The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-24

Other Officers Chosen by the Union
-four the Ensuing Year-The Topic
"HOme Study, Further COnsid-
cred - Mrs. Barclay Thinks
Parents Should Give Their Chill
dren a Chance to BE Heard.
The annual meeting of the Franklin
branch OF the st. Paul School union
was held at the Franklin school last
night and the following officers elected
to serve during the ensuing year:
PreSldent-Mrs. Alexander Barclay.
Vice President-Mrs. Georgia Patter-
son.
Secretary and Treasurer-Ja1nes Mar
tin.
The board Of directors, consisting of
SIX members of the branch, will he
named by the president and announced
later.
Home Study" the topic that was be-
fore the union at its last meeting, was
again the subject of the evening dis
cussion, and TWO interesting rapers
were given.
Mrs. Alexander Barclay presented a
paper on the parents idea Of home
study, in which she said that IT was a
lamentable fact that too many parents q
relied altogether on the teacher to give
their children instruction. The said
that too many parents were of the
opinion that the teacher was paid for
that work and that heir children should
not bother them when at home.
The boy naturally turns to his
mother or father. said Mrs. Barclay.
when he is studying at home, and
! meets with a. problem that is difficult
of solution, and If he meets with the
usual answer, don't bother me- or go
to your teacher his interest In that
problem Is sure TO be lessereI, and he
drops his lesson to take up some story
of the wild West
And there is another side. The boy
must not be compelled to devote all his
time at home to study. A little sheer
nonsense Is better than great deal
OF sugar-coated philosophy. L am also
an advocate Of the daily paper for
children and think that they should be
allowed to read it, that they may be
Informed on current topics. III closing
want to say just a word for the
child's voice. There is just little too
much Of that old idea that a child
should be seen and not heard. Let the
little ones talk at the table, for from
that table talk they will benefit, and
1t allowed to compete with their elders
their childish prattle will develope into
good grammar and - best of pro-
nunciation.'
Mrs. Georgia Patterson read a paper
on the teachers idea Of home study.
She said in part:
"a child should prepare at least one
lesson at home, and then comes the
question, which study shall he select?
There are many reasons why arithmetic
Is purely a school study, and should not
be carried into the home One of the
principal ones is that the arithmetic of
our fathers will hardly meet the re-
quirements of this day. They may be
able to work the problems, but their
methods are far different from the ones
that we employ and the child will know
the result without being able to tell
how he obtained it.
History is my ideal home study, and
1t Is the one that the parents can be
interested in 50 that they will
help the little ones. Then there are
the books Of reference that can be had
at home, and the child, once interes ed,
will not be content to take for granted
what his history lesson contains, but
will find out more, and in this way will
acquire the habit Of home study, and
this is what should be cultivated, for
it will prove safeguard in after life."
In addition to the two papers short
musical programme was given, which
included numbers by the school and
Messrs. La Payne, Wilson, Burke and
Burke.
At the close of the programme the
teachers of the school served light re.
freshments, and half an hour was
spent in social conversation.