Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-15
TEACHERS, ASSOCIATION.
What 1t Is Why the Association Exists
A Private and Voluntary Organization.

friends of the State Teachers Association
are diligently at work arranging for the
meeting of the Association in this city next
month. They find some misapprehension
is abroad concerning the Association, how
ever, and are not a little nettled to meet
among citizens with an idea that has been
put afioat adverse TO the character, useful
ness and purpose of the Association. For
instance, the idea has been cultivated that
the teachers of the State are compelled to
attend, and that there is unwisdom, if not
cruelty, in fixing the meeting of the Asso-
citation in holiday week, and tearing them
away from their homes at that time. The
fact is that the Association is q purely vol
| untary body. 1t is not in any way related
| to the laws of the State as a part of the
| school system. 1t is a voluntary society,
| organized some years ago by teachers of
| their own motion and for mutual benefit,
and by their own vote they fix the time of
| their meeting. As teacher, who was con-
siderably stirred" over the false i'm
pressions given out, yesterday said, on be-
ing interrogated:
why, great heavens, haven't teachers
the great American privilege of assembling
| and consulting with each other and advis-
ing concerning their interests if they want
| to? Whose business is it, | want to know,
| but theirs? If they organize society,
isn't it their right to do so, and what right
| have any to object? No one is compelled to
| join our society; why, every last mothers
son and daughter of us joined freely and
without any compulsion. As proof of that,
| let me tell you there are some teachers who
| have not yet united with the society. 1t is
| the privilege of any teacher, however, to
| join with US in our work or not. We
| think We are the best judges of what bene-
| fits US, and that we are intelligent enough
| TO judge for ourselves. If we want to come
| together and hear old fossils or Young
| shrimps tell their experiences, and advise
| as to mutual interests and as to how best
| TO teach the young idea how to shoot and
| TO consult as to still greater beneficial
schemes, by the Roaring Penobscot whose
| business is it but ours? We are not paid
| by the State, or any city or any county, so
| much as nickle to maintain our society.
| We foot the society bills; we get half-fares
out of the railroad companies, if we can,
when we go to the annual meeting, and we
get together for an intellectual picnic once
| year. and agree on the holiday week to
do it in. Now | want to ask whose bust
| ness is it but ours?"
a teacher standing near by, here chimed
in with these words: Look here. teachers
are bright enough to look after their owI,
| interests; now does anybody object to the
dentists meeting together annually, eh? Do
any people jump in and tell the four or five
associations OF doctors that their societies
are farces p Is it any concern of ANYBODY
but the three of four hundred members who
have organized the society what under the
sun we do it for? We think out society
| Is OF some benefit and good deal of pleas
| ureto US, andlrs going to be more; it's going
| to be benefit il other ways, we hope We
think. also, that it has a good deal of in
tiuence in behalf Of the profession we fol.
low, in dignifying it and lettering it and
giving the people better teachers. We
may be mistaken, you know; but say isn't
| 1t our privilege to think so if we want to ?
| Haven't we as good right to have soci-
| ETY. as the Press Association, the Pharma-
ceutlsts, the Typographical Union, the
Doctors, and Ministers, and Chautauqua
| Circles, and Odd Fellows, ard Masons. and
| Native Sons and all the other people who
| organize? guess so. l guess, too, that
| we have sense enough to organize So
ciety as useful to us as any professional
| societies are to Others"
1t appears that the Association is
| purely personal matter, not required bv
| law, not an Institute" and making no call
| upon any branch of the Government. 1t
has some money in its treasury and a very
representative membership. A proposition
| is to come before it to reorganize as a
| Teachers Alliance, with headquarters in
San Francisco, and for which it is proposed
| to erect building with exhibition rooms.
| a hall and permanent intelligence offices,
where teachers can register, meet, gain in
| formation and generally help one another
| in their profession. There is some 81 900
over from funds raised to entertain the Ma
t1onal Association last summer, and it is
| proposed to ask the committee holding il
to consent to that sum going into the build
ing fund of the Alliance" if formed. 1t
appears that there are teachers associa-
| tlons like that OF California in great many
| OF tbe Eastern States, and that others are
| forming, and the testimony is uniform that
| they have proved useful to the member
| ship. A prominent educator being asked
about these associations yesterday, said:
| Il approve them; the teachers are paid by
| the people and they render full service, l
| think, for their salaries. 1t looks to me-
| though, that 1t is just the right thing for
such class living upon salaries paid from
| the treasures of the counties and the State
| to get together once a year and show de-
| sire to profit by exchange of their expert
ences and to put teaching on a sill better
| plane. They DO the State gooi as it looks
to ME, by Going SO. l have never seen any
thing but social and educational good come
from these annual reunions. You must
remember that it is not in the speech-mak-
ing and essay-reading alone all the benefit
resides, but in the meeting of the teach
| ers, and their individual consultations and
exchange of views also"
| Concerning the location of the annual
| sessions, inquiry develops that by the by
laws of the Association the place of meet
| ing is fixed by the Executive Committee,
of which Mr.. Cook, OF Berkeley, is Presi-
dent. At the last session, invitation being
extended, expression was given in favor of
| Sacramento for the meeting of 1888, and
the Executive Committee followed that
suggestion, but it has the power to call the
Association together at any other point,
and there is time in which to change it, say
some of the committee but it will not be
! done, for Sacramento wants the meeting
held here. Berkeley, Oakland, San Jose
and San Francisco all bid for the session
| This would seem to cover the whole ground
of information concerning which there has
| been inquiry, and to remove the erroneous
impression that has been cultivated that
the teachers are obliged to come here and
sacrifice their holiday week. They come,
it is ascertained, if they come at all, of
their own accord, and they do as they
| please as to where and how they will spend
their holidays, and, in short it is, as one
! quoted above said, the business of no one
as to how they do it, SO long as they do not
| dishonor their cloth.