THE CENTRAL OHIO TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

By Margaret W. Sutherland.

The Central Ohio Teachers' Association being the largest educational gathering of the State and bringing distinguished educators from various parts of the country to address it, deserves more than a passing notice. Its annual session was held at Columbus, November 4 and 5. The number in attendance was very great. It was variously estimated from eighteen. hundred to two thousand. But whatever the exact number, the fact remains that at the opening session on Friday afternoon the Great Southern Theater was packed to the highest gallery, hundreds stood unable to find seats, and a great many being unable to find entrance spent the afternoon in visiting different places of interest in the city.

Columbus had never made better preparations for the entertainment. of her guests. At the Union Station on Friday morning they were met by the superintendent, the supervisors of music, drawing, penmanship, and physical culture, and a committee of young ladies from the normal school.

According to a time-honored plan Friday morning is spent in visiting the schools of whatever city the Association is held in. The committee at the station was there to render assistance to the visiting teachers in finding any school de

sired or in suggesting schools to those who had no special place they wished to visit.

The Columbus Teachers' Mutual Aid Association through a committee of its Board of Control carried out the admirable idea of its president Miss Anna Riordan of providing a Rest or Reception Room for the delegates. This room was kept open for two days and words of unqualified pleasure and gratitude showed how it was appreciated. A large room centrally located was given free of rent by one of our citizens, and this was not only comfortably but elegantly furnished by enterprising Columbus merchants on the block of High street between Broad and Gay streets. While the Columbus Gas Co. put in fixtures and furnished light and heat for two days free of charge. It would be hard to tell how pleased the Columbus teachers were at this mark of appreciation from representative business men. of the city.

The committee in charge of the Rest Room had the assistance for two days of the superintendent's clerk and five alumnae of the normal school, who welcomed visitors, checked their baggage and parcels, and in various ways administered to their comfort. Nearly all the leading current magazines were on the tables for those who desired to read while resting or waiting for friends.

At about 2 P. M. Friday, Supt.

J. A. Shawan called the Association to order and introduced to the audience its new president F. B. Pearson, principal of the East high school of Columbus, who delivered an inaugural address on "The Evolution of the School Master", which won high encomiums from all who heard it. So many expressed a desire to possess this admirable paper that the MONTHLY has secured it and will publish it in full.

After another delightful song from the quartet which under the direction of Supervisor W. H. Lott had already captured the hearts of the audience, the president introduced Supt. S. T. Dutton, of Brookline, Mass., who addressed. the meeting upon "Educational Forces and their Relation to Each Other." Mr. Dutton began by saying that he had not come to suggest any new work, any new studies, or any new methods. In fact in seeing the number of subjects on many of the programs of our schools at the present time, he was reminded of the little boy who seated for a feast at an overloaded table said as his blessing "O Lord, help us to take small bites and eat slow."

The speaker said that he had but a simple message to bring, but the suggestion that instead of adding anything to our curriculum we call to our aid other forces than those of the school. When a man is asked where he was educated, he

generally replies by naming the school at which he received instruction; but the truth is that he is educated by many forces outside of school, forces of unmeasured strength. Do we invoke the aid of these other forces as much as we should? Institutions represent what has been accomplished; they are the wheat separated from chaff. The church is distinctly an educational force; through organized work it calls out the best in life. The home is what the school is not. - an end in itself. Everything we hope for, live for, centers in home. The Master forever dignified home when He said "In my Father's house are many mansions." In the home affection has its choicest fruition. School life should be a continuation of home life.

The public newspaper is an educational force. It is certain there is a difference in papers; but the good newspaper is a photograph of a cross section of the world's life. It is a constant educative power, recognizing too the field of education and devoting space to it.

The civic state with all that it presents of order, public spirit of men manifested in public buildings, public money expended for the general good, are all educative and should act more on the young.

The social mind, or public opinion, has an important effect in advancing education. It makes possible public collections of art. In a little city of New England chil

dren and their parents go as the people of Germany go to see great works of art.

The various industries of the manufacturing world, commerce, and many other forces working for the same end, the getting of a livelihood, have each a lesson. While the school, the church, and the home working for spiritual ends ought to act together all the time.

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Each has its distinctive work but each is dependent on the other. There is not such recognition of the value of what the other is doing as there should be. The question comes how can co-operation be brought about? The school should take the lead. The teacher should be more conscious of need of this union and should reach out and invite the other forces to aid.

The physician can be a great helper in the school. He understands so much of life, his information concerning the homes represented in the school is so full. By an invitation to help he is often converted from an unfriendly critic. of the school to its warm ally.

The clergyman has something to. say and from coming to deliver his message he learns what he has not been conscious of before of what the school is spiritually. He finds out how much there is in common between his work and that of the teacher.

The school room must be a happy place if the children are to carry with them that inspiration which

shall tell at home. All that the teacher has of culture from travel, books, society, must reach from the school to the home; but this can only be if the teacher realizes that noise is purely a relative term.

The school should not be without proper recognition. In a large city a young clergyman made a very special study of a certain district in one of its most crowded sections. He studied the condition of the people under every phase of their living, he tried to discern the most potent factor in their elevation, and at a gathering of brother ministers when the question was asked "What force is doing most for these people?" his answer without hesitation or reservation was "The public school."

Not

This is a day of organization. What better can be organized than public educational societies?. societies formed of critics of our schools whose sole purpose is reform but societies formed of teachers, parents, citizens, all alike interested in the welfare of the schools.

Brookline has an Educational Society now numbering 600 members. It was started by social leaders. It has always had discussions of educational questions free to all members; but much of its most important work is now done by committees.

Its committee on music has brought fine musicians to the lessfavored districts of the city, has

render on terms of their own mak

ing. Now it is the custom in many places for the children to present to their teachers some little token of their esteem and affection, and many teachers in the next few days will have their hearts gladdened by some such kind remembrance, on the part of their pupils. While firmness is always a necessity in the management of any school, and sternness is sometimes demanded by extreme cases, yet kindness and good will of teacher for pupils, and pupils for teacher are always characteristic of a good school. As we enter upon our Christmas vacation, we shall all do well to make the beautiful sentiment expressed in the following quotation a part of our life:

"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come around-apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time. I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."

WITH this issue the MONTHLY closes its forty-seventh year. It will soon be a half century old. We trust that as a result of the continued cordial support of the teachers of the State, it may grow in strength as it grows in years, and

that it may always stand as an index of the conservative, safe educational thought of the day as represented by the practice of the best teachers of the State in whose interests it was started by the State Teachers' Association in 1852.

WE devote considerable space this month to an account of the Central Association meeting held at Columbus, November 4 and 5. With the exception of the National Association, the Central is probably the largest meeting of the kind in the United States. In addition to the interesting general account of the great meeting furnished by Miss Sutherland, we are specially fortunate in being able to present the inaugural address of the president, F. B. Pearson of Columbus. President Pearson was the recipient of compliments and congratulations from all sources on the strength and originality of his address, and the success of the meeting over which he presided with sch universal satisfaction.

THE CENTRAL OHIO TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

By Margaret W. Sutherland.

The Central Ohio Teachers' Association being the largest educational gathering of the State and bringing distinguished educators from various parts of the country to address it, deserves more than a passing notice. Its annual session was held at Columbus, November 4 and 5. The number in attendance was very great. It was variously estimated from eighteen hundred to two thousand. But whatever the exact number, the fact remains that at the opening session on Friday afternoon the Great Southern Theater was packed to the highest gallery, hundreds stood unable to find seats, and a great many being unable to find entrance spent the afternoon in visiting different places of interest in the city.

Columbus had never made better preparations for the entertainment of her guests. At the Union Station on Friday morning they were met by the superintendent, the supervisors of music, drawing, penmanship, and physical culture, and a committee of young ladies from the normal school.

According to a time-honored plan Friday morning is spent in visiting the schools of whatever city the Association is held in. The committee at the station was there to render assistance to the visiting teachers in finding any school de

sired or in suggesting schools to those who had no special place they wished to visit.

The Columbus Teachers' Mutual Aid Association through a committee of its Board of Control carried out the admirable idea of its president Miss Anna Riordan of providing a Rest or Reception Room for the delegates. This room was kept open for two days and words of unqualified pleasure and gratitude showed how it was appreciated. A large room centrally located was given free of rent by one of our citizens, and this was not only comfortably but elegantly furnished by enterprising Columbus merchants on the block of High street between Broad and Gay streets. While the Columbus Gas Co. put in fixtures and furnished light and heat for two days free of charge. It would be hard to tell how pleased the Columbus teachers were at this mark of appreciation from representative business men of the city.

The committee in charge of the Rest Room had the assistance for two days of the superintendent's clerk and five alumnae of the normal school, who welcomed visitors, checked their baggage and parcels, and in various ways administered to their comfort. Nearly all the leading current magazines were on the tables for those who desired to read while resting or waiting for friends.

At about 2 P. M. Friday, Supt.