The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-30
CITY TEACHERS INSTITUTE.
Instructive Talk Given to Them in Y. NJ.
c. A. Hall,


The morning session of the city teach
ers' institute was consumed in enrolling
the teachers and in making arrange
ments to begin the actual work of the
convention at the afternoon session,
which was called to order at 2.15 by
superintendent George Phillips. He in
troduced Professor C. II. Albert, of
Bloomsburg State Normal school, who
led IN the opening prayer in the absence
or Rev. DR.. Pearce, of the Elm Park
church. The anthem America" was
sung and then Hon. e. e. White, of
Columbus, O., eX-state superintendent
of public instruction of Ohio, was intro
duced. His lecture as specified in the
programme was on "Will Training in
School Discipline"
Dr. White said he was going to take
up the subject of will training and the
fact that must be reached is How to
train the will of the child" By the
assistance of diagram on the black
board the teachers were enabled to fol-
low the speaker through all the rami-
fications of his subject.
The deeds of the child come from the
will and the will is moulded from the
occasions and ends. Discipline of the
school must train the child in character,
the school must be made an apprentice
shop of right living. The child must
not be forced to decide what is right, he
must be trained to choose the right
not from force but voluntarily land
cheerfully. 1t must be a pleasant duty
on his part. The first lesson in discip-
line is to train the pupil in habits of
self control The second Is to train the
will habitually every day to right mo-
tives.
Virtues to Cultivate.
There are seven virtues that every
scool must cultivate. The right train
ing of the will is the vital point in
character building. The first duty is
regularity. All the home duties of the
child must be so arranged as to procure
attendance at school, and the child
must be taught to attend school from
worthy motives. The self repression
that every child must use to attend
school without interruption for term
teaches him lesson of self control.
The second is punctuality This yir-
tue requires the pupil to be In school
each halliday on time, and in the good
school the pupil is on time not only in
the morning, at recess, and in the after
noon, but he is ready at all his exercises.
Neatness Is the next virtue in the ladder
of character building. The first thing
done in all schools of reform and mis-
sion schools Is to teach cleanliness.
The speaker said that when he entered
school room the appearance of the
pupils Is always an index to his opin-
ion formed. Where he sees the pupils
observe cleanliness in person, with hair
combed, hands clean, shoes clean, tidi-
ness In handling books, states and pa
pers, he is sure that the children are
orderly. The one way to get at the con-
duct of child is to put him in condi-
tin that makes him respect himself.
Accuracy Is the next virtue. 1t means
to hold the child at telling only just
what he knows and moth & else. He
must be stopped right the point
where he knows no R. Teachers
will get the highest ats in truth
telling by exacting ac' cy in work, in
speech, and in recitation. Silence Is
the next duty, but it is a negative vir-
.Ne, still it is an important one in train
u. athe will. When boy is so trained
as to avoid whispering, giggling, pratt
Ting, etc, he has learned lesson in
self repression that will go good way
in the composition of a useful citizen.
Industry or APPLICATION are the positive
qualities opposed to silence. A good
school Is O work shop where the pupils
are busy from morning till night. When
a young man steps from the high school
into grocery store, the industry he has
been accustomed to makes it natural
for him to love work and devote his at
tention to industry.
Obedience the Seventh Virtue.
Obedience is the seventh virtue and
the topmost one in the ladder of char
aoter building. the other rungS DreVi-
ously mentioned are the step leading to
the fulfillment of this one virtue which
Is the acme Of all others in school work
The good school, after having trained
the boy to be an obedient pupil, has by
that taught him the first lesson in useful
citizenship.
DR.. White concluded his lecture al
this point and said he would resume
today where he left Off
r. r. Newton, of New York, musica
director of the institute, gave a five
minutes talk on music. One mistaken
notion. he said, is that teachers thinl
that music in the schools can be taught
successfully only by those who are ac
complished musicians. He proposes t
give a very simple and withal practi
cal instruction in music during the In
stitute,
DR.. S. H. Albro, principal of Mans
field State Normal school, who was t
speak on inspiration" said he hat
concluded to occupy the teachers at
tention with another topic. He thei
told of tour of the great lakes and o
the western country as far as Montana
His lecture was humorous and pre-
sented many topics of geographi
knowledge One fact he said he Learned