The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-11-13
GATHERING OF THE TEACHERS.
The school Directors of the County Also
Met To-day.

Met To-day.
Special 90 EVENING HERALD.
PorrsvILLE, Nov. l3-Thc Schuyll1iu !
County Teachers Institute reconvcucd here
at $3.50 this morning by a talk on "a Lesson |
on Corn" DIS. John b. DcMouc, n. c. |
Shcaficr. +. Il. Shaw and Arnold Tompkins, |.
and superintendent Henry Houck also spoke
during the session. They are also ON the
program for this afternoon.
The School Directors Association of
Schuylkill county also met in annual session
here this morning The Shenandoah school
Board was represented by Messrs William r.
Trczisc, T. r. Edwards, John r. Lee and
Hon. Patrick Conry.
There were several important discussions
bearing upon public education and many
interesting papers were read, but the one that
commanded the most attention and approba-
tion was one read by School Director r. r.
Edwards of Shenandoah. II was one which
reflected great research and gave more whole
some facts and advice regarding the educa-
tional system of this county than any other
paper ever read before an asscmblage of
school Directors in this county. The topic
was Educational Responsibility of Parent
and Director Under Existing Laws" Tn
fortunately space will not admit the publica-
ton of the entire document. After an
elaborate introduction of the subject Mr.
/ Edwards discussed Results of Popular
/ Education" pointing to the 1l,OOO, 900
pupils who are being educated in this country
/ by 400, 600 teachers, Pennsylvania alone hay
ing over million students bent on the inn
proycmcut Of mind or matter. The main
features of the history of this country, he
said have no parallel aud they may be justly
ascribed to the beneficcnt efforts of popular
education. No nation ever rose to such
poweraud developed, such unlimited resources
in such limited time.
Mr.. Edwards remarks on Duty as Parents"
were among the most striking of the address.
He said:
that are made, and to encourage teachers and
school officers by complying with all the re
! quircmcnts of such laws. In our country the
will OF the majority rules, and if measures are
passed which prove obnoxious, the best way TO
kill them is to enforce them As General Grant
once said ''lf you want to get rid of a bad law,
enforce it, We arc i'm the van of progressive
states and to retain our position we must be
prompt to acquaint ourselves with innoya-
friendly rivalry of states for the perfection of
school systems we must be ever alert, and ready
to grasp all opportunities for educational
superiority, and just as ready TO discard any
idea that has been proven unfit for the result
intended As parents we should begin TO train
the minds of our children rs soon as they are
capable of receiving and retaining impressions.
When we place them in schools we should teach
them to love their teachers, their school and
their country. We should instill in their hearts
that love of school and learning which bcgcts
patriotism. Later we should CudCaVor to impress
upon them the fact that under our glorious
system of government and education il is
possible for the lowliCst to mount to the pinnacle
of fame. We should hold forth and encourage
them with the stories of the early struggles and
| final successes of our historical characters, our
| soldiers, statesmen, authors scholars and inven-
tors. We should give them to understand that
the brilliant record of our achievements in the
arts and sciences stand, unriValled in the history
of the world, and that it is possible under our
plan of intellectual progress, for them to share
in glories to come, Most of MS send our children
= ! to school with the secret hope that the future
, may resound with their deeds that possibly a
Washington, a Lincoln, "A Grant Blaine, or an
Edison may lie hidden in the little form that i.
now bending over Il chlds arithmetic, This is
the proper feeling of Il parent and while he
| possesses it he should also impart to the child
the hopes he nurses for its future. In this man
ncr the youth is made to understand the use anC
D value Of knowledge and will naturally strive tC
gain such success that Will cntitle him to the
emoluments that follow good common sChoo
o education. You and can probably remember
the oft-repeatcd expression ol our school days
: when struggling through wlut then seemed an
. intricate and unsovable problem, that we coulC
not 'sce what all this studying is good for.
10 All! my friends, that is the moment when som,
j kind advisor should have come TO our assistance
. with words of encouragement, and comfort, anC
cheer, some friend who would point out tn,
object of all study and subsequent knowledge
1t is for this reason that would emphasize thi
importance of explaining to our children TIM
. drift of all learning. In this grand countr,
u which we so fundly love would teach the child
the patriotism that attaches to national successes
would tell him how the United states stand
head and shoulders above all nations in thu
= march of improvement in the arts sciences anC
. inventions. ] would tell him in the language o
d Il paragraph that went the rounds of the paper
. some years agO-that Brother Jonathan com
c menced business in l776 with l3 states an,
n $1,000 square miles of territory which wa
4 occupied by 100000 of civilized human beings
" he has now, after little more than 100 years o
II growth, family Of 100000 who occupy 4
~ states and territories which embrace owe
: 3WOom square miles. lie has 10000 miles o
Is railroad, or more than sufficient to thrice glrdl
a the earth, and worth SlO0OOO00,O0O The yalu
" of his agricultural production is s3O0OOOOOOO, an'
n his gold mines are capable OF producing $4,000
OO) year He has more than 1000 cottol
factories 100 daily newspapers 400 weekly an,
1000 monthly publications These are the fact
3 that we should bring to Jhc knowledge of on
% children at the tircsidc. Let them be talNe
about, sung about and boosted about in on
81 homes Tell the children, i'm their homes tina
the United states issues more newspapers i
number and aggregate circulation than all tn
rest Of the world combined. That America out
numbers the press Of Great Britain to /, an
S. has nearly dozen papers which print NOR
copies every issue than does the rcnownC
d London Times That we have more cattle an
Y other live stock, that fourth in the list
shCcp-laisiug nations, having raised 100000 La
N year, and that in food producing animals on
le country leads the world. That nature herself
. by the physical features with which she ha
IL blessed our country has marked il out
broad field for development on the grandes
scale. Tell our little boys and girls that W
have the largest lakes, the longest rivers, TIN
mighGest cataracts, the deepest caves, tn
, broadcast and most fertile prairie, and the riches
Il ss1