The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-02-19
SENATOR BEMAN,s sPEECH.


sENATOR BEMAN's sPEEOH.
In reading the speeches IN the Sen.
ate on the Normal School bills, every
ono must have been struck by the great
advantage which the friends Of these
schools have had over those who would
sell or give them away, or convert them
into Inebriate and Insane Asylums.
There is an almost -immeasurable dis.
lance between the two parties. The
one stands upon . principle which ap-
peals to the sober judgment and sound
sense Of all earnest men and friends Of
progress, while the other has just
what inspiration there is to be derived
from the prejudioes Of localities aud
the clamorioga Of ignorance. Mr.. Berry
and Mr.. Wilkinson have spoken to the
intelligence Of the people-Mr. Don
nelly aud Mr.. Macdonald have appeal.
ed, IN true spirit Of demagoguoism, to
whatever Of parsimony there may be 10
them. These "reformers" would drag
down tho whole system OF education
to the very low plane on which they
have planted themselves.
But the most effective speech Of the
session on this question was that made
on Tuesday by Mr.. Sam. Bemau. 1t
vas che of his most brilliant efforts
1t Va argumentatiVe ana witty, logical
and convincing, scorchiug and sarcastic
| He handled Messrs. Donnelly and Mac
donald without mercy, and held up to
the d., light the littleoess of their per-
tormanoes, in comparison with the
lsrgeness Of their professions, as reform
ers. No report, even verbatim, could
do justice to his speech. We give Il
few extracts taken here aud there from
the synopsis As given by the St. Paul
Press
"He said be was for strict economy,
but there was no economy In destroy
! log our educational institutions. After
| replying in the happisst manner to- u
threat of Mr.. Macdonald that those who
voted against his measure OF turning
our school houses into homes tor drunk
| ards and hospitals for the insane, would
be consigned to political graves, he al
luded to Dounelly's claim that be 3D.,
had been borne along by great tidal
wave of reform He suggested to that
eminent and witty statesman that tidal
waves sometimes also cast up mire and
filth (great laughter)-that tidal waves
bore on their crests nothing but froth
and foam! (Renewed laughter.) Mr.
Beman said there was some difference
between reform and madness-between
retreuohment and folly" 49,.
"Turniog again to Mr.. Dounelly,
who had held up to ridicule the re.
quest OF Prof. Phelps, that about a
hundred splendid pictures which had
been donated the school should be
framed and hung up, be said that there
was an elerating aud reGoing influence
10 pictures and other beautiful thioks
THAT thirty years ago even a twenty
Eve cent picture was a rare thing in a
farmers family, while DOW scarcely a
farmers or any other mans home was
without one or more tlne chromos to
delight the children and elevate the
tastes Of young and old, and he thought
it not unlikely that pretty chrome OF
two might have been found in poses.
sion OF that Esquimaux family tina,
Donuelly had discovered living in >
mud hut under the SHOWS OF the track.
less prairie !"
"After defending the Model School
at Wiuona, which never cost the State
a single dollar, as we'll as the terrible
charge that German was taught in the
school, Mr. Beman showed that Don.
nelly's scheme of educating teachers in
the hi Oh schools Of cities and country
towns was silly, impracticable and
pIeposterous one, and one which need
ed merely to be mentioned to show that
Its result would be an utter and con-
temptible failure. He theh took hold
of Dounelly's figures and exposed their
I falsity in most striking and foroible
manper."
"Mr Beman from this point paid an
eloquent tribute to education, and show
ed what it lad done for the people OF
the United States, whose condition Was
Ct impaired with that of the peasantry
If Europe, or even in Alabama, in
which State few years ago there was
but single comnon school. de said
the enlightened condition Of the Am.
erican people was due to the common
school system which had been tostered
and protected by our fathers, and which
is DOW sssailed by meo who profess te
be it's friends. Look at the progress
which has been made in the meth, d,
Of education within the last thirt,
years. Then 20 adorn ments were al.
lowed in the school houses, which we're
rude buildings with ruder benches up.
on which children we're tortured, anc
to which he attributed bis own physi
cal misfortune. Now every town ane
village in Minnesota has a schoolhouse
to which ou1 citizens point With pride
and which are the envy of people com
ing here from the older States of tn,
Unitn. And yet it is proposed t,
blast these homes Of education aud b,
the suicidal hands of self-styled reform
ers! (Applause.) In the name 0
true reform he protested against suct
; sscrilspe. 1t was not reforn-it Wa
sn outrage and a shame! And tn,
gres. statesman from Dakota count,
: (Donoelly) is opposed TO Norma
schools, because, f'rsooth, some of tbt
girls educated 10 them marry and qui
teaching, aud thus the State loses thel
services Out upon such fustian ! LIE
me tell him that tie refined aud cult
waited young lady who leaves schoo
teaching tn become the mistress of
home, Is not loss to the State-tb
State gains infinitely more than be-
education has COST"
"He again took hold Of Donnelly'
figures, and made comparison betwee,