Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1899-08-18

Kootenai and Shoshone counties OPEN
ed Monday under suspicious circum-
stances, with a good attendance, an
excellent corps Of instructors, no dust
and an atmosphere pleasantly temper
ed by recent rains.
There were SO many good features In
the demonstration Of the work and SO
many profitable things said In the les
son periods that it would require the
space Of city daily to set then before
the reading public
The teachers that faithfully attend
ed this institute can not but be the
better for II, and those who were list
less Or absent have inflicted upon them
selves a loss, 80 far M increased cfiici-
ency goes.
Up to date methods OF teaching the
principles Of penmanship were set forth
with clearness by NJ. NJ. Higley Of the
Blair business college, Spokane. The
branches Of civics and geography were
presented very happily by President
ID. f. Sanders OF the State Normal
school, Dillon, Mont. His demonstra-
lions were enliyened by flashes Of wit
and spiced by some sidc-hits at the
points when political reform Is needed.
lie would begin the teaching Of both
these branches by adapting to the vari-
Gus grades the elements to be found
In the child's immediate surroundings
AS In the school-room, the school
yard, the district or town, the county,
the state, the country and the world
at large.
Prof. o. l.. Waller Of the A9ricul-
tural college, Pullman, Wash, illus
trated methods of teaching nature
study, physiology and English with
freshness and clearncss Of detail. His
talks were far from technical terms
and repletc with useful hints. IL the
interest and attention Of the institute
he an indication the pupils of the two
counties henceforth will be much ben
Gifted and the schOOl-room will take
on an increased attraction and inter-
est for the dullest children.
Probably the most interesting and
important department Is that under
the leadership OF Superintendent J. Il.
Saylor Of the Spokane city schools,
covering pedagogy, psychology and
history. The instruction, AS given ia
the teachers by dictation, is invaluable
and an attempt to condense IL would
but mar and deform 1t. This inStruc.
tion was illumined by helpful diagrams
and clinched by noted and apt illustra.
lions. Especially was this true as t.
the instructions in history.
The instructors were Il unit, we may
say, In cmphatically and severely con.
demning the methods of Inst r,,ctors
In vogue, present and past, that the
child learns In the schOol-room, not
because Of those methods, but spite OF
them; that words being representa-
lions Of Ideas. shows that the child
learns more by far outside the school
room than In II: that in the orlnar,
teachers hands text books, instead ol
being Of help, become IA burden to the
pupil; that the teachers efforts result
! so far as the pupil Is concerned, i,
notwithstanding and in II very Sigh,
degree In power-getting, from which
the good of the education.is to be de.
rived.
J Prof. Saylor's de inition Of ed,ratjo,
was unique, fundamental aud Of ever
recurring application, viz: Education
Is the furnishing the mind with knowl
! edge and the developing all the ,s,wer.
of the mind; that powcr-gctting ant
not knowledge Is the object OF educa
ton. When discussing the imagina
tion as IA faculty Of the mind he Incl
; dentally showed how that an ignoran,
man is not safe man. because he ca,
imagine anything. unreal things whicl
take the place of real things and which
serve him the same purpose, and there
fore, he Is n dangerous man and ma,
, become an anarchist. As To histor,
, he said: 1.-THE study of history In
i Wolves two fundamental considers,
items to get knowledge If recorded
events and to evolve the ability 10 In
tcrprct these events correctly and from
them to understand the present his
torical processes, and lastly. To prcdiel
, for the future. To know the natur,
, OF mind and how II is influenced give,
us the principles of history.
ITO do the first IL Is necessary To un
derstand the nature OF mind. lscror,
! man acts he must make choice. The
! nature of that choice depends upot
. the nature NJ his knowledge. Tn,
+ choice when made and put into execa
ton determines the act. and the acl
when recorded Is history.
Mans past has been systemati,
aud progressive evolution from "a,
ignorant tn an Cniirbfc ned st,ta 60