The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1903-05-21
WALDO TEACHERS IN CONVENTION.
Annual meeting of the Waldo County Teach
ers' Association, May 18th.


er was warm and pleasant and the attend
ance was large. John r. Dunton of Belfast
presided in the absence of the president,
III. C. Buzzell of Monroe. The meeting was
opened by duet, ''Drift, My Bark" by
Mrs. E. s. Pitcher and Mrs. E. F. Frost.
Prayer was offered by Rev. Ashley A.
Smith. Charles S. Bick ford, chairman of
the Belfast School Committee, gave
hearty address OF welcome, to which l. F.
Burton of Searsport responded.
After the reading of the records the
chairman called on Prof A. f. Richardson,
Principal of the Castine Normal School,
who announced as his subject, "What
Next" He gave as a reason for the choice
of the subject that when he was notified
that he was expected to again address the
Waldo County Teachers he exclaimed,
"What Next" He would slightly change
the old adage "Whatever is to be will be, y
and would say rather "Whatever ought to
be will be- Many things have taken place
that appeared at the time to be calamities,
but they had all in the end proved to be for
the best. He cited in proof of this the va
rious wars i'm which this nation has engag-
ed. In application of the theory he refer
red to the change in this State, from 5,00O
district agents to 800 SuperintendentS. 1he
present system of school committee and
superintendent to manage the schools and
employ teachers he thinks is good system
and will remain He lately read maga-
zine article ON The Passing of the Normal
School," but he see no signs of that lnstltu-
ton passing out On the contrary, the de-
mand for Normal School graduates as teach
ers is increasing from year to year. Ihere
are 1881 Normal graduates now teaching in
Maine, and last year the Castine school was
unable to ill the calls upon it for teachers
by more than 80. There are in Maine 1,21O
teachers holding State certificates, con-
siderable increase over a year ago. The
time is coming, he believes, when all teach
erS will be required to hold State certlfi-
Gates. The rauki ing system he considers a
waste of time and he believes it will, in
time, be abolished. The dull pupil, who
shows poorly in rank, often works up by
his own eXertions and eclipSes his more
make the mistake of Judging as to who is
the best scholar The individuality of the
teacher is important. She should be able
to adapt herself to circumstances. The
theory that all pupils should be treated
alike sounds well hut is not good in prac-
tice. Each pupil should be dealt with ac-
cordng to his or her own disposition and not
by any set rules to be applied to the whole
school. There is great room for reform in
the athletic training in the schools. Foot
ball fights should be abolished and base
ball games should be modified. Calesthen-
les should be encouraged, and the good
work now going on looking to improved
conditions of health through ventilation.
etc, should continue The teacher should
study each child by himself, and the pupil
should be taught habits of observation
through nature studies and kindred lines
He spoke forcibly against the use of
slang, and in favor of teaching pupils to
use the English language in its purity PH-
pills should be taught to appreciate beauty.
.'We have the power he said, ''not only to
beautity our grounds and buildings. but to
improve ourselves by cultivating the vir-
tues and graces and to live as we were in
tended to live by all all-wse Creator
The president announced the committees
as follows:
On nominations, l. F. Burton, Searsport; !;
II. f. Ellis, Belfast Mrs Grace Mahoney,
Lincolnville.
On resolutions, Miss Mary Brown, Lib
erty; Mrs Emma +. Davis, SearSport; Miss
Mary Stevens, SWanvlle.
On time and place, S. c. Thompson, Win
terport; Mrs. Sadie Knight, Lincolnville; {;
Miss Mabel Rose, Brooks.
The convention then adjourned to 1.30
p. N.
The afternoon session opened with the
song Country Fair Waltz, by the High
school pupils, with Miss Evelyn Wood, '04,
at the piano. They responded to an encore
with the song "Who is Silvia?'
State Superintendent W. W. otetson spoke
on Educational Theories" and gave notice
in his opening that his talk would resemble
kiln-dried sawdust for dryness, but judging
from the interest manifested by his hearers
he made mistake in that regard There
are many theories of psychology, all with
more or less of both merit and demerit.
Every teacher should settle in her mind
what she is to teach. She should fully ap-
preciate the value of physical, moral and
artistic training as well as the intellectual.
The great mistake made by women teachers
is in devoting too much to the detail rather
than looking at IL subject as whole. The
mind as well as the body should be develop
ed by activity. While it is important to
know many things it is more important to
know where to find things. Information
held by mental grasp is not worth the effort
it takes to hold it. The child should not
take in more than he can master. We
should develop the power to see things, and
to associate ideas. Study progresses from
a tendency to habit, and from that to a
joy. The development of the mind brings
the acquisition of knowledge. The mind
must be kept active, the action must be
continued.
Miss Elizabeth Hall, principal of the Lew
iston training school, spoke on Language,
chiefly in the interest of the primary teach
ers. The teaching of language, she said, is
more vague than that of any other study.
There are no definite outlines. No child