Middletown transcript., 1897-05-15
HORACE MANN.
PART III

as individual cases. The study of law just
for itself was to his broad conceptions mar
rowing. He compared law to knife be-
ing ground. While it is being sharpened,
it is also being narrowed. He threw his
whole life into each ease so thoroughly
that the result was sure o effect him with
gloom or happiness. It was just when ne
was losing his taste for law when the sec
retaryship of the Board of Education was
offered to him. If he accepted this he saw
how much good could be done. But could
or ought he to be the one to decide failure
or iworld-felt good, were his continual
thoughts.
On May 81 1887 eight men, composing
the Board of Education, were appointed
and in one month Mann became their Sec,
retary.
Mr.. Mann shows his greater pleasure in
his new vocation by writing. II have aban-
doned jurisprudence, and betaken myself
to the larger sphere of mind and morals.
Having found the present generation com
posed of materials almost unmalleable,
am about transferring my efforts to the next
Men are cast iron; but children are wax.
Strength expended upon the latter may be
efTectual, which would make no impression
upon the former. Let the next generation
be my client" When Mr.. Mann assumed
his secretaryship he began a thorough in
vestigation Of the educational faculties and
found to his amazement that the educa-
tional stimulus far exceeded the results.
This was hard to explain until his analysis
reached the fact that the youth were
being educated and for the children on
whom the educational foundation should
have been laid little preparation had been
made.
Then he began tour of lectures across
Massachusetts, in order to interest the pub
| lie in education. From one town to an
other, he went with the conscious convic-
ton that the enthusiasm lay only in him
self. And his chagrin was almost unbear-
able when he remembered how he had been
received by crowded audiences when speak
| ing on politics or law and now was so
coldly stared at by empty benches. For
four years he kept up his faithful tour un-
| til finally ihe whole state was infused with
4 his zeal.
Most of the teachers were not what they
should have been and the Educational
Board undertook to remedy this by Great
| ing normal schools Edmund Dwight pro-
posed to give ten thousand dollars to the
Il tI,oc che sIrn
preparation in behalf of normal schools.
The Legislature accepted the offer and
the establishment of three normal schools
was the result. These schools though
not by any means ideal normal schools
had to be the target of all kinds of criticism
from the teachers who failed to recognize
/ in them the concentration of noble ideas.
Horace Mann accepted these criticisms,
stripped them Of the bitterness in which
they were given and used them to perfect
the plans he had started with In order
to increase the educational momentum,
Mr.. Mann issued a report each year for
twelve years, discussing in masterly way
some educational feature to which he had
devoted himself during that year.
His first report dealt with the discussion Of
schools and their Improvements; the situa-
ton, construction, condition of schools and
work of the teachers. The second report
dealt with educational methods. As his
first report had portrayed the ideal sch ool,
the second report showed the real schools.
In this report he encouraged teachers to in
spire the child to study, not to drive 1t to
books.
The third report shows that the teacher
is not so much responsible for school as
the community in being loyal to it by pro-
4 viding for its maintenance th chest possible
equipment. In his further report he ad-
Yocated normal schools formed with the
purpose of thoroughness rather than schol-
arship.
The fifth report pictures man as benefit
ted by education, the advantages and pow
ers granted him through its means.
The sixth report was treatise on Phys
ology in the schools.
| In 1843 Mr. Mann was married again.
Il
the double purpose of bettering his health
which had never been strong since his prep
aration for college, and analyzing the for
eign educational methods From country
to country he went hiding as far as possible
his identity. In many schools he was
known merely as the "white haired gentle
man." His close application was not fay-
orable to the improvement of his health.
He returned home with little benefited
health but wonderful educational i'm
petus and wrote his seventh report. With
impartlality be praised or condemned the
foreign methods, praising the Prussian
schools in their msthods of teaching read,
ing.
This report was very bitterly received BY
the Boston Masters and thirty-one, uniting
their lefforts, composed lengthy article
in defense of their methods and criticising
Mr.. Mann,s seventh report numerically.
This was published under the name IRE
marks of the Masters" When Mr.. Mann
perceived what the Masters had done,
he wrote quickly and yolumino1sly from
the agitation Of his spirit his opinion Of the
Masters and published it in the..form of q
'Reply TO the Remarks" This of all his
writing was the least credible to Mann for
some Of the expressions in it would have
never been uttered IL he had been himself
when he wrote.
Then the Masters astounded by Mr.
Mann's paper issued second pamphlet ~
q .'Rejoinderr to his reply, declaring that