The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-16
sEDGwIck CO.'S SUPERINTENDENT.
Professor Pence Makes a Very Interesting Adj
dress EsfOre the State Teachers Association.

The Western School journal for jan
uary contains an excellent portrait of ID.
S. Pence, superintendent of public in
ttruction of this county together with his
address before the State Teachers asSocia-
| ton upon the occasion of his installation
| as president of that organization. The adj
dress is too lengthy for publication, but
the following remarks taken from it are
we'll worthy reproducing:
God, said Mr.. Pence. created per-
feet man, and when he fell there remained
on earth no visible criterion by which he
could measure his moral stature Our
ideals have variety of sources, being de-
rived, sometimes from our impressions re-
ceived from the outside world, and some
times from the analysis OF our own mental
| power.
MAN, by his own efforts and the natural
| tendency to improve, has arisen at various
periods of the worlds history TO a high de-
gree of civilization. But he has always
held before his mind an ideal which shaped
his character. These ideals have nearly
always taken the form of idols and mag
| mary gods, which appeal to mans baser
nature and not to the spiritual People
grow to be like what they worship, and
cannot become better, because the mind
conceives nothing better. After waiting
1000 years, God gave TO the world u per-
feet ideal, the embodiment of truth wis
dom and grandeur. The great mission of
the enlightened portion of the world,
whether the clergy, the teachers, the art
lists, or the writers, IS to hold constantly
in view the perfect model and to teach sep
arately his attributes.
History is not absolutely truth; if it
were the world would have few heroes
But in every mind there grows up a stand
ard Of action or model, and so long as it is
the model all conduct is squared thereby
''As soon as n child enters school the
teacher stands for his model, whether the
teacher wills it or not, and his character
and disposition are reflected in the chilG's
mind. There may be no apparent result
at once. but the child has come in contact
with something different from what he
has ever known before. 1t is now the
teachers work to present to the growing
minds only those things that are true and
helpful.
Three things should be kept in mind
First, the child rs he is, with all his graces
and faults; second, the ideal person
which, through correct training, he may
become; third, the means for transform
ing the undeveloped or faulty child into
the ideal person. The specific work of the
teacher is the training OF the child for citi-
zehship, and the teacher himself should
be an ideal citizen. He must teach the
coming citizen to stand erect physically
and morally, and look the world square in
the face. When this is accomplished, his
education is more than half completed
There is a wave of sentiment rolling
across the continent, inspiring us to teach
patriotism in our public schools, and place
the national fiag on every school house.
II is a grand sentiment
Alongside the names of distinguished
kansans on the walls OF the hall of repre-
sentatives. | would place the names of the
teachers who have done much for educa-
ton, and whom their fellows delight to
honor. We must see the ideal character
before we can reproduce it in our pupils.
1t has been revealed to us, and we have
only to study it. and, as the flower opens
at the touch Of the suns rays, so must the
soul expand at the touch of the least ray
from the Light of the World