The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-11-10
sTATE TEACHERs, MEETING.

The Executive Committee of the Yer
mont State Teachers Association did a
good thing in calling the 44th annual
convention at Rutland this year There
is many times the usual attendance to
say nothing of the excellent programme.
published last week, which began yes
terday to be carried out. will be contin-
ued to-day and closed tomorrow, with
an excursion to the marble quarries.
There were a number of able papers,
that will appearin full in the printed
proceedings, later, but of these the one
from our tOwnsman, Maj. A. B. Valen-
tine, goes out of the beaten track, and,
as indicated by the subject: "Public In
struciion from a Business Standpoint"
leads into another channel of thought.
We give it in full as follows:
He said: appreciate the seeming alb
surdity of speaking to teachers on the
subject of education, even on line of
thought suggested by the title of pub
lie School Instruction from a Business
Standpoint"
expect to add nothing to your fund
of knowledge, or to say anything that
will excite antagonism, as l shall not at
| tempt to enter fields where controver-
sizes exist; though various ideas ex-
pressed may have been unthought of by
| bOlu6 W lOus lGb lidIuly GADeCU LISA
greement between us.
You may be sure that l shall not at
tempt to teach you how to teach, suggest
methods, or recommend text books. |
shall simply presume to speak from my
experience as a plain business man, to.
| those much younger, and with but little
experience in business life.
1t is notorious that those who have
spent years in professional pursuits,
either as teachers, theOlogians, physi-
clans or lawyers, seem 20 be untitled for
pursuits outside their calling, an@ make
very poor, and generally unsuccessful,
business men when they leave their pro-
fessions, and enter the whirl, hustle and
competition of business life.
Is there not suggestion in this fact.
that the teacher may frequently glide in
to ruts, and lack that trend which is
needed to guide the ooy's studies while
in school in that practical direction
which will enable him to earn his living?
Are you not liable to forget that the
object of public school instruction, is
not alone intellectual culture, but also.
to make the future citizen self support
ing and well equipped to enter the con-
test of 1.-THE survival of the fttest?"
| should take issue with those who
claim public school instruction to be
simply the knowledge of how countries
are bounded, rivers located, worlds
move, or the mysteries of logarithms.
These are important, to be sure, but to
my mind, much greater Importance at
tends instruction which shows how to
apply knowledge, and while knowledge,
is being acquired, how that practical
mental di scipline is also acquired, which
makes the boy the delight of the bust
ness man.
There is a great difference between
common school education and that
which is usually designated as liberal
or college education, the maintenance of
the one is compulsory, the other volun-
tary. few years ago the college
course was regulated by ironclad rules.
hut experience taught that the bars
must be let down, and the student al
lowed, under proper restrict ols, to
study what he thinks will best fit him to
follow the pursuits chosen for life's race
thus abandoning the old ideas of educa-
ton as purely for intellectual culture.
1t was hard to concede this, and the
concession is not universal, but the bust
ness world demanded, and the funds of
business supported, liberalzed institu-
tions with lavish endowments, and the
more liberal the institution, the more
liberal its patronage; Harvard, for ex-
ample
But the endowments of our public
schools are the taxes of the people, and
the people of this practical age and coun-
try expect from the teachers of their
children, such instruction as will best
develop the practical side of human ma
ture, and the teacher who best succeeds
in that direction, best glorifies a l)rious
profession.
will state what business man has a
right to expect when he seeks a young
man just from your grammar or high
school to fill an important position.
First Fair penmanship, and reasona-
BILE orthography.
Second, Ability to quickly learn how
to properly express the wishes of his
employer in business letters.
Third, Diligence, honesty and interest
in the success of the work he is expected
to perform
Fourth, Quickness in figures, so far as
relates to plain practical arithmetic.
Fifth, Habits of neatness in dress, and
manly department.
Sixth, Self reliance, and ability to
clearly state facts and opinions relating
to his occupation, and
Seventh, The habit of close observation
and mind so disciplined that it is an
ABSORBENT, and retains WHAT comes WIFI
in its observation.
You say that this is too much to expect
or at least too much for the teacher to
teachP Not at all much of this can be
taught without teaching 1t is more an
all-prevading influence in the school
room, than of positive instruction. To
illustrate:
What place so suitable as the class to
cultivate that most valuable of gifts, the
gift of thought? How easy to lead the
child to think on his feet, and to acquire
habits of extemporaneous speaking
while explaining his lesson, or construct
ing sentence at the black board?
Three minutes of such thinking and ex--
preston of thought, is worth an hour of
! repeating what has been memorized, and
indeed, the memorizing of lessons is an
, actual damage, unless the teacher has
, the tact to make the student repeat his
! lessons by beginning at the end think
that memorizing of lessons should not
be encouraged, and never required.
This little matter, so easily accom-
plished without extra work, of leading
the child to think and talk on his feet
before the school, while showing that he
, understands his lessons, is of Infinite
! Importance, as it lasts through life, rem
, dering the man or woman ever ready to
| ~ ,,,.,gc HE l.,, and TINS