St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-21
scHooLmAsrERS cow ENTuoN
Noteworthy Pedagogues i'm Con-
cIave at Saratoga Springs.
,iaI Correspondence of the Globe.

clave at SaratOga springs.
Special Correspondence of the Globe.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, July 16.-We ar
rived this morning at this famous watering
place. the Baden OF America, and found a
notable gathering of educators already as
sembled. The national council of educa-
ton. most distinguished body. composed
of the sages and Solons of the profession.
has been i'm session since Friday the 10th,
and has presented and discussed reports
covering the whole realm of educational
thought.
This evening the National Educational
association has inaugurated its twenty-iifth
annual meeting and will continue its session
during the week. +. Louis Sedan, Ii. d..
of St Louis. No. Is the president of the
association; William +. Sheldon OF Boston.
Mass. secretary. and y. y. Calkins Of New
York city treasurer.
The opening meeting was held in the
Washington Street First Methodist church
at 5 o'clock. but was not so enthusiastic an
opening as any one of the several grand
openings" which took place at Madison last
year.
After the usual welcoming addresses and
responses Secretary Sheldon. at the request
of the president. read a letter from Grover
Cleveland, president of the United States.
expressing sympathy with the objects of
the meeting and regretting that official
duties alone prevented him from accepting
an invitation TO be present.
Prof. Wilson of Providence, K l.. read
a paper prepared by Gen. Thomas Morgan,
president of the state normal school of
Providence. Il. l., on The Ideal School
master. and if Gen. Thomas Morgan could
have heard the remarks that were
made about that paper and could have
seen the effect it had in thinning
out the audience he would send
all his educational papers TO Cleveland or
Chicago. and have them read to the nOtouS
strikers of those cities. They would be
likely To dispeTSe the crowds if anything
would do it. l would not infer that the
paper itself was absolutely feeble or en-
tirely devoid Of ideas. but the ideas were
certainly not fresh, and they were not put
in the strongest possible language.
As To THE PERSONNEL
of the meeting it does not differ materially
from the usual make up of educational con-
ventiOnS. The great educational lights are
here. of course, such as Gen. John Eaton,
United States commissioner of education;
w. L. Harris, LII. d., of the Concord
School of Philosophy; ID. Stanley Hall, o.
l.. d., of John Hopkins university. Balti-
more. Md; Hon. b. q. NOrthrup of Con
necticut. Hon. T. w. Bicknell Of Boston,
Mass, Prof. w. II. Payne of Michigan
university, Hon. Z. f. White of Indiana
Gen. Henry Il. Darlington, retired from
the United States army, author of histories
of the late war; Hon. j. p. WickeTsham of
Pennsylvania, Prof. J. w. Stearns of Wis
cenSin, Col. Francis w. Parker OF Illinois.
w. y. Mailman of Indiana, DIR. John Han
cock of Ohio, Hon. JOnn HitZ, United
States minister of education from SwitZer-
land.
The above named celebrities have ma
tiOnal reputation, and are the central fig
ureS of every national association. As to
numbers in attendance this year this asSo-
citation will no more compare with the
crowd at Madison last year than a small
sized Etheopean compares To- u night of
Egyptian darkness. The few hundreds
that are here are lost i'm the immensely of
these great summer hotels. The Southern
representatives are cOnspicuOuSly absent
There are but few from the West and
Northwest, Supt. Cove of Den
yer. Supt. James of Omaha, Supt.
Greenwood of Kansas City and Supt Long
of st. Louis being about the only noted men
from the West. Minnesota is ably, but
not largely, represented by President Irwin
Shepard of the State Normal school of
WinOna; 5. 5. ParT, eX-superintendent of
Rochester; Prof. Moore of Minneapolis,
Principal LOthrOp of St. Paul and Supt. V.
g. Curtis of Saltwater.
y new organization has recently been in
corporated in connection with educational
movements, which has for its special pur-
pose education for citizenship.
The first convocation of eOunsellors rep
reSentng the state councils of this new
institution will meet here tomorrow.
1t has been christened the American msti-
tute of CivicS, and among its officers ap-
pear the names of Chief Justice Waite
Hon. Hugh McCullOch. United States Sen
atOr COlquitt Of Georgia. President Noah
Porter of Yale college. President Seelye of
Amherst college and Gen. Darlington of
New York. The plans of this institute. as
formulated thus far. include department
of public school instruction, department
OF college and professional instruction and
department of the press.
To-day DR.. J. w. Stearns of Wisconsin
read an ably prepared paper on The Com
mon School and Morality, which elected
most interesting discussion. An abstract
of the paper shows that the sum of infu-
ences which contribute to the formation of
character is called moral education, and
therefore the moral aspect of school work
is most fitting subject for the the cOnsid-
alton of teachers.
EVENING SESSION.
The spacious sanctuary was filed i'm the
evening 10 listen to the eruditiOn of DIR. w.
i. Harris. the Concord philosopher. The
theme was Psychological Inquiry and DIR.
Harris fully sustained his reputation as a
metaphysician by plunging into the pro-
fouDdeSt depths of psychological thought
and dragging his hearers through unfath-
Omed seas OF scientific raciocination.
When the learned doctor once launches
out and begins to discuss the ''undifferen-
tiated activity of a child'S mind" the sub
jective cOncomitants of his infantile
nature, and the psychological environ
ments' Of his adoleScent stages of existence
he is about As hard TO follow as is Joseph
Cook. SO many of the ordinary peda-
gogues had To give it up in des-
pair; others sat with their eyes and
mouths open drinking ii in with eager
avidity.
Some of the audience even understood it