The herald., 1896-11-22
That Was Discussed at Length by Some
of Those Present
President Foshay Talks About the Coming
Meeting Of Teachers
Meeting Of the City Teachers Institute
After the Preliminary Exercises
They Met With the Coun-
try Educators.

The Los Angeles County Teachers
association was called to order yester-
day morning promptly at 10 o'clock in
the high school building by the presi-
dent, Prof. ]. B. Millard.
The seating capacity of the room was
filled to its utmost by the number of
pedagogues present from all parts of
the county.
Prof. Millard, In expressing his appre-
citation Of the honor conferred by the
members in his election to the presi-
dency in October last expressed also
his qualification at the large attendance
and increased interest of the teachers
in the organization, for which he paid
a high tribute to the efforts of Superin-
tendent Foshay.
The exercises of the morning were
opened with a chorus of ten ladies, who
sang fairy song under the direction of
Mrs Gertrude Parsons, and were en-
Enthusiastically applauded.
The subject of the program was
COURSE in Language" beginning with
the kindergarten, continuing through
the lower grades and including the high
school, each being represented by a
teacher in the department.
The first speaker, Miss Florence Law
son, Of the state normal school, present.
ed the subject for the kindergarten.
Language, she said, is the link which
is to make clear the outer world, relate
and bind it to the inner world of mind
or spirit. The child comes into world
of material objects as an alien, yet
bound to it by the closest and nearest
relationships. He understands no Ian
guage but his natural expression of In
articulate cries and gestures AS soon
as senses and body are developed suffi-
ciently to lead to outward expression,
language becomes necessity.
BY repetition and association he mas
ters it's relation to objects. He really
begins to see analogies almost as soon
as he begins to be. The kindergarten
teacher must not only present her ma
terial in logical sequence but descrip-
tions of that material must be concise;
logical development of word expression.
By repeated impressions through
handling, he becomes familiar With the
object and the name follows as nat
ural result. The kindergarten trained
child gives clearer descriptions of incl
dents which come under his observation
and is more definite in the use of terms.
In the narration of stories to kinder
cessity of the use of the clearest and
most concise English, and the para
mount Importance of the correct asso-
citation of words to ideas in the mind of
the child
Miss Estelle B. Smith of the Twenty
eighth street school was the second
speaker on the subject, representing the
first grade. Language is simply the eX-
preston of thought. The development
of new ideas must precede language les
Of ,1,eC, tiN,,
should be cultivated that the child may
grow into a full and deep love for all the
works of nature. In this age sentiment
is subordnated to practcability, but of
all children in the universe the Ameri-
can child can least afford to lose senti-
ment. In oral instruction in language
the teacher should first master the story
before telling it to the pupil; allow him
to give his ideas, then teach him to make
correct statements. He should be
taught to write his ideas, then be in
structed in the technique of compost
tion, and he will soon love to write his
thoughts as well as to speak them. The
speaker doubted the advisa bility Of
telling children stories from the classics,
as they contain subjects not proper to
fit them for practical life. The question
to be asked is: Is this education of ours
turning out manly men and womenly
women2 The object of all education
should be the building of character,
which is to make the child what he
should be for time and for eternity
Miss Emelda e. Brooks of Pasadena
said the work of the second grade was
merely continuation of that of the first
capitalization, punctuation, drill in
short sentences, elliptical sentences and
copying poetry in the technical work of
the second grade. But we need to clothe
the dry bones with flesh, to fit the pupil
for the higher grades No instruction
affords so broad basis for language
work as the study of nature. and If that
kind of work is given technical names
should be taught The important side
OF the child's life is the mental and
spiritual and to this nature responds
more readily, and as we lead them in
tnls work 1t teaches them to better un-
oerstahd the poets. Nature leads in
peasant ways and reveals such secrets
OF blrd and leaf; in her we find delightful
mysteries that take us back to the won
DER world in which children so delight.
IN thls study we are led from nature
up to natures God
Miss Evalina Summers snaa1,;ro. r,,
the third grade, outlined the course in
language for the school wear Most
teachers. she said, disliked to teach This
branch of study, but pursuing bad meth
DDS they got bad results. Language in
any FORM is haoit, and it is the duty of
the teacher to teach accurate form
Every recitation should be a language
lesson, every mistake should be correct
ed, and the pupil will soon learn to cor
rect his own errors. Children should be
instructed to write briefly. in compost
ton and in letter writing; the teacher
should have definite and systematic
plans to follow. We are making citi-
zens and, what is far greater and nobler.
men.
Mr.. NJ. G. Bettinger of the Thirtieth
street school, for the fourth grade said
Tor language work plenty ~ time is re-
quired; the power by which a child
weighs language admits of no crowding.
A condition of success is the personal re-
latiOns of the pupil to the teacher. His
effort to reach out and up must meet no
blight; the teachers management must
be devoid of all frigidity-full play must
be allowed the emotions. And until
some power comes along to sweep away
some of the studies now required, too