The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-06-30
The Annual Conycntion Ia Session ut
Waco.
AN ADDRESS BY DR.. J. BALDWIN.
spoke ON "Thc PROGRESS of Education
In Tcaas"--AssociHtion OF super
intcndcnts and Principals.

their tricnus, tue lauiV uVi"e i"s az W" |
majority.
Tho first address of welcome was delN-
cred by Colonel w. l.. Prather OF waco,
member Of the board OF regents OF the
State university.
Superintendent Charles Il. Alexander OF
Waco addressed the convention on bchaii
OF the Waco schools, Responses We're Dc
livered by Presidents j. Nj. Howell OF inc
school board department, Oscar Chrisiuau
of the public study department, Il, Il. Bled-
500 of tho rural school department., u. H.
Harmon OF the intermediate department,
William Lipscomb OF the High srhoo' dc
partmont. V. NJ Fulton OF the superin-
tendents' department, and pr. George ~
Winston of the college department
The opening session closed with the al
dress of DR.. j. Baldwin, president OF tbs
association.
The convention Will meet tomorrow at
10 o'clock.
Dr. j. Baldwin, president Of the Sta.o
Teachers association, deiiNtr.d thc INV"
ing address tonight;
History is the story OF human progress.
People who merely mark time, Ike saw
| ages; or who look back. like the Chtaese'
| or who crystailxe like the Spanish, do not
make history The progressive nations sfe
| the makers of history. The real history vi
| a nation is the story OF It's prosress'
4
| Scbooliess peoples, like the African tribes
merely repeat the lives OF their ancestors.
| Progressive peoples, like the jews anu
| the Greeks, had teaching bodies anu
| schools. The progress of States ana ma
lions, in modern times, is IN the in''o VI
the efficiency OF their schools hoeauee
| her schools wcrc superior, Greece leu W.
man progress for many centuries Because
| her schools were the best. Germany has Tor
| decades led the world. Because her SCHOOLS
| were the most efficient. Massachusetts lone
| kept In the van OF progress Tue c'hu ''
for pre- commence among States ana ma
| lions is now In the school room. ana no'
| in ina tented field. Educated mind rules
the world.
| progress comes through ideals In al :
vance of reals. The good is tho enemy OF
tho best, and unroasoning conservatism 10
the enemy OF progress. The golden hRe o'
the race is always in the future. ana prog
rcss comes through. loohins 'o'wA" "'"
inward Christianity Is the one proeres-
siye religion. because its ideal is the Per
feet. Science is progressive because us
ideal tx truth. Art IL progressive because
tho ideals Of poets and painters ana ln-
yentors are In advance oil realization Euu
cation is progressive because teachers h'e
ever striving TO realize h,sher anu n's"e'
ideals. . .,,
The worlds educational progress ID 'h'
mos, marvellous Of all the achievements Of
our wonderful century. AT the hegihh'hs
| of tho Nineteenth century popuir eh"."
tion was still dream; at Its close an CIV
llized peoples provided for the educa'ioh %
the masses. ~ the BEGINNING VI w ~ la
turv Tho schools Of the world eNc'uhHi
,yomen. at iia close the sex line III ehne..
ton has practically disappeared ~ in'
| beginning Of the century only re" ouu,.
READ ard write; at It's close 'li'terafy II
limited to harbarians and Idiots. Az Ns
beginning the higher education "as w..
| .trirted to the few; ut its close ti's hk',T
cduca,i,n ia open to every yo1th. IT III
| berinnIny there Was not IN all me WORM
n system of public education; AZ as elo",
every enlightened people has syAicn q
| popular education. .
The story of the educational progress OF
Texas, more than the story oil the hi"llo
empire state. The Texan iathefs Wis,l'
imbedded popular education In our tunua'
mental law. and richly endowed our puoll'
schools During the early decade" Oh w
history conditions were against pun
schools. but good private schools bour'
,snTJ The reconstructed school system
attempted the impossible, and so was re-
pudiatod by the people I'VE comInuhii'
system served AZ transition aesie
while t,o people were creating lehh'
school System. Since the opehihg oi W
sam Houston Normal school In 1919, am
The opening of our State university II
1888, educational progress In Texas ma
been marvellous II was my good iortun
. | to begin my work with you IN 1911 n
u advances made in sixteen years seems I
= me amazing. We had In issl' IN az IeA NJ
@ hut three graded schools; we now nave w
schools classed as graded schools In 100
uhsre Was not even one public school J.
!, our imperial State. we now nave ~
- schools classed as public high schools
- 1881 We employed less than bO0o teachef
a La Hah
=, less than 81 100000: va now employ ls'oV
teachers ana expend for school purpose
annually over 81 900, 900. In 1871 our ~
= rolment OF pupils was less thah gooV".
=, our present enrolment h over iup'vV
- OuT prorross In school management w
u echooi methods has been. as believ'
=, even more marked In 1881 We held on
- first summer normals. and at the sese
normals had an attendance OF 45l teachef
In 1896 besides tho school OF methons,
held scyenty-iye summer nornhla WIN
attendance OF 1919 teachers AS an educa
y tional thermometer, the school OF metltot
land the summer normals Indicate the "
p marsablo professional advancement OF on
a teachers.
y We can now safely say that the schoo
ie of Texas compare fayprably WIN u
In schools Of the older States ana NATION
n Indeed, Texas may well feel proud oil ~
To phunomInai progress; but we nnsi Vet
ID in mifsl that we have merely made a ID
&c ginning Az best our school HanayeIliei
and school methods are crude and unsafe
er factory Popular education here and every
D. where is siill IN lis infancy. Our idea
In are far in advance Of cur realizations' III
N teacher must not be faDaticai or even ~
IRENE, but must be progressive. In
which human reason mas demonstrated al
he's verified is safe. pducational COZ
ia servatlsm becomes crime when u Keel
~ teachers In the ruts We dare not keep {
w In ways that work our pupils jrreparab
OF injury, nor do we dare TO deprive o.
nd pupils OF the advantages OF new and belt
=, ways. While we plan unneasjng prosret
=" we do well to observe Blooms golden RI
", OF reform. Make o stand ON tho anciel
~ way and look 70 find the beat way"
10 The ideal presidents address rs PR
and business. and IN our annual educ
tional councils. II seems nuing that q
n, presidents addysS should be devoted
:. suggestive linfs OF educational adyane
a, maah With tho earnest desire 70 promo
AZ safe educational progress In our Nigh
o. State, VENTURE 10 submit TO you son
measures which hope will prove frnitf
In the betterment OF our sehoois.