Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-06-30

making by many of their proteges,
indeed, but nevertheless characterized
by merit, faithfulness, and frequent,
silent heroism.
''The friendly greeting of the super
| intendent and teachers of the Wheel
ing schools comes to US as from COM
rades in arms and in the ranks, and
in the spirit of comradeship we answer
back the greeting. The arms we bear
and the ranks we fill are indeed those
of peace but they are none the less
effective. Our munitions of warfare
are mind and knowledge: our tactics
are methods of developing thought
power and thought accuracy; our enc
mics are error and ignorance, and our
| triumph is American citizenship, which
| in the world to-day is the flower OF
liberty and the exponent OF skill, cour-
| age and humanity. Our implement,
knowledge, is greater than all-fOr
while no man can ever be superior to
| it, it makes men superior to the ether
| implements they use; to their artisans
f, tools, to their prOfe ;siOnal libraries, and
! to the machines Of war, giving the
| mind a control over substance, and,
better still, control over itself, which
amounts to and results in mastership.
Under free knowledge, America to-
| day is reaching out for mastership in
many directions, in inyentivepess, in
| enterprise, in craftsmanship, in war
| fare, where skill, the mastership of
mind over substance, and courage, the
mastership of mind over itself, show
/! themselves capable of wonders, almost
| of miracles.
| ''It is perhaps easier to entertain such
! notions here in assembly than in the
! school room, where the limitations of
| the child mind seems almost hypnot-
| ically to contract the horizon OF our
! own thought; but whether we are con-
scious of it or not, we have part in
the glory of producing mental devel-
! opment in America which challenges
| the world and compels universal re-
| spect and imitation. Cur system OF
education is similar to our system of
! government-it is Of the people, for the
| people and by the peOple-for we are
| doubtless ''the people with whom edu-
! cation is an instinct; we are the peO
pie who gave the great birth to uni
| versal education, and we are the people
who accupy the van Of the educational
army-for the banner bearing the de-
l
! fore all armies, whether industrial or
martial.
| and now Mr. President, we have
| come to this Association, eagerly, at
j some sacrifice, seeking the profit and
enjoyment of intellectual exercise, and
we are glad in addition to find fellow
ship. And now why not as hands, join
| also minds in the creation Of an intel.
| leotual fellowship that shall make our
minds sympathetic, one with the other,
! that shall charm our minds into self
forgetfulness so they will readily I'M
! close to one another and that shall
I syrrmetrise for us all the mental Gull
| ture of this session.
| Mr.. Hahn also took occasion in his
| remarks to make highly complimentary
illusions to the paper read by President
Raymond during the afternoon, and to
| the impetus given by him to the cause
| Of education in West Virginia.
| The Association took UP the topic:
'The County Institute which was
] postponed from the afternoon session.
The discussion was opened by Superin-
tendent Trotter, who spoke of the large
| number and variety of applications
which he received from men and women
| who desire to conduct institutes
| Prof Thomas G. Miller, of Morgan
| town followed He denied the charge
| that institute work has not realized the
expectations Of the legislative body. lie
admitted that there are certain defects
! and he was not sure that the county
institute should not be merged into dis
| trict institutes He favored three days
institutes in magisterial districts with
general institutes lasting two days.
Superintendent W. M. Foulk, of Pied
| mont, said the premise appeared TO be
established in the discussion that there
is something wrong with the county in
| stitute He did not know whether 1t
| should be admitted that the institute IS
a failure. If the instructors were more
| cQmpetent he thought the Institutes
would be better. The indifference of
| the teachers might in a measure vanish
if the instructors were more compe-
tent.
Mr.. Wilkinson, of Grafton, was the
| next speaker He agreed with PROT.
Foulk that the trouble is largely with
the instructor He spoke of attending
tri-county institutes in other States in
which there was an attendance or W
per cent of the teachers. He had found
| more enthusiasm elsewhere than in this
State. He saw the evil, but could not
suggest remedy.
Prof. L. J. Corbly, principal of the
State Normal school at Huntington,
thought the chief defect in the institute
lies in the instructor He said the peo-
pie get ready to do something before
they are qualified to do anything. he
told of an instructor who had qualified
himself for his work by absorbing the
contents of a drummer's joke book,
and who made such success that the
teachers Of the county petitioned him
to come back The chief trouble, in
Corbley's opinion, was ignorance-dens
ignorance. He told Supt. Trotter that
if he is to be instructor again he wants
to get his programme the fall before.
DR.. E. M. Turner, of Morgantown,
closed the discussion. He said he had
learned a great many things while list
ening to the discussion. He held that
the county institute must have rea-
son for existing either to instruct the
teachers or to enthuse them. He
thought it was impossible to give them
much instruction. The difficulty lay in
undertaking to instruct heterogeneous
body Of teachers-some really capable
and many entirely inefficient. While
President of the University, the speak
err said, he had followed an instructor
into seven counties and he observed
that nine-tenths of his talking was the