The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1901-07-19
Teachers Meeting ENDED
Declaration of PRINCIPLES at the
Closing Session.
FREE SCHOOLS APPROVED.
Elementary Education Is the Most Inn
POrtant Problem with which the
State Must Deal. Declare the Educators
at tho Detroit Convention.

Detroit, Mich, July 15.-The asso-
citation, at its closing session adopted a
statement of principles, in which 1t
said: "The problem os elementary edu-
cation is the most important problem
with which the state must deal. The
progress and happiness of a people are
in direct ratio to the universally Of
education. A free people must be de-
veloped by free schools. History re-
cords that the stability of nation de-
Ponds upon the virtue and intelligence
OF the individuals composing the ma
ton. To provide for the universal edu-
cation of youth is the duty Of every
state in the union. All the residents
Of the territory under the direct con-
troll of the general government, incluG-
ing the Indian Territory, Alaska, and
our new possessions, must receive the
benefits of free education at the hands
OF the government. We note with
satisfaction the stSen that have been
taken by the present administration
to place the blessings of all the chill
dren OF all the peoples under our
flag" The National Bureau of Educa-
ton, under the direction of William t.
Harris, Commissioner OF Education, is
commended as of invaluable service to
the cause Of education throughout the
United States, and it is suggested that
the powers of this bureau should be
greatly enlarged. It is insisted that
the public schools should be the CEN
ter of the educational life of the COM
munity in which it is located, freed
from the ravenous influence of parti-
san politics and untouched by the
narrowness of rigid sectarianism." The
statement continGegf "Our system of
education will not ~ wholly free un-
til every grade 6t 1ohool from the
kindergarten to ca i includirs the uni
versity shall be , "a t. over be- md
girl of our count. :As liberaiity OF
men Of wealth il, ..,sking large dona-
tons to institutions III learning is to be
strongly commenced and encouraged.
At the same time il should be borne
in mind that popular education rests
upon the people and should look to
them for its chief support and control
The public school system of a state
should be unit from the kindergarten
to and including the university and all
private institutions should endeavor to
work in harmony with the ideals of
public education so far as their special
purpose will permit them. The Ma
tional Educational association recog-
nizes the principle that the child has
the same right to be protected by law
from ignorance AS from abuse, neglect
and hunger; and 1t therefore records
with approval that many of the lead
ing states of the union have compul-
sorry education laws upon their statute
books"
Supervision of rural schools and
consolidation and transportation in
country districts are declared advisa-
BILE and step toward rural high
schools. The declaration of principles
closes with a discussion of normal
schools and of school architecture
The teachers began leaving Detroit
in the afternoon, and to-day is being
spent by those who remain in excursions
and sightseeing. Few OF those who had
come from the west retured. They
went on to Buffalo and other eastern
points. The Teachers Federation
party was broken up here and scat
tered