The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 28, 1897, Page 5

THE g | E As an introduction to the thirty-first annual sessfon of the California Teach- ers’ Assoclation, the council of educa- tion, a permanent commitree of fifteen selected by the generel body to report on educational work, met in the parior of the Idck House yesterday morning and recetved the reports of several sub-committees. There was a number of prominent educators from all parts of the State, as well as sev- eral from neighboring States, in at- tendance. Among the visitors was Mrs. Cain V. Bhaw Rice, training teacher in the Tacoma Normal School and member of the Washington State Board of Education. Mrs. Rice Is also a poet of distinction. Another Ta- coma visitor was City School Superin- tendent Bingham. The papers read were all carefully prepared and after their presentation animated discussion followed each recommendation. The first report was that of the com- mittee on physical education and hy- giene, Drs. T, D. Wood of Stanford Enox of Oakland submit- ental reports to the gen- which was read by Miss Washburn of the State Nor- )l of Ban Jose. Dr. Wood il- his remarks with charts ex- of the increasing ailment of He spoke as follows: s investigatiops of the ol children in Copenhage: proved cqnclustvely 1 sickly ¥s increased from &S/HE thirty-first annual number from other Iristory of the association. ment of school work. and Myra 5. itage of sickly girls ncreased per cent at the age of six to &1 the age of 16, This was & very estimate of the health con well-to-do rvat among the The conditions of ill health Include eye orders, Geformities of spine, impover- ment of blood, chronic headaches, uy forms of nervous disorder 00l life with over pressure, unsanitary onditions, unhygienic furniture. A Government investigation in Den- mark verified Dr. Hertel's conctusions. It is very fmportant that similar investiga- tions should be made in es of schools in the United States. Dr. Myra Knox mainly devoted her attention to the defective viston and hearing of children and the conse- guent drain on the nervous system. She sald: No one knows the amount of suffering that some children endure through phys- ical defects that should be prevented or remedied. They have blurred vision, their hearing is duiled, and they cannot breathe properly. At school they are called dull, stupk inattentive and dis- obedient. Buch children are to be pitied. They gre sensitive and physically uncom- fortable. The ave: parent is not very observ- ing, and in the st the average teacher, if she recognized physical defects, doub ed the expediency of making suggestions. In many familles but little attention is paid to the complaints of cfiédren. hard to rise above the ons of our ancestors and even in this enlightened d if Johnny complains of pains in his his mother gravely tells Kim that are growing pains, and of course that settles l‘; an that nothing but the full measure of growth will stop the paln. The chances are good for the boy’'s having, chronic rheumatism, with valvular heart trouble. There are three ills that the majority of children suffer from and the effects endure. They are badly cooked food, im- pme.g.\r:g too many studies. Badly cooked food we will have until there will come a generation of wise people who will ot allow & girl to enter the high school without a diploma from the cook- ing department that will be a part of every grammar ol. One of the phy- sical defects most readily noticed by the teacher is myopta. There is no organ of special sense 8o abused as the eyes. Sight s the only special sense that weuse all the time except during sleep. Many par- ents labor under the delusion that chil- dren will OUtgrow eye troubles. They fear that if y take the children to an oculist he will put glasses on them, and the chances aré he will, for the defects In vision are very serious when parents seek medical aid. When eye gtrain is re- moved by properly fitting glasses the parents wfllpueu you that wearing glasse: weakens the eyes, for the chil see as well without the glasses as he did before wearing them. Myopla is rarely ongenital and 18 always a pathological ondition. About eight per cent of my- opia usually begins before eight years of age. The most rapid development is between twelve and eighteen years. Near- sightedness is less liable to induce ner- vous troubles than far-sightedness, yet the former is far more often corrected by the oculist because it {s so apparent. “Causes of myopia are bad ligh and bad position in reference to light, position of head, distance from book, anc duration of study hours. As to small children, the cause may be habitual o cupation with small objects near the e es as In some work done in the kindergarten, or practicing on the piano in illy lighted rooms, but the most prolific cause is un- corrected errors of refractioa. This means_ ninety-five per cent of all who seek the aid of the oculist. The near- sighted child holds the book close to his face to get a clear view. This means strong convergence, stretching, a weak sclera and an enlarged and elongated eye-ball results. Among type-setters we find a larger proportion near-sighted. The predisposition to this defect may be heredita but the determining causes are acquired and largely preventable. To combat this we must promote a vigorous state of health. This includes home bygiene, good food, pure air, pienty of sleep and proper exercise. A specialist | tells me that he finds three girls with this- defect to one boy. This is because the girl curls up on the sofa and reads while’| the boy is out of doors playing ball, thereby strengthening his mnerve power and increasing his blood supply. Our schoolrooms are not ideal as to ventila- tion and light, and desks are not adjusted to the pupils. opia is not so comm among the Eng{‘t’ah‘ as they are lovers af outdoor sports. large | It is | the supposition is | | image that falls upon the retina is ¢ session of the California Teachers’ Association will begin its labors at Metro- politan Hall at g o'clock this morning, and will hold daily sessions until Friday morning, ‘‘round-table” conferences in the afternoons. The most distinguished educators of the State, with a coast States, and President A. S. Draper of the University of lllinois, are in attendance, and the session promises to be the most important in the with numerous The initial work of the session was performed yester- day, when the Council of Education met and received the reports of the committees having in charge the advance- DOCOCO0COICCTOTOBOOOC0 OO0 COVDOOCICCOTO0DDOIVCTOD nytropla is a congenital condi- At first it is 92 4-10ths per cent, at years 86 per cent; children in element- Is 7 per cent, in the per cent. It is the frequent of sick headache. After a chiid iearns to read he will also complain of seeing double. Close study causes weari- higher | | consciousness. { pared with their own. ness and discomfort, and is the cause of | many nervous troubles. That long-suffer- ing Organ, the liver, has bad to bear the blame of ‘much that should have been laid to the eyes. The eye trouble that causes perhaps the most distress and nine-tenths of the head- | aches among school children is astigma- tsm. Tn such cases the cornea of the ns of the eye has a greater curvature in some meridians than in others, and th torted. It is very easy for one to detect | this select by the charts commonly used by physictans and that are furnished th schools in most citles, but it is a trouble that cannot be corrected by the generel practitioner nor by the optician. To cor- rect astigmatism is hard enough for the oculist, especially when complicated with other defects, as it often is. @ trouble that causes a characteris- tic and unmistakable picture that com- monly known as adenoyd vegetations. It is a soft mass of lymph tissue in the vault of the pharynx, filling up the pos- terior nares. Tt is a disease of child life, and occurs in 4 per eent of girls and 7 Xer cent of boys. Heredity has an un- oubted influence, as you will find several children so afflicted in the same family, but it s very often caused by repeated colds. Eruptive fevers, ke measles and scarlet fever, may be the starting point, as these diseases always cause an inflam- mation of the mycous membranes of the throat. The child afflicted with trouble is quickly noticed in the school- room. His mouth is always open, as he cannot breathe through the nose, giving him a foolish look. The upper ' incisor teeth set out, the eves have a vacant stare, and there !s a broadening and flat- tening of the bridge of the nose. Mechan- lcally the increased growth of lymph tis- sue shuts off the Emrwr supply of air to the lungs, and the whole body suffers through lack of oxygen in the blood. Deafness is quite common, caused by an insufficlent current of air passing through the eustachian tube. to keep the pressure up in the middie ear. Any cause which Interferes with the free nasal breathing will in time cause deaf- ress by interfering with the air pres- | sure. e pressure of the growth causes congestion, this causes a greater secre- tion in the middle ear and eustachian tube, and very often the results are ear- ache and abscesses. This paper is merely an outline to call the attention of teachers to a few of the ills that children suffer from where the symptoms are 8o piain that it {s Inex- cusable to allow them to continue with- out remonstrance. When you find a month breather consult the parents and talk the matter over. Convince them that it interferes with the child’s studles, that it retards their growth, and in case of diphtheria the danger is greatly In- creased. In cases of defectlve vision do the same. 1f the parents are too poor to ?A)’ for such services they will not be re- used treatment by the specialists. A Kup!l with persistent headache should ave his eyes examined, and in most cases not only will the headache dis- appear but a new world will be unfolded to his sight. There will come a time when the eyes of all children will be ex- amined on entering school, and the parents will be compelled to have cross- eyves and crooked teeth made straight. In all this work the teacher and the physician are the home missionaries. The general report as read by Miss ‘Washburn follows: The responsibility of the schools for the child is twofold. First—To protect and de- velop him while too young to do this for himself. ~To protect and develop him physicaily as much as mentally and mor. ally, the latter belng largely dependent on the physical. Second—To teach and train him, so that he will afterward protect and develop himself and those under his charge as parent, teacher, citizen. ‘Where is he to get this Instruction and training if not in the public schools? To leave it to high schools and universities cuts off all but a few. Our care and protection of the ohild should include, first, his environment; such matters as good air, full ventilation without drafts and special care against all pollutions; grounds and bufldings se- lected and constructed with special care as to light, dryness, etc. Second, adapta- tion of the course of study to the child’'s nervous system. No matter what study be sacrificed, the amount of work must be restricted so as not to overtax, but to develop the pupfl’s brain and entire ner- cannot | vous system. In the growing demands of the age this will require careful cholce of the subjects and their teaching in the order in which the child’s developing mind grasps them most easily, and their correlation, so that each topic may help the rest. T. -will even then demand the sacrifice of not only all rubbish but mych that is valuable, since nothing 1s so u- able as the child's unwearied brain. Third—Building up the child’s whole physique and then his brain bg (a) phys- ical culture at school, including direct exercises and supervised outdoor plays, with constant watchfulness as to position during study, etc. (b) Influence on the | home as to nutrition, sleep and environ- ment. Four—Care of individuals; especlally (a) the delicate and the over-nervous, who should be given part work and work ju- diciously arranged for their needs. (b) The defective as to sight, hearing, nu- trition, etc., who should be sorted out by tests for the eye, ear, etc., and parents | -consulted with. The direct instruction and training of the pupil, besides what he gets by ex- ample, should include: Teaching of so much physiology and hygiene as he is fitted to understand and be interested in. Training him to execute, as fast as he can learn, from this direct teaching and from example, thus making him as soon as ?olflble interested and responsible and giving him life-long habits. This physiology teaching should not be book work nor rote memorizing. It zh;:lruntz lnf objective bz.{s lnh every € nt- of nature—study wherever henomena and laws can be studied that ave a bearing on human life. For in- stance, in physics, simple studies of the direction and causes of alr currents should be at once developed into studies of the mechanism of breathing and the methods of ventilation—and these prac- ticed as soon as learned and ever after. As soon as the simplest ideas of chem- istry are developed it is time for their application to the differences - between the ad.(r breathed in and that breathed out t E later, bet the food: ed greaf ween m: s consum q 1_ n plants should especially be o the life and growth of the plant, these soon lead to studies in our own assimilation and growth, and to an intelligent knowledge of plant food products. While studying seeds and their germination and growth, care should be taken Dot to omit the invisibly minute germs that have such a powerful influ- ence on human life and health, and the methods of securing ourselves against those injurious to us in air, water and food, and the avoidance and disinfection of everythlng involving contagion. Zool- ogy opens the largest fleld of all In the comparative study of functions—the method that 1s true as well as most full of progress for advanced workers in physiology as for beginners, and the method at once most lnleresun& to the child and the legst likely to develop self- For _instance, the study of the eves, ears and senses of animals— of their limbe and motions are all the more fascinating to children when com- t very little anatomy needs to be gtven early in this study can be given easily and simply in connection with small lower animals, painlessly and delicately treated, in such a way as to excite no repulsion or over- stimulated imagination Iike that often caused by physiological charts of the in- terior of the human body. A little use of even a low-class micro- ecope, as in observing the circulation in the frog’s web, gives the most vivid and true as well as attractive real knowledge on which can then be based nearly all that is practical in physiological knowl- edge for the puslls—-lfl.r more of the most fruitful knowledge than i{s known by the majority of adults. It is my experience, too, that euch ph¥siology is the very best preventive of the wrongly directed curfosity of children, often, aias, un- known to teachers or parents, awakened only to be debauched by playmates or already corrupted oider persons to whom the child, in the sense of mystery hushed up by parent and teacher, tmrns for eatisfying, God-given instincts of in- quiry that should instead have had sweet and natural guldance. A true, whole- some, proportional, nt knowledge of the g d In his own Itving box nal responsi- bility, th veloped, is the | v ‘best | teachers under thefr supervision. | ors, either the above described special years made such rapid strides, schools are dragging far in the rear. hey are | usually worse ventilated than prisons, be- coming distributing centers of contagion and hothouse forcing grounds of nervous overstrain, with ail our new psychology showing us the intimate dependence o the mind on the body. Every other study has mors time allowed it and has had more attention pald to proper methods of teaching it than the knowledge and care of our own life. What is t0 be done? There are two great wants: Teachers better tralned and more deeply inspired, school authorities intelligently alive to the urgent need, giving time to the courge of study and facilities for the best eaching, and enforcing their use. Per- aps the best practical plan at present is employment of speclally trained teachers in towns and citles to give thelir whole time to the subject, or in the smaller towns, half of their time. These teachers should 've physlolo; and health lessons of fifteen or twent¥ min- utes twice a week to kindergartens and primary grades, and thirty minutes two or three times a weex to grammar and high school grades. They should also plan for and supervise further instruction by the grade teachers in connection with nature study, and {ts continual applica- tion throughout the entire school day. Gymnastic exercises should be glven by the same tramed teachers or by the grade In the kindergartens one-tht: t to one-half the e should be spent in games and exer- ses Involving the larger muscles. In ry graces there should be at least our 15-minute perfods for physical exer- cise, including the intelligently super- vised games of recreation periods. In ammar grades two 2)-miute perfods aily, besides recess supervision. In high schools thirty minutes evewy day or at least an hour three times a week where peclal gymnastic facilities have been ven. There should also be hygienic imspect- teachers or others having special train- ing, who should inspect the school grounds and buildings, the echool room routine of work, and the physical and nervous condition of the pupils, includ- ing anthropometric measurements, tests of epecial senses and other neurological ng purely and £ de- youth. BShame to us if we leave and the girl unfortified at the nobly th velop the lkrr investigations. In all schools, even the ungraded country schoois, the urging of SAN FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1897 ciples of pedagogy; (2) the average cap- ability of pupils from both psychological and experimental standpoints; (3) ~the auxiliary influence of hand work in gcience, language and mathematics; (§) its esthetjc side; and (5) the cost of ma- terial and equipment. It represents the best efforts of your committee we hope it may soon be so modified as fully to meet ¢t ne of our elementary schools. e work as outlined combines arithmetic, drawing and concrete geom- rtry, under & new name, manual train. ng, and each one is better understood because 1ts reiation to the other three is made clear, making each less difficult. In time we may expect a definite course guited to the work of each grade, but for the present we must be content to select adapt the best exercises from the various so-called “systems.’” Maun: training should have a *“recip- rocal relation to the other subjects in the currioulum.” Evi exercise should be artistic in form an: Elropomon. In the higher grades, worl nfi drawing hould precede each exercise, they ghould e u below the sixth grade, if the pupils are prepared to construct and comprehend them. o work of the sixth, seventh and eighth e shouid includle sloyd, joinery and making ap- paratus to illustrete principles of mathe- matics and physics. For this line of work benches equipped with ordinary wo‘o‘g»workln tools are necessary. Every pupil should gba taught the care and use of tools. Where necessary benches can not be secured, there should be at least one bench with a set of good tools, the class work being done at the desk, pro- tected by a *“desk top.” The “desk top” is a wooden tray containing drawing in- struments, “laying out” tools, s«a"d knife, etc., which may be clamped to the ordl y school desk as a protection while the pupil is using wood-workin tools. In Buch cases courses in sloyd, carvin.ffin apparatus maki conld be successfully taught, the prircipal tools bet rule, compasses, square chisel, :fed pencil and knife. The sloyd knife s safer m'ldk ntloll;e ‘zianvenéenog thm;llhg or- dinary pocket knife, an; such shape as to bapoendly adapted to all models. Drawing with a straight edge and com- ss should be a speclalty in the interme- gfate grades, where also const tions in cardboard and thin wood, involving but the work as a spectal application of na- two @imensions, shpuld be introduced as 50D AND His CHART. Some of the Participants in the Council of Education. time of temptation by our strange neg- lect. The teaching that I have tried to sug- gest in connection with the various de- | partments of nature study will seem in- cidental to that nature study and its order must be largely determined by the time when proper foundation has been laid for each point. But there should be a coherent plan so that these studies shall, by the time most puplls leave school, have vered all the_ main fundamental physiological facts. No one preferred subject should become a f: and monopolize the time—not the study | of narcotics nor of ventilation, nor of bacteria nor of physical exercise—all of these and more should have been seen in their true relation—seen simply but vivid- y. And as the art of physiology has n constantly carried on fn connection with the knowledge of it, it has become an_Inco rated part of the pupil's habitual life. He becomes an example of what President Jordan has so well said, Al wledge is sclen- tfic knowledge. There is no other knowledge. But the object of science {8 wisdom. Wisdom is the knowl- edge what to do next. Virtue is doing | it It is as foolish to try to teach the science of physiology without apply- 1ng it as to teach the science of language while never training in expression, as in the old foolish grammar (Om‘h!ni and to teach it without illustrating it by ex- | ample is llke the teaching of grammar | by a teacher who murders the king’s | En{llEhA The pupil’'s common-sense re- | volts. But trained gradually, as 1 have_ tried to outline, by simple and natural and yet fundamental studies in great laws and their bearing on human life—trained ‘to that wisdom that knows what to do next, that virtue which does it—we shall send into the community & generation of youths who will go on to larger knowl- edge and interest in the same lmes. Whether in the universities or in the larger school of life, they will take up their dutles as they come—duties to them- selves, then to thelr chldren and to the community at large—with a knowledfe and interest and sense of responsibilily that will do away with abuses, advance, sanitation and a better era of public and individual health, with consequent mental vigor and morality. like this in the ave we nn{thlnx schools to-day? Can we face the facts in the i | stitutes In connection with the course of ture study, with its importance empha- sized by an adequate time allotment, will %fl far to place the study of health and its asis on a proper footing. Already there are many more teachers ready and even eager for the work than school authori- ties ready to recognize {its importance and make way for it by cutting off less fruitful studies. We ask your adoption of our report or a brief summary of it, and the placing of it before school superintendents and teachers for discussion at the county in- study. And we ask you to urge upon the State Teachers’ Assoolation the adoption of measures to increase tne amount and uality of hygienic care of pupils and helr instruction along the lines herein set forth. . James F. Addicott of the State Normal School, San Jose, read a paper on *“Manual Training for Elementary Schools,” in which he said in part: Three years the Educational Coun- cil of the California Teachers' Assocla- tion appointed a committee of seven to report on ways and means of introducing manual training into our primary schools. In its first deliberations the majority of the committee favored recommending manual training courses for larger citles only, it being thought that towns and villages could not afford to equip special rooms for tool work. Manual tralning means the utilization of the physical acttvities of the pupil in getting experience necessary to the ac- quisition of knowledge. The time has come when intelligent hand work Is recognized as contributing to moral and intellectual development as fully as the older plan of studying books. With ad- vancing civilization comes a new envir- onment; with this new environment come new necessities; with new necessities a preparation for the more difficult ex- ercises of the higher grades. In the pri- mary. grades clay modeling, coloring, paper folding, etc., should be taught relation to number and science work. Conceptional drawing should be a special feature of the primary work. 3 In Belecllng material the expense must be considered. Cardboard costs less than wood, and may be used in the third, fourth and fifth and even in the sixth ades. Clay, sandpaper, charcoal, card- ard and wood are the cheapest and best materials. As a rule boys and girls should follow the same programme, but when the pur- pose of the course is to prépare for life work a distinction should be made in the higher les. In New York schools the giris of the stxth, ninth grades are ' taught sewing : cooking, while the boys take sloyd, join- e nd apparatus making. e first requisite of the manual train- ing teacher is professional traint ; he should believe in the work as an eduacas tional factor; he should possess’ general ability and 'culture, as well as special technlcal skill in the line of work he teaches. Professor Washington Wilson of Berkeley, chairman of the committee on reading for pupils, read an interest- ing report on the proper course of reading for school children of all ages and the best method of training pupils in the selection of proper literature, summing up his address in the follow- ing suggestions: That there can be gleaned a careful statement of the actual reading in the homes and schools of this State. That there be obtained accurate knowl- edge of the general conditions of our school Hbraries. That a comprehensive place for pur- should come a course of study that will enable the pupil to adjust himself to his environment. Thus we belleve that the future life-work of the p\lfllll ehould af- fect the course of study. elementary schools, however, we recommend the same course in manual training for all pupils without to differences in thelr prospective life-work, belleving that a preparation for his life-work is a good foundation for the higher academic studies which the pupil may take later. The following dprol‘ramme is recom- mended as a desirable and feasible course in manual for all at instead of being leaders new gani- Cnotedas whih Yo e a tow | outlining this course (o6 popimiries ‘taken (ito consideration () the prine chase and distribution of books be for- mulated and recommended. That a careful stugy of the problem of chil ngs be made 80 as to se- cure e best information attainable upon: Purpose and mrfi of reading in home h the principles of selec- proper form of its sentation; efficlent methods of lnfor:::: tion ew books. That this council provide for 11 o ‘D‘tm ¥ careful lists erfodicals for use in homes and schools gued upon expert oplnlo: as to form and contents. The a!t‘e;:o‘gn u:‘eualon of ;l;l councti was reading four pa- Llnu E wmembers of the committee on course of study and discussion thereon. Superintendent J. W. Linscott of Santa Cruz, as chairman of the com- mittee, in introducing the reports of the sub-committees, said that while the committee had been in existence for three years and was not yet ready to offer a complete course of study, much had been accomplished toward that end. He spoke of the difficulties at- tendant upon the preparation of a sat- istactory course of study, and promised that his committee would continue its work during the coming year with re- newed energy, and with the hope of presenting a complete report at the next sesslon of the council. Professor E. B. Brown of Berkeley then read the general report. He stat- ed that a sufficient number of copies of the second annual report of the com- mittes had been sent to each of the countles to supply every teacher in the State. Several sub-committees, he said, had prepared reports, which were appendéd to the general report. He rec- ommended that the report be distribut- ed throughout the State and that the State association appropriate $250 for that purpose, as was done last year. Professor Irving Stringham of Berke- ley, chairman of the sub-committee on mathematics, presented his report, which sald in part: In constructing a programme of math- ematical studies the committee has been uided by two important conslderations: he two-fold character of the purpose of mathematical study in the publfic schools; the quite universaily acknowledged mea- gerness of results now obtained from the study of arithmetic in most of our gram- mar schools. Mathematical study serves a two-fold purpose. On the one hand as g weapon necessary in the dally warfare ?or exlst- ence; on the other as a mental discipline. ‘Without the knowledge that it dispenses, and without the ability to use the instru- ments that it furnishes, the individual member of soclety is incapable of main- taining an independent existence. He be- comes an easy victim for slaughter in the midst of the selfish scramble for pre- ferment. 1t s one of the inexorable laws of civilization that one must study arith- metic or perish. Only a little less im- ‘mrtant i8 mathematical study as a men- d&l discipline. As such it helps }0 pro- uce strength of mental fiber, cultivates the power to strike with precision and through the consciousness of power stim- ulates self-rellance. The professor submitted a table giv- ing the proposed programme of math- ematical studies in the primary, gram- mar and high schools. In the first and second grades Le suggests that twelve minutes dally be devoted to each twenty-five pupils, while in the next two grades the time be extended to twenty minutes. In the fifth and sixth grades the time is increased to twenty- five minutes, and in the seventh and eighth thirty minutes daily are de- voted to arithmetic and mathematics. A course of study s prescribed for each grade, care being taken not to overburden the pupils, but to accom- plish the best results with the least work. In the two lower grades of the High School he recommends a course, of al- gebra three times a week and geome- try twice a week for all pupils. In the eleventh grade, pupils preparing for college should be required to study algebra twice a week and geometry three times, while during the last year algebra should be heard three times, | and trigonometry twice a week, this course to be entirely optional with the pupil. Professor O. P. Jenkins of Stanford University in presenting his report on “Nature Studles,” said in part: In planning a course of nature study it must be understood at the outset that such a plan is presented only as tenta- tive; that it IS to be subject to modifica- tions in any way or at any time accord- Ing as experience and development shall dictate. The following neral considerations should guide in the choice of subjects: No attempt should be made to formulate a fixed course—that is, one consisting of a definite sequence of selected objects, such as is usually considered to be the meaning of a course of study. The work should have as its principal alm the giv- ing employment to the.child in seeing clearly, thinking accurately in the pres- ence of real facts and in enjoying intel- ligently the world about him, of which he is & part. The number of objects in nature that are availaoble for this end are thirty. The school period can use but a fraction of them. Consequently there is no lack of objects to make use of, and on the other hand there are no good reasons for con- fining the list to a single series. Fur- thermore it would be impossible from the natural condition of things to follow in two different schools such a fixed list. In the lower grades at least the sub- jects of the lesson should be simply as henomena treated indifferently to their farger relations. It is better in these grades to select the lessons promisons ously from the various realms of nature, as we usually classify natural phenom. ena, the choice depending on conditions of season, locality and opportunity. It is a mistake to dwell long on one subject or continuously on the same group of subjects. Phenomena. of the inorganic world _should receive equal attention with those of animals and plants. In the study of animals and plants the most valuable phenomena to make use of as educational means are: The acti ties of the organisms, their ways of do- ing things, and the adaptation of each to his Farflcnlnr kind of life. As many as possible of the lessons should be thoss which will allow the letting of problems to be solved by the seeing and thi of the child. Certain of the lessons, how- ever, should be th which will give in- formation and explanation of things Wwhich children cannot solve. These are Lo open up slelds unexplored, but explor- e. able. While in the earlier grades the whole realm of nature is not to be regarded as divided Into kingdoms and sub-divisions, yet where nature study has been carried out from the first grade there will have resulted a sufficlently wide experience, with a knowledge of natural phenomena, to warrant the beginning of the more jorraal study of some of the sciences. ow the sclences should be treated in such grades under the conditions is a problem still to be solved. Mrs. R. V. Winterburn of Stockton, chairman of the sub-committee o history, stated that the members h: been unable to prepare a report yet, but would submit one to the committee on course of study during the session. She said the report would embody the recommendation that a state associa- tion of teachers be organized for the promotion of the study of history. The council then went into execu- tive session and soon afterwards ade journed. NOW A CHURCH [NDEPENDENT The Bethlehem Congregational Church Leaves the Parent Body, Rev. W. H. Tubbs Was Asked to Re- sign by His Brother Ministers, Hence the Disruption. There will be a break in the Congre- gational church of this city after the first of the year. The people of the Bethlehem Con- gregational Church on Vermont and Twenty-fourth streets do not like the idea of the other ministers of that de- nomination demanding the resigna- tion of their pastor, and since they have refused to help the church unless this measure is taken, they, the con= gregation, have decided to help their faithful pastor themselves. Rev. William- H. Tubbs is not going to be downed because a few Congrega- tional ministers happen to dislike him and refuse to help the church unless he sent in his resignation. Mr. Tubbs had no intention of doing this, and he told them so in so many words, and they decided to let it remain in abey- ance. The gentleman in the meantime was making arrangements to run the church independent of the ministerial organization, as there was nothing else to do since his brother ministers refused the church aid, virtually dis- owning it. He gathered his congrega- tlon around him and asked them whether they wished him to leave or not. They all replied in the negative, and then he started to work to see the cause of the trouble. In the first case he saw-that the Christian Endeavor Soclety virtually ruled the church and that there was a certain member of the church that came pretty near ruling them, and here lay the cause of all the evil. He called on the people to help him, and they decided to form a society which would help the church, and that only those belonging to both the so- ciety and the church would have any- thing to say in regard to conducting the latter. The society decided that the new system would go into effect on the first of the year, and the pastor an- nounced the coming change to his con- gregation last Sunday night, when he said, “Next Sunday will be the first Sunday of the year, and at that time church will be conducted under a new system. I will remain with the people of this church as long as they me, and when they do not I will 0 Mr. Tubbs has been a hard-working pastor, and the people realize it. He has been chaplain for the City and County Hospital, and the patients feel toward him the greatest love. He has worked with the small congregation and brought the church to its present standing, and the people do not think it is right to demand his resignation. He feels that since his brother minis- ters refused to help him, he must ap- peal to the people, and from them he has received a cordial response. —_— Fell Dead In a Store. John 8. Mellon, a painter residing at 3180 O'Farrell street, fell dead yesterday shortly before noon in the real estate offices of Easton, Eldridge & Co. Dr. W, P. Simpson had been attending him fop more than a year for heart djsease, and an inquest will be probably waived. NEW TO-DAY. £ SUDDENLY and rack the nerves. 1t will notify you when to stop by removing the de- sire. Write for PROOFS of Cures. Ve )) take BACO-CURO, (it gently weans). healthy nervesand a clear brain will result. Badco €l Tobacco ormentors The pleasure of living is in living well not living #/l. Throat, mouth and eyes are ruined by tobacco —the system is generally poisoned by it. 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