Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-02-07
A Day 70 THE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Teachers and Boards Of Education
Meet Same Day.

forenoon was occupied by the Teachers As
sociation, while in the afternoon the mem
bers Of the various Boards OF Education
met. County Superintendent Eidridge
presided at both meetings
The morning session was opened by de-
yotional exercises led by Prof Dixon,
Supervising Principal of Woodbury. schools;
the Paulsboro trio rendered vocal seiec-
tion.
After the routine business was concluded,
Samuel Chew, Superintendent OF the 2nd
District, Philadelphia, who said ID ms
opening that be was born within three
miles Of Woodbury., and had not been III
the town for fifteen years, spoke Tor hall an
hour on 1.-THE Meaning OF History. Inc
speaker traced the various stages OF ed
ueation from the primitive man TO the nrst
paid school teacher, and down to the pres
ent day. He said we would not have tne
right kind OF schools so long as they were
administered by State and local authority
they must be administered by national
authority.
The li5tle red school house, he said, was
good enough one hundred years ago. but ls
not good enough now; the man VINO say =
what was good enough for him ls good
enough for his children, is nos truthful,
because he is not satisfied with what his
father was satisfied with. he declared
that great progress was to be made IN the
centralization of schools.
At present. the courses OF study are made,
and the child must fit them; n the future
! school she order must be reversed, and
courses made to fit the child. We must
stop trying to put round boy in square
hole. We must send boys out in life with
power to do something; that is the reason
we now have manual training schools; we
must make it profitable for the boy 20 stay
i in school The teacher of the future must
be scientifically trained.
Doctor Demarest, president OF Rutgers
College, made a brief talk in which ne gave
the history Of the establishments Of the first
seven great Colonial Colleges, among
which was Rutgers at New Brunswick, in
1866.
He told of the free scholarship, how OBJ
tainabIe, and said 1t rests with teachers to
make it known to their scholars. May
young men are losing this great oppor-
tuniby for gaining an education because Of
lack of information He said, not all
should go to College, but many should.
Before recess, Mr.. Eldridge gave some
stasictcs, showing by comparison that
Gloucester county schools had, a larger per
cenAage Of tardiness than any county in the
State except Cape May and was twelfth in
the amount OF salary paid teachers
The afternoon session was opened with
a piano solo by Mrs. DR.. Reeves, Of Pauls-
boro.
a call Of the roll OF townships showed
all Boards OF Education represented except
National Park and Paulsboro.
Prof. Demorest was the first speaker, an6
supplemented his mornings talk by
giving atfull explanation Of she courses in
agric ulture The first class in the three
months agricultural course which began
January /, numbered forty students, and
) the lecturers, who address similar GLASSES il
several States, say it is hesfness tody Of
] students they have met.
Mr.. Sensor, Of the State Educational
s Departments, in opening bis address SAID
"Eyery boy and girl is entitled to good
education in order that they may become
: good cisizens"
Mr.. Sensor read carefully prepared
I paper in which the scheme Of the State De
partment TO standardizs the schools Of thf
State was fully set fourth The necessity
for this scheme has been forced by recent
r legislation, which requires that applicants
I for admission to she professions OF law.
r medicine, pharmacy. dentistry, etc., mus
5 present certificates setting forth the kiod
: and GLASS Of academic training he has pur-
sued
: In dealing with such conditions as tlest
s we realize that it means radical changes
e and that in many cases heroic treatmen
may be necessary to bring about condi
= Sion which willleaye to the pupil perma
: nent reward for the work that he has done
! otherwise to our ambitious boy or girl from
: the rural dirtricts or smaller villages vi
absolutely close forever entrance upon am
{ form OF professional life unless il shon b
i that Of a professor Of the tonsoriai or tb'
Z terpsicborean art. By stan iardizipg th
work Of the l2 years Of a child school life