The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-31
SCHOOL MARM'S.
Infantry Hall Crowded With
Them Today.
Annual Meeting Of The r. I. Institute
Of instruction.
educational Values" Was the Subject
Of the Opening Address.

Infantry hall was crowded this. morn
Ing, crowded to the galleries, with pretty
rosy Checked "school marulsN from city
and country, from hamlet and town.
from the ''little red school house" to the
massive stone structures OF the city and
when the large. organ pealed forth the
first notes OF ''Manoahn at 9:45, one and
all realized that the 5ist annual meeting
OF the Rhode Island Islitute of Istruc-
tlon had opened.
After the devotional exercises. conduct
cd by Rev. Edward q. Moore. President
Walter Ballou Jacobs opened this morn
ings meeting with addres on" Education
af values, lie said in part IL gives ne
great pleasure to speak the words which
shall open this the 51st annual session of
the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction
AT the last session, the 50th in the his
tory OF our association, our thoughts
could not fail to retrace in memory and
imagination the half century that had
gone before, and today with equal necessity
our thoughts must turn toward that half
century yet TO come. We fail TO find
this time to rest upon our oars or ad-
mire the lsurels won In the past. This
is time for action, FOR progress, for
buoyant hopes and victorious advance.
Never has there been time when edu-
cation could claim for itself such a
broad field of action or such ready recogni-
tion as a determining factor in all pro.
gress, of the individual, of the nation,
of the race. There is probably no sub
ject of thought today on which there Is
such unanimous opinion, as there is on
the value OF education.
Men may differ and differ widely as TO
their conception of what form education
should take; but against the claim of ed
ucatiCn itself moi voice is raised, so
that ii we were to write the creed of civ
lized humanity today, one of its first ar
ticles would be: IL believe in education,
its power aud efficiency. :"
This is the creed OF the father and
mother, of rich and poor alike. Who can
count the sacrifices OF the toiling parent
that the child may, through education.
enter into a wider life3 They are the
jewels that adorn the throne of Him who
sacrificed Himself to us. This is the creed
of the nations. Germany declares II was
the German schoolTsster who conquered
in the Franco-Pruss an war. France rec
ognizes ii and has made Herculesn efforts
to pass her rival in the educational race
and profit by the lesson she learned at the
cannon's mouth.
All Japan has been to school for the
past 20 years. And we are told new
power has risen in the East TO vie with
the powers of Europe and the West
An equal supremacy in commerce has
come to those nations who have not neg
/ lected to train the eye, the touch and the
| hand of their artisans. Never has there
| been so much wealth lavished upon edu-
| cation or so much thought given to its
problems as there is today. IL there is
| teacher here today who feels that his work
| is so humble that IL passes out OF the cir
Gle of responsibility, let him bethink
himself that fiy-wheels and belts and pol
| ished cylinders are very imposing, but
after all the cutting Is by that little knife
| edge tracing itself upon the metal beneath
| il. NV friend, you are thar knife edge
! and the slightest faw in your life and
\ purpose Is making itself felt upon the.
| child in your care. For you and your
work exist theorists and superintendents,
| school boards and supervisors and all the
| ponderous machinery of the state, but
| after all you do the work. Its present ex-
| cellency depends upon what you are; its
future excellency upon what you make
yourself TO be.
On preparing the program for this
| meeting we have endeavored to present
what is of vital importance to you, and
| TO every teacher. We have striven to
read the signs Of the times, and out OF
the t.ngie OF words and voices on every
hand to SPEAK clear and strong the words
which we believe have in them tue prom
ise of the future.
And first we ask your attention this
morning 10 the subject Of educational
| values.
We are fortunate today in being able to
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