St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-11-04
TEACHERS CONVENTION.

The Fiffy-Fourth Annual Gathering n
Great success-Noiabie Addresses by
President Hyde and Others A Re-
sume of the Three Days session.
The Vermont State Teachers associa-
tion met here the last three days of last
week and the attendance was the larg-
est of any convention and the meetings
were among the most profitable ever
held. The executive committee who
arranged the attractive program was
Principals N J. Whitehill of White River
Junction, William A. Beebe, Winthrop P.
Abbott These gentlemen deserve the
thanks OF all who had the pleasure OF
attendeding the convention. The total
registration exceeded 460 and the names
are given below,
The opening session in Music Hall
Thursday afternoon was opened with
piano solo by Prof H. J. Crumplin. In
the absence of III. N. Turner the teachers
were cordially welcomed to St. Johns
bury by Judge W. P. Smith. He said
that before him was one of the principal
sources which has made Vermont justly
famous, and if knowledge is power, then
to the educators of the state belong the
praise. He welcomed them in behalf of
the institutions OF learning in our town
which will be greatly benefited by their
coming.
President H. J. Stannard of Barton
responded by saying that the convention
met here seven years ago and there are
manv who remember the cordial well
come they received. The teachers knew
they would be we'll received and they ielt
like coming here again to get some good
from the people and their institutions.
Alter solo by Mrs. P. F Hazen, Presi-
dent Stannard gave his annual address.
He said the Vermont teacher did not
have the benefit OF skilled supervision,
but they shoult all work to this end He
believed that $4,000 was wasted annually
in useless appliances that would never
be purchased 1t an expert supervisor had
seen them first. The purpose of our
schools should be to train a child to
provide for himself and provide Tor his
| family. Our schools should be carried
on not so much for the individual as tor
the mass of the people he will meet in
later lite. The child must be taught the
rights OF others. In closing, he urged
that the association adopt new dec
laration OF principles and to change che
| hat he fnt
y work throughout the year and not two
or three days only.
The last address OF the afternoon was
given by Hon. Mason S. Stone, formerly
e one OF the supervisors OF education in the
| Philippines, who told OF educational
work there, from personal knowledge.
He told many interesting facts OF the
condition OF educational matters there in
? former years, how the salaries were
small, the books used in the schools were
very crude and incomplete, the school
e houses were very few and in some of
e them there were no seats and the pupils
a were obliged to sit on the tloor; teachers
were obliged to engage rooms, have tenn
porary partitions put up and use one
e room Tor a school room and the others
for living rooms because proper school
j.. rooms were not provided. In 1883
II $125 900 was expended Tor education in
1t the island, $50, 900 OF which was expend-
b ed in Manila and the rest in the prov.
inces, this whole amount being only 1s
as much as was spent in Vermont. but
c. for the benefit tor many times as many
&c people. In 1901 the American teachers
y. that went there were confronted with &C
!, different tribes, mostly ignorant people
III with no common ideas or common Ian
guage. The teachers became devoted tt
HI their work, but found an immoral, ungod
ly people, who had been seriously neglect
I'll ed These teachers became boon ant
70 blessing as they took up the cause OF civil
re ization and have done a great work. The.
70 found the childred without animation
because of the climate, and that worl
{" did not appeal to them in any way
shown by the fact that when trad
as school was opened, six students wer
~ apparently interested, but the secon
Vi week there were none at ALL because c
ay the semblance of work. These teachers
to however, get scant praise for their work
% but Mr.. Stone asked that we who are /
80 pleasanter positions remember the teach
~ ers who go into those provinces withou
friends, and accept poor food and az
,d commodations, as they are heroicall
STRIVING to lead the people to bette
e life