Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-08-06
RECEPTION FOR THE TEACHERS
Entertaining and Practical Talk by
Hon. Horace w. BaiIey.--Hon.
Mason S. Stone on the Phil

Entertaining and Practical Talk BY
Hon. Horace w. Bailey.--Hon.
Mason S. Stone on the Phil
ippines.
The parlors Of the CongI church were
the scene of a very pleasant reception last
Thursday evening given in honor of the
members of the summer school in session
IN this village. Ferns and cut flowers dec
GRATED the rooms, whose attractiveness
was further enhanced by tasteful arrange
ments Of rugs and screens, draperies, sofa
pillows and parlor lamps.
Principal r. Il. Prichard presented the
visiting teachers and invited guests to a
reception committee composed of Mrs.
Prichard, Miss Jennie Stewart, Miss G.
Kate Howard, Miss Carrie Eaton, Miss
Mary S. Dubois and Miss NJ. Lucina Sax
ton. Fruit punch and waters were served
from prettily laid table by Miss Florence
Terry and Miss Nettye Robbins, and dur
ing the evening piano solos were rendered
by Miss Edith Marcott and Miss Alice
Woodward. The object of the reception
was to afford the teachers an opportunity
10 meet each other and some of the towns
people and as a social event was a marked
success.
Hon. Horace w. Bailey OF Newbury was
present Friday afternoon TO deliver an ad-
dress before the school, the topic assigned
1
Ito know little and to wish that he knew
less. Some of Vermont's voluminous stat
utes concerning school matters he thought
useful and necessary but had observed
/ that fair measure OF harmony in districts
was more to be desired than much law
| Therefore he urged the teachers to secure
such perfect harmony in their districts
that there will be no occasion to consult
| the statutes. People never worry them
| selves a "a n 1fa ffFao
reling or about to do something they
ought not to do. A teacher of competent
ability and harmonious district have no
particular use for the 800 odd sections of
| Vermont school law and can get along
easily without them.
The standard of teaching at the present
time, he said, is far above that of thirty
years ago, when he himself taught. Then
the teacher was selected for his physical,
rather than his mental, culture and he
thought that he, with his seven feet or so
OF muscular development, would be called
a fair specimen Of the pedagogue of those
days. The schools were an ungraded, het-
erogeneous mass Of pupils, but out of
them came leading men in spite OF the
teaching, and had they had the schools
| then that they have now there would have
been nobody but Vermonters in Congress.
Vermont teachers, he thought, should
pay special attention to instruction in the
history, geography and civil government
OF Vermont. Children's noses ought not
to be held to the educational grindstone
all the time, II makes the noses too tender,
but once in a " lille something like recrea-
tive study should be provided. He recon-
mended having pupils write in i've min
utes as many towns in Vermont as they
can think Of, and the teachers need not be
surprised to find Pekin or Algiers in the
first two or three lists. In one school,
where this scheme was tried, the teacher
asked for some information regarding the
towns and was told by a bright lad that
Bradford is famous for being the only
town in Orange county with high license.
Mr.. Bailey suggested having town and
freemen's meetings in the school for prac-
tical instruction in civil government and
asked his hearers, as many OF them as felt
able to describe an ordinary ballot, to
raise their hands. The uplifting of hands
being neither prompt nor unanimous, Mr..
Bailey brought forward a package that |
ex-supt. Stone had earlier insinuated was
a lot OF the speakers photos to distribute
among the schoolma'ams, but which !
proved to be sample ballots for their in
spection. He had found that children like
sueh exercises as town meeting and will |
tease TO have them.
In the matter OF maintaining order he
cited a case that came to his knowledge Of
down in the schoolroom and prayed ear
nestly to be led Alright in the matter of
disciplining an obstreperous urchin.
Meeting the lad sometime after, Mr.. /
Bailey endeavored to learn what impress |
sion the teachers course had made upon |
him. and the boy finally blurted out that /
he'd rather take a darned licking than
have her go through that performance
again. 1t had evidently made an impress
sion on him, but the old-time teachers
had always thought ii safe to lick first and
pray afterwards.
Ex-Supt. Stone was introduced and for
a few minutes spoke of the educational
situation in the Philippines, compliment
ing very highly Miss Grace Thomas, the
lecturer IN geography last week, Tor her
work in Manila, where she taught Tor
year, and will return in December to be-
come the wife OF an American lawyer in
the Philippines. For the past year she
has been teaching in Cambridge, Mass.
Al the close of the exercises Friday aft
ernoon, Miss Thomas took some OF the
teachers for a geography walk in Mari
Castle park, and Saturday went 10 Chester
TO lecture before the summer school IN
that place. Supt. G. II. Dempsey of st.
Johnsbury went from here TO the summer
school at Barton. Supt. +. II. Dawson of
Turner's Falls, Mass, the lecturer on
school management, joined his wife in
Barnet.
In addition to those named in the last
issue, the following teachers have regis
tered this week Lillian knowlton, Jen-
Godfrey. Mary Carr Tewksbury, Randolph;
Lucy Moore, Sharon; Alice Emery, Alice
Tyler, Mary Wilson, Bethel Luthera
Carleton, West Newbury; Lila Chase,
Waits River; Lillian Buck, Brookfield; {
susie Howard, Randolph Center; Charles
Riford, South Randolph; Marion Dana,
Minnie Maxwell, Wsitsiield; Mable
Chandler, Marion Chandler, Gouldsville.
Mason S. STONE on THE PHILIPPINES.
Friday evening last, at the Baptist
,hurch, before large audience composed !
II the mem bers OF the summer school and
,itizens generally, our former state super
ntendent OF education, Mason ;. stone, /
who has spent the last year or so in the
gave an interesting address {
IN these newly acquired islands. A beau
iful solo, ''Just for Today was sung by
Miss NJ. Blanche Sparhawk, with Miss
Edith Marcott accompanist, and the