Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-31
OUR TEACHERS
Assemble at WaterviIIe for
Their 23d Annual.
City's Usual Cordial Welcome and
Feeling Response by Visitors.
Sessions Open Finely and Promise the
Best of Results.

line teachers nave arrived, in fact
some got here, Monday. They have
tasted of Waterville's hospitality and
welcome and are now settling down
to hard work. They are here from all
over the State, a small regiment of
them, with another regiment of camp
followers in the shape of book agents.
Some smell the salt air and some the
pine when they left home for Water
vile, but the object of all is the same
and they are having a royal good time
and are storing away big loads of en-
thusiasm and new ideas for the SOM
ing terms of school,
The women are in the majority at
the meetings as they are at the desks
in the school room but the men have
cnarge-at least nominal charge
There are teachers of the three RS
and teachers of music, teachers of
drawing, teachers of languages dead
and alive, young teachers, old teachers
big teachers and little teachers, such
lot of teachers you never saw be-
fore in your life. There are, perhaps,
not so many as there would be if the
meeting was held while the schools
were in session, but there is a good
number nevertheless. 1t is the 23d an
nual meeting of the Maine Teachers
Association and the association
numbers something like $50 members
at present. 1t used to be called by
another name but it was so long and
hard to spell that most every one has
hot - ~
name fits better.
The book men We're the first to ar
rive. a small army of them, and now
nearly every important school book
publishing firm is represented by
hustling agents who share the at
tendance with the regular sessions.
There are loads of advertising matter
to be distributed and nearly every per-
son you meet in the hall has his or
her hands full to overlooking with all
sorts of literature from sample pages
of books to announcements of the lat
est wrinkles in teaching methods. The
agents are in the corridor down stairs
and at the entrance to the hall above.
ANY way you turn there is an agent
pushing his wares.
The opening session of the conven-
ton began at 1890 in the City hall
with President r. w. Johnson, princi
pal of Coburn Classical Institute, in
the chair. There was an attendance
of several hundred at this meeting
which was considered very good for
starte. 1t is worthy of note that this
first session went strictly according
10 program. something fairly rare in
State conventions. The opening
PRAYER was offered by Rev. F. l.. Marsh.
pastor of the Congregational church.
A selection was then rendered by the
pupils of the ninth grade of the Water
Vile schools under the direction of
Miss Lillian f. Berry, who has charge
of this department. The pupils were
all girls with but one exception and
they sang very nicely indeed and were
heartily applauded.
In every convention there must of
course be several addresses of well
come and response. AS President
Johnson remarked it might be better
to have these ut the close or the con-
yention when more were present to
hear them, but it is the custom to have
them first and the teachers followed
the custom. The first was by Presi-
dent White of Colby College. who well
coined the guests in behalf of the col
lege. He began by saying that ne
knew the teachers by name and repu-
tation. although his stay in the State
had not been long enough to get ac-
ouainted with a great many. he
smoke warmly of the relation that mas
existed for so years or more between
the city and the college and stated
that in speaking for one he would in
wav be speaking for both. He Illus
trated the relation of the two very
gracefully with a story of two trees
that were familiar to him in his boy
hood home. One was an elm and one
one was an oak and they grew SIDE
bv side on the bank OF the river so
close that their roots must nave peen
entwined although their trunks We're
separated. But overhead the limbs
again entwined and were stirred py the
same breezes. warmed by the Same
.pr and bathed in the same dew ana
rain. ...
Go with the college and the city.
The roots sprang from the same SOIL
and were entwined. Like the trees
they were separate in part ana con-
nccted in part. The recent disaster
that the college had suffered through
fire showed how close the relation was
and how inseparable the two now are.
Hence in speaking for the college ne
would also be speaking in part Tor the
city. "a. .;,,a ca
MANY of the professors OF the cohese
were obliged to be absent from tne
meetings and also the students OF the
college. o.. .ho
The speaker then passed on 10 Tue
,mnortance of the teachers work. men
t;oring the fact that they are tne
,,oulders of the men and women VINO
% out into the world and do great
work. And the rivalry between teacn
on and teacher and school and schoo'
;s not bitter but generous ana sym
pathetic. Each is not responsive ior
What others are doing. or called upon
~ 10 as others do but to make the
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