Addresses delivered before the Nebraska State Teachers' Assocation

.

SUPPLEMENT TONEBRASKA TEACHER.

ADDRESSES DELIVERED B Eli'ORE THB

NE-BRASKA

STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION • HELD AT

·

NEBRASKA

CIT~

NEB.1 MARCH 27-91 1876.

LINCOLN, NEB.: J OURNAL COMPANY, STATE PRINTERS.

1876.

· SUPPLEMENT TO NEBRASKA TEACHER .

•

ADDRESSES DELTVF.UEI) BF.FORF. Till!

NEBRASKA

STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION • HELD A T

NEBRASKA CIT~ NEB.) MARCH 27-9) 1876.

LI NCOLN, NEB .: ,TOUR.NAL COMPANY, S'l'A1'E PlUN'l'J.:Ils. 18 70 .

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN RELATION 1TO OT)IER LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN THE STATE. l3Y PROF. D . H. PEl<.RY.

L A DIES AN D GEN'!'LEi\IBN, FlUE!\"'DS OF EDUCA'l'lON :

In less th a n four years in N ebrask a, I h ave met th e represen tatives of s ixteen difl:"erent lang uages. In this num ber I h ave not included variou s Indian t rib es of discorda nt tongues; nor the African , wh ose speech , like his nationali ty, h as been m erged in our own ; nor certain of American par entage who wer e b orn in Asia and first learned to speak :Malu¡atta; and I h ave r eckoned r espectively as one, Englishman and American, Hollander and Frisian, Dane and Norwegian. The rest are Swede, Germa n, Pole, B ohemian, Russian, French, Italian, Portug uese, Irish, Scotch, Hungari an and J ew.

To wh at extent these and oth er nationalities enter into the population of the State, I am un able to say- no census lHtving been tak en with sufficient care to enable u s to distinguish among th e fore ig n boru, or even . as between foreig ners a nd native Americans.

W ere there n g reat m a p of Nebraska, u pon w hich were m arked oft' in different colors, in t.h eir precise locali ties, the vnrious sections of the co untry and parts of the world that a re h ere r epresented, few States, I thin k, co uld boast a mor e fl eck ed and vari egated chart.

Go where yo n will, you encounter people of strange speech who have crossed the sea. They have come to us especially from central and northern Europe.

Germans head the list. Tllen follow, accord ing to tllc State Secretary of I mmigration, Irish , Bohcmiaus, Scandinavians, Dutch, Russ ians, &c.

A strong national feeling tends to the forming of little communiti es lleld together by the common tie of relationship, language, and customs, but often the centrifugal force of c ircumstances is greatly in excess. Such is the mixture that it is no un common tbing to find h alf a dozen di fferent nationalities in a single scho ol district. Not long ago, in traveling the hi gh prairie, I chanced upon the representatives of three great races living upon th e same section, and just over the line was a fourth .

F ollow along that ravine :mel yo u will find Bohemi ans, li terally planted in the soil. Yonder conspicuo us cabin crowning th at high point of land, is an Englishm an's dwelling. In true Englishman style he bids defiance to the storms, and pays dearly for hi s presumption. Ncar by is a well-to.do Germ an, whose patient industry ¡is rewarded by a vigorous g rowth of forest trees. A little fartller on an honest H ollander ha.s constr ucted a wood and sod structnro. As if living among the canals of Amsterdam tb e D utch bPy ll>\S bui)t h is mocle l bo ~t and r aised his

4

N EBRASKA STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

ADDRESSES DE LI VERED BEFORE

miniature wind-mill, while nothing but American pride keeps his s is ters from wearing wooden shoes to school. To the l·ight from thi s point is a large f:tmily of D anes; to the left, Poles and Hungarians.

If we take our course in an opposite direction we shall find a Portuguese sailor stranded on the high prairies, ne arly a thousand miles from hi; fiworitc element. A few miles to the north is a Parisian who fought and was wounded in the late Franco-German war. H e now lives in peace in the midst of Teutons.

To the careful observer, thoug htfully noting the vario us components that unite to form our heterogeneous population, an interesting question arises, the question that we _are now seeking to solve, to-wit: The relation of our mother-tong u e to the fore1gn languages spoken in the State. What is this r elation and have we ~mything to do with it as educators ? A g lance backward at hi ~tory will best 1llustTate the relative position of the Eng lish lang uage.

Long, long ago the g1:eat Indo-European or Aryan race inha bited the hi g h table-lands of central As1a. Ever restless a nd enterpris ing, as their numbers increased , a part penetrated India, where they became the ru ling class. A part w~ut south and west, and founded the g reat P ersian empire. Other m embers of th1s ~arne Aryan stock, loving the bright, blue waters of the Mediterranean ttle_d 1? Greece and the neighboring islands_ A thousand beautiful objects d~~=l­ npeclm them the most beautiful litera ture the world has ever seen .

Still another division took strono- o-round in central Italy and becam • o ": . . ' e world conquerers. -:r:hat was a proud day m my lite whe n the thought first flashed through my nund, that I was of the same stock as Greek a nd Rom an, aud so h d a share in their grand achievements. From th at time the languages they 8 ~ h ave seemed no longer deacl, but instinct with t!J e h ero ic deeds of elder brot~~~~e Other members of this world-renowned 1:ace pou~·ed over ~he Ural mouutains t~ occupy middle and northern Europe, anclm so domg to dnve out weaker ti·ibes Separating a t different iutervals, acted upon by a thousand varying infiueucessom etimes at peace, oftener at war, they form ed those three great divisions kn ow~ as Celts Slavonians and T eutons. vVave' after wave ~f these migrating nations rolled 'vestward, breaking over the British isles, surging clown through ancient Gaul, bursting the barriers of the P yrenees and Alps, making southern Europe pay tribute to th e north, as the north h ad previously paid tribute to the south. _The ancient Britons were Celts, from whom a rc d escended the Irish, Highland Scotch , a nd Welsh. Julius C::esar was the first Roman general to invade Britain Paulinus and Agricola extended Roman conquests to the frith s of Forth Clyde. Rome enco untered a most determined opposition, and her armies were a t length w ithdrawn.

A century later Germ anic tribes c rossed the No rth Sea to wage a war of exte rmina tion. By sheer brute force they obliterated nearly eve ry traee of the Celtic population. The v~ry name v~el sh. means #l'~tngeJ·, and Scotch is hardly better-wanderer. Tb e n nt1ve popul atiOn, like the fnch a ns in th is co untry, becam e stmngers on th eir own so il, 1octnderers from the land of tlJCir fathers. N othin rr but the mounta in fas tn esses of Wales and th e inhospitable Hi g hland s of Scotla nd saved them from utter annihil at ion.

In th ese savage Germans we discove r the g ro undwork of t!Jc Ang lo.Saxon race. H ad they been left to themselves they would d o ubtl ess 'h a ve developed a lang uage and literature like the Germ an on the m a in-l and . But di sturbing

and

5

causes were at work_ Iron is m ade to sh arp en iron. Danes and N orthmen, of UJC same Teutonic stock, r obbers of the sea, asp ired to be robbers of the land.

The r ecord uf these Scaudin avians is of exceeding in terest. A s early as 852 they bad a· kin g in Dublin. They settled Iceland and Greeula nd, a nd pushed their di scoveries to the m ain-laud of America 500 ye ar s in adva nce of Columbus.

They fouuded a dynasty that gave sovereig ns to Russia, a nd made th em selves strong in Constantiuople. They sacked Utrecht and Antwerp. They burned and sacked Colog ne, Bonn, Treves, l'lietz, and other cities, stabling their horses at Aix-la-Chapelle in the Cathedral church of Charlemagne. H ence th e petition in the Catholic litany, A flwO?·e Normannontm libm·a nos Domine.

The English Saxons shook off the D anish yoke iu 1042, but in the same century (1066) the Northmcn r eturned in the g uise of Freuch-speakin g Normans. In the Oth century th e Nortbmen h ad w r ested from France h er fairest province .

H ere in Normandy the children of the conqu er ors came to speak the la ug u age of the conquered. The mother-tougu e hai l preva iled. In Euglaud the Normans iutermarriccl with the va.uqui shed Saxons, au·d a.gaiu the m other-tongue proved the stron ger . In th e long struggle for supremacy th e language underwen t nu merous changes aucl received into its vocabulary a lar ge number of French words, bnt in the end it was still a German tougue.

The English langu age is th us the desceudant and re presentative of the AngloSaxon, and closely connected with all the ling ui stic branches of the T eutonic g roup, as German, Dutch, Swed ish , D anish, and others. We r egard the Dani sh as approachin g nearest to English. Thi s is what mi g ht fairly h ave been expected from the fact that D ane a nd Saxon were closely related and still m ore clo~cly associated in the repeated conquests of the Northmen _ Swedish diflc rs but little from its Sca ndin av ian s ister. I t h as been influenced to a g re<tter extent by German, and it h as adhered more tenaciously to the Old Norse or parent tongue.

The declensiou of D anish striking ly resembles that of Euglish. Its verbs are more simple. The use of preposition s, the form ation of th e compa rative and ,;npcrla.tive degree, <LDd th e general structure of the sentences are essenti ally the same We note some peculiarities. R is a favnrite letter in Danish with whic h to iudica.te the plural of a, noun, in pl ace of the Engli sh s. The D anish cliifinite article h as the sa me form in th e sing ular as the i ndiifi.ni te, bu t is add ed as a s1~ffia:: et land, a country, but landet, couutry.the . The auxiliary verb is used in ~j~~, active, bu t the pass ive voic~ is forme~i by t_h e · impl~ additi_on_~f. s t? t.he accrt·c·(_~' Lg···n r1·n over the En ....glish.. D a m •sl.t • afford s aclm JnLble fact i! ties tor form . . tive-a 0 • in "" new word s, an d spelling and pronu ncmtwu are tn h arm ony .

Titles are a g rc:tt burden in Scandinavi<m_. In SwcLlish it is deemed improper . · to usc the seco nd person Ill conversa 11 00 . s. mg . ul ar of. the person al pronoun , exV-e 1·y ·1ut·101 -1te fri ends, or to tnlen ors, wh !lc the second ]Jerso u IJiural cc pl among ' . . . . . to the Eng li sb ?JO lt) LS only empl oyed 111 orattnn s and sermon s. In (answcnn g · . .. . . ld . .. •I · · . · .· tl t7• ou :tnd yo 1t the title of the pet so n ,,c t e s ~ec , It he has one, >nth th e place o ! 1c ' . . .1 · 1 u -.. th " ·cl person mu st be empl oyed . It he IS w1t tou t a t1t e, m r., l'r[adam , or Mi ss 11 mu st b c use c'l ., tht!S.· H 'ave Jvon seen the book ? beco mes in Swed ish, h as th e Mr. ' or th e J\I aclam, ur the Mi ss seen the b ~ok ? . . , A D :mish hu sb!tnd neve r call s hi s w1fe by lu s own s urn ame, as Ill Engli sh, but •vs• . my wife (min Konc) , ur the Iall y (Frucn), or the madam (i\lad ama Iways. .s t.J

NEBRASKA STATE TEACHERS ' ASSOCIATION .

m en) , or mother (Mode r), u s ing these diffe rent titles according to his own rank.

His wife is only ''mother" when he is a farmer or common .-oldier.

In lill;e m a nner the son does not tak e the last name of his father, but the th's t, with the addition of son . Thus : J a mes, the s on of John K leven, would not b e .James Kleven, but James John son. Edward, son of Peter Norman, would be Edward P eter son.

P assing by oth er Scandinavian peculia rities, w e come n ext to the Holl and or Dutch lang uage. F ew people can boast a nobler record th an th a t of the brave burghers who diked Holland from the sea, a nd then let in the sea to save their country f1·om the worse fa te of Spani sh tyranny. Our Saxon ancestors once occupied a part of this territ0ry . Our :r e w England fathers here found refuge from persecution, a nd N ew York and th e Hudson tes tify with prai se to the Knickerbocker element.

Of the H olland language it m ay be well said, it lay s fast hold upon the German with its ri ght hand, and wi th its left it fe els feebly across th e channel fi .

01 its kind1·ed English. In its German·, in the em. rJ . . use .of verb . . s it is eminently . ) Oyment of nouns a nd prepos1t1ons tt dJvid cs between the two.

GMman pr oper. In comp arison with Germ an th e An glo-Saxon of to-tlay present~ the ~p~earancc of a granite bould er th a t has been ro lled a nd ground b glac1_ers till1t h as lost a ll regul arity of s tructure. Germ a n is th e rectan <>-ula~ gr_am te bloc~, sh ~rply qu arri ed ~nd its a~ gles carefully r etained. Far less ~xact tha~ the maJ_ble-hke stru cture of Gree k , 1t ye t, in marked con t1·as t w ith Engli sh be ~ ays unm1stak able traces of th e careful sc ulptor' s chisel. Thus the d fi - ' art1ele and evet? adj ective h ave six forms, whil e in Eng lish each has bu~ 0~1~c In th e declensiOn of the noun, seven terminations m ay be u sed· in E - · there are bu t two. Germ an is choice in its u se of fin al letters· ' . t nlgh~h 1 - ca:·e f ully m ade; everywh ere it ins ists upon Jaw ' • s eup lOntc c h anges a t_e and order.

Luther, m hts tra ns lation of the scriptures was th e fir st to o-i ve ge . 1 . . . . . ' o ne1a c urre n.· cy to thts p t evatlmg form of Germa n, a nd a host of literary m en ha to ad orn it in every department of culture. If we were to' exch ange.' ve 1E1 seu up . . . l . , . our nglislt speech , tt wo ulc be for th e langu age of ~I ar tm Luther At the s ame c· . . · ' tme tt may be far:·ly dqu es t10_n e~ \~h ~ther tl_I ~ tmt1I ch-t~·~vel~d En g li sh, with its longer ex peri en ce, ItS e:1~er Ins1tg 1t m to ~ptn Lbla 1: entt_es,_tts greater readiness to dives t its el~ of sup erfllll hes anc appropna te t e m g lll sttc wealth of all n a tions is n t .. · t h e 'feu t omc · group. E ng 1·ts 11 h as lost littl e' wh ' 0 . e n tttled to th e fi rs t p I ace m et e loss was not gain.

Outs ide of the Teu to ni c g r o up we sh all not long linger. F rench Ita!i · . . . ' 'tn ancJ P ortug uese are n en,r relatives, aJ_Id dtrec t d es c e ~d ants of th e L a tm . 'l'hey difre r mos t fr om th e paren t tong ue IU the s upersedm_g of t~~ old case endings b prepos ition s aml by the introdu ction of T eutomc_ n,u x tlta ry verb s. _ :'he sl101~ way to learn them is thro ug h th e Latin. In cm·ta lll r espec ts th ey dtfler l a rg ely from each other. P or tug uese as possessing gTeat softn ess, sweet ness, a nd fiu en cy, especially on th e p ar t of its conson a nts, h as been called the " la ng uage of flow _ ers . " ft ali an is noted fo r its h armoniou s vowel so und s, th e vowe ls bellJ g in c.x. cess, a nd only fi ve word s in th e la ng uage endin g with con son ~u: ts . .F ren ch is singu la rly mo notonous, bu t cap a bl e o f gTC<tt clea rn ess a nd prec Js Jo n of tli o ug-ht.

Tbro ngh th e influence of the No rm a n s th e Eng li sh la.ng·u agc bas rece ived a lar~>"er n u mber of wo rds fi·om tlte F renc h th an fro m any other s o urce .

Tbe Slavic tong ues are rep resented by P oles, B oh emi a n :; an d Ru ssians . These

abound in ni ce distinctions, in place excelling all other langu ages with which we are acquainted. The case endings of noun s fl.nd adj ectives ar e more numerou s thau those in German. The verb is exceed ingly rich in forms, p articul a rly in Polish a nd Bollemian. The Russian cons ists of thir ty-five letter s, an ingenious combin a tion or Latin a nd Greek char acters . P olish h a.s forty and Bohemian thirty-one. The last m entioned is the b es t d eveloped , thoug h abounding in harsh consonant vowels. Bohemian literature attained its golden age in the latter part of th e 16th and early p art of th e 17th centuries. John Huss, th e morning star or Ute R eformation, ·tn,nd s in the arne r ela tion to it th a t Luther does to Germa ns.

One pec uli arity of the langu age mu st not be overlooked. As in Greek, n egatives streng then each other, and sometimes severa l ar e found in the sam e sentence. Thus where we luwe in Englisll, No boy h as at. a ny time can ·ied oft· any book to any person , th e Bohemi an may say : No boy h as not a t no t ime carried oft" no book to no person.

The Celtic group-Irish , Scotc h , and Wel sh. Pure Irish a nd Highland Scotch are rarely h eard in this State a nd th ey h ave not m ateriall y increa.sed the wealth of the English langu age. We acknowledge obligation to them, llowever, for such words as brog ue, cla n, si1a nty, whisky. The dialect of R obert Burns is not to be reckoned in the Celtic g roup, being strictly Engli sh.

To the W elsh we a re indebted for -a b etter cl ass, as dun (a. color), basket, glen, lad. Y et the words m·e few that h ave com e to u s from this som ce. W elsh is very r emote in point of g rammatical relationship. In this we encounter the strange peculiarity of initial consonan ts und ergoing change in declensions and by reason of th e effect of preceding words. Commonly it is the final consonants that cha nge. Though possessing g r eat power , s implicity, and precision of expression, the Wel sh language, like its kindreil Celtic to ng ues, seems doomed to utter extinction. Its glory is in the p ast.

Passing from this famous group of kindred Indo-European languages, bright with the world' s most glorious achievements, I cannot forb ear glancing a t that unenumeratecl and too often forgotten race, the American Indian. Philolog ists have thus far fa iled to establish any relationship between the lang uages of the Old and New World, but I take plen,sure in testifying to the beauty and fascinating power of many _an !~di an proper name, a.s witness the name ~f our ~tate, tlle name of our ch1ef City, and the names of ouT longest and swiftest nvers.

Justice requires this tribute of acknowledg men t, for the m ce is fading and their record fast being closed.

Hungarian and He?rew belong to groups of languages entii:e~y distinct from those heretofore constdered, as also fr om each other. The d1fl:erence between Russian and English, or even Welsh and English, is small a nd unimportant in compari son with the wide intervals that separate English, Hungarian and He-

<

I

'

7

A DJ1R:ESSES DELIVERED BEFORE

'

brew. . . . r l ' The peculiar feature of Hunganan JS tts comp 1c~tec sys tem of suffi~es. By these it expresses mode, tense, number, person, time, place, possesswn, and many other relations where English would employ sep_arate words. Great attention is paid to the harmony of sounds, but th~ combm at~ons present wh at we should reg_;u·d in our lang uage as s~rangely linked and .mverted phraseology.

Thus: 1 have a mother; the Hungan a n says, Mother-my-Is (any am va n); at the time of their dinners, becomes, dinners-their-at-the-time-of (ebecleikkor), a s ingl e

8

NEB R~SKA S'rA'rE TEACHERS; ASSOCIAT IO N .

ADDR ESSES DELI V ERED BEFORE

word . We take special in terest in Hun gari a n, becau se of th e patri ot Lo ui s Kossuth. The l:J.n g uage i s th e m ost hi <>hl y developed of th e S cythi nn family, b ut can b oast no ex tend ed liter ature.

L nst but not least the Hebrew. W e approach thi s lang tutge wi th fee lin gs o r d eep reverauce. F or centu r ies it was th e ch osen m edium of d ivine rcvel atious .

The reli g ion it d isc losed, m ad e uni versal by Christ, lt as become _tl~ e mi gh t iest elem ent in h um an history. The m arked peculi a rit.y of H ebrew I S Its Lri -li teral conson a ntal ch ar acter. Its verb al roots, with few excep tions, consist of just tluee letter s, a nd th ese ar e consonants . Prefixes and suffixes a ~·c u sed to a limited extent, and vowels are called in td express mod ify ing ':el atw~ s, but a ll th ese are subord in ated to th e tri -li teral con sona ntal feature.. W ith a sm;;le exception no vowel can beg in a w ord, or con stitute a word by Jt.self, a nd t\\ o vow els a re never allowed to stand togeth er in th e sam e word . . .

Better adapted to ex press vivid em otions th a n calm pb1losoplu c th ou g ht, the H ebrew langu age, like the H ebrew people, presents the aspec t o f extreme persistence.

From this hasty and very i mperfect survey of the m any lang uag es spok en iu N ebraska, lessons of practical vrtlue readil y suggest th em selves. We g ive vo ice to a few .

The fresh. soil of our State is already ri ch in histo rical associati ons. Grea t deeds h ave been p erformed . It th e deeds we re p erform ed elsewh e re, yet the actors, or their 1'ep1·esentati ve.s , are h ere.

Most of the races represented h ave a co mm on a ncestry , and so are ca pabl e of a stronger comm on fe el in g . Mutual helpful ness is eas ier.

The people th at have co me, have come wi th til e des ire a nd earn est d ete rmin ation to m ake th e· En glish la nguage th eir own . They a re wise in this. A re w e w ise in afford ing them the pr oper facilities? What are th ese fac ili ties ?

I mention fi rst of all the Common S chool.sy.ste-m. 1'hi s system is being assailed to-clay. K eep it a nd make it m ore effective. I n th e school room put hono r up on" Worcester " and " W ebster ," gr and ol!il sovereig ns, each of them so good th a t, if we had not the other, we sl_wuld b e almost satisfi ed; a nd put h onor up on th e word of God. Again and aga m h ave I noticed in my hi storical g leanin gs, that th e scrip tures h ave been the g r eat uni fy ing p ower in g iving fo rm a ncl p e r anency to th e lang u age in whi c h they were read, a nd not a few la ng uages have :en thus saved from extinction . They h a ve h onor ed God, and God h as in turn honor ed th em . . . . . .

T he cru·istian relig ion h as JU other w~ys been _a ~on s~rvm g, V lVIfym~ for ce. k' d own the p •utition w all s of nat.wnal preJu clJ ce, 1t com p els Gentil e a nd Brea ~ngb ·an and Scythia n bond and free, to think alike and so to sp eak alike Jew, ar an . E n o-l ish Eng li sh is the la ng uage of t he co urts a nd in the h all · Our laws a re m "' · · . . . ' s . 1 t' En crl ish is necessary to su ccess m commei Cial or politic~ ] of leo·Is a wn. "' . · . " . "'r h ·t ' t is in th e Rir we breathe, m th e subtle, · nnconscwus Influences ]Jfe. n S 01 I . ,. l · -,.T • . tl t we be a n Eng li sh sp ea km g p opu a twn . 1'< eve t wer e strong .

SWTOUndmg U S 1a · ] . . . " . es at work i n a natw n to produ ce a common ang uag e. . .· . . . er assmulatm g tO! c ' i n c losm o· th a t g ood m n.teu al I S h er e 1ept esent cd, the co n We can on l y acld "' . . . . , . f tl e world. S tar tm g f10m th e h1g h table l ands of Ce ntral A s ia o 1 I 1 l l . . ' q u erm <T r aces t ck h as per s is tently m arc t ee towarc t 1e settm g sun, foll ow in n· "' • . the g reat .n.qan s o ' "' . . " the cow·se of em p ire." . . " t ch ei·s and fri ends of eclucatwn to see th at tt a bate non e of its It IS tOr u s as ea . . . · b t t 'll b v igor , u s 1 e ar on its conquering ba nner of lug h empn se.

9

HIGH SCHOOLS: Aclcl1·ess at the Stctte T eache1·s' A ssociation .

BY CHANCELLOR A . R . BENTON.

The Executive Committee of this Association llas !l,liSigned to me for discussion the following thesis: Ought the State to provide a system of schools whicll may afford to all the children of the State a suitable prepara tion for the University ?

Although the terms of this inquiry look solely to the abstract duty of the State, it will also be pertinent to the theme, especially in its practical relations, to in. quire also into the limitations, advantages, and method that should govern and incite the State in the discharge of this duty, if indeed it be a duty. . I. The simple question of the duty of the State, in respect to tl!at grade of schools, which, for convenience of reference, I shall call High Schools, or Secondary Schools, so organized as to fit students for the Freshman class of the University, may be considered in two ways: First, has the State put itself under obligations to do this work by reason of any pledges, expressed or implied ?

Secondly, is it under moral obligation to m ake provision for sttch schools, ari sing from its duty to the citizen?

What, therefore, is the leg~'J. status 0f this question making it incumbent on the State to provide and maintain such a system of High Schools?

In the act of the legislature, establishing the system of Common Schools for the State, explicit provision is made for the organization of High Schools, their course of study, tuition fees, and the employment of teachers qualified for such work.

It bas little bearing on our present inquiry, whether the plan adopted was the most judicious or not, in respect to the ends the High Schools should serve in ati'onal system · W e are now seeking to. learn what have been the puroure d UCo . pose and provisions of the State m regafrd to thdis ad~anced ~ducation. . ·dent therefore, that a system o secon ary mstructwn was intended as I tIS evi d h .

1' . f th 1 asu lement to the primary scho~l, an t e rmp ICatlon o e aw is, tha t when pp b of children in a. distnct shall exceed one hundred and fifty, it will t h e num er . then be desirable, under ordinary .c ircumstances to est~bhsh sue~ a grade, with a suitable course of study. In this act the ~tate r~cogmzes the nght of the children of the State to receive such an e~ucat10n a~ Its hand~. . . . . · n the legislative act mcorporatmg the Umvers1ty, It IS provided I F ur th erm Ore · , . . . tudeB t bearing the credentials of a H1gh School orga.mzed under the th t a any s ' ~ U · · ·h · a\)Ove-mentioned law, may be admitted to the mvers1ty Wit out further exam2

10

I,

I

11

A.DD:&ESSEB DELIVERED BEFORE

NEBRASKA STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

ination. In this act we discover the intent and final purpose of the High Schools, so patent that it cannot be gainsaid. They were designed by law to 'bridge the chasm that lies between the highest grade of the primary school and the lowest class of the University. Of course, while aiming to reach this end, it may serve many other subordinate ends that are not at all incompatible with, but rather auxiliary to, this chief end. , The State ostensibly proposes to do this work. It. forestalls all other attempts in this line of work, and substantially warns others from this ground. Now what is thus formally provided, and in some sort promised by a sovereign State, must certainly be obligatory on it.

The establishment of a University is also to be taken into the account when considering the duty of the Sta~. We are ~carcely at liberty to suppose the St te to be a stern step-mother, full of promise, but of small performance; that .. :eeps the word of promise to the ear but breaks itt~ the ho~e.". It. is unc~a.r­ 'table to harbor the suspicion that the State has lilrgamzed an InStitUtion, which ~all forever hold the cup of knowledge to the lips of its children, but, like the fabled Tantalus they shall never be allowed to taste the inviting draught. It is incredible that fue State so stultifies itself, as to place on high the most coveted kinds and degrees of knowledge, and to provide no steps by which it may be reached. If the end is desirable and worthy the State, then the means are equally fitting for the State to provide.

Should it be objected, that it was unwise on the part of the State to attempt such a comprehensive scheme of education, especially in its earlier history we are thrown back on the question of the duty of the State towards its citizen~; or rather what is the duty of the citizen to himself; for in the last analysis this will , be found to be the real question.

I do not now raise the question for discussion, whether it be the duty of the State to provide any education for the children within her borders. That, for the present at least, seems to be no longer an open question. It is clearly the American idea, that the State is_ bcrnnd to furnish some education to all the children; and more-the conviction is deepening every year, that the State has even the right to compel its acceptance. "'What then is the measure of the education that should be furnished? ._ i If this were a parental duty solely, we would say, it should be measured by the abllity of the parent; and I see no reason why, in point of moral obligation, the State is not bound by the same law of duty. And may not the corporate ability of the State, which so greatly transcends that of the individual, be both the ground and the measure of the duty of the State in behalf of popular edu. cation?

If the State had a corpor~te existence apart fr ,m the body of its citizens, then the duty might not be so ev1dent; but under our form of government, the citizen . the Alpha and the Omega of the system; from him it originates and for hi '\1 18 all its appliances. The individual must not therefore be sacrificed to thm are but the State in all its a d m1~1s · · tr.a.IOns t' · b o~d pre-em~ently · State; 1s to serve thee development and progress of. the md1ndual. He 1s the un1t by which every law institution, or expedient 1s to be measured; and hence, as of primary importan~e the opportunity should be accorded to every one to make the most of him. self~ his personal development and social relations.

The expediency of providing for the largest intellectual culture of all the citizens will scarcely be called into question; but political expediency is also political duty.

In this ·connection I desire to state, that under some circumstances it may not be the duty of a commonwealth to provide either High Schools or Colleges.

This may be true, when reasonable facilities of thi~t sort are already at hand, supplied by the munificence of private citizellB, or are the outgrowth of sacrifices made by religious bodies, with earnest purpose to do what the State is often t•eluctant to atteJllpt. But when these conditions are wanting, the State has both the resources and the authoricy to provide for the intellectual needs of all its citizens impartially and in full measure.

If, th~n, the University has any rai!on a'etre-reason for being-much more is there reason for the existence of the High School system ; for wherever these schools are most efficient, there the work of the University is found to be most productive and encouraging.

Michigan and Massachusetts are the most instructive examples of the interdependence of these tw:o grades of school ; and it is the boast of Michigan, that the best prepared students who enter its University are from its High Schools.

The reasons for this are obvious and will be referred to in another place. , 11. But in the second place, what kind of High Schools should the State provide?

Shall there be some system, some limitation, or shall they be left to chaotic chance-a conglomerate of the collected crudeness of the vicinage, a rickety abortion, engendered in towns, am?itious to make the High School a College in anything but in fact. This attempt is ruinous in results, and brings discredit on the whole system.

Perhaps one of the most formidable objections at this time urged against High Schools is, that they aim to do too much, and have become too expensive.

They spend an amazing amount of strength in publishing pretentious courses of study, which they have neither facilities nor time to realize.

So far as the State is concerned therefore, there should be some limitations fi d some line drawn, so that a College curriculum shall not be flaunted before xe ' student who passes from the primary grade into the High School. This eve~ . · d both on the score of economy and efHCiency.

IS ue It surely is wretched waste, to attempt to te~ch.1n t h e H'tgh S chools what ~t the best can only be imperfectly done, and wh~ch must be repeated at the Unt'ty in order to secure respectable scholarship. veBrsl 'd s if the work of these schools shall be limitea to the grade of studies, est 1e 'so which are intermed'tate b etween the primary · • 'ty, and the U n1vers1 or near Y k 'will be done. In sueh a case th te h 'll · · · t •t · e ac er WI gam 1n m ens1 'Y b abetter wor . 'b d 1' 't, 'th' the capacities . • of the h 1. work will be in c1rcumscr1 e 1m1 s, WI tn cause · fi · tr ti W'th od s 1 a m esty tha t d t d his own time and appliances or ms uc on. stu edn ah? self as something less than a whole University faculty, he will lind a regar s 1m . fi ld f 1 bor in this intermediate work httle less honorable, and mayhap as e fi ~ a y other. The showy and pretentious should not be allowed to usurp use ul as anf the thorough and useful in this branch of the educational work. thepaceo ' •.

Add d to this if the High School teacher shall seek only to prepare his students :or the F~eshman class of the University, ke will be likely to study clear

•

12

ADDRESSES DELIVERED B-EFORE

NEBRASKA STATE TEACHERS ' ASSOCIATION .

illustrations, and, with close and accurate scholarship, will traill his students to enter gn their college course with such thorough preparation as will be a pride and credit to him wherever he is known.

That such an arrangement of high school work is practicable, is illustrated in several States, and in all ts growing more and more into public favor.

In Michigan fifty-one of •h er graded schools are taught by graduates of h University, and there is not one of them whose certificate would not enter a t er dent in the Freshman class of the University. By tlJ.e action of the Unive s. Uthere are eight which have especial University rights, and, in the :words of the ~lty, iclent, there is no respectable High School in the State that could not with res. " th e1r . sCienh . 'fi unessential modifications prepare stu d ents .or c course, andsome this relation, he observes, has been as profitable t~ the High Schools as to the lJni. versity. Ann Arbor High School ~lone furmshed fifty for the Freshman class last year, and it is the published JUdgment of the Faculty, that students from these, so to speak, University l!igh Schools, are the best prepared of the candi. dates for admissioa.

Some eastern academies, such as Phillips, _Exetm:, etc.,_ have gained a national distinction by the skill and thoroughness with whiCh they prepare their Pl .1 for college classes. The secret of this success is to be found in the limitati lpl 8 their work to such preparation, and in leaving the more advanced work ton or College or the University. Like Cresar, who preferred to be the first man the small village than the second man in Rome, it is more creditable to be firs:n. a 10 the rank of High Schools than the lowest in the rank of Colleges.

The sooner school boards come to realize that the High Sc,hool is not C lege-the sooner they make the discovery that in aping college work and call ol. modes they get poorer results at a high cost, the better it will be for the ca? ege education in this State and elsewhere. use of The fault does not always or even generally lie with the Principal of schools. He is often compelled to yield to the importunity or commandSUch school officers or to a public opinion that he is powerless to resist. s of In such cases the best study is, to study how not to do it. In such a m t the public is a noun of multitude, signifying many but not much. Perhap a t~r time has not yet come for this new State to move with concerted force i s th . e matter of a uniform course of High School study, having some proper 1~ . lS 1m 1ta. · · twns o f 1'ts :fi eId ot· work . But sureIy, 1·f t h'1s view of the work of the II' School-which is an intermediate work, and not a parallel and rival on f lgh · 'ty- b e th e true v1ew, · · b ecomes the educators of this State te 0 the Umvers1 then 1t t . d h . d .

0 come t t d to a concor an sen Imen m regar to w at IS esirable in order to mak . ' ' e our school system complete and effective, and then to labor for its realization t h . ' a I so gra t'f · earliest prac t.waI momen t . I t 1s I ymg to me to be able to affir a t e the most thoughtful educators in the State are taking this comprehensi m, t.hat · · · s h ou ld not be allowed to slip when it bve VIew of thmgs; an d th ~ oppor t umties . . . .

• ecomes possible to shape our pubhc system mto a harmomous whole. , III. The advantages of such a High School system, with the limitati already set forth, constitute an additional rea~on why the State should g?ns . . . · IVe I_atsS encouragement and aiel m the support of this grade of schools This propo . . ' Sl"t'lOll· should h ave espeCial emphasis from the fact that it is not to be accepted sol 1 on account of its manifest reasonableness, but because its truth has beeu dem~ ~ . n . strate d m expenence.

Those who have worked under this system, in which the High School h as been tributary to a higher grade, as the University, are clear in respect to the following advantages, Which are so obvious that they seem to be indisputable.

1st. This r elation of a training school has intensified, deepened, and dignified the work of the High School. Just as a good grammar school is an inspiration to the primary, so the University is a powerful incentive in the work · of the High School. In education the influence is from the higher to the lower-the stream, as all good streams do, runs clown with its enriching waters. The true prizes in education are the promotion from grade to grade through the High School up to the University. .Not only will this prove a powerful magnet in attracting students up to high er planes of exertion and attainment, but it will strongly tend to hold them more securely in their classes, looking hopefully and enthusiastically forward to th e work that spreads out before them.

2d. And secondly, this system has the best effect upon the teacher. It h as been remarked, and I doubt not truly, that the freshest and healthiest stimulus imparted to this class of teachers in Michigan,. has come from the connection of the High Schools with the University. It is no trifling incentive to the teacher of a High School, to have the stamp of approbation put upon his work by some competent authority. And while the High School is thus m ade the support of the University, in turn the University sends back to these schools thorou.,.hly trained teachers, who carry the inspiration and culture r eceived at the Univ~rsi­ ty, into this High School work. When this mutual rel ation and dependence shall become firmly established in this State, as it m ay be by te n.chers alone, even if receiving no direct aiel from the State, t)le most salutary results will be felt through every grade of the public school system. In Massachusetts more th an seventy-five academies prepare students for College; and in Michigan the High Schools furnished last year more than half the students who entered the Freshman class of its University; and in the language of its President, "thiswork h as been as profitable to the schools as to the University . " To this happy consum. roation that State cnme by slow and uncertain steps . Why not in this State, while every school interest is yet in its gristle, so nurture and train it, that it may grow and strengthen, and so link itself with every other p art, until the sy stem shall become rounded out and comprehensively complete in its essential dependence of p art on part.

3d. A third advantage attending a school org anized with such r elations to the University will be to improve greatly the interest of the community in which it is located in the cause of education. This will work itself out in two w ays : first, by the natural pride which a community will h ave in a school h aving an actual, living relation to the chief educational institution in the State, visited at times by college authorities, and whose diplomas are an acknowledged p assport to University classes; secondly, by attracting to the school a class of non-resident scholars, of mature age, ambitious of scholarship, and :fixed in pmpose to complete the High School course in order to enter the University. These will im. part a cumulative interest and zeal to the students and to the p arents at home.

When our Secondary schools, working within the sphere of their naturallimi. tations, shall avouch themselves as doing their worl' honestly and thoroughly, then there will be less carping criticism at their cost and questionable u tility,

°.

o

13

14

..

AJ)DRE"'SES DEL JV "EJtED RF.F'ORE

a n d a more h earty sympathy and support of the community in whi c h they are or ganized , an d often they will prove the pride and chief attr ac ti on o r the town .

IV. Final ly, w h a t can a nd ought to b e don e to inau g urate su cb a system a h as beeR ou tlined ? Ther e ar e two agencies th at mu st co-op er a te Lei b ring ab out this result, viz.: th e teacher s and th e S tate.

In m atter s of ed ucational r eform or progress, the S tate is l a rgely co ntroll ed by th e clearly p ronoun ced and unanimous sentiments of teach er s . Un ited to ¡gain a gr eat end , th ey can so mould public opinion in a sbort t ime, th :1.t l egisl ation will follow as n atm ally as leaves pu t forth in s prin g . The first r crJui s i te to suecess therefore i s, that teach ers themselves organize the w or k of th e Hig h School , and w ith hear ty un animi ty labor to secme its leg islative recog ni tion .

So long as they r egard this g rade of schools of small moment wi th resp ect to the lower gr ades, and a re indifferent to its relations to the hig h er edu cation. o long will legislation be indiffexent ox dilatory in r egard to thi s m atter . B u t if teach ers shall become thoroughly roused to the value of th ese school s as an integr al part of a compreh en sive system of education for the State, the n i t will not be long before a way will be devised to sustain them . A gain, it occurs to me to remind teachers of a high duty they owe to the profession , a nd the ca use of education in the State. The time has come, it seems to m e, when there h ould b e m ore cohesion am ong teachers, for the purpose of bec oming more aggressive in fuTth ering edu cational prog ress in the Sta te . Ther e is too much of isolated effor t, and too littl e of concerted and vig orously p er s istent effort t o gain om ends; and in my humble judgment, no great forw a rd movemen t will b e made until teach ~rs sh ak e off their timidity and h esitation, and strike o ut b old ly for such legislation, as rea.son a nd experience h ave demonstr a ted to be indisp ensable for u s.

When our system ball crystallize into form, it will be la rgely the fault of teach er s, if th at form be no t one of symmetry and h elpfuln ess in a ll its p ar ts.

The State also sh ould be invoked to foster and encourage by judicious legi sla. tion, these secondary schools . In stead of leaving them to chance or local caprice, th er e sh ould be such requirem ents and encomag ements m ad e by l aw as to worl' these sch ools in harmony wi th the lower and higher education . Thi s is th e k ing-bolt th at holds th e system together ; and if the State sh all fo s ter the Uni ver sity, it m ust also foster these schools as an indispensable a nteced ent.

In view of th e legal questions environing this subject, and my p er sonal r elation s to it, doubtless it is wi se to r efrain from any attempt to prescribe in detail what ought to b e done.

One suggestion perh aps I m ay properly make. The State c an prescribe what shall con stit ute a H igh Sch ool within the meaning of the l aw; it ca n also d eclare su ch a scLool entitled to an equitable distributive share of th e school fund on the basis of the n umber th at shall complete satisfactorily the work of th e H igh Sch ool.

I n this way a healthfu l stimulus will be g iven to these schools, esp eci a lly to bring th em u p to legal grade; and under the authority of the State , they c an read ily be articulated with th e common schools, and the higher education in the University .

Neither my t ime, n or my prospective rela tions to the educa tion a l work of th e State, will p ermit m e to pxesen t any details of such a plan, and I close by sug-

~IEBRASKA ST_.A.'l'E 'l'EA.CH ERS' ASSOCI A TION.

15

ges ting th at. this Association appoint a committee, ch arged w ith th e duty of reporting to this body what can reas onably be d one in this beh alf, and also to report a pla n for High Schools, under th e fo steri.ng care and au thori ty of t.h e State, which sh all stand as one of the factor s in a compreh en sive system of S tate education .

16

ADDRESSES DELIVERED BEFORg

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

BY REV. W . B. SLAUGHTER.

MR. PRESIDENT :

. In approaching the subject assigned me I a m deeply impressed with its great Importance and its g reat difficulties.

The universal American sentiment is in favor of freedom; and o f aJl freedom , that of religion' is most dear to the America n heart.

This sentiment it is the duty of every citizen to che ri sh as to himself, and to respect and encourage as to all others. · It so h~ppens th at this question of "the Bible and th e Public Schools," is supposed to mvolve, in some m a nner and in some degree, the rights of conscience and ~he fre edom of reli gion. If it be found tha t the presence of th e Bible in the public _schools does r eally encroach on any rights of conscience, or does circumscnbe the freedom of religion, then I apprehend that, on America n principles, th~re can be but one decision. The Bible cunnot, by the force of la w, llave a place m the public schools . . Let us distinctly understa nd the g t'ounds on which the presence of the Bible m the public schools m ay be supposed to affect the rig hts of conscience and the fr eedom of relig ion. It is known that the Bible is a text book of religion. The Old T estament m ay be said to contain the institutes of the J e wish religion. The ~ew T~s~ament and the Old m ay b e said to contain the institutes of the Christian ~elig~on. Now it may be granted, that the h abitual reading of the Bible in hearmg _of the pupils in the public schools would proba bly predispose them to the J eWish or the Christian relig ion. ~ut the p arents of some of these pupils a re Deists, · and they do not wish their chlldren to be biased in favor of the Jewish religion or the ·chris ti a n. Other parents are Atheists, and do not wish their children instructed ' in a ny religion at all: _0thers may be Mohammedan, and they are especially a verse to) the Christian religiOn .

Now these p~trons of the public schools a re also tax payers, and, such as the schools are, theu property is taxed to support them. In the first place, if there were n~ taxes at all p aid by these parents, the rights of conscience are supposed to. be VIolated by the practice;of reading to their children selections from the BI~l~ . In the se~ond place, the rights of conscience are violated by compelling a Citizen to contnbute for the propagation of a relig ion in which he does not believe.

This, I think, is a fair and full statement of the case, as a case of conscience and of religiou s freedom. It becomes, therefore, a proper subject of inquiry, h ow far are these objections to the reading of the Bible in the schools valid?

NEBRASKA STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

17

I. I assume, in the first place, that the conscience of one m an is just as sacred as that of another. I even contend that the uninstructed conscience of an illiter ate Christian is as sacred as the uninstructed conscience of an illiterate deist o r ath eist. I go furth er, a nd maintain that the consciences of the sober, virtuou s, and d evout, ar e as worthy of respect as the consciences of the low, vulgar, profane, drunken, a nd undevout classes of society. And maintaining these things I ask, d o not th e Bible loving portion of a community submit habitually and uncomplainingly to the introduction into the schools of teachings, direct and indirect, to which tbey could not for a moment consent, whenever you exclude the Bible ? Will you please examine the school readers in common use , a nd see if in them there ar e no insidious anti-christian teachings? E xamine your text books of science, a nd observe how largely nearly all of them indulge in purely conjectural th eories, and how studiously many of these theories are put fo rward as the certainties of modern science, and how confidently they are quoted as inimical to, if not destructive of, the teachings of the Bible.

Now let it be assumed that there are as many illitera te Christians as there are illiterate deists, freethinkers, atheists, etc. Let it be assumed tha t these illiterate Christian s h ave somehow conceived tha t the natural sciences are infidel, and that th ey ought not to be taught in the public school. These mistaken Christians m ay be in terrible appreh ension of direful consequences to their chilcll·en, a nd their consciences revolt against suppO?·ting a system of schools in which such thi11gs are taugb.t.

To be more sp ecific, does n ot modern science teach a theory of dfYDelopment embracing worlds, rocky str ata, the vegetable kingdom, the animal kingdom, etc.?

Does it not teach the correlation of forces, and does it not carry this theory to the extent of affirmin g that thought and reason are but phenomena of m olecula r motion ? T ell the unscientific Christian this, and inform him that the profession al freethinker avows that the demonstrations of science are conclusive of the falsity of the Bible. Tell him tha t while the freethinker avows this, he h as resolved th at modern science ctlone be permitted to speak to the intelligence of his child in th e public sch ools; th at the pupil shall only be permitted. to see th e freethinker's side of the religious question ; that the [Bible shall not be permitted to speak for itself, but sh all be entirely excluded.

Will y ou th en be surprised if this class of Christians shall demand that all this class of science and all th e text books in which it is contained shall be excluded from the public schools, basing the demand on the ri gh ts of conscience and the American doctrine of r eligious freedom ~ How ou ght we to treat such a demand?

Sh all w e exclude th e natural sciences from the schools ? Shall we exclude those text books of natural science, in which the anti-christian theo1·ies a re supposed to be contained ?

I appreh end that if the B ible ought to be excluded for the reason s assigned, then these anti-chri stian teachings must be excluded with the Bible.

Why not ? Please remember this is a question involving the freedom of religion. Men are to be r elieved from the odious and onerous burden of supporting any religion in which they do not believe, and men's consciences are to be resp ected . Why, then, shall the Christian's Bible be excluded and Mr. Thomas Paine's Bible be r etained. Why sh all Tyndall, Huxley, and other adversaries of the Bible be gr aciously admitted into th e public schools, and the Bible b e ex-

3

18

ADDRESSES DELIVERE D BEFOR E

eluded? Especially, why shall this thin g be done aga in s t t h e protest of the Christian conscience? I submit that to do thi s wou ld b e to disc1·iminate against the Christian conscience. It would b e to enfo rce reli g iou s frccrlom for others while we deny religious freedom to Christians.

For my own part I choose that the sciences sh a ll b e tho ro u g hly taught in th e public schools. I prefer that every scientific th eo ry be full y ex11iuited , and its bearino-s on the traditional theories of the Chri s t ia n world be fairly tes ted. I beg th: opponents of the Bible to exer ci. c the sam e liberty toward s tilat ve n erated book.

II. I submit that the same re aso ns mi g ht be a signed for excluding from our University a la rge portion of the class ical literatu re that now e nriches its c urriculum. No one will deny that the gods play a very important p a rt in the literature of Greece and Rome. :Moreover, th e phil oso phy which is bro ught to view in the same course of class ical study is by no means neutral in i ts relation to th e subj ect of religion . How far the old philosophy m a y atlect th e opin ions of th e youth who read it merely as a p art of th eir ling uis t,ic study, it may b e difficult to tel L Nor does it matter. The v ital point is, that here are studies whicll, in them selves, antagonize the Christi a n religion , a nd th e refo r e to tile Christian conscience might become, when the Bible is r ul ed ou t of the schools, obnoxious, because of that antagonism. I appreh end th at this obj ectio n i s just as valid against the Greek and L atin classics as it is against the Hebrew Scrip tures.

Moreover, were we prepared to teach the Chinese, the P er sia n, or the a ncient Hindoo, would we not be most likely to employ tilose very writii:igs for the purpose which contain the religious in stitu tes of th ese countries r esp ectively ? Our students would undoubtedly read the Analects of Confuciu s, the Zend Aves ta, and the Vedas. But this would exclude these languages from our State University . In fact, I do not see how a State University can ever b e made an institution of liberal culture at all, if the principle. on which the Bible i s to be excluded from the public schools is to be applied to it. But i t mu st b e applied. The .University is the property of the whole p eople. It is supported by the taxation of th e whole people. The Bible, then, must be excluded from the University because it would. otherwise follow that the fre ethinkers, deis ts, and atheists, whose property is taxed to support the University, w ould b e forced to a iel in the dissemination of the teachings of that odious book. And thus the rights of conscience would b e violated, and the freedom of relighm would be destroyedEven so . And as we h ave hinted that a Christian' s conscience must be respected as fully as any other man's consc ience, then if anything in the poetry of Greece and Rome, in the orations, conversations, and histories of either of those nations, and in the scientific theories of ancient or m odern time, antagonizes Christianity, that thing, whatever it m ay be, must b e excluclecl from the University. _ R eally, this fundamental principle, carried out to its remote logical results, w ill r emand the principal sh are of the higher education to other than state institutions, and what is left will constitute a m eagre a nd pitiful c urriculum indeed. It will not be a legitimate reply to this line of remark to say that such extreme consequ ences can come only from the most unreasonable bigotry, that to suppose the Christian conscience of this country thus a rrayed against the high er Univer sity education on such grounds as these,.is to suppose the Christian conscience blind, fanatic al, um-easoning, a nd utterly impracticable . Very well.

NEBRASKA STAT E TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

19

What then? I s the conscience to be respected only when it is reasonable ? Who then shall determine when the conscience is r easonable and when it is not?

Perhaps it m ay be found that the conscience which is hurt by the Bible in the schools is really as unreasonabl e as the conscience which is hmt by anti-bible teachings.

But I beg to remind you that th e reason a bleness or unreasonableness of conscience is not a subj ect to be considered at all in the case. The unreasoRable conscience ilas the same rights under the Constitution of the United States tha t the reasonable conscience h as.

III . I s it proposed th at we be consistent? If so, "the Bible in the public schools " is only an introductory issue-the entering wedge of a movement that contemplates the ul timate destruction of the relig ious sentiment of the country.

If here is a point in which the principle of relig ious freedom is violated, then there are various oth er p oints in which the same principle is violated in a similar ~anner. The 1·eason for excl udin g the Bible from the public school s lies equally against its use in any class of institutions created by the State and m aintained at th e .CJqJense of tile State.

The county Poor-house, the Hospital for the Insane, the Asylum for the Blind, the Deaf antl the Dumb, th e State R eform School, tile Penitentiary, the Soldiers' Home, etc., etc., must all be k ept free fr om the influence of the Bible. Nay, we must go a long step further, a nd abolish the whole sy stem of Chaplaincies as a specially odious form of government p atronage of some p articular religion.

IV. Such b eing some of the log ical conclusions to which we are conducted from the premises w ith which we star ted, I come to ask : Is tilere not some conservative middle ground which can be occupied by all p arties to this controversy?

It must h ave b een observed by all that nearly a centmy of our national existence h ad passed b efore this subj ect was much agitated. The Bible was in the public sch ools of some of the States by requirement of law. It was in the public schools in other States by simp le consent, no mention of it being .m ade in the Jaw. In m any of the sch ool s it was not present, thoug h thm·e was no law against it . During all tilese years th e American people h ave r ested in the delusion (if delusion it bo) th at r eli g ion is free through out the land.

N ow why should there be a,ny legal regul ation of this matter a t ail ? Why, on the one h and, requ ire the Bible to be read in the schools. Why, on the other h a nd, proscribe th e Bible?

The good sense of the people in every school district in the land may be presumed to be adequ ate to the settlement of this question as a local question. If the p eople desire tile reading of the Bible let them have it r ead. If they choose that it be not read Jet their decision be fin al.

V. But 1f these' questions may not be left without law in the h ands of the people of eacil district to decide as they shall see fit; if some statutory provisi?n is insisted on then what sh~tll that provision be? Is the case such as r eally Involves the qt~~stion of relig ions liberty, or is it not ?

I think I have shown th at if the Bible in th e sch ool is a violation of r eligious liberty on the one h and, then the presence of much that is taught in our day a s science is a violation of relig ions liber ty on the other hand , and that if the Bible must go out, in answer to the demand of tile a nti-bible conscience of the times, these scientific studi es must go out witb t11e B iqle, ln 3,U$wer to the demand or the aroused Christian conscience .

•

20

ADDRESSES DELIVERED BEFORE

But really, I see no necessity for going to this extr em ity on c ith er,·hand.

Those who ask that the Bible be left in the public school s do not ask that the pupils shall be required to substYribe to the Bible, or that they s hall be required to worship in any form. So far as we h ave observed, those who have been ac. customed to read the Bible in school, have u su ally chosen some portion of it wherein the social duties in life are inculcated, a nd not such portions a s incuJ. cate doctrines respecting which men differ. Now those who r ej ect the Bible as a divine revel ation generally concede that it is a volume of exce ll ent moral teachings.. So far as it inculcates moral duties a t a ll , it encourages justice, truth, purrty, and mutual good will a mong men. It is difficult to und e r stand how such a book could possibly exert a b ad influence over th e minds of youth.

Moreover, it is a known fact that bad men, w hen they s peak, a s they s ometimes do, of their own bad lives, a nd of the teachings of th e B i bl c , declare that that book condemns such lives.

Let it be conceded then that the Bible is a text book of m o rals , ~mel it w ill become a fair question : Might not the daily reading of th e Bible be even enjoined by the State as the best known means of developing the hi g h est mora l c h aracter lD the youth wh o a re being educated for th e responsibilit.ies of c iti :w n s of th e republic ?

If I mistake not, the Bible is the only volume exta nt th at contai ~s a p e rfect m oral code, and no other book presents to human contemplation so big h an id eal of individual manhood as at once a possibility a nd a duty, a n d n o oth e r volume presents motives so worthy to influence m en to rig ht living .

If these statements be true, there can be no book better adapted to u sc as a text ~~ok of moral.s in schools, and I submit that it. cannot be a violation of religious .t1 erty to place it in the school s and k eep it there, and enjoin the d a ily reading of 1 to all the youth.

Mr. President, I submit these thoug hts in g reat d eference to the opinion s of s~ch as may differ from me. I wish, however, distinctly to d efine my personal Vle:vs as to what ought to be done on this subject. I am of the opinion thnt the lep:ISlature ought not to touch this m atter at all. It were better in my J-ud gment to · · ' 'f I eave Jt wrth the people, as in several of the states it has a lways b een· l eft. But' 1 gentlemen hold opposite views, I sh all be glad to h ear their statement and know the grounds of their opinions.

21

NEBRASKA STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

WHAT CON STITUTES EFFICIENT SUPERVISION? B Y PROF. W. W. \Y . .TONES.

>(

Upon inquiry, t.h e Executive Committee informed me that they wished m e to con side r County Supervision m ore ptu-ticularly. This leaves me to con sider a subj ect in which I have h ad no experience, and compels me to a theor etical discuss ion. I conceive that a practical exp erience in this depar tm ent is ·worth a g reat deal more than any theoretic view. The ground h as been thoroughly canvassed by the best educators of the d ay, and I cannot hope to offer anything new on the subj ect, and what I sh all say will be m ainly a r epetition of what oth ers have learned and said .

That supervision is necessary, will not be doubted by many. As to what constitutes good, or the best, supervision, th ere will be conflicting opinions.

Several methods have been adopted by the difJerent Sta tes, with greater or less s uccess. Every State has some plan of sup ervision. Twenty-three States h ave county s uperintendents. Some h ave supervisors for smaller areas and some for larger. Arkansas has ten superintendents. Louisiana six. In all cases the amo unt of good accomplish ed and the comparative cost must determine the matter.

In a new State like ours, the question is one of g reat difficulty and importance.

The wide extended area, the sparse population, and the consequent l ack of money to carry on schools and provide good superintendence, must all be taken into consideration. ·what would be absolutely necessary for the thickly settled co unt ies of 'the eastern portion, would, in all probability, be wholly impracticable in the other portion of the State.

Efficient supervision cannot be accomplished by the frequent visits a lone of the supervisor. H e must be thoroughly acquainted with his work, able to detect all defects and no less able to see a nd appreciate what is good an d commendable. In order to best correct the defects, he must h ave the faculty of pointing ou t error without seeming tojindfa1tlt. He must so g uard his u tterances as not to injure the teach er in the estimation of the school. Many a young lady, lacking in those esse ntials which practice alone can g ive, has been driven disheartened from h er work, b ecan ~e of untimely reproof, which h as lessened h er sel festeem and m ade h er less r espected by her pupils.

But m er e visitation is a sm all part of his duty. To give unity and efficiency to the whole system of schools is necessarily the work of the supervisor. " H e is to visit, no te methods of instru ction, judge of government and discipline, g ive d irections in th e science a nd art of teaching, l:Je adv iser and ass istant of officers and teachers, cond uct institutes, elevate th e school standard, a nd examine teachers." And how can h e hope to do these manifold duties 1oell unless he is a

f-cf'~ 'J" ;0,.,.-f.G. ~a.k.'..th•<-ch.-i-..

~ r~ /YY~ JiJcfc:u

, /./f ~).

22

ADDRESSES DELIVERED BEFORE

thorou gh teacher? In his spher e of action he should h ave a b so lute fr eedo m an d not b e h ampered by those who h ave no know ledg e of his duties . I f th e p r esid ent of a r ailroad company should enter the m achine s hop a nd g iv e the s up el'inten· den t of constru ction direction concerning th e building o f a n e n g ine , u n l es a pr actical m ech anic, h e would probably :find himself the l a u g hin g -s t oc k of e very m ech anic in the sh op . A.nd so I would demand for our sup eri nte n d en ts a large degr ee of freedom, and h old th em to a rig id accountabili ty for i ts prop e r use.

T he tree w ill be known by its ii·ui ts. If his plans do no t s u cceed , if the s ch ool are not improved, if the teacher s do not know the ir d u ties b e t ter , if th ey h a ve no h igh er estimate of th e impor tance of th eir du ties, if b ette r s c h ol a r shi p is not attained, his views w ill be pronounced chimerical, a n d th e sentence i n most cases will b e just.

One of the duties of the sup erintenden t, a nd on e whic h I cons ider a v er y impor tan t one, is not n amed in the above category. The wo r k o f th e s u p er intendent is p eculiar , and differs from that of the other county officer s ve r y m aterially . They h ave their offi ces wh ere ihe accumulation of r ecor d s of all preceding year s m ake a large sh owing of work accomplish ed . 'I'h e tr eas ure r h as v ast p iles of books, and those m assive safes, so sug g estive of fa b ul o u s s ums s u p p osed to p ass throu gh his h ands,- and sometimes of the vas t s ums th a t do not p ass through h is hands. A large m aj ori ty of the r esiden ts of t h e cou n ty m u s t h a ve R personal interview with him at least once a y ear.

The county clerk must h ave a complete record of every d e eLl to l a n d , o r every mortgage, eve~·y transfer of r ealty, every act of the c ounty commi ss i oners , every death, every b1rth, every m arriage.

T h e sh eri ff ! Ah! who does not know and appreci ate the d ig n i ty a ucl i m p ortance of th e sherifl'?-next to the judge himself, the m ost important man i n tile court. The county comn1issioner s build our bridges, m ltk e out· road s , i ssu e our bonds, and tran sact all general business of the county . G o i n to any co ur t h o u se, and th e n am es of these function aries ar e largely embl azoned in g il t and bl ack upon th e numer ou s doors of the county offi ces .

But where is the coun ty sup erintendent ? F ew c a n tell whe r e !tis o ffi ce is.

Generally h e is awarded a desk in som e ou t-of-th e-way corner, a nd it two teacher s m ake application for cer tificates at th e sam e time, h e mus t put hi s o ffi ce ( ?) on wh eel s, and remove to the nearest sch ool-room to h old th e exa mination . I am.dealin~ with wh at I believe to be facts, a nd n ot findin g fa ul t . The p ara p h ernalla of h is office is limited to a copy of th e sch ool l aw, three or fo ur b ook s of r ecor d s that sli p into the drawer of his desk, a few d ozen bl a n k cer tificates , 11 sm all b undle of test question s, a quire of fo ols-ca p, and a d o zen F a b er s. H is work requires no extensive array of b ook s and mus ty d ocumen ts . Like the ::; tll'veyor , h e is seeking an old landmark in one place to establish a n ew corn er-ston e i~ another; d igging for the eviden ce of a lost corner, to fix th e b o u n d ary of som e ch sp u ted "80 ": rnnn in g a rah clom line and takin g a n ew clcp m·tnre, to avo id som a stagnan t pool of ig noran ce or prejud ice. B ut n o ne th e l ess s urely m u s t !J c wor k, tho ug h hi s compass leads him through brak e a nd bramule, sl o u g h ~w d marsh . Though ~e work as silen tly as the ligh t tha t directs th e su rv eyor, h e m ust never lose s1ght of the fact th at h e is n ot worldug for t i me a l one; th alt more than th e val ue and ownership of a few acres are to b e cle lcr m in ccl by hi s w ork.

Coun ty superintendents ! I t is your duty to so m agnify y our o ffic e th ft.t i t

1'-.TEBRASKA STA T E TEACHERS; A SSOCIATION .

23

w ill r ank, in th e estimation of the m asses, higher than any oth er in th e county.

Your work must, from its very n ature, be quiet , and accomplish ed in compara..t ively obscure places. But this does not lessen its importance. It is tor you to m ak e your work so tell upon the educational growth of the wh ole coun ty, th at your influence will b e known and felt by all m en .

Tile ex amin ation of teachers will offer a wide field for usefulness. And h er e w ill b e th e m ost diffi cult work. Our ~;;chool s can be built up by conscientiou s, eam est teach ers, and by no other kind. It is your province and duty to kn ow tllat all und er y our car e are fitted for the work. It w ill b e y our most delicate d u ty . The str ongest pressure will be brought to. b ear to induce y ou to v iolate your convictions of right.

This is the very citadel of y ou?' st?·onglwld, and to yield in this is to yield in all .

Mr. Numskull au cl Mr . H arclhead will bring all th e arts and d evices of street p olit icians to b ear upon you, but they must be met with an unalter able purpose.

I ssu e your certificates to worthy applicants, m ak e each certificate m ean all it says, and wor th its full face value. This will be no easy task m any times, and m any circumstan ces will of necessity h ave to be tak en into consider ation. But in this w ay you can accomplish great good for the sch ools, improving them as you improve the teachers conducting them.

A volume migh t b e wri tten and all would not b e said . I know yours is n o easy task to accomplish. I kuow th at m any year s of faithful, earn est labor, h ave not yet p roduced this state of affairs. Let u s n o ~b e discouraged . T hrough th e ri fting m asses of clark clouds comes au occasion al ray of li o-h t bi ddiu ou s h ope th e full noon splendor will find us in th e land and among th0e Ilving . "'

24

.BEST METHOD OF

ELECTING COUNTY SUPERIN TEN .0 E N Tt:l.

25

NEBRASKA STAT E TEACHERS' A SSO CTATTON.

ADDRESSES DELfVERED BEFORE

i:l. Election by the whole voting population at a general election. Twenty-two states or territories elect superintend ents in this way.

The firs t plan is better adapted to a small state than a large one, ;since in a large state, as Illinois for instance, it would be practically impossible for one man or a board a t the seat of government to know the best men in each coun ty.

B esides, such ap pointmen ts are almost univer sally made on p artisan politic~] g ro_und s, or, if no t m ade in this spirit, they are by most people supposed to be, which supp osition injures ti1C usefulness of a superintend en t almost as much as tlie truth w ould . It is a significan t fact, to wliich speciaJ attentio n is called, th at in Maine, wher e the system of appointing county superintendent s wa~ tJ·ied un der the most favorable c ircumstances, the law was all owed to stand but a year or two. This plan is also objectionable in th at it ta kes a ppointment of school officers too far from the people, and a li enates the m from supporting tlie system .

The second method h as this s'igual advan tage, th at it leaves tlie selection of the county superintendent to the active officers of the school sy. tern, who a re themselves elected by t.b e people, aQd who usually will have no other purpose t.hau to secure the best man. As the school directors are seldom elected on par. t isan grounds, it would lJe impossible to tell in advance what tbe political com . pl exion of the convention would be. Tlii s fact gives !!OOd assuran ce t hat th e selection would be made on the g round of fitne s rathe1:--than on tli at of p ast po. litical affiliation or partisan necessities. The county sup erintendent is a n officer of limited jurisdiction, with more influence tllan legal power. He is rather a 11 adv ise r of th e school boards tlian a.n officer of d istin ct legal function an d sepa. rate jurisdi ction. This is the ligll t in which c ity school sup erin tendents are looked upon. If there ever was a c ity where th e superin tendent of sch ools was elected by t-h e w hole voting population, I h ave never h eard of it. Can any rea- . sun b e g ive n why a cou nty sup erin tende nt, h aving almost exactly the sa.me duties to perform, should be elected in an entirely different way.

It is true that th e co un ty superin tendent in this state h as a limi ted jurisd iction in regard to dividin g districts not accorded liO him in other states; yet it is h ard to see why elec tion by the sc hool boards would disqualify him for this par ticula r work. . On behalf of the third plan, it is cla imed, fi rst, that it is more democratic more Ill accord a nce witli the spiri t of our government; second, that voting is an ecluca.. ting pow er, a nd w h ere people are call ed upon to vote directly for sc ho ol officers, th ey will tak e more interest in sch ool affairs, and g ive a more cordial support to the sch ool system.

To the first po int it may be replied that this is not a pure democracy, but a representative republi c; and that the election of a superintendent by school boards, themselves elected by the people, is quite as Inuch in accord ance with the true spirit of our in stitu tions, as nomination by a part.isan delegate convention. It is a well-known fact that, as a rul e, we d o not vote d irectly fur our first choice for state or county officers. We-the voters I mean-have to choose be. tw een two m en, candid ates of two political parties. A nd if we think neither one qualified for the place, we h ave no means of correcting the evil; we must vote for one of the. e or not at all. Compare these two plans more minutely.

By the one the people elect school officers in each district to manage for them the school business of that district. In order that the schools may be properly

tbe

BY PROF. S. R. TH OMl'SON.

The county superintendency, within twenty-five y ears, bas lJee n adopted by thirty-six states and territories. It has been abolished in but two . . While this fact indicates the general popula rity of the system, it i s not without active ene. mies. In almost every legisl ature that meets, some one is moved to introduce a bill "to abolish the county superintendency," a nd it meets with more or lcs opposition from various quarters. That, notwithstandin g these mlverse criticism s, the system maintains its ground so tenaciously, sh ows that it possesse inherent vitality, and suggests that the objections lie rather again st t he difccts of the system than the system itself. If this is true, a m e ndment is n eed e d, not de. struction. A.fter five years service as county superintendent, and fifteen ycru·s teaching under the system in three difl'erent states-during which time I have studied it as carefully as I was able-! am convinced that our schools cannot be profitably carried on without county supervision, and that ·when t hi s s y stem is freed from the entangling alliances, and unaecessary burdens which now obstruct its usefulness, it will be as permanent as the school system itself.

I think that the system of county supervision in this State, as in a. number of others, while on the whole doing good work, bas three weak points , which, if not. ch anged for the bette r, may some day lead to its entire overtlu·ow. Th e s e a r e: 1. The time of service is too short to enable a n officer to acq uire ex p e rience and develop the greatest efficiency. · 2. The law prescribes no definite standard of qualifica tions .

3. The election of the county superintendent by the people, on the nomination of a partisan political convention, is not adapted to secure the best m an for tlw work.

For the first two evils the remedy is obvious. The third m a y be overcome, to a great extent, by providing for the election of the county superintendent by a convention of district school officers.

It is my purpose to present in this paper as full a d escription of this topi c as the time at my command will allow, and to this your attention is invite d.

Three different methods of selecting county superintendents are in use: 1. A.ppointment by the governor, by a state board of education, or by the county court. Seven states and territories have in use this plan.

2. Election by the officers of the school districts in the county, met in convention for this purpose. Five states h ave this plan in use.

)

4

26

ADDRF~ES

NEBR ASKA STATE TEACH ERS' ASSOCIATION.

DE L I VERED BEFORE

tau gh t, som ebody must examine into the fi tness of ca nd id ates, v is i t t lle s ch ool, etc., etc . The d irectors, instead of d oing this themsel ves, m eet t ogeth er a nd se. lect one m an to do this work for all th e districts i n t h e county. T hese s c h ool officers being d irectly resp onsible to the p eople for th e c onduct of schoo l a ffa irs, n aturally seek for a competent m an to p erfor m the du ties whic h t h ey t urn over to him. These district-school officers, being usu a lly elected witho u t r ega rd to p olitical parties, th eir choice in turn is lik ely to b e free from p a r t isan bi as.

By the other plan, a small proportion of th e v oter s of each p olit ic a l p a rty meet in primary meetings and select deleg ates to a c ounty u om in a t ing convention , and it is notorious that in a large p art of th e in st a nces, t hese d e l egates are privately named before by th e leading pol itic iaBS a t th e cou n ty seat. T h es e d elegates meet in convention an d select d elegates to be vo ted fo r~ by t h e p eople at the next election.

If the candidates selected for county super intendent a r e b o th good m en - and that th ey often are not a few excellent su p erintenden ts n ow act i n g in t ll is state are living witnesses-all goes well enoug h; but i f they sh ou ld b e tota-lly unfit a they sometimes are, we all k now th at th eir p ar ty friend s u su a lly d o th e ir b est to elect them .

The way the nominations are made at th ese con ventions h as a s t ron g tendency to give undue weigh t to oth er consider ations th an fitness fo r th e d u t ie s of the office. Usually, the county superintenden t is the l ast officer nominated, the more lucrative and desirable offices being first filled, and when the t ime com e s for the nomination of the sup erin tendent, the delegates arc w ear ied a nd d is posed to hurry matters through ; or the man b est qu alifi ed m ay li ve in a prec inct from which some other candidate h as already b een n om inated, a n d t h e m an fi n ally nominated owes his selection to h is l ocation r ather than t o h i s fitn ess. O r , h e m ay h ave been chosen because he is an active politicia n , a nd c a n get v otes for his p arty, or be.c ause h e has done th e p arty servi ce and must b e r ewarded by a nomination.

The great objection to all this is, not th at d isqualified m en a r e a lways selected in this way, but that the risk s are g reater th a n the other, a nd b e cau se the whole tendency of it is to give undue weigh t to o th er considerat ions than fitness to disch arge the duties of the office.

N early all thoughtful m en agree that it i s very desir ab le to k eep sch o o l m atters from becoming entangled with partisan p olitics , and some w ho advocate the election of superintendents by th e p eople, adv i se th a t the el e cti on should b e at a different time from the gener al State election so tha t th e bus in e ss sh o uld be kept as m uch as possible ou t of politics.

There is another view of the case which d eserves attenti on . The s u perintenden t's work is one which requires for its best p erformance skill a n d ex p er ien ce, but the continual variation in the n ecessities ar e condition s of p a rtisan polit ics in a county, or th e general belief in the principl e of r otation in office a r e likely to leave the superintendent ou t j ust when h e h as begun to d evel o p h i s g r eatest efficiency.

On the other h and, experience w.i th the plan of election by sch ool board shows, that under this system, a competent and h on est superinten den t is likely to b e r etained as long as he does his w ork well. A m an w h o h as a r easonabl e prospect of a p erman ency in a business can better afford to qu alify h imsel f for his w ork, and h as more encouragement to do so than if the ch an ces are that a two-y ears' term is as mu ch as he m ay expect.

27

I think, too, that a superintendent elected by the school directors, if he tries to a r e-election would n aturally h·y to show h is ability to discharge h is duties m the b est m anner, since the sch ool officers, being most actively engaged in the w ork, will k now b etter what he is doing than the gener al p ubiic. But if he is seek ing to secure election by th e p eople, his m ain concern will first be to se· cure his n ominat ion , and th is h e will strive to do by making himself useful to the p olitical w ire-pullers of the county. Of course: not all m en will do either of th ese thin gs, but I thi nk th e.teudeucy is as stated.

In r ega rd to the p r op osition to change the mode of electing county suparintend en tsin th is state, it h as b een charged that it is an attempt to " wrest their pr e. ~ogat1ves from the p eop le and to p u t them in th e h ands of an oligar chy ." Now 1f th e school d ir ectors of a coun ty who meet once in two or three years, to select a cou~~ super i-n tendent, can1be properly said to constitute an "oligarchy," then our dictionar ies cer tain ly need some revision .

I t i~ h u m bly suggested that if any body of men in one of our counties may b e, With any sort of propriety, called au oligar chy- name most odious to American e~r s-i t is th at little squ ad of squiring politi'c ians who !u·e continually sch emmg t o get office ; wh o overflow with affection for the "honest yeoman" (just before election) and who are so afraid th at the dear people (bless th em !) m ay b e depr ived of th eir " prerogatives . " D o not u nderstand m e to say or think that all m en wh o engage in political life are knaves . :Many w orthy m en tak e par t in politics because they wish to see aclopt~d pri nciples which th ey cherish . Yet I speak but the sober judgm ent of the Wisest and b est men in the land when I declare my conviction th at our p ub. l ie school system h as more to fear from the schemes and j ealousies of political factions th an fr om all other causes combined.

It can b e demonstrated that the stability and u seful ness of the county sup erintendency in any state is in propor tion to the distance it is removed from th e political ar ena . Comp ar e I owa and P ennsylvania for instance . N ot a legislature m eets in th e former but an effort is m ade to r epeal the system while in P ennsylvania, th ough th e sy stem has been in use twenty-two yea;s, I h~ve heard of n_o p~·oposition to ab olish it being made in th e leg islature for sixteen years. I am m chned to think that to the plan of electing the superintendent by schogl board, which h as always prevailed in Pennsylvania, much of this steadiness is d ue. I t is a fact that the superintendency is largely divGrced from politics in P ennsylvan ia . You m ay find all over the state r epublican super inten dents in strong dem ocr atic counties, and the reverse.

In conclusion , I ask every friend of public schools to consider this qu estion earnestly, d ispassionately, in the light of reason and experience. L et public sentiment once grasp fi rmly th e possibility of improvement in the direction of wise, stable and p rogr essive super vision of our schools, and we w ill soon see improvem ents m ade.

T eacher s may do a valuable work in th e community by aiding in diffusing cor rect views on this and k indred subjects. · .

N OTE.-In tlie discussion wh ich follo~ved the reading of bh is p aper at the S tate Association , it w as obj ected to the plan advocated, th at it is a m ere m ak e.· shift, th at it w ould not oper ate to keep th e selection from being made on p olitical ~rounds. I n sup port of this view refer ence was m ade to the history of the electiOn of P r esident of th e United States, in which the electors no longer exerciae s~cu:e

28

ADJJRES "

D ELIVE RED llEFQRB

any d iscretion or choice, but simply ratify the will. of the people ex pressed for a candidate n amed before. It was claimed that an attempt to el ect schoo l s uperintendents by the schooljboa rds would result in the same way-th e m a n would be named before and the school officers would be elected to r at ify t h e choice of the people.

T o this objection, two answers may b e made: 1. In states where the cou nty superintenden t !J as been for many years e l ected by the school boards no such condition of ctjf'ai7'S kas r es1tltecl. Expe ri e nce g ive no weight to this objection.

2. At least one.thinl of the school boards w il l b ave I.Jcen elected fo r two years, and another third fo r one year, befo re they a rc called upon to vote ror a c o u nty superi ntendent. Does any one seriously s uppose tlJ at, w i t it no g..-catcr e m o l uments in prospect than pertain to the county s uperi n tenden cy, tit is ofJicer cnn bo able to" set up " his election two years before it takes p lace?

Even if all t be dis t1i ct boards were elected the same y ear they vote fo1· the superintendent, so little attention is pa id to party l ines in the selecti o n ot district officers, that but littl e could be d one by poli ticians to " set_up " Lhe election of anyone.

To ascertain the dTift of current educational thoug ht. on th is (1 uesti o n, the subj oined letter wa add.ressed to twenty rep resentative _e d u cators i n t b il' tcen states : · "D~ar Sir.:_W ill you be kind enough to indicate w hi ch_ of t h e two m eth ods of selectmg county superintendent ind icated below you prefer: · " 1. By the whole voting population at a general election . . "2. By t~e school district officers of the county-or t he ir cle legat.es-assemb led 1n convention."

Of the twenty addressed, nineteen have responded, an d tile s ubs ta u ce of t h e ir replies is given below, in most cases by a n extract. from the l ette r . No letter s r eceived h ave been omitted. It is proper to say that, with tw o o r th r ee e xceptions, I had no knowledge of thei1· opinions upon the question a t issu e ti ll their r eplies were received.

This fact, taken in connection with the representative character of the gen tl em en, indicates that these replies m ay be taken as a fair expression of the best th ought of the day on the subject before us. It w ill b e observe d th at b u t one of the whole number is wholly in favor of the method prevail ing in this State, w h ile nearly or quite tlll'ee.fourths of the who le number are str ongly i n favor of e lecting byi.school boards.

• Hon N ewton B ateman, late State Superintenden t o f Illino is, now P r eside nt of Knox College, Galesburg, says : "As common sch ools a re for t h e who l e body of the people, and as their stability and progress must depend i n th e long run upon public favor or an enligh tened public sentiment, it would seem t.o I.Je s ound policy to refer the choice of those county officers directly to the p eopl e a t lar ge.

It identifies the people with the administration of the sys tem, a ntl d evol ves upo n them a large and just share of the respons ib ili ty for success or fa.i I u re. " Hon. J. L . Pick,ard, City Superintend ent of Schools in Chi cago, p refer s t h e plan of electing county superintendents by the p eopl e, b u t s u g g es ts t.ha.t th e election shoul d be held at a different time from the general e lectio n in o rd e r to keep it out of polit.ics. He says: " To vote is a n ed ucating ~~ge ncy, a nd to a l low the people to vote for school. officers is esp ecia lly ad vau tageoQs in this direction.

NEl3RASKA STATE TEACHERS' .AS OCI.ATION.

29

So much by way of theory . The practical side as seen in actual life, I m u st con fess g ives me a little hesitation in clingin_g to my theory .

Hon. B. G. Nor throp, ot Connecticu t, declines g iving a d irect answer.

Gen. John Eaton, of the National Bureau of Education, at Washington, r eplies that it is the l.msiness of that bw·eau to g ive information rather than opinion s, b u t says: "There cau be no doubt, h owever, but that the more intelligent U1c electors, and the more they are removed from the influence of party politics, the m ore hope th ere wi ll be of securing good school officers."

P rof. F. A. A ll en, of :Ma nsfield, Pa., well known as a Nor mal School Principal, and as an instit itute instructor, says: " Judging from our experience (twentytwo year:·) in th is state, I am convinced that tlw county superintendents should be elected by d istri ct boa rds. It is certa in ly far more likely to keep it out of the poli tical m ess: In our st.rougest democratic counties, r epublican superintenden ts arc n ow, aud have been for years, officiating, and vice vona. '~ * * I was much pleased with the system in Maine, which was in vogue when I w as working there, th ough they have now clone away wiU1 the entire system of county su pervision. T h e county superintendents were a]Jp oin ted by the state superintendent. This gave him the entire charge of his aids. They were subject to removal by him at any time. H e was thus enabled to carry ou t in every part of th e State a uniform system of worl;, and k eep only good men in office. * * . '~ I can see that in a large state like ours, with sixty.five coun ties, there might be d ifficulty ."

H on. D . Burt, Superintendent of P ubl ic Iustrnctiou of Minnesota, replies : "Our county superi n tendents have been appointed by the cou nty commissioners.

In some counties the plan works well, in others ill. So I th ink it would be with election by th e people. * ':' ':' T he trouble witJJ that question is to keep it out of politics . A ny piau that can do this will be a good one."

Ron. E. A . Apgar, State Superintenden t of New J ersey, wri tes: "We secure o u r county superintendents by appointment" (of state board of education) "and we think it altogeth er the better plan . " .Pr of. W . T. Harris, City Superintendent of St. Louis, Mo., says : " I believe the best m ethod of electing county superintendents would be by the second piau, viz: by a convention composed of the several district officer s, or their delegates."

P rof. Amos Row, late County Superinteuden t of Buchanan :county, Iowa, writes : "I am most emphatically opposed to tbe plan of electiug coun ty superintendeut.s by the popular vote. 1st. The dominant party usually elects, and that w ithout regard to the requisite q nalifi catious. 2d. The officer thus elected is p resumed by m any to be under political obligations to the friends who elected him . 3d. U nworthy aspirants ·cnn often, by political i~ t.r i gue, m ake th emselves of such importance to unscrupulous politicians, as often to secure their election regardless of q ua lifications. 4. School d irectors, in my opinion, being the chosen represen tatives of the people iu school 1natters, are the right persons to elect the county super intend ent."

Prof. T . J. Morgan, of Ch icago, wr ites : "I th ink it better to c.hoose the county s u perintendent by the sc hool officers. I iucli ue to think it should be left to t.he moderators of the districts. This, while taking the matter out of par ty politics, leaves it practica'lly in the h a nds of the people."

Hon. M . A . N e well, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Maryland, replies :

30

.ADDR ESSES DELI VER ED B EFORE

" Our experience in this State is decidedly in favor of h aving th e county school superintendent appointed by school officers, r ather than el ected by a popular vote."

Prof. H . S. J ones, C'ity S up erin tendent of tlchools, Erie, Pa ., s ays: " The his. tory of the superintendency in the United States, is that el e ctio n of sch o ol su. perintendents by the people h as proved a failure. 1\'I i chig a n , the great e duca.. tiona! state, ' went back ' on h er record for the reason th a t h er ' pol i tical ' superintendents were not wh at was requ ired . " P rof. J . also suggests that no state which h as adopted th e sy s tem o f e l ecting SlJperintenclents by the school boards has ever abandoned the p la n .

Hon. W. D. Henkle, late State Superintendent of Ohio, now ed i t or o f the National T eaclwr, writes : " I think it better for th e county s uperin ten den ts to b e elected by the presidents of the boards of edu cation o f th e coun ty. The popula r vote is a poor way of secu ring skilled labor . " H on. E . E . White, President of P ardue Universi ty, Ind., writes : "I a m decidedly in favor of th e plan of electing county s uperin tendents by r epresentatives of the several school boards of the county. See my rep ort as School Commissioner of Oh io, for 1863- 64 pp. 34-39. I p refer to h ave ea ch board r e p resented by one delegate appointed for this p u rpose."

Prof. Edward Brooks, Principal of the Sta te Normal Sch ool , M illersville, Pa., writes : "I prefer the method of elec~g county su p er intende n ts b y s chool ofil. cers. I t is much less cumbrous th an th e p opular v ote m e thods, a n d secures a more intelligent vote. * '~ * In our state the s uperinten den ts a re el e c t ed by t~e school directors in county conventions, and i t n ot only works well in practice, but seems to me to be them·etically correct."

H on. D. B. Briggs, Superintendent of Public Instruction of M i chig an, after speaking of the abolition of the county sup erintendency abou t one year ago in that state, says : " Our own experience h as made m e firm in the convi ctio n th at the election of county superintendents should be th e farthes t possi b le r e m ov ed from p olitical influences; and furth er, that elligi bility to the offic e · sh o uld b e based u pon certain literary qualifications . I am favorabl e to t he plan of having the su_p erint_endents chosen by th e local sch ool officers dir ec tly , o r by d elegates of the1r cho1ce in convention assembled."

Hon. Edward Searing, State Super intenden t of W isconsin, w ri tes: " I c h eerfully answer your question, which is an important one, and one too little con sid. ered. I know of no worse way of selecting county superintendents th a n by a popular vote at a general election. E lection by a cou n ty conven t ion of s chool officers, or delegates from school boards, is better ; b u t I b elieve a p poi ntmen t by a central authority the best."

Prof. Jo~ Hancock, Super intendent of Schools, Dayton, Ohio, s ays : "I should dectdedly prefer that county su per inten den ts b e elected b y del egates fr o m school district boards. There are very decid ed obj ec tions to the selecti on of s u ch an officer by the direct vote of the pwple . Seldom, if ever, is th e bes t m a n for the place obtained in this way. ':' * * T o k eep. our sch ool m a n age m ent o u t of par ty politics is imperatively necessary, if we would n ot see o ur sch o ol sy st em deprived of its efficiency and the public con fiden ce. I cann ot see how this can be done if the chief officers are elected on party i ssu es. The el ecti on by d elegates of school boards will, it seems to m e, avoid i n a l arge m e a sure t h ese politi. cal difficulties, and be much more likely to secure a competent officer."

NEB RASJtA. ST AT E TE A.OillmSl .ASSOCIAT ION.

31

H on. J . P. Wickersh am, State Superintendent of P ennsylvania, replies : " I am very m uch in favor of electing county super intendents by the district officers.

If elected by th e people, the office could not possibly be k ept out of the h ands of the politicians."

Prof. W . F . Phelps, Pr incipal of the State N ormal Sch ool of Minnesota and President of the N ational Teachers' Association, says : "In reply to your re'q uest for my opinion a.s to the two methods of selecting county sup erintendents : (1) 'By th e people at a general election,' or, · (2) ' By the district officer s in convention,' I would most unhesitatingly give my preference for the latter. Officer s c hosen for sch ool purposes, and more or less occupied with the duties p ertaining to the administrat ion of schools, ought certainly to be better j udges of the fitness of cou nty superintendents than the average voter who gives little- or n o attention to the subject. This is too apparent to r equire argument. But in the second pl ace, the lat ter plan is now in successful oper ation in P ennsylvania, which h as one of the very b est administered sch ool systems in this coun try. Thus theory and practice combine to declare in favor of the election of superintendents by subordinate sch ool officers."

32

NEBRASKA

ADDRESSES DF]LfVERED l3EFORE

PRESIDENT'S Al>DREE'

BY C.

f..

!'A LM E R , REA Tit fi ' Jo: .

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :

It is my .privilege to. preside over this A ssocia tion at its Ce ntcnniu.l session .

It will not therefore be considered inappropriate for me to d evote the time a llotted to the President's address to a consideration of the ed u cu.tion n.l aspects of this important anniversary . ~o many addresses have been delivered, so m a ny essay s written, and so many articles. published upon" The Progress of Education," the" Present Condition of Education," etc., that it would be h ardly worth while, h ad I ; the time, to discuss these particular features of our educational hi story . I s h all therefore confine myself to the narrower, but no less difficult topic the con dition of edtwation in America one hundtred yewrs ago. ' Could I accomplish my full desire concerning this add ress, I would present to you a complete picture of the edu cational sy s tems in operation a t the beginning of our n~tional existence ; I would give you a minute description of the mea ns and appliances of education as they then existed; I would tak e you into a country school of the olden time, and point out to you the appearance a nd manners of teacher and pupils, and expl ain to you the method s of teaching whi ch were at that time considered orthodox; I would, in short, make you to understand exactly what our colonial ancestors considered a good education, and the means by which it was sought to be obtained. But unfortunately the materials for so complete a presentation of our subject are not at hand. The informa tion whicll has _co~e down to u s on this subject is exceedingly meagre and unpleasantly statistical-the m ere dry bones of the subject, entirely divested of that a nimated covering which would form for u s its chief attraction.

But while we must content ourselves with much less than might b e desired in this respect, enough is known to assure u s that in the New Eng land colonies, at least, the means of education wer e not wanting; and that tile noble sentiment of John Adams, incorporated in the Massachusetts constitution of 1780, to the effect that wisdom and knowledge are necessary for the preservation of the people's rights and liberties, and that these depend on spreading the means of ed ucation, found an echoing response in the h earts of the m asses of the peopl e.

The term fr ee school was first u sed in a law of Virginia, foundin g snell a school at Charleston City, in 1621. Two years previous to this, however, a free Indian school had been established at Henrico, liberally endowed by English philanthropists, but after an existence of less than three year;;, it came to a n untimely end-all the teachers and most of the students being cruelly massacred by that race for whose benefit it had been established.

TATE TEACHERS

A..:

OClATION.

33

But !.ho ugh tile p ioneer in elluctiliou ns in settlement, i.rginia manifested no such ge neral in terest in ed ucation as prevailed in the New England Colonies• and soon fell far beh ind her northern rivals of l ater settlement.

The loafers anll adven turers wh o settled irginia, were of different material from tl10se h ardy Purit.ans who la nd ed on Plymouth Rock, and the character of the a ncestry of the colony left it im pre s upon many succeeding gener ations.

The m asses of t.hc people were ignora nt and brutal, and untversal education was a th ing h a rdl y cons idered possible or de irable even by the mo t intelligent of her citizens.

• In 1661 t be General As embly initiated steps for the fo unding of a college, bu t the proj ect la ngu ished , and ten years after Gov. Berkely thanked God that there were no free schools· nor p rinting in the colony, a nd hoped t.here would not be "these hundred years; " " fo r," said he, " learning has brought disobedience, and heresy, and sects into the world, and printino- has clivulgecl them, and li bels against tlte gover nment. God keep us t:rom both!" Th at impious prayer came near being a n swer ed, for within the present century au honorable Vil·ginian in Congress thaukecl God that there was no uewsp11per in his district. And well he might, for the influe nce of newspapers i · uot favorable to the political a p irations of such as h e .

The second free sch ool in the country was established i n Boston in 1636. Six years later the General Assembly pas eel the first eduetttional law of Massachusetts, wllic h, strangely en ou g h, was a. stringent compulsory law. It required the select meu of every town to keep a v ig ila nt eye over their brethren and neighbors, seeing to it that th ey teach their children and apprentices, by themselves or others, so much lear ning as m ay ena ble lliem to rea 1 th e Engli h tongue and the capital law s, upon penalty of twenty shillings for each neglect therein.

Connecticut was but littl e, if :my, behiud Massachusetts in her early provision for education. Her firs t scl10ol was establishl!d at N ew Haven in 1639, and at the beginniug of the Revol ution thi s colony h ad its townships divided in to districts, with a r eg ul ar syste m of primary schools, and a gnmm1ar school in each cotmty s up ported by a s ubs idy of public lands .

New Hampshire had a school law similar to that of l\'Iassachusetts, an d enacted at the sam e t irue . I t provided for a prima ry school in every township of fifty householders, a nd n gram m ar school in every township of one hundred ho useholders. The m as ter of th e latter was req uired to be able to " iu trn ct youU1 o fa r as they m ay be tilted for ye University."

Vermont h ad free neig h!Jorhoocl schools, volun tar il y ma in tained, but its first school law w as n ot p assed until l783.

The condition of education in :Maryland may be inferred fro m the follow ing advertisement, which appeared u the Baltimore Gasette of February, 1774 : "To BE SOLD -A schoolmaster ; an indentured servant that has got two years to serve. John ·Hammond, near Annap olis. N .B.-He is sold for no tault, any more than we a re doNe with him. H e can learn book.keepiug, aucl is a n excel· lent sch ol ar," So early as 1723 free schools existed in many counties of lliru·y\aud, but the first state constitut,ion, adopted in 1776, contained no a}iusion to education, and what is still more remarkable, that of 1S5f was equally silent on this subj ect.

The only other colony in which a ny systematic provision for ed ucation wa s made prev io t1s to tile b cg inniu g of th e Revolu tionary war, was Pennsylvania.

5

34

ADDRESSF.,S DELIVERED BEFORE

Her noble founder felt a deep interest in education, a nd his o ri g inal c ilarter provided that the governor and council should erect a nd dir et:t a ll publi c sc hools in Pennsylvania. In 1752, trustees and managers were appointed for the sch ools, and this arrangement continued in force unt il the ado ption of the s tate con sti tu tion in 1776. This instrument provided for the establishment of a school in each county, and appropriated 60,000 acres of land for the ir support. The first r eal school law, however, was not passed until 1819.

Thus we see that seven of the thirteen colonies which becam e the th irteen original states of the American Union, had some sort of public free sehoul in ex istence at the time of the adoption of the D eclaration of Indep endence. Of the remaining six colonies, New York adopted a constitution which contained no allusion to schools, and though a school law was p assed in 1795, it w as not t ill 1812 that the foundation of the present public school system w as securely la id.

Rhode I sland made no systematic efiort for edu cation until far into th e present century.

Delaware passed her first school law in 1796, bu t no free schools were establish ed until i829.

The Carolinas made no eflort whatever for education, it being th e ir policy to leave the matter entirely in the h ands of the people.

Georgia adopted a constitution in 1777 which provided for the establi shmen t ?f schools in each county, to be supported at the exp ense of the sta te; a nd dur~g the next fifty years there was considerable legi slation on tb.e s ubject, a nd liberal appropriations of money and lands were made. But it seem s to h ave been impossible to legislate any interest into the p eople on this subj ect, and the schools lang uish ed. Indeed we find it everywhere true that edu ctttional progress ·depends not so much on the eflorts of leaders as upon th e character of the common people. Where they are intelligent and enterprising, sch ool s a re established and _su~cessfully maintained; but on the contrary , wher e the m asses of the p eople are md1fferent to the subject, but little success can be obtained, even with the most enlightened legislation, except by persistent effort .for several su ccessive generations.

So far we have spoken only of the primary public schools. B u t this was not the only direction in which our forefathers labored for the spread of that wisd om and knowledge which they considered necessary for the preservation of their libe~tie_s . They manifested an interest in higher education w hich was truly gratifymg. At the beginning of our national existence they had already founded and put in successful operation, nine colleges, viz: Harvard, founded at N ew ton (afterwards Cambridge), Mass., in 1636; William and Mary, at Williamsburg, V a ., in 1693; Y ale, at New H aven, in 1700; College of N ew J er sey, at Princeton, in 1746; K ing's (afterwards Columbia) at New York in 175<!· U niversity of P ennsylvania, at Philadelphia, in 1749; Brown, at Pro; idence, i~ 1764; Dart~outh, at Hanover, N.H., in 17139 ; Rutger's, at New Brunswick, N . J., in I780.

Though bearing the name of colleges, these institutions w er e mere c ountry academies, inferior in facilities and efficiency to many high schools of the present d ay. Columbia, for instance, h ad but two teachers and thirty-five students, and it is probable that the two lower classes of H arvard h ave to-clay more students than were enrolled in all the colleges in the country at that: time . But though weaklings in m eans and influence, their importance to: the colonies was very great. Says a recent-writer on this subject:

N ERR Ai"K .A

T AT:F T EA HE.R

ASSOCIATION.

35

"I attach an im por!Jmce beyond all power of expression t-0 those nine colleges· which educated tb c gen erat io n of m en who achieved our independence, and laid the found a t io n s o f our gove rnmen t. * "' We owe a debt of gratitude we can never repay * * to th ese nut· ing mothers of the Romu.li of the Republic. " But t h ougll m ost o r t h e revolu t ionary leaders were men of considerable culture, only a small p a r t of th em were college bred, and it is probable that the common sch ools, wi th t ile h :lbit of private tndy, so common at that time, h ad qui te as m u c h to llo ,wi th m o ulding th characters of those who won our independence, as d i l the u iuc college . Eve n such literary men as Irving, Cooper, and Halleck, wer e self-tau g h t.

ID add it ion to the m eans of ·u lturc afto rded by the ch ools and colleges all·eady mentioned, t ilcr c w e re publi librar i in m ost of the leading cities, and some fifteen n ewspap ers, dis tri b u ted a b ou t equally between the cities ofPhiladelphia, New York, a n d Bos ton. Tile carlic t c tabli b ed of the latter was the B oston N ewsLette-r, which commen ced its ex istence in 1704. This, and several others which succeeded i t, were prin ted o n n. h a lf-sheet o f -foolscap paper, and were desig n ed simply to c irc ula te e x tracts fro m letters received by the colonists, containing news f1·om the mother coun try . ~ u ch nc,vspap er establishmen ts as those of the present d n.y were n e ve r dream ed o f by th e wildest fanatics.

Though n o t s p e ci a.lly p ertaining t my subject, I may be pardoned for stopping to g la nce for a m o m ent a t t ile m ttteri al condition of the colonists when they so b ol dly p rocla.imeLl tltc mselvc in l cpenden t of all protection and support from , as well a s contr ol o r, t h e m oLh er country .

A thin li n e of s ettlem e n ts s tretched from Ma ine to Georgia. Alb any w as a frontier town. Pittsburg wa only a mili tary post, :wd the great coal and iron reg ion of P ennsylvania a n u ndisturbed wilderness.

R ailroads, s teamboats, and telc o-raph were unknown, and the clumsy stage coa ch and the s low s aili n g vessels were the only public conveyances. R oads were bad, a nd v ehic les h eavy and inconvenient. "The wealthy k ept a coach and four (sometimes s ix), a nd p ostilJions and outr iders were the acme of style."

I t took a sl oop seve n clays to sai l from Philadelphia to Albany; it was also a week's journey from Bosto n to N e w York by stage; a.nd when it was announced th at a coac il w o uld ruu from N cw York to Philadelphia in two days, provided passeng e r s w o uld c r oss o ver to Pa.ulu H ook the nigh t before, so a-s to be ready for an early s ta rt, it attntctecl n early a::; much atten tion as tJ1e fast m ail train of recent t i mes.

There c o uld b e !Jut li t t le inter course bet ween d istant colonies, and during the w inter travel w as n early impossible , e i ther by land or w ater. It will be r emembered that t h e in au g ura t ion of vVashington as the first President had to b e postponed nearly a mo n tu, for want of a quo rum in Congress, the non-arrival of m embe r s being cau sed by the b a d r oa,ds .

The people were m a in ly cngng·ed in fa rming, lumbering, trading, hunting, and fishing. Few of t h e mechanic a t·ts were carried on, except ship -building . Carpentry, b l acksmi t hing, a nd tanning were th e principal trades. Wagons a.nd agricultura l implemc n ts w er e m a d e by tile countr y m echanic, of such m aterial s as were at h and, a nd w e r e c o n serJU Cntly rude a nd in efficient. But little m etal was used. J\io ulcl h wu·d s o f p l o w s were n s u nlly madc\of wood, faced with strips \ of iron, made by h a mmering o u t o ld lwrse s h oes.

There was not a cotton mi ll in the colouics- iudeecl, th {l flrst cotton seed wa

It

36

ADDRESSES DELIVERED

N EBRA KA

BEFOJ~E

37

statesmen of the fut u r e sh a ll b e virtuous, honor a ble, and wise enough to preserve our country from the many danaers which constantly beset us, and make success. f ul this exp e l"iment of pop ul a r ;overnmentso grandly begun!

If we are happier, and wiser , an d better, beca u se of the conscientious labors of those s.choo lmastcrs w ho t a ught Washington to love honor and country more than kmgly crown, inspi red the Ada m-es with their love of freedom, or trained th e ton g u e of Patrick Henry a nd the pen of Thomas Jefferson, then may not 0 ~ 1• l abors , if we are fa ithful to our sa cr d ·trusts, make the world better, and Wiser, and h a ppiCl·, a hundred yem·s to come! Our n!Wles m ay never be enrolled upon the s croll of fa me; pos terity may nc\er know the iniluence w e have exert. ed for its weal; but if we do o ur d u ty faithfully and well , the seeds we sow will surely b em· fruit in God' s own g od time . ~ eminent tcacllC r , Prof. Venable, of Cincinna ti, has so bea utifully expressed tb I S tho u ght in a little p oem, that I quote it as a fitting close:

no~ planted till after the war-a nd the spinning wheel a nd l oom wer e necessary ~ticles of furniture in every co un try home. There were but t"lvo steam e ng ines

m the colonies, and these of the crudest pattern.

The only ar ticles manufactured were woolen a nd linen goods, p aper, g lass, and beaver h ats, and these in but few pl~ces . F~r all else, except the products of the soil, they were d ep en· dent up~n ImportatiOn. E ven bricks were impor ted from Holland . W ell might they hesitate before tak ing a step th at would c ut them off from in tercotuse w ith the country u pon which they depended for s upplies of so m a ny necessary a rti· cles, and leave them entirely dependen t upon the ir own resources! Indepen· dent indeed! No wonder the British lion shook his mane a nd roared in d erision at this bold ass umption! . And when we look at thei r s urround ings, we wonder s till m ore at the a ud a· cwus courage of th e men of '76. On th e north the Catholic French, burning with the hatred in spired by the lo ng colonial wars ; on the soutll, the no less hostile Span ia rds· on the west th e vast wilderness alive with savage Indians; on the east, the v~ster ocean, t~eming with British fl eets a nd a rmies; s urround ed. on every side with dead ly fo es · a nd adverse c ircumsta nces, hemmed in, cut oft from supplies of the common necessad es of life no l ess th a n munitions of war, w ith a promise of a traitor 's death to every one ca u g ht in h is treason, -a h, they were brave men who could write them selves down r eb el s w ith steady hand on that July day, one hundred years ago! .

A hundred years! When we think of the generations of m e n that have nsel~, flourished, and passed away; when we think of th e wonderful discoveries of SC I· ence, tbe multiplication of the m eans of c ulture, the revolution in the modes of travel and communication; the prog ress of manufac tu res a nd the mech~tnic art.s, w?ich have made the ~ 19 th century pre-eminent a bove all other s of a uthent.!C h1story,- it seems a mighty stretch of time ! And y et a century i s not much m the life of a nation. Let him who imag ines the perpetuity of our g overnment a.ssured because it has stood for a hundred year s, recall the history of past natlOns, and h e will suppress h is congratulations.

Babylon was celebrating h er fo urteenth centennial on that night w h en Belshaz. zar saw the handwriting on the wall.

Rome didn't attain the heigh t of her g lory until more .than eight hundred years after her founding.

Venice was a flourishing repub lic for more than a dozen centuries, but decayed and died at last!

Shall we be more fortun ate than they? Sh all we not also sow tares with the ~heat in our nation al vineyard, and find them sp ringing up to choke o ut the hfe of the republic, a t the very time when we seem about to reap the h a rvest of 0 .ur prosperity? Upon whom does it depend to decide these momentous questiOns? 1 it be true that the stability of republican institutions dep ends upon tlle intelhgencc and virtue of the peopl e ; if it be true that th ose ni.nc colleges and th e common schools 0f New England moulded the character of "the Romu li of th e Republic," and developed withi n them those s tern qual ities which enabled them t~ lay the foundations of th is government broad and deep under su ch adverse Circumstances-to whom mo re th au to tl1e unknown a nd u~rewardcd sclwolmasters ofcolonial times is due t!Jc real credit of that a uspicious fonmlin o<r·> a nd U110ll wh . om more than upon the teaolwrs of to-day docs it depend to say whether t h e

TATE TEACHERS .ASSOOIATION.

A w c nry tcnchcr sn t n lon c while twilig h t gath e r ed on; And no t a ~ 0 11 11d wns h n rd :>ronnd-tbe b oy s nnd girle b a d gone.

Th e w ea ry t each er sat tllone: lln n e n ·ed an d p alo was he; " Bowe d ne ath n yok e of cnre, b e spoke in sud soliloquy: Another ro und , nuothcr round ofl. bor th ro\vn nwny,Anotho r cll!lin of t o il nnd pain drugged through n te dion day.

Of no nva il i F< cons tant :<en l, Im·e' s sacrifi ce is loss; The h o p es of morn, s o g o l d e n , turn, e ach e vening into dross. [ e qu n nctm· o n n b a rren fie ld my s treng th , my lif o, my all: 'l'h c seed s I so w will n eve r g r o w, they perish where they fall."

·~

He si., h ecl, and low u pon hi s hnnds hi s aching brow he pre t; And o' er his frum e ere lon g there came a soothir.g sense of res t.

And Lh en he li fted up hi s face, but st nrtod back nghnst,The room hy Ptrnn ge tl n d sudden chango assumed propor tion s YllS t .

It s ccn1 c d n. Senate hnll. a nd on n.ddrcssed a li steni ng throng; Enc h bu ruiu g word each bosom stirred, llpplnuse ro se loud nnd long .

The ' wild->rc d teacher tho ught he kn e w th e spenker's ,·oicc and look. .t\nd f or ll i A nnm c, ,, sn id h e, "the snn1c i in n1y re cord book.,

The sta t e ly ::;cu:~ t c hall d issolv e d, a ch u rch rose i n i ts plnce, \Vh c rc iu th e re s tood n nu1 n of God, dispensing words of g ruce.

And tho u g h he s poke i n s o le mn tone , and though his h a ir was gray, 'r h c tcnchc J·'s tho,t wns Ft rn.n gcly wro't, '"I whipped that boy to-day ! 11 '"l'h c ch u rch, a p h nntn s tn, vnni s he d so on ; what saw the teach er then ? ln c lass i c g lo om -of a lc ov->d room nn a uthor plie d his pen. ::My idl e::; f. l nd, ,, t h e teache r sn id, tl ll e d with a uew surp riseShall I be h o l d his u n.n1e e nro ll e d nn1on g th e g rent and w i o~m

u

1:

q

li I

-

'l'h e vi ~ion of n. cottngc hotnc the teacher now descrie d ; .

A mothe r's face illnm ecl the p l ace, h e r influ ence sanctified.

A tn irnc l e ! n. 1niracle! thi s nuttron well I know Was hnt a wild 11ncl cn.r c l ese ch ild not h a lf an hour ngo.

Au d s he n o w to Ite r childre n speaks of duty' s golden rul e, l·I c r lip s rt.Jpcnt, in acce nts s w eet, tny words to her at s chool ., The scone w:t::; c hn.n gc d .n.gnin , n.lttl Lo, t he school -house ru de a nd ol d ; Upon t h e w a ll did dnrln1es s _fall, tl~c evening a ir wns cold.

A drcum ! ,, the s l ee per, \Y f1k tn g, sn.td, then paced nlon,g the floor, And, whi stlin g s l ow and so ft. a n d lo w, he l ocked the school-honso door.

And, w n.lld n g hon1 c , hi s h en.rt w as Jull of peace nnd tru st aurl l ovc nu d prai se : And s i n g in g ~ low a nd soft a.ncl low, h e tntu-Juttre d ~ ' 1Vter 1un.ny da.ys. 11

38

' EB R A K t\ ' TATE 'f EACHER ' A, OOL\.TI ON .

A DDRESSES DELIVERE D BEFORE

THE D ANGER OF TOO MANY ST U D IES lN SCHOOL. BY

P ROF .

,J.

B . B RUNER,

OMAHA .

MR. PRESIDENT A ND M EliD3ERS OF THE A sso oiA'I'ION :

I a m g l a d tha t the subj e ct ass ig ned to me o n tlri s o c cas ion is n o t one i nvo l v in g an y d ead i ss u es of th e p ast, no r a ny dre am s of the f u tlu e, bu t one of p r e sent a nd vital importan c e . So pressi n g nd i mpera t ive is i t, that we c annot pos tpon e i ts con sid er a tion. The q u estion i~:~ upon us , a nd t h e p le a fo r s h ortene d h ours o f study, the so licitude of 13a r e nts , the g r owling of burden ed tax-pa yer s , th e o u t.. spoken sentime nts of advanced educa tor s, s u c h as Eliot a ncl Ander son, a nd gen er al sentiment as r efle cte d by th e press , war n u s of a coming cond e mna ti on of our sy stem, swift a nd str ong.

W e m i ght a s well c bn fess th a t, like othe r profe ss i ona l men , we h a ve theori zml i n disr egard of well-est a bli shed fa cts , and p u sh e d our experim ents with a l mos t savage r ecklessn ess, as i f the end u r a nce a n d c a pac ity of child r e n w e re i nfin i te.

W e must, if intellige nt a nd fa ithful , ?'Ct?'Cbce our steps , and a d a pt the meas u r e a nd m ethods e f our ins truction to the n ature, ca;pacity, a n d ?'equi?·em-ents of p u p ils .

Our crro 1· c an be char ged, to a g rea t exten t, to our i m p er fec t appr":c i a ti o n o f th e prima ry and i nsep ar a b l e dis tincti on b etween educo,tion and i nst1·u ction.

There i s the science of education ; t h ere i s th e a?'t o f in s truc tion ; but how fi·c · q u en tly are the terms u sed a s synonymo u s , a n d how m a n y of o ur fa ilures m ay b e a ttributed to the fa c t th a t we h ave f an c i ed ourse lves e ducator s while we w er e mer ely instr uc tors? T h e mi s t ake h a s l ed u s t o m ultip ly s tud ie s u nder th e impression th at we a r e eclucating . The op erati on is n othi ng but C?'a?n?ning, a nd the result of i t , n o t to produce a n e duca ted h u man intelligen ce w i t h well-d ev e lo p ed ~owers of mind, a nd fit ted for the a ctive d u ti es o f life , but a sad, p i t i ful wrec k 1n mind an d m or al s , whosefit-f or-nothin gness might well st'amp w i th r e p ro a ch th e system tha t h as sen t forth su ch a n aborti on o f intellectu a l life.

There ar e m any d anger s r esulti n g from too m a n y s tudies, -cla ngers of a g n t v e ch ar a cter, assa il in g even th e tea ch er- but we shall con fi n e o ur attention to t h e one which seem s to u s supreme i n its importan ce-the peril w hich threaten s th e mental and m oral life of the pupil.

Whatever vi_e w we tak e of the mental p ower , or i ts o p eration s; w h eth e r , l ike ~oc~e, ~e '?eh cve the m ind of a c h ild to be like a pie c e of whi te p a per waitin o· for ~nscnpt10ns, or tha t sensat i on s a re the res ult of atomic movemen'ts o f th~ bram, by w hich im ages are incfl'aceab ly st a mped up on i t we m u st a ll a o·t·ce that ~ental ~peration s occu py time, an d tha t the power of / ecei vi n g and 1~etai n i o g . tmpresswns is limited.

Whatever rap id ity and g r asp of m enta l a ction m ay be acquired s u b seq u ently , the processes of the your1g mind ar e s low a n d few. This fact th e system we condemn ignores, and th erefore we con d em n i t.

39

It over-estim ates Ut e sLreugU.t of q uali t.i which are j ust budding into life, and operates npo u t hem el isa t r u ly- ' like a kil ling fro t,' uipping them in the bod. Take one o f th ese m iud -worried e:s: iled, overm ked and haunted by the ccaseles _ ro un d of too many tudi e -and it ·will be found that thel'llpidity ~I chan?es JU vo lvcd, p revents absolutely th e fo rm at ion of di tin t and permanent liD presswu s.

The facts p rc· cn tcd fo rm to the mental vi ion an entangled m , a fit type of chaos.

It i ~ fo rgotten t ha t not only are the fac p resented to the chiJdhood nezo, and olle~ mcomprch ens ible, but Utat the very term in whicll knowledge i conveyed are rn themscl n !s, not o nly u nfam iliar, but al new and as destitute of intelli O'i. bl? meanin g to th e y oun g stud ut fiS anscrit i to on acquai nted only with Enhsh :orms. ·what wonder Utcn if, in tead of clearly defined and correct ideas, the mm~ ~c coiD cs lill ccl with l.t alJ-fonueEl, ontrad i tory partly true and partly false opm10ns, or a bl ux in which Utere i notJ:tin o- but an rurrrravatina blendinoof e_very t 111•_u g to th e u tter cxt •m ctwn • of e\ e.ry lrn "'e of m.ental acquisition. "' "' " A.llow an lllustTntton from th e tut of p hotog ra1 hy . A.fl er ru1 object has been placed in foc us and the sens itive p late exposed, time mu t be given in which the image ma! fo rm , aucl create a p ic tu re who c sh arpn ess and tone shall pro1e a success.

If, ~ p lace of tiiDc b eing g iven for t.hi pmpose, the bj ect sllould b et in rapid motiOn, the resu lt wi ll be a bl1t?'. _w ith_th e mind ! And do we not see every day men and women in variou POSILlODS Ill li fe w h o are noth ing IDentallv bu t blur 9 ~nother ill ustra ti o n of my m e[l.J.ling c~n be fo und. in t.ltat philosophic toy in :VhJCh_the var ious colors ar c set iu rapid motion. The moment a certain speed 18 attam ed all the c olors m elt in to oue unattractive h ade.

But this is n ot a ll. The p rocess I d escribe leaves no timtJ f or rl1jf.etJti@. It is ane of absorption. It demands th e ca pacity of a spon o-e and llas not the merit of a sponge , ·In as much a s t' t s a b sorptiOn · is voluntary "while th'at of the other is enforced . I t p r events th e exerci e of the judgment . It docs not vsn Cldtivats the mffm01'Y. 'Ye can never for g et th a t our instr uctions are only valtutble as they become an mtegral p n.rt of th e intellectu al b eing of om pupils . To become this there must b e ap r ocess of men t a 1 ass nnt · 'I at10n · analogous to th at by whicll food enters . mt.o_ the t issues of th e b ody. I n Ute expressive words of a beautiful collect our pu~il s m u st " inward ly digest" them before instructions will accomplish their destgn to ed u cate, " lead ou t," str engthen, ru1d cultivate the powers of the mind.

Farewell, under this sy stem, to ·a race of str ong ru1d original thinkers!

They COllle, w h ether in ancien t or modern times from those who if t.lte" kuew ~ · b· ut I'IttIe, knew th at little w ell. Whose familiar ity' with the k nowled""e ' J of their " · h t or dep th was left unexplored, no "' meaning day. was so i n t Imate, that n o h e1g umnterpr eted , no su g gestion s overlook ed. Hence they have often fo und a clue to other r ealms of thou g h t, discover ed other worlds of knowled""e turned abys es · · "' as the minds· of da r k ~ es·s Into d ay , leavmg n am es :mel memories imperisllable they enhgh ten ed a nd disen th ralled .

Thisjis tru e of them aU-from H oiDer to Milton from Galileo to Newton from Archimed es to S tephenson . ' ' But let m e g la n ce for a momen t or two at the mor al deteriO'I·ation r esulting from th e system u n d er r eview.

?

:--;t· III:.\'KA -.TATE TE.\

40

IIEI , •

a

CIATI( S .

ADDRESSES DELIVERE D BEFORE

The intimate connection between the mental and m oral con s t i t u t ion i s to o well underf?tood and too frequently and sadl y illu strated to r eq u i r e p r o o f. Wheth er the m ental power is p erver ted or only weak , in e ith er c a se i t i s too f requ en tly th e cau se of a p erverted mora l t aste :1.11d a depraved cou rse, i n opp osit io n t o t h e r equirements of society, involv in g at l ast sham e a n d w ide-extendi n g r ui n .

To illustra te thi s p oint l et u s take on e w h o h a s b een subj ected t o th e process condemned, a nd place him fa ce to fa ce w i th th e m oment0 u s i ss u e s , th e fie r ce strifes, the terrible temptati on s of life (and thi s is just w here each a n d every on e of our pupils will be pla ced som e d ay, unless G o d r evea ls his mercy b y _rem oving them from the evils t o c om e) a nd wh a t equipment h as he for pa,ss m g th e · of n a t u re, he d'd h ave ordeal? None worthy the n am e !' Orig inally, a s th e g 1ft I some of that invincibility of w ill w hich m ak es heroes , some native c oUl·age, some robust power of wrestling w ith d i ffic ul t ies a nd con q u e rin g the~, some elasticity and hope w hich w ould lift hi m up agai n w h e n h e h a d to submit ~0 clef feat. But now our p er verted m ethod h as stripped him of a lmost every v estige 0 his n atural endowments and h e s tan ds h elpless b efore his foes . . capa crty . ' to r ecerve · c orre c t a n d p erma n en t rmpi · ·essio n s , i s a s tra nHe h as losthrs · foretho u gh t, a n d possesses no c o u ra . ge ' for h e dh as ger to reflection exercises no .

ht

so often failed his overtask ed life tha t h e has struck h a nds with d efeat, a n IS . stea d o f Dee 1'10 g t h at j oy o u s, ascontent to move along in the ruts h ence for th , m . 1 . . . l . . th e' c h'1 e f el e m e n t of moi. a pinng self-reh ant confidence of su ccess , w 11ch 1s 1 victor;. Emasculated ofhis str en g th, h e hard ly awai ts the sh ock of mor al t~·w ' but becomes the victim of other s or falls un su s pic io u sly and un res isting ly mto the snare sw elling the multit u de 'or h u m an wre cks, the g r eater p or tio n o f whom eca m e th e sohad no positive tendencies to v ice w h en th ey star te d out, b u t b t be called " v ictims of circumst an ces . " 11 But not to pursue this theme furth er, w h at sh all w e teach ? I sh a n o . g uilty of the presumption of l aying d own any num b er of s tudies or definlD ~ . their n ature. The object h a s b een t o d raw a t ten twn t o t h e a b su r·di ty and d.a nkgei of of inflicting upon pupils the studies now u su a lly all0tted t o t h em. _Thm · children from ten to fifteen y ear s of age h aving to p ursu e a t th e s <ame time these . : Read1ng . , spellm _ g , w ntmg . . , an . t h m e t'1c, geogr.ap b y, g r •ammar. ' w ord a nn.1studres 1 y sis U.S. hist ory music dr awing , c omposition, G erm a n , a n d o bJ eCt lessonh~ · The' m an w ho c an ' d efend ' and practice su ch a sy stem b a c1 b e tt er wi thdra w f 1s1 . · 1· te of a success u cla1t'D.s as a n educat or, for h e possesses not t h e fi rs t r.equrs teacher, viz., a cquaintance with ch ildh ood 's cap acity . . h The question-W h at sh all we teach -may b e an sw er ed by a refere~c e to t e requirem ents of th e pupils and th e orig inal inte ntion o f p o pul ar ed uca twn . The great proportion of childr:en in our schools r equires simply w h at i s gen er a lly understood as a commp n school educa tion.

1 Their necessities will allow no indulgence in superfluous a nd orna m e nta branches. To compel them to pursu e them for the sak e o f a few in ~h~ s~me grade or class whose tas tes or circumst ances a dmit of it, i s a gross InJustiCe , which m ay be felt through all their life. A common s chool education, if well and thoroughly imparted , w ould furni sh the g roundw ork for future progr~ss , should inclination, ability, or the development of intellectu al c a p acity a nd geniUS dem and it. . . h In conclusion it m ay not b e amiss to r efer to the m a nner in which we oug t to teach the reduced number of stu dies for w hich w e contend. W e h av e alrea dy

pbasizcd the !! real object we ought to hnv..: in ,·icw - to educnie, "lead out, td strength n I itt· natural power,. n ns to til our pupil for a future of u eful · _ - and hap pine,.:,., _ Tlw m•mm·r iu whi h we U!!ht to do thi w may learn Dl the an of t h l' :uu·i•·nt ,_rynnn1 ·t lu hi dc,·elopment of mu cle he u ed {> derncs and diHT.-ti•ll'- lie hc;..:in :> hndy and with task which the pupil at { &. regard s with ,.,n k ill pl. so ,.tigh t uad in:;ig>uificant ar • they.

• Wh ·doe he :> give ro c !:Hl JUl'lhin !.!' t" tu• t my ,trcngth ~·· i the impatient cry. But n ! the \,ject is noL tc,t ~tn·n!.!'th _ju~1 nn w, bUl t de,·elop uud in reus it. Hereafter <pan the racc-cuun-•· or till· hln lld y urcn:1, there will be te · ts. and the i --ue" will 'e Jifeordeath' But '"' " pati ence. pr:\ ti <', "TOwt b-little by little . ..,o b 'oes on add ing tn t lu· ~ t· \' l'ri I) 1f ?xcr ·ises, but u ,-er WCt\rying Ute fra.m : tak. l:J"" on orga n aft<·r :tru lthcr. c·ar lui uotto Ia ernte u ti ·-u , or paralyze a nerve n und u e strain: a nd at la-: t he semi · forth u ' I e im u f phy'i al manhood, ~ect in b ea u ty >Lnd :<trcn~th.

Let u nd.

1 :1n educating t h e n t incl let us ::;how qual tcnderue_$ >I.Ud wi dom . ~ 13 ce to our task each day wi th :L ·l :ar omprch usiuu f nr obje t, t\Dd while ,-e do noth in g to t ak e frn tn nur p u p tl. tbe work thn fnirly bel ll "" to them, let n o t overtas k t h e ,; 1·n ,.:it ivc• nnutre ot thnt org 111 upon which all mental action teP nds. L eL u s teac h them tn ob ·cn·e. compare. rc:t-on. Let u excite and en. . enra ge, rath er tl um ll ntl le a nd deprc:< · . Let u · loth in -truction in forms they :J.early un d ers ta nd. and 1n a lc c .·urc th at tb •ir progr s· i' · tend • nnd sur though Jll.ay be m nd e ste p lJ_v ste p o nl.\· .

In th is way ,,.c s it a ll .;o n fn a lasting benefit upou th m and upo n soci ly, and _,erve to ensltr iue in tit <· lo ,·e nt' the _mi llion of th is lnn d th e ammon - hool • tb its free a nd u n ,.; ec ~ tH r i t lll edu catH u.

6

NEB R ASKA ST AT E T E A CHERS' .AS OCIATI ON .

42

·ADDRESSES DELI V1<:R:ED llEl•-OR~~

IN CENTIVES TO STUDY.

BY MISS SARAH L . B A WLl!:Y, BEATRICE.

P eo ple are just wak ing up to the fact that, alth oug ll our pu bli c sclw ols otrcr good advantages to pu pil s while attending th em, they do not seem to mak e tl! em sch olars indep end ent of school. It is true in a m ajority of cases th at th e m oment a p upil's n am e i s dropped from the school register, lle drop s all r egul ar and earnest study ; m oreover, if h e is tried and fo und wanting on any subj ect, h is excuse is th at h e h as been ou t of school two or three year s. Now w e all feel th a t our interes t in our studies ough t to be so strong th at it wou ld be almost impossible for u s to g ive them u p with our school-days, bu t r a th er th a t we sho ul d con tinu e them with fre sh zest, at each step in advance even thou gh compelled to do so in a less system atic and regular way th an hitherto.

W h ere is th e fault ? It probably springs fi·om several so urces, but on e of the g reatest, i t seems to m e, is found i n the incentives to :study common ly u sed in our schools.

How few of these incentives, even th o~e of the better class, h ave as their a im the p erm anent benefit of the pupil! A teacher find s a sch ool idle an d lis tless ; interest m u st be ar ou sed in some way, and he tak es the way wh ich will show results m ost quickly. Prizes are offered, or the desire for promotion kindled , an d ther e is a sudden revival in s tudy. After a time, see ing no hope of su ccess, the duller ones r elax their effor ts, wh il e those who least needed a spur a re studying i nd eed, but losing all sigh t of the r eal end of study , a nd setting- u p i n its place the prize . Thus wh en it is removed, all interest is lost It is easy to see th at th e legitimate result of such a co urse is to create "dis regard for study in itself. With regard to studyin g for pro motion , th e ev il is th e same, though less apparent, becau se its fie ld is so m uch wider . W h a t an imm ense influence this incentive is made to wield! And th ere can be no d ou bt th at throu gh the undue importance attached to it, very m any mistak e th e sign of knowled ge for th e reality and only reali ze th e fact when they find th at th ey h ave no interest in study _pure and simple.

There is another motive often ap pealed to as pu pils adva nce,-one th at American youth s scarcely need to cultivate- and th at is self-in teres t. The teacher says to h is scholars : " Educati on will clothe you well ; it will place rich offices i n your h ands; it will return to you with rich interest. As the las t phrase wo uld indicate, this is p utting edu cation upon a mere money basis, and it can hardly be expected th at a per son with such ideas will m ake m uch progress in study after he h as arrived at the stage necessary for business. Such people talk abo ut advancement in life, bu t they d o not in the least comprehend R uskin wh en he say s that" th ere is IJ.n education which , in itself, is advancement in life ."

•

43

Thu s it a ppear s th at as fa r as a.ny ip.cen tive takes th e place in a pu p il 's mind w hic h study it e lf sho uld occupy, i n the sam e degree is it answer a ble for the s tagn ation of hi s mind when it is r emoved , and con scienti ous teach er s cann ot a llo rd to u se a uy u c h a rtifi cial means of secur ing study as long as th e little tem. p o ntry ease gained by th em is oftset by so m any chances of injury to th eir scl10lars . 'l' h e q u es tio n ari ses, ~u·e we uo t a p t to overdo the m atter of i ncentives- to thi nk t h a t a. su p er n a tura l efio1·t mu st be m a de, when w ith a ;li ttle p a tience t h e mi nd wo ul d g o to w ork n a turally? vVe often seem to con s ider th e mind of a ch ild a blank p ap er, upon wh ich only IJ . the a id of pr izes, r ewar ds, and promotions can knowledg e write its fair r ecord . ..Je treat knowl edge as tho ug h it were a bi tter p ill , only m ade tolerable by di s•r ui s es like these. L et us stu dy a little child to settle th is q uestion . If his min d :=' a blank p a p er , it is :J. very c uri ous bl an k p ap er , if indeed any thi ng can be JS . I . a iled bla nk w hi• ch seem s en t Ire Y g iven over to c un-osity. l\'Iar k the inn u mer ~ bl e ques tions h e ask s,- th e eagem ess with whi ch h e m ak es investigation s in :Oy 11 ew p a th, a nd y ou will g ive hi m credit for gen uine delig h t in the acquisition f kno wled ge.

0 ThiS curios ity, so active in ch il d h ood , is a real desire for truth ,- the :::.o-erm of tlle Jove of lm mv ledge for its o w ~ sake, which , ri gh tly d eveloped, Is th e only inentive to study n ecessary-the l11 gest and most enduring. c The problem for th e teach er , th en, is the d evelopment of thi s principle,- is to UJ itlce th e pupil a \v ill ing co-work er in his own imp r ovem ent. He m u st m ake ]lis sch olar so eager to advance, that however much h e m ay h ave acqui red , h e will s till press for ward to hi gh er tr uth s an d l ar ger knowled ge, until, like a cert ain ph ilosop h er , h e sh all h old the "search after truth" more desir abl e th an tru th freely g iven w ithou t th e sea rch . B u t. w e must turn from the result to be a ttained to th e way o f a tta ining it.

Find i ng th e p ri nciple of c ur iosity in the chil d's min d, it would seem a thing of m ere evo lu tion for it t.o become th e a bidi ng pr incip le of love of knowledge fo r its own sak e . 1t migh t i nd eed be so were all the condi tions of su ch evolu tion p r esen t a nd active. As it i s, th e t each er has m u ch to g uide, som ewhat to supply , whil e some of th e cond it ion s of su ccess ar e entirely ou t of his p ower ; h ence he m u s t not expec t in a ll cases perfect r esults, a nd i n n o case qui ck results.

A s most of o u r sch ools a re l arge, th e problem becomes specially d ifficult, becau se diffe re nt m ind s require s uch difl:'erent tJ·eatmen t, a nd it is im possible to g ive all p er so u al attenti on. Only a few h ints as to h el p s in the work ca n be o- ive n. "' In tb e fi r s t. p lace , it is of u tmos t impor tan ce t h at th e teacher h imself h ave th is a-enuin e love for study and tJwu g bt,-;-that h e show it in all h e d oes a nd says.

The spiri t will b e i nfect io us. F or a scholar to kno w th at his teacher stud ies is in itself a g r ea t incentive. It m ay be taken as rule th a t if a teacher is th or ough. l y inter es ted in a study, his scho_la rs wi ll b e likew ise in ~erested. .

A gain , pup ils often become dt scouraged a nd th en a h ttle special h elp a nd, 1f p ossibl e, pra ise fo r previous wo rk, w ill do wonders ; on ly th ese th ings must be do n e j u di c iou sly . · Freq u en t exami n :<tions a nd r eviews h elp fix knowledge a nd m ake it th orough as n oth ing else can. One of t lte sur est ways of m akin g a schol ar's interest lastin g , is to strive th at h e l ear n " b a t b e knows of his own k nowled ge as far as pos-

44

A IWRESSES DEUVmRED BEFORE NER . STATE TEA OI'IERS ' ASSOC 'N .

siule. T he o bj ect lessons in the lo wer schools should have thi s a im,-the chi ld should see a nd un derstand . I n t.he pllys ic::tl sciences especially , th e student can be m ade to verify his knowl edge; he will be doubly sure of th eir principl es by m e~~ n s of exper iments, and a t the same t ime ga in an invalu able habit of i nvest igation.

By such methods th e student will no t only tnke interest in study , bu t a lso com e to regard it as a duty, because in the fi rst p lace it deve lops individual charac ter , and in the second place because it mak es one fit to be a hundred-fold m ore usefu l to hi s fell ows.

Bu t ge neral r ules, in thi s case as in al} others, a re only general, and special c11ses w ill a rise ~Y h i ch can onl y be uccessfull y met by th e special study of the teacher. I n ge nera l, the teacher's patience will be so rely tri ed and he will often be tem pted to a ppea l to artifi cial motives ; but let him no t fa il for lack of t?','l}i n rf , for lack of fa ith in th e res ul t, when he knows the principle to be the r ight one .

A wise and good man h as sa id that uext to the supreme moment in which a m a n fir st sees the bea uty of virtue, is the moment in whi ch a desire of knowledge for its own sake takes possess ion of hi m. Let us strive to brin g to each of our sc hola rs til is hap py moment of intellect ual "new birth " with all earn estness patience, and trust. '

AGENT FOR

BREWER & TILESTON: Boston Mass.

1

- rUHL I S1TERS Of'-

'IVORCESrfER S DICTIONARIES '

-AND -

SlPlEllLLBG B

OES\~

Hillard s Reading Books Franklin Readers, Campbell's and Seavey's Histories, Walton's Arithmetics, Etc., Etc. ' Pal.:JXQ.Yra, N"ebrasl;._aD

~Introductory

Rates .to School Districts. ~Exchange Rates to School Districts. ~Special Terms to TeaJJllers on single copies for examination with view to introduction. ~Special Terms to Sclwol Officers. . ~Special Terms to Ministers of the Gospel. ~Slttate

!Be

.omm~llldla~~~9tlll. ~

Worcester' s Dictionaries, Worcester' s Spelling Books, Hillard ' s Series of Readers, Seavey 's U. S. History, &c ., &c .,

Are Ct/rnong tl~e¡ Books on th~ N eb?'ctska .Recommen ded L ist.

P1'1:ce L ists, w 1:tl" R etcti l, Introcl~tctorr'!J., a;ncl E xcl/..Ctnge P 1'w es, sent on appl'icati on .

Address:-

JOHN M. TA GGART, Palmyra, Nebraska .

CUT THIS OUT.

YOU WILL W ANT TO REFER TO IT.

L EAVENWOR1'll . KANS AS. 187G. DEAR Sm: Will y o u kindl y pe rm it m e to as k your atte n t io n to thu follow in g Boo Ks recom m end ed by t h e S t a t e Sup e rintende nt of Sch ool s for th e S t ate of Nebrask a, un d a lso t o tl.t c rem a rk ably s t ro n g a nd g e n eral t esti mony to t beil· m e r it s from othe r pnrts or th e cou n try , e xh i bi ted in t h e accom pan y ing circul ar s : .

S TATE

:R ECO MM:I:U~fDA'rll: ONS T nE STATE OF NE BRASK A,

O FFI CE

SUPERI NTENDENT P UBLIC l NSTRUL'l' lOX.

To the County S up erintendents and S chool District Boards of tlte S tate:

By secti on n inety-o ne o f t he " Act to E stabli s h a Syste m of Publi c In s tru ction for t h e S t a te or Nebras k a ," a pp ro ve d Fe brua ry 15, 1869, it is m ade t h e du ty of t he S up c •·I nte n de n t to "dc nn c t h e teJ>.""t b ook s't o be used in tl.te s eve m l s chool s in th e State, li sts or w hic h s ha ll 11 e furni s h e d to the County s u p eri ntendents a n d by t h em t ra n smitted t o t he D is t ri ct Board s w it h i n th ei 1· ju ris d icti on ., , , The r efore, h aving m nuo a cnrefn l examina tion of t h e book s s ubm it te u t o m e. in eo mpliun e c wi t h the Ja w, I do h e re by des ign a te t he fo llowing, ns t h e t ex t-hook s to be u' c d in t h e s c h oo ls o f t he State, from a n.d nfte r the 13th duy ,. f Se p te m b e r n ext .

e ac h i u o ur sch ools the m·t o f speaking n n ~ wri t in g o ur la n gua ge fin e n tly a nq correctly . Thi s, t yo u r comn1 ittce s u bmi t, is n s e rio us fnu lt In t.h c couree of s tndy, u.nd es p ct;-ud ly s o 1n vtew o f t h e fnc t t h at a ve ry large p rop or t io n of o ur pupil s l e a,-~ s9h ool b e_fo re r eac.h tug t h e f~ ra d e a bove m e ntio n e d , a nd ar c therefore d e prived o t a ll sys t cm nu c 1ns tru c uon In t h iS p !'e~em n e utJy usefu l bran c h o f e lem e nta ry iu s ! ructio n . . . . . . ]!l a n v or o ur bes t edu cators m g c stron g obJ eCtiOn s ngam s t the _presen t ~ trmbr'? u s aud m t nc ntc m e t h o d s of t e a ·hill <' t h i S brauc h Of learn in g , a n d yo ur CO!llmtttee b ~ J.I eV e Wlth the!'I t h a t n o fi c ic n cy in it , n.s u s n n'i'Iy tn n g h t, ra rely _secu.re t o t h e st ude n t t~J,c nb th ty to pn: a n Id ea _of 1i s o w n inl o p u re a n d p crs pi9nou s Eng li sh . _Yo u r comm t ttee b eli eve t ha t ele m en ta ry ~ext­ hoo k s n o t li a bl e to t h is obj ectiOn nrc now attmn abl e, an d recomm e nd th n~ 811 Ch t ext-book s b e i n tro duce d in to t h e co urs e of s t udy in the fif t h g ru de,_to t he e n d t luL.t: t hose whos e n eces; ~ iti e s com pel the m to leave th e s ch oo ls b efore com pl etm g til e prescnbed cours e o f s t nd) m ay not b e d e p r ive d of a ll ncl va n tnges i n t hi s esse n t ia l a n d p ractical pa r t o f a commo n -school e du c a t io n .

J o a N T . L IGGETT, HE,.'"RY PLASS, JR., JAMES J . MARTIN .

A ccepted a nd Adoptecl.

l

RES OLU'l'ION.

(F 1·om. I nsp ecto1· R um ney.)

R esolveil Th at S wiu to n,s Lnn ~u n!! e Prim er nnd l ~ n n g n age L es son s b e i n t roduced in t o 1hc pub lic s c h ~o l s ns t ext-b oo k in the st udy ofl a n!!_n agc . , 'l 'h c 1·eaolu tion of l ll sp ector R um11 ey wa~ ·unanunous. y adoptecl.

R etail

I nt?·oduction. Exclumae.

*

F rench 's l!'irst LeRson s i n N u m be rs . .. . . .. ... .. ........ . .. ... - ~ .40 ~ .20 .27 F re nch' s El e m enta ry .Ari thm e ti c . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 .3•1 F re nch' s Men ta l Ari thm e ti c... .. .. . .. . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . 50 .:14 French's Common Sch ool A r it hm etic .. . . ... . · ·- · . . . .. .. .. . . . 1.00 . li~ · Wi ll s on an d Cul ki n's Sch ool and Family Charts, Nos . 10 to 22. \Vi ii s on a nd Calk in's Manual of Obj ec t L es son s .. . .. . . . .. .. . . 1 .50 LA'l'E ST RECOMMENDATIO N BY HO N . JOHN M . McK ENZI E. . . .

L[NCOLN, NEBRASKA, Janua ry 28, 1876.

I h ave tins da y p laced ll pon the list of hooks reco mm e nded fo r the n s e of t eac he rs u n d pupil s in the Co mm o n Sch ools ot t h e Sta t e o r Ne bras k a ,

Swinton's Language Lessons.

R~~~f

In t'n. ~ - <14

Ea~.

; 25

WHAT O T H ER S SAY OF THESE BOOKS. .&Rlo:TH:MBT:II:ClS. F ro'? GEo. J. LUC"KEY, Snp e rint~'m dent of Public Schools . P itts b u rg h, P a.: F re n ch's Anth m e tlcs have been 111 ns e 111 on_r p ubli c sch ool s fo r t wo years, a nd from t h e ir in troduction u ntil the p rese n t tin;'e h a ve ~onLln'! ed t o g i"O w !n fuvo r w it h bo t h t each ers and s chool officer s . I k n ow of n o Se nes o f A n tbme tlcs now publis h ed th at wi ll com par e in m e r i t with F re n ch 's Series . By thei r nse pupil s are led to reas on mo re , a nd to d ep e nd less upou form ula s than in t h e nse or oth er t ext-books u pon t h e s nbJ ect o f A rlthnJ,e. li e· i n a wo rd they a re t,h e mos t practical a nd valu a bl e text-boo ks no w b e for e the Ame ri can 1>n bl'ic. ' From J . E . MoRTON, Su pe rin t en de nt of Schools . Frank for t I n d.

French's Ari t h metics are a s u ccess. The a uthor h as gain ed for hi m se lf 'a pl ace neve r be fo re fill ed i n t his commun it y. Neither t eac h e rs n or trustees could be indu ced to return to t h e o ld t ext-b ook s . The t each e rs are d eli g hted wi t h F re n ch's Se nes .

F rom L . 111. ANDREws, Chairman of ~h e Te x t-~ook C_o mmi ttee, Indepen d e n ce, K a n sas .

W e have fina lly adopted Fre n ch' s Se rres of A nthmet1cs fo r th e follow in g reas on s . It is n p ure, pract ical. ::; eries; tJ.:e examples a rc prac tic.a 1, a nd n e.edi Ps s mat _te r is o m itt ed ; 'while it~ a rran gem " nt, 1ts u_da ptntwn to a COI?J>le te g raded sys t e m , I t s clea r p rmt u nd apt illus trat ion s , con p l ed wi th conc1se rti!es a n t! defim t wns , m a rk It as s Lip e nor to o t hers fo r ou r sch ool s . _This Se ri es h as b e ~ n a dopted , w holl y o_r in p ar_t, a n d i s_ n o w in s ucces sful use in N ew York C•t~ , Alb a~y, a n d M1_d dl eton! N. Y . ; P h il a delp hia a nd Pitts b urgh, Pa. ; :San Fmu.cisco, Ual.; India napolis, E vnn sv11le , J efl e rs on vill e, Green cas tl e, an d ~n de rs !ln, I n d. ; Fall Rive r , Mnss . : New H ave n , Con n,; N as h ua, N . H ; Bath , Me.; Gran d Rapids, ll11ch . ; San d us k y , 0. · K eoku k · Iowf! ; t h e Normal Sc hool s of Maine, N ew H a mps h i re, and Ve rmo n t; o_f Wo rces t e r, :lilas s. : Val : para~ s o , Ind.; P eru, Neb.; Ca p e G ira rdea u, :lii o ., Buffalo a n d F redo m a , N. Y.; L e b uu o n , 0. ; a nd 111 m any ot h e r p laces. . It has als o b ~en ad op t ed by the Vermon t Board o f E ducat ion ~s t h e only Se?'ies of A ritltmet•cs to be used 111 the Pu blic Sch ool s of tha t State fo r .five yect?'B, fro m Novembe r 1, 1873.

SW~N'TON~s L.AHGUAG~

SBRJ!:ES. Unanimous .A.dOlltion in Detroit, Micltig·an.

0 11

CourRe of Study. a ft e r t h eir regul ar q ua r t e rl y v is it of i nsp ection, re po rt ed

0 ~t~il b cr ..,2~ ,

l8~5, as fk~l?w~ :·!l mmnr (S winton ,s Lu u gnHge Books). recently cuu:~c 110"r"s t: ~t,t,-lh~l~'e -p'r~c'i't~~ed " !llnrk cd imp~ovemc nt_in t l! e s tu dy o f this

in t ro du ced in t o th~ bmnch , a n d ap p cm

t o h av e awa k e n ed n n e w interest tn the p up 1b w h o ptu s uc t t .

The Entire Series A.cloptetl for Exclusive Use in New Orleans, La. Ln •·o . · ty v ll 1·Ol'IUt

W "tl l l

A 1' t "•cle 9 , _Sec.. ....cy2 o f a n Act a pp roved .Mnrc h 11 t h , 1870, a u t h oriz in g thi s

B o ard to n do ~ t 'roxt-boo,l ~e:, n un"e Ser ies , b S win t o n , be a nd th e su m e is hcrc~y _d esigna t ed Rlesolved , 'I hat Hnrp~r s Lll _g tho publi c • choo ls o f t hi s city . 'l'h c sam e t o be m trodeced as a n c ndo p ted fo r oxc lns tvo u s e l ll C .... n e w b o'?k " a r c r equired. Adopted . t ·net, from t llo; m i n n tcB o f n me e t in « o f the Boa rd of School ~ cc rt1fy th e a bo ve to ben t.vue ex 1 H A. t.: oP.n.i< S ecretary of Bom·'!· n !:;ec,> t ors h e ld J a nu ary 5th , 1876d Jted w h o ll y or i u part for use in t he'p u blie s c h ool s o f Ne w y h1 s s e r ies h ns al re ~ dy been. " }l . !Jrooo k lvu. N .Y. ;' Bus to n . Ma ss . ; J e rs ey City , N . ~- ; > o r!~ C1t.v , N. Y . ; Phtl f!d clp hi a, " ~- ffarri sbttr- , Pa. : Hi e hm on d. V n. ; Pat erso u, N . J . : Lou is: ~{'IL,'m '?.rc, ~t<l.: C n mbn d~~· M~SA-~ "u~tn. Me.~ D et.ro it . :>Ii cb . ; De n ver. Col.: _Hinnta, Ga. , , li e_, h y . ; _An n Ar b or,_ ruJc b. '. IIart ford, Co n n : Mi lwa ukee, Wis . : T e rre Haute, Ind . ; K a la: N? tch e~. ~·ll ss .: N e wnrk ,_N ; J ~-- . .llnu c hest e r , N . H . : 'l'rcnto u. N . J·. ; P on g hkce ps te, N. ~· : p :lzoo. ~It ch. ; Wo;ccs tet. ~~ a ...~l· i,u n . J ackson . .Mic h. ; N e w Bed lord . MH8S . ; Spnn ~_ficld q tu o !

G ltt.s hurg h. P n . ; Minn ca po li - C ' . "l.rort Wayn e Ju d . Le w iston Me . . Grun d Ra pi ds, .Mtch .'

E J.l.cslb u r g , Il l. ; New :r:tn':fuN _Hn~tiO wa Ci t y, Io,~· a ; NewB ru nEwick , N.J.;_N as hvi ll e , T e nn .; 'l' ' " " •eth , N · J. ; Con cur< · - : t l. e r ci ti es an d tow ns i n eve ry pnrt of t he [Jm t ed States. . nnn t on .

:Mn ~ s . ;

nu d 1n rnnny o l

Harper & Brothel'S High School and College Text- Books.

LOOMIS' MA'ri-I E :MATICS, [used in m ore Colleo·es and Hi g h ::3chools thnn a ny oth er in th e coun try.]

HOOKER'S NEW CH EM ISTRY. H OOKE RS N AT URAL HISTORY .

H OOKER'S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY .

HARPERS' GREEK AND L ATIN TEXTS COJ\'I:F' OR~I" S GERMAN SE RIES .

DA LTON 'S PHY SIOLO GY.

1

vVE NTWOB.TH 'S ARITHMETICAL PROBL !i ~·I S. D UFF'S BOOK-KEEPI NG. N ORDHOFF'S POLITICS FOR YOUNG A MERICANS .

ROLFE'S ENGLISH CLASSICS: 1. H en ry V III. 2. Julius Cresa r.

3. Merch an t of Ven ice.

4. T empest.

5. G ld smith .

G. Gray.

or othe r inform a t ion . The most Ji bm·al terms a ro . ~ e nd t o t h e' under signed ~or Cnta I ~gu c g lv c n fo r ex:anl in ntion ond uttrodnctJon .

From R e port of t h ; !Proceedings of the Board o f Education · D ETROIT, lli iCFT. , CITY H ALL, Ju ly 12th, 1875.

To the P resident of the B oa1·d of E d•tcation :

From tlie Conmtittee on Cour se of Stud y, Detroit, M.iuh.

Th e Comm i ttee

.

The Committee on T eac h e rs a n d Cour se of S tudy, t o who m was refe rred the resolu t wn o f Ins p ector Liggett i n re fe r ence to the s tu dy of t h e Englis h l an guag e in the pu blic sc hools, h a ve bad the s a m e u nd er careful con si derati on, and b eg lea ve to repor t a s foll o ws : 'l'hey find tha t in o ru· course of s t u dy, a s at p r ese n t arranged, E n glis h g ramma 1· is n ot intr odu ced until th e e igh t h yea r, and t h at previo us to t h i s yea r t h e re was n o ~ y s te m ati c effo rt. t o

W. H . V . R A YMO N D, A ge n t.

L ea.--uen. "'UVOJt.- ' t h ,

~ n n.s a.s .

·'

University of Nebraska.

THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE UNIVERSTY WILL Ol' E N

THURSOA Y, SEPTEMBER 7th, 1876, with constantly increasing faci lities for such as wish to obtain a liberal edu cation. By the munifice nce of the S tate, · this is furnished to every student at no cost for tuition, a nd at sma ll cost comparatively for boarding.

FACULTY. The Faculty, composed of men of expe rie nce a nd ac k nowledcred ability in their variou s specialties, in num ber b • are sufficie nt fo r instructing thoroughly the whole of the prescribed course. It is confiden tly urg ed that the ability of the instructors is not surpassed by those of a ny institu tion in the West.

MATERIAL.· The Cabinets, Library, Laboratory and illustrative apparatus. chemical and philosophical, are all very comp lete and all qu ite extensive, affo rding the best approved. appliances for instru ctio n in the variou s departme nts.

I

THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE also affords excellent facilities for such young m e n as desire to pay a portion of their expe nses by man ual la bor, a nd a t the same time to g ain a practical education.

DR. E. B. FAIRFIELD

' who will ass ume t he Chancellorship of the U nive rsity July 1 st, is to be addressed for further information at Li ncoln, N ebraska.

,

'

'