The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-12-03

Despite the fact of its being the day
after Thanksgiving there was very full
attendandance at the Teachers Reunion
in the Manitowoc County Training
School building last Friday. Early in
the day graduates of the institution kept
trooping in and the greeting they gave
their former preceptor and present
guide and friend, Prof. Hyer, left little
doubt as to their reasons for coming
The atmosphere from the start to the
finish was one of loyalty and enthusl-
asm. With such band Of instructors.
all working toward one end, all working
on the same general lines. and all dom
mated helpfully and symphathetically
by one experienced head, Manitowoc
county has little to fear for the bring
ing up of her public school children. If
the casual observer was impressed with
ANYTHING in last Fridays performances it
was with the spirit of friendliness and
absolute harmony that prevailed.
During the forenoon the ordinary
classes of the training school were held,
but in the afternoon things were given
over entirely to the reunion. Gradu'
ates andundergraduatss ment in the AS
sembly Hall on the top fieor of the
building and sang together aud read and
talked and euioyed themselves as only
fellow students can The = Was
decorated and festooned with the colors
and in igniaof the two graduated class
es 1902 and 1908 The program was
written on the blackboard and was gone
nhrough with a will, 1t was as follows;
Sono-"Ip the Woods" School
Welcome Prof. Hyer.
Sono-"Dream On" School
Recitation-"B -"Brier Rose Miss Knudson
Reading From Knickerbocker's history
ofNY. Miss Norris.
Solo" Asleep in the Deep Mr.. Terkleson
Topic-"Conquest of the Northwest
Mr. Stoehr
Essay-"Venice" Miss Gustaveson
Song-"Echo" Double Quartette
Pantomime representations
Miss Mosher
These. directed by Miss Mosher, were given
by the various members of the school. They
included "Pocahontas Jack and Jill Sir
Walter Raleigh, Ben. Franklin and wv m.
Tell" The subjects were guessed at the end Of
each pantomime.
Song-"She Sleeps, my Lady Sleeps.
School,
After the program had been cOmplet-
ed, the afternoon was spent in visit
ing. Light refreshments were served and
daintily printed souvenirs, giving list
of the students and graduates, were
passed around
Asan instance of the love for the school
which both graduates and undergradu-
ates share, Prof. Hyer said that some
members had refused to go to their
homes for THANKSGIVING because they
would be unable TO get back to the re-
union the day following
The work which Prof. Hyer has been
carrying on for several seasons now, is
one which should enlist the sympathy
and support of every believer in prim-
ary education The conrse is about AZ
weeks long. and in that time the callow
inexperienced graduate of the pnblic
high school is moulded into the careful,
methodical, scientific teacher And
this feat is accomplished bv methods so
natural so apparently easy, that the
transition is made almost timperceptibly.
Not for one moment is the persistent eff
fort slackened and yet there is no fric-
tion, no irritation, no weariness on the
part of either pupil or preceptor.
The embryo teacher is taught some
thing which it wonld almost seem,
there should be no need of teaching, but
which it has taken the world long
time to learn the workings of u child's
mind. He is taught to feel himself that
which he would have the child feel and
to make the child feel it not by forced
applica ion, but by a gradual perception
and absorption. He is taught to apply
the principle, enunciated 20 long ago by
Herbert Spencer, that the mind must
receive many impressions before it can
condense them into single statement
or arrive at simple conclusion in words
And with it all the budding teacher is
being taught what is being continually
demonstrated in his own self-that the
process OF absorption must go on along
lines Of the least resistance-in ways
that are pleasant and that are natural