The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-28
GENERAL ASSOCIATION.
Interesting Sessions Held in Morning
and Afternoon.

Interesting Sessions Held in Morning
and Afternoon.
The thousand or more Indiana teachers
began work in earnest yesterday morning.
The business sessions are being held in
the House of Representatives. The Rev.
Joshua Stansield. pastor of Meridian
street Church. opened the meeting with an
invocation. After many greetings and
some delay in getting their seats the teach
ers listened to a symposium consisting of
five papers on school work. In the first
paper Hamilton Sandison, of the State
Normal School. undertook to show meth
DDS by which the mind of the young might
be enlarged. Mr. Sandison says that to
obtain results from the child mind it must
have absolute freedom. Mr.. Sandison's
paper was in large degree a psychological
study of child life
Amos W. Butler, secretary of the State
Board of Charities. followed with talk on
Reforms" Mr.. Butler said that
trained minds form the bulk of the anti
social class, and that this class is a menace
to society in one or more ways, culminat-
ing I'm pauperism and crime. Whenever
corrected" he said, these evils turn from
a downward course those who have entered
greatly In favor of manual training in the
schools. ut develops the man, mind and
muscle" he said. 1T is the greatest thing
in the cities of to-day He upheld the
compulsory educational law. He said if
manual training is the best in the city, ag
ricultural training or the elements of it
through nature are the greatest for rural
districts.
school Economy was the title of the
paper by Frank l.. Jones. state superin-
tendent of public instruction. Mr. Jones
dwelt largely the fact that the country,
or small schools OF to-day, put patrons to
too much expense per capita. Not only is
this true, he said, but the rate is increas-
ing. There are lis schools in the State
with fewer than five pupils in attendance,
and 1,253 schools with less than fifteen pu-
pills. There are 400 schools that are too
small for vigorous and profitable work. No
school can claim good conditions If it has
fewer than twenty-five pupils he said.
Superintendent Jones wants small schools
consolidated into one, the term heightened
and the teachers pay increased. Under
such a plan the rural teacher might be ad-
equately compensated.
c. A VAN MATRE'S TALK.
c. A. Van Matre, superintendent of Della
ware county, spoke on Supervision" He
said that the county superintendent had
supervision over all, but the city schools at
any time may be removed from his control.
The speaker suggested a reversal of the
present form of authority-placing all SUI
pervisors under one head-the state super
intendent.
1.-The Training of Teachers" was the title
of the fifth paper of the symposium and
was given by David NJ. Getting superin-
tendent of the Greensburg schools Pro-
lessor Geeting dwelt forcibly the work
of training teachers. The first essential OF
the teacher is natural ability, he said. The
trained teacher is the systematic one, who
needs skill and tact
During the morning session Chairman
Brown announced the following standing
committees:
Observation-Disclosures Lownes w.
Farmer Anderson; Superintendent r. A.
Ogg, Kokomo; Mrs Kane, Wabash College;
John A. Lewis, Charlottesville.
Observation-Disclosures Victor Hedge
peth. Earlham; George II. Topley, DR.. d. j.
Alley, Bloomington.
Auditing of Accounts and Finances
County Superintendent r. w. Slime, Bluff
ton; Lewis Z. Wheeler, Superintendent j.
y. ConrOy, Columbus.
Auditing for Reading Circle-County Su-
perintendent Hervey u. Shideler, Hunting
ton; superintendent Walter Dunn, Knox;
County Superintendent Ed C. Order. La
fayette.
Nominations for Reading Circle-Prof c.
w. HOdgin, Elkhart; J. W. Carr, Anderson;
w. s. Almond, Huntington.
The reading of the symposium occupied
all the forenoon. Mrs. .. Il. kinSey, of
Valparaiso College, was to have read the
concluding paper of the morning, but it was
transferred TO the afternoon. Mrs Kin
sey's paper was entitled Education
Through Self-activity." Mrs. Kinsey cited
in her paper the advantages to the indiVid-
ual from self-education. First. it is useful
in assisting in making living; second il is
healthful, produces happiness and inspires
the holder TO a high sense of morality.
Prof r. =. Halleck, principal of the
Male High School of Louisville, was intro
duced by Chairman Brown. Prof. Hal
leck's remarks touched mainly on the
liberal treatment of boys. He also sug-
gested training of the senses for all future
thought. He said that ne made a psyche
logical study OF boys and TO get the best
results from them one must not cramp
sway" he said, and encourage each and
every boy if you had a fatherly interest
in him.
During the afternoon Mrs c. W. Bouch-
er. teacher of reading in the Marion Nor
NAL School, gave several readings that
were highly entertaining.
Miss Anna Trueblood. OF the State Nor
NAL School, read a paper entitled THE
Function of the Training School She
said the training school must be in the
first place, part of the system of public
schools; secondly, it is to be one TO train
those who are to go out and teach in the
public schools of a given State. Miss True
blood said that one OF the principal feat
ures OF normal school work was training
your children. 1t Is mistaken
TO leave the normal school and attempt TO
impart TO children the same high prin-
ciples of education they received in their
academic studies. forgetting the limitations
of the young mind.
At the close OF Miss Trueblood's paper
Chairman Brown announced the name of
Mrs. Elizabeth o. Copeland 10 lead in the
discussion or the paper Mrs. Copeland
was not present, apparently. as she did
not respond TO her name. In her stead
Mrs. r. f.. Olcott, OF the Danville Normal
College, said she did not see anything in
Miss TrueboOds paper to critcse. Ii
covered all the points of a young student
in clear manner, she said.
LIQUID AIR DEMONSTRATION.
A recess OF twenty minutes was given for
Mr.. l.. o. Davis. of Chicago. to arrange
his apparatus for giving a liquid air dem
onstration. Prof. III. 3. Thearle was TO