El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-14
The Schools Must Be Brought
Into Closer Relations
With the People
THE HOME GIVES WAY.
To the State In Education
And the Result Is
Not Altogether
Satisfactory.

Los ANGELES, Cal, July l4.-There
was no diminution of interest manifest
ed by the teachers in the sessions OF
this, the last day Of their convention.
The pavilion was crowded at the gen.
eral session this morning and those de-
partment conferences which did not
conclude their work yesterday ress-
sembled this afternoon and concluded
their affairs in business like manner.
Tomorrow will finish the breaking
up of the crowd. Some will return
home, more will take in the excursions
to Pasadena, the Yosemite Valley, to
the Grand Canon of the Colorado in
Arizona, and to Mexico. Discussion as
to the next place of holding the con-
vention has been animated all week,
but nothing will be definitely decided
until the meeting of the executive com
mittee this winter or next spring. The
selection of an Atlantic coast or Cana
dian city is predicted.
At the morning session today va
riety of subjects was considered and
number of interesting addresses de-
livered. Aaron Cove, superintendent
of the Denver public schools, read an
interesting paper on "The usurpatior
of home by SCHOOL, He said in part
"The growth of paternalism in this
country reaches over to the schools.
Great notifications of social life de-
mand corresponding notifications in
school life. Much of the child train
ing that was formerly done at home ia
now relegated to the school. The
severe religious and effective discipline
of the early American home is disap-
pearing. The father no longer claims
the boys time and earnings until man
hood is reached.
s'This changed condition requires
changed school relations. The school
has helped to forward this movement
by demanding regular and prompt at
tendance at school. Fathers OF the
present have turned themselves away
from the supervising of the detailed
training of.the children. The mothers
field of activity is enlarged by partici-
patton in governmental and public
affairs. Something like Spartan pos
session threatens the youth of the
country.
"The remedy is more time with
teacher and tutor. Rather than fdleness
at home and on the street, ten hours
in school association instead OF six.
The home demands that the state take
more intimate and direct care OF the
youth The present disposition to re-
linquish the home training of chill |
dren and the enlarged field of elemen-
tary instruction demanded, requires q
changed condition in the mechanism OF
the schools.
"The state must assume these duties
for self-protection;i ;it has already COM
menced, as illustrated by free school
board lectures in many cities. Assem-
bly, rooms are to be attached to every |
school house for the use of the people |
every day and every evening in the
year. Vacation schools are becoming
a necessity. Changed conditions nee
essary to meet present and future re-
sponsibilities, will doubtless be well
adjusted by the wisdom and intelli-
gence of the American people"
President E. A. Bryan of the Wash
ineton State Agricultural college read
q paper on the economic interpreter
tion of history, and John Macdonald OF
Topeka. Kas., told of "Educstional
Journalism: it's tribulations and
riumphs." George +. Brown, of
Bloomington, ILL.,. read an interesting
ing paper on the function Of education
al journalism.
The convention is regarded by offic-
ials as in point of attendance the great
est ever held in the west. Official fig
ures show that nearly 5000 attended,
exceeding the Denver attendance by
four thousand.
The opinion today is that the next
convention will go to Boston. despite
the test vote last night in which
Charleston led. |