The herald., 1896-03-29
THE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION /
THE TEACHING OF HISTORY AND THE
TEACHING OF PHYSICS
The Officers Elected for the Ensuing Year.
Next 1eeting to Be Held In Los Angeles.
Discussing Provoking Resolutions - A
Fierce Parliamentary Battle

Because of the rain yesterday morning
the third days session of the Southern
California Teachers association did not
begin till nearly 10 o'clock. Miss Lucille
Eaves of San Diego read an elaborate es
say on the Teaching of History. She said
in part: THE attempts of psychology to
discover the antecedents of human ac-
tivity have resulted in two classes of theo-
ries of, the will. Ideas are acquired by in
herited tendency. experience and deliber-
ate training. The importance of all these
is very great, and the value of the last is
very rarely understood. Deliberate train
ing can result from cooperation only.
Public schools find their justification in
the fact that their object is the preserva-
ton of society and all of its individuals.
The grand inheritance of each generation
is the stock of ideas held by preceding
generations; We are just beginning to re.
alize the value of economic, institutional
and sociological history. The latter may
emphasize the supremacy OF law. Nothing
is SO inspiring as the example of the great
and good people who have acted upon the
stage of life; and, as most of them are
dead, there is no way to learn of them
save by history. Our country is peculiarly
influenced by the example of its heroes,
and the teacher who will not bear that fact
constantly in mind can do little good IS a
teacher of history.
F. ]. Policy of the Throop Polytechnic
institute continued the discussion by a
paper on the applied methods of instruc-
ton in history. The paper laid especial
stress upon the preparatory work by which
DDS of work before the comparisons and
correctness of facts ascertained are at
tempted.
He gave sketch of the plan adopted for
work in the Tbroop, and the results show
gain in concentration of thought and abil-
ity to do original work.
The method of individual work advo-
Gated was explained in reference to the
demands upon the teachers time and it's
feasibility claimed for ali.
Prof. H. B. Lathrop of Stanford said: III
shall only say again what Miss Eaves has
said. The greatest result of any education
is the creation of the scientific spirlt-the
spirit which puts truth before desire, and
law above caprice. The scientific spirit
applied to life teaches us the truth of con-
tinuity. The continuity of all life, human
life az we'll as every other kind of life, is
the great generalization of our century. II
we try to realize this conception, to look
back to the pitiful beginnings of human
society, we feel a sense of swooning like
that produced by looking upon a starlit
night and trying to realize the immensely of
space. The thought Is sad. too, like the
feeling one has before a beautiful scene of
nature. This will last, we shall go. HUI
manity is so great and enduring, we are 30
small and transitory. Yet this idea has in
tia SOLDERING strength. What society has
gained is permanent. What we can do
will be a permanent addition to the great
mass of what everybody before us has
done. Another fact with regard to this
great continuity is the exceeding slowness
with which it develops. A man makes all
another an improvement on the
invention, and while they are wrangling
Il. &t..~
thing which makes both inventions useless.
Thus the best way is slowly found out
Practical problems are always solved in
this way. This is the way Our government
was made. Now, unless the pupils in
American schools learn how little any one
man or any one age can do, and how much
the past has done, the American people
turer who presents new fad in govern
lnent. We see this in teaching. Many
teachers look out for the newest fashion in
teaching and not for the best way. When
our teachers and our pupils learn that the
past knew something and that the present
knows only little better; that the past
lea med something which the present had
better not forget; that two and two do not
make five any more in human society than
in arithmetic. When this is done the
teaching Of history will be doing its true
work."
DR.. I. H. Shultz of Pasadena read pa
per on the teaching of physics in the gram
mar grades
He made an earnest plea for the use of
the laboratory method Of teaching physics
in the elementary schools.
The report of the committee of ten was
as the most sensible plan for
the theachinG of physics. The report of
the committee of fifteen was severely crit
icised as lanentable retrogression from
the work of the last two decades The
latter repor. was in favor of ona hours
oral work each week for eight years.
Instead of such irregular, desultory and
alleged teaching, the pupils should be sup
piled with suitable laboratories and should
be encouraged to study physic al science in
the only rational manner. They will not
need more than start, and will SOON be
able to comprehend millions of important
facts that else would be forever hidden to
them. At present, most teachers are ut.
terly unable to teach physical science.
They should do the best they can, however
little it may be. Without a beginning
nothing can be done. 1t is now time to
make a beginning.
Professor Stringham of Berkeley opened
the discussion with some carefully consid-