Decatur Democrat, Volume 51, Number 35, Decatur, Adams County, 27 August 1908 — Page 6

The Thursday mroning session of the institute was opened with devotional exercises oy Rev. Frank Hartman, of the Evangelical church, of Berne, who read the eighth chapter of Proverbs. Dr. Van Ormer then lectured on “The Physical Factor in Education,” saying: “We are so apt to be wrapped up in the business of teaching that we lose sight of a most important factor, physical. Mental activity is conditional by body activity. There is a close significant relation between mind and body. Today we believe that the brain is the seat of mental activity and assigned to certain pars of the brain are certain phases of activity. This is a localization of function. One part controls the action of the muscles, another controls sight and so on to the end. A high tide of nervous energy means a high tide of mental activity. The first concern of the teacher is to get a high tide of nervous energy and this is conditioned by blood, food, vital organs, exercise and fatigue. You can't have proper nervous condition with improper blood condition. Proper food brings right nervous condition. Proper food and vital organ condition is the business of the school physician. The air condition belongs to the teacher. Every teacher ought to know about ventilation. Fresh air will do wonders in giving us the much needed mental energy. From the blood standpoint we need exercise. Children grow fatigued. Shorter periods with more frequent intermission bring better results in work. A half day of school work with frequent intermission will accomplish more than a whole day carried on in the usual way.

Prof. Rauch then outlined the fourth and fifth months’ work in music. “Love of Books,” Dr. Armstrong, came next. Books afre among the very best companions we can have. If you want to open these books and make them talk you can do that. The daily paper brings everything going in in the nation, in a nutshell. One who wants to keep up with the times must read the papers. We should study books for these reasons: They give knowledge, preparation, comfort, inspiration. A man who buys books which he cannot read is like a blind man who fills his walls with pictures. If we want to keep abreast of the times we must read books. The world expects clearness if vision in an educated man, which he cannot have unless he reads books. Human nature calls for companions and friends. No feeling of the human heart comes to its highest development until it has become mutual. A friend is another self. Books give us preparation for social intercourse. It is a delightful recreation to live in a world where everthing is told in books. When we are weary from the work of the day we need some good book to give us rest. We cannot be raised to higher levels unless comes to us some outside help. If we cannot talk with those men and women who are sent into the world to climb to the mountain tops of truth, we can obtain inspiration to become larger by reading their thoughts set down in books. The forces for the conservation of spiritual energy is found in books. Books are the houses of refuge to old age. A progressive innovation was made in institute work Wednesday afternoon when Prof. Opliger divided the institute into three departments, assigning primary teachers to the primary department, intermediate teachers to the intermediate department, and high school teachers to the high school deparment. Each department was given an instructor to lecture upon English, Pedajgogy or music, who adapted his instruction to the department in which he was working. At the close of each forty minutes the instructor changed departments By this method of conducting the institute each grade of teachers was able to receive instruction adapted to the work of the class room. Departmental work in a county institute is an entirely new thing, and if the results justify the procedure, a permanent organization of our institute will be effected after this plan. The high school teacher has a peculiar responsibility, said Dr. Van Ormer. This is the critical period, the time of physical and mental adjustment. A great deal of study, an adolescence is onesided, some phazes being emphasized too much. No high school teacher does his duty when he merely teaches what is written in the curriculum. A great many high school teachers are going beyond this and teaching the things of life. The infancy of the individual, scientifically speaking, extends from one to twentyfive. After the age of twenty-five the mind is less impresable than during previous years. Mental adolescence is a critical time as far as mental development is concerned. No person has the opportunity to touch the religious life of the child as the high school teacher. We have no right to teach denominationalism ! but we have iia

’ right to touch the religious life of a child. It should be touched positively not negatively. Dr. Armstrong.—The ability to use English with correctness and force is a great accomplishment. The way we teach English in our high schools does not give the boys and girls power with the English language. Every teacher should be a teacher of English. Every • recitation should be a language recitation. Oral recitation is an invaluable means of teaching English. Pupils should prose and memorize poetry, such passages committed to memory enlarges the vocabulary and gives it strength and polish, gives expression to our thoughts, furnishes us with ideals, and keeps the mind tree from evils. The very core of the school course should be reading, writing, grammar and arithmetic. There ought to be two or ’•re things accomplished in the grades. The pupil should be able not'only to speak the English language correctly, but also to write it correctly. Learn the English language first with correctness and then with precision. This is done by teaching grammar. Technical grammar should not be taught in the grades at all. The chief aim in teaching grammar in the grades is to get the pupil to get the habit of speaking and writing the language correctly. Avoid a multiplicity cf text books. Place but one text bonk in the hands of the pupil in the lower grades. The Dr. emphasized the fact that a teacher cannot teach unless he knows his text, therefore it is necessary to be familiar with the whole grammar before he knows what to omit. The rules of the grammar are of no value to the child in learning correct speech until he is old enough to take the book in his hand. Have plenty of oral composition equally as much as written. Every lesson ought to be a language lesson. That is the way to learn grammar. The teacher must correct all the manuscripts but should not overburdenherself with work in correcting witten , work, and should illustrate each rule , learned by the pupils. The Dr. said he believed that grammar was one of the hardest subjects to teach in comi mon schools, and that the teacher ; should study every lesson just as thor- ; oughly as he. would expect his pupils i to do.

Music, by Prof. Rauch. Prof. Rauch began his lecture by giving a brief history of the development of the scale. He said in part: The technicalities in music should not properly begin with the child until he enters the sixth grade. The Dorian scale was the original scale, afterwards came the chromatic scale, later a number cf scales were devised but after much adjustment we have the following scales: The major diatonic scale from which all modern music is written. He mentions the minor and chromatic scales. Other scales are all relative to the above scale. The children should become familiar with the time signature and should begin to sing the syllables at this time. The professor spent the rest of his recitation by answering questions and ended up by a few remarks on keeping time, but not with the feet. Dr. Robert A. Armstrong, of the University of West Virginia, delivered his lecture “A Sealed Book” to a large and appreciative audience at the Methodist church last Thursday. He proved a forceful and happy platform master and delighted all who heard him. Friday, the final day of the teachers' session was opened with devotionals conducted by Dr. Van Ormer, who read selections from the sermon on the Mount. “The Study of a Poem, - ' by Dr. Armstrong was the first subject. “Excelsior” is a poem that the world is familiar with, said the doctor. A parody should never be written on a great poem. The title of a poem ought to be a sort of text. Most writers study the title of their production carefully. This title excelsior means higher. The next things to be studied are the materials and circumstances. Excelsior was suggested to Longfellow by a newspaper article. When we study a poem we ought to find out where the writer got his materials and suggestion. The form is another interesting feature of a poem. The power of putting thoughts in beautiful phrases is the power of the writer, especially the poet. In teaching poetry, every teacher should teach a few simple forms. Poetry should not be read like poetry. The poet is supposed to have a deeper sensibility for the music in the world than we, and in reading poems we ought to catch the music he puts into them. We ought so to teach poetry that the children will get some of the music. Poets must be men of thought. A poem that doesn’t have much | thought in it isn’t of much value. The emotional element is also important. The lessons of poetry cannot be passed lightly by the teacher. Prof. Rauch then gave his music

lesson, outlining the work for the sixth and seventh months. “The Moral Nature of Children and It’S Nurture,” by Dr. Van Ormer, was next on the program. What is the nature of the moral nature of chtl- j dren? There are tour answers: first, naturally bad. from the doctrine of total depravity. This theory is false from a pedagogical standpoint. Any one who has to do with the moral life of the child is in danger of ac- i cepting this theory. This danger is the result of the law of suggestion. A child becomes largely what it is expected to be. Second, the entirely good child. The home influence helps to shape the child’s life. Third, the child is like a piece of white paper; you can do anything with him yon please. This theory assumes that the child has nothing in him which asserts itself. The only thing wrong with this theory is that it doesn't work. Fourth, the moral nature of the child is made of raw material, some negative elements, some positive. Children are not naturally liars, heartless or cruel. The problem of moral development is to secure the growth of the positive elements. In view of the initiative tendency of children, in view cf the ideal, motor force, much more can be done by picturing the ideal condition to the child than by correcting. THURSDAY P. M. "The Pedagogy x?f Dickens," Dr. Van Ormer. —Dickens was not a pedagogue, he never taught school, n< T knew how to teach school. Dickens on’y wrote one essay specifically on pedagagical subjects, yet in spite <. f this fact he has written much pertaining to the science of pedagogy. All men are selfmade, continued the speaker, the only difference being in the kind of tools used in the making. Roosevelt’s tool was the university; Dickens, poverty and Lincoln’s the fireside, but in view of this fact he became rich in pedagogical ideas. He obtained this store of knowledge while searching in the Yorkshire schools, in search of a school for a widow's son. Having come into possession of this knowledge he proceeded to tell it to the authorities of London. Dickens found in the Yorkshire schools a tendency to educate thre 3 b corporal punishment. By relating the condition found to the authoriies he set. on foot a movement in England against extreme corporal punishment. Dickens made Squeers say we purify boys blood here. A boy who is soaked with nicotine is a hopeless problem for the teacher. No time should be given to him. but given to those boys who may yet be saved. Dr. Van Ormer described the English schools cs Dickens describes them in his novels and developed the faults of them showing the violation of the pedagogical law.

"The Law of Service,” Dr. Armstrong.—ln the great book we have the statement, whosoever would sell his life will lose it. but he that would lose his life for My sake shall find it. A man gains strength in his arm by using the muscles of it. A boy developes his mind by his mental energy. The man who gives away is the richest man. The profound law of life is the law of service. There is no such thing as entire independence. There is no life that can exist by itself. The heart does not beat for itself and the lungs do not breathe for themselves. If the heart were to stop beating and the lungs stop breathing the body would die and thus they, themselves would die. Every system of today is the result of the service of a previous individual or system. The parent will give its life for the young in obedience to the law of service which is founded upon love. It is the profoundest law of the world and of the gospel. Reward is the result of service. Next to the life work of a minister comes the life work of the teacher nearest the law of service. The best place for service is at our own door and the best time now. The man who comes into the world, gives his service to the world and demands no pay is of infinite value to the world. NOTES. The trustees of Root, Preble, Kirkland, St. Marys. Blue Creek, Monroe, French, Hartford and Wabash township and the president of the Berne school board attended the institute today. The teachers are anticipating a pleasant treat tonight when Dr. Armstrong will deliver his lecture “A Sealed Book.” —o The Decatur furnace company are busily engaged at present and are turning out a number of their famous furnaces. Several nice contracts have been received for the coming year, and many men have been employed at this institution. The company has secured the contract for one of their furnaces in the new Wren school house. Mrs. W. H. Lee has returned from Winona Lake, where she has been attending the Bible conference held ' there.

RESOLUTIONS IN MEMORIUM. At a special meeting of the H. H. aerie held at the Eagle Hall on the evening of Friday, Aug. 21, 1908. the fallowing preamble and resolution were unanimously adopted; Whereas, It has eecuieu good to the Ruler of the universe to remove from among us our beloved friend and fellow member. Albert Shaw, therefore in view of the loss we have sustained and the still greater loss occasioned to his respected relatives, be it Resolved, That the members of the society hereby desire to express their sense of bereavement and grief at the loss of one of their earliest, most faithful members and to record the enjoyment and profit which they have long had in the genial social qualities of the deceased; Resolved. That we sincerely sympathize with the relatives and near friends of bur late beloved associate and that we respectfully commend them for consolation to divine providence, who doeth all things well. Resolved, That in token of our sorrow at the death of our friend this scciey drape the charter for thirty days; Resolved. That the secretary of this meeting is instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to the family of the deceased as a testimony of our grief and sympathy and that the resolution be also published in each of the daily papers of this city. WILLIAM H. FOUGHTY, JOS. B. KNIGHT, PINK BALL. Committee. o CARD OF THANKS. In this manner we wish to thank the neighbors and friends and especially do we thank the Eagle lodge for the sympathy and kindness shown us during the sad death of our beloved father, Albert Shaw. The children. o DEATH OF LITTLE SON. Daniel Franklin Wolfe, the little son of Clyde and Ida Wolfe, was born December 21, 1904, died Aug. 20, 1908, aged 3 years, 7 months and 29 days. He leaves father, mother, one sister, beside grandparents, uncles, aunts and a host of other relatives to mourn their loss. The little one is fast asleep Those little hands are still Those little feet will run no more To do his parents will Os course we’ll miss him in our home Tet he has gone before Yes, he’s at home with the redeemed Upon the other shore. o A well known lady says that things have changed in the last quarter of a century. Three score years ago the average boy would go out on Sunday climb a tree and partake of a few quarts of mulberries, and top off with a pocket full of green appes and salt. The next morning the mother diagnosed his case as “worms’’ and he was to swallow a half bottle of Frey’s vermifuge. a quarter of a pound of epsom salts, and was turned loose in the cow pasture until supper time when he could come in for a square meal all right. Now if a boy complains of a “hitch” in the side he has “appendicitis” and is hustled to a hospital, starved within an inch of his life, half a dozen surgeons each take a whack at him with pearl handled knives, and he is turned over to the undertaker. The third annual picnic of the C. B. L. of I. held Sunday in a large and beautiful grove near Hessa Castle was a brilliant event and 5,090 people partook of the feast of oratory, and festivities of the day. Every interu’-ban car out of Fort Wayne was taxed to its capacity and soon the spacious grove was teeming with humanity. A full brass band played beautiful strains a s the people assembled and during the course of the excellent program the Hon. C. C. Gilhams, of Lagrange, the re-nominated candidate for congress from the Twelth district and Hon. Cyrus Kline of Angola, delivered addresses. The talks were nteresting to say the least. Mr Kline particularly impressed the vast assemblage by his striking personality and wfell preparedaddress. About 400 Decatur people were in attendance and more than 4.000 from the summit city. All in all it wag & great time and the success of same bespeaks much for the organization under whose auspices it was conducted. Washington, Aug. 21.—0 f $10,900 in decayed greenbacks sent to the treasury department for redemption by O D. Earl, of Morrilltown, Ark., all but $25 has been identified, and a check ! for $9,975 was mailed to Mr. Earl 1 today. Fearing that the banks were ' unsafe, Mr. Earl buried his savings • in an old pail in 1904. Recently he ’ dug up his treasure, only to find that ‘ the bills were so decayed that he could not discern their numbers. All that was left of the roll was a bunch i of paper resembling a package of 1 dried leaves, with ,here and there the torn end of a note displaying a figure.

The city council he’d a two and one-half hour continued session last Wednesday, members being present when Mayor France rapped for order. The chief business was the consideration of the resolution for a franchise for the Fort Wayne and Springfield railway company. At the Tuesday evening meeting the franchise was changed in a few sections and returned to the traction people with the statement that if satisfactory the same would probably be granted. Representatives of the company w ere present last evening and expressed themselves as satisfied and the resolution was read for the first time and adopted. The rules were then suspended and the second reading called. Then came the time tor final arguments. The important item was the much considered and discussed one as to wheher or not they would be permitted to operate with a high tension line through the city. The council changed this sentence to read: “The high tension feeder wire shall not be run through the city.” Mr. Schirmeyer manager of.the telephone company objected to this, explaining that the traction people could use their high tension on the trolley line, which would be much more dangerous than the feeder line. This opened a new line cf thought. The council went into executive session and changed the sentence to read: “The high tension current and feeder wire shall not be run through the city,” and adopted this amendment by a vote of four to one. The traction people made vigorous objection. Mr. Koenig their chief counsel, absolutely refusing to accept such a franchise, and stating that all work on their extension south will be stopped at once and no further effort made to extend the line. Without any comment on his statement, a member of the council moved an adjournment which carried and thus the matter rests. What further action will be taken or whether any will be or whether the interurban company will make good their statement remains to be seen. Mrs. J. L. Fulton, of this city, who is spending the summer at Winona Lake, received a telegram 'Monday afternoon from Whittier, California, announcing the dea h of her sister, Mrs. Robert Chamberlin, which occurred on Sunday night. Mrs. Chamberlin has been ill for several months but the news of her death came unexpected, as recent letters received had stated that she was improving. The exact cause of Mrs. Chamberlin’s illness is not known but was thought to be gallstones. The funeral services were held at. Whittier Tuesday afternoon. The Chamberlin’s left this city where they had lived for many years, two years ago this fall, to make their future home in the west. —Portland Commercial Review’. Mrs. Chamberlin was also a sister of Mrs. Robert Blackburn of this city. Albert Shaw, a lifelong resident of this city, died Thursday at Attica, Indiana, at 5:30 o’clock. For more than one year the deceased has been failing, in health. Dropsy and asthma affected his system to such an extent that he left yesterday morning for Attica for treament. He became much weaker a s a result of the trip and gradually sank away, death relieving his sufferings. Mr. Shaw and family lived here many years. Some time ago hig wife w*as called by the angel of death, leaving five motherless children, Oscar, Floyd, Raleigh, Arthur and Mrs. Joel Reynolds, all of whom survive to mourn the departure of ’their aged father, who had passed his sixty-second milestone. The deceased was a member of the Eagle lodge of this,city and his remains were brought here this afternoon for burial, the order to have charge of same. Mrs. J. B. Buhler and childfen are home from a visit with relatives at Marion. While at the latter place Mrs. Buhler was called to Indianapolis to attend the funeral of a nephew, Ray Beatty, fourteen year old son of Albert Beatty. The lad who was known here, was sick only a week with bowel trouble and though an operation was performed, proved futile and his death followed. St. Paul, Minn., Aug. 21.—A brief meeting was held today by the National Editorial Association just prior to starting on the day’s outing. The report of the committee on resolutions was adopted. The most important portion of this report was an indorsement of the position of the postal department *in relation to the class of matter to be received and accepted for transmission through the mails as second-class matter. The report of the committee also contained the following on libel laws: “That in all actions for damages for libel it is but a matter of simple justice that suits for recovery should be instituted in the place of publication; that the truth be pleaded in defense or miigation and that a judgment of recovery shall be a bar to further prosecution, and that laws, both national and state, should be so drafted as to cover these just contentions.”

Ollie Chronister, of this city, who accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Milt Leavell to Atlantic City last week, was the victim of two smooth crooks last Saturday evening while on board a street car, he being relieved of his purse and contents. Mr. and Mrs. Leavell and Mr. Chronister left here last Thursday evening for the famous resort and after enjoying a short visit they decided to proceea to Philadelphia, from where they were to board an excursion to New York City. The party boarded a New York avenue car and were on V l ® w ay to the station when two middle aged men climbed on the car, taking positions close to Mr. Chronister. When the car was at full speed the men, one of whom was behind him. the other in front, exclaimed that they must get off. One grabbed Chronister while the other relieved him of his purse containing $lB and a receipt for his ticket home. The robbers at once jumped from the car and made good their escape before the police, who had been notified, could get their lamps on them. Fortunately Chronisister had deposited his ticket at the station and accompanied by two policemen he was able to secure the transportation without the receipt after which he left for home although he had arranged to go to New York. Mr. and Mrs. Leavell went to Philadelphia from where they went directly to New York, visiting Coney Island before leaving on their homeward trip. Daniel J. Carroll, of Anderson, residing at 516 west Second street, an old soldier and a member of the G. A. R., was in the city this morning calling on the old ve:erans, says the Elwood Daily Record. He has been a republican all his life, but the fight that is being made against John A. M. Adair, and the methods used by Hawkins-Cromer-Sulloway and the gang, does not set very well with Mr. Carroll. Two years ago he applied for a pension and to help the thing along took up tfie matter with James Watson, present candidate for governor on the republican ticket. The matter hung fire and Watson seemed to have about as much influence as a southern darkey during an election in the sunny south. Finally he wrote to Adair after the latter had been in congress a short time, and in less than six weeks was granted an increase from sl2 to $24 per month. The correspondence he had with Adair was short but satisfactory and showed that Mr. Adair was in every way the friend of the old soldier and was willing to show it in more than mere words. Carroll is enthusiastic over Adair's manner of treating the veterans, who fought to preserve the country, and he will do all in his power to bring about Adair’s re-election to congress from the Eighth district. Word has just reached this cityconveying the news ( of the parole from the Michigan City penitentiary of one Robert J. Knox, who on June Ist completed four years of an indeterminate sentence of from two to fourteen years for his part in the attempt to pass a $1,500 forged check on the Citizens Bank of this city in the spring of 1904. Knox was paroled on June Ist but at that time the matter of his release was kept a profound secret and he hastened to New York City where influential friends had interceded in his behalf and had in readiness a position as a traveling salesman with a large wholesale house the territory assigned to him being in foreign lands and the fact of his parole was not divulged until he had put to sea on a trip around the world. The prison officials say that Knox was a model prisoner and this fact alone won him much time as his past record was against him as he has to his credit a long list of big jobs which he worked so smoothly as to baffle the entire Pinkerton detective force. His operation® were confined almost exclusively to big institutions and he considered banks as legitimate prey. —Portland Sun. Frankfort, Ky., Aug. 19. —Governoi Willson, in response to a number of questions, tn a statement tonight stated that he would issue requisition on the state of Indiana for the return of former Governor Taylor and former Secretary of State Finley to this state to stand trial for complicity in the murder of William Goebel. The two men are now at Indianapolis. The governor, however, said that he would insist upon them being released on bail, but Commonwealth Attorney Franklin says he will resist any motion that Taylor and Finley may make for their release on bail, as he claims the constitution provides that persons indicted for capital punishment cannot be released. Railing, the former Decatur star pitcher pitched yesterday for Flint, Mich., and had the opposing team biting the dust when old ‘Tom’’ blew up and Flint lost the game. Another pitcher being substituted for RailingIt seems that Tom' has been having more than his usual line of hard luck this season as he has been laid up with a sore arm for sou .-a time. At that only two hits were secured off M 9 delivery yesterday.