The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-01-16
SCHOOL MELANGE.

The week has been a lively one in edu-
catIonal circles. The teachers meetings
at the different schools were full OF inter-
est. One question proposed by our
worthy superintendent for the teachers
to answer, and to ponder well, was:
Which is preferable, teacher with abil-
ity to instruct and lacking in discipline,
or one who is a good disclplluarlan but
lacking in the power to impart instruc--
tion? The superintendent said that
while both requisites were necessary to
make the truly successful teacher, still
II he were forced to choose between the
two he would prefer the one able to I'm
part instruction well, even ii the power
to enforce discipline might be lacking
Then the question comes: Can that be
possible? VIII not the very power to I'M
part instruction well carry with 1t good
discipline? Many make the mistake in
thinking that none but perfectly quiet
schools are well disciplined. Discipline
is more mental than a physical state.
Those pupils who have in them desire
to learn and u respect for their teachers,
that will cause them to study and exert
themselves TO please their teachers,
though they may not at all times be per-
fectly quiet, are well on the way TO be-
come good men and good women; and
the teacher who has the power TO thus
win her pupils has the very best diRci-
pHne. Good order that comes from the
fear OF the teacher is not so goad as that
which comes from love or a desire to
please. The fact is the teachers work Is
. great work. Good teaching cannot be
valued in dollars and cents. a good
teacher cannot be too well paid, while a
poor teacher is dear at any price. An
awakening is taking place In the teach :,
ers profession. All along the line and
especially Is this true among wheeling
public school teachers. They are awak-
enlng TO the fact that teaching means
much more than lmparting the dry
knowledge of the text book to the pupil.
They are studying the pupil They are
realizing in It's fullest sense, that they
are dealing with immortal beings, and
THAT they will be held In degree re5pon-
Sible for the future life OF these boys and
girls that meet them daily to be train
ed by Them II is not understood at all
that the teachers have not been realizing
all this to a degree In the past, but our
teachers are now realizing that they are
themselves great factor In the worlds
progress and in the future they are re-
solved TO be much greater factor than
they have been in the past.
The Wheeling Teachers Association
met yesterday afternoon at O'Clock, IN
the Grammar room OF Clay school, the
uunl place of meeting, and was called to
order by Superintendent Anderson.
Prayer was offered by Prof Crago, lead
ing in the Lords prayer. F. II. CraS0
read a short paper on the subject, our
Public Schools-thelr origin and OBJ
iects," dwelling especially on the i'm
portance Of the teaching of true patriot
ism in all our schools. Miss Robinson, of
Washington grammar school, read an
excellent paper on the subject, How to
teach" The great point made was that
lthe pupfl ought 10 be-led and stimulated
to do gOr himself, what the teacher TOO
often does for him. We ought to be
patlent, study the disposition OF our
pupils, and especially put our own mol
iduality into all our work. DR.. > u.
Jepson, by request, read a paper ot the
subject OF "Hypnotism." The points
made were that hypnousm depends on
state OF intense abstraction. He review
ed the subject through all the stages
through which 1t has passed LOT nun
dreds OF years past until we have 1t as
we see II to-day, as exhibited on the
stages OF our opera houses. No one can
be hypnotzed against his Will. 1t IS
purely u subjective process. one must
be willing and give up TO do Just what
t,he operator wishes him to do. The VIII
Of the subject must be under the iniiu-
ence of the operator. The entire paper
was very interesting TO the teachers and
was listened to throughout, The doctor
mas surely made the subject one of deep
study. The fhDAHOO