The record-union., 1897-11-24
DRIVING and ARITHMETIC.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED AT THE
INSTITUTE YESTERDAY.
Teachery Gain Much Inform alton
ON These and Other Prac-.
tical Subjects.

SAS1A 0uOJCCtSs
AT the opening of the morning session
or the Institute yesterday the roll
showed almost every teacher in his or
her place, ready for work.
Miss Hazel Hubbard gave a very
pleasing violin solo, "A la Hongro1se,
with excellent taste and expression and
received hearty applause for her per-
formance.
The first paper read was by Frank
Tade, Principal Of the Elk Grove High
School, on "Some recent movements IN
secondary education in the United
States, with particular reference to the
course of study" and will be published
hereafter
PRIMARY ARITHMETIC.
Professor Dresslar addressed the IN
Dtitute on primary Arithmetic, say
ing that it was not regarded as an IN
viting subject, but it is part of the
school course and must be considered.
The first question the little child asks
Is, What is the use of arithmetic:
Have we ourselves definite idea of
what its use is? Arithmetic is simply
Of use to teach us to think accurately.
Unless we think accurately, it is of lit
tie use to think at all. A person may
guess at the size of an audience, but
IT is not at all sure he is right. But
If he divides it into groups of certain
size, by the aid of addition and multi
plication he arrives at a correct result.
So with the number of grains in sack
of wheat. In all the operations of
higher mathematics the final solutions
come down always to the operations of
arithmetic. The use of arithmetic,
then, is to teach the children to think
accurately. When they are taught.
then, to see its use, the result is to
arouse their interest. 1t is the process
we have devised of necessity, to help
us to get at the truth exactly. 1t is a
means Of conquering nature. How
could We build bridges and railroads.
measure grain and a hundred other
things. How could we build the bridge
without measuring its parts and max
ing mathematical calculations. We
cannot carry out the commonest af-
fairs of life. Now we must get the
children to feel this; simply telling
them so will not be enough.
What is a definition of arithmetic?
'The science of numbers is a common
definition. What is numbers? We can
only comprehend numbers fully from
a multiplicity of sensations. The child
of three years old can be taught to
count six, but cannot comprehend the
larger numbers. Number is relation
ship. The relation between a pound
weight and a two-pound weight is two.
So with other things. You may say
the child cannot comprehend this, but
he thought it could and if it cannot,
you had better quit teaching arithmetic,
for that is arithmetic.
Any method of arithmetic that uses
a symbol and fixes the symbol upon the
mind of the child as the thing itself is
mistake. There are three phases in
measurement and three phases in
thinking. The child goes through
three kinds of measurement: estma-
ton by the eye, a rough measurement
and lastly. an accurate measurement.
This evidently shows the child that the
only correct result is by actual meas
urement. This is the first STEP and he
is easily taught that TO measure ac-
curately they must think accurately.
Once the yardstick was made the length
of the Kings arm, but there were
short Kings and long Kings and it was
soon seen that there must be an accur-
ate standard
If we can teach the child to see that
learning to think accurately will even
tually give him power over the large
things Of nature. his interest Will be
aroused and when you teach him grad
ually the processes by which he can
attain accurate thinking, you have
done what arithmetic was intended to
do.
When we can get them to feel that
the multiplication table is the means by
which they can attain the end they
wish TO reach, it will be learned read
lily. If we drill the child on the mul-
tiplication table, however, until the
figures overcome the sight of the end
in view. we have done him an injury
The end in view is the application of
these things to the problems of life
All the branches of mathematics and
science come back to arithmetic, for
the reason that we cannot think accur-
ately without it.
What is the difference between count
ing and measuring? We may count our
fingers without measuring them. Meas
urement is the process Of finding the
relation between the thing you meas
ure with and the thing you measure.
Teach the children this and let them
measure the house. the yard, anything
and they viii soon learn this
DRAWING.
Miss Katherine NJ Ball of San Fran
cisco, who last year had the same sub
ject and made a most favorable i'm
preston. took up the subject of draw
ing. She said she wished to be as
helpful to the teachers as possible
Teaching is often a bugbear to the
teacher. because she does not know
how TO teach it. Many think they
cannot learn to draw because nature
did not intend them to. We grow in
whatever direction we bend our ener-
gies. We can all learn to draw as well
as TO read, to write and do other things
She could teach anyone to draw. but
some learn more rapidly than others.
Those who like mathematics and scien-
sific subjects learn more easily than
those who take to grammar and liter
ary work.
The State intends that the drawing
taught in the schools should be decor
ative and mechanical mainly. The
way TO teach the child to draw Is to
bring him in contact with the object to
be drawn. Copy work should come in
at the end of the course, to teach the
child artistic finish Some teachers
VINO nave artistic training and can do
fine work do not know how to teach
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