The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-03


held yesterday were the largest of any
of the previous ones, this fact being
due, no doubt, to the exceedingly pleas
ant weather which Nature fur
nlshed this locality. The features OF
the day were two addresses delivered
by Dr. Nathan c. Schaeffer, state
superintendent of public instruction.
The meetings yesterday were in charge
of Superintendent e. D. Bovard, of the
Dunmore schools, on account of Super
intendent Taylor's presence at the
directors meeting. Mr.. Bovard proved
to be an admirable presiding officer
After Professor watkins had finished
his customary musical instruction, DR..
Mowry spoke on civil Government
National" He spoke first of the draw
ing up of the Constitution of the coun-
try and how it is a truly wonderful
document to be drawn M in a single
summer. He described in detail the
three divisions of the national govern
ment-the Legislative, judicial and ex-
ecutive; one to make the laws and the
others to interpret and enforce them.
He reviewed the functions of each
division and the necessary qualifica-
tions for the holding of office under
each. He said that when this study is
carefully analysed it will he found to
be astonishingly simple. He. told the
teachers to read the newspapers, to clip
from them articles bearing on the ma
tional government and to paste these
clippings in a scrap book for use when
occasion demands.
PROF. WATKINS SANG.
tic
point by request, and was obliged to
respond to an encore. The next lecture
was given by Dr. Schmucker, who
gave another delightful nature talk on
Scattering Seed" He told of the
manner in which various plants, trees
and flowers scatter their seeds for the
purpose of reproduction. In some in
! stances they are carried by the wind
! and in others they are forcibly thrown
off by the plant itself
He said that it was his theory of nat
ural philosophy that the All-Wise Gre
| ator never dressed anything poisonous
| up in attractive colors. In order to
| prove this theory he stated that he has
| made it a practice to eat all Of the ber-
| ries which are generally considered
| poisonous, and that he has now been
| eating the deadly nightshade and
| poke berries for q number of years
without suffering any ill-effects. He
| also remarked that the nightshade
| berries are worth just about four-fifths
of every other berry, as far as flavor
| goes.
| The third and last speaker of the
morning session was State Superin-
tendent Schaeffer, who spoke on the
New Geography"
| The doctor spoke of the fact that
teaching is a growing profession and
that geography was a growing sci
ence. Geography, like medicine and
| pedagogy, gets it's leading facts
from other sciences and as they ad-
vance it advances and he who teaches
it must also advance.
He said that the science of geogra-
| ply is becoming completely revolu-
tionized. He cited as an instance the
new theory that rivers have made the
valleys through which they flow by
continual wearing down from centur-
les. He then referred to the new
ideas about the wonderful carrying
power of rivers and the now accepted
rule regarding this carrying power. He
said that a river running at the rate
of ten miles an hour will carry rocks
along it's beds weighing one ton.
He said the idea held by many
people that the too close study of geo.
graphy will undermine faith in the
Bible was utterly false. The Bible is
not meant to teach science and he told
the teachers not to be afraid to teach
the new geography.
| AEvrr1pNnnN cESSvnN
The afternoon session was opened
with a short period OF musical instruc
ton, after which Dr. Schmucker de
livered the last talk of his series, tax
ing as his subject, Whats the Use?'
He told how so many teachers ash
the question whats the use of teach
! ing nature work?" The doctor imme
diately began to grow eloquent on thu
subject and before he had finished i
oughly convinced every one presen
that there was a use for the study o
the truths of nature.
He referred to a photograph he haC
seen showing what was estimated to b.
0OvJ people gathered at one time OF
the beach at atlantic City betweel
the board walk and the ocean. H,
said if this was the only idea of amuse
ment that 1000 people in this modern
age knew oil, then 1t was high TIM
that they learned that there was some
thing better than a seaside resort will
its hot BOARD walk, it's merry-go- rounC
and it's shoot the chutes.
He said ii was time they learned
to go away from the maddng crowd