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Vol. XI.

EMPORIA, KANSAS, APRIL, 1899.

THE STATE NORMAL MONTHLY.

ISSUED TEN TIMES PER YEAR.

THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL,

EMPORIA, KANSAS.

No. 7

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WHEN THE FLIES COME BACK AG'IN.

You mos'ly know when summer comes-
The trees is full o' leaves,

And the swaller 's jes' about begun
His jabber'n in the eaves;
The blushin' cherry's proud to show
His red an' yaller skin,
An' ever'thing 'pears lovely

When the flies come back ag'in.
The flies-at first they buzz about
In sort o' single file;

A minglin' with the winder pane
In ruther awkward style;

But when the weather's warm a spell
Yer smile grows kinder thin,
An' you somehow long fer winter
When the flies come back ag'in.
Watch the critters on the baby,
Takin' little tiny sips

Of the 'lasses that is scattered
'Roun the sleeper's rosy lips;
Baby sleeps and doesn't mind 'em,
And they cause him no chagrin—
But its grief to be bald headed
When the flies come back ag'in

Ef

yer sleepy in the mornin'

Tired, and want to rest your headYou kin hear 'em singin', singin' Roun' yer little trundle bed; An' their music grows ecstatic

As they dance upon yer chinAn' you whisper words of-comfort When the flies come back ag'in. 'Spose yer milkin', an' ol' Brindle Gets too vicious with her tailDips it deep into the bucket,

Flaps it roun' yer visage frail; Then yer face with anger flushes, But you grit yer teeth an' grinAn'you cultivate yer patience

When the flies come back ag'in,

-H. B.

The Visual Method of Teaching Ethics. [The Albany, New York, Argus gives the following report of the investigations recently made in the Albany city schools by Rev. E. M. Fairchild, son of ex-President Fairchild, of the State Agricultural College.]

Considerable importance attaches to the reports which the school children write on those lectures which Rev. E. M. Fairchild has delivered in Albany's public schools. The method of

ethical instruction employed is new, Albany being the first city in which "visual instruction in ethics" has been tried. In Germany, Bible instruction in the public schools is universal, but in America the churches will probably always keep entire control of religious education. If the experiments tried here in Albany prove successful, and a usable method of teaching the children pure morals is found, the public schools of the United States will gain exactly what is needed.

With the permission of Prof. C. W. Cole, the following questions were asked of all the pupils in the eighth and ninth grades of school No. 11:

I. What do you think of the fight between John and Jack? 2. What two pictures did you like best?

Two weeks from the hearing of the lecture on fighting were allowed to slip by before these questions were put, so that the children would forget the lecture if no deep impression had been made.

The following is the report of a ninth grader who signs himself "C. Lamb." It is one of the best.

ABOUT FIGHTING.

"John and James were playing pitch; that is, they were trying to see which one of them could throw their buttons nearest the line, but John was a little boy while Jack was a big boy. Jack threw his button quite near the line, but John threw his button almost as near as Jack did, and so the row began. 'I'm the nearest,' said Jack. "No, you're not,' said John, and there was the point they disagreed on. John being the smaller boy grabbed the button and ran off with Jack in hot pursuit. As soon as Jack had caught hold of John's jacket the fight began. John hit Jack and Jack hit John and knocked him down and made him cry, while all the other boys who were standing by watching the fight laughed at John's misfortune. If John had not touched the button he would not have got hit, but if Jack had not touched John the fight would not have happened. If Jack had got all the other boys to help him and he had taken John and spanked him, I think it would have done John more good than the thumps Jack had given him. John had no right to pick a quarrel with Jack, while Jack had no right to fight with John, because it is not right to fight unless for a noble cause. One boy was as much to blame as the other, because one of them picked the quarrel with Jack, while Jack carried on the fight with John, which he had no right to do."

GOOD ADVICE.

E. Barends, of the ninth grade, also makes a report to the point. Here is a sentence: "The fight between John and Jack was a common one. There is always some one in a crowd who will tease and torment others because he don't want to play what they are, and one of the other boys will let out a howl, 'I'll give you what you don't want if you don't quit,' and then there is a fight over this tease, and he ought to have that little plan mentioned above (all the boys unite to give the tease a good spanking) applied to him, and he would then know enough to keep out of any more of those fights and quarrels."

Other boys who make particularly good reports are: Charles Stott, ninth grade; Charles R. Selkirk, ninth grade; John T. De Groat, eighth grade.

The girls who made the best reports are: Laura Nichols and Bell Keenholts, ninth grade; Sarah J. Smith, Margaret A. McKeon, Carrie A. Knapp, Mary L. Stephenson, Emma Noeckel, Emma Engel, Elsa E. Aufsesser, Thyra L. Toren, Grace Anna Weis, all of the eighth grade. Grace Weis ends her report as follows: "The same way there was a cat crossing

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the street, a whole lot of boys passing-and if they should spy her, do you think they would be doing right (to throw stones at her)? Of course not. If I was there you bet I would not let them do it. A cat has just as much feeling as we have."

PIQUANT COMMENTS.

The following are interesting sentences taken from various commentations:

"Now just see how much better it would have looked if John and Jack had given up in the first place and gone home. Of course it won for them a reputation as good fighters, but it is very wrong for boys to fight, and they will be better liked if they do not engage in pugilistic battles which have a tendency to degrade them in the estimation of other people."

"But the, older people say that he should have scorned to fight with such a boy. In my opinion if the older people were younger they would think differently. Although a fight might have been avoided "

"If a gang gets whipped good it does them good, and they attend to their business for a while."

One boy thinks John did just right to fight Jack for teasing, and states his idea thus: "As to Jack's getting punched for taking the button, I'd punch him myself. It taught him a good piece of manners. John ought not to punch Jack so hard.

This comment is peculiar and comes from a boy: "Very quickly the two youngsters gathered a crowd which among the people of it, were female acquaintances who tried to prevent the fight from proceeding."

A girl begins her report: "Once there were two boys playing quoits, and which most every time it is played there is a a quarrel or some bad friends."

A boy says: "I think the motto, 'boys over ten hadn't ought to fight,' is a very good motto, but you don't find many boys that keep this motto." The fact suggested is that fighting is probably more common among the boys than most parents suspect.

One boy says: "They both went together over by school No. 24, where all the school boys go to fight." It is explained that probably there are a good many set fights "pulled off" among the boys. One report, previously received, gives an elaborate account of such a battle, though nothing of the kind was given in the lectures.

Schools No. 11 and 24 are undoubtedly well taught and well governed. During the delivery of the lecture there was hardly a whisper.

TRUANT SCHOOL OPINIONS.

The boys of the truant school make some comments worth thinking about. One feels that he is born out of the gentleman's class, and says: "People expect us to fight. We're not gentlemen." One simply says: "It's no fun to fight." Undoubtedly a boy is a friend to a dog, but an enemy to a cat. A characteristic comment is: "It's mean to hit a dog, but I hit a cat every time."

One little truant finally replied to his teacher, Miss Walker, who was talking the lecture over with the school: "Well, I'm going to try and keep out of it."

The answers to the question "what pictures did you like?" referring to the slides illustrating the lectures, brought out some interesting comments: "The truant boys fighting is another picture in the exercise that I like very much, because they don't know very much." There was no such picture shown, but this boy sees that the fighters "don't know very much" and concludes it must have been the truants who were fighting.

"The other picture that I thought was nice was the best picture of all where the boy defended the old lady. This picture made an impression on my mind, because I have a mother, and if any one insulted her, or in any way harmed her, I should

expect some one to defend her. Nobody but a brute or a man who drank more than was good for him would harm or attack a woman, and a drunkard would not do it unless he was under the influence of rum or some other poisonous drug."

"Another picture is the one of a dog and his master. I think the boy was making the dog draw him up a hill, never stopping to think how he would feel were he in the dog's place, but because he was a dog he could do anything, if it killed him."

"The poor kitten cannot do anything but run, and while running will suddenly feel something coming with an awful thump, and that makes it run all the harder."

SOME PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS.

Many boys speak of their enjoyment of the picture of the Assembly chamber as decorated for Governor Roosevelts' inauguration on January 2nd last. And the picture of the Legislature in joint session seem to have made an impression. One girl says: "Mr. Fairchild showed us how it would look to see members of the Assembly fighting in the street. I think that either Jack or John would know better, and could settle their disputes in a better way than fighting in the street when they reach the age of our members of the Assembly."

Another girl realizes the social standing of the Fort Orange Club, and says: "The other picture I thought interesting was the Fort Orange Club, where so many men gather. Just suppose they should fight as Jack and John did, over every little dispute that arose, what kind of a reputation would they have? Why, it would be too dreadful to mention!"

The "spanking" picture is spoken of by many, and they think it humiliating to be spanked by all the other boys "just like a little baby." The pictures of games where there is no fighting and fussing seemed to many the best of all. A girl comments: "One picture I liked was where some boys were playing leap frog. It was a merry set, and if everybody was like them this world would be merry, too."

The papers taken as a whole were a great credit to the teaching of school No. 11 and also a strong proof of the value of this method of giving moral instruction.

What the Regents Did.

The new Board of Regents met on April 6 and organized by electing F. S. Larabee, of Stafford, president; A. H. Turner, of Chanute, vice president; John Madden, Emporia, secretary, and S. H. Dodge, of Beloit, treasurer. At the meeting, the new plan for the summer school was approved and the summer session, with all departments represented, will open June 16, 1899. A fee is charged for this summer session, the members of the faculty depending on it for their compenation. The school year was fixed at thirty-nine weeks for the future.

The plan proposed by the faculty for raising the funds and employing an expert assistant in physical training whose specific duty shall be to look after students in poor health and to supervise the care of the sick, was approved.

S. H. Dodge was appointed land agent; Messrs Larabee, Dodge and Ross were appointed as a committee to advise with the administrator of the Cross estate concerning portioning of the bodies of lands purchased by H. C. Cross and of which a large part of the principal is still due.

No changes were made in the faculty. Professor J. N. Wilkinson was appointed vice president of the faculty and the name of Dr. Chrisman's chair was changed to that of history of education and child study. The salary of President Taylor for the full calendar year was placed at $3,500. The salaries of the senior professors were restored to amounts paid them before the cut by the legislature two years ago, with two or three re-adjustments to meet obligations to those in long service. Professor Wilkinson's was fixed at $2,000 for the school year; Professors Baile's an 1 Hill's at $1,800; Professors Iden's and Chrisman's at $1,600: Professors Jones' and Wooster's at $1,500. The salaries of five others were fixed at $1,200 and of six others at $1,100 in accordance in general with the same rules. The salaries of the various assistants were re-adjusted on old basis. Edward Elias was made a full assistant in German and French.-Topeka Capital.

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To the Teachers of Kansas:

THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, EMPORIA, KANSAS.

The State Normal School submits the following statements concerning its organization, equipment, and work:

The School was opened on February 15, 1865. It was established by the state for the general and professional education of teachers for the public schools. That object has been kept steadily in view to the present time. No work has been included in its courses of study which would not directly contribute to that end. In the erection of the buildings, in the selection of the faculty, in the equipment of the various departments, in the development of the library, and in the organization of the model or practice school, the needs of teachers and of prospective teachers have been constantly kept in view. Every subject is taught with its pedagogical side always before the student.

The School has endeavored to keep up with the most advanced educational thought and practice, and, while reasonably conservative in all things, has for many years been given equal recognition with the best normal schools of this country. Its great influence in shaping educational methods and in awakening the true professional spirit throughout the state has everywhere been generously conceded. Since its founding, probably 10,000 different students have matriculated in the normal department. Of these, including the class of 1899, about 1200 have been graduated. Two independent sources of information warrant us in thinking that not less than 2500 graduates and undergraduates are teaching in Kansas to-day. About one-fourth of the members of each state teachers' association are from its ranks.

A glance at the alumni register shows that four of its graduates are professors in state colleges, thirteen, professors in state normal schools in six different states and territories, one of them being a principal, one is professor of pedagogy in a college of good standing, and several others are presidents and professors in good colleges in this and other states. Graduates and undergraduates are superintendents of five Indian schools, Haskell Institute and Chilocco, I. T., the most important schools next to Carlisle, being among them. Twelve of the graduates are assistant teachers in the State Normal School of Kansas; twenty-six occupy important city superintendencies, including

three of the six really first-class cities of the state, Topeka, Leavenworth, and Pittsburg. It is worthy of remark here that no other Kansas college has a representative in these first-classcity superintendencies. About one hundred are principals of third-class-city schools, and about a dozen of ward schools: twenty are principals of high schools, and forty-two assistant principals and teachers in high schools. The principalships of two of the six county high schools are filled by its students, and graduates are teaching in the remaining four. Over two hundred of its graduates are teaching in the grades in city schools, and nearly twenty former students were elected to county superintendencies in November last.

Its students are also found in large numbers occupying prominent positions in other professions and in the business world.

The Attendance. For twenty years past the attendance has increased on an average of nearly 100 students per year, the total enrollment last year reaching 1957. Of those in attendance last year, 725 held teachers' certificates on entering, and over 200 were graduates of high schools, academies, or colleges. Ninety-three Kansas counties and nineteen different states and territories were represented. Nothing could better attest the popularity and efficiency of the School.

The Buildings. Twice within six years the legislature has found it necessary to enlarge the main building by erecting commodious wings on the west and east, costing respectively $25,000 and $50,000. The present building is nearly 300 feet long, is four stories, including the basement, and contains about eighty rooms, making it one of the most complete and convenient of its kind in this country. The assembly-room is a triumph of architectural skill, and seats 1400 persons on occasion. The last legislature appropriated money for a new janitor's home, for a new boiler-house, and for remodeling and enlarging the present boiler-house for a gymnasium. These three new buildings will relieve present pressure in the main building and greatly increase the facilities in several departments.

The Faculty.-There are now nearly forty heads of departments, associates, and assistants, all of them selected with reference to their special fitness for their work. Several of

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