The record-union., 1894-11-28

s.
noios. The teachers influence will go
1ar 10 modify or change their sentiments.
III lew years the boys who are now in
our our schools will be beyond all influences
Inat u. may guide them in this respect.
1eacners do not realize the influence they
often exert on their pupils, as it is not al
ways apparent, but it is very often far
reacnlng In its consequences and molds
anu oirects the future career of the child.
some teachers direct their influence in
sucn a manner that the future life of the
pupils is onward and upward, benefit
TO himself and others.
Too many of our bows grow up with
the idea that success is to be measured by
the acquisition of dollars, and that for
tune Is the greatest attainment in life.
Can teachers not do something to divert
these ideas into the proper channel and
lead them to see that helpfulness to their
fellow-men and kindly interest in their
welfare and sympathy with their mistor-
tunes are really greater success than the
acquisition OF money; that the realiza-
tlon OF large fortune often brings un-
happiness to its possessor?
Superintendent Erlewine thought the
paper an excellent one. and one that
would pay for special investigation by
sense OF the Institute that one of the
dally papers be requested to publish it in
full, and the motion was carried.
NATURE STUDY.
Miss Nellie Harrison's paper on "Na-
ture Study" was an excellent one.
She gave an account of a visit to the
Stockton schools. and spoke of the large
space given in their course of study to
nature study, which takes most of the
Mace Ot mechanical
guage. The first day the pupils bring in
their specimens, the second day they
write about them, and the third day is
passed In correcting, revising and dis
cussing them. This work is intended to
teach the children to think for themselves
and to express their thoughts. The chill
dren accept the study with enthusiasm
SO much so, in fact, that they are full of
1t at home, and many of the parents i'm
bIbe the idea that other studies are ne
elected, and they demonstrate accord
ingly.
The work is laid out through a special
teacher, and the regular teachers then
conduct 1t. Narrative drawing is also
practlced; the teachers telling story to
De reproduced in drawing by the pupils.
Inc speaker thought the results already
attained were very satisfactory.
Afternoon Session.
The afternoon exercises opened with a
Delsarte drill by pupils of the Lincoln
Primary School, under the direction of
Miss Lizzie Bernard, which evinced the
thorough and painstaking drill to which
they had been subjected and the aptness
with which they had improved their
teaching, and which won for them flat
terlng reception.
ILLITERACY.
n
then read a paper on "Illiteracy-Its
Cause and Remedy"
If she had her choice of the length of
her paper, she would, she said, make il
very short-the cause, ignorance; the
remedy, education. Her subject was
really, however, illiteracy in speech, for
IL is coming to be considered that speech
Is the test of illiteracy. She was glad to
speak before teachers, for they were the
nrst IN influence on this point, and the
nome, unfortunately, second. We have
made as much progress in education in
the last lew years as III hundreds of wears
before. There is a difference of opinion
as to what education consists OF. She
considered 1t the cultivation OF the special
aptitude shown by the child. The differ
ence between the German and French
children and the American is due
TO the spelling, she thought, as
the German and French words
give the pronunciation OF the Syllables
she thought our schools have too many
studies and children are overburdened.
Parents also are too anxious to push
their children ahead. She spoke of the
difficulty OF learning to read and spell
this dreadful English" and the time
and effort lost, which is increased by in
distinct utterances and running words
INTO each other on the part of teachers
and parents. People did not go to church
n nn
count OF the difficulty of understanding
the preacher ana consequent lack of in
terest. This illiteracy Of speech she
thoughts especially prevalent in America.
and 1t was, perhaps. due to it's cold cli-
mate. Resonant voices belong to warm
climates. She deprecated the silent let
ters IN the English language. The Eng
lish language consists OF Anglo-Saxon.
German and Latin French, and requires
two sets OF mouth muscles, which prob
ably makes the mouth tired, she thought.
and induces carelessness of utterance OF
the vowels and consonants. She pre-
dicted that, in spite of its drawbacks, the
English language would some day be in
universal use.
The paper was an interesting one and
full OF suggestions to the teachers.
VERTICAL HANDWRITING,
Miss Schallenberger presented the SUBJ
ject of Vertical Handwriting" She
did not intend to advocate it, she said.
but simply to place the facts concerning
it before them. The experts who ex-
anime the eyes and ears of the German
school children found out that they have
defective eyes, and that one reason for il
is that the children write slaEtingly. and.
as the book is held In a certain position.
the two eyes are not at an equal distance
from the page. Another reason was that
the position III which the child at present
sits for writing induces curvature of the
spine and makes one shoulder higher
than the other. She read from report
on the subject, which showed that pupil
i'll writing vertical script sat up straight.
and ii required to write slanting script
fell Immediately into a one. sided posi-
ton. The test was made in Germany
about twelve years ago, and vertical writ
ing is now III use in Denmark, France
and England. Children are inclined
naturally to write vertically, and it is
difficult thing to get them to slant their
letters alike. Vertical handwriting is
clearer and more easily read by those
who have TO read it.
The teachers of the institute then sepa-
rated. the city teachers occupying the
assembly room and discussing matters
of special interest to the city schools.
The country teachers met in the class
rooms and discussed the questions: The
Present Course OF Study-Is 1t Ade-
quate?" Our School Apparatus-Why
Is 1t Dust-Covered ?" why Are Older
Pupils Kept at Home, to the Neglect of
Their School Duties-Is There No REM
edy For It?' The discussion was ear
nest, and many ideas on these subjects
were adyaucad