Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-30
OUR EDUCATION.
teresting Essays and Valuable Discus
sions---The Session To Continue To-Day.

Meeting of the Minnesota Association-In-
teresting Essays and Valuable Discus
sions--The Session To Continue To-Day.
The Minnesota educational association,
in convention assembled, resumed their
labors in Representative hall at the State
capitol, at $50 o'clock yesterday morning.
President G. w. Smith occupied the
chair and Mr.. A J. Greer, of Lake City,
oficiated as scribe. The proceedings
were opened with prayer by Rev. Mr..
Chandler, of Glencoe, after which singing
took place by the Glee club, led by Prof.
Priem.
The president, Prof. Smith, then deliv-
cred his annual address. He first alluded
to the desirability of having knowledge
generally diffused so that the thoughts
and experience of each might become the
property of all, and that the talents COM
mitted to each might be used for the
benefit of ALL
He alluded to the fact that in 1879 over
seventy millions of dollars had been ex-
pended in the Eastern, Middle and West
ern States for public education.
If as charged, we are working under
generalizing process Of turning out as
many minds of the same pattern as if we
wanted watch springs or patent nail
heads by the million, and thus unfit the
youth of our land for any honest occu-
patton, this grave error should be honest
ly acknowledgement lead us to wisdom
in our plans for the future If, however,
we are doing all that can be done towards
bringing forth the best that is in man,
not simply pouring knowledge into him,
but using the variety of gifts with which
even the poorest in endowment possesses,
to the best possible end land 1 believe we
are doing this,) it must certainly become
apparent from our deliberations at this
time
The growth and history of education in
Minnesota was outlined and graphic
picture given of the magnificent work
accomplished. In speaking of the efforts
of those who would retard the work of
progress the speaker compared them to
man who closed his eyes at monday and
defied the bystanders to prove that there
was sun. Down deep in the lowest
strata lies most excellent material of
manhood; tough, strong and enduring.
These barefoot boys, accust omed to hard
knocks, self-reliant, battle-waging, when
their hearts have once been touched by
the divine hunger for knowledge, grow
into intellectual giants whose thoughts
and words move the world. The speaker
adverted to the various methods resorted
to by malcOntents to disparage the
school system, mentioned the proper
sphere of industrial school and the works
of training teachers. He closed as follows:
May we be SO successful that by earn
estness, wisdom and enthusiasm of our
deliberations we may inspire the fullest
confidence in our integrity and high pur-
pose, and in these days of struggling self
ishness, when the virtue of public spirit
seems, in so many, well nigh dead, may
God keep alive the desire, as he has
granted the ability among us, to give the
best efforts of our lives to the grand work
of perfecting the school system of our
beloved land
The above are only few extracts from
the address, which was characterized by
profound thought and wisdom.
superintendent Burt, chairman of the
committee on salaries. submitted his re-
port, in which it was recommended that
the time and place for paying county su-
perintendents of schools should commence
at the first school in the district The
report was accepted.
Prof. D. G. Kiehle, of the ST. Cloud
Normal school, then delivered his report
on the work of the National association,
which met in Chiquaqua, New York,
last July. In speaking of the result of
their deliberations Prof. Kiehle said that
the following conclusions were arrived at:
Education should be national and receive
such support from the State as should be
consistent, that every child should attend
school, and that education should be
compulsory when necessary. The speak
er then gave an elaborate outline of the
work of the conventions; he referred to
and deprecated the mechanical meth
DDS of teaching, and thoroughly canvassed
the questions of education as they came
up and were discussed at the convention.
The able report of Prof. Kiehle evoked a
long and interesting discussion