The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-07-25
THE SUMMER NORMAL
THE SECOND DAYS SESSION
OPENS Up WELL
THERE BEING A TOTAL ENROLL
MENT OF EIGHTY.
The First Days Program Carried Out
In Excellent Manner-TOday's Pro
gram-The Public Invited TO.
Attend These Meetings.

lh2 summer normal commenced dts
regular work yesterday with an attend
ance of eighty teachers. In announcing
the program Superintendent '. NJ. Full
ton, the conductor, stated that no sub
ject of professional instruction was
provided for and he was glad to see the
interest manifested by those present.
1t was a sure sign that they did not re-
gard the normal as certificate factory.
There are teachers from all parus of the
Statc some from near the Sabine, and
some from the northwest; bright lady
teachers and noble teachers of the other
sex, who had either State certificates
or the equivalent; teachers who had come
to give and yet inspire action for future
work in the sympathetic and thoughtful
intercourse with each other for which no
place affords opportunity like summer
normal From the way in which the
school had commenced, he dld not hesl.
tate TO say that this would prove one of
the most successful nOrmals ever held
If there was any lingering idea IN the
minds of either visitors or students that
Il normal school is place iof ntHary
examining it was soon dlspelled by the
vigorous manner in which the various
subjects were discussed. In all the classes
the students felt they were listening TO
those who were masters of their subjects.
The grammar class of the summer nor
mad met today for the first time, SuperIn'
tendent +. g. Harris being in charge.
Summer languor is very prevalent these
days, but it soon vanished before the ell
thuSiasm of the instructor
He opened with q discussion of the
place held by grammar in our present
school curriculum, and illustrated its
previous place by the oidtime definition:
''Grammar teaches how to write and
speak correctly" The instructor showed
the falsity of this CAIN by saying that
grammar never accomplished this result.
Speaking or writing is an art and cam only
be learned by practice. You can no more
learn to speak correctly by studying gram
mar than you cam learn vocal music by
reading book about it.
Composition, rather than grammar,
teaches the correct use of language, and
when few years ago school men became
persuaded of this fact, grammar as
study came near being cast out from our
schools. 1t was soon found, however, that
while this study did not do the work of
composition, it had a place of its own
and that very important one. 1t devel-
oped the judgment and created mind pow
er. The old grammarians took word as
the unit of language, and so first defined
and studied the parts of speech; but later
and better logic holds the sentence to be
the unit, and makes the word dependent
upon the use therein.
The instructor insisted upon the sim
plest form of definition, and rejected such
as call up i'm the mind of the scholar too
indefinite ideas. For example, he said
that it was better to say that a sentence
expressed a statement, question, eXclama-
ton or entreaty than to define it as a
group of words expressing a complete
thought. The word Thought" being as
underlined in the minds of the scholar as
the word sentence.
At the close of the session the parts
of the sentence were being discussed, and
the question was raised whether the boy
John" or the word John" was the
subject of the sentence, John goes to
school," Superintendent Carlyle settled
the question in favor of the word John"
as grammar deals with language not nat
ural objects. The class was at all times
highly interested.
Professor Kimbrough, the joint author
of the celebrated S. and X. arithmetic,
gave the first of a series of lectures ON
arithmetic. The eager attention of the
students. as step by step he Simplitied the
complexities of arithmetic, which have
tortured the brains of many generations.
bespeaks easier, plehSanter and surer
mastery of the subject by our boys and
girls at far less pains and expense than
their teachers experienced
Addition. he deines-and he is great
and clear in defmtiOn-as finding how
numbers. They may not necessarily be
abstract.
Satisfaction was either the process of
finding the difference between two num-
bers or else finding the remainder. Be
sure in seeking definitions to stop when
you get an answer and teach all distinc-
tons in processes.
Division is the process of finding how
many times one number is contained i'm
another or Chow many times one number
can be subtractcd from another and
"hOw many equal parts there are in a
number"
Work of Professor Kimbrough's stamp
will be heartily welcomed by teachers
in future summer nOrmalS.
Work of other departments will be re-
ported from day to day.
Today's program is as follows:
$50 to S:40-Opening exercises.
$40 TO 9:20-Grammar trigonometry.
500 to 10:00-Arithmetic, solid geom-
etry.
1000 to 10:1O-Recess.
1910 to 10:50-United States history,
chemistry.
1850 to 11:3O-Physics, history of edu-
cation.
11:3o to 21:1O-Primary methods, geom-
etry.
1910 to 1:3O-Noon recess.
130 to 2:10-Physiology
2:10 to 2:50-Algebra. literature,
$50 to 3:00-Recess.
300 to 3:3O-Writing, physics, geog-
raphy. e00e
$3.50 to 4:3O-NIethods and manage
ment. psychology and moral science,
4:30 to 5:10-Civics
The citizens of Austin are cordially in
vlted to visit the normal any day, AT any
flme and if you can not stay longer than
FATALLY SHOT.
Hot Springs, July Cd. w. Cloi.
borne. a farmer, became involved i'm a
quarrel With James and Tobu "