
of Searsport, devised ways and means of her
| own, but without satisfaction to herself.
| Miss Mcdowell, of Belfast, believed in per-
| sonal assistance, and the opportunity to
| render it a redeeming feature of boarding
Vein Of thought by Mr.. Higgins, Of Thorn
Il