The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-05-25
BISHOP FALLOWS' LECTURE.
An Able Address Before the Nor
NAL Literary Societies.

Notwithstanding the threatening wealth
or the opera-house was well filled Mon
day night by one of Mankato's best audi
ences, drawn thither by the announce
ment that Bishop Samuel Fallo"s, of
Chicago, was to address the Normal lit
erary societies. Nor were his listeners
in the lecturer, for he is
man of deep thought, logical writer
and an interesting and ut times eloquent
speaker. He was introduced by Presi-
dent Soaring, and announced his theme
as, ''The Teacher and Modern Lie"
Arnold, of Rugby, Pestalozzi, and the
other great teachers were all under great
obligations to Athenian Socrates. The lat
ter was most repulsive physically, but
became beautiful within by earnest
work. In doing this he found each class
of people possessed of Il little knowledge
in some direction, but otherwise very IL
norant. There Is no more pitable sight
to-day than the pedagog who thinks he
knows it all and is self-suthcient, all-sui-
ficient and insufficient. The individu-
ality of person should be maintained
pil should be so taught as to reason in
dependently. His individuality should
be brought out, but to do this the teach
er must have an individuality of his
own. We must make the best of imita-
ton and the infusion of personality, for
it cannot be helped. To obtain COM
plete control of your pupils they must
be treated with kindness. Socrates said
that the position of teacher and pupil
should be that of lover to lover, or at
least that of intimate friendship. The
special form of that relationship may
not be possible to-day, but its spirit
should rule. No sordid notion should
be present in the mind of the teacher.
School boards, however, are often trying
to reduce the remuneration of teachers
to the lowest point.
The day of the absolute despotism in
the schools, when teachers were little
Cars and the pupils were little serfs
with any amount of dynamite hidden in
their breasts, is over. Discipline is'a
most desirable thing, but it should not
be obtained by despotlsm. The teach
ers should be ever bright and active and
jovial, and make school paradise
There are three parties to school, the
teacher, the pupil and the parent. The
latter should not leave the discipline OF
their children to the teacher.
No matter how perfect the teacher
not all of the pupils will be the recipi.
ents of knowledge; but If the teacher il
good one these pupils will acquire
some knowledge and improvement. The
multiplication of text books is an I'M
wise thing. The gigantic school book
trusts have the throat of every school
child in this State in their grasp, but
there is a super-abundance of school
books In the schools.
At the time of Socrates women were
not allowed in the schools. The one
great improvement of the nineteenth
century is the advancement of women.
Woman is "w double YOU o man"
For some centuries it has been granted
that women have souls, but not until
this century has it been granted that
they have minds. The speaker paid a
great compliment to the recent Woman's
international Conference held at Wash
ington. He characterized this rs the
age of woman. Education is incomplete
unless both men and women have Il
hand In it, and woman is the first to be-
gin it in the home, the kindergartenan and
the primary school.
We have peculiarly AmeSican system
of education, and IT is the best IN the
world. The speaker referred TO the vast
immigration of foreigners, and spoke in
eloquent periods of their mission and
their work in the Union armies during
the war. The land they helped to save
should not be a paradise of communists
and anarchists, but rather purgatory.
The great thing to be taught in our
schools is patriotism. The common
school system is never to be abandoned.
1t can be improved, and we must keep
pegging away" until we make it better,
the same as we must keep at it until u.
S. Senators are made into gentlemen or
out of them.
The speaker hoped that each of the
students before him would be a large
and brilliant star Of the first magnitude
in his profession.
Bishop Fallows was frequently ap-
plauded, and made an envIable impress
sion on his hearers.