The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-01
OF IH SIAE.
WHAT HAS HAS REEN DONE FOR THEIR
BENEFIT BY sUPT.
LEWIS
STANDARD HAS BEEN RA1sE1
Tenure of Office of Competent Teach
ers Has Reen Made More Sc
cure and Salaries
Increased.


GOV. Lind in an imaginary interview in
tuesdays Dlspat ten What does your
sVperlnIendsptl Lewis, do to earn rs
salary?' a representative Of the
v e Interviewed yesterday a promi-
nent educator Of this state and asked
him to answer the inquiry.
VIII you. Mr.. --- tell the Glosb
what Gov. IInd's administration has
done for elementary and secondary ,ell1,
cation in this state the past two years9
Mr. - 'tYes, sir; I think it is due
the voters and the educators that the
educational policy Of the department of
eoucauon receive greater consideration
than 1T has received up to this time. But
L and majority of my board are 5Repub.
ncans, so i can not have my name men,
toned. In my opinion this department of
the state government transcends in i'm
portance any other department. The
state pays annually, according to the adj
Vanced sheets of the biennial report Of
the state superintendent of public in
struction, $3,S429S7.23 in wages to the
teachers in our common and graded
schools; and that department of the stata
government that comes In touch with
this large army Of wage earners in
way to increase their efficiency and use
fulness is certainly the most important
branch Of the executive department OF
our state government. This is exactly
what Gov Lind's appointee, Supt. Lewis.
has done, and that no other state s1IDer-
intendent has done. Supt Lewis has
raised the standards of qualification of
our teachers all along the line. He has
come in persona touch with every teach
er in the nearly 900 common school dis
triets in the state. BY raising the
standards of qualification he has increas.
ed the length OF the school year: he has
made more certain the tenure Of service
of good teachers and increased the wages
of teachers in the common and graded
schools. He has by raising the standards
and throwing proper safe guards around
the eertiflcation Of teachers, protected
the 100000 children in the comman and
independent districts from being, imposed
upon by teachers not properly qualified
to teach, and made It easier for trustees
to select good teachers. At the same
time he has protected the educated and
trained teachers from the competition OF
those who are not sufficiently educated
and trained to teach a good school, there
by tnsuring those who have put their
time and money in fitting themselves to
teach, steady employment al better
wages.
REFUSED MANY LICENSES
L am told that Supt. Lewis has refused
licenses to ever 5000 applicants the past
year, most of them young school girls
and boys, and vet these same rejected
applicants are the waPmest supporters
Of the educational policy of Gov Lind 8
administration, for they know that so
long as this policy is adhered to they
have something to encourage them to put
their money and time in fitting them
selves for teaching; for they know that
they will themselves in turn be protected
from the competition of thousands CT
young. teachers who are unprepared TO
teach
Prior to the present administration
the state department of public instruc-
ton has never come in touch with the
common schools. 1t has compiled stalls
ties and given its time exclusively to
high and normal school work.
But Gov. Lind has given his attention
through his superintendent to both ele-
mentary and secondary education
Again, Mr.. Lewis has taken the first eff
fective steps looking to the building Of q
better class of school houses in the coun.
try districts. He published, last spring, a
bulletin of seventy-five pages, illustrated
by numerous cuts, giving information
concerning heating, lighting, ventilating
and decorating rural school buildings and
followed this up by employing a COM
petent architect to draw plans and sspecl-
fieations for the construction of sanitary,
convenient and enthusiastically beautiful
school houses and these plans have been
loaned free to trustees.
'tFhe bulletin recently issued by -Su-
perintendent Lewis urging the adoption
of a business or commercial course in
our high schools is long step in adj
vance, and will more than anything that
has been done in a long time hasten
the day when our high schools will be-
come really the peoples college and fit
our boys and girls to engage at once
in lucrative employment
FOR THE RURAL SCHOOLS.
Superintendent Lewis is now engaged
with Prof. Tucker of the state agrieuI-
tural school, in arranging a course OF
exercises for the rural schools that will |
not only make farm life and farm work
more attractive for the boys and girls. |
but will interest both the children and
their parents in the experimental work |
at the agricultural school.
81 have given you a summary OF the |
most import&e4t and the new work car
lppointee in one term.
HBut when one reflects that .Supt. |
Lewis not only had to suggest and
frame the laws that enables his depart
ment for the first time in the history of |
the state to reach down and old the |
common schools, but has had to organize
all this work. ] am sure that the edu-
Gators of the state and the patrons of
the schools are graufled with what has
been accomplished, and i have heard
many a good Republican say that Che !
Will vote for re-election of Gov. Lind |
s;,;s n. have the opportunity to
.I,,1 the eSucatior1z1 r-s eorm his adj
has SO happily begdnT
NoRMALS WOULD CONTROL. j
do you think in the event of Capt.