Year: 1872

=
dence in large towns and cities. A larger
sum is paid for superintendence in the city
of Chicago alone than for that of the whole
State of Louisiana, including the city OF
New Orleans.


Hon. w. d. Henkle, late State School
Commissioner of Ohio, makes partial re-
port of the cost of superintendent in that
State for the year 1870, which foots up
$l25, 1873 for few of the principal cities
and towns. Of this amount Cincinnati ex-
pended $36, 500, or more than five times as
much as is paid for superintendent in New
Orleans; yet the population of Cincinnati
is less than q, 600 in excess of ours. The
cost of superinteadence in Cincinnati ex-
ceeds by $4,000 the cost of superintendence
for our whole State, New Orleans in
cluded. -


Pennsylvania, last year, paid for superin-
tendence in rural districts alone, S64, $40.
The State of Arkansas employs ten super
intendents, who cost $4,000 more than our
six superintendents. Even Florida pays
more for superintendent than we do.


The vice presidents were called to take
their seats on the platform. .t


Mr. Taylor next occupied the attention of
the convention in an address upon the
methods of education, in which he set out
on his travels through the vale of his dis
course with the remark that education was
us
ton of the methods usually employed, ridi-
culing the ordinary custom which dictated
a walk in beaten paths. The address ap-
peared to be a critiqite on what is looked
upon as well-settled in the way of eduea-
ton.


The lecturer dipped into Carlyle, into
Shakespeare, into the great authors, and
more than skeleton can not be given of
the address, which showed considerable
~ sAro ne
found in the history Of sef-made men.
Somebody had said that it we're well to
steep ones intellectin drink in order to find
out how much he had lost by the change
from sobriety, since it had always been said
that had not it been for drink such and
such drunkard would have been one of
the brightest fntelleets of his time. In like
manner it were well for children to grow up
in ignorance, since to many witticisms and
remarks had been treasured up of those
who had never been to college.


He advocated the doctrine lin the way of
edueatiOn) of every man taking an inven-
tory himself an account Of stock, so much
youth, so much strength, 30 much natural
ability, all of which was to be invested to
the best account. A series of disconnected
truths which nobody doubts Of beliefs
which always admit of discussion, were
strung together, a bystander remarking
it reminded him of series of excerpts from
some magazine article, put into hat, shut
fed up, and then drawn out and written
down in the order of drawing.


The proposition laid down by DR.. Nich0l-
son was that instead of education meaning
a drawing out and, hence, a thinning of the
material, it was development and a train
ing of the intellect. Upon the subject of
education differing man from the animals,
making man into a sovereign and the mas
ter of worlds, all of these were examples of
progress. Improvements were the effect of
an increase of mans knowledge and a pro-
gressiOn in this direction. Education di-
vides our lives into labyrinths in which our
fathers lost their way. Galvani's touch
upon the muscular remains of dead frog
and other such triumphs were some only of
the many results of education. All public
education is a detection from the Platonic
idea, it being conducted under tax that
bears upon all, that education may be given
to the mass.


The aim in education should be to lift
the pupil to higher degree of life. What
ever is learned and not used will be lost
Classics, if failed to be used, will be lost
The spirit of education is discipline and de-
velopment contrary to the course of nature.
He was particularly severe on cramming or
over-studying, which he classed as prOduc-
ing a depression of the nervous system, and
to emancipate the youth from their studies,
more of diverting character should be Sc
lected, as all the uses of education were OF
little value, unless accompanied with exer-
else. Studies in the fields of science should
take the place of those in ordinary use, and
natural knowledge by object lessons ought
to be the method employed. His idea of
long courses of grammatical tuition, of
spasms Of coniugation and parsing, syntax
and prosOdy, was severe upon the whole
practice, inasmueh as it was time thrown
away.


In questions of grammar the child was
brought up to answer questions which
would puzzle university graduate. In a
further disquisition on the subject of object
lessons he used the remark of an ancient
philosopher, "that in the way of education,
theory was the general, while experiments
were the soldiers" The Doctor, throughout
the whole lecture, was acrimonious upon
the plan usually followed in the education
Of youth, and presented some very strong
arguments and precepts to sustain him.


The lecture of Rev. MyrOn w. Reed upon
the subject of compulsory education, after
he had INDUCED in a lengthy introduction,
said that the country did not so much de-
pend upon the young man voting as in his
preparation to vote, as in his education be-
fore he is ready to deposit that ballot.
Suffrage in the hands of an ignorant man
is as loaded gun. claim that he at least
orght to know at which end of the gun to
stand, so that he may not kill his friends.
There is no question as to the duty OF
parents in the matter; parents have
not the right to throw a child upon
the State and make it a burden. Would
the parent set his child afl0at at sea, with
out oar or rudder2 They have the power
of providing we'll and wisely for the child.
Shall the welfare of the State depend upon
the willfulness of a single parent Shall 1t
be said that this law Of compulsory educa-
ton can not be enforced This is the old
stock objection. A Republican State
ought to have as much power to protect the
welfare of her citizens as an empire. II
Prussia can enforce the law, can not we
We do not ask the child to be made Pro
testant or Roman Catholic; but we do ask
whichever one of these he is, he shall be
an intelligent one; that he should be placed
in possession of the facts in this world.
That's all.


Mr.. Reed closed his lecture in the follow
ing words: II see this State appreciates
the true condition of things. Above the
platform is the pelican feeding her young;
below, the eagle; glittering in gold below
that, the flag is hung-emblem OF the ma
ton. This is right Above all other
things is the care of the young; the eagle
will care for himself, the flag will wave.'
Applause. =,


Here the convention took a recess nntil
the evening in order to take up the discus
sion upon school systems. Within the au-
ditoriam there appeared, during the pro
gress of the exercises, several ladies from
the city schools, until the audience was
quite large and interesting one.


The evening session opened about 7;45,
ex Governor Hahn in the chair,


The discussion on school systems, which
had been set for the evening, developed
considerable spirit, and number of dele
gates participated in the debate, among
= -. -uu,.., u Horrnnr Of 81 Ghnr.lns u