Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-28
Educators at Des Moines Want
a Number of Changes In
Educational Laws
CONVENTION A LARGE ON
Many Notable Papers Read Before tAe
Different Departments and in the
General Association Meetins-Dean
Main Will Be Elected President
Without Opposition.

more interest is being manifested in
| the sessions than usual. There is less
politics in the convention, apparently,
| than in former years. There. is op-
position to j. H. L. Main, of Grinnell,
| for the presidency, and not much con-
| test for other offices.
| The educational council of the State
| Teachers Association voted yesterday
for a number Of reforms in educational
methods in Iowa.
Supt. z. c. Thornburg presented a
! report comparing the educational sys-
TENS of Iowa, California, Ohio and In
diana, and making recommendations
which were adopted. These, in sub
stance, were as follows:
Giving rural pupils the right to at
tend city schools at the expense of the
township in which they live.
Giving teachers certificates good in
any county in the state.
Changing the school year to begin
in the summer vacation instead of in
March.
Continuing the salary of teachers
during their attendance at normal in
stitutes.
Reducing the number of school dis
tricts by making them identical In
size with the school townships
Recognizing by law the city super
intendent of schools, defining his du-
ties and requiring longer tenure than
one year after his first year of sery-
ice.'
The position taken by Prof. F. E.
Palmer Of Jefferson in favor of educat-
ing for the general mental discipline
rather than as special preparation for
particular callings was Endorsed also
by the council. This refers to the
secondary schools, of course. The the
ory Of the council is that these insd-
buttons should furnish general educs-
tional foundations on which specialists
may be built later.
But the council and Professor Palm
er recognized that discipline should not
be carried too far as the purpose Of
education.
Said the speaker: Latin and Greek
unless they can be made serviceable
III uACCIly AIIAlS yOuIA " OSSWiiS
useful men and women in word Of
real men and women, should be reA-
gated to the tones Of the past. Tie
curriculum should be relieved OF eN
erything that cannot answer afirf!..
attvely the question, will the Learner
by mastering you, best experience those
situations which he will meet in after
life?"
Scores Foot Ball.
Foot ball and cigaret smoking col
lege professors came in for their scor-
ing at the hands Of Superintendent S.
K. Stevenson. of Iowa City, yesterday
in his paper before the superintendent
and principals section of the Iowa
State Teachers Association.
IF the high school boy" said Mr..
Stevenson, sis to get his birthright it
will come thru the teachers of Iowa
standing up and boldly saying, the
high school boys are worth too much
to their communities and to the great
state of Iowa to allow the professional
coach Of college team to teach the
graft in order that he may have a
winning team. The high school boy
is worth too much to be used by the
professional gambler and the promoter
to keep games going that he may ply
his trade and get rich at the expense
Of innocent boys who are offered up
to satisfy his greed for gain"
OF the college professors who smoke
cigarets he said that if ctgaret
smoker is not allowed in the high
schools there is no reason Why he
should be allowed in college to have
charge of a boy three months later
than his high school career.
Examinations.
One of the interesting discussions
before the county superintendent
round table yesterday afternoon fol-
lowed the reading Of a paper by George
II. Colbert of Clarinda, on the state
plan of examination. He set out the
objections to the law after giving a
few of the favorable Impressions, as
follows:
First-Legislation will not make
men honest.
Second - The responsibility of the
county superintendent would be de-
creased, hence there is danger of a de-
crease in the salary.
Third-The institute fund would be
largely decreased and the superintend-
ent's influence at the institute would
be destroyed.
Fourth-Red tape regulations neces-
sary for conducting examinations may
become task little short of conduct
ing examinations.
F'ifth-Favoritism may be continued
and would affect the whole state in
stead of one country.
Sixth-The proposed law would sim
ply change the form of political influ-
ence.
Stick to Textbooks.
stick to the text books was tho
caution given by Superintendent D. NJ.
Kelly, Cedar Falls, before the round
table of county superintendent and
principals at the West high school yes
terday afternoon. Experimenting
text books with so-called methods of
outside reading is overdone. This is
especially true in history and geogra-
ply There is no need of delving into
the history and nlinutatie of a subject.
Rather master one good book thor
oughly than have a general knowledge
of many subjects. In the lessons let
the pupil get the facts and figures and
the supplementary work supplied by
the teacher A pupil gets outside OF his
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