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Show 1ES 11 IS !ME$ilIEI! Noted Educator Points Out Influences In-fluences Which Make Teach- . ers' Lives a Burden. INTERESTING DISCUSSION OF DELINQUENCY PROBLEM Twenty Thousand Teachers Are Gathered in Denver for N. E. A. Annual Meeting. DENVER, July 3. Asserting that American homes and society arc responsible re-sponsible for the influences that make the teacher's life a burden and in the end result in the influences which corrupt cor-rupt the morals and pave-the way for a criminal caroer in children, I. C. McNeill, superintendent of schools of Memphis, Tenn., created a mild sensation sensa-tion before the National Council of Education today. The meeting of the council is the only gathering preliminary prelim-inary to the sessions of tho National Educational association, which begin Monday evening. The "principal subject before the council during the day was the care of delinquents, tactfully referred to as "exceptional children. This subject, together with tho report of the committee com-mittee on moral training, culture, element ele-ment and economy of time in teaching, industrial teaching, co-operation with other countries, and educational progress, prog-ress, took the time of tho inner circle of the N. E. A. for the day. The introductorj' statement in the discussion of delinquents was made by James H. Van Sickle, superintendent of schools of Baltimore, Md., and he was followed by Mr. McNeill, who, without with-out hesitation, gave what he believed lo be tho incipient oauso of delinquency delin-quency in children. Cause of Delinquency. "Some teaching is so unscientific and consequently so spiritless that it would make mbst any child delinquent," delin-quent," said Mr. McNeill. "Parents and toachers often make delinquents of children by failing to observe the fuudamontal things and processes incident inci-dent lo growth and development," said the speaker. "Permanent aversion to school is the legitimate result of putting put-ting children at work on studies they are not mature enough lo comprehend." compre-hend." The speaker condemned the attempt to put high school branches into grammar gram-mar grades or intermediate studies into primary grades, and said that education educa-tion ngencics must look continuously to tho care of the physical and emotional, emo-tional, as well as to the intellectual side of education. Elements That Corrupt. "Soeictj- suffers from elements which are unstable, erratic, shiftless and inefficient. in-efficient. These elements corrupt morals, lead to irrational modes of living, liv-ing, and swell the hosts of the helpless and criminal, who become the real burdens of society. Unless delinquent classes havo tho benefits of the kind of education which is adapted to their peculiar needs, they grow up among us and recruit tho army of people who never fit anywhere. They fill the poor-houses, poor-houses, the prisons, tho asylums and the slums. They produce and reproduce their kind and bring about a feeling of social unrest, which is growing in this complex age. "A failuro on the part of the home to exercise even and forceful discipline is a moral sin which has put tho curse of Cain and the stamp of Satan upon many a promising boy or girl. "When we realize' tho baneful working work-ing of uneven discipline growing out of weak-willed, inefficient parental government gov-ernment we stand in the presence of a great problem. How can we impress fathers and mothers and teachers with the idea that weak and vacillating government gov-ernment of children blasts their lives and makes them candidates for the ranks of the ignoblei'' Rogardccl as Civic Problem. Miss Olive Jones was of tho opinion opin-ion that the care of delinquents is a civic duty rather than a school problem. prob-lem. F. C. Brunei of the Chicago schools urged physical training in goodly good-ly proportions "as an aid lo mental training for tho "exceptional child." Miss AlmnL. Binzcl of the Church normal school of Provo, Utah, thought that to begin in the home with the training of the children will bring the best results. Carroll G. Pears, superintendent of schools of Milwaukee, spoke on manual training and care of tho deaf in tho public schools of the Wisconsin city. Joseph W. Ilcernians of Kansas City was one of the principal speakers on the subject of "The Culture Elomcnt and Economy of Time in Education." Wales C. Mnriindale, Detroit, Mich.; William M. Davidson of Omalia, and George B, Conk of hittle Tteek. Ark., also wero speakers. John W. Gork of DcKalb, 111., read ihe report of the commit Ice on educational progress. ' 1 Hiawatha ' ' Dramatized. Tonight there was an unusual feature fea-ture provided for tho visiting teachers. teach-ers. " Hiawatha ,; dramatized was (pro-ducod (pro-ducod at the Denver Auditorium, under the auspices of the 4 Haskell Indian school. Every part in tho play was enacted by full-blood TndiaiiSj "forly-livo "forly-livo in number. The hvigo building was lil led lo overflowing. Tomorrow will be n day of rest for the nearly 20,000 teachers who are in Denver to attend the sessions of tho association, and thousands will visit the mountains and usual tourist haunts during the day. The first work of the association will be taken up Monday evening, when a general session will be held in Ihe Auditorium. Tho departments depart-ments havu been disposed in various public buildings over the city. |