Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-03-07
DISCUSSING EDUCATION.

[Fron Saturdays Oaily.l

q
President j. B. Stauffer called the
teachers to order and Supt. d. +.
Shirk offered the invocation.
Prof. W. H. Wagner, Of the Abilene
high school, had most interesting
talk on practical Experiments for
Country Schools" He confined bis
| illustrations to the wonders Of atmos-
pheric pressure, some simple home
made apparatus being used. He
showed the teachers how even In the
most remote districts with practically
no expenditure Of money they could
illustrate many interesting facts Of
physical science. He deprecated text
book examining and urged more prac-
tical and commonsense methods.
Principal l.. A. Parke, Of Hope, had
a strong paper on Preparing for
Next Years Work" The most effec-
tive way in which to prepare for
next years work is to do well the
work Of this year, he said. But OPP
portunities are presented in vacation
that cannot be found during the
school term. All preparation should
have for its chief object development
Of the mental powers rather than
mere acquisition Of knowledge.
Teachers who 60 to summer schools
and institutes to "cramN for examin-
alton make mistake. While insti-
tutes and educational gatherings
should be utilized to the fullest ex-
tent, the teacher should also seek
occasions to get outside Of pedagog-
ical atmosphere and into the society
Of men and women in other lines Of
work, to correct tendencies which
continuous association with mental
interiors is likely to develop. Travel,
If you have money enough, work on a
farm, keep books, clerk in store,
study the market prices of wheat,
cattle and hogs, talk politics and re-
ligion-do anything that is honest
and will bring you into sympathy
with the activities Of adult life: not to
neglect the study of books but as
supplementary to such study.
Opening the afternoon session Miss
Mary A. Osgood Of Enterprise read u
paper on Educational Influence OF
Dr. Holiness" She pronounced DR..
Holmes writings educational in the
truest sense, in that they came from
the heart and appealed to the best in
peoples souls. She gave brief out
line of his training and his work and
compared him with number of Eng
fish and American authors of first
rank not at all to his disadvantage.
Her paper was appreciative and
showed exhaustive study and thor
ough acquaintance with the work of
the brilliant "autocrat.
l.. G. Humbargar, principal First
ward schools, Abilene, was on the
program for Educational Notes"
His paper was devoted to three prin-
cipal topics. First, methods. There
is but one method Of teaching, that is
by inducing the child to work for
what it gets. He combatted the
modern easy" methods Of learning
and favored little Of the old-time
hard work, Second, Monday holiday.
He called this modern fad, and
showed how all over the nation the
tendency was to make Saturday a
holiday in part or whole for laborers.
More than that it Is the day when
pupils are needed at home. Third,
free text books. He favored them,
either with state uniformity or with
out, but at any rate free to pupils.
Mrs. S. M. Cook, Of Chapman, read
paper on "schoolmasters of Dick
ems outlining the characteristics Of
their work.
Prof. VIM. Atwater, Of Chapman,
gave class drill in reading, select
ing teachers present for the class and
bringing out some good points in the
teaching Of that subject.
Prof A. s. DIN professor OF peda-
gogy in the State University, gave
lecture on "Some Unsolved Educa-
tional Problems" If was highly APP
preciated and should have been heard
by every teacher in the county He
argued for a re-examinati0n Of the
foundations Of education and took up
these topics
The relation Of reading to school
work is so intimate as to make smeth-
DDS and principles used here Of prime
Importance. Much progress has been
made but there is still far too much Of
mechanical word-calling where there
soould be stimulation Of thought
activity. Literary wholes should
early be used as reading matter and
the quantity Of work required may be
much extended beyond the limits {
ordinarily observed. I