The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-06-27

he would like some kind of a seat
there. "Well," said Horace Mann,
"you can have it for 81 500. There is
an old building in Newton that can
be bought for that sum and we can
put our normal school into building
of our own" Mr.. Quincy gave him
check for the money. The school was
thus made permanent and whether
or not he got seat in heaven for the
act he is truly enthroned in that
kingdom of God which is created by
service for humanity.
The conditions of public opinion
may be imagined when we know that
when the State of Massachusetts,
which now gives hundreds of thou
sands of dollars for the support OF
her normal schools, was induced in
1913 by Mr.. Mann to pass a bill APP
propriating $4,000 annually for this
purpose and so great victory was it
that he wrote Language cannot ex-
press the Joy that pervades my soul
at this vast accession of power to
that machinery which is to carry the
cause of education forward"
The yearly reports he made to the
board of education constitute to this
day the classics of our educational
literature. Their effect, notwith-
standing the opposition they met
with from the Boston masters, was to
remould our educational system on
lines then new but now accepted.
Some of them were published in other
States and countries. Something of
their wide spread influence may be
seen from this incident In 1852
Hon. Arson Burlingame said in
speech: cit was my fortune to be at
some time sincein Guildhall, London,
when a debate was going on. The
question was whether they should in
struct their representatives in parlia-
ment to vote for secular education.
They voted that they would not do it.
But gentleman arose and read some
statistics from one of the reports of
Horace Mann. That extract reversed
the vote in the common council of
London"
One of the changes he effected in
the common schools was the intro
duction of humane treatment for
children. The strap and the ferrule
were the continual means of preserv-
ing discipline and melting study. In
one of the writing schools of Boston,
and that not the worst, there we're on
the average 120 whippings per day.
The fogging of girls as we'll as boys,
said Mr.. Mann was to most masters as
much necessity as their daily bread.
Mr.. Mann's reports, showing up this
extreme brutality and proving its in
efficiency for discipline, made the be-
ginning of the abolition of corporal
punishment in the schools. How
many thousand boys and girls who
have never heard his name owe an
immense debt of gratitude to Hor-
ace Mann, fighting his battle for them
almost alone against the combined
efforts of the teachers of that day,
settled in their old brutal ways! So
it ever is; what we are, our privileges,
our laws, our happiness are the re-
suits often of the labor and sacrifices
of unknown benefactors. Horace
Mann loved the children and for
them he labored. He spoke of the
10000 children of Massachusetts, as if
they were his own. Every child and
youth of our land today owes him a
debt of gratitude. He gave his life
that they might have sweeter and
better life with larger and more thor
ongh training for life's work. He saw
the necessity for sound bodies and
pure if there should be sound minds
and clear thinking. He was one of
the foremost to make the schools
teach the benumbing and demoraliz-
ing effects of alcohol and tobacco.
The first hospital for the insane in
Massachusetts was the result of his
work while in the legislature.
When he was chosen secretary of
the Massachusetts State Board of Ed
ucation he said, 81 no longer write
myself attorney, counsellor, or lawyer.
My law books are for sale, the bar is
no longer my forum" "Henceforth l
dedicate myself to the supremest
welfare of mankind on earth" "Hav-
ing found the present generation of
materials almost unmalleable, l am
about to transfer my efforts to the
next. Men are cast iron but children
are wax" When it was said that his
office was insignificant, he replied, eff
the title is not sufficiently honorable
now, then it's clearly left for me to ele-
vata II He did 40 As an immed-