The Republican journal., 1899-09-21
rleeting of Waldo County Teachers

| County Teachers Association opened in
Searsport Friday morning. Sept. 18th, with a
| good attendance. The neighboring towns
| were well represented and every one seemed
enthusiastic. Rev. II. W. Norton opened
the meeting with prayer, followed by Rev.
r. G. Harbutt, who welcomed the associa-
tion to Searsport in very cordial manner.
He spoke interestedly of the duties of
teachers, and the relation of ministers and
| teachers in their work.
Rev. c. P. Marshall of Frankfort was un-
able to attend and Supt. S. G. Thompson of
Winterport responded to the address of well
come. Then followed the reading of the
records of the last meeting,
The library as an aid to school work, by
Miss e. NJ. Pond of Belfast, came next on
the program and was full of good thoughts.
She spoke of the necessity of placing good
reading before our children, and said that
taste for good reading was not always born in
one but had to be cultivated. To obtain the
best results from the library in connection
with the school, the librarian and teachers
should be in touch with each other. The
teacher should read and know what to place
before her pupils, and should use books to
obtain ideas.
The afternoon session opened with music
by the Searsport quartette followed by
class in third grade reading, Miss Walton
teacher. Then Supt Brick talked on the
rational method of teaching reading, illus
tratng his work by the blackboard. He
| spoke of the great improvement of the new
| method of teaching phonic over the old
abe method. Miss Walton's reading ex-
ercise, which preceded this, was an excel
lent illustration of the method demonstrated
by Mr. Brick These two numbers were de-
signed to be placed together.
The evening session opened with some
excellent selections of music by Sears
port ladies'. The address of Miss Adelaide
n. Finch, principal OF the Training School,
Lewiston, was very instructive and helpful.
She spoke of the necessity of placing our
best teachers in the primary grades, for all
depended on how the child was started; of
the advisability of unifcation of studies,
that is, in the geography lesson have also
the grammar and nature lesson, and so on
throughout each study. She referred to the
harm of keeping bright child back rather
than promoting him when he was in condi-
ton for promotion. The world, education
ally was improving and she had no patience
with the pessimist.
Miss knight of Searsmont, who was to
give a paper on First steps," was absent
and Miss Finch opened the morning ses-
sion with talk on How to Teach Geography.
She thought geography should not be taught
in the primary grades only as it came into
the nature lesson; that books of travel
adapted particularly to the young could be
used by the teacher, but geography proper
should begin with the fourth grade, and
there no text book should be put into the
hands of the child, but lessons read by the
teacher and discussed by the children She
gave many valuable hints on methods and
devices and closed with description of
some of the great canoDs of the West
W, W. Stetson, State Superintendent of
schools then spoke on civics in our schools.
Civics is one of the studies closely connect.
ed with our times and our homes, and IN the
way it is now studied the children get no
idea of its meaning.
After MT Stetsons talk, the business
meeting was held The committee on reso-
lutjons made their report. Miss Lord read
letter from the Winterport w. @. T. U.
relative to the chldren's saving bank The
subject of summer school for Waldo
county teachers was discussed and an effort
will be made to have one this following
summer.
The following committee was appointed to
look after the arrangements for a summer
school in Waldo county, providing one is as
signed here: F. S. Brick, Belfast, j. W.
Farrar, Searsmont, Miss Mabel Rose,
Brooks.
The meeting then adjourned appointing
the next meeting at Liberty the second Fri
day in Nav