Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-01
NEW RECORD OF ATTENDANCE
Southwestern Iowa Teachers Association
Sets a Mark for Others.
SESSIONS OF INTERESTING CHARACTER
Never Before Has such an Array of
Talent Been Provided for an
Iowa District Com
vention.

have been the most successful session in
the history of the association. Never have
the teachers Of any of the four districts
in Iowa had such a program offered them
as has been presented this year in this city.
Not only has the meeting now drawing to
a close scored an unqualified success in
every particular, including attendance, but
is has set the pace, so as to speak, for
the meeting OF the state association which
will be held in December at Des Moines.
So great has proven the success of the
conference meetings, introduced as an in
novation at this years meeting of the
Southwestern association, that it was an
nounced yesterday they would be adopted
by the state association at its annual meet
ing this year. Heretofore the state associa-
ton has had round table meetings at
its annual session, at which certain subjects
were discussed, but unlike this meeting
of the Southwestern association these dis
cussions we're not conducted and led by
specialists. The plan started here will In
the future be followed by the state a~ssocia-
ton.
The enrolment yesterday reached the $50
mark and Of this number approximately 400
were OF the town teachers. This is a gain
Of almost $50 over last years enrolment,
which was sos. A noticeable fact Of this
meeting was IndJ many IOWnS IN the us
trict were represented by their teaching
force and the same may be said Of
many Of the school districts in Pottawat-
tamie county. The circular of State Su-
perintendent Barrett urging the attendance
Of every teacher in the southwester dis
trict bore fruit, as indicated by the heavy
enrolment.
High Calling of Teacher.
Preceding the conference meetings yes
terday morning, the association was treated
to a most interesting address by President
D.. F. Bradley of Grinnell college, who
spoke on THE High Calling Of the
Teacher" saying in part:
There is for the self-respecting teacher
little chance for ~pecuniary recompense or
public fame as reward for his services to
the state and the individual. What, then.
has he no reward? Emphatically yes, and
rewards all the more satisfactory becauoe
they cannot be figured up in dollars or
6 e fnts or faSftS'e With IN pGbHFS fame ana eT They
are the rewards which come in the con-
seriousness of having given freely to build
ton in the commu nifty. They are rewards
which consist in. the enrichment of ones
own own sv vIe, t am1 me e aIs re rewar 81 w Sne :
a man feels who has written a hymn which
comforts and consoles. They are the re-
tiful children. They are the rewards of a
patriot who feels tina though he perishes
the nation is rendered safe.
This then is the situation of the teacher,
that deprived of mere commercial and po-
litical rewards he is able with all the more
ing those higher compensations which are
or the spirit. He is free to give full scope
to such visions as are kindred to those Of
the artist and the poet and the singer of
celestial melodies. This constitutes his
calling, a high calling, distinguishing it
from those callings which have more i'm
mediate reference to material things. A
high calling, as distinguished from gainful
callings, for his gains are not his own. His
success means the gain of those he serves.
the gain of the community in which his
visions find fulhllment. the gain Of all man
With such a conception of the rewards
and compensation we shall have the
teacher, who is not content merely to do
himself In devotion to his district or to his
ward. mean by this the teacher who
counts his compensation only an incident,
and who is teaching in order to do all the
Convince the directors that he is earning
noblest conceptions of what a good. strong,
kindly man ought to be among people
It is only as we conceive that teachers are
missionaries sent forth TO preach a gospel
Of noble being and honest thinking that we
shall do our best work. Without the nee
essary spirit we are of all men and women
the most foolish. We can do far better
for our selfish ends in some other voca-
ton. But when we, consider that to us Is
committed practically the entire fashioning
Of g generation OF men and women we
which no one should dare to teach.
Methods of Teaching.
At the afternoon session Prof. Frank
Darling of the Chicago Normal school, spoke
on Methods in Teaching Geography" He
advocated commencing teaching pupils
geography in the primary grades, by having
them acquire a knowledge OF the Typography
Of the school surroundings and branching
out as the pupil progressed through the
higher grades. He took the position that
no child who attended the public school
was too young to to learn this
branch OF study.
Miss Florence Holbrook, principal of the
Forestville school in Chicago, addressed the
association on Methods in Teaching Eng
lish in the Grades" She said that the
teaching Of literature should be begun
in the primary grades and continued all
through the grades, in conjunction with
reading. She spoke of the method in vogue
in the Chicago schools and recommended
that pupils in the primary grades be taught
!. as a starter to learn and read Longtenow's
poems, which she said were peculiarly
adapted for the young.
The feature OF the evening session, was
the lecture by DR.. NJ. V. O'Shea Of the
University OF Wisconsin, his subject being
Education for Life" Dr.. O'Shea, like
superintendent Cooley Of Chicago, defended
the teaching OF the so-called "fads' in the
public schools. which he claimed were
necessary for the proper fitting Of any
young man or woman for the duties that
would double upon them when entering
the world on leaving school, He said in
part:
Aims of Modern Education.
What modern education Is trying to dc
Is TO give to the child those experiences
in the school that will enable him 10 deal
with all phases of the world when he comes
up against IL later. Modern education in
PRODUCES the child TO a knowledge of ma
ture, so that when he gets outside he can
deal with nature. Now. he may study
grammar. spelling and arithmetic six hours
a day for eight years and be practically No
more capable OF understanding the Worlc
OF things when he has TO deal with Il. o.
course, he will learn some things In spite
of the school; we cannot keep him away
from nature altogether. But what the
school proposes to do Is net 10 let thi,
thing take place gratuitously, but TO cquiI
the pupil with perceptions and memoTie'
and reasonings regarding nature, aud theI
when he gets out he can use these thing'
to Interpret natural phenomena. And n HI
does not have them he will be absolutel,
helpless in the face OF nature.
Again. the school seeks primarily to Civ
the pupil in the school experiences In ad