The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-12
1T OPENS THE NEW YEAR WITH
| AN ESPECIALLY ENTHUSIASTIC
! MEETING.
PROF. SOARING, OF NlANKATO,
DELIVERED AN ELOQUENT AID,
DRESS ON THE NEED AND RE-
WARDS OF CULTURE
COMMITTEES ARE APPOINTED
To Carry on the Various Branches
of Its Work for the Coming
Year.

A large audience assembled in the
auditorium of the Central high school
building last evening, it being the first
meeting of the school year of the st.
Paul School union. The president, ].
w. l.. Corning, presided. and after a
few Introductory remarks, relative to
the work of the union and its objects,
introduced the speaker of the even
ing, Prof. Edward Soaring, of the
state normal school of Mankato.
Prof. Soaring read a very entertain
ing and thoughtful paper on THE
Need and the Happiness of Culture
Suited to the Present Day." outlining
some practical thoughts having a bear
ing on the wise conduct and the true
success in life. He stated as a fact
that human civilization was progress
slve, was an unfolding as from the
bud to the flower, from the inferior to
the superior. There were high civili-
ZatlonS before our own, but the best
OF them were comparatively local and
interior; there were checks to the
stream of progressively, at times the
stream itself seemed rolling backward
but it was only to gather new force
for stronger and swifter advances.
Each succeeding century has in gem
eral been the enriched heir of those
preceding.
The speaker then commented on the
rapid strides of the advance of civsli-
cation of comparatively recent times.
Two hundred years ago but few people
in England, and those in most part of
the nobility, could read or write, while
now education is general. The present
boat, the locomotive and the use of
electricity; 1t had developed the daily
newspaper until it was a factor NJ
euucatlon. But no less pronounced, i'm
portant and wonderful were the So
cal, political, educational and spiritual
changes and advances Men as men
nave higher value; distinctions of
caste among them are far less known.
the KING or emperor can say with much
less truth than formerly that ''he is
'he state Continuing, Prof Soaring
said in part:
our position makes intelligence our great
need We must be cultured to a wise in
teiIgence true knowledge of ourselves
and the world Thus only can we be in har
mony with our position and fit heirs az
what the centuries have brought. The need
OF this Intelligence has in view two ends:
the general welfare and Individual happiness
Mhere, as with us, every citizen is an
equal and coordinate sovereign of the COM
monWealth, there must be general inteIi-
gence and virtue or the system is a failure
me citizens are the sources of authority and
their votes must embody intelligent convic-
lions or no government could be worse than
such as ours. Better an absolute despotism
than an ignorant and vicious mob under the
name of republic.
The need of culture for individual nap
piness is a fertile theme. l am a profound
believer in this need. Under no eireum-
stances can l hold that ignOrdlce-want of
culture, want of intellectual and mora, in
telHgence-is blessed and that it is therefore
folly to be wise Mans browning glory is
his intellect 1t Is that which gives him his
dignity and closely allies him with Deity. The
more of this power to know, to think, that
a man has, the further removed is he from
a mere animal existence; the nearer he is
like the Divine mind.
81 speak not yet of material advantages.
but only of the sources of individual hap
piness to be found in we'll cultivated mind.
Culture is it's Justification wisdom is
its own justification. 1t matters not whether
it be in the poverty of Socrates or the wts-
dom of Solomon, it is its own justification.
thorough education is in itself so desirable
that he who seeks it need not have any
Interior professional worldly object in
view whether he wishes to be shoemaker
or lawyer blacksmith, farmer or minister,
culture is so desirable in Itself that every
man ought to seek it. 1t is desirable in
precisely the same sense that virtue IS a.
sira BILE true and perfect MANHOOD cen
than a high standard Of virtue. And yet
this truth is still so little recognize1 tina;
culture is generally sought for some pur-
pose out of Itself; as If to be lawyer or
nhysician or a teacher were SometnlnS nlgh-
err than to be a man; as Ii to be a plack-
smith or a shoemaker or carpea.er OF
farmer were something less than tc DC
mani J., ito, o,,I+,ro
contributes to personal happiaess~-it banishes
fear and superstition. Fear IS one u my
Of human
have reason to brl.eve it abonn Is III aOoLt
the same 12g"ec as ignorance ne Wola'
of all fears is the superstltI Jus ival " us is
known powers in or above nature IL -
the direct offspring of ignorance, as uuS'
is the child of intelligence. ,.o,, ,,ror
I'm concluding, scarcely sIt,r neGu mind is an
irnnortant means of getting on IN the Woriu
Brain power is better than hand power; ~
put brains into the work OF one n nfnoti,n
r. make that work vastly more eHecINe.
That mule should work in treadmlll IL
not dishoncrable to the mule; IN tIaC W tat
ie the measure of its intelligence But tidt
man should thus work is IN genera us
honorable And yet vast amount OIL h9i man
labor is done in the unintelligent tread-mlI
fashion of the mule. 1t is neither good Wolk
nor happy work, because IL is cohsclelioei0'
work =, -. e;o, mo
peculiar pleasure to meet and adaress an
organization formed for the purpose Oh secuts
ing intelligent cooperation between parents
md teachers in the important WORK Oh euucd
qinn This cooperation is greatly needed,
and has promise and potency Oh nucH so1u
IN it 1t is a mistaken notlon, TOO ldISely
ravaIent in this country, that good schOoi
f. ali that is needed for the well-rounde9
devaIonment of the chids intellectual ana
moral nature. Intelligent observers nav. nso
noted this defect in our system OF tIdlhins'
As nublic school educator, L heartlly ap-
inland this movement Tor co-operaIloh VIM"
has sprung up in many sections Oh the co ord
Nv There are great possibilities in IT, anu
I bid you good night with the earnest WISH
that your efforts so successfully aoil leu, n9
he continued assiduously and intelligentIy,
and NAV be fruitful in good results not ohiy
70 St. Paul but to the entire state.
prof Soaring was warmly applaud
cd and vote of thanks eXtende 10
him. 5 tha+
during the year, the executive commit
fee of the ST. Paul school had estaE-
Iished seventeen local unions, Whlch
have a. membership of $50. The mat @
tiers to be discussed in the local unions
are. Industrial Education, lnnu,
ence of Surroundings, Character,
ssHome Study" Relation of Art ECU
cation to Public Education" Social
PeIations. Between Citizens and Teach
ars "Teaching of Morals in the
school" Literature for Children,
President Corning announced the
following standiIg committees:
Sanitatfon-J W.Stevens, Mrs y. %. htnch-
lev Mrs John Turnbull. Mrs. E. j. funk;
Iey' q W. O,Brien. peter CARLSON, J. MeGiH
Si fectures-supt. V, C. Curtis. Mrs. c. B.
Brunson. P. ]. Smalley -.o,- ~.
Kindergartens-Ars }. u. EstaOI Te;r c WI
EG AUGMENTATION of Buildings and Grounds