The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-08-24

consisting In growing too tall to 60 to
school. If he has derived much bene-
fit from this process it must be due
to the faithfulnesS and high personal
qualities Of the teacher and some
specially earneStneSS in the soul of the
pupil Himself for there is nothing in
the me Uhod to commend it. My object
was to grapple with and correct the
inhere2it evils of this whole system,
so farias lay in my power, by the
adoption of more enlightend scheme
and by dint of hard and persevering
work in it's realization. / advertised
to give final grade in any one Or
more subjects to all pupils passing
my examinations in the same, and a
common school diploma to those pas
sing examination in all the usual
studies pursued in the district
schools. | submitted this plan to
President Soaring and to Prof. A. T.
Bechdolt, by both of whom it was
commended and each consented to re-
ceive the grades given by me for the
entrance Of the pupil to the &c class"
Of the Normal school and to the High
school, respectively. All this was
calculated to increase the activities
of the common schools, to give greater
solidity and dignity to their work, to
spur on to achievement many pupils
who lose interest and hope under the
present, system, and to justly encour-
age and reward those pupils who en-
deaYor to profit by their school oppor-
tunities and to fulfil the expectations
OF Self-Sacrificing parents planning
and hoping for their success in life.
There are still other lines of work
for the good of teachers and the child
rem OF the county and the advance
ment of the best education, which in
some cases [ suggested and in other
cases foStered and encouraged, max
ing special efforts SO to do, during my
brief term of office. | encouraged
mature study among teachers and
pupils by suggesting to them the read
ing and study OF some Of those best
and latest publications on elementary
natural science, in which the subjects
are SO presented as to be readily under
stood by any person of good faculty
and common school education. |
also sent out printed instructions to
every teacher and district as to the
best methods for the collection and
preservation Of botanical and insect
specimens. | sent out appeals to
every district also, for the keeping of
Arbor Day and sent the same through
the press of the county for the plant
ing of trees, and making of lower
beds, and otherwise improving and
identifying the grounds about the
country school houses, and a very gen.
erous response came, in the amount
Of work done, by the teachers, the
schools. and the people.
Believing too that the pupils in our
schools, who are to be the future citi-
Zens of the republic, should have les
sons Of patriotism inculcated, and that
one OF the first should be, that they
be made familiar with their country's
flag, and with It's history, and that
they be taught to love it, and that
upon each recurring holiday it should
district and TO each teacher toward
procuring United States flag AS
result several districts responded at
once and held a ''flag-raiSing on the
last day of school, with all the appro-
pirate Incidents and adjunctS of SO
patriotic an occasion
l feel confident that when the peO-
pie of the country have considered
the many lines of work inaugurated
by me during my term of office, and
the value Of every one of them, it will
be conceded that my general plan was
such as would be commended by the
best teachers in the land and by all
enlightened friends of education. that
labOred perSistently to carry forward
the educational work of the country
in all legitimate and proper direc-
tiOns, and that the results attained
were anything but a reflection on the
ability of my administration. The
great value of some of the features of
my work could not appear in the short
space OF two years, like many other
measures Of Importance they required
time to mature and bear fruit.
| am no politician and perhaps it is
not out of place here, to make the
statement that during my two years
OF office, did no political work what
ever, looking toward helping me to
reelection, neither did L do anything
from policy. My decisions and actions
in every case were shaped for the
rights of persons and the progress OF
education generally, and not for what
might seem to be good policy for N.Y.
self individually.
But with many people in this
county, as everywhere else, it makes
no difference whether [ filled the
office well or i'll, they have deep-seated
prejudice against woman holding
any public office whatever, and that
ends it. 1t is prejudice to which
they were born. Other people, just
as good as they are, were born to the
same prejudice but have thought
themselves out of it. In all enlight-
ened communities a question of this
kind is decided only after the exam
nation of the duties of the office to
ascertain whether the performance of
those duties is, or is not, beyond the
powers or inconsistent with the char
acter Of women. No duty OF the office
OF county superintendent of schools
can be named of which a woman of
good faculties, fair education, health
and experience cannot perform just as
well as man can. For much of the
most important work of the office she
has a peculiar and pre-eminent fitness.
And this comes about very naturally.
The schools are filled with children.
the teachers are mostly young women.
the process which all instrumental
ties are designed to promote is one of
nature, of training, of primary educa-
ton Of the goung. The school is to be
made more like the home in relation
to the comfort the health and the