The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-17
NEW SCHOOL, IDEA
sUPT. PENDERGAsT WOULD HAVE
A "MINNEsOTA DAY. OBJ
SERVED ANNUALLY.
ITS RESOURCES AND HISTORY
COULD THEN BE IMPRESSED FOR
Chilly ON THE RISING GEN
ERATION.
STATE TEACHERS IN POLITICS
They should Study the Issues, Even
Though Not Becoming Onen-
siye Partisans.
ITS RESOURCES AND HISTORY
STATE TEACHERS IN POLITICS.

The annual report of w. w. Pender-
gast, state superintendent of public in
struction, has just come from the
printer. Perhaps one of the most In
teresting suggestions contained therein
is the following:
Let knowledge of the geography and
history-for the two go hand in hand-of
cur own state come first, and let this be the
basis on which the superstructure of our
country's and the worlds history is to be.
built In laying this foundation there is
formed a we'll defined idea of the nature of
the study, and when the state line is crossed
and the great outside world is gradually
FOLDED, interest is intensified, attention
heightened, and progress is decidedly more
rapid on account of the valuable object les
sons learned in connection with local and
state history.
In our public schools Memorial day is OBJ
served, as 1t should be, to cherish the mem
ories of the unfiinching heroes. to whom we
are indebted for the preservation of the
Union to hold in mind the important events
or that great conflict, and to keep the fire
of patriotism still burning.
Washingtons birthday and the Fourth of
July are reminders of the early days of this
republic and the struggle for independence.
Would 1t not be well TO have a Minnesota
day. upon which the scholars in all our 6 600
school districts shall have their attention
called to the first settlement of the territory
OF Minnesota, the early settlers, their trials
their hardihood, their. perseverance and final
success; to the organization of the state the
men who have built 1t up; the Sioux massa-
ere, the blazing homes of the pioneers and
the dark and bloody ground between the Big
Woods and the Minnesota river strewn with
the corpses of a thousand victims OF Indian
cruelty; to the measureless resources Of the
state, its matchless soil, it's wealth of timber,
It's exhaustless mines, its water power? With
these facts in mind, they can easily under
stand why grain growing, stock-raising, lum-
berlng, mining, are such important indus
tries, and why they have called into existence
the marvellous carrying trade which few
short years have developed. They see how
the history OF the state is made up of related
causes. and that each is the result of the
combined influences of all that preceded it,
ana they learn to love the noble common
wealth in which are situated the charming
scenes that so work upon their imaginations
and in which occurred the stirring events
that so fire their souls.
The superintendent also urges that
the teacher should be a master of the
politics Of his country, not necessarily
partisan, but student A number
of suggestions along the line of in
Creasing the effectiveness of the teach
ing staff are made, among them the
promotion of cordial relations with
trustees, who may be lifted into a
higher sympathy with general educa-
ton, the fostering of evening entertain
ments in the school, bringing together
the parents as well as the pupils, the
infusing of interest into all studies,
frequent conferences of teachers, the
assurance of permanent employment
in event of faithful and effective serv-
ice, etc.
Particular stress is laid on the work
of the state school of agriculture, and
the summer school, but the high,
graded and normal schools are by no
| means overlooked, in the compilation
/ OF the report, which includes statistics
from all the schools within the depart
ment, including the state university.
A number Of the suggestions aimed
particularly at the legislature have al
ready been published by the G | o b e.
The report is a volume of 224 pages.