The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-30
The Great Crowd of Teachers
at Last Nights Meeting.
Again Demonstrated That To-
peka Needs an Auditorium.
James Willis GIeed's Welcoming Ad-
dress and Response of President
George W. Kendriclz-


assembled at Representative hall was
( the largest in the history of the organ
/ ization
( The meeting was scheduled for 8
I O'Clock. By 7:3O Representative hall
! was crowded Aisles, corridors and
adjoining rooms We're packed. while it
was practically impossible for any more
( people to crowd into the galleries.
Many people We're compelled to go
away, being unable to obtain a place
4 70 stand, lean against the wall or even
look over the heads OF those in front
of them.
Had the meeing been held in Hamil-
ton hail. half the people that wanted
to get IN could not have done so. Again
was it demonstrated that Topeka needs
a big auditorium.
1t was an suspicious beginning, said
President kendrick. and Superintend-
ent Stanley predicts an enthusiastic
meeting throughout.
The meeting was called to order by
Addison Ludlum, superintendent of the
schools of Salina. Led by the Modocs,
the audience sang America" followed
by the invocation by Rev. Charles NJ.
Sheldon, pastor of the Central COngre-
gatiOnal church. The MOdocs started
the enthusiasm by singing Twilight
one Of Dudley Bucks compositions. The
club responded to an encore with
Hail. not happy greetings, but ''Smll-
ing Moon"
TOpeka's welcome and best wishes
were happily extended to the visitors by
James Willis Gleed.
In referring to the various kinds of
| conventions Mr. Gleed mentioned law
yerS, who settle great difficulties be
tween man and man without any blood
shed. Doctors, who perhaps kill more
than they cure; editors who are caus-
ing the people to seek a reform in the
libel law, making it a penal DnenSe to
believe anything published in neWSpa-
pers after ALL" said Mr.. Gleed,
"men are just hopelessly what they are
The last campaign Of education, said
the speaker, was insignificant when
compared with the campaign which IS
being constantly carried on by the
teachers"
while many people looked with distrust
upon some of the conventions which
have been held during the past year
that such is not true with reference to
the teachers. Who is the school
teacher? says Mr. Average Citizen. He
is said Mr. Gleed, ''the person to whose
guidance and care you trust your enid
at the most tender and impressiOnable
age: the one who makes that child tit
to live: the one who makes your coun-
trv fit to live in; the one who, with the
purest thought and action of human
itv. shapes and directs the formation OF
the mind of your children. We be
lieve YOU are interested in the greatest
work of he century Those VINO rem
der more valuable service than they are
paid for. Many young men and Wo-
men of talent are driven from the
school room because of the small sal
aries which they receive 10 the
teacher we grudging yield a most I'M
Dogtant place. We believe education
is the highest work of man; 1t IS the
art of arts the science of sciences
.The school rooms should be filled
from the kindergarten to the unlVef-
sitv with the brightest men ana women
This is 50 in a degree, but 1t can never
he true in fullness until the system OF
Inadequate salaries is changed
Mr. Gleed then discussed the present
election law and said the change Of
state city and county superintendents
every two years denorallzes the schoOi
system to certain extent. He sug-
gested that the tenure of office should
be extended salaries increased, there
bv making it an object for men of the
highest talent to seek the position A
complete divorce of the educauonal
system from politics, he believed fol-
lowed by the Inauguration of a civil
service reform, he said, would solve the
problem
The response to the address Of vel
come was given by superintendent
George e. Kyner of Geary county.
The Modocs sang the soldiers
Chorus" from Faust an excellent num-
Der which elected the unqualified ap-
prevail Of the audience. The club res
ponded with character song, MY
Angelina Sherman Rowles appearing
in the speciality
IN his annual address to the associa-
ton President George w. kendrick OF
Junction City, discussed the educatlon-
al spirit of today He SAID the spirit
is Unparalleled in activity and never
before was there such a tumult. never
before did the blood of humanity pull
safe with such rapldity nor dld the
world feel such thrObs as are now e8-
perienced.
Referring to the common school sys-
tenn the speaker said it had advanced in
accord with the times and IS today
characterized by more enthusiasm and
general interest than ever known be
fore The twentieth century stands
upOu the shoulders of the nineteenth
and a dwarf upon the shoulders OF
giant can see further than the giant
himself"
Mr.. Kendrick regards reading as the
most important subject in the schools
today and declared his unqualified op-
position to the present method of sup
elemental work in this line Upon the
subject of reading the speaker said
Use the opportunities which the les
sons of our readers afford. to direct the
youthful mind to the nObIest thought,
feeling and action. In this teachers
exert a greater influence for good than
can be obtained from the INDIFFERENT
reading of all the senseless bug stories
that have been written Not less than
four times each day should the voices
of the pupils be combined IN song which
is one of the surest methods by which
to obtain bright and happy moods and
vivacious minds
THE next legislature ought to pass a
law requiring music to be regularly
[ taught in all the schools of the state
and further require all teachers to pass
an examination in the theory of mus
ic"
In closing superintendent Kendrick
said Teachers of Kansas to you has
been entrusted the greatest response
biHty of raising TO the highest possible
plane of existence the lives Of 10000
girls and boys bound by a thousand
thongs to a weight which is hard to
lift: the weight of inherited bodily in
] q M m n
/ nuence of evil comp partnership and the
great tendency towards vice and wick