St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-13
EDUCATIONAL ECHOES.

popular question is, was it a success?
Well, that depends. 1t depends on
what light you view it in. If the COM
ing together of big crowd of people
in which the female element largely
predominates Is a success, then the con-
.vention was a grand achievement. If
interesting papers and discussions on
seducationaFt topics are success, then the
convention was fairly scccess. But if
you mean the dropping of big piles of
money in st. Paul, then the convention
was failure. Outside of the hotels
land boarding houses there was very lit
tie money left behind. Still. we were
awfully glad to have the educators with
US, and to be able to extend the hospi-
fatty of the city. Our compensation is
IN the consciousness of having per-
formed our duty In entertaining our
guests, and of the good advertisement
these people will give our city.
~
New England had the most solid dele
CATION in attendance, and the most mod
est. They made no furry, and showed
no disposition to push themselves to the
front; yet they were a way-up class of
teachers.
The Chicago delegation kicked up the
most racket. They had candidate for
president, and because he was beaten
by a Southern man they hoisted the
bloody shirt and attempted to wave it
over the convention. But through the
good sense of President CANFIELD the
ensanguined garment was speedily
hauled down and the riot squelehed.
In view of the fact that Chicago would
like to have the Southern people visit
that city in body in 1892, little more
modeSty and degree of wisdom would
have been more appropriate on the part
of the Chicago delegates. There ought
to be no sectionaliSm in this educa-
tional work; no more than there should
be in the worlds fair exhibit.
IS
1t is matter of local pride that, by
universal consent, the st. Paul schools
received credit for the best exhibit.
Considering that no special effort was
made to get up a st. Paul exhibit, our
teachere and our people are justly
proud of their triumph.
-
President CANFIELD is man of
nerve and great executive force; other
wise the convention proceedings would
have been awfully tangled up. 1t is no
little task to hold in subsection 5000
school teachers who think they know
it all.
Now that the convention is over, the
most fatigued man in town is Secretary
SHERIN. He has been a walking en-
cyclopedia for the last week, and has
had to roll off information with the
rapidity of a railway station master. I
saw him the other day down in the En-
dicott building when fourteen school
ma'ams were besieging him with ques-
tons at the same time. He answered
every one Of them with Suavity of
manner that would have done creeit to
a French parliamentarian. l don't
know that he answered them correctly,
but the marvel 70 one was that he could
answer them at all. 1t takes cool
Drained, level-headed, slick tongued man
yet please each one.
-
! The eolored brother made good
showing in the convention. The de-
portmentjof the colored delegates was
unexceptionable in every respect, and
their scholarly attainments are the best
evidence that the cause of education is
not being neglected in the Southern
states. /
q The weather clerk stood In with the i
local authorities and gave our visitors a
frst-class sample of Minnesota summer
climate. 1t is a pity we couldn't have
made as good showing in some other
respects. The lack OF more commOdi-
Gus hall in which to hold the convention
was source of genuine modification to
our people. And then the convention
came at time when we had no first
class places of amusement to which
they could resort. In another year we
would have had two good theaters.
Fortunately. we were provided with
tip-top hotel accommodations, and that
counts for good deal.
~
The speeches which invited most
thoughtful study were the ones deliv-
cred by Archbishop IRELAND and Sup
erintendent THAYER. The topic of most |
general interest was ''The Race Prob
lem," and it was generally conceded
that the addresses delivered by Judge
GUNBY and Prof. PRICE were the
speeches of the convention. Both were
ornate. thoughtful and impartial discus
sions of the most serious problem re-
lating to our social conditions.