TWENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING. BATH, ME., AUG. 21, 1855. THE twenty-sixth annual meeting of the American Institute of Instruction met in the Universalist church, which was well filled with teachers and others at an early hour. At ten o'clock a meeting of the directors was held, at which the President, THOMAS SHERWIN, Esq., of Boston, presented his annual report, from which it appeared that the Institute was in a highly prosperous condition. After the transaction of the usual business, the Board adjourned. The Institute was then called to order by the President, and was addressed by him as follows: Gentlemen of the American Institute of Instruction :— -We meet to-day in behalf of the most important subject that can occupy the human mind. It is a subject of vital interest in matters of legislation, and one which should be held most precious in the eyes of every parent, every true patriot, every sincere philanthropist, every Christian. Education is the basis of success in all material interests. It alone, in some form or other, enables man to provide for his physical wants and conveniences; it alone transforms him from a brute, possessed indeed of intellectual and moral powers yet undeveloped, into a being that embraces in his affections the whole animated creation, that makes the willing powers of nature do his bidding, points the optic tube unerringly to the hitherto unseen planet, and with the eye of faith looks forward to a glorious immortality. Indeed, may we not say that the great aim and object of our present existence is education? It would be essential to the best interests of man, were this his only state of being; but in view of his future existence, its value becomes incalculable. For our own improvement, and for the promotion of the best interests of physical, intellectual, and moral culture, we are now assembled. The present is the twenty-sixth anniversary of this Institute, and, although we think we have done something for the cause to which we consecrate our efforts, much yet remains to be done. Are we all intellectually qualified to do our work in the best manner? Do we thoroughly comprehend the subjects which we profess to teach, or is our knowledge limited to a passable acquaintance with our text-books, and those perhaps replete with errors? Is our own education so comprehensive, and is our judgment so matured by observation and experience, that we can duly estimate the relative value of the different branches of learning, the bearing which they have upon each other, and the tendency which each has to develop the mind in fair and harmonious proportions? Are we really conversant with the curious and subtile mechanism of the human understanding and the human heart? Have we a just estimation of the paramount value which should be assigned to moral education? Are we really aware that each of us should be, in some measure, a teacher of the gospel, a quiet emissary of Him who said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not"? Are we in our own private lives and in all our relations with our pupils, what a good and intelligent parent would have his children become? Have we that hold of the heart strings and purse strings of the community which is essential to the perfect performance of our work? In short, are we all capable, are we all honest, are we all devoted to the sacred trust committed to our care? Unless we can return a favorable response to these and other questions of a similar import, our Institute and we as individuals have yet much work in prospect. The great business of education is a stern reality. It admits of no compromise with evil, no sacrifice of duty. It is sublime, boundless as the human capabilities. It by no means, however, excludes the amenities of life; on the contrary, the sunshine of joyousness should ever pervade the teacher's heart, and throw a halo of light over the scenes and occupations of duty; and even in the dark hours of weariness and of disappointment, the rainbow hues of hope should ever announce the passing away of the sombre cloud. One object of our meetings is, to cultivate social feelings among teachers and between ourselves and others who may sympathize with us. I am confident that, in this respect, some good will result from this re-union. Gentlemen of the Institute, and others here assembled, I welcome you to our anniversary, and I trust that the occasion will be one of improvement and of pleasure to us all. Rev. S. F. Dike, of Bath, then said: It gives me great pleasure to rise this morning, in behalf of the school committee and others connected with the cause of education, to welcome this Institute for the first time to the city of Bath. We live, it is true, on a rock-bound coast;"— our soil is unpro 66 ductive, but this may be a stimulus to enterprise and energy. Whether it be so in our case or not, it is not for me to say. We cordially open our homes and our hearts to those who have come among us, and we trust we shall make this a pleasant meeting to the members of the Institute, and we know it will be a profitable one to us. The President then responded: Allow me, sir, in behalf of the Institute, to express our gratitude to yourself and others who have been active on this occasion, and to the citizens of Bath generally for their hospitality and their coöperation. It is literally true, sir, that whatever is highly valued by the community, - by the parent,- is thought to be of consequence by children; and wherever a high value is set upon the means of education, wherever an interest is taken in the progress of education by the people, wherever they are watchful of the performances of the teacher, and kind in rendering him assistance, wherever they are in the habit of visiting schools to ascertain whether their children learn, and give their countenance to the little girls and boys as they are struggling on, there education always succeeds, there children always love to learn. But when the teacher has to toil alone, unobserved, and is considered a kind of necessary drudge, and nobody cares for him, his labors are very much in vain; he toils almost without hope, and with but little On the other hand, the very reverse of this is true, when a deep interest is taken in the work by the community. success. We are welcomed to this place, and we have come on no unimportant business. It has been said, by the Rev. Dr. Channing, I think, that to educate a child well, is a greater work than to elect a president. If by anything that we can accomplish here, attended by the most favorable auspices, as we are, we can contribute to educate one child well in the Untied States, although we do not make so much parade as in the election of a President, I believe we shall do a greater work. Accept, on the part of this Institute, our heartfelt thanks, and we hope you will have no reason to regret our meeting in your midst. The stated exercises were then opened with prayer by Rev. Dr. ELLINGWOOD, of Bath. Professor B. F. TWEED, of Tufts College, Somerville, Mass., was then introduced, who read an able lecture on "The Claims of Teaching to the rank of a Distinct Profession." He first inquired whether at present the business of teaching can be so considered. The term "profession" was then dwelt upon, and the conclusion arrived at was, that teachers do not yet take rank with other professions, but occupy a position like that of a zoophyte, or a sort of connecting link between the mechanic and the professional man. The clergyman is exam ined and ordained by a council of his peers; the physician receives his diploma from men of his own profession; the lawyer is admitted to practice by the Court, or by a vote of members of the bar. The teacher, on the contrary, is subjected to an examination by a committee, consisting, perhaps, of the village clergyman, the doctor and the lawyer, a superannuated school teacher, and one or two self-made men, who have distinguished themselves as wranglers in the lyceum. Thus it is seen that the teacher does not sustain the same rank as members of other professions, technically so called. The necessity of special training on the part of teachers was shown by a comparison of the duties he is called upon to perform with those of a physician, a lawyer, or a clergyman. Wherever a law of growth is discovered, whether in the animal or vegetable kingdom, it is sure to be followed by treatises on the best modes of culture. Farmers, cattle breeders, and henfanciers flood the market with works upon Devonshires, Suffolks and Shanghais. The lecturer then inquired whether the business of teaching can be made to occupy a position of equality with other professions. The requisites in point of talent and intellectual and moral character as well as culture were then shown to be as necessary in the business of teaching as in other professions. The true end of education is not to impart a knowledge of certain processes in arithmetic and rules of grammar, to “ go through" GREENLEAF's Algebra, and to parse all the "hard words" in POPE'S Essay. Children are not to be regarded as so many vessels, to be filled with "facts," after the manner of Thomas Gradgrind and Mr. M'Choakumchild. The teacher who has not the true end of education in view but partially comprehends his mission. The relative importance of the teacher's business, and that of the physician, clergyman or lawyer was then considered. It requires, said he, no greater exercise of skill to treat successfully a fractured limb than a fractious spirit, nor a steadier nerve to apply the scalpel to a nauseous sore and remove the proud flesh from it, than to probe a wounded, festering and inflamed temper, to remove the proud will, to cleanse its impurities and assist nature in her healthy operations. The conditions of success on the part of teachers were then considered, which are individual exertion, study, availing one's self of whatever has been written or said by gifted men, and an intelligent and conscientious discharge of duty in the school-room. In conclusion, Prof. TWEED said the community now see that the progress of liberal principles in government, personal freedom, and toleration in religion, on which our republican institutions rest, can only be secured by a corresponding progress in knowledge and virtue. They see that the in creased activity and enterprise of our day call for, nay, demand all the counteracting conservative influences of intelligence and character within our reach. Formerly, when the young men of our country "lived where their fathers lived, died where they died," they were so bolstered up with parental, domestic and social influences, as scarcely to be conscious of free agency, much less to feel called upon for active energy and firmness of purpose, to ensure the mastery in a struggle against temptation. Now, our sons scarce reach their majority before thousands of miles lie between them and home, with all its kindly influences; and we have not ceased to think of them as children, before they are obliged to stand alone, and unaided wrestle against such temptations as never crossed our path. Let us, then, emulate the example of those who have faithfully and earnestly devoted themselves to the great work of educating the young, remembering that whatever may be the relative rank of the profession, a faithful discharge of its duties cannot fail of its reward; and that this reward is not exclusively personal, but that however little, a "mite" at least has been cast into the common treasury of the profession. "In the elder days of art, Builders wrought with care Let us do our work as well, Both the unseen and the seen; Make the place where God may dwell, The Institute then adjourned till 3 o'clock in the afternoon, at which hour a meeting for social intercourse was held. The house was again filled, and a few hours were spent in a very pleasant reunion, in which all seemed to enjoy themselves in a high degree. EVENING SESSION. The Institute met in the Central Congregational Church, to listen to an address by Rev. G. REYNOLDS, of Jamaica Plain, Mass. After the preliminary exercises, the lecturer was introduced, and spoke upon "The Moral Office of the Teacher." His first inquiry was, How shall the intense mental activity, so characteristic of this age and our people, be refined and brought into intimate alliance with noble principles and life? The destiny of education, viewed simply as a process for unfolding and strengthening the powers of the mind, may be |