Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1911-01-26

Gratiot County Teachers Association
institute was that held Monday and
Tuesday of this week, in Alma Early
Monday morning teachers from all
over the county began to pour in, and
il was soon seen that the $50 which
had been expected TO come would be
accompanies by about so who were
not expected, and this proved to be
true. The chapel at the college was
crowded to its utmost capacity for all
the sessions held there Monday morn
ing and afternoon, and at evening
Commissioner Pike announced that
out of the 2ll teachers in the county
he had recognized l97 himself and
there must have been many whom he
did not see. The total attendance at
all sessions was l,6l0, which breaks
all records. 1t had been planned to
hold the Tuesday morning session in
the high school auditorium, but it was
seen Monday afternoon that that
would not accommodate the large
number, so it was arranged that the
session would be held in the Presby-
terian church. This very good at
tendance is due partly TO the popular
ity of the speakers, Messrs. Winship
and Pattengill, and also to the ener-
getic methods of Commissioner Pike.
The institute opened in the college
chapel at o'clock Monday morning,
with music. The secretary's report,
given by Mrs. Fookes, followed by
more music, was given before Hon.
II. r. Pattengill made his opening
address. He spoke in his usual opti-
mistic vein, along the line of the re-
sponsibiity of the teacher. She has
in her scope power to make or break
child's life He told of personal ex-
periences in which some little deed or
word of his influenced the life OF some
pupil immeasurably. Nothing higher
could the teacher do than to give the
child an appreciation of the beautiful
The teacher should respect his pupils
and above all himself, in order to
induce the best from the pupils. In
closing Mr.. Pattengill said, so live
and so teach that every child will be
inspired to live better and to strive
after the things worth while. Have
faith in your work, your pupils, your
self and your God"
Following Hon. H. r. Pattengills
opening address, DR.. Winship deliv-
cred a lecture on Modern Boys and
Girls" He pointed out in the first
place that modern boys and girls diff
fered greatly from those of 20 years
ago. He exposed briefly the theory OF
evolution. and then showed how some
things were clearly not the result OF
the working of this theory. Shetland
ponies, for instance, showed no pos
sible ground for this theory. In men
also was this true. Lincoln was not a
product of evolution of a glorious
type of special creation. These spe-
cial types are often found in our
schools today.
Late years has seen wonderful de-
velopment in our knowledge OF
schooling Now we are adapting the
studies to the child rather than trying
to warp the child to fit the studies
For example, it is the opinion of DR.
Winship. that soon arithmetic will not
be taught in the lowest grades, be-
cause il is not natural for the small
child TO be interested in arithmetic
Also the correct idea that the proper
kind OF play is educational is firmly
fixed, but until few years ago Jacob
Riis showed the school authorities OF
New York that such was the case
they refused to let the children play
on the lawns. Now to the notion that
TO disagree with a teacher in matters
of thought is crime has been largely
overcome The teacher is brought
more and more into sympathy with
the student and his labors and pleas
sures than ever before. This adop-
tion of the maxim, when the rule
hurts the boy change the rule" ir
place of the old idea of when the boy
hurts the rule change the boy, is as
great a reformation in educational cir.
cles as Luther's thesis were i'll re-
ligious circles.
DIR. Winship closed with an elo-
quent appeal for us to put out appre-
citation of beauty into practice. He
pictured our misconstruction Of the
verses in the Bible, Suffer the little
children to come unto me-" as view.
ing the Christ taking in His arms the
sweet, clean, faxed-haired darlings
while the better conception was tha,