Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-08


beautified with palms, potted plants and
large American flag and great punches of
chrysanthemums and cosmos in jars were
placed on the stage and in tho windows.
N The hall was filled with teachers and others
Interested. On the stage were Prof George
W. Twitmyer. who Presided, the Rev. A. N.
Keigwin and Bishop Coleman.
After the superintendent sounded the
gavel the exercises opened by the audience
singing the hymn, Father, whate'er oe
Fletcher, the supervisor of singing. The
Rev. A. N. Keig sin conducted the de-
votional exercises. He read the XCV Psalm
and sought divine direction in prayer. The
audience then sang THE Lord is my Shep-
herd ant, Miss Fletcher rendered 1.-THE
Prof. Twitmyer remarked that he thought
all conditions, the weather, the beautiful
room, the pleasant faces, were most auspci-
: GUS, He said: THE institute was for work
and he felt that all were ready. IL would
not be devoted to scholastic training and
methods but to common-sense strengthen
ing and helping of the teachers. The new
humanism is to be spread throughout the
city. We have the best instructors before US
from the kindergarten to the university"
Prof. Twitmyer then introduced Prof.
Charles H. Albert of Bloomsbury, Pa, VINO
spoke on Underlying Principles in Teach
ing" He said: PIN to talk on funda-
niertal things, on things that touch us all,
TINT are of paramount importance, to those
Ia primary or grammar or high school. l
would like to have a canvas big enough to
put upon it your notion of the meaning of
education Il year ago and beside it put your
Idea nf education today, in order to see
what inditlerences there are, for there must
be come things which you then considered
true and essential, which you now consider
worthless In all good teaching there must
be constant putting aside and taking up.
Some time ago when psychological wave
went over the country people said that II
you had not studied psychology you can't
teach school and It came pretty hard with
!. some of US. Psychology is science of soul.
4 John Locke said that the great thing ia all
] arnng is education and he meant by
education 'educo.' l draw out, and that
SAID, I never tell child anything A
man 40 years old, perfectly ignorant was
brought to Socrates and by beginning with
childish questions he drew the man on TO
talk with him on philosophy and religion.
"All teaching must be interroaative.
= Every question that child asks ought to BIZ
answered. This is according to Locke's
philosophy; afterwards came Canto, who
said. AN teaching is instruction. Then
came Herbert, who. said, All teaching de-
vclops in character.
1.-The fundamental idea of Herbert's
teaching was plication. Haven't you chill
dren in the schuGls not physically able to be
there? The children. you say, come to
school at years, but they go to school as
soon as they are born. DIR. Holmes said, "A
child goes to school 600 years before it is
born
"Psychologs is the SCIENCE of soul
power; education Is science of human de-
velopment. What is teaching? An art: the
most sublime and wonderful art there is.
Teaching is the art of promoting human
growth. Art is the expression of mans joy
in his work. said Rnskin. At years,
when the boy begins with school 1t is your
duty to gather together his natural forces
and tendencies and make him go forward
and upward Let him know he is standing
on rock. not in the mud. Just so far as you
lose yourself in your work you are doing
artistic work. Whatever give child must
be so taught that the way ! teach must do
him more good than what give him. It's
all right TO use objects in counting, but just
as soon as possible stop them. The purpose
OF teaching Is to make children hungry,
intellectually, and If the child is hungry ii
will find the food. You must have children
think. Thinking is seeing relations; rela-
tions founded ON truth, those founded upon
similarity and those founded on cause and
effect.''
Prof. Twitmyer said that he had intended
to divide the morning session into sections,
hut he thought u better to let all have the
opportunity to hear the speakers. He then
introduced Miss Harris of New Jersey, who
talked on THE Ideal or Model School. :"
What say to you Is true, though you may
take of it what you please. am going to
try to describe an ideal city school and thus
bring in occupation work. To have an
ideal school you must have knowledge of
the child, its home life, the mental and
moral associations, its temperament and
thus you must be acquainted with the
neighborhood. The room Is not one open
book, but each child is II book to be studied.
The teacher must be the chiid's friend and
helper He comes from home to school, and
absolutely tree being, never having been
used to restraint. The study of psychology
has made better relations between child and
teacher. The teacher in the ideal school
greets each one pleasantly In the morning
Extending hand shows that you will be a
friend to the child. Every artist teacher is
a,n m9th si.i tor ; the time being The time Of
comes interested in each individual child.
" In this IL cal school the children sat in
easy positions. They sang morning song,
chanted the Lords Prayer and then the
them. that they might come closer and sit
on the floor around her. She was an artist
teacher and they listened intently. After the
story each group came Ia urn to recite and
those at their seats had occupation work.
|, After the work they had gaine-runniug
around the room and jumping over the
window POLE. That teacher was an artist,
she was arousng their activity. There was
spirit of hepfulness there. There is no
number work in our first year; interspersed
hStNcCu ulSii ttuuilB IuuBuHBe WOTk
they have little songs and finger plays.
These CHILDREN are from the poorest section
of Newark ana under that teachers guild
ance they are doing beautiful work. they
have saved their pennies andSinstead of
buying cheap candy hive bought pictures
for their school room; and just lately that
teacher told me TINT they had asked her
TO buy Perry pictures for them to take
home. That, is the school influence per-
nieating the hotne.''
The audience then sang, "Fair as the
Morning" and Prof. Twitmyer introduced
DIR. O'Shea of the University of Wisconsin.
He said: II want to present to you the
results OF Investigation upon human nature.
All scientists are turning minds to studying
development OF human nature. We used to
think the child was a small man or woman,
but now we think differently. We know
that everything must begin md must have
growth. I'm not going to follow the pro-
gramme but speak to you on the bighways
of mental growth. Observe the child, he is
full OF uction at first without purpose, then
comes purposeful action. In early years the
first mental activity comes from physical
activity. A child takes more steps, makes
more motions during the day than an adult.
A child never thinks without acting, not
until maturity comes can lie think without
activity. Every mental activity comes from
the brain. We lose power to remember, to
&c certain acts because something in the
main IS wrong" By a chart Prof. O'Shea
Showed thu centres for writing, for hand
movement in the brain. "There are two
great rarts in the brain, the motor part and
\ tne puit which receives impression. The
unit which connects the mind and the out
SIDE world is the nerve fibre. There cum be
Y no thinking which does not end in some
movement. Thought is action and there g
Ine tiagedy. OF life. In teaching, try to