OTAGO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Evening Star, Issue 7153, 5 March 1887, Page 2

OTAGO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Tho monthly meeting of the Dunedin Branch of the Otago Educational Institute was hold at tho Normal School this morning.. There was a very good attendance, and tho chair was occupied by Mr Reid (of Saudymount.) Mr J, Rennie read a paper on “ Writing,” in the course of which he said that uniform good writing was not nearly so impossible as it appeared to be, so long as a well-defined system was followed, and that it was observed throughout tho school. He knew of only two systems, Mulhauson’s and Paterson’s. With tho details of the former they were all familiar; Paterson aimed at freedom and rapidity principally. He was rather surprised that the admirers of Vere Foster’s copy-books had not adopted Paterson’s system, for, if freedom and rapidity followed from the use of Foster’s books, much more would they from the practice of Paterson’s, system. He 'was a great believer in Mulhausen’s system, because ho bad seen such excellent writing result from it, while freedom and rapidity also resulted from its use. Its only drawback was the amount of labor and thought that it entailed on tho tender. He deprecated the practice of allowing children to attempt to write small hand before they had obtained a proper idea of the written characters. He considered Foster’s the most wretched of all attempts to cultivate good, writing. There was a want of definiteness in all the main parts, and some of the characters were difficult to familiarise to a child’s mind. Some discussion followed, and a hearty vote of thanks was then passed to Mr Rennie for his interesting paper. A letter was received from the Tuapeka branch, suggesting that each branch should nominate a delegate to attend the meetings of ' the New Zealand Institute.—After discussion; it was decided that the proposal was imprac- 1 ticablo. Mr A. Black was appointed to collect out- j standing subscriptions due by members.