The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1894-11-26
COMMISSIONER LEWIS.


A Synopsis of an Excellent Lecture 3e-l
Ivered by Him in This City Last sathr.\
day.
In the report of the proceedings OF.
the q. G. I. A., published Saturday,,
TIE DISPATCH was compelled to omit
the lecture delivered by Commissioner
Lewis. The following is a synopsilof
what he said:
Il am highly gratifed to meet with
this assembly consisting as it do't of
teachers, trustees, students and the
friends Of education. | recently lis
tied tbs town Of Deseret, and foItnd
THAT the best building In the town W 3
the school house; that is as | havel I
ways thought it should be in evk y
town. This one is model of ard /
lecture, heating, lighting, and ventf !
ton. There are but three rooms, adt
the seating capacity is 125, and the
registered pupils only 100. When told
that the trustees had assumed all fnan-
cial responsibilities, said they were
patriots. "But, ''said trustee, 'sthe peo-
pie staid at our backs" 'Well Them
replied, 1.-THE people are patriots" a
little of that kind of patriotism ia worth
tons of Fourth OF July speeches.
The object of the common schools is
| to prepare children for citizenship.
| Man is not in natural state when his
condition is savagery, but rather when
he is highly cultivated, morally, spiritu-
ally, mentally and physically. Help
him along this ROAD and show him how
to remove the obstacles that present
themselves. You are not doing your
whole duty when you cram pupils with
facts, but you must develop in them
the power to collect and assert facts
for themselves. A very broad know
ledge of human nature is necessary to
that teacher who aspires to do his
whole duty by his pupils. With all my
soul believe with Prof. Adder, that
each individual is, in the economy oil
nature. perfect in his place. A place
| they could fill with honor to them,
selves and prlfit to the world. 1t is fol
us to assist them in beginning the
world right, and if we judge by the
failures, i'll professional life, which
is nearly 90 per cent, man haYe be
gun lie wrong. One OF my pupils
with whom was thoroughly dlscour
aged at one time, now bids fair tC
make himself famous as an electrician
his bent of mind was happily discoy
cred before he was spoiled, While WI
are striving for order and system, ant
to economic time, money and energy
we must not lose sight OF the all poten
individuality. We are in some DANCE
Of putting our students in at one emf
OF the educational machine, and bring
ing them cut at the other, machine
made citizens. ANY system tina
crushes out individuality would be dis
astrous to humanity. Teachers shoul'
1--we blameless lives, but even that i
not enough. Bob lngersol lives
blameless life, but we all believe b
will be held in some measure RESPONSE
bic for the destructive influence he ha
sent abroad. We must not teach re
ligion in the public schools, and that
right. In my class there are Jews
Catholics, Methodists and Mormons, a
well as others, and it would not b
: right for me to teach them doctrine
ceremony or creed; but L can teacl
them all to love God and truth. If
; could not teach my boys and girls this
| would not be teacher or commits
sioner in Utah, but go where l could
1t is mistake for trustees to requir
: teachers to stand the entire day.
! would not give cent for teacher VIII
could not control her class sittin
! down Give the best energies c
body and mind 10 your work, but S;
down when you are weary.