Harvard Teachers' Ass'n Meeting

The Harvard Teachers' Association held its sixteenth annual meeting in the New Lecture Hall on Saturday. At the morning session the former officers of the Association were re-elected: president, G. D. Cushing '85; vice-presidents, G. B. Diman and E. D. Russell '80; secretary, Professor P. H. Hanus; and treasurer, O. B. Oakman '87. To the executive committee, consisting of A. W. Roberts '81, C. H. Morse '80, and F. Winsor '93, were elected F. V. Thompson and N. H. Black '96 to succeed the late Dean Shaler '62 and G. H. Browne '78, whose term had expired. F. A. Tupper '80, E. H. Nichols '78 and W. A. Baldwin '97 were re-elected delegates to the State Council of Education.

At the morning session the topic of discussion was: "The Basis of an Efficient Education--Culture or Vocation?" A. W. Roberts '81, teacher of classics in the Brookline High School, and A. E. Kennelly, professor of electrical engineering, read papers on the subject. In concluding Mr. Roberts said that he believed that culture can be obtained from the proper study of many different subjects; that there is no real opposition between culture and vocation, but that the study of a vocation begun too earily is likely to interfere with the gaining of culture, and result in loss to the individual.

Professor Kennelly said that there is much difference as to the meanings of the terms education, effective education, culture and vocation. Education in its broadest sense is the training of all faculties. An effective education enables the individual to fulfill those duties effectively and satisfactorily for the purposes that the individual is properly to be credited with in the conduct of life. Vocation, in its primitive form, is the duty of life to others, whereby living is made happier for them; and culture is duty of life to oneself, whereby life is made happier for the individual. Professor Kennelly then enlarged upon these points laid down and reached the conclusion that ordinarily vocational training should come last and the higher and final training, the broader and deeper, should be its foundations. But this should not prevent the pupil who has been trained at a vocational school from going to college, for it is not so much the kind of work we do but rather the satisfactory accomplishment of it that is our title to recognition and encouragement.

The discussion on the subject was opened by Mr. R. A. Woods, head of the South End House in Boston. The various speakers showed that there was urgent need that pupils in the grammar and high schools should be given help and advice in choosing a vocation, and it was shown how Boston was working along this line.

Between the morning and afternoon sessions the annual dinner of the Association was held in the Union. After the dinner C. H. Thurber, managing editor of Ginn & Co., in Boston, H. J. Skeffington, general secretary of the Boot and Shoemakers' Union, and C. W. Hubbard '98 of the Ludlow Manufacturing Co., spoke on "Industrial Education." Mr. Thurber told how very old the question was, and of the great difficulty large establishments have in getting enough skilled workmen. Therefore industrial schools should be started.

Mr. Skeffington took the place of Mr. J. Golden, who was unable to be present. His speech was of a similar nature, showing that the erroneous hostility of trade unions to trade schools is disappearing and industrial schools are needed to help the community. Mr. C. W. Hubbard emphasized the same point.