up, and then everyone seemed in a bad humor. The principal told us not to go into this room, for "she is no good," and not into that one, for "she is a back number," and not into the other, for "that class is a poor one," etc. He did not appear to feel responsible in any way for these things. He was short and irritable in dealing with teachers, and still more so with pupils. In going into a room he interrupted the work at once with, "What are you doing? History? What do you know about history? You don't know anything about Washington, do you? Go to the board and diagram his campaigns. I thought you couldn't," etc. Teachers wore a languid, don't care expression; their attitude toward pupils was unsympathetic, their lessons seemed to lack aim. The pupils seemed indifferent, slightly disrespectful or subdued, careless in their work, and decidedly unresponsive. In the arithmetic all had finished the first problem, but no two had the same answer. An oral problem was given by the principal with the same result. Teachers were not frank about their work, but conveyed the impression that their classes were doing what, upon cursory inspection, they were not. Occasionally a sympathetic and inspiring teacher was found, but as a rule nagging and espionage seemed to characterize the discipline. all this was seen. We listened to the music, and heard the pupils sing at sight selections composed or arranged by the principal himself. We concluded that music was his hobby, but just then the program called for grammar. The recitation was promptly started by the pupils, and the teacher and principal took part as if the two had prepared the lesson together. Every pupil was on the alert and could not be confused. We heard classes in history, arithmetic, composition, art reading and physical training, in each of which we noted the pupils' eagerness to tell or do, the teachers' definite purpose in everything they were doing, and the thorough understanding of the principal of what was going on, and his dexterity in making himself an unobtrusive part of it. Pupils were questioned by us in many grades. Many pupils had skipped a grade, but all seemed prepared. Mental alertness and earnestness characterized all the work, and good will and considerateness characterized the behavior. The principal and teachers seemed remarkably quiet and undemonstrative, but on close observation we noticed a little touch here, or responsive glance there, a bare suggestion of appreciation hardly noticed by any but the one addressed, a freedom from either effusiveness or nagging, a definiteness of purpose on the part of teachers in everything In another school the opposite of done, an alacrity of response on the part of pupils, and an absolutely good understanding and mutual respect on the part of everybody. This impressed us the more, the longer we stayed, and made us feel that the old ramshackle building was a hallowed place, and the teachers were inspired. And they were. As is the teacher, so is the school; as the principal is, so are the teachers. When we left we uttered no word of commendation. Work that is a little better than ordinary we praise; before a masterpiece, we are silent. This principal was given large liberty. He was a student, and had made a special study of all parts of the course of study. He was a teacher, and practiced the art every day. He was a gentleman. Of the first principal, it may be said that he developed under a rigid administrative system of penalties and rules, and his nature responded to it in kind. The natural outcome was a martinet. A REMARKABLE COMPOSITION. A few weeks ago Supt. E. D. Lyon, of Madisonville, in his visits to the schools under his charge, gave out subjects for compositions. These compositions were to be impromptu, although there had been more or less reading on the various subjects previously. Three subjects were assigned in an eighth grade, and they were about beginning the writing when Fannie Woodard came to him quietly and asked per BROOKLYN SUB BRANCH, 1004 HIMAL ST. Editorial Department. . 255 oughly organized with three years work in the high school and nine below. The high school has nine months and the districts eight and a half. --Supt. F. S. Coultrap will graduate 15 girls and 10 boys May 18. He is looking forward to next year when the new $60,000 building will be ready for occupancy. The entire second floor will be devoted to the high school, which, by the way, Supt. Coultrap has increased three hundred per cent. Prin. O. S. Nelson, of the Wayne township, Fayette county, high school graduated a class of eight at Good Hope April 25th. -Miami University has furnished 30 college presidents, 76 college professors, and 168 other teachers, besides one President, 6 governors, 3 cabinet officers, 7 senators, and 23 congressmen. -The boy in describing his work in school incidentally mentioned Cæsar's message veni, vidi, vici. Whereupon the father called Cæsar a fool, saying that he could have sent ten words for the same money. -Supt E. L. Mendenhall, of the "Home" school, Xenia, addressed the teachers of Clinton county April 14 on the subject of Literature. Prin. R. D. Crout, of the Co-1,536, diplomas, 134. W. H. Bair, lumbus Grove high school, has made a good record this year and has shown himself master of the situation. Hugo J. Anthony, who has served as principal of the St. Henry schools for four years with great fidelity and satisfaction to all, has already been elected for three years, beginning with September, 1906, as superintendent of the Minster schools, the salary for the term being $4,000.00. This is a very marked recognition of genuine ability and real success, and the board of education at Minster are to be congratulated on the wisdom of their choice. Mercer county teachers held a meeting at Celina, April 14. Supt. W. T. Trump, of South Cherleston, made two excellent addresses and received a most cordial greeting from his friends in this county, among whom he labored for two years. He is one of the growing young men in the profession and is in demand for work at associations. In the afternoon, O. T. Corson talked to the teachers. The report of J. F. Frick, Secretary of the Reading Circles, indicated much aggressive work on his part and the hearty co-operation of the teachers and superintendents of the county. The enrollment for the year is 157, the number of teachers' certificates issued, 77, and teachers' diplomas, 23. Pupils' certificates required, the efficient president of the association, has completed his twentieth year of reading in the course. Supt. J. R. Clark, of the Mad River, Clark county, township schools, graduated a class of nine May 1. President C. G. Heckert, of Wittenberg, preached the baccalaureate sermon at Enon, April 29. Prin. Lee Leahy, of the Blanchester high school, has been reelected and his salary increased to $80 per month. - Prin. F. P. Wheeler, of Marietta, has been living over again the joys of his boyhood from reading of the game of "bull-pen" in the April MONTHLY. He knows a thing or two about the games of yore. Among the noted speakers at San Francisco will be Commissioner Harris, Sir Oliver Lodge, Dr. M. G. Brumbaugh, Supt. E. G. Cooley, Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, Luther Burbank, Bishop Conaty, Dr. W. O. Thompson, Prof. John Adams, of the University of London Training College, President Benjamin Ide Wheeler and Supt. F. Louis Soldan. Miss Ella Ambuhl reports on the Greene county meeting as follows: A very interesting bi-monthly meeting of the Greene County Teachers' Association was held in the Auditorium of the McKinley school building, Xenia, April 14. Two very interesting and highly appreciated numbers were addresses by Miss Letitia Dillencourt, one of the efficient teachers of the Xenia public schools, and by Mr. R. W. Buck, the successful teacher of science in the Xenia high school. Both addresses were illustrated with stereopticon views and were listened to with much interest. Miss Dillencourt spent the summer of 1905 abroad, and her address, "Glimpses Beyond the Sea," treated of her own experiences and observations. Mr. Buck's address was "High School Science Under the Lime Light." It was a scholarly address, showing that the speaker was thoroughly acquainted with his subject. Supt. I. C. Guinther will have a class of 41. The exercises will Occupy two evenings. The first will be devoted to a mock General Assembly and a full quota of laws will be enacted. On the second, there will be a mixed program in which music will be conspicuous. The high school orchestra will be prominent. The Board of Control of the Reading Circle will meet at Columbus, May 10-12 to adopt books for the year. Three days will be devoted to it this year and we hope they will adopt not more than one book each day. -The Parkersburg board of education will install three manual training schools at the beginning of next year. Progress is the law of life at the other end of the big bridge. The Review of Reviews recently contracted for ten thousand sets of Dr. H. W. Elson's History of the United States. The Macmillan Co. now publish this in five superb volumes. Ohio University comes in for a share in this honor. The Ohio Organization Committee of the N. E. A. is composed of Prin. Wells L. L. Griswold, Youngstown, Supt. J. A. Shawan, Columbus, Supt. J. M. H. Frederick, Lakewood, Supt. Wm. McK. Vance, Miamisburg; and Prin. O. P. Voorhees, Cincinnati. -The Drawing Teachers of South-western Ohio met at Dayton, March 31st. There was a good attendance with great interest manifested in the program. Miss Petticrew of Piqua was elected President to succeed Miss Alice Robinson of Oxford, Ohio, under whose successful leadership the meetings have been conducted the past year. |