The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-20
THE COLORED TEACHERS.
A Lively Time Over the Selection of the
New Officers.

New Officers.
The Colored Teachers State AssOcia-
ton met yesterday morning at 8 O'Clock,
with President Vincent in the chair.
Prof Ii. H. Falkner read an excellent
paper.
DIR. e. E. Smith reported from the com
mittee on the summer normal school.
The board of trustees with the State SUI
perintendent of public instruction was
appointed to take the establish ing of the
normal school under Amusement
The committee ON nominations made a
report which was recommitted.
At the afternoon session the committee
on publication, through Mr.. G.. M. Eppes,
reported. The committee on reading re-
ported through Mrs. Dr. Smith, and the
committee on sanitation through Rev
The committee on nominations report
ed a second time through Prof. Z. w.
Moore. A stormy scene ensued.
Prof. w. B. Crittenden, honOred and
loved by the North Carolina teachers for
his ability and sterling character through
Prof. A J. Griffin, refused to allow his
name to be used for any office.
DR.. y. +. Roberts, of Shaw Univer-
sity, was elected president, Mrs. G. C..
Shaw associate secretary and j. NJ. But
Ter recording secretary.
The committee on constitution then re
ported. The committee on adoptiOns re-
ported through Prof. n. c. Bruce. A
central campaign committee ON local
taxation" was appointed.
This association is taking strong
ground along all lines of superior adj
vancement
At the Friday afternoon session Prof.
W. G. Pearson, of the Durham graded
schools, made an earnest appeal for adj
ding manual training and drawing to the
course in the public schools. In a few
but precise words he showed that these
features increase accuracy, make chill
dren more observant and give them a bet
ter and higher appreciation of nature
and her God. He also showed that
manual training and drawing develop the
powers of the head and hand. He gave
a synopsis of the essentials in drawing
and exhibited a creditable display in
freehand drawing, which consisted of
sketch books, designs for books, border
ing, etc, and in connection with manual
training, steps, shelves, boxes, carving,
etc. This met the hearty applause Of all
and ere long manual training will find
its way into the city schools. The citizens
Of Durham should feel proud of her corps
of teachers. Miss r. \. Ray and Miss
Katie Truman were enthusiastic over
the work of the Durham graded schools.
The paper on How to cultivate love
for reading" by w. o. Faduma sug-
gested ten ways by which it may be had:
1. Methodical reading as opposed to
indiscriminate bric-a-brac reading; takes
one thing at a time. 1t is routine work,
but it is a tonic for strong character.
2. Purposive reading is reading with
some definite aim and not resting salts
fed until the aim is attained. That aim
may be the investigation of a subject or
the truth in an idea. If persevered in, the
investigator soon begins to feel more
and more interested in his subject. until
he forgets whatever of pain may be COM
nected with the process of investigation
3. Select reading is the reading of some
of the best books in verse or prose. What
we need know is not many things, but
much out of the little we know A
thorough study of Homer, Dante, Mil
ton, Goethe, Shakespeare, Shelly.
Wordsworth, Tennyson, Robert Brown
ing and Longfellow, among the poets, as
well as of Kingsley, Lord McCauley,
GibbOn. George Eliot. Hawthorne, Car
lyle. Matthew Arnold, Ruskin, Plato,
Aristotle and Herbert Spencer among
prose writer's, will give the mind a strong
bias towards the discovery of truth
wherever found.
4. Associate reading is reading with a
class or with some one whose company
is cOngenial to you for the purpose of the
interchange of ideas.
;. Critical reading. There is a kind of
criticism which is an index of a narrow
mind. True critical reading trains the
mind to habits of strict analysis, it no
tees the style of a writer, his vancouver
ings, his aim, his differences and what
ever is worth noticing. We need more
criticism Of the right sort The French
literary standard is unique in this re-
spect in that with them art stands first,
and personality second
6. Reading by comparison is valuable
chiefly on account of the judicial mind
which it forms. Hence the essayist made
illustrations from Lord Macauley's mi
mitable comparison between Milton and
,Dante's use of images and Addison's
comparison of Homer, Virgil and Ovid,
the great imaginative poets Of antiquity.
Z. Meditative reading. BY this method
the reader broods over in his mind what
he reads until the whole is well digested,
assimilated and concentrated. 1t is the
best cure for superficiality in literature
8. Newspaper reading is the mirror of
the times It's mission is not to give
technical knowledge of events, but to
keep one informed of their occurrence.
1t is a necessity as such.
8. Magazine reading is newspaper
reading on a higher scale. 1t gives a
foretaste of what is to be served in the
higher departments of thought. 1t is the
meeting place of the expert and the busy
man of the world, the grave of Academus
where the teacher and the learner meet,
an enchanting spot which leads to the
elysium of the worlds best intellect.
10. Cultured reading. There is a COM
mercial as well as an ethical value in
reading. Much Of what is purposeless I'm
modern fiction is due to the utiltarian
spirit which seeks to have dollars and
cents, but neglects to exalt ideals. If the
materialistic spirit dominates the ethical
in literature, the man is lost, and the