Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-01-11
CONFER AT LANSING,


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An Attractive Program Calls out
Large Attendance DIR. Hinsdale' %
Ann Arbor Chosen President Adj
dresses By Leading Educators.
itAtrs NHkssdft
The attendance upon the forty-ninth
annual meeting Of the Michigan State
Teachers Association at Lansing was un-
usually large and the program most at
tractive.
In his annual address, delivered on
Tuesday, the president, Charles McKen-
ny Of Mount Pleasant, made a plea for
the correlation of all educational forces,
including the school, home, press and
church, his argument being that it is
only through the intelligent harmonizing
of these under the leadership OF the
school that the best results can be OBJ
tanned. Politics in school management
was condemned. The following papers
were read: '"The Overcrowding of
Courses in Our Elementary Schools"
Superintendent Austin George, Ypsilanti;
1.-The Kindergarten as Part Of Our
Educational System" s. b. Laird, Yp-
silanti; "School Savings Banks" II. X.
Hathaway, Grand Rapids. X. 8. Camp.
bell Of Port Huron, president of the
county school commissioners section, ad-
vocated in his annual address greater
permanency of the teaching force of ru-
raj schools through hiring teachers By
the year. longer terms for rural schools,
compulsory attendance upon teachers in
stitutes, more normal schools and the
doubling Of the commissioners term Of
Office. Papers were read by K. l.. Luz
ther, Kalkaska; III. b. Carr, Muskegon;
G. L. Chapel, Grand Rapids; w. HI.
French, Hillsdale; o. l.. Bristol, Owes
so; j. L. Wagner, Charlotte; p. G. Da-
Wis, Caro-.
DIR. 3. A. Hinsdale of the university
delivered an address before the associa-
ton Wednesday morning on the subject,
where Our Schools Fail Most" DR..
Hinsdaie asserted that many teachers
are not properly trained for their duties
and that only Is per cent Of the teach
ers of the United States are normal
graduates. This condition was deplored,
and higher education was deemed essen
tial to the success Of the schools. Con-
siderable discussion followed the paper
as to whether normal graduates always
make the best teachers. Supt. w. W..
Ferris of the Ferris institute, spoke on
the subject of arithmetic, stating that
mental arithmetic only should be stud
led before the pupil reached the seventh
grade. Hon. H. II. Pattengill spoke in
his characteristic vein on The Trend
of Michigan Internationally" There was
no session of the association proper in
the afternoon. In the evening lecture
on THE World Of Shakespeare" was de-
livered by President John H. Barrows Of
Oberlin College.
The association elected the following
officers; President, B. A. Hinsdale, Ann
Arbor; vice-presidents, G. III. Ham of
Traverse City and J. B. Gilbert Of st.
Johns; secretary, w. +. Lewis, Port
Huron; treasurer, e.. J. Quackenbush,
Grand Rapids; executive committee, r.
Nj. Winston of st. Johns, A. ]. Holland
of Grand Rapids and II. N. Slawson of
Ann Arbor.
Wednesday was the day for the section
meetings and the association was subdi-
vided INTO half a dozen crowds, which
met in different parts Of the city. The
commissioners section was addressed by
Superintendent Of Public Instruction
Hammond, who predicted that the first
decade of the new century would be
fruitful years for the schools of Aichi-
gan. The speaker gave figures from his
reports showing the growth of the school
system in the State He had found the
people willing to support good schools,
no matter what the cost, and in 1900,
he said, the people of the State would
pay over $4,700,O00 in direct taxes for
the support Of the schools. Papers were
read by Commissioners Il. w. Baker Of
Cheboygan, r. ID. Bailey of Otsego,
Prof. Lucy A. Sloan of Ypsilanti, Il. G.
Stillson Of Newaygo and j. w. Patti
son Of Chicago. An interesting round
table discussion was conducted and the
following officers were chosen: President,
]. l.. Wagner, Charlotte; vicepresident,
Z. d. Straight of Stanton; secretary and
treasurer, Nesta b. Smith Of Oceana
County; editor of the commissioner col
umn in the School Moderator, Retta Peet
or Ithaca ~ 1s 10 nuo
In the Kindergarten section papers
were read by Mrs. Mary d. Plum Of
Alma, Miss Margaret Wakelee, Mt.
Pleasant, and Miss Edith Blanchard of
Alma. There was a general discussion
Of the training school kindergarten. The
program was interspersed with discus
sons and music. Ofiicers-i'resident,
Miss Margaret Wakelee, Mt. Pleasant;
secretary, Miss Eugenia B. Clapp, Graud
Rapids. a
The primary section, presided over by
Miss Belle Waldo of Lansing, was ad-
dressed by Miss Martha Sherwood of
Saginaw, j. w. Pattison of Chicago, X.
M. Winston of st. Johns, Hon. ID. e.
Welchers of Lansing and Prof. @. o.
Hoyt of the State normal school. OFF,
cers-President, Miss Harrietta Marsh,
Detroit; secretary Miss Elsie Anderson,
Ann Arbor.
President Ashley of Albion presided
over the college section, and the theme
for discussion was "The Relation of the
College to the University" Able adj
dresses were made by the Rev. w. b.
Williams Of Olivet College, President An
CELL Of the U. of NJ, Prof. Z. A. Reed Of
Kalamazoo College and Prof. Delos Fail
of Albion College. President A. #.
Bruske of Alma College was elected
president and s. B. Harvey Of Hillsdale
secretary.
Frederick G.. Root of Chicago was the
only speaker before the music section.
Mrs. j. l.. st. Johns of Alma was made
president, and Miss Irene johnson OF
Marquette secretary.
Papers on various phases of physical
education were read by Miss M. PAMELA
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