Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-08-28
INSTITUTE ENDED
Close of Successful Gathering
of the teachers of the
County.
BARNES ON PERSONAL INFLUENCE
OF. Tutor as Bearing on Develop
ment of the
Child.

The annual institute of the Rock
Island county public school teachers
was ended this afternoon at the high
school building. Despite one of the
instructors engaged by Superintend
ent Ferguson having been unable to
come here owing to illness in his fam
lily, it was voted one of the most sue
cessful institutes yet held.
This morning Rev. w. 5. Marquis
read the charity chapter" and made
some remarks, bringing in the thought
of love for truth, and gave an inter-
| esting talk about how the photog
rapher photographs the star. Music
was taken up by Prof. Philbrook. who
continued the subject of the previous
day.
Pref. Barnes spoke on the nervous
ability and the personality of the
teacher, the growth of concepts and
reasoning process of the child. lie
said:
The law of personal influence. call
ed hypnotism, is of great value edu-
cationaIly. The nervous system. back
ed by the other activities of the body,
is capable of influence. There is in
| man a sense of control called, in psy-
cology. will. which can be increased.
stimulated and enlarged. When the
ccrebrum ceases functioning by not
being able to follow rapid motion or
| idea, the lower nervous ganglia are
| influenced. This is Illustrated in
dreams, especially those in which fear
or danger is introduced. The chief
idea in hypnotism is to dun the cere-
brum and work upon the lower cen
tiers. We initiate people whom we
love. If pupils like the teacher they
will unconsciousIy initiate his actions.
This is done by the teachers uncon-
scious suggestion. \ teacher should
have power. namely. personality,
which can accomplish certain results
| in education.
| Great Personality Dangerous.
The most dangerous thing in the
world is a great personality that does
not know itself. for il may be impress
ed in such a way that pupils can
not develop their own character and
thereby become imitators of anoth-
er. \ teacher should influence pupils
in good habits. Do not give up your
own cerebral control or give up your
own personal control"
lie brought class of children into
the room and arranged them i'm a row.
He first passed down the row. holding
he fore each child a coin, which he
asked the child to look at while he
moved il at various distances and
angles from the child's eye. Those
children who showed marked inability
i'm focusing the object or in following
its movements were stood aside for
further examination. The work was
necessarily very superficial and one
was greatly Interested i'm seeing how
his selections and characterizatiouS
| cOrrcSponded with those made by reg
ular teachers who had the children
constantly in charge. Parallelism
made between the teacher and DIR.
Warner is very striking. The teacher
SAYS to a girl of eight. soon tired.
timid. sharp at lessons" DIR. Warner
says. Eye movement irregular. fun
under the eyes. pale, signs Of fatigue,
nutrition weak. hands nervous" OF a
boy of IL the teacher says. Dreamy
and inattentive. rather deaf" Or.
Warner says. Nasal discharge. eye
movements bad. nasal bones wide,
want of bones under eyelids, needs
medical treatment"
On the whole, however, the teacher
who analysed the children almost en-
tirely from the mental and moral
side. that is. from the side of effect,
reached the same conclusion that DIR.
Warner reached in examining them
from the physical side, that is, from
the side of cause.
At the conclusion of yesterday af-
ternoon's session Superintendent Fer
guson was presented by the teachers,
as token of esteem in which he is
held, diamond studded Knights Tenn
| plar charm.