The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-07-16
THE EDUCATIONAL LABORS OF HOR.
ACE MANN.
BY MARrHAr. SPENCER.


land, when the Massachusetts Board of
Education was organized, with Horace
Mann as its Secretary. At this time,
when his educational labors really be-
gan, he was a successful lawyer with II
large and lucrative practice
Upon accepting the Secretaryship, he
gave up all other business engagements ;
declined recollection TO the State Senate,
of which body he had been member
for several successive terms; abstracted
himself from political parties, and re-
solved to be known only as an educator.
He made the rising generation his client
and plead eloqueE<Ty for its claims and
worked with ardent zeal for its welfare.
| He commenced at once vigorous and
thorough reform i'll the school system
of the state. Extensive changes i'll the
law relating to schools were proposed
and adopted; school committees were
paid and system of school conVCn-
/ tions was established. Mr.. Mann saw
the most radical way of affecting good
/ for the common schools was 10 train
| the teachers. lie therefore made him
self instrumental i'll establishing the
first two Normal Schools i'll America.
| In 1913, under the auspices of the
Board, but at his own private expense,
he visited Europe for the purpose of
| examining, closely, the normal school
and the workings of the common school
system. His seventh annual report,
made OH his return, embodied the results
| of his research. 1t is thought it had the
widest circulation of any educational
document ever published. OF the tcuth
of his twelve annual reports, the Edin-
borough .Hecictc remarked as follows 4:
''This volume is indeed II noble mon-
uncut of civilized people; and if
America were sunk beneath the waves
would remain the fIircst picture on
record of an ideal common caltlA"
In regard to the amount Of time
which he spent, Mr.. Mann states The
following, i'll Il supplement TO one OF
his reports. From the time accepted
the Secretaryship in 1887, until 1913
when L rendered my resignation of 1t, L
labored i'll the cause an average of not
less than fifteen hours a day. From
the beginning to the end of this period,
i never took a single day for relaxation.
NY whole time was devoted, if not
wisely, yet continuously and chcerfully
to the great trust confided to my hands.
The State; not providing sufficient
means for carrying on his work proper
ly, he sold his library and other private
property, for the purpose of working
out more fully the plans which seemed
to him most productive of good results.
Because of his rapidly declining
health, and the degenerate state of his
, financial affairs, he telt it his duty TO
resign his Secretaryship. Before this,
however, he saw with pleasure that the
legislature and the people of Massachu-
sets were thoroughly aroused to a
knowledge Of the Importance of educa-
ting the children. In his Journal, he
stated that the brightest days which
ever shone upon the cause of education
in that State were the two in which re-
solves passed the House granting S6,OOL
per year for the use of the normal
! schools, and 81 800 per year to each
district in the state for a school library,
provided the district would furnish the
same amount for the same purpose.
Speaking of the importance of pOpu-
lar education, he says: Every state is as
imperfectly. organized without a minis
would be without ministers or secretary
of State, Finance, War or the Navy.
| Every child should be educated. il
not educated by its father, the state
| should appoint some one to do 1T.
would rather surrender portion of the
| territory of the Commonwealth to an
ambitious and aggressive neighbor than
! / would surrender the minds of its
children to the dominion of ignorance.
Soon after his resignation, Mr.. Mann
was chosen a member of Congress. In
the highest organized body i'll the Unit
cd Statekhc did much for the common
schools. Having served a term of -four
years in Congress, he was nominated
| for Governor of Massachusetts, and OIL
the same day was chosen President o.
Antioch College, in Ohio. He accepted
the latter office. Although it was a Sc
we're trial for this veteran leader of the
| great army of Reform to leave the field
in which so many battles had beeI
fought and won under his leadership
i yet while life and strength lasted an,
| the cause OF education stood i'll sucl
need of earnest workers, he felt 1t hi:
duty to labor on. Hc believed that th(
| West needed his services more than the
East land wherever he could accomplish
the most good he was ready to cheer
/ fully labor
The peculiar characteristic OF Antioch
! College, under MIR. Mann's administra
ton. was that it admitted students %
both sexes TO the SAME course of i'll
structiou. This was new feature il
colleges at that time, and very naturally
met with much opposition. Vet had
this opposition been the only thing witt
which it had 10 contend, the impedi'
ment to success would have been slight
The funds by which the institution wa:
founded were raised upon the scholar
ship system, and it proved very difficult
to sustain it i'll that way. The rcsul
was that measures had to be taken Il
change its financial basis from the sys
TEN of scholarship to that of an uBen
numbered endowment. Before thi,
change could be made, many of its mos
ardent supporters abandoned the ide;
of sustaining it. The trustees wcPG
compelled to reduce the salary of tho
faculty. HeTeral of the teachers Were
obliged To resign their positions ant
work at something which would sup
port them. Horace Mann alone hat
hoped for better days for the future o.
the college. He worked on using hi
own means in and for it. His propert,
in the East was sold aud the proceed
taken for its use. Liberal donations
were made to the Institution by hi
friends. Many advised him to abandon
the-eHtePprise. He did not for mo
mcnt think of giving up the cause then
for he knew that If it failed ut that TIM
people would receive the impression
that the method of instruction and tn
system were at fault; and he iabOKe6
!: with unfiinching zeal tantii the dari
clouds which had so long dimmed TIN
sky began to break away and the brigli
light of future prosperity was In view
lie carried the college through its early
pecuniary difficulties, saw it start for
. ward on firm financial basis. aud sat
isficd many prejudieed .EaeE&Ons by TIN
experiment that q college for the com
, mon education of the sexes was PRtiFeI.
practicable. When he had accomplished
: this object his physical strength CAV
, way and his Maker called hi1a home.
; In the life of Horace Mama we ma
, fiad much of the lofty seif-sacrific
: which characteFizes all trile greatness
t He has not only made CREST achieve
ments for the educational system Q
: America, bnt has given the. youth tls
llellai Ct of an examnle which can b