Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

honorary members by a two-thirds vote of the members present, and as such shall have all the rights of regular members except those of voting and holding office.

Ladies engaged in teaching may, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, become honorary members, and shall thereby possess the right of presenting, in the form of written essays, (to be read by the Secretary or any other member whom they may select,) their views upon the subject assigned for discussion.

Whenever a member of this association shall abandon the profession of teaching, or the business of editing an educational journal, or of superintending schools, ho shall cease to be a member.

If one member shall be charged by another with immoral or dishonorable conduct, the charge shall be referred to the Board of Directors, or such a committee as they shall appoint, and if the charge shall be sustained by them, and afterwards by twothirds of the members present at a regular meeting of the association, the person so charged shall forfeit his membership.

There shall be an annual fee of one dollar. If any one shall omit paying his fee for four years, his connection with the association shall cease.

A person eligible to membership, may become a life member by paying, at once, ten dollars.

ART. III. Officers.-The officers of this association shall be a President, twelve Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and one Counsellor for each State, District or Territory represented in the association. These officers, all of whom shall be elected by ballot, a majority of the votes cast-being necessary for a choice, shall constitute the Board of Directors, and shall have power to appoint such committees from their own number as they shall deem expedient.

The President shall preside at all meetings of the association and of the Board of Directors, and shall perform such other duties, and enjoy such privileges as by custom devolve upon and are enjoyed by, a presiding officer. In his absence, the first VicePresident in order who is present, shall preside; and in the absence of all the VicePresidents, a pro tempore chairman shall be appointed on nomination, the Secretary putting the question.

The Secretary shall keep a full and just record of the proceedings of the association and of the Board of Directors; shall notify each member of the association or board; shall conduct such correspondence as the directors may assign; and shall have his records present at all meetings of the association and of the Board of Directors. In his absence a Secretary pro tempore may be appointed.

The Treasurer shall receive and hold in safe keeping all moneys paid to the Association; shall expend the same in accordance with the votes of the directors or of the association; and shall keep an exact account of his receipts and expenditures, with vouchers for the latter, which account he shall render to the Board of Directors prior to each regular meeting of the association; he shall also present an abstract thereof to the association. The Treasurer shall give such bonds for the faithful discharge of his duties, as may be required by the Board of Directors.

The Counsellors shall have equal power with the other directors in performing the duties belonging to the board.

The Board of Directors shall have power to fill all vacancies in their own body; shall have in charge the general interests of the association; shall make all necessary arrangements for its meetings; and shall do all in their power to render it a useful and honorable institution.

Art. IV. Meetings.--A meeting shall be held in August, 1858, after which tho regular meetings shall be held biennially. The place and the precise time of meeting shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors shall hold their regular meetings at the place and two bours

before the time of the assembling of the association, and immediately after the adjournment of the same. Special meetings may be held at such other times and places as the board or the President shall determine.

ART. V. By-Laws.-By-Laws, not inconsistent with this Constitution, may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the association.

ART. VI. Amendments.-This Constitution may be altered or amended at a regular meeting, by the unanimous vote of the members present; or by a two-thirds vote of the members present, providing that the alteration or amendment have been substantially proposed at a previous regular meeting.

On motion of T. W. Valentine, of New-York, a committee of one from each State represented in this convention, was appointed by the chair, to nominate a list of officers, and report at the evening session.

The following were appointed, viz: Wm. Roberts, of Pennsylvania; J. F. Cann, of Georgia; James Cruikshank, of New-York; D. B. Hagar, of Massachusetts; James L. Enos, of Iowa; N. R. Lynch, of Delaware; J. R. Challen, of Indiana; Thomas Granger, of Illinois; Z. Richards, of Dist. Columbia; and J. D. Giddings, of South Carolina.

The meeting adjourned at five and a half o'clock.

EVENING SESSION.

The association met at eight o'clock. President Enos in the chair. T. W. Valentine, of New-York, was introduced, and read a very able and instructive address, prepared by Prof. Wm. Russell, of Massachusetts, who was unable to be present.

This address set forth the importance of this convention to organize an association of professional teachers, that shall be national in its character. Ist. As regards wider and juster views of education, and corresponding methods of instruction. 2d.-From the establishment of a National Society of Teachers we may justly expect great national benefits.

The address was full of practical and suggestive ideas.

James R. Challen, of Indiana, offered the following resolution, which was ananimously adopted:

Resolved, That the thanks of this association be tendered to Prof. William Russell, of Massachusetts, for the able and instructive address with which he has favored us on this occasion.

J. F. Cann, of Georgia, from the committee on nomination of officers, reported the following:

For President.-Z. Richards, of Washington, D. C.

Vice-Presidents.-T. W. Valentine, of New York; D. B. Hagar, of Massachusetts; Wm. Roberts, of Pennsylvania; J. F. Cann, of Georgia; J. L. Enos, of Iowa; T. C. Taylor, of Delaware; J. R. Challen, of Indiana; E. W. Whelan, of Missouri; P. F. Smith, of South Carolina; D. Wilkins, of Illinois; T. Granger, of Indiana; L. Andrews, of Ohio.

Secretary.-H. C. Hickok, of Pennsylvania.

Treasurer.-T. M. Cann, of Delaware.

Counsellors. - Wm. E. Sheldon, E. Abington, Mass.; J. W. Bulkley, Brooklyn, N. Y.; P. A. Cregar, Philadelphia, Penn.; N. R. Lynch, Middle

ton, Del.; Wm. Morrison, Baltimore, Md.; O. C. Knight, Washington, D. C.; Wm. S. Bogart, Savannah, Ga.; Wm. T. Lucky, Fayette, Mo.; A J. Stevens, Des Moines, Iowa; Wm. H. Wells, Chicago, Ill.; J. Hurley, Richmond, Ind.

The above list was unanimously elected by ballot.

Mr. Hickok, of Pennsylvania, returned thanks for the honor conferred by the association, but owing to a pressure of other labor, was compelled to decline to act as secretary. He nominated J. P. Wickersham, of Pennsylvania, who also declined for the same reason, and J. W. Bulkley, of Brooklyn, N. Y., who was unanimously elected to fill that office.

Mr. Bulkley, of New-York, having been chosen secretary, resigned the office of counsellor, and James Cruikshank, of Albany, N. Y., was elected for that State.

The chair appointed Messrs. Hagar, of Massachusetts, and Bulkley, of New York, to escort the president elect to the chair.

President Richards responded in a neat speech, returning thanks for the honor conferred by the association.

T. W. Valentine, of New-York, offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adapted:

Resolved, That the thanks of this association be tendered to the controllers of the First District of Pennsylvania, for the free use of their room for the meeting of the association, also to those gentlemen of Philadelphia who have contributed to defray the expenses of this meeting.

James L. Enos, of Iowa, offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That the thanks of this association be given to the press generally, and to that of Philadelphia especially, for the interest they have taken in reporting the proceedings of this meeting.

Adopted.

Mr. Challen, of Indiana, offered the following resolutions, which were adopted:

Resolved, That we will stand by this National Teachers' Association; that we will speak of its existence, its progress, its purposes, and its claims upon the professional teacher; that we will give reports of the present session to papers published in our vicinity, and that we will interest the press and the teacher, wherever we have influence, to aid in this enterprise, and especially to make its next meeting a National Teachers' Jubilee.

Resolved, That Cincinnati be suggested to the Board of Directors as the place of holding the next session of the association.

Thomas Granger, of Maryland, offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted:

Resolved, That the thanks of this association are due, and are hereby tendered to the officers of this association for the able and impartial manner in which they hay● discharged their duties on this occasion.

After remarks from several members of the association-pledging faithful

efforts in behalf of the enterprise thus auspiciously inaugurated-the association adjourned to meet at the call of the Board of Directors, in August, 1858. WM. E. SHELDON, Tem. Sec.

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

Immediately after the adjournment of the National Teachers' Association, the Board of Directors held a meeting.

Present-Mr. T. W. Valentine, Vice President, in the chair; Messrs. Hagar, Enos, Challen, Shelden, Cann of Georgia, Whelan, Cruikshank, Roberts, Lynch and Bulkley.

After considerable discussion in relation to the place of meeting for next year, it was

Resolved, That the association hold its next meeting in Cincinnati, O., on the second Wednesday of August, 1858, at 10 o'clock, a. m.

The board then adjourned to meet at the bookstore of Messrs. H. Cowperthwait & Co., to-morrow (Thursday) at 8 o'clock, a. m,

THURSDAY a. m., 8 o'clock.-The board met. Present-Mr. Valentine, Vice President, in the chair; also, present, Messrs. Hagar, Sheldon, Challen, Enos, Cruikshank, J. F. Cann, D. Wilkins, and J. W. Bulkley.

Mr. Hagar moved that there be six lecturers appointed for the next meeting, viz: two from the Southern, two from the Western, one from the Middle, and one from the Eastern States. Adopted.

Mr. Hagar moved that Messrs. Cann, of Georgia; Challen, of Indiana; Valentine, of New-York; and Sheldon, of Massachusetts, be a committee to secure lecturers from their respective districts. Adopted.

Mr. Cruikshank moved that a committee be appointed to prepore a list of subjects for discussion at the next meeting, and that gentlemen be appointed to open the discussions. Adopted.

Mr. Cruikshank, of New-York; Taylor, of Delaware; Enos, of Iowa; W. H. Baker, of Georgia; and Hagar, of Massachusetts, were appointed said committee.

Mr. Hagar moved that a committee be appointed to collect educational statistics of the country, and report at the next meeting of the association. Adopted.

Resolved, That said committee be composed of one from each State and Territory. Adopted.

The following gentlemen constitute the committee, viz: Messrs. D. B. Hagar, Jamaica Plains, Mass.; M. Woolson, Portland, Me.; D. H. Sanborn, Hopkinton, N. H.; C. Pease, Burlington, Vt.; J. Kingsbury, Providence, R. I.; C. Northend, New Britain, Ct.; A. Wilder, New York City; I. Peckham, Newark, N. J.; J. P. Wickersham, Millersville, Pa.; T. M. Cann, Wilmington, Del.; J. N. McJilton, Baltimore, Md.; Z. Richards, District of Columbia; J. Binford, Richmond, Va.; C. H. Wiley, Raleigh, N. C.; C. G. Messinger, Charleston, S. C.; B. Mallon, Savannah, Ga.; S. I. C. Swezey, Marion, Ala.; D. McConnell, Florida; Mr. Miss.; D. B. Slosson, Baton

round the town of H-, gathering wild flowers, ferns, and mosses, and arranging them in vases at home (Mrs. Dale was not so fastidious as some ladies are about having flowers littering the parlor,) learning their names the while, or examining their delicate structure, and listening with eager interest, as his mamma told him stories of distant lands, their trees, and birds, and flowers, and then led him on from this to the kind and loving Father who gave the forest its glowing tints, the birds their voices of music, and all nature its loveliness.

People laughed at Mrs. Dale for calling this education, and expatiated largely on the folly of parents who sent their children to school only a quarter of the time, and yet paid full terms. Divers were the shrewed predictions as to the harvest which would be reaped from a seed-time so irregular, and many the far-seeing hints which were dropped on the subject. "They knew what would come of such vagaries." "Talk of educating children in

fields and meadows-such nonsense." "Sure to make the boy idle and useless." But Mrs. Dale went quietly on; she had her own views of the case, and acted according to them. So at eight years of age Harry had never seen the inside of a Latin grammar; could not, for the life of him, have got further than the second column of the multiplication table; was ignorant of geography, except from his mamma's conversations and the stray books he had picked up on the parlor table; parsing, dates and dictation were strange words to him; and he knew nothing of French, save from the little songs Mrs. Dale sometimes sang to him, with an accent so pure and true. But Harry had a fresh, bright, intelligent soul within him. He would listen, with quick appreciation, as you told him of the wonders of nature and art, of the great men who lived in distant ages, of the strange inventions of genius, and the noble results worked out by patience and perseverence. He was learning to enjoy life, that when time came he might use it wisely and well. There was rich promise of future energy and vigor in those clear, honest eyes of his, the firm bounding step, the guileless, unsuspecting confidence, the fearless innocence with which his glance met yours promise which after years failed not to realize.

So much for Harry Dale. And the pushing on-whither had that tended? There was another grave in the H— cemetery, and the neighbors, as they read on the marble head-stone the touching inscription, “Aged eleven years," said, "Very astonishing, isn't it, how soon these clever children always die!"

PRACTICAL EDUCATION.-There is no greater want of the present day, than that our experienced teachers should give through the medium of the press, their modes of teaching, and illustrating the various sciences, in order that beginners in the profession may be furnished with a safe guide to success. Experience can sometimes be attained without experiment, which with the tyro, is at best dangerous to his own and his pupils' future. Will not our correspondents give us the result of their labors in the school-room?— N. Y. Teacher.

« НазадПродовжити »