CALISTHENICS, GYMNASTICS, AND OBJECT-TEACHING.
N. H. GALUSHA, Sonoma,

JOHN SWETT, San Francisco,

L. C. VAN ALLEN, San Joaquin.

SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE, FURNITURE, AND APPARATUS.

Dr. H. S. HERRICK, El Dorado, JAMES DENMAN, San Francisco, R. H. TIBBITTS, Sonoma.

RULES FOR PERMANENT ORGANIZATION.

SAMUEL M. SHEARER, Monterey, J. BURNHAM, Nevada Territory, H. J. SPENCER, Yolo.

RECEPTION OF DELEGATES.

Dr. H. S. HERRICK, El Dorado, CHARLES H. PARKER, El Dorado, JAMES STRATTON, San Francisco.

Were called for.

Reports of Standing Committees

The attention of members was called to the lists of Text-Books, Trade Circulars, etc. sent in by several of the Booksellers of the city.

President Moulder read communications from Messrs Hodge & Wood, Carl & Flint, Bancroft & Co., J. J. Lecount, and Tyler Bros. inviting members of the Convention to examine their stock of school-books, apparatus, etc. and offering to furnish the Committees with any books they might need for examination.

The President explained the object of the formation of the Standing Committees, and described, in detail, the duties of the several Committees on Text-Books.

Change in Standing Committees.

D. C. Stone of Yuba was added to the Committee on Music and Moral Science.

Miss Hannah Marks was changed, at her request, from Committee on Geography and History to Committee on Reading, Spelling, and Defining, and Mr. Tait from the latter to the former committee.

Mr. McChesney of Butte was substituted for Mr. J. B. Thomas, in Committee on Geography and History; and Mr. Hurd of Amador on Committee on Arithmetic, in place of Mr. Swim.

Mr. H. A. Pierce was added to Committee on Reading; and Mr. J. W. Anderson to Committee on Writing, in place of Mr. Burgess, who declined.

On motion, the names of the Standing Committees were read, in order, whereupon each committee designated the time and place of holding its meetings.

There being no special, or unfinished, business before the Convention, the President declared motions and resolutions next in order.

Resolutions.

Mr. Janes offered the following:

Resolved, That the State Board of Education should consist of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, with two qualified Public School Teachers-the lat ter to be chosen by the State Convention of Teachers and Trustees-and two citizens at large, to be chosen by the Legislature.

A spirited discussion ensued, on the reading of the above resolution, in which Messrs. Janes, Gibbons, Myers, Anderson, Woodbridge, and Pierce, participated.

Motions to amend by substituting "three Teachers," for "two citizens; "two County Superintendents," for "two citizens;" and one to indefinitely postpone, were made and lost.

It was stated that the present State Board of Education consists of the Governor, Surveyor-General, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; and that the two first named officers were prevented, by other onerous duties, from giving sufficient attention to the educational interests of the State.

Mr. Janes' resolution was finally referred to Committee on Amendments to the School Law.

Dr. Gibbons of Alameda proposed the following:

Resolved, That the Committee on Amendments to the School Law be requested to frame an amendment by which the Trustees of every School District in the State shall be empowered to transfer to the State Reform School any pupils between the age of ten and eighteen years, whose morals may be so depraved as to render them unsuitable occupants of a Public School.

After considerable discussion on the part of Dr. Gibbons, Rev. Mr. Myers, and Mr. Anderson, this resolution was indefinitely postponed.

Superintendent Denman offered the following:

Resolved, That this Convention recommend that a general system of school registers and reports be adopted, for use in every school throughout the State.

A motion to amend by referring to a Special Committee of five, prevailed, and then the resolution was adopted as amended. The Chair subsequently appointed the following

A motion was made that no speaker be allowed to speak oftener than twice on any one subject under discussion, nor longer than five minutes at a time.

Several amendments were offered, but finally the motion was amended so as to read:

Resolved, That no speaker shall speak oftener than twice, on any one subject of debate, nor longer than ten minutes the first time, and five minutes the second time.

Adopted.

Dr. Hatch, of Sacramento, submitted the following:

Resolved, That the Committee on Amendments to the School Law be requested to recommend the limitation of pupils in the Public Schools to children between the ages of six and twenty-one years.

Referred to Committee on Amendments.

Superintendent Denman suggested the propriety of arranging topics for discussion at the next meeting of the Convention, and named:

Periodicals on Education.

Schools and School Systems.

Lessons on Objects and Real Life.

The hour being late, no action was taken on the suggestions. President Moulder requested the County Superintendents to convene after adjournment, for the purpose of arranging a Social Reunion" for to-morrow evening; he also announced the programme of instruction for the next session of the Institute.

A motion was made that when the Convention adjourn it reassemble to-morrow at two, P. M. and that the first hour of the session be devoted to the discussion of "The Best Practical Modes of Teaching."

On motion of Mr. Lynde, of El Dorado, it was amended by adding "The Best Method of securing the Attention of Pupils during Recitation."

The motion, as amended, was adopted.

The Convention then adjourned.

THIRD DAY.

STATE INSTITUTE.

WEDNESDAY, May 29, 1861.

The President called to order at ten o'clock, and introduced the Instructor of the day, Mr. John Swett, who proceeded to illustrate, by classes taken from the body of the Convention, "Object-Teaching," and afterwards, by classes of the pupils of his school, "Gymnastics and Calisthenics."

As his instructions were delivered without notes, but a brief sketch of his remarks and exercises can be given.

Object-Teaching, Calisthenics, and Gymnastics.

Mr. Swett said:

The first part of my subject, Object-Teaching, might with equal propriety be termed "a common knowledge of common things," and hence I shall proceed to treat it in a very common, plain, and practical, manner.

You will imagine yourselves transformed into a monster class of all ages and capacities, from Primary to Grammar School pupils, and with yourselves rests the responsibility of making the exercise an interesting one.

I need only allude to the importance of object lessons in school. They are really the foundation lessons of knowledge.

The intellectual faculties may be divided into three classes-the perceptive, the reflective, and the expressive.

The perceptive faculties first come into play in childhood. By their action in sensation, perception, attention, and observation, the child acquires its first knowledge of surrounding objects. Impelled by curiosity he never tires in exploring the material world. Knowledge is what we have experienced in our own intellect, by means of our own observation.

Later in life the reflective faculties are called into exercise, making use of the facts learned by the exercise of the perceptive. The question, then, is not "What is this?" but "How is this?" Hence, the importance of teaching children facts of the material world as a foundation for higher education.

To illustrate my meaning by a familiar example: Suppose a boy born blind, who has learned to read, should attempt the study of Geography, and learn all the definitions of mountains, seas, rivers, islands, etc. what real knowledge of Geography could he possibly have? Having never seen one mountain, how could he form a conception of others from a description?

Yet how often in school do we keep children blind to all actual knowledge of things, and attempt to teach them abstractions. How little do we teach them about what they eat, or wear; about the habits of the horse, dog, cow, and the animals, or birds, by which they are surrounded; how little, in a word, of the material world do we explore for them.

The purpose of Object-Teaching is to store the mind with actual knowledge derived from personal observation. Without any further remarks, I shall proceed to illustrate by a few very elementary object lessons.

ABSTRACT OF AN OBJECT LESSON.

The first object to which I call your attention is an apple. I place it on the table before me. What properties, or qualities, of the apple can you discover by looking

at it?

Answer. It is round.

Ques.-Will some one name another word to express the same shape?
Ans.-Spherical; globular.

Ques.-Any other properties?

Ans. It is green, smooth.

Ques. Can you tell certainly that it is smooth without touching it?

Ans. We cannot.

Ques.-I take the apple in my hand. What more have I learned about it?
Ans. It is smooth, hard, soft, solid, heavy, light.

Ques. Some one says heavy, and another light. Which shall I say?
Ans.-Class answer light.

Ques.-I now smell the apple. What other property have I discovered?
Ans. That it has a smell, or odor.

Ques.-How shall I say it smells?

Ans. It has a pleasant smell.

Ques.-I taste it. What have I found out now?

Ans. It is sweet, sour, or bitter.

Ques.-I hold up the apple before my eyes. Can I see through it?
Ans.-No.

Ques.-What property, that none of you named, has the apple, then?
Ans.-Opaque.

Ques. What name is given to the outside of the apple?

Ans.-The skin.

Ques. Any other?

Ans.-Rind; peel.

Ques. What is the little cup opposite the stem called?

Ans. (After some hesitation) calyx.

Ques. What is the apple good for?

Ans. To eat.

Ques. Right; but name some of the particular uses of the apple.

Ans.-Cider, pies, apple-dumplings, sauce, puddings, etc.

Ques.-Does any one think of any other use of the apple?

Ans. (After a variety of answers) To produce seed.

Ques.-Correct; that is one of its principal uses. I will cut it open. How many seeds do you suppose I have found?

Ans.-Yes; no.

Ques. Has any one ever seen an apple growing in the Torrid Zone?

Ans. (One hand raised, but the place not understood.)

Ques.-Does it grow in the Arctic Zone?

Ans. Yes, the crab-apple does.

Ques.-Will any one describe an apple tree?

Ans. (No answer.)

Ques.-How high does it grow?

Ans.-Twenty feet; ten feet; fifty feet.

Ques. How does it differ from a pine tree?

Ans.-Its leaves are different.