that the establishment of a State Normal School depended on the necessities of the State, and requested members to hand in lists of names of such residents of their counties as desired to devote themselves to the Profession of Teaching.

Visit to High School.

Mr. Denman invited the committee to visit the High School and examine furniture, and also offered the use of his office to members for purposes of meetings.

Organization of Schools.

Mr. Cooper offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That the Legislature be requested to empower the Board of Education to appoint agents, at the expense of the State, to address the people in the various parts of the State, in behalf of Public Schools, and to assist in their organization and the establishment in such districts as are destitute of schools, and where the number of children renders them necessary.

Referred to Committee on Amendments to School Law.

Subdivision of Districts.

Mr. Haskins offered the following:

Resolved, That the Committee upon Amendments to the School Law recommend that the law be so amended as to provide, in case a district is subdivided in the interval between one apportionment and another, that the fund to its credit be distributed among the new districts, in proportion to the number of children between four and eighteen years of age, residing in each.

Referred to same committee.
The Convention then adjourned.

FOURTH DAY.

STATE INSTITUTE.

THURSDAY, May 30, 1861.

The President called to order at ten o'clock, and introduced the Instructor of the day, Mr. James Denman, who proceeded to deliver the following

Address upon School Discipline.

MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN :

The difficult task has devolved upon me to introduce the discussion of school discipline. It is a subject which has long occupied the attention of the most able scholars and Teachers of every country.

Of its importance, in connection with the true progress of intellectual development, I need not dwell before this audience of intelligent and practical Teachers.

As "order is Heaven's first law," it can hardly be less essential in the government of youth than the angels of heaven. The subject of discipline is so immediately blended with every kind of instruction, that I hardly know how to treat of it, as a separate and independent department, for he, who holds clear views as to instruction, does the same as to discipline. "Subjects of instruction are according to the ancient but oft-forgotten opinion, disciplines."

Discipline is not the art of rewarding and punishing, of making pupils speak and be silent. It is rather the art of preparing them for usefulness here and happiness hereafter. Teaching is something more than merely communicating knowledge; it is to stimulate, develop, and lead into a condition of independent activity, all the powers of the intellectual faculties.

The Educator of the present day does nothing except to teach from one day's end to the other; he is entirely a Teacher, and should, therefore, with propriety be called by no other name. The ancient "Schoolmaster" has now-a-days advanced to the grade of "Teacher." As Teacher, "he calls into activity the observation, industry, love of learning, capacity for it, power of language, self-help, and self-control, of his pupils; all his faculties, not merely those of acquiring knowledge, but the feelings and the character; that is, he directs, corrects, and disciplines, him outwardly and inwardly."

In the well-regulated school-room, order, propriety, morality, good manners, obedience, regularity in coming and going, standing and sitting, are observed; while, at the same time, the pupil learns to love his occupation, his Teacher, and the school.

Having thus presented school discipline as the true, educating, principle of the school-room, I shall next consider a few of the requisites for good government. To enter into detail would be impossible, as the subject is inexhaustible. I will, therefore, refer to but few.

First in importance is self-control. It is an old and true maxim that "no man can control others until he has learned to govern himself." Every Teacher, before entering upon the duties of his profession, should endeavor to obtain perfect control over his own passion, for, in the school-room, his patience will often be put to the severest test. His pupils may be guilty of the most provoking indulgence and strongly excite his indignant feelings, yet he should preserve a calm and decided manner, and let the deserved punishment be inflicted more in sorrow than in anger. Let him not forget, amid all the trials and temptations of the school-room, that "he who ruleth his own spirit is greater than he who ruleth a city." He should, therefore, carefully study his temperament and character, and fully satisfy himself that he can exercise a proper self-government, for it is unwise and unsafe to intrust the discipline of children to those who have no ascendancy over their own passions.

"Our temper acts so suddenly that deliberation has no time to dictate its behavior; it lets the hidden man out and pulls off his mask. It is doing its brisk publishing business in every school-room. No day suspends its infallible bulletins, issued through all manner of impulsive movements and decisions. Our pupils read them, for there is no cheating those penetrating eyes. Every Teacher moves through his school and conducts his exercise a perpetual and visible representation to all under him of some sort of temper. When least he thinks of it, the influence keeps going out. The sharpest self-inspection will scarcely inform him, moment by moment what it is; but his whole guide as a companion to the young is determined by it; his whole work is colored by it. Penalties imposed in passion are proverbially the seeds of fresh rebellion. Whatever temper you have suffered to grow up in the gradual habit of years, that will get a daily revelation over your desks as visible as any map on the walls."

Decision and firmness should also constitute an important element in the character of every Teacher.

In the administration of justice there should be no hesitation, or trepidation, or

want of decision of character, manifested in the Teacher.

He should possess

firmness and determination to enforce a righteous decision, and a willingness to assume responsibilities as soon as they are made plain. His purposes should be well formed, and then executed with that confidence which the cause of truth and the right alone can inspire.

There should, however, be no affected confidence, nor overweening assurance, which is too often characteristic of the Schoolmaster. All his acts should be tempered with becoming modesty and humility. This will inspire confidence in the hearts of his pupils, and strengthen that bond of union so necessary between the governor and the governed.

In this connection, I desire to impress upon every Teacher the necessity of increasing vigilance to enforce discipline according to the strict rules of justice and impartiality. The reputation of strict fairness and unconditional impartiality is the first fundamental requisite of efficient school discipline.

Curtman gives as the principal requisites of a Teacher as a disciplinarian, "Watchfulness, love of order, consistency, and fairness." "Government is not tyranny, exercised to please the caprice of the one who governs." It is only the despot who commands for the sake of being obeyed.

All school punishments should be to improve the child. Theories of retaliation are quite as inadvisable as that of retribution to an offended Deity. Some mistaken Teachers enforce severe discipline, under the erroneous assumption that God's majesty is offended by every wrong action. No such views ought to be expressed even in a penal code. Man has no voice in that decision, nor consequently should he have in inflicting punishment for it. This same class of Teachers, by reason of the same doctrine, see faults and sins where others do not. They are like the ghost-seers-"He who believes he sees them, does see them." Some even carry this theory so far, that they look upon children as reprobates and criminals. And yet this is seldom a correct opinion even of such adults as are punished for crimes. The more we examine men and their errors, the more occasion we shall find to treat them not as hardened devils, but rather as poor tempted creatures. If this be true of those who have arrived at the age of reason and judgment, how much greater the necessity of exercising the true spirit of Christian charity and justice in the government and discipline of the youthful mind and heart.

"Justice and mercy are the two chief attributes of Deity, and they are the highest manifestations of humanity." To combine them in full proportion, to know when to be firm and when to yield, to carry the conscience, the judgment, and the feelings, of the pupil with you, so that your acts shall be at all times but the voice indeed of their own deepest unuttered thoughts, should constitute the high endeavor of every true Educator, and to accomplish which every resource of his whole nature should be brought into full and complete employ.

Avoid governing too much. The old proverbs, "Much speaking is a weariness to the flesh," and "Many laws many transgressors," are particularly applicable to the school-room. As I have before suggested, government is a means, not the end, of school-keeping. "The real object to be accomplished in school, is to assist the pupil to acquire knowledge, to educate the mind and heart. To effect this, good order is necessary. But when order is made to take the place of industry, and discipline the place of instruction, when the time of both Teacher and pupil is mostly spent in watching each other, very little good can be accomplished."

In maintaining discipline, it is not necessary to be severe. The Teacher adds no weight to his authority by being armed with the "ruler" and the "birch." Не effects nothing but confusion and weakness by continued scolding and harsh threats. If the Instructor would govern well, he should never be noisy or boisterous himself. A spirit of perfect self-control, kindness, and determination, in the Teacher is the surest passport to the confidence and willing submission of youth. In governing his school, he should also be very sparing of his voice. There are certain looks which are far more powerful in silencing the noise and confusion of

the school-room than the most severe language of reproof. Order obtained at the expense of great noise and much talking, is generally of short duration. That government is the most effective which secures good order and discipline at the least expense of force and effort. Teachers always govern best when they seem to be governing the least.

The following, from Barnard's American Journal of Education, forcibly describes the Teacher who governs only by force and effort:

"He is the incarnation of painful and laborious striving. He is a conscious perturbation, a principle paroxysm, an embodied flutterer, a mortal stir, an honest human hurly-burly. He tries so hard, that by one of the common perversions of human nature, his pupils appear to have made up their minds to see to it that he shall try harder yet, and not succeed after all. His expostulations roll over the boy's consciences like obliquely shot bullets over the ice, and his gestures illustrate nothing but personal impotency and despair."

Make but few rules and regulations.

There is no general receipt-book for the thousands of cases which may arise in the discipline of the school. That Instructor who attempts to make a specific rule, or law, for every particular offense, will find difficulties at every step. Children will be confused by the conflicting demands of a long code of requirements and prohibitions, and in endeavoring to avoid Scylla, will be likely to fall into Charybdis. The same laws of discipline will no more prove of equal effect in every different case than similarity of treatment in disease will produce uniformity of results. No one thing is suited to all. "What one man plies with success will fail in another." The golden rule of duty," do unto others as you would that they should do unto you," should be the great governing rule of the school-room. The direction "do right," is complete and comprehensive. There is in every child a desire to do right, upon which the Teacher may rely when guided by the rules of duty and justice. But when governed only by written laws and regulations, children soon cease to act from the dictates of their conscience. Their moral sense soon becomes so blunted, that they learn to act only upon the principle that what is not strictly forbidden is right, and as no Teacher was ever yet so wise as to make a law for every case, the consequence is, he is continually annoyed with unforeseen difficulties and evasions.

For similar reasons, the Teacher should guard against the too common practice of threatening. "Oft repeated and continual scolding in a family, or school, only tend to make bad children worse, and good ones indifferent." Threatening is generally the language of impatience, which is usually resorted to as a means of frightening children into obedience, and like the barking of a dog who has no intention of biting, it is generally made without any design of execution.

Parents and Teachers should exercise more care and say only what they mean, and mean just what they say. If they would manifest a firm, decided, and unyielding, though kind, determination to have every duty strictly regarded, and all just requirements strictly obeyed, it would seldom be necessary to use threats, or exercise power, to an unpleasant extent. As the poet has well said

"Be obeyed when thou commandest,

But command not often;

Let thy carriage be the gentleness of love,
Not the stern front of tyranny."

But it may be asked, if there are no fixed laws for the discipline of the school, the same as in the government of nations, how is good order to be secured? I would answer, various means must be used. Individual character must be studied, circumstances investigated, and all the ingenuity and tact of the Teacher exercised. Those apt movements, happy hits, and quick inventions, which characterize real tact, are far more powerful to preserve order in the school than the bludgeon.

Far-sighted plans, quick movements, and clear instructions, with strong executive energy, are as valuable qualities in the school-room as upon the battle-field." There should be no favoritism, or privileged aristocracy, in the school-room. Teach

ers, especially of mixed schools in the country, are in the habit of extending favors and privileges to the larger scholars, which they deny the smaller ones. It is cowardly to punish the younger children to frighten older ones into obedience. It is far more manly and politic to make an example of the largest scholars, as the smaller ones will seldom resist authority which is established over those above them. Then, let all our intercourse with children be marked with fairness, disinterestedness, and an earnest devotion to justice, and a fervent desire to equally promote the welfare and happiness of all under our charge, irrespective of personal feelings and prejudices. The Teacher should also be uniform and cheerful in his government, that is, the same each day.

Some who have no self-control over themselves, govern entirely according to the caprice of their own feelings. Children quickly learn to read in their Teacher's countenance as he enters the school-room their fate for the day. In the language of Goldsmith,

"Well do the boding tremblers learn to trace,
The day's disaster in his morning's face."

If, to-day he is in good health and fine spirits, he allows his scholars freedom and privileges, which he denies them to-morrow when suffering under irritation, or depression of spirits, caused by dyspepsia, or want of exercise, he cannot long expect to retain their confidence, or willing submission. Let no Teacher, therefore, be deceived that his irregularities and faults will pass without inflicting an evil which will have a lasting and unhappy influence.

Full active and profitable employment is also an important means of securing good government. The old proverbs that, "Idleness is the mother of mischief," and

that

"Satan finds some mischief still,
For idle hands to do,"-

are living truths particularly applicable to the school-room.

Activity-constant, true, mental, and moral, activity-is one of the great primary laws of the child's nature, and it is the Teacher's avocation to give the right direction to his activity of thoughts and feelings.

In order to accomplish this difficult task, he should be supplied with all the modern improvements in text-books and school apparatus, to render instruction pleasing and attractive, instead of a task which the young tyro dreads with fear and displeasure.

Our Primary Schools, especially, should be so many cabinets of nature and art. Every inch of wall not indispensably required for blackboard exercises, should be secured for educational purposes by specimens of plants, minerals, shells, birds, and whatever else can be appropriately placed before the eye. Children should be instructed that

"Their Teachers are the rocks and rills,

The clouds that cap the far-off hills,
The flowers, the sturdy forest trees,

Each blade of grass, each whispering breeze."

Interest in study is the first thing which every Teacher should endeavor to excite and keep alive. There are scarcely any circumstances in which a want of good order and intellectual discipline does not proceed from a want of interest in the studies and exercises.

"I would," says Pestalozzi, "go so far as to lay it down as a rule, that whenever children are inattentive and noisy, and apparently take no interest in schools, or study, the Teacher should always look to himself for the reason."

When a child is doomed to listen to lengthy explanations, or to go through with exercises which have nothing in themselves to relieve and attract the mind, there is a tax upon the spirits which the Teacher should make it a point to abstain from imposing. And, when to all this, the fear of punishment is added, besides the tedium which in itself is punishment enough, it becomes absolute cruelty.