The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-02-22
TEACHERS MEET.

a Local Teachers Institute was
held in the Christian Chapel at Cam.
bra. Prof. f. B. Beishline, Of the
Huntington Mills graded school, was
selected President, and Miss Penning.
ton, Secretary.
The teacher of the Cambria public
school, (pardon me, for | cannot name
him) made the address of welcome
which was responded to by Prof.
Beishline. Both addresses were of a
high order, setting forth the object OF
the meeting and the necessity for CO.
operation in school work of all on
whom the responsibility of the destiny
Of the young and rising generation and
of the state and nation may rest. The
appeal for co operation was to direct
ors, teachers, parents and all law
abiding citizens that our public schools
may be raised to higher moral plane,
as we'll as to a higher intellectual
standard. 1t pointed out that Hunt
ington township has greater zeal for
educational work than the average
school district. The exercises con-
sisted in Essays on Methods of
Teaching the Various Branches" 4"
These were followed by discussion,
talks on Drill and Discipline" I"
Recitations and "Music.' Now
| will not itemize, nor particularize.
but summarize it as a profound and
grand result of an educational effort.
The impression will be lasting and
the influence far reaching in the pro.
gress oil school work in this locality
Prof. Albert, of the Bloomsburg
Normal, lectured on Friday evening
pre- vious, but it was not my fortune
to hear him /; but the lecture was high
ly eulogized by those who heard him.
Quite an animated discussion on
Method" was highly interesting to
TIE audience in the afternoon on
Saturday. 1t was engaged in by Prof.
Albert and County Superintendent
Harrison, of Luzerne County, and il
elicted much applause by the ad
herents Of either side. Of course the
speakers agreed on all points, and so
did the audience. But right here
comes in another point. l fail to see
any progress in institute work when
the identical same instruction is the
same "old chestnut, for the last
thirty-six years which has been ground
over and over in every institute that
l ever attended. From the force of
habit every child should now be fami-
liar with it, whether it ever was inside
Of school room or not. l refer to
the old rule Of dividing one fraction
by another. For example, to divide
! by I the rule says, invert the
divisor" &C., without giving the why's
and wherefores. For example is
contained into {, I times and if is
contained into / 4 times then t which
is only t as large as is contained
into ! 4 times { times, or eight third
times, and I, which is 3 times as large
as I, is contained, into Z, four
third times I times, or eight-ninth
times. Right here is question.
Who first discovered the hidden
principle in the rule p l infer from
the continual drumming with this
stick that in case it is not kept up
the principle may get lost and no one
will ever be wise enough to discover
it again. Now, we also hear great
deal in these institutes on geography.
Prof. Albert alluded to one thing that
suggests this idea. He remarked that
the Equator is the largest known
circle on the EARTH" This is subject
highly interesting, instructive and
beneficial. refa to the map of the
World. On this map are marked the
Equator, Tropics, Polar Circles. What
does geography teach usr 1t teaches
us that these are imaginary Circles,
certain number of degrees from certain
given points. Now here is question
between the real and imaginary. If
these circles are real, how can they be
imaginary And if imaginary, how
can they exist at all If the Equator
is "the largest known circle on the
earth," then there is circle. And
the other circles referred to are OF
necessity smaller circles.
Now, | would very much like to
hear Prof. Albert, or any other Prof.
for that matter, lecture on the above
topic and to tell us whether these are
imaginary or real circles, and what
distinguishes their limits and bounda-
ries, and if they have any existence,
imaginary or real, what causes give
them existence Let our institutes
advance a step further that we may
learn something new.
T q WENNEp