The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-12-16

before the Teachers Institute, Dee. Z,
1896.
Loclics and Genhcmen Of Somerset and
viciRify =
In behalf of the teachers of SOmer-
set county, thank you for your kind
words of welcome spoken through
your representative. Your welcoming
Us TO your beautiful town is not a
new thing. The teachers, directors
and instructors for forty years have eX-
perienced your hospitality. What
does it represent? Ii tells us that the
schools are of great value, and the
work we are doing is of vast import
ance. The nation, not less than the
States, is dependent for prosperity and
security upon the intelligence and mo-
rality of the people. This was seen to
be of such vast importance that COM
mon interest very early suggested ma
| tional aid in the establishment and
endowment of schools and colleges in
/ the new States.
When this town was laid out by the
early settlers, the first thing in COLI
temptation was the erection of school
houses for the education of their chill
dren and children's children. When
we consider the prosperity of our coun-
ty, we do not wonder that you so hear
! tily welcome the teachers Of the
schools, which have been so largely i'll
strumental in bringing US this prosper
ity. What testimony it is 10 the
American character that, however in
tense the push for the things Of this
fife, however eager the pursuit of gain,
you can never assemble a community
of two hundred people that they do
not begin TO organize schools for the
children. Why? Because the schools
are nurseries of intellectual training,
morality and true citizenship.
We strive to give the pupils an intel
lectual training. This county, State
and nation is judged first, from the in-
teliigence Of its citizens. But, let Us
remember, fellow teachers, that more
depends upon what human being be-
comes in the school than what he
learns there. Culture is to be consid-
cred the higher aim; instruction, a.
the principal means to this end. We
are too prone to give undue prominence
to the mental training. There is Just
mean, | think, between a system of in
tellectual competition which destroys
the body and a system of physical
training that eliminates the mind. It
is the duty of every true teacher 10
strike this happy mean so that the citi-
zens, III battling with the problems of
life, will have sufficient culture and
physical ability TO battle well.
| am glad your representative men
toned the public school as nursery of
morals and reform movements.
knowledge maketh wise man," it
may also arouse all the evil tendencies
in one, thereby making him demon.
But, if we educate the whole man, Civ
ing equal weight to the mental, moral
and physical natures, we will send
forth future citizens who will hav, sta
bility and permanency in whatever vo-
cations and wherever they may be.
In the education of the children, you
all agree, that the school is not the
place for hair-splitting differences in
reference to mere opinion, but that we
must devote our time and energy to
some wider and more comprehensive
scheme of work, if we wish to be lead
ers in those great movements which
have for their object the general i'm
prOvement of the moral, social and in-
tellectual condition of our State and
country.
The public schools have been leaders
and valuable agitators in all reform
seen the good work our school system
is doing and have been benefited by
her. Said an experienced English
school-master: "The English school
system is fettered by ancient laws and
customs but the parliamentary acts
of 1891 and 1892, giving partially free
=, =, ration. may be traced to two potent
oanso- ,hc ass, is the extension of
-so6ing classes, the
franchise 10 the worS-.- ,,,.,r,.o,,,,,
second may be found in the
progress of the United States"
point with pride to the school system
of our State and nation when such a
country as England will take lessons
from her.
The teaching in the English schools
in regard to events which have occur
red between that country and ours is
often ludicrous. An American teacher
entered a London booksellers and
asked to be shown a copy Of the En-
glish history most used in the common
schools. The clerk handed her an
English history; she turned to the
Revolutionary War and found that the
writer stated the cause of the war to be
due to the fact that the English church
did not send over bishops enough to
teach the Puritans their duty. The
Pilgrim fathers did their duty and
"while the breaking waves dashed
high on New England's stern and
roek-bound coast" they were planting
principles which shaped the destiny of
our nation.
But the schools are not simply nur-
series of intellectual training and mo-
rality, they are also nurseries of true
citizenship. For, after all, the strength
and defense of our institutions, not on
ly in peace, but in war, are to be
foun in the young of the land who
have received from the lips of patriot
ic teachers the story of the sacrifice
which our fathers made to establish
our civil institutions, and which their
sons have repeated on hundreds of bat
'tle-felds. The organized army of the
United States, If We include the mill
tia of the States, is of Insignificant
proportion when put in contrast with
81 Of 9th Of