The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-05
THEIR FIELD THE FUTURE
TEACHERS ADMONIsHED NOT TO
BURY THEMSELVES IN PAST
guraI Address to the Teachers
I'm the City Schools IL a Clear and
Comprehensive Statement of His
Opinions i'm Regard to- School Adj
ministratiOn.

Supt. A. ]. Smith yesterday outlined
his policy as superintendent of public
schools before a large gathering of St.
Paul school teachers in assembly hail
at the high school.
SUpt Smith did not mince matters in
the least in getting down to his subject,
but gave quite comprehensive outline
of his idea of the way the st. Paul
schools should be run, and the relations
between the superintendent and the
teachers.
In opening, Supt. Smith said since the
interests of the teachers were amicable,
it was only proper that he express to
them as soon as possible his views con-
corning the conduct of the schools.
Supt. Smith warned the teachers
against taking a retrospective view of
things, as no progress could be made
by looking backward. They were pri-
niarily and directly responsible to the
school board to carry out it's expressed
desires.
The school board was endowed with
certain powers and certain limitations,
among them the amount of money at
its disposal for expenditures in running
the schools. 1t had been clearly shown
that the board had no desire to curtall
the school system, on the other hand,
it would be glad to even increase the
salaries of the teachers, if the amount
at its disposal would warrant it. The
duties of the board were two-fold,
namely, to the public and to the teach
ers. Continuing, he said:
teachers and the public, 1 am bound by my
interest in public school work and the in
fuence of my experience to do all that l
can to aid the teachers in their work, to
place under the control of each teacher neces-
sary supplies and equipment to support them
faithfully in the exercise of proper dlsclpiln-
airy influence; to cause the public to under.
stand the nature of their duties; to assist
them in carrying them, and to deal fairly and
openly with them, touching their personal
tiers come clearly within the scope of the
duties of the superintendent, and shall be
observed by me.
Il pledge you that shall talk plainly and
fairly with you upon all points that require
explanation or correction, and so far as lies
within my power shall see that you are not
misunderstood or wronged in any way.
II am not one of those who feel that the
condition of the schools is chaotic. The board
of education. unable to secure sufficient
funds, may be compelled to reduce salaries,
and to limit the supply of materials, but
that fact does not warrant the belief or as
sertion, SO far as the teachers are concerned,
that the schools are crippled; that they are
retrograding. The money paid teacher in
rendering the public"
Supt. Smith took up the course of
study, the length Of the session and the
thoroughneSs and exactness essential
to certain studies; the unifcation Of
the work. that is, bringing the work
Of all the schools up to a certain uni
form standard. The teachers were ask
ed whether they had given study and
thought to these questions, and Whelh-
err they had formed an opinion concern
ing a continuous yearly session; wheth-
er the vacation should be shortened;
whether the hours of study should be
shortened or heightened; that there
should be return to the cultivation Of
memory; that simple processes of rea-
soning should be required in very sim
pie form from the earliest school days;
was it possible that they had trusted
too much and too far to processes of
absorption and indtrection and had not
developed from within the powers and
faculties of the mind? He continued:
How many questions 1 could ask and you
would doubtless stand and tnswer as b.
comes those properly prepared and inspired
for the work, but am unable to assure my
self that the public has heard these things
sufficiently discussed. refer to them sug-
gestively. 1 shall often discuss them with
you. and l am sure that we shall come to
dertaking touching them. do not doubt
that we shall be agreed touching thorough
ness in the essential branches.
1T Is rather poetic to say that 1t matters
not what the child knows of the symbols
If it has the thought. How far better it is
that time should be given to the acquisition
of the beautiful thought. Of the noble ldsa
than that it should be wasted in so-called
articulation but it should go without saying
that the beautiful thought and the poetic
idea are impossible to the child, except by
the use Of symbols.
Let me ask you. Is your reading salts
factory? Not can the child draw an i'm
aginative picture and furnish written story.
but is the reading, good? We deride the
spelling book and the long lines, but how is
spelling in your school? At recent nesting
in Chicago I heard a distinguished professor
say that he had examined the spelling of a
large number of high school pupils, and
80 per cent of the words in ordinary use.
Surely. it is not SO bad in our schools, and
yet, are you satisfied, 1t may be non-pro-
spelling under the present arrangement so
excellent that it may not be improved?
I'm some places the so-called progressive
much do you thoroughly teach 1t has en-
tirely annihilated technical grammar, SO that
the colleges complain that correct grammat-
ical construction Is no longer possible and
calities 1t is not facts that our teachers
should impart, but ideas, say these so-called
progressive educators. but they forget that
ideas not founded on facts are utterly value
less.
'Please do not think that I am drawing
pictures of condition In St. Paul. Especially
ing ridicule doubt upon your methods.
shall learn all about these by and by, and
no thought Of injustice, present or future,
shall enter my mind.
pen, let us say nothing of retrogression or
non-progressive action or purpose. What
ever the outside may do; however hard the
conditions may be, 1t is for the teachers:
independently of these things, to go forward
and not backward"