The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-24
WOMEN AND THE SCHOOLS
PRACTICAL TALK FOR WOM4N'S SCHOOL SUFFR4GE ASSOCIATION.

SCHOOL SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION. Superintendent Kendall's Address Yester- day Practical Work in Public Schools Demanded-woman Management Not Always Satisfactory-AunuaI Election of Officers.
 The Womans School Suffrage asso- ciation held its meeting for election of officers yesterday afternoon at 9:3O, There was quite a large number in at tendance. The president, Mrs, M. B. Moody, presided,
 The committee to nominate officers for the ensuing year, composed of Mrs. Honey, Mrs. H. Rogers and Mrs. Shell, reported the following nominations;
 President-Mrs. M. B. Moody.
 Vice presidents-Mrs. Henry F. Eng fish, Mrs S. S. Fisher, Mrs. William M. Geary, Mrs. Alfred B. Miller, Mrs. Hen ny Rogers, Mrs. Joseph B. Sargent, and Mrs, Joseph Sheldon.
 Secretary-Miss R, D. Beach.
 Treasurer-Mrs Leo H. Herz.
 Executive committee-Miss Marie E.. Ives, chairman; Mrs. George F. New comb and Mrs. Edward w. Scripture.
 Finance committee-Mrs Henry G. Newton chairman; Mrs. Leo H. Herz and Mrs. Jay w. Seaver.
 Art committee-Mrs. John c. Schwab, chairman.
 The report of the committee was ac- cepted and the above named were elect ed officers.
 The next thing in order was an ad- dress by c. A. Kendall, superintendent of schools, on the various questions Of school management and work. He said at the start that 1t was especially inn portant in a country like our own that the children should be educated so that they could satisfactorily fulfill the du- ties devolving on all good citizens. The question of schools has changed in the last few years owing to the rapid con- centration of population in the cities. Whereas formerly only 10 per cent. of our population were in the cities, now over 30 per cent. of our population are found in cities, thus increasing the work required of city schools and lend ing complexity to the whole school problem.
 MT. Kendall then discussed the vari- ous phases of school work as it appears from a practical standpoint. 'The public,' he said, "has a right to de- mand that it's children shall be taught in practical matters, such as to read well and write we'll.
 "Above all else, the school should aim at the development of the whole child, to habits of attention, reasoning and observation, all of which are of prac- tical importance in the affairs of life. We are at present trying to open the eyes of children by elementary nature work. We have got over the idea that a school is a place to fill a child with information. We have come to realize that the whole child is a bundle of pos abilities, and that the whole child should be sent to school.
 There are few who realize what the art of teaching is. We have here in below the high school, four hundred teachers, and it is very easy to find fault with these in some respect.
 ITO me the profession of teacher nearest resembles that of the minister, and as it would be difficult to find four hundred ministers who were satisfac- tory in every respect, it is hardly fair to expect that all of four hundred teachers shold prove entirely satisfac- tory.
 Many of our teachers are doing much to better fit themselves for work in our schools. In the sense of parti- san teaching there is little of politics in public schools to-day, but there is much of the less rolling kind of politics whereby poor teachers are kept in their positions by the exchange of votes on school boards
 Our own board, however, is entirely free from this evil. I would say to you as woman's school suffrage associa- tion that you would not necessarily eliminate this political element from schools. even if you succeeded, for I have known of it's being present where woman had g. place on the school board
 ''I have known women on school boards who have done good and eff cient work, and, on the other hand, I have known of two or three instances in which women on school boards have had a decidedly bad effect on the man. agement of schools.
 Beware of the kind of women that you put upon the school board" -