St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-13
HARRISON TALKS
An address to the Teachers in
Session at Saratoga.


Session at Saratoga.
SARATOGA, N. Y, July 12.AEarly
this morning President Harrison ar
rived here from the north. He was cs-
corted with ceremony to Congress park.
where the Nationa! Educational Asso-
citation of Teachers was assembled.
AfterAddreSses of welcome Mr.. Harri-
son said:
Mr.. President Ladies and Gentlemen: If
IL Is more blessed TO give than TO receive. this
is blessed audience, for do not know of
any Grass OF people who give SO largely in ex-
Young, and especially the female teachers. 1t
gives me great pleasure to stand for a few
moments i'll your presence aud to receive
this cordial expression of Your respect and
interest. 1t is quite as essential, think. that
the president of the United States should re-
view the teachers of the land as its army or
militia. For. after all. the strength and de-
tense Of OUR institutions. not only in peace,
but IN war. to be found in the young of the
land, who have received from the lips of pa
triotic teachers the story of sacrifices which
their fathers made to establish cur civil
institutions and which their SONS have re-
peated on hundreds OF battle fields. II is not
simply to give that power that comes from
education. but to give it safe direction, that
schools are established. He is not bene-
factor of his race who develops a misdi-
rected power. Therefore we must insist that
in all schools the morality OF the ten COM
mandments shall be instilled; that lessons
OF que subordlnation to authority shall be
taught The family and the school are the
beginning of the fundamental elements of
good citizenship and obedience to law,
respectful Difference to public authority,
self.saCrlhcing purpose TO stand by estab-
iished. and orderly administration of the
government. rejoice in nothing more than
IN this movement recently so prominently
Of tl,ac t.ar ha. hnJ
every schoolhouse. L have been charged
with too sentimental an appreciation of the
Tag. will not enter upon any defense.
God pity the American citizen who does not
our great free institutions and the hope of
the home as we'll as of the nation.
And l think, Notwithstanding perhaps a
little too much tendency to rote in
our public schools. that it is still
true that our teachers. and especially the
women, are not without sentiment. am not
here to instruct this convention of instruct
ors. AS have just intimated. is has seemed
to me that we are taking on i'll education
some of the developments which character
lied the mechanic arts. No workman pro-
duces finished product. He gives it little
touch ami passes 1t on to some one else. l
sometimes regretfully recsil The days when
the teacher left his strong impression
upon the pupil by reason of long
years of personal intercourse and
instruction - universities where the pro-
fessor knew The members of his class
and could detect the fraud when a dummy
was substituted. Now we have the little one
for few months in the kindergarten. then
pass him on to the primary, and the graded
system catches him. much as long belt
machine, and ii carries him on until he is
dumped from these great universities as a
finished product" Perhaps The work Is SO
large, and the demand for economy so great
that this system is inevitable. Perhaps it
throws the pupil somewhat more upon him.
of &c
advan age; but without discussing the rela-
tive merits of the old way and the new.
let us thank God that this great
army Of instructors. reinforced by the great
body of our citiz ems. is marching on to reach
that great result when there shall not be
found duh citizen of the United States who
is not possessed OF all elementary education.
There Is just mean. think-that between
a system of intellectual competition which
destroys the body aud a system of physical
training which eievateS the mind. Perhaps
the stress is applied 100 early 10 our little
ones. l throw out this word of caution to
our good LADY friends here who have them i'll
charge.
1t gives me great pleasure to express sin
cere personal interest in. and to commend
with whatever official sanction I can give to
It, the great work in which you are engaged
sympathize with it. not only because | see
i'll it the safety of the country, but what is
more perhaps what is the same thing. the
safety CT society sympathize with it and
appreciate IL because L love cElICren.
Laughter and applause.l If you did not un-
derstand me to present a plea of guilty to
50 now. Laughter. Il hope all of you may
return to your homes and work with
new sense of and interest in
and conservation to it. There is
none other like it. 1t has the
power of multiplication. 1t has an element
of life that no other work has. 1t is eternal.
II has that communicating touch of intelli-
gence, morality and patriotism which runs
from one to another. aud which goes III the
elements OF character which come 10 it from
the skies. If not crowns of wealth, if not the
luxury and ease of great fortunes are yours,
yours will be a more enduring crown if it
can be said of you that in every touch upon
the life of the young you have lifted it up.
That your meeting in this delightful place be
accompanied by every incident of pleasure
and profit and that you may find III it a fresh
inspiration and dedication to your work, is
the wish leave with you.
The president then held a popular re-
ception from 10 until noon, at which
hour he took a carriage for the railway
station, and was soon EN- route to Wash
ingtOn.