The record-union., 1898-11-23
DISCUSSION OF EDUCATION.
SECOND Days SESSION OF THE
TEACHERS, INSTITUTE.
Various Subjects Treated OF BY
Professors Heaton and Cub
berly and Miss Weeks


Yesterday was the second day of
the Teachers Institute. and there was
a full attendance, scarcely any not an
sWering to their name at roll-call. The
church was much more comfortable
than on the first day, and the teachers
were more attentive and enthusiastic
Verdi's celebrated trio, "Jesu Die
Vivi," was rendered with fine effect by
Mrs. j. H. Coppersmith (soprano), Mrs.
J. W. Longbottom (tenor), and Mrs.
J. G.. Genshlea (basso), with Miss Liz
zie M. Griffin as accompanist, and
they received a double encore from
their delighted auditors.
Professor r. L. Heanton's subject
was 1.-THE Revised State Grammar" :"
and he defended it from the criticism,
and said 1t was one of the best ever
published, but that much of the crit
acism arose from those who did not
understand or appreciate it.
Professor Heaton said a poor work
man loses much time over his tools,
while the first thing a good workman
does Is to put his tools in order. The
Revised Grammar is one of the latest
books the Statel has given us. Teachers
are quarreling over it already, and
some who have not yet read 1t through
are condemning 1t. No one should pass
Judgment on IL until he has read it
from cover to cover. He should know
what Is in the book before he at
tempted to teach from it. We should
study the best method to develop the
child
He spoke Of the reaction some
years ago against technical gram
mar. Language lessons and much
sDf written exercises took its
place but were found after a. long
trial; not to produce accuracy. Now
the pendulum is swinging backward,
and technical grammar is being taken
up. But the object Of teaching it is
no longer for the purpose of learning
to speak and write the English Ian
guage correctly. Good grammar is the
result of practice and the surroundings
of the pupil. Language is formed by
habit more than by rote.
He asked If they had ever stopped
ssto think how much the child's develop
Hment depends on the manner in which
things are presented to him. The child
naturally reasons out his use of lam
guage, but his reasoning is often faulty
because we are inconsistent in teach
ing him, and to-day's teaching upsets
what he learned a few days ago. How
IS the child to know when the reversal
of the rules takes place, and why
We speak of the dullness of children.
Is there no change in the child's mind
and manner of thought? Is the wine
in the cask the same wine that was
put into it ten years ago? A subtle
change has taken place, which we call
aging" There are processes going
on in the child's mind and body, and
the information impaired to him comes
back to us in different form from that
in which we gave it to him. We un-
consciously change our own opinions
and advocate ideas to-day that we
We're opposed to a year ago. This Is
not hypocrisy. Tt is simply the work
ings of the mind.
He doubted if any grammar is per-
fectly consistent. Where do the in
consistencies in grammar come from
Our language is one of constant
growth. The grammar of Shakespeare
is not the grammar Of to-day, nor Is
the grammar of Chaucer that OF
Shakespeare. Each age has a. grammar
of it's own literature. What shall our
grammar be, the historical grammar,
or the grammar of to-day;
the grammar of use, or the
grammar of literature? Our gram
mars have tried to reconcile contradic-
tory things and to classify according
to literature, and also according to
derivation. The only thing we can dc
is to say: t'This is the general rule.
but there are exceptions to it. There
are things we cannot clear up, and we
can only say they are idioms."
We make a mistake in trying to
teach everything to beginners. The
best way to do when we come to a
stumbling block is to say, 1--WE will
take this up later" It is hard for us
to recognize the inconsistencies We
have been accustomed to. As he
looked over the Revised Grammar, he
found that the authors had in view
three divisions OF words-simple words
words displaced by other words and
called phrases, and words replaced by
other groups Of words and called
clauses. He proceeded to point out
the subdivisions into which the plan
ramffies. The Office Of words is modi-
fed by their use, and changes with
1t. We tell a child that a verb is q
WOTG IuAL aSSGItSs anu LIE 1GAl I'd y
teIl him that may have been writing,
which contains four words, is a verb
EIe knew of only one grammar thai
defined a verb as So word or a grour
of words" and this is consistent.
WHY SOME TEACHERS FAIL.
Professor Cubberly spoke on why
! Some Teachers Fail"
He said we see unsuccessful lawyers
doctors and teacherss lawyers without
clients, doctors without patients, and
teachers without schools. The supply
of all far exceeds the demand, but Il
is the misfits in the professions that art
owarcrowded who are not successful
Those who are fitted for their work al
ways find openings. Let us see wha1
are the causes of failure.
The fact is that with most teachers
the profession is not permanent one
Many teachers teach only year Oh
two and drift into other ways. There
are many educational misfits. Many
young people adopt teaching as a pro
fession without knowing whether the.
have the natural qualifications for 1t
and in fact, when they are too young
to be able to decide upon that point
The young aspirant often wishes tx
enter the Normal School and IS advised
TO wait until he or she has graduated