The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-03

Startling Information on the VAL
tie of Education-Dr. Smith, of
West Chester, Lectures at the In
stitute-Evening Entertainment
by Marshall P. Wilder Was Rare
Treat.
DR.. Schaeffer, state superintendent
Of public instruction, addressed the
school directors of the county yester-
day afternoon in No. court room on
the value of education, presenting to
them strong facts, which, coming from
a source 50 authoritative, may be ex-
pected to produce good results. The
directors association convened at 10
a. m The doctors address came as
the final part of the programme.
lie said that Germany is doing the
best commercial business of the world.
why? Because she eduCates her arti-
sans, tradesmen and mechanics, and
puts brains behind the hand that la
bors. England could not understand
Tor years and years why the people of
the Rhine outstripped her in the mar
kets OF the world. She only walked up
To the cause when all the premiums
at her crystal Palace fair went to the
Rhinelanders, and then she appointed
a committee to investigate and found
from the report of the committee that
1t was due to Germanv's superior ad-
Nantages for the education of the COM
mon people.
The one great lesson. he said. of the
nlnptppn1h Epa
world the advantage of educated labor.
lt wins and controls, every time. the
markets of the world. Victor Hugo
said that every time you open a school
you close a prison. England found
that to be true. In one year after an
appropriation of 100000 900 had been
made for the use of the district schools
S2oOOO,OOO on prisons and $40, ,000, 900 on
the care of paupers were saved.
DIR. Schaeffer one day went into the
works OF a shoe factory in Massachus-
etts and saw man who graduated
from Cornell working at n bench with
leather apron on him. He also found
among the girls employed there sew
eral operatives who had graduated
from the high school. That state pays
the highest wages to its teachers and
on the whole seems to be extravagant
for the outlay OF money spent on edu-
cation. She gives every pupil in the
state an average of seven years school,
ing. The average in the United States
is four years. And she spends 100000 =
900 a year for education.
IT INCREASES WAGES.
What is the result? The avera ee
earning power for every man, woman
and child within her boundaries Is 73
cents, and the average for the United
States is 40 cents. 1t has been con-
servatively estimated that for every
dollar put into education every year
she gets return OF $25 in earning pow-
er.
He spoke again on the subject he
talked of before the teachers on Tues
day, that some teachers in his own
county of Berks are paid less than it
taxes To feed pauper at public eX-
pense. This statement made some OF
the directors shake their heads He
told them they need not look with dis
dain on Berks, for the same thing is
true of some teachers in Lackawanna
county.
And yet, questioned the speaker, what
is 1t that makes life worth living? Can
ii be measured by dollars and cents /?
No, indeed The rich man can buy a
fashionable home, but it may not be a
happy one; he may have heaps of
money, but it cannot buy a good con-
science; and he may buy library. but
he needs education to appreciate the
beauties Of literature: he may hang the
finest pictures that art can create on
his parlor walls, but the servant girl
who comes in to dust the room, If she
mas had a high school training, will
enjoy seeing them better than her mas
ter If he be SO unfortunate as to lack it.
Times may be hard and directors may
hesitate to pay good salaries to good
teachers or to build schools and prom
erly equip them, but experience the
world over has fully demonstrated that
1t is the wisest economy after all to
look out for the value of education.
The morning session of the aseocia-
tiOn was opened by President William
Repp, of Old Forge, with an address.
Superintendent George Howell of the
Scranton schools, made an address on
the Ideal School Director" and Prof
Green, of West Chester spoke on the
value of school libraries. Directors w.
j, Emery, of jefferson; John McCriLd!e,
of Lackawanna; James f. McAndrew,
of Archibald, and r. II. Holgate, of
LaPlume, entered into discussion on
What is True Economy in School AZ
fairs?" Prof. w. A. Kelley, of Arch
bald, sang to the delight of the drec-
tors, and Miss Floy Good, of Clark's
Summit, reCited.
Officers We're elected as follows:
President, w. r. Emery, Of jefferson;
presidents, Thomas Donly, of oily
phant Fred. Kieffer, Of Dickson;
Charles Decker, Of Newton; secretary,
Edward Maclay, Of BIakely; treasurer,
Frank L. Carr. of Elmhurst.
DIR. SMITHS LECTURE.
Dr. Andrew Thomas Smith, acting
principal of the West Chester Nor
NAL school, arrived yesterday to take
part in the lectures at the county in
stitute. He is learned man, has a
commanding and pleasing personality
and the ability to use simple and ele-
giant language in expressing solid
ideas. He spoke at the forenoon ses-
sion on the Reality Principle in Edu-
cation"
Teaching can be reduced TO an ex-
act science, he said, so as to attain
an absolute uniformity in teaching all
branches of the school curriculum.
The branches of study are not always
distinct, but it is always possible TO
discriminate between fact and art.
Miss Ada Van Stone Harris, whose
talks are SO interesting to the teach