The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-06-30
INSTITUTES.
Eight Thousand Teachers Will
Be Soon Studying.
SOCIAL FEATURES ARE CLIPPED

SOCIAL FEATURES ARE CLIPPED,
Superintendent Harvey VIII Insist
Hard Work Preparing for Milwaukee
State Fair Sept. 11-15-One of the Feat
ures an Elk Who Races and Dives-Wis-
consin's 10000 Indians, One-Half Pa
gans, Many Tramps.
Madison, Wis, June 27.-It is vaca-
ton, but this is Our busy time" for
the high-rank educators, just the same.
It is teachers institute season. They
begin after the Fourth Of July Gully
10) and continue to Sept. 10. Each
county has one and some of the big
ones two. Each institute lasts from
five to twenty days, and there will be
from fifty to $50 teachers at each, Chip
pewa and Dodge contributing the latter
number.
These teachers are the "deestrict'
teachers. Attendance is voluntary, but
as the institutes are under the county
superintendent, and as it pays a teach
err to keep solid with his Cor herr SUI
perintendent the teachers are usually
there. And it is hard work. Sometimes
they begin recitatiOns at 6 o'clock in
the morning to escape the heat. There
are social features, but Superintendent
Harvey is putting an end to eight
piece orchestras and other nonsense.
The teachers sing hymns and school
songs during the day to relieve the
mon0tony Of lectures and recitations,
and there is often a dance in the even
ing and some flirting on the hotel YER
anda, but the teachers are there for
business. For many of them it is their
only chance to learn since they left the
country school to themselves begin to
teach.
There are 5000 teachers in Wisconsin
who will be at work at these siXty-fOur
institutes.
Get 81 Day for Teaching.
Each institute has one or two con-
ductors of first rank, supplemented by
others. The former paid by the state
appropriation for institute work $12,
000), the latter from the fund to which
every teacher being examined pays 81.
This increases the fund by about $40, 600.
The list issued from the state superin-
tendents office is headed by the vet
Grams Of the normal schools: Adrian,
River Falls; CheeVer, Milwaukee;
Hardy, Plattville; Hewitt, Oshkosh;
Hutton, Whitewater; Livingston, Stew
ems Point; Walker, West Superior.
! These receive 81 g, day plus expenses.
Then there are about ninety others,
teachers in normal schools, high school
principals and others whose pay is pro
rata to their salary. Thus a principal
who receives $1,000 year is allowed
| 50 day for institute teaching, and SO
| on down. The present department OF
| education is doing much to improve the
! quality Of work done at these inati-
! tutes. Assistant superintendent w. N
| Parker with assistance will inspect
| them. The work has been unified.
The ole confusion and inconsistencies
! Of method and results when each in
| 6titute went it's own way has been cor
! rected. AS a result of the instruction
and association with others, these
teachers (rnany Of whom are mere boys
and girls of II and 49, go back to their
desks better equipped for work.
Il
| The state fair occurs this year from
September II to Sept. IS. It will be on
! the Milwaukee grounds, which the
| state owns. Assemblyman True OF. Bar
abOO, who is secretary Of the state
board Of agriculture, tells me it will
be good one. Last year the fair met
rainy week. That's the thing man
agements of fairs dread above all else.
You can see that even one rainy day,
| when LOCO people come instead OF 20.
GOO at so cents apiece knocks the finan-
cial calculations in the head. Never
theless there was g small profit, and not
a loss in the fair last year. It was the
first fair under the newly constituted
board appointed by the governor. The
fair was then taken from the gamblers
and fakirs.
The races will continue, however, to
be a strong feature. These beyond any
thing else attract crowds Some S16,-
600 will be hung up in purses and no
races will be trotted that do not carry
81 ,000
s Horse That Races Alone.
There will be some features, though
there will be no retrOgression to mid
way fakery. Three "guideIess'' Won
ders are on the list. These are horses
that race without carrying a harness
on them nor dragging a vehicle. 1t
is really wonderful to see a beautiful
horse go at full speed round the track
without even companion horse to
urge him on" There is no fake"
about it. The audience is usually asked
to refrain from applause as the unat-
tended animal comes tearing down the
track after a miles flight at record
time. When "guideless wonder
hears applause he thinks the race is
over and stops. Unlike q horseless car
rage a carriageless horse has sense.
An Elk Dives from a Height.
Then, too, there will be an elk that
can race and dive-a sensational jump
from q platform high above the heads
of the audience. never could see any
thing remarkable in these animals that