Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-06
INTERESTING ADDRESSES YESTERDAY
Drs. Harris and simmer Read the
Most Attractive Papers Of the Com
ference--Othcr Topics Cousidcrcd-
Reception nj Richmond College.

ents passed on with interest and profit
10 the hundred or more educational men
In attendance. The features of the day
were the address OF Or. T.. ID. Sinner.
member OF the Board OF Principals Of
New York city. on 1.-THE Relation OF
Language TO Thought" aud the paper Of
Hon. W. T. Harris. United states Com
missioner Of Education. on "School Dis
cipllne and Morals" Both speeches pos
sessed excellent suggestions and created
profound interest and appreciation
among the superintendent
THE OPENING SESSION.
The body convened a. a little after 10
o'clock yesterday morning, with Presi-
dent Massey in the chair. The delay
had been caused by the fact that the
superintendonts spent little time on the
western steps Of the Capitol. where they
were photographed by Davis. After OPEN
ing with prayer. the first paper OF the
morning session was read by Superin-
tendont l.. NJ. Shumate. OF Loudoun coun-
~. on the subject "Superintendent's SUI
pervision: It's Extent and Character"
Mr.. Shumate dwelt upon the duties and
responsibilities Of a school supcrintend
ent. and threw out several valuable sug-
eestions as to how he might achieve
better results from his labors. lie re-
fcrred to the necessity of having the
very highest order OF man in the offices
OF superintcndents as upon this rested
almost entirely the success of the public
school system of the State. The topic
was also ably discussed by Superintendent
r. a. Dobie. Of Norfolk.
DIR. SINNERS ADDRESS.
The next feature Of the programme was
one Of the most important of the entire
session. II was the paper of DR.. r. D.
sinner. of the Board of Principals of
New York city, on the subject, "rhe Re-
lation Of Language to Thought" 1t was
by far the most technical thought-pro-
ducng, and altogether instructive essay
Of the meeting.
DR.. Sinner began with discussion of
the subject in its practical and peda-
gogical bearings. Said he: There are
words In all languages pointing 20 a
common root. but there are also idioms
which plainly show that different races
possess different powers TO organize.
This points to the truth that the mind
Is not merely passive recipient
Though there is a definitely organized
nervous system which must be taken
into account as all-important, there IS
also a fundamental native power to
ganism" continued the speaker. eve
may safely admit the large legacy of
general experience through inheritance
within proper limits. not forgetting re-
version 10 type. but there is more inn
piled. / need a record deeper than
the skin What; shall the trick of nos
trils and of lips descend through gene
rations. and the soul that moves within
our frame like God in worlds. con-
vusing urging. melting. writhing. i'm
print no records, leave no documents of
her great history?'
WHAT SPEECH Is.
speech IS the concomitant Of mans
emotional and rational nature. The
sensory motor organism, already referred
to. Is bound together. Impression is
accompanied by expression. There is a
dynamogenetic power which tends to-
ward expression, and every sound or
gesture becomes the sign of what pro-
duced 10. These sounds are gradually
lifted into words by the native powers
Of comparison. abstraction, and gene
raization.
But speech is also the concomitant
Of mans social nature. There is in all
of US a strong impulse TO communicate.
This IS perhaps the primary impulse.
somewhat akin to what may be called
The pedagogic instinct which prompts
every one to show TO others how 10 do
what he can himself perform.
There II 10 doubt that speech aids
thinking. Facts would seem 10 warrant
the conclusion that without the social
Impulse the thinking powers would not
develop. kasper Hauser, the wild
forest boy. even forgot what he once
had.
1.-THE dispute as TO the necessity of
words for thought still RACES. II is. no
doubt true that without words thought
could progress little beyond brutes
Hamilton's illustration still holds:
Language is 10 the mind precisely what
he arch is 10 the tunnel The power of
thinking and the power Of excavation
are not dependent on the word in the
one case. on the mason work in the
other: but without the subsidiaries
neither process could be carried on be-
Yond its documentary commencement
WHAT is IT TO THINK?
"But what is it to think? This word
j. used altogether too comprehensively
along the whole line Of mental activity
4 man says he thinks a thing is hot
when he plainly feels il TO be so; or that
he thinks an occurrence took place
yesterday when he remembers; or that he
thinks something Is red when he
perceives and in like fashion along the
whole mental line. We must limit the
meaning Of the word before deciding il
Max Muller - or Is not right.
"Thc external world OF sound and sight
attacks US by way OF sense impressions.
These leave traces which rise to rein
force new sense Impressions. and only
on this theory Of traces can we explain
the truth that exercise improves faculty.
"rhe union of these reinforcing traces |
with sense Impressions, gives US sense
perception. We integrate. and by the
power OF abstraction drop differences.
Thus. even our simplest percepts are of
truth conceptual or general. For this |
reason the last photograph Of my mother |
did not please me. The camera was |
doubtless true TO nature, but l had seen
my mother asleep and awake. in smiles |
and IN tears. and my picture had dropped |
all differences and generalZed. In Ike |
manner. all child's percepts are con-
coptual. AS abstraction strengthens, the |
pcrcept rises from the individual TO the !
generic into the broadly general. Thus |
thought Is no more than the final order |
ing OF the manifold into unity. It's pro-
cesses are comparison, or the detecting |
Of likenesses and differences. identifca-
ton, generalization. aud naming who !
ever performs these functions truly |
thinks.
EFFECT OF THOUGHT.
1.-THE whole substructure Of mental life !
aids In this development. l utter the |
word poker. and you say il reminds |
you OF fire. Is IL not plain that originally |
there was quite a long series OF expert |
Cnces associated before the poker. taken |
in hand, carried TO the stove. pushed |
through the bars Of the CRATE. reached |
the actual fire. There has, In the mean |
tirie. been a condensation OF the series. |
and the intermediate links have dropped |