The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-31
Directors MEET today
Will Discuss Topics That Are Linked
with Educational Work.
INSTRuC1ING THE TEACHERS
Subjects That Were Brought to the Attcn.
tiou OF the County Instructors ut
Yesterdays Sessions OF
the Institute.

Jennings, Scranton; secretary, Horace
| Seamans, of LaPlume.
| The morning session will convene at
10 O'Clock. The president. Mr.. Hunter,
VIII deliver an address, and after the
routine preliminary business a dis
cusS,on will ensue on the question,
''Should vocal music be added to the
curriculum OF the common sShools?"
| Directols a. F. Brundage, Thomas b.
Evans, John B. Daniels. and John w.
Cure will enter into the discussion. DIR.
George M. Phillips will answer the
queries of directors.
AT the opening OF the afternoon ses-
sion which will be at 1.30, ,Superln-
| ten6ent Taylor will address the dlrec-
tors. Election of officers and reports
of committees will he next in order
and aeter that a discussion will occur
on the duties imposed by the compul-
sorry educational law on directors NJ.
G. Neary, c. d. ISanderson, George w.
Beemer and DIR. N. C. Mackey will take
part in 1t. deputy State Superintend-
ent Henry Houck will deliver an ad-
dress and concluding remarks will be
made by the directors.
Met in Sections in the Morning.
| The morning session yesterday was,
as on the day previous, in two sections.
| The primary and intermediate teachers
remained in court room No. l and the
principals adjourned to No. room.
Miss Margaret McCloskey took up her
talk on numbers and gave an interest
| ing blackboard exercise. She Is very
| popular with the teachers and her
talks are very instructive. for she has
an aptitude OF making her hearers
reali.ly understand her meaning, and
this with a charming flow of language
combines to make her lectures most
entertaining.
| Professor Twitmyer addressed the
primary teachers on their opportuni-
ties Sixty per cent. of the boys and
girls of the country leave school at 10
years Of age and go to the workshop.
Their narrow sphere in the school
room comes under the training and dis
cipline of the primary teacher. He ar
IDENTIFY maintained that only men and
| women of the clearest wisdom and ripe
experience should be allowed to enter
| upon the work of primary teacher.
Miss McIClosNy followed with a bright
talk on resi'lng. Three classes of read
ers, she said, are to be found among
the American people; those who read
vapid ard sentimental literature; those
who read because 1t Is fashionable to be
well posted on the newest book-this
class would be more deeply chagrined
|
Trilby than If they were discovered ig-
norant of Shakespeare; the third class
| is that whose members can read good
books with pleasure and profit
| Teachers in n Degree Responsible.
She said the American people are be
hind the Germans, Italians and French
in literature. The teachers are in a
in degree responsible for this state
of affairs and 1T is incumbent on them
to do something speedily to bring about
a change in this condition.
DR.. Gordy spoke on psychoiogy. he
believes that all teachers should study
this subject thoroughly. Attention Is
the rnain thing in the school room
| When tine teacher succeeds In rivetins
the minds Of the children on any SUD-
| iect he has accomplished all that Is
| necessary; the mttld of the child Will
do the rest.
The principals section In the other
| cour. room was presided over by NJ.
w. Cummings, of Olyphant. Professor
| william Taggart read a paper on dis
| cipline. Mr.. Taggart Is not In favor
OF corporal punishment, and termed II
relic of barbarism. Rewards and
| punishment should be given only when
| they are richly deserved. Superin-
| tendants John J. Forbes, Of Carbon
dale, and John E. Williams, of Dun
more, and Professors Fl. j. Hocken-
berry, OF Carbondale, and NJ. J. Lloyd,
OF Dickson, discussed the question OF
discipline pro and con. Professor Twit-
| myer spoke to them on recitation.
There must be one to speak and one
to listen. The former must possess the
ability to retain the attention OF the
| hearer, who must be in a teachable
spirit.
| At the Afternoon Session.
The afternoon session was opened
with music and George B. P. Bible,
principal of East Stroudsburg State
| Normal school, was introduced by Mr..
Taylor. HE re-echoed the sentiments
expressed 10y Miss McCloskey on the
culture of taste for reading and gave
extracts from Shakespeare. He Is not
In favor Of the fads that have sprung
up; the best evidence Of the transient
character of the fad Is Its passing
away after certain time. The first
lecturer was Professor Twitmyer on the
subject, Development Of Civic Vir-
tues in the Ppublic Schools"
| Man Is gregarious animal that is.
he does not like to live alone. There
was a man once who lived alone, but
God saw 1t was not good for him to
be thus isolated, and sent him COM
panion. This man had no one to ask
him where he had been all day, when
he came home In the evening; he had
not the experiences that many men
undergo, yet he was not content
| The speaker went from this phase of
moralizatlon to the responsibilities
that rest upon teachers in training the
pupils. Order Is one of the essential
principles In the school room. Study
must be natural, that is the head, heart
and hands should work in harmony.
| The loafer In school will be the loafer
in society, and the same with the shirk-
| er.
| Some Of the Essentials.
Self control is another element neces-
sary for the success OF the school room.
| Economy Is perhaps the most essen
tial. 1t ie not necessary for pupil to
occupy ten minutes with an operation
| that requires only half that time. A
| tendency to fritter away time in the
class room, begets profiigacy in later
life. Pupils must he loyal to principles
and in later life they will be seekers
pot house politicians.
The speaker delivered broadside to
| the class Of business men who shlrk
| jury duty. They are not loyal citizens,
he said; they subjugate the principles
of duty toward the commonwealth to
their own selfish ends.