The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-27

FUND HAS
BENEFITED
Miss Allen Submits Annual
Report ruaucy Due to
A%bnOrmality.
MAKES ADDRESS
Tells Educators Children Should
Be Instructed in Callings
They Desire to Follow.
Miss Stephens and Miss
Garrabrant Heard.
Especial to the Evening start

exhibits We're the features at the vari-
Gus department sessions of the New
Jersey State Teachers Association.
which opened its annua convention
here yesterday. Miss Carrie Stephens,
supervisor of sewing in the Newark
schools, gave an exhibit of the work
done by the girls in the schools-of New
ark, which showed that they are well
trained and decidedly facile with the
"one-eyed servant"
Miss Elizabeth Garrabrant, teacher
of drawing in the Newark High School,
lectured on Design in the High
School," Miss Garrabrant told of the
good results accomplished in Newark,
explaining that "the aim of our art
work in the public school is to train
the child to see and to feel beauty of
color and form so that he will as
simulate it into his life and live it."
Both Newark instructors lectured be-
fore the department of art and manual
training.
A t the session of the retirement fund
department Miss Elizabeth A. Allen, Sec
rotary of the fund, rendered an exhnus-
tive report dealing with the benefits, prog
ress and work of the fund. An excerpt
of her report follows:
"Sincc New Jersey teachers began the
hBAtuiipi " a tGiiiGiAiCiA dhiiAAl9 S1SAtAIg
the idea has been taken up in Utmost
every State in the Union, and is in sue
cessful operation In most of the larger
cities, and in some of the States, though
New Jersey Is practically lone in that
splendid provision which makes every
teacher in the State eligible to its benefits.
are available only in the largest
cities; the rural teacher being
left entirely unprotected a situation
which. unless quickly remedied, must re-
suit in a deplorable deterioration In the
country schools, for the able and ambi-
tious young men and women 6the brain
more and more attracted by the better
pay, more stahl, tenure and pension privi-
leges offered by the cities.
Owing to the fact that public sentiment
was, and Is, bitterly adverse to the idea OF
pensions from the public purse legislation
In New Jersey. took the form of the first
class, the funds being furnished by the
contributions of teachers who, more or
less voluntarily at the urgen solicitation
tand ] firmly believe that our retirement
fund Is righteously founded-that the teach
ers, themselves, should be generous con-
tributors TO their retiring fund.-. but our
experience seems to demonstrate conclu-
sively that no purely voluntary plan of
teachers pensions Is likely to succeed. A
cooperative scheme cannot succeed without
cooperation-and steady continual and con-
tinuing cooperation. Therefore. we are not
surprised to find that the much-eontested
compulsory clause in the New Jersey law
Is a feature indeed a saving clause, IN
all recent legislation.
"All teachers receiving their first appoint
ment In New Jersey on and after January
/. 1908, become members of the retirement
fund by virnte of such appointment, and
predict that the day will come when a
multitude of those teachers viii bless the
law that compelled them to provide for the
time when their earning capacity was zone.
ut took ten years of hard lighting for
New Jersey teachers to get their fund ad-
mlnistered at State expense t~althongh the
State Is the chief beneficiary, and IN thar
time about s15,000 (perhaps $40. 900, interest,"
included, were taken from the fund tol
pay the clerical and other costs OF ae-
minlRtratian. -
sAlready has New Jerseys public school
system proftad enormously by a retire
nent fund supported entirely by c0ntriel-
lions from The salaries Of her teachers
and will continue to profit therefrom more
and more with each succeeding yea
the State owes that $50 M OF
SEQ, 900 TO the fund, and ought to pay y
back. We will count that as an emer-
gency fund, in safekeeping.
mot a few OF the benefieiariea OF tie
retirement fund. after teaching %, 20 OIL
10 years had not accumulated enough 10
nav the little deficit they owed the u M
often less than one hundred dollar.
The 100 teachers retired on annuity from
our fund had taught an average OF thirty
three years and. after that lifetime OF
service. had attained to an average salary
OF 1851 40. ranging from $25s.SO TO $3.50 a
year.
DTS HOW t1iiliO1 TT ~ wv 49, ~ W. -
rot members of the fund. a large part or
whom are as certain to need its benenls
as that the sun will continue to rise and
set. but numbers of these. though be-
sought and entreated for their own well
fare. ere bound to delay and delay until,
like the foolish virgins they find the
door finally closed forever
Youngsters who play truant from school
are really suffering from a "hookey' mi
crobe and can be cured by proper medical
attention. according TO Tr. job ]. Cronin,
of the New York Board of Health, who adj
dressed the association last night. He ad-
vocated through medical inspection OF
schools for the detection Of defective chill
dren as we'll as those afflicted with con-
taglous or infectious diseases.
I'VE nave discovered by examination
that the lad who habitually plays truant
is usually afflicted with some abnormal
ity in either mind CT body and We are
seeking to classify these boys in such n
manner that we can remedy the defects
that make them one of the worst prob
lens for the modern educator said the
speaker.
According to DR.. cronin the ordinary
youngster who bags school to attend
the circus or n ball game is not included
in the list of those afflicted with the
fhookey germ The boy of whom we
speak is the one who appears to have
a thorough hatred of school and
ulcNtlJtlHIs III bcAi01 u1O We DtlltNt1
that one of the greatest representatives. to
increase of criminal classes will be the dis
covery and use Of proper treatment that
will normallze the minds of such children
and make them healthy and happy schol-
DR.. Cronin quoted figures to show that
In some schools only 5 per cent. Of the
are absolutely normal.
AT the session last night the principal
address was made by David b.. Corson, as
sistant superintendent Of the Newar city
who spoke in part as follows:
AT the present time in America one of
the urgent educational problems Is the
need Of adjusting the elementary school
90 that the traditional scheme of
organization may be better adapted TO
theory and to twentieth CEN
fury social conditions. 1t Is not now pos
sible to obtain the maximum benefit of the
modern curriculum, either as to it's general
or specific values. without sacrifice of the
mental, moral ard material we'll
of the individual. pupil. This is
particularly the case In municipalities hav-
Ing a large population Of diverse races,
the majority of whom must content them
selves in what MAJ be termed the hum