The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1867-07-11
Let us prepare the way for all this by
universal education education not

Let US prepare the way for all this by
universal education-and education not
# the lowest, but Of the highest type.
And here permit me to remark, that
the schools cannot be better tl,an the
teachers. The stream cannot rise high.
er than it, source. As the fountain is,
80 will the stream be, also.
Hence the most cultivated nations
have given most attention to the prepa-
ration Of the teachers for their task.
They must not only possess the re.
qulsite stores Of information, but they
must possess or acquire the faculty Of
clearly and readily imparting it. This
in itself is an art.
One complete generation of teachers
will improve all subsequent generations
Of the people. Time itself can scarcely
extinguish the good they are capable
Of achieving.
You must fit them for their task, and
you must induce them to remain in it.
Fog the first, such schools as this are
necessary. When completed your
noble structure will stand the grandest
monument of civilization in our State.
1t will stand like the columns erected
by oil warriors, as testimony that thus
far have the forces Of intelligence
marched in this new land.
1 am glad to see that the State grows
in liberality with its growth in wealth
aud numbers. The bread cast on these
waters will be speedily returned with
ten-fold increase.
I should be glad to see the counties
of the State assist in this great work..
Why can they not, by public exami-
nation, select annually few of the
most intelligent and promising among
their young men, aud send them here
and pay for their education, with the
agreement that they will teach in that
county for given number of years?
Suppose the county in which l re-
side was to appropriate $1,000 to this
purpose. 1t would probaly furnish ten
young men with one years education
as teachers. Two OF three years of such
appropriations would furnish all the
teachers the county would require. The
people would scarcely feel the expendi-
ture; but the effect upon the schools
would be marvellous. These ysuDg
men would go forth as missionaries.
with an elevated conception Of their
task, and clear understanding Of its
duties. They would rouse up others
who we're engaged in teaching to emu
late them. A greater activity would
prevail,o ,on educational matters, and a
vigorous public opinion would be formed
upon the subject Of the public schools,
which would be felt in the newspaper
press, in the county boards and in the
Legislatures.
The steam cannot rise higher than
its source. Here is the source of all.
If education is necessary to the people,
30 also is the education of the teachers
necessary to the education Of the
taught. Elevate the rank Of the teach
ers and you elevate their compensation
aud increase the dignity Of their pro-
fession. If you degrade the work you
decrease the pay; and it will be impos-
siblc to keep able and educated young
men or women in such thankless labor
Your children, consigned to the care of
poor]y-paid, d,1gnorant, hedge pedagogues:
come out from their hands coarse Doors,
with contempt for all learning, and
when they come to vote aud make laws
for themselves, as they soon will, they
will permit the unclean and obs cure
fountains of education to be choked up
with mud and weeds, and the interests
of the State will SOON suffer in every
particular. We do not hesitate to pay
we'll and abundantly the lawyers who
live upon our weaknesses, or the doc
tors who thrive upon our infrmities,
the tailors who adcrn our persons, or
the mechanics who build our houses.
and yet We grudge a miserable pittance
to the man who carries light into thc
minds of our children and determines
to great extent their future. The
rule seems to be dollars for the body
aud pennies for the mind.
To use the comparison of Aristippus,
1--WE are like Penelope's wooers who
made love to the waiting maids" We
neglect the essential OF civilization aud
devote ourselves to its mere incidents.
We may parapnrase Demcsthenes'
expression, and declare that the three
things necessary, are, Education
Education Education" Give US an
enlightened people and the demagogues
will all be on the wise and liberal side.
Give US an ignorant aud easily deceived
people. and the demagogues will be on
the side that pays best; and error and
vice even carry large purses with the
mouths united.
Here then you can plant your feet.
Here is solid rock; here is safety;
here you can take hold upon the future
with iron hooks.
"If this prove false
The pillared armament 10 rottenness,
And earths base built on stubble."
A DOUBLE SAIlRE.