The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-07-03

The meeting of the School Principals Assoca-
ton of Illinois was held in this city this week,
beginning on last Wednesday evening. Sessions
have been held at the High School building.
The session opened on Wednesday evening by
a handsome address Of welcome by Mayor Rich
olson. lie was followed, the same evening, by
President l.. Lewis, of Hyde Park, whose subject
was the influence of our American High Schools
in making American citizens Of the heterogeHe-
Gus mass of migrants coming to our shores. The
address was a most valuable compendium of edu
cational statistics.
Thursday the week began in earnest. First,
the treasurer's books show that the following
teachers were present: c. J. Parker, Chicago;
J. +. Everett, Rock Island; p. H. Beggs, Will
mington; II. Revans, Englewood; f. L. Harp.
ham, Oak Park; w. c. Dougherty, Peoria; Chas.
De Garno Normal; j. l.. Wright Savanna;
John w. Cook, Normal; J. r. McGregor, Men
dota; Leroy S. Bates, Lewiston NJ. Anderson,
Galesburg; Geo. Blount, Macomb; o. F. Bar
bour Rockford; d. f. Carver, Warren; H. H.
Fross, Chicago; Chas. A. Smith, Peoria; Samuel
f. Harwood, Carboadale; j. w. Gibson, Belye-
dere; James p. Slade, Springfield; Frank b.
Cooper, Forreston; f. A. Ferrin, Freedom; N
d. Gilbert, Clinton; Chas. Z. Blake, Rock City;
L. T. Regain, Norris p. r. Walker, Rochelle;
J. II. Blodgett, Rockford; c. w. Rolfe, Kanka-
kee; A. J. Blanchard, Sycamore; j. McClenahan,
Knoxville, J. w. Payne, Chicago; Mrs. G. E..
Larned, Champaign; Miss W. Bucks, Carbon
dale; c. Duffy; VIM. Jenkins, Mendoza; O. w.
Herrick, Chicago; j. A. Holmes, Ottawa; Leslie
Lewis, Hyde Park; K. Cutler, Tiskilwa; James
A. Harper, Gardner; c. y. Diehl, Buda; j. NJ.
Piper, Sterling; s. B. Wadswcrth, Oregon; Jos.
Carter, Peru; f. A. eastman, Decatur; s. r.
Winchell, Chicago; L. NJ. Hastings, Aurora; ".
Z. Ray, Oregon II. L. Boltwood, Ottawa.
The day was consumed by discussions on the
essays read, as follows: 1.-The Quincy Plan,"
VIM. jenkins; Supervision" w. b. Powell;
"Who Shall be our Teachers" Alfred Park;
How Shall we Teach Recommendation" l.. I.
Regain; Glow Shall we Induce more Young
Men to finish our Courses of Study" S. B. Ba
thurst; GLOW to make weekly Teachers Meet
ings of most Value" F. A. eastman.
In the evening, at the Congregational church,
Hon. John NJ Gregory LID, late president Of
the Illinois State Industrial University at Cham
paign, delivered lecture 1.-THE Place and
Work of the American High School" The audi
ence was not a large one mot hundredth part
of those of this city who should have heard the
lecture(, filing about One-third OF the church,
and even these had quite wait to get in, the
janitor having neglected to open and light the
church.
The lecture, almost entirely delivered without
use of the MSS, was a superb defense of the High
School, and We keenly regret we cannot repro
duce it entire, since the following outline Is the
merest skeleton of the lecture and imperfect at
that.
Two audiences he said, confront this subject:
the taxpayer, and the people and school boards
who conduct the school. The one argument for
the High School applies to both
No system Of schools ever attempted to get
along with one school for the people; the schools
we read of in the early day when the intellect
of Europe was bursting the bonds Of ignorance
and awakening to activity, were Universities,
schools for men preparing for the learned pro-
fessons.
\ High School. defined, is n school a grade
higher than the common schools, supported by
the public and controlled by public officers. IL
fills the place of the gymnasium of Germany and
lycee of France.
As has been said, the earliest schools were the
universities Common schools for the people
were unheard of until Luther and Melanchton
founded them to educate the people TO read their
bibles, to become better Christians and to help
themselves along in the world. Then came
schools TO fit pupils for the universities the thirst
for learning producing higher schools. But the