The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-28

handled her subject with an enthusiasm
showing how deeply she is impressed
with it's Importance and utility as SUBJ
ject for public school curricula
1t is impossible to make artists or sing-
ers in the public schools, Mrs Gaynor
admitted, but it was possible to lay some
foundation in music, as in other lines
AS a means Of expression, music is in
valuable, and by developing the musical
faculties, children may he taught accu-
racy of sound perception, and this is
step toward learning the art Of intelli-
gent listening.
There is no subject of which cultured
and highly educated people are so gen.
orally ignorant as music and~by -instIuc-
ton in an acceptable form, young schol-
ars may easily acquire knowledge and
love for music, which they will deem
invaluable in later life. The fault Of the
present methods of instruction in elemen-
tary schools, was the uninteresting way
in which the teaching was done. Pupils
passed through the course of training,
and then had only a song OF Two to show
for it all.
RHYTHM was something all children
seemed to instinctively love, and through
its instrumentality, love for music
could be installedsinto the youthful mind.
They were taught to express themselves
in drawing, composition and other ways,
music, the speaker believed wonderful
results would be obtained.
AS long as cultured people continued
to confess their entire ignorance
of music i'll tone implying
that this was something highly
to their credit, music would never
be esteemed at it's true Importance in
this country.
When Mrs. Gaynor took her seat she
was applauded to the echo, and so in
sistent was the call that she returned
to the platform and sang two songs, for
which she had composed the melodies.
Mrs. Alice c. D. Reilly, of Chicago, wrote
the words and both words and music
were admirably adapted to attract the
child and foster a taste for music. One
was entitled "Slumher Boat" and the
other Japanese Doll Sing" The latter
in a minor key told of the homes. ckness
of quaint little doll perched up on
mantel and which was never allowed to
be touched except upon special permis-
sion Of the mother. s..
Superintendent A. c. Tibbets Blue
Earth City, read the next paper, on Real
and Apparent Failures" In opening he
said that though entertaining a high
opinion Of the merit and good results
attending the public school system, he
would point out Some things that were
in his opinion real failures and others
that were only apparently SO. as4.tt~
The greatest cutlery against the schools
came, as a rule. from the professional
classes and the business community. The
former class was actuated by a narrow
ness which could not see any good in
anything outside of its own limits, and
the latter could not understand why boys
could not step from the school to the
counting Office and do the work as Wen
or better than trained clerks. 1t was a
safe assertion that the school did its
work better than the average business
house. He had by personal observation
satisfied himself that the bookkeeping in
the ordinary business house was Slovenly,
badly spelled. and in everything but ac-
accuracy of computation, far inferior TO
what could be seen in any school
A writer in a magazine, in few months
ago, had made the reckless statement
that the cruelty and insanitary condi-
lions prevailing in American schools were
responsible for sending go, 600 children into
the grave every year. This was ridicu-
lous. Most schools were better equipped
with sanitary sconveniences than the
average home, and so far as the cruelty
was concerned, any child, given three or
four hours of exercise in the open air
every day, and ten or twelve hours Of
Sleep could stand all the study that
could be piled on him in six hours at
school and two at home. ,i.,.:
The system of co-education continued
after the age of twelve was not, in his
opinion, a success. While it seemed to
develop spirit Of Independence in the
girls, it also left the boy with no con-
csption of real work. To properly develop
the boy older than twelve, he should get
an amount Of work that would be far too
heavy a tax on the girl. Therefore the
present half-boy, half-girl system of edu-
cation did not yield the best results.
Supt S. A. Challman,Iof Detroit, Mimi,
read a paper full of timely and practical
suggestions on Something Outside Class
Exercises. In it he said that tire teacher
should not forget that uniformity means
stagnatfon. The children should be given
a new sensation every morning in order
to keep UP their interest in their work
He had tried this plan in his own school
with marked success During the first
fifteen minutes of school every day fresh
topics of interest locally or nationally
were taken up and discussed by the
whole school History, biography, bot
any, geography, mathematics were thus
brought up in novel shapes, and the
| scholars never failed to- manifest great
interest in the Innovations
| At this point an intermission was de-
clared, and the Schoolmasters' club sang
by the Sea"
FACTS RFOM REAL LIFE.
Then Rev. D. Morgan read a paper on
Some Facts From Practical Life Which
Educators Should Consider" The rever-
! end gentleman stated that criminal sta
tistics proved that so per cent of the per-
| sons appearing on prison records had re-
! ceived common school educations, and
! per cent had~reeeiVed higher educations.
With tramps the percentage was still
| higher. This did not prove that educa-
ton was a failure, but it did go to show
that the common school training Should
| be framed to include more manual train
ing. A vast majority of the criminal
class had no trade, or any special manual
training.
If all the children were given manual
training and the elements of. economy
were instilIed into them, the Sums would
not be so thjckly populated believed
that from the kindergarten to the high
est class in 4tlaeguniversity manual work
of some useful description should be in
PRODUCED. IN this way the prisons would
be empt.ed and the criminal element
| would grow smaller. 1t was a sad fact
that for every three boys who went
wrong there were two girls. This as not
shown on criminal records, for the rea-
son that most crime was committed fo1