The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-28
Superintendent in Annual
Session Here.
PROF. MOBILES ADDRESS
ELEVEN TOWNS AND CITIES ARE
REPRESENTED
REPORTS FROM TIE VARIOUS SCHOOLS
Other Reports 10 be Heard at the Meeting in
the Centennial School Building
To-day. Program of
the Exercises.

the Exercises,
The Thirteenth Annual Session of the
Association of City School Superntend-
ents met in the Holleman building at
$50 last night. President Il. I. Man
gum called the meeting to order and af-
ter a few appropriate remarks introduce
ed Prof NJ. c. s. Noble, of the depart
.ment of pedagogy, University of North
Carolina, who delivered the following
address:
Mr.. President: l was surprised and
gratifed when / was notified that /
was to welcome the members of this
Association to this, their 18th annual
meeting. | regard the assignment of
this duty as compliment to me for
my many years service as city super
intendent. | have always attended your
meetings, and one of the honors l most
ardently cherish is the fact that l was
the first president of this association.
In behalf Of the children under your
supervision, ! welcome you here to-
night and bid YOU God-speed in your
efforts to further the great cause of
popular education.
You, gentlemen, represent the pro-
gressive educational spirit of North
Carolina towns-a progressive spirit that
flaming up with unusual brilliancy in the
establishment of the graded schools of
Goldsbor0 and Wilson, spread thence in
quick succession all over the State.
quickening our educational life, and
making our city school system not only
our own pride, but the theme of the
speeches of many Northern school in
spcctors. who, seeing your good work.
went back to their Northern homes, tell
ing their friends Of your practical and
successful educational efforts. In nay
trips North | have frequently met school
men of prominence and influence who,
the moment they learned that | was
from North Carolina, took me by the
hand and spoke words of Warmest praise
for the work of our schools.
/ congratulate you, gentlemen, on be-
ing members of this organization. Your
membership rests upon the fact of your
being either Il city superintendent or a
member of the corps of teachers in
city school system. This fact is of great
value in itself. North Carolina towns
and cities are ahead of any others in
the land in making the selection of their
teachers rest, not upon sentiment nor on
local residence, but upon merit, fitness
and special professional training. 80
far in the history of our educational de-
velopment that has given honor and dis
tinction to North Carolina, not one of
her towns or cities has made an educa-
tional appointment rest upon sentiment
or the needs of the applicant. The
needs of those who are TO be taught, the
rights of the children TO have specially
trained experts TO preside over their
educational development have controlled
appointments, and have dignitied our
profession. So far in our history no
North Carolina town or city has ever
elected superintendent that any other
town would not have tried to get, did
it need a superintendent. The distin-
gushing feature of appointments so far
in our history has been Il desire 10 get
the best; 10 get the man that another
town would want had it a vacancy to
fill. And so, gentlemen, | congratulate
you as being types of the best school
men to be found in the thoughtful judg-
ment of those who control the destinies
of the schools in your cities. You have
been chosen to fill your responsible posi-
tions on merit alone. Not one of you
was chosen to give you a position by
which you could make living, but to
give the children a superintendent who
would give them an education-a super
intendent who had made special study 10
qualify himself for the eXacting duties
of supervision. Not one Of YOU is the
product of n local sentiment, for not
one OF you ever taught day in the
towns where you now labor prior TO
your election. The fact that you hold
your present positions is a tribute to the
high aspirations of your towns to get
the best man.
Since the organization of this asso-
citation twelve years ago, its members
have made an enviable record. -Four OF
our members have been called to the
superintendency of schools in other
States; five have been elected to pro-
fessorships in the colleges and universe
ties of this and other Southern States.
and one has been called to the Presi-
dency of our own State University.
Even the business world recognizing the
executive ability and talent of your pro-
fession has demanded the services of
some of you, and to-day former mem
Der of your association is president of
national bank in one of our leading
towns: and another directs the interests
of great manufacturing establishment
possessing a trade that extends to every
continent. No longer may it be charged
that our profession is an asylum for the
failures in other professions. Its re-
duircments are so great and so varied
and so exacting that he who succeeds
as school superintendent has the
scholarship, the tact and the executive
ability that make him sought for by the
other professions.
| hope, gentlemen, that, as you meet
here from year to year, and gather sum-
mer after summer at the summer schools
and other great educational meetings
you, not becoming enamored of other
callings may re-devote yourselves to the
higher. nobler, Godlier calling of train
ing little children into that true American
citizenship which is founded upon the
principles taught by the great teacher,
whose birthday we have all been lately
celebrating
/ bid you. the representative of TWEEN
IS thousand North Carolina children,