National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-02-14
FOR EDUCATION.
Meeting Of the Department of Superintondonce
Yesterday.
Speeches aud Statistics Showing the Need
OF Greater school Facilities,

perintcndence of the National Association o
Education of the United States assembled al
Congregational church yesterday morning
Mr. D. IL. Warner, president of tho school
board, opened the session with an address OF
welcome. Mr. j. A. Rockwell was elected
assistant secretary and stenographer. Hon
| j. w. Holcomb, of Indiana, presented paper
| on Supervision IN County Schools" lt was
discussed by Prof. 4. l.. Wade of West Vir-
gnia, and Messrs Smith Of Minneapolis
| Houck of Pennsylvania, Dickinson Of Massa.
ohusetts Baer of Pennsylvania, and Gen.
| Eaton The subject of Indian education was
| taken up and discussed.
Hon. J. w. Haworth superintendent OF
| Indian schools, in the course of an interesting
address, said that the present condition of
| Indian education is not up tn the standard
which its friends desire In 1870 we had 205
schools and between 5000 and 1900 pupils
in 1888 We have 472 schools with 1926;
| The increase of industrial teaching has had n
most beneficial effect. Tho matter was dis
cussed by Capt. Il. Ii. Pruitt, of the Carlisle
Indian school, and DR.. McMurdy. DR.. Bick-
nell, of Massachusetts, offered n resolution
that committee be appointed to bring the
| question of education in Alaska before the
| proper committee of congress-" A resolution
was offered by DIR. Orr, proposing the appoint
ment of a committee to confer with congress
on national aid to tho school system Of the
states. Tho questions of CalstheniCs and
rccesses were discussed at length by several
| delegates.
At o'clock the association assembled at
the high school. The first speaker of the
evening was the Hon. john w. Dickinson,
secretary state board of education Of Massa-
| chusetts. His subject was National Aid for
the Support of Public Schools" For u few
minutes the term education was defined in
| its many senses. 1t may be considered a
| constituted element of the mind ITSELF an
| element which the mind may be adding to
| itself by its own activity.
Whatever we would have appear in the
citizen or in the nation we must first have in
| the schools. No general ,and systematic edu-
cation can be produced except by we'll or
ganized schools. And no systematic educa-
| tion containing the two elements, national
| and individual development, can be produced
except in the schools of the people. The
justice and wisdom Of granting aid in the
support of public educational institutions by
national tax, if necessary, can hardly be
questioned.
Mai Robert Bingham, of the Bingham
school, North Carolina, was the next speaker,
treating National Aid to Public Schools y
| He spoke Of the condition of the south prior
to the war and after it, and the strenuous
efforts of the people of North Carolina to re.
| construct not only their shattered fortunes
| but their institutions. We live in the present
and the future. In North Carolina whom AT
one time thoy made 25,000,000 pounds oi
tobacco they make now 50000,000 pounds
They make double the money. We have
| turned our attention to making money.
After making comparisons Of the school
taxation and taxable property with that OF
other states, he very frankly entered upon
the subject of prevailing prejudices which
| had once prevailed, but no longer existed
| n1n unbn plu o laI 81,
as the white. Tho people Of the state had
| great difficulties to overcome. OF the large
population in the state only 10000 live in
towns the balance living in the Country. The
| illteracy prevailed among tho people, he
| admitted, but added humorously he would
not allow it to be said by any one else
| The best that can be done is to provide
| schooling for three months only, and the
teachers receive only $25 per month, and
board themselves. He urged the necessity
| of national aid, and said that If $500 per yeal
could be guaranteed to each qualified teacher
| he would assert that the finest educated
women Of his state could be had to, instruct
not only the white, but tho colored people
| We have got the teachers among us, but what
we need greatly is money TO pay them.
Hon. Thomas w. Bicknell president Of th,
interstate committee OH national aid, Boston
| Mass, then read the proposed bill on federal
aid 10 education, which provides for FUND
of 5,737,290, to be distributed in tw-lv,
years to the several states and territories
upon the basis of school illiteracy, accord
ing to the last census, between thu
ages of and 20, the fund to- b.
under the charge of a commission of govern
ment oficials-secretsry of the interior, tive
United States senators, two representatives
the commissioner on education, and tn,
fourth auditor.
The Hon. b. G. Northrop, who was to fol
low, yielded his time to Hon. J. l.. NJ Curry
LII. D., general agent Of the Peabody fund
who made brief speech. after which tn,
association adjourned until this morning.
At 1915 n. m. to-day the association will
pay their respects TO Secretary Teller, and a
1890 p. m. will call in a body on tho Presi
dent. At 8 o'clock tonight an informa
gathering of tho superintendents and thei
friends will occur at the rooms of the bureau
Of education, corner of Eighth and g streets