Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1909-12-17
INSTITUTE DESTINED
80 MAKE HISTORY
IN school, CIRCLES
First Industrial in State, First with
Exhibit and First Of This County
Held in Perth AmbOy.
ABOUT 500 ATTEND SESSIONS

For the first time the Middlesex
County Teachers Institute is being
held in this city today and practical
ly all of the 463 teachers of the
county are in attendance. The visi-
tors began to arrive about 8 o'clock
and were met by guides, high school
pupils, who wore badges. AS they
arrived they were escorted to the
high school where the Industrial ex-
hibit In the auditorium occupied
their time until o'clock when the
exercises at Proctor's theatre began.
Besides being the first time that
the annual county institute has been
held here, 1t is the first time that
the institute has been entirely in
dustrial and the first time that an
Industrial exhibit has been held in
connection with an institute in any
county of the state.
The interior of the theatre was
prettily draped with American
flags and across the front of the
stage palms, ferns and flowers made
a pretty border. Mr. Willis occupied
the center of the stage and at either
side of him were seated Superinten-
dent Shull, Superintendent w. G..
Armstrong, of New Brunswick, and
Rev. William ii. Bawden.
The exercises at the theatre were
opened by the entire assemblage,
which filled the orchestra and part
of the balcony, singing America, :"
after which Rev. William III. Baw-
den, pastor of the First Baptist
church, read from the Scripture and
led in prayer. Samuel E. Shull,
superintendent OF the schools of
this city, followed with brief adj
dress of welcome to the visiting
teachers. He told the teachers that
everything in the city was theirs
and, IL they didn't see what they
wanted to ask for it.
Address OF County superintendent.
County Superintendent II. Brew
ster Willis then spoke as follows:
Fellow Teachers, Middlesex
County.
again we have assembled to
hold our annual convention. Our
membership is 463 strong and / as
sumo that all are here and shall
call upon the Superintendents Sup
ervising Principals and Principals
to give me this information later.
There is one familiar face missed
and there may be others connected
with the city schools, of which ]
have no knowledge. | refer to the
late William Campbell who at
tended these annual conventions
for the past 20 years. He departed
this life on October 9th and the
burial services were held on Octo-
al har 4 n -
children, the teachers and the COM
munity at large more deeply af-
fected by the death of any person
than that OF William Campbell. He
was an inspiring teacher and there
are many of his pupils now teachers,
physicians, civil engineers and pros
porous business men and women
who can bear testimony to his in
spring influence In the school room.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
''The school problems which con-
front us today are very different
from those confronting us even 10
years ago. A decade ago one OF the
most important school problems was
to secure suitable school buildings.
While we have not a sufficient num-
ber of them in the crowded centers
OF population, still we have prac-
tically solved that problem and most
of our school buildings are in le-
gal and sanitary condition, and the
average cost, including cities, is
about $4,000.
TEACHERS.
Ten years ago the problem of
good teaching confronted us serious
ly and the output from the teachers
colleges, normal schools and train
ing schools were wholly inadequate
to meet the demands. Admitting
that we still have 25 per cent. of
teachers who are not successful still
1t is now only problem Of salary
to secure good teachers by reason
of the liberal colleges, normal
schools and training schools. The
three things by which professional
men are largely judged are first:
The salary they receive. Second: /:
The responsibility OF the position.
Third: The real work which can be
seen which makes him worth while.
"The average salary of all the
teachers in this county, including