The herald., 1895-01-13
A CONGRESS OF EDUCATORS
Work in Child Study Know
ingly Discussed.
The Grades Where Child Nature Cal
Best Be Studied.
Great Precocity OF Infantile Minds ir
Certain Branches No Evid"ncs Of
Even Ordinary Ability.

Tho Los Angeles County Educational
association met q. 10 a. m. on Saturday,
January 18th, at the high school.
President G. E Hutton called the
nesting to order and explained why the
association did not meet in Dscem her.
meeting were read by the secretary.
Edward Hutchison. The amen dmeni
to the constitution changing the dates
Of meetings to the second Saturday of
February, April, Oc.obsr and Dsce mber
of each year was also read and com
mvnted upon.
CHILD STUDY.
DR.. J. H. Hoose of Pasadena read 3
paper on child study. He said: We
need to begin our work in child stud y
by radical change in our psychological
study, term, and c!sssi6cations. Mod.
ern psychology is the outzrowth of the
speculations and mysticism OF the
ancients. teacher who does not
know each individual child he has to
| deal with can never be successful. Ed
| ucation 10 not general; it 10 particular
or specific. II a child has q good mind
ne should be allowed to use it in the
schoolroom and everywhere else. A
child may good in one branch aud very
dull in another on which he has put in
more time and mental effort. Mere zsal
does not suffice; zsal may be 40 fervd
that 1t will burn up the thing it should
illuminate. The teacher must possess
the true scientific instinct. He must
always be on the lookout for mental
phenomena.
The child should be studied as form
OF activity. The eccsntricities OF the
norsnce, unskilfulness, Incidence or
bias of the teacher are to be charged up
| to the personal account OF the teacher,
in order to put the class room into q
proper frame of mind for true child
study.
ABOUT STATISTICS.
w. R. Housh Of Los Angeles read a
paper on Gathering Statistics for Child
study.
There are many ways of collecting
data for this study. All Investigators
should be familiar with what has bsen
written upon this snbjsct by Prot. Carl
Barnes, G. Stanley Hall. M:ss Shallen-
berger ami q score Of others who have
/ spent many years 10 this work.
AZ to whether children are in love
with nature frst question on our
progrAmms-it would requirs q great
| deal of careful rssesch to determine the
matter with any degrees Of certainty.
| Many persons imsgine that these things
have been determined already, and that
| there can be no difference of opinion
| about them. A little effort to find out
! the truth will cause each observer TO DO
much more reversnt and much less
confident of his ability to decide these
matters off-hand
There is in every community much
discussion of the question: Are pri-
mary pupils kept too still in the school
! room? Much is said on both sides OF
] the question, and much work will be
required to get at the truth OF the mat.
| ter.
THIS YEARS WORK.
President Hut on explained the pro.
gramme mapped out for the years. work
of the association.
Prot A. L. Hamilton asked that the
names OF all children who had finished
the grammar grade work and were in
terested in any branch OF science be ssnt
to him at Pasa dens.
Prof. 9. H. Keyes OF Throop univer-
sity com mended the outline OF the work
for the year and agreed with the speak
ers who had preceded him, but hs
thought that the place where child
| study 10 most needed. ia in the high
schools and colleges. rather than am ong
primary grade teachers. He thought
there was no such thing as general"
mental power. He considered all men
tai power, as we'll as all mental dizziness,
as particular. or specific. He thought
that teachers, and m ,ntal investigators
in general, were too apt to jump at con-
illusions, aud he advised them to. sus-
pond Judgment until they wsrs better
informed.
MR.. HUTCHIsoN's REMARKS.
Edward Hutchison said that
judgment is not under tbs control OF
the will. aud people must OF necessity
Judge OF everything at every stage OF the
proceedings from the material at hand.
He considered that the primary grades
are the very grades that are most in
need Of teachers who are most ID oroughly
verssd in child nature. Boys and girls
of IA end ID are almost men and women,
and ore great bundles of habits that
eau be changed but very little by any
teacher Children who have proper