The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-07-19
County Institute.

The Institute of Obion County
met in the High School Building
Monday morning. After opening
exercises. conducted by Rev. Hen
drick, of the Cumberland Presby-
terian.Church, Prof. S. A. Mynders,
of Jackson, the conductor, was in
troduced to the body and took
charge. His assistants are Messrs.
r. L. Bynum and w H. Cook. Miss
Adrain Brevard is secretary Of the
Institute.
During the mornings session
Capt. Mynders made a very interest
ing talk, outlining the weeks work
which would bear mostly on dis
cussion of methods.
While he acknowledgement Ten
uessee is well up in educational
progress, still we are slaves to the
text book in our State. This is
not good, because actual,investiga-
ton of objects is better than text
books, because it arouses interest
and interest alone moves the wind.
Education means concentration and
this is closely allied to interest. A
recitation without interest IS of no
value because there = no attention.
Another thought in this lecture:
1--WE must combine the manual with
the mental"
Directly then followed an exam
pie for arousing interest. This
could be used in the opening exer-
cises. Beside reading scripture or
prayer give an information exercise
on some familiar subject. The ex-
ample was a briet talk about
seats, which was interesting even
to teachers, but its purpose was to
serve as an example, after which
two hundred others might be pat
termed. One item was this: THE
United States Government provides
that in some post-offices an allow
ance OF $40 annually shall be made
for.cat meat, so much appreciated
are the efforts of 'Puss in appre-
hending destructive rodents. "
Another thought: Don't blame the
boy if he is not interested. Boys
live in the present, not in the past
or future. The way to handle him
is to interest him. Investigation,
research and experiment will save
pupils from evil disorder in the
schoolroom.
Mr.. Cook (who acknowledged he
had few degrees of fever gave
some remarks, and asked why a kit
ten sleeps better in summer than in
winter. Because the summer
brings the little caterpillar. We do
not think Mr.. Cook should again
undertake to address an audience
when he has fever. He also said
we should teach correctly; we can
accomplish more.
Prof. Bynum made some remarks
on the fourishing condition of
Obion County schools. He men,
toned some faults in discipline,
also.
On Tuesday Capt. Mynders
spoke on the "Teacher and His
Responsibility" The teaching of
children is the most re-
sponsible position to be filled at all.
The preacher sees his parishioners
once week--the teacher is before
his charge daily and the material
to be worked upon is the suscepti-
BILE mind of youth. Don't let
things happen. Keep down trouble
by nipping it in the bud. Find the
child's mental bent and direct it in
the right channel. 1t doesn't do any
good to say you've got to stop
talking" to a restless boy. En-
gage his mind He then told of
how he gotta boy to studying, who
was interested in one thing alone
on this earth baseball. Began
with essays or compositions on
baseball and went to other things
by degrees. The boy by in his devil
ment is right; just direct him. 1t
is the active and not the inactive
pupil that amounts to anything.
Believe in the ten year old boy; in
his moral and mental goodness.
Mr.. Bynum gave instruction on
geometry for about thirty minutes,
and was followed by Mr.. Cook
on arithmetic,