Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-06-23
TRAINING SCHOOL.
Diplomas Presented Last Night by
Commissioner J. J. Mcdonald.

commissioner j. j. Mcdonald.
Sarah Louise Arnold, dean of SIM
mons college, Boston, delivered the ad-
dress to tie members of the senior
class Of the city normal school at their
graduating exercises, which were held
in the High school assembly hall last
night. Miss Arnold is a charming, in
teresting and entertaining speaker and
her address last night was listened to
with rapt attention by the large audi
ence. There was not q dull moment
during the hour Or more that Miss Ara
mold spoke and her auditors would
have been greatly pleased If she had
spoken longer. The subject of the adj
dress was Jane and Her Teachers"
After Miss Arnold had been introduced
by Miss Finch, principal of the normal
school, she spoke in part as follows:
Education is not really gift of the
schools" said Miss Arnold, sbut a pre-
paration for life and in that preparation
something else figures besides the
teachers child has during the period
Of school days. These teachers are the
mother the father. and the other men,
bers of the home life. the comrades OF
school, the teachers themselves. nurse
nature. and last of all. experience. The
New England character Is marked by
a desire to know and unless school is
very much mismanaged the child will
learn because he wants to know, The
willingness of the loving mother and
father to answer all the innumerable
questions the child mind is capable OF
evolving the kindness and sympathy
the smallest matters receive, and the
tender affection that never wearies are
the influence for which we never can be
half grateful enough.
"My one dearest hope is that all
those VINO go from this June COM
mencement platform throughout the
land with diplomas for which they have
worked so hard and which are worth
just exactly the amount of labor it has
taken to win them, will go back to their
homes and looking into the faces of
| those who have made such things pos
sible say, IF have done well you have
done so much better"
Continuing, Miss Arnold declared
| that if Jane came to school from the
home of honesty and high character,
linking fnstinctly of the thing that
was honorable instead of the thing that
was mean, because of the home infiu-
ence
1.-THE next teacher of Jane is the COM
radeship of her companions, and from
/
to do, of enduring without complaint,
and of trying to accomplish what 9th
/ ers older and stronger have done be-
| fore. The fortunate child is not the
one who is isolated and sequestered
but the one who plays with many and
/ all kinds of children. Girls have not
had enough Of companionship to have
4 it be of as much value to them as 1t Is
/ to boys, on whom the effect OF a coen-
rade's points Of view is appreciable.
''Then she comes into the tuition OF
books, which treat only of two things
human life and nature. From the
teaching of the home. the family and
| the companions, she had learned some
thing of human life, but it is molly from
the brooks and woods and the fields
that she can acquire the acquaintance
which the world of nature which 1t Is
absolutely essential she should have
Jane Is well taught if she is taught In
nature, and she she goes to her books
able to read and understand them.
"Then she enters into the life OF the
school room with it's routine and digei-
pline which she has not experienced at
1 home, and there she learns to respect
the common good and to- be happy In
| the enjoyment of others.
II wonder" concluded Miss Arnold
"if you realize how these teachers
with patience and Kindness and sympa
| thy, yield the best years of their lives
to your children; not their own, but
yours, Do you realize that after al
your years of sacrifice and striving
! you have the satisfaction of seeing
your children grow into manhood and
womanhood, and feel the pride thai
comes with great achieyement2 Bu1
the teachers who have had such big
part in that work instruct the child fol
4 a year or so and then lose sight of II
! forever in the ones who follow after
| the debt can never be paid to the faith
full teacher who does the work of thf
day, not for the salary she receives
but because she loves children and has
a mothers heart Her reward is not IL
honor or praise, but in the lives OF
these children whose characters she
has helped to model and fashion tc
/ greatness and goodness"
Diplomas were then presented t.
the following young ladies by Commits
sioner J. J. Mcdonald of the board Of
| education: Mary Mitchell. Anna Phe
Ian, Margaret Mcnamara, Rose Carroll
| and Anna Sweeney. In presenting the
diplomas the commissioner remarked:
II have always been a friend of the
/ training school and / am sorry that
| the end of it has come. I wish you
I God-speed in your chosen avocations
and you will be successful teachers il
you follow the instruction you have
received in the city normal school"
4