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THE

OHIO EDUCATIONAL MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED AT

COLUMBUS, OHIO.

O. T. CORSON, EDITOR.

MARGARET W. SUTHERLAND, ASSOCIATE EDITOR.

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MONEY should be sent by express, draft, money order or registered letter. Make all remittances payable to O. T. CORSON.

THE MONTHLY is mailed the first week of each month. Any subscriber failing to receive a copy by the tenth should give notice promptly, and another will be sent. Any person wishing his address changed must send notice not later than the twenty-fifth of the month, and must give both the old and the new address. Notice will be given to each subscriber of the time his subscription expires.

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1898

Happy New Year.

Make good resolutions, and keep them.

There is a growing and perhaps unfortunate tendency in conservative educational circles to poke fun at the new cult, "Child Study." This tendency is not lessened by the silly stuff that is being published as the result of "investigation" in the new field. Here is a sample:

"Fear was first manifested in the fifth week. The child was laid nude on the bed, whereupon he started and threw up his arms as though afraid of falling. His fears were

removed by throwing a light covering over him or by putting on a garment."

The absurdity of this performance as a means of reaching valuable psychological conclusions deserves the castigating pen of a Dickens. Think of trying to get "scientific" data by watching the antics of an unclad baby when placed upon a cold counterpane! Suppose the child had been similarly treated the week before: it would very likely have "thrown up its arms", or screamed or done some other thing, and then the experimenters could have solemnly recorded the momentous fact that it "manifested fear" during the fourth week. At this rate we shall soon need a society to rescue babies from being "child studied" into croup and tonsilitis, also a censorship to protect educational literature from the infliction of unmitigated slop. Learning to do by Doing.

After the article by Mr. Simkins on "Up Stream" was in print, the following characteristic note, which we take the liberty of publishing, was received from him:

"Some time since, I wrote a description or narration of one of our journeys "Up Stream" and sent the same to Brother Burns. He sent

the same to you. What I wish to say is this: If you ever publish the same, I wish the following added somewhere in the article.

"Do not take pupils on such an excursion oftener than once a year.

Put your hard licks on the old Common Branches and do not be afraid of the good old way. Many enthusiastic admirers of nature studies and elementary science will swing far to the extreme before the good sense of the common people will bring them back with a reaction."

ON TO WASHINGTON.

The announcement that the next meeting of the N. E. A. will be held. at Washington, D. C., is very satisfactory to the teachers of Ohio. We ought to carry off the banner for the largest attendance again as we did in 1894 when the meeting was held at Asbury Park. To the majority of the teachers in the State this will furnish the one opportunity of a lifetime to visit our beautiful Capital City and at the same time attend the meetings of the Great Association. Ordinarily speaking, no teacher can afford to miss it. Begin to get ready as soon as you read this, and tell your friends about it. For the benefit of our readers we quote the following from a letter sent by Secretary Irwin Shepard to the editor December 11, 1897:

Let me repeat the essentials of the announcement. The Washington meeting will be from the evening of July 7 to the evening of July 12, inclusive. No sessions will be held on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, July 9. The churches. of Washington will be invited to arrange for sermons and addresses on Sunday, July 10. It is believed that this rest in the midst of the

forty meetings of the Association will be an agreeable relief, and by this selection of dates for opening and closing, Sunday travel going to and from the convention will be rendered unnecessary. It is expected that the Council will meet July 6, and 7. The Trunk Line and Central Passenger Associations have granted already a rate of one fare for the round trip plus $2.00 membership fee. On the 14th inst. the Trunk Line Association will take action upon our further application touching the matter of deposit and extension of tickets to August 31, a matter which is essential to a final decision with respect to Washington, since the action of the Executive Committee is conditioned upon such action of the Trunk Line Association. We are assured that there will be no failure upon their part to grant what we ask. We have also asked for four dates of sale in Trunk Line territory; viz., July 4, 5, and 6, and 7. It is possible that we may be unable to get four dates. In that event, the dates will be 5, 6, and 7 in Trunk Line territory and correspondingly earlier dates in connecting associations.

THE FIRST CALL TO CHATTANOOGA.

The meetings of the Department of Superintendence of the National Educational Association will be held at Chattanooga, Tenn., on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 22-24, 1898. The morning and evening sessions will be devoted to regular discussions, and the afternoon sessions to conferences on important subjects. "The Mission of the Elementary School,"

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"The Township High School," "Vacation Schools", and "Continuous Sessions at Normal Schools," are among the topics which will be discussed by experts from the Superintendent's point of view. "What can Child Study contribute to the Science of Education?" is a question that will be treated with a view of ascertaining the limits of the services that may be rendered by investigations in this line. The aesthetic side of education will receive attention in a paper on "the Influence of Music and Music study upon character," and in an address by Dr. Harris on "The value of the Tragic and the Comic in Education." Gov. Robt. L. Taylor, one of the famous orators of the South, will deliver an address of welcome. The famous Dr. Scove! of Wooster, Ohio, has promised an address on "Realizing the Final

Aim of Education."

State Supt. Grace R. Patton has agreed to organize a conference of State Superintendents. The Herbart Society promises an interesting program for its sessions. The afternoon conferences will take up "School Hygiene," "Promotions" and "The Improvement of our Common Schools." A youth who passes through the elementary schools, the high school, the college and the professiona! school enters his profession in America two or three years later than if he had studied in the schools of England, France and Germany; and it is

hoped that these conferences will bring to light some causes of this waste of time and effort in our schools.

The hotels have agreed to make the usual reduction in rates. The Southeastern Passenger Association has adopted a rate of one firstclass fare for the round trip to Chattanooga, and favorable rates are expected from the other passenger associations. The views of scenery from Lookout Mountain are unsurpassed. The municipal authorities of Chattanooga are taking steps to provide for the superintendents and educators who will attend the meetings, a grand, good time. .

Accompanying the above announcement from Hon. Nathan C. Schaeffer, State Superintendent of Pennsylvania, and President of the Department, there was a letter stating that the Chairman of the Western Passenger Association was very desirous of determining the number of persons from each state in his territory who would likely attend the meeting with a view of granting a proper reduction of rates should the number warrant. The editor has no means of determining the number likely to attend from Ohio, but replied that while no definite number could be named, the State would be largely represented. It is earnestly hoped that the attendance. from Ohio will prove that we are not mistaken. The trip will be a delightful one, the distance is not great, and the meeting is import

ant. Ohio ought to be and we believe will be largely represented.

The Educational Press Association will also hold its semi-annual meeting in connection with the Department. The President, John McDonald, editor of the Western School Journal, Topeka, Kansas, has prepared an excellent program and the meeting is already an assured success.

THE NEXT STATE MEETING.

The Executive Committee of the State Association has selected Putin-Bay as the place of holding the next annual meeting and June 29, 30 and July 1 as the time. Assurances, backed by bonds given by responsible signers not interested in the Hotel Victory, are offered by the proprietors of that hotel. They also agree to assign rooms in advance; provide for registration through cards, so that no delay in reaching rooms will occur; and they further agree to make the presentation of membership tickets a condition necessary to secure the reduced rates which they offer. The distance to points outside of Ohio, offering invitations for the meeting, together with the fact that only single lines of railroad reach them, led the committee to hesitate to locate the next meeting beyond the boundaries of the state.

The committee were instructed by resolution of the Association to avoid large cities in making choice of place for the next meeting. If

it had not been so instructed, the time of meeting would have been changed to December 1898, and Columbus chosen as the place.

The committee will ask the Association at its next meeting to make such a change, and thus give the members a chance to express their wishes in the matter.

There can be no doubt that the management of the Hotel Victory will succeed in releasing themselves from the undesirable position in the estimation of Ohio teachers which they have held since the meeting of 1896.

Rates to the National meeting by way of the state meeting will, in all probability, not exceed those direct to Washington and the greater number of those attending the Washington meeting will desire a circuitous route which will enable them to visit other eastern points of interest besides the National Capital.

The committee are sure they did the best thing for the state association under the circumstances.

J. H. SNYDER, Secretary.

STATE ASSOCIATION OF TOWNSHIP

SUPERINTENDENTS.

BY C. L. DICKEY.

The State Association of Township Superintendents held a very successful session at Columbus, December 28. Owing partly to the fact that reduced rates had not been secured from the railroads, the attendance was not large, but the interest manifested in all the subjects

on the program for discussion, and the enthusiasm shown by the members in their work, more than made up for the lack of numbers. The Boxwell and Workman Laws were discussed at some length. The hope was expressed that in the near future the Boxwell Law might be so amended as to make the payment of tuition compulsory instead of optional as it is at present. The objections to the Workman Law were fully considered and several possible remedies for some of the weak points were suggested. There was a general expression of willingness to join with the opponents of the Workman Law in securing amendments looking to its improvement. Many of the Township Superintendents are also Principals of High Schools which have been the result of better organization made possible by the present school law. In every case the Superintendent was of the opinion that the Township High School and Township Supervision would suffer an irreparable injury by a return to the three director system. Commissioner Corson was present during a part of one session. The Township Superintendents recognize in him a loyal and sympathetic friend and he is always sure of a welcome at their sessions. The Commissioner had a very pardonable pride in presenting to the members of the association copies of the Report of the Committee of Twelve, to the National Educational Association, on

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