Whereas, The American Institute of Instruction believes in extending to all portions of our land equal equal educational facilities, and that in the impoverished condition of the Southern States we see the need of something more than local support to enable that portion of our republic to enjoy free-school privileges in an equal degree with the Northern States, therefore, Resolved, That we endorse the plan to appropriate the proceeds of the sale of the public lands for educational purposes, to be disbursed at the outset on the ratio of illiteracy among the several States of the Union. Resolved, That the American Institute of Instruction, in this Centennial year of the nation, re-affirms the principles of its founders, in favor of universal, unsectarian education for the people; of a State system of public education supported by general taxation; of laws protecting the children in the enjoyment of school privileges; of a system of education which recognizes the unity of the several grades of instruction, reaching from the primary school through the college; of the unity also of public and private institutions, as constituent parts of one whole; of the establishment of normal schools, as the true foundation of a true professional training; of the establishment of schools of science, art, and industry, to supplement the common school and give greater efficiency to it; and finally, to the great importance of the recognition of the moral element in education as the foundation of all sound learning, of good society, and of a truly Christian Republic. Resolved, That the thanks of the American Institute of Instruction are due to Merrick Lyon, LL.D., our retiring President, and J. W. Webster, Esq., our retiring Secretary, for the uniform courtesy with which all who have participated in our meetings have been treated by them; for their great tact, and remarkable energy and efficiency in conducting the business of the Institute; and for their successful inauguration of the progressive steps which have been made by the Institute, in the work of education, during their administration. The several resolutions on being read, were seconded by gentlemen who spoke upon their merits. Messrs. Stone, Mowry, Lyon, and Webster, did the honor to Superintendent Dodge, whom not having seen, they admired and praised; then, most deservedly came Professor Ladd, for a good share of well-earned, complimentary words from Lyon, Mowry, Northend, and others. Messrs. Northend and Russell and Lyon declared that if there was a heaven on earth, it was the village of Plymouth, and its citizens must therefore be the angelic inhabitants. So all concluded, both before and after the speeches; the hour was full of thanksgivings, and a rising vote testified that heart and muscle joined in the offering. The retiring President Lyon, who has served the Institute with a diligence and singleness of heart peculiar to that veteran educator, made his valedictory bow with a short and sensible speech, and invited Messrs. Stone and Orcutt to conduct the incoming President to the chair which he vacated, and to receive the mantle which he put off. President BICKNELL thanked the Institute for the honor conferred, and invited the members to join in singing "America." It was done with a royal good heart and will, and then was raised the thank-offering in "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." Each breathed his benediction on all the rest, and the Institute adjourned sine die. LECTURE I. Recitation. BY HIRAM ORCUTT, A. M., The results of a practical education are illustrated not by the golden cup filled to the brim, but by the swelling buds developed into blossoms and ripe fruit, through the genial influence of light, heat, and moisture. Education is not, therefore, the storing of knowledge, but the development of power, through exercise. And study and recitation are the chief agencies to be employed in this process of training. The relative importance of recitation, as a disciplinary agency, is seen in its practical bearing in every department of life. The child learns to walk by walking, and to talk by talking, and these acts are the expression of his strength, which is increased by repeated exercise, until it becomes a practical power. The mechanic learns to use his tools only by using them. He could never acquire the ability to build a house, construct an engine, or make a watch, by reading books or hearing lectures upon the subject. He must recite, again and again, what he has learned from his master before he can become an efficient and skillful workman. The musician |