Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-01-02
TEACHERS CONVENTION.

The tfty-thrG annual convention OF
the Wisconsin Teachers association
was largely attended and profitable
meeting. President c. E. McLenegan,
of Milwaukee, performed the duties of
that office forcibly and well. Miss
Katherine Williams was well selected
secretary as she showed a thorough
knowledge of the business in hand and
spoke in clear and forcible tones ex-
ceptional to tee average woman on a
| rostrum.
The morning programs were crowded
with splendid addresses, many of the
speakers coming from outside the state
to give Wisconsin the benefit of wide
experience and liberal thought.
Such were Supt. John Kennedy, of
Batavia, N. Y, President Tomlins, of
the School of Music of Chicago, and
State Supt. Bayliss, of Illinois. The
first mentioned gentleman set forth the
main features of the Batavia system
of teaching, in which individual in
struction is made as prominent feature
in graded schools as class instruction.
He doesdnotl. believe in the grind so
common in our grades nor the whole
sale encouragement and defeat of
children with mediocre minds His
plea was for all.children both the bright
and dull ones. He closed his inspiring
address with the words: eve believe
not in survival of the tittest but we
believe that it is possible to make every
child fit to survive
No less inspiring in thought was the
address of Pres. VIM. Tomline. In his
lecture upon the subject, "Music as a
Vitalizing Force. in Education" he
spoke of the possibilities along this
line if it could only be made more of
an expression of the spiritual life. He
believed such teaching could be made
"a powerful force against the graft
corruption, and relentless grasping
after the material things of life which
threatened to destroy our integrity as
a nation. In this line music:might do
more than civics or distinct ethical
teaching, he believed.
State Supt. Bayliss of Illinois read a
forcible paper on the subject, GA
Square Deal for the Country Schools
He said that the effort and goodwill
shown by the country teacher to supply
her school with this, that, and the other
eli
showed an. excellent spirit on her part
but was very bad training for the
farmer. The farmers pride and duty
must somehow be stimulated to
degree that would make him more will
ing to pay for the education of his chill
dren. The farmer had reserves, he
said, which would put the small capital
list of the city to shame. and embarrass
the local banks to invest properly and
he must become more alive to his
financial responsibility in school mat
ters slt
The talks of both morning and after
noon were well sprinkled with discus
sions upon country school education.
1t appears that all educators are awak-
ening tothe fact that we must look to
the careful intellectual and moral train
ing of the children of the rural schools
as our main hope against the STEADY
moral degradation that, through the
temptations of our public life, makes
us a less worthy and less self-respect-
ing people" particularly as their life
and energy form 1.-THE never-failing
stream which revivifies the vitiated and
depleted systems of city life for at least
two generations"
Probably the livliest lecture upon the
program was that given by James
Sheridan, of Milwaukee, regarding
university entrance requirements. He
complained that the university was out
growing its constituents by offering
the best professors to a small body of
undergraduate students, the sons and
daughters of the taxpayers of Wiscon-
sim In the line of language, he said
the university seemed to have out
grown the high school courses entirely
as preparatory courses and the catalogue
looked much more like a publication
from Heidelberg than catalogue from
an English speaking institution. The
fact that our boys and girls we're
trained so feebly in the mother tongue
be believed a matter for serious con-
sideration. He spoke of the entire lack
of recognition given at the university
to the high school, commercial and
domestic science courses, whereby
young people taking such courses were
forever barred from the opportunity of
a higher education which might offer it.
self in later life. He inferred with con-
siderable sarcasm that the making of |
bread was not qualification for the
flirtations of Junior prom"