The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-05-28

The annual commencement eXer'
cises of the state Normal school were
held at the opera house this forenoon,
beginning at shortly after ten o o'clock
The unusual plan of giving out ad'
mission tickets was this year aban-
doned, and the new plan OF extending
general invitation worked all right,
for the house was only comfortably
filled by the hour named, and the best
of order was maintained throughout.
The graduating class occupied the
stage, being arranged in rows, one
above the other, the ladies in front
and gentlemen behind. The ladies of
the class were handsomely attired in
white Swiss and carried bouquets of
of red roses. The general effect was
extremely pleasing. Besides the class
were few who were in the chOruses,
but they were swallowed up in the
class of eighty-seVen.
When the curtain rolled up at few
moments after ten o'clock, every seat
in the opera house was taken and ap-
plause greeted the scene on the stage.
The exercises were opened by an
eloquent invocation by DR.. II. A.
Cleveland, of the First Methodist
Episcopal church.
A large chorus of over hundred
voices advanced and rendered
Bridal Chorus" by F. H. Cowen,
under the direction of Miss
Holt, showing excellent training.
The entire graduating class was in
this chorus.
President Adams Address.
President Soaring than introduced
President Charles Kendall Adams, L.
L. D., of the university of Wisconsin,
who gave the annual address, his
subject being "The Influences Of the
Prussian School System"
President Adams said that in
modern history there is no picture of
complete humiliation like that
presented by Prussia from 1900 to 1910
The national spirit as we'll as the
national character seemed to be gone,
and Napoleon was welcomed as
liberator. Armies threw down their
arms and seemed to hold out their
hands for the shackels. Prussia
yielded to the demands of Napoleon
to assist in his great campaign against
it's old ally, Russia. 1t pointed to its
letters as garlands of honor.
Scarcely two generations have pass
ed away, when the country becomes
one of the leading nations of Europe,
and the successor of Napoleon sur
renders his sword to the son of Fred
erick William and Louise, who were
nurtured by the defeat Of Jena. The
humiliation of Prussia had been so
complete that the king said that he
must reconstruct the country from
the foundation. The political organ
ization of the state was reconstructed
from top to bottom. A military sys-
tenn was introduced, which made the
army great school. Van Shines
changes undoubtedly helped toward
the new order of things, but were
only a mode of exercising the intelli-
gence that already existed IN the
nation, except the school system in
the army. The intelligence itself
had to be increased. Liberty is SIM
ply the facility for doing something,
but what is done depends upon the
education of the people.
1t was in 1910 that the Prussian
educational system was given the
form in which it has become so fam
Gus and model for the other German
states. Wilhelm Won Humboldt, the
constructor, with the exception of
Goethe, had greater belief in Gull
ture as source of strength to the
state than any other public man of
his time. Public opinion had been
prepared to receive and put in force
his ideas. A comprehensive system
to raise Germany from it's miseries
was looked for, and was found in
grand system Of education, which
taught duty to the state. Lecturers
reproached the people for the shallow
ness of the age, and business men for
their contempt of culture, so that the
people were prepared for Won Hum
boldt's ideas. 1t was recognized that
the state must take charge of educa-
tion. the same as it did of the taxes.
In introducing obligatory educa-
tion, Prussia took care not to impose
upon itself the burden of graf uitous
instruction except where the parents
were too poor. The care of buildings
and collection of local funds is left TO
the local boards, but the people have
no voice whatever in the control of
the schools. The govern
ment said that it could not
guard the schools from Door
teachers if the districts could choose
whoever they wanted to. Lists to be
selected from where submitted by the