The Portland daily press., 1898-11-12
PORTLAND DAILY PRESS SATURDAY NOVEMBER r. 1898

which the child can understand little or
nolhiua- FINALLY DR.. Dole spoke earnest
" agai7,st the practice of disseoting ami
mails while their hearts were still beating,
a custom always repugnant to the girls In
class and in which the boys took An in
tsrest hardly prompted bya spirit Of
scientific Investigation
Mr. Charles o. Caswell OF the Portland
High school. in closing the discussion,
said that he thought much OF the trouble
experienced in the past in teaching physl-
ology had been due to the fact that teach
or had not been trained to teach science
as they had to teach mathematics ana
languages. To b g SUCCESSFUL teacher,
one must have a ready knowledge OF the
subject must be bubbling over with it.
With the higher education OF the teacher
would come a better understanding OF
science and u corresponding increase In
th o., aoiiity to impart knowledge.
no next exercise was one IN primary
arlthmesic by Miss Nellie L. Cloudman
OF tne 0orham Normal school. she Illus
oTa1so her work by having with hsr
class OF children, five years and und r.
The exercise created considerable enthusi-
asm, ana a number of questions were
asked
The closing exercise of the forenoon
was nature study by Prof. A. l.. Lane
of the Coburn Classical institute of Wat.
erylile, known all over thu state as en-
entertaining talker on birds in particu-
lar, Prof. Lane advocated tbs study of
the heavens by the teachers and S halars,
and cited several instances where such in
formation would have beneficial adspta-
tion. In the space of half an hour Prof.
Lane went over the whole range of ma
ture.
in the yestry OF the Methodist church BY
the ladies' of Gorham. 1t was a most
elaborate repast and enjoyed to It's full
extent.
Mr.. sTETSON's ADDRESS.
At the afternoon session an announce
ment by Mr.. Abbott that the summer
school of methods held in Fryeburg
would be continued next year and that
letters addressed to 1t would receive care.
full and cordial attention, State Superin-
tendent Stetsnn was introduced and was
loudly applanded. His subject was, The
Emo ions as a Factor in Hducation.
Mr.. Stetson's remarks were plea for the
cultivation of the emotional side OF the
pupil in ways tending to mako him bet
ter man. In it were striking sentences,
some OF which were in substance as fol
lows:
The first school was taught in the Gar
den Of bden, the first pupils were Adam
and Eve and the FIRST method was that
of the Kindergarten. Christ taught
great ungradad school The study OF hui
man life is coming to take the place OF
dacrees
It is curious to note how much time
and strength are given to the study of
things which will never be of use la this
world nor, so far as we can judge, In
any other worlds. We spend years in the
~ linz mn arftH and vnt
1t is said that many who go out from
our schools cannot add column of fig
uros nor tell the great events of the his
tory of their country. Some of the criti-
cism is just and SONS unjust. The re-
sponsibility is largely upon our shoulders.
We cannot dod se it 1t seems hard that
We who work so hard .and learn so much
and know so little. / fear that we are
losing the opportunities afforded us by
the emotions of youth. Youth is am
bilious, eager for the conflict, but slls-
peot that much of our exercises in tae
school room tend to the dulling ret er
than to the sharpening OF youthful 40 u
ties. Charles Darwin said he, belle d is
studies had tended to dwarf his EN-.
al nature and impair his intellect.
It seems to me that we should have
well formulated reason for everything
we teach. When we wentsto the world
fair we found that we were nation OF
artisans and not of artists. You have
heard the sorry of the Scotchman who
went out in the morning and barred his
head in his admiration of the beauties of
nature. How many of us appreciate the
view from the hilltop?
"a primrose by the rivers brink.
A primrose is and nothing elss.
But the primrose represents something
else, beauty and glory which it typi-
After this introduction Mr.. Stetson
spoke Of the old time respect of those in
places of trust, for the church and its
teachers, for the country and it's flag. a
re spect which he would see rekindled He
said he would like again to hear the
speeches of great orators repeated in the
schoo lroom in the effort to mould the
character of the young. He believed that
from the lives of Washington and Lin
coin and other greatl Americans there
in the young the spirit OF ratriotisnaand
love of country. He would be glad to
see an increased reverence for the home
aroused in similar ways.
1t Ia curious thing that some of the
most important things of life are neglect
cd because we feel they are too sacred to
be discussed but he who has a nature
which can appreciate the large things of
life has tact enough to present them to the
young without dimin ishing the bloom
Of youthful reverence.
We pride ourselves upon icing especial.
~ and particularly practical but l can't
resist the feeling somehow that the boys
and girls of this age are fairly entitled
to such an introduction to nature, art