The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-02


ii should be-"
! After discussing essentials this wise
Mr.. Hillegas dwelt more at length Oh
the need of developing true appreciation
among school children. He said. awe
are failing if we are not teaching ouI
young people to appreciate the things
that are really worth while There is
literature. Are we satisfied with the
types of reading with which the children
/ rious reflection on the schools that chill.
dren, after leaving school, and even the
grownups of to-day are choosing inferi.
or literature? The difficulty is that w
have aimed too high. We give the ch
dren Shakespeare and say, There, APP =
ciate that!' You teachers cannot READ
book as slowly rs you make the chill
dren read Macbeth without throwing il
aside in disgust" Hde the speaker
told of what three boys in the Jeifer.
sonville school had accomplished in the
way OF reproducing single scene from
Macbeth.
I'VE are thinking too much of college
entrance examinations" the speaker
went on, "and we haven't time for teach
ing appreciation. Thus the development
of the child is hindered and we begin to
realize how deplorable it is that children
turn so seldom to good reading mat
ter"
( There is the artistic side OF educa-
tion," continued Mr.. Hillegas, and here
he paid his respects to 'those atrocious
things which pass for art in the walls OF
many Vermont school rooms "If we
had sufficient courage" he said, "we
would go into some of the school rooms
next Monday morning and wipe them
from the walls. Let the children help.
Too often school room pictures are alto
gether out of place. Again, in many
instances the frames are covered with
dust and the subject matter is not dis
cernible. The picture, if it could be seen,
would be inartiste and the frame unhy-
gienic." Mr.. Hillegas went on to de-
scribe some of the changes that have
been wrought in certain Vermont schools
because teachers were imbued with
real desire to improve the appearance of
the school rooms. He said that reprints
of some of the finest pictures and paint
lngs in the world may be had for small
sums of money and that the lesson of
good art which children may learn in
the public schools, viii go a long way to-
ward improving the appearance of
homes.
In closing, the commissioner dwelt at
length on the appreciation of good mu-
sic. Why should we have such miser-
able, low taste in music, he asked, when
in other nations even the music which
the children whistle is of the very best.
In this connection he deplored the popu-
arity OF ragtine music, praised the use
'f the victrola and player piano and
said that such inventions had made il |
possible for people of all classes TO en-
oy the works of the best composers He |
urged teachers to use extreme care in |
selecting the proper types OF music and |
warned them that "a teacher will never !
ret true appreciation of music from her
'upils unless she appreciates music her
Ielf.7
This afternoon junior high school prob |
ems were discussed in conference led by |
! Nj. Hill, state supervisor of Junior |
poke and others who were to appear |
m the the program are: Prin. Frederic
edwards of Montpelier, Supt Read of |
Richmond, Prin. Bessie B. Goodrich of |
and Mr.. Hill. This evening at
o'clock there viii be moving picture
entertainment, the jerks & McMurry |
educational films, in the assembly hall at
O'clock
Tomorrow morning at 0 O'Clock the
Ugh school glee club and orchestra will
under the direction of Miss
iovey, who will also be in charge of
raded school chorus After the business
Meeting, when officers are to be elected,
rim. Bacon will be speaker and just
efore adjournment. Payson Smith, com
missioner of education in Massachusetts,
,ill deliver an address.