The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-12-27

learnin g. For threequarters of century the semi
nary tablishcd by did splendid sery ice which
| was felt throughout New England. 1 recall with
satisaet ion the TACT that your first prec eptor most
closely id entitled with the history of the institution
was nat I've OF my town, and the first lady principal
| of your seminary, woman of rare culture and
Christian virtues, blessed the commu nifty in which
was born. The spirit of old days abides with you
still. Theii you gave $4,000 out of your scanty
means in the cause of education and now YOU besto,
$4,000 in the form of stately bui iding placed nnon
the choicest sp 1t in yolr village. cannot consider
any crcumstan could arise plore auspicious for
l such underta king. 1t may we'll evoke snticipa.
lions Of success. Helping to such result thought
to speak on the necessity of Normal School work.
1t often seems strange that 80 many ages should
have gone by before the smallest mechanical inven
/ ton discovered. The great ark, the Tower of
Babel, the Pyramids Of Egypt, the aqueducts and
roads of Rome were constructs before busy workers
thought out the principle of vehicle to be used in
carrying load of bricks the application of steam
1t was left to leonardo late the 10th century,
to construct wheelbarrow. So it seems strange so
many universities should have been in operation so
long before it dawned upon man that the most i'm
| portant system Of teaching was that which fitted
others to become teachers Steam had been thought
as among the possibilities but never made practical
before Watts sat by the boiling kettle. The truth is
that which makes one man differ from all others in
the making of discoveries is that what is dream to
the many becomes to him the act itself. So it came
about that in 1851 French priest at Rheims said
that in order to bring up education he must first
train the teachers in his parish to better methods
He acted on the idea and when the corps was dis
| ciplined the elevation of his parish began. Then
Franchi at Halle took the matter up, and finally the
government of Frederick the Great became interest.
Il al
now there are 1000 of them. 1t is strange that the
system did not get foohold in America for over a
century after it was established in Europe In 9TH
er things America was in the advance. In Europe
education was confined to the privileged
classes; it prevailed in the courts and was
the means of tyranny over the people,
The speaker then gave an interesting sketch Of the
growth of education in this country wharA
were inflicted on all who did not know how to read
and write not conversant with the principal
laws, and where the principle of education for all
was the fundamental principle underlying the
government and making us different from all the
people in the world. 1t was strange then that
people like this should be so slow to adopt this
system Of normal teaching. The French wars, the
Revolution, all had backward effect. Our frame
work was good, our machinery clumsy. The school
teachers incompetent, their methods sloyenly.
Emigration and the emigrants were wanting in
the very rudiments while our own country children
were badly taught. Then came Rev. Charles
Brooks of bingham, who was zealot in the good
work. Under his efforts in 1913 the Massachusetts,
legislature made its first appropriation for normal
schools. Now there are 1877 in the different states
and New York expends sl75,Ooo annually for this
object. And yet how much yet remains to be DONE
For long tme-and it has not yet entirely ceased
to be the case-the district school committee man
considered all that was wanted in q teacher was
that he should be college bred and able to thrash the
pupils If they msbehaved, and the most competent
teacher the speaker knew, when young man was a
criminal, man his father bailed out of jail. To
think of the mind as an imagining and reasoning
being and the object of education the developing
and dsciplning of the inner forces of the mind that
is what the teacher should do. The mind is not a
pigeon hole but living thing to be developed and
disciplined for complete manhood and woman
hood. The speaker compared the training of a full
blooded colt with the training of children. !
Surely, he sad you should bestow as much care up-
the training of your child the trainer does on
his colt in order to bring out its powers The minister
has his theological school, the doctor his medical
school, the soldier his West Point Grant could not
have achieved what he did without training for no
man jumps p-hazard into great achievements. The
speaker thought if tax payers understood this mat
ter they would demand more normal schools. The |
great opposition to them comes from friends of edu-
cation who protest against people being taxed for
normal schhols and colleges left to get funds from
friends. They forget colleges do not stand in the
same relation to the public common schools. We |
conceive of a republic within whose territory were
no colleges cannot think it would be the best |
type of a republic. But we could not conceive of a
free state existing without free schools. Now this
work of special training of teachers for common
schools is a part OF our common school SYSTEM In
view OF the new elements which have been brought
into the question lin view of the vast tide of immgra-
ton which has set in upon us, and the full power
of citizenship with which we have equipped all |
classes among u.s. this work of especial training of
teachers for common schools is now most vital
part Of our system of popular education. The COM
school system finds all its value to the state in
the fact that it is a aood common school, All WE
need is not new system but that the present one |
should be worked with force and efficiency. To |
make a competent teacher is as important work as
to build school-house. The reason why states are
multiplying and maintaining these schools for the |
special training of teachers is that they make the
system upon which they themselves stand worth
something by giving the finish for which it was |
planted. This fact takes the normal school outside
the list Of other institutions Of learning. The nor
NAL school is integral part of the common school
system 1t belongs to the state to support this one as
much as the other,
Why, look at the matter in an economical way, |
There are nine million scholars, and $1,000 teachers
enrolled in the United States costing SS2 OOO In
Maine there are $3.50 scholars in the common |
schools at cost of million year. Is this not an |
argument in favor of a wise economical use of this |
money and these vast energies? Nine-tenths of
these children to be educated after reaching
fifteen years Of age-that is common schools give |
nine-tenths ofthe education furnished. Ought not |
liz. IL Ia Il
The teachers are mostly young women and they |
ought to be specially trained before they stimu
late into larger growth the minds of the boys at
least. Men of broad culture then should not forget
the humble institutions which the fathers laid on |
Plymouth soil, out Of which the Nation sprang, l
which saved the nation and liberty in its hour of
peril, which is to be its security and glory in the
future this common school where American citizens
are educated The old New England vigor, energy
and faith in God won, and the future is not dying
out The colleges have lost nothing of popularity or
in attendance. People who see the small represen-
tation of New England in Washington, and the vast |
territory and population of the West prognosticate
our doom. They forget the power of Palestine, Of
Greece, and later of England. New England repeats
the lesson of the past. Her character her finer |
thought her spiritual Qualities will give her
the supremacy. The time has been when over |
whelmingly outvoted she carried the day by her |
weight of arguments, her earnest convictions, her
patriotism, her love of truth and her sublime eager
ness to die for it. New England measures and ideas
things of the past! Not so, When the great crisis
comes, when principles which touch the human con-
science, or invoke the natlonathonor liberty. are
in peril it will be New England sentiment, New Eng
land men in Congress that will shape the National
policy and save the country from infamy and ruin
Let her keep her face fronted to the heavens hold
ing still in the fathers faith in prayer, in the Bible
in the school house, and her future will be as her
past has been repete with material success national
influence, and spiritual victory.
At the close of the address the choir sang |
Barnby's "How Manifold are Thy Works" fol- |
lowed BY the following ode written by Port
land lady:
ODE.
AIR-KELLER'S AMERICAN HYMN.
Open with song thy wide welcoming door,
House, that for Wisdom homestead we build! |
Glad feet to-day tread thy strong founded floor;
y.;, loxxf hall, 18th 90