The Penn's Grove record., 1896-05-08
The Greatest Educator,
Horape Mann.

anu hulh VI tuIS BlSa0 h'"''
of education.
Horace Mann was born May Atm,
1896. in a farm house at Franklin, Mass
Until 20 years of 6ge he never went TO
school more than a few weeks in mid
winter, and earned the money with
which to buy spelling book, arithmetic
and reader. His father died when he
was IS, and after that he had TO work
for the support of the family. Inspired
BY one of his teachers that a college
course was possible, lie, at the age OF
%, entered the Sophomore class OF
Brown University, although it is said
that within six months of that time he
had never seen a Latin grammar.
The severe work of this six months
OF study broke his health, but despite
this and all other drawbacks lie soon
led his class, and when he graduated
three years later he was far in advance
of any other student in the University.
Each winter during his college course
he taught country schools, and after
graduating he remained for three years
at the University as an instructor in
Latin and Greek,
When rs Mr.. Mann entered the Law
School at Lit3bfeld, Conn, and two
years later was admitted to the bar and
began practice in Dedham. The court
records show that he won four out OF
five cases that he tried. During the IA
years that he practiced law he seems
never to have had a case that brought
him any large returns, but he would
never try a case in which he did not be-
lieye that he was in the right. Mr..
Winship says of him that in his con-
scious conviction Of right there was a
magnetism, and he only wanted an OPP
portunity to be put in communication
with a jury to %impregnate them with
his own belief.
He was elected to the Legislature
four years after beginning to practice
Law, and in 1927 be made his first great
speech in defence of religious liberty in
opposition to a scheme for securing Ger.
tain incomes forever to the support OF
particular crepds. The town of Ded-
ham returned him to the Legislature
six successive years. In 1888 he NOV
ed to Boston, and the same year the
Senatorial District there sent him to
the State Senate, where he remained
four years, and was for the last two
years of that period President of that
body. At this time he gave much at
tention to the care of the defective
classes, and to him was largely due the
establishment of the Worcester Asy-
lum.
While engaged in this work he be-
came convinced that the greatest need
in America was the better education
of children, and he gave his strongest
support in the Legislature to the plans
of Edmund Dwight, Jr., James G.
Carter and Robert Rantoul, Jr., for the
establishment of a Board of Education.
At the close of a legislative career of
10 years it became a question with him
of either returning to the practice of
law or accepting the Secretaryship of
the Board of Education, which was
urged upon him. He inclined to the
position as suited &c his tastes and de.
sires before admitting to himself that
he was equal to its responsibilities. On
May p, 1887, the Governor appointed
eight gentlemen to the Board of Edu.
cation, and among the number was Mr..
Mann. He believed the movement to
be the beginning OF a common school
education to be at once thorough and
universal.
One month later he was elected Sec.
rotary of the Board. and of the position
and his relation to it he says: Few un-
dertakings, according to my apprecia-
ton of it, have been greater. l know
Of none which may be more fruitful in
beneficial results. God grant me an
humiliation of selishness, a mind of
wisdom, a heart of beneyOlence. How
many men l shall meet who are accessi.
BILE only through a single motive, or
who are incased in prejudice and jeal-
Ousy, and need not to be subdued but
to be remodelledl How many who will
vociferate their devotion to the public,
but whose thoughts will be intent up.
themselvesl'
He began his career in the cause of
education by holding revival meetings
in the interest of education in the towns
and villages throughout Massachusetts,
but he could not understand how it was
that while crowds attended political
meetings few seemed to care to listen
to addresses on education.
Some of the best evidence of the val.
of Mr.. Mann's work at this time is
given by his annual reports. The State
of New York reprinted one of them en-
tire, distributing $1,000 free copies.
One of them was republished In En-.
gland at public expense and one was
and republished in Germany,
also at the Governments expense. The
English Government invited him to en-
large upon his seventh report, in which
he referred to the schools of Great
Britain, and it vas then printed as a
Government document. Many of his
public addresses were also printed and
extensively circulated.
His seventh report was almost ex.
clusively concerned with what he saw
abroad, and was the one to which spec
ial exception was taken, and which
brought about the famous controversy
between him and the 81 Boston gram.
mar school masters.
Before the echoes of the controversy
had died away Mr.. Mann was elected
to take the seat in Congress made va.
can't by the sudden death in the House
Of ex.P President John Quincy Adams.
had been in Congress but a little
while when Mr.. Webster delivered his
eth of March speech, which
Mann vigorously and severely attacked.
Mr., Webster was shortly after made
Secretary of State, and criticisms, pub.
ic and private, were showered upon
Mr.. Mann. When his term expired he