ANNIVERSARIES IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The desirability of observing by appropriate exercises important anniversaries in the schools is generally conceded. They not only create an interest in history, literature and science, but call attention to various matters of present public concern. In the Maryland Public Schools several such anniversaries were observed last year with exceptional success. Hitherto, Washington's Birthday has been a school holiday seldom observed except by closing the schools. This meant a breaking into the work of the week, a certain amount of demoralization, and little or no attention to the real significance of the day. But the revised school law (1904) left the schools open on this day as usual, but provided that a part of the day should be devoted to exercises "bearing on the life and services of the 'Father of His Country." A pamphlet was issued by the State Superintendent covering Washington's Birthday, Maryland Day and Arbor and Bird Day. For Washington's Birthday the following program was suggested: 1. Song "America"-By the School. 2. Talk-"The Day We Celebrate"-By the Teacher. 3. Essay "The Boyhood of Washington"-By a Pupil. 4. Reading "Washington's Address to His Soldiers Before the Battle of Long Island, 1776"-By a Pupil. 5. Song "Maryland, My Maryland"-By the School. 6. Recitation-Drake's "The American Flag"-By a Pupil. 7. Essay "Washington as a Soldier"-By a Pupil. 8. Reading "Washington on Profanity in the Army”—By a Pupil. 9. Reading-Washington's "God Ruling the Affairs of Nations”—By a 10. Pupil. Song "Star-Spangled Banner"-By the School. 11. Address-"Washington as a Statesman"-By a Patron. 12. Closing Exercises. Special attention. was given to Maryland Day, and a strong effort made to secure a worthy celebration. The anniversary selected is March 25th, the day of the first landing of the Maryland colony. The topic for last year was "Religious Toleration in Maryland." The pamphlet issued by the State Superintendent included a brief account of religious toleration in Maryland (with quotations from the Act of 1649, and a reference list of books) by Mr. J. M. Gambrill of the State Department; the address of President Remsen of Johns Hopkins University, delivered at the unveiling of the mural painting on "The Edict of Toleration," in the Baltimore Courthouse; an article on "What Maryland Day Means," by Mr. John Wilber Jenkins of the Baltimore Sun, and an article on "Separating Church and State,” by Mr. Allen S. Will, of the Baltimore Sun. The following program was suggested: 1. Song "Maryland, My Maryland! 2. Purposes of Maryland Day and Meaning of Religious Toleration-By the Teacher. 3. Poem-"The Settlement of Maryland"-By a Fourth Grade Pupil. 4. Essay "Religious Toleration in Maryland"-By a Seventh Grade Pupil. 5. Song (To be selected)-By the School. 6. Poem-"Maryland"-By a Fifth Grade Pupil. 7. Reading "Act Concerning Religion"-By a Sixth Grade Pupil. 8. 9. 10. 11. A Character Sketch of Cecilius Calvert-By a High School Pupil. Address "Conditions Favoring Toleration in Early Maryland”—By a Collection for Statue of Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore. Song "The Star-Spangled Banner"-By the School. A number of prominent speakers were induced to make addresses at Public School exercises, and various school officials served similarly. State Superintendent of the Public Schools M. Bates Stephens assigned speakers as follows: Col. Oswald Tilghman, Cambridge High School. James W. Thomas, Cumberland. Clayton C. Hall, Belair High School. John Wirt Randall and E. B. Prettyman, State Normal School, Baltimore. Hon. George L. Wellington, Oakland High School. Elihu S. Riley, Annapolis. James M. Monroe, Cecil County High School. Dr. T. H. Lewis, Caroline County High School. DeCourcy W. Thom, Franklin High School, Reisterstown. Dr. Thomas Fell, St. John's College. Allen S. Will, Eastern Female High School, Baltimore. John D. Worthington, North East High School. Dr. J. W. Hering, Westminster High School. Dr. Bernard C. Steiner, Frederick High School. Dr. Ira Remsen, Baltimore City College. Dr. Edward A. Griffin, Havre de Grace High School. Hon. James A. Pearce, Chestertown High School. Hon. Olin Bryan, Centreville High School. John Philip Hill, Towson High School. J. Harry Lee, Catonsville High School. James McC. Trippe, Annapolis High School. Dr. Henry Barton Jacobs, Baltimore. Dr. S. Wardwell Kinney, Sparrows Point School. J. Montgomery Gambrill, Ellicott City High School. Albert A. Doub, Westernport High School. Hon. A. Leo Knott, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. In addition to those on the above list several members of the State Board of Education, including Governor Warfield, will make addresses on Maryland Day. County School Superintendents have also procured several speakers for their respective schools. The section of the Department's pamphlet devoted to Arbor and Bird Day included suggestions to the teacher, a section on "How to Plant Trees," an article on "Facts About Trees," another on “What We owe to Trees," and several pages of selected verses on birds and trees. The following program was suggested: 1. Song "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean"-By the School. 2. Scriptural Reading-By the Teacher. 3. Reading of the Governor's Proclamation-By a Trustee. 4. Arbor and Bird Day Memory Gems-By the Pupils. 5. Recitation-"The Tree"-By a Pupil. 6. Song. 7. Reading "How to Plant the Trees"—By a Pupil. 8. Recitation—“When the Green Gits Back in the Trees"-By a Pupil. 9. Recitation-"How the Woodpecker Knows"—By a Pupil. 10. Essay "Trees I know"-By a Pupil. 11. Song. 12. Discussion-"Beautifying the School-grounds"-By Trustees and Patrons. 13. Tree-Planting Exercises. 14. Closing Exercises. MARYLAND STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. As the proceedings of the Association are published separately in full, it is unnecessary to include in this report a long article. The last meeting was held at Blue Mountain, Md., July 11th to 14th, and was one of the most largely attended that the Association ever held. The program was as follows: Announcement of Standing Committees.. The Worth of Individuality in American Schools. Dr. C. C. Boyer. .Dr. G. W. Ward. Gov. Edwin Warfield. Supt. Chas. T. Wright. Principal George Morelock. .President Thos. H. Lewis. .Mr. Lynn R. Meekins. The Teachers' Interest in the Tuberculosis Problem... Supt. M. B. Stephens. By the President. Prof. C. S. Richardson, Supt. C. T. Wright. . Dr. Fulton, Sydney S. Handy. Principal F. A. Soper. Business Session. A number of Committees reported and a great deal of miscellaneous business was transacted. Two highly important resolutions were called up for discussion. These had been offered the preceding evening and were as follows: That it is the sense of this Association that county institutes should be abolished, and a State summer school substituted therefor; that the expenses of the said State summer school should be paid from the general education fund prior to its apportionment. A. C. WILLISON, H. CRAWFORD BOUNDS. Resolved, That it is the sense of this Association that the office of Chairman of Executive Committee should be made appointive, beginning from the date of the election in 1906. H. CRAWFORD BOUNDS, A. C. WILLISON. The first resolution was referred to a committee composed of Messrs. E. L. Boblitz, A. F. Galbreath and A. C. Willison. For the second resolution, as to the Chairman of the Executive Committee, Assistant State Superintendent Gambrill offered the following substitute: Resolved, That the President of the Association should appoint the Executive Committee, and be ex-officio chairman thereof. Resolved, That the present system of committee reports be abolished; that the Association be organized departmentally, somewhat after the plan of the National Educational Association. The substitute prevailed and the resolutions were ordered referred to a committee of five, on motion of Mr. Gambrill. The President appointed the following committee: Supt. M. B. Stephens, Supt. S. Simpson, Pres. J. W. Cain, Pres. Thos. Fell. The following officers were elected: President-Dr. S. Simpson, Superintendent Carroll County. Corresponding Secretary-Miss M. Sue Magruder, Solomon's. Executive Committee-Dr. J. W. Cain, of Chestertown, Chairman. Mr. John I. Coulbourn, Havre de Grace. Mr. Irving L. Twilley, Polytechnic Insti tute, Baltimore. Miss Bertha R. Brown, Howard county. The following are the standing committees for the current year: Aesthetics—Clyde B. Stouffer, Chairman, Modern Languages-Chas. F. Raddatz, Hagerstown. Nyna De Haven, Ellerslie. Julia McDuell, Weverton. Sarah E. Richmond, Baltimore. D'Arcey Barnett, Cambridge. Physical Training-Agnus M. McLean, Margaret Williams, Frostburg. Chairman, Baltimore. Ward Wilson, Baltimore. C. E. Carl, Hagerstown. J. W. Huffington, Salisbury. Kindergarten — Mary Chairman, Denton. Jones Fisher Pearl Mercer, Woodbine. Inez Johnson, Frostburg. Harriet E. Luhn, Annapolis. Mary E. Sherwood, Sparrows Point. |