The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-10-18
TEACHERS ELECT OFFICRES
LIST OF THOSE CHOSEN AT An
NUAL CONVENTION,

EilOcs Noteworthy
Address-Happentngs of the Day
Many Addresses.
The annual convention of the State
Teachers association of Connecticut
was held in this city yesterday. The
programme for the day was an extern
sive one. The exercises were carried
out in very successful manner and
much interest was manifested in the
doings of the convention by the hun
dreds of teachers from all parts of the
state. From 10 a. rn until .. m. the
teachers were hurrying from one meet
ing place to another and they attracted
vast amount of attention by their
presence in the city. The address by
President Eliot of Harvard university
was the feature of the days pro-
gramme; This address was the opening
number On the order of exercises. The
business session, held at p. NJ in Cen
ter church, brought the programme to
close. At this session officers for the
ensuing year were elected and the con-
Vention voted to have President Eliot's
address printed for general distribution.
The officers elected were as follows:
President-CharIes B. Jennings of
New Haven.
First vice president-E. C. Willard of
Stamford.
Second vice president-J Ward HeaIy
of Putnam.
Recording secretary-T H. Patterson
Of Bristol.
Corresponding secretary-S. P. Will
lard of Colchester.
AUDITOR. G. Lewis of New Haven.
Executive conmittee-W. B. Ferguson
Of MiddletoWn, w. ]. Twitchell of
Hartford, Stuart Fl. Rowe of New Ha-
ven, Miss Bessie Howes of Bridgeport.
Financial committee-George Phenix
of Willimantic, chairman.
The reports of the officers were read
and accepted.
Votes of thanks were extended to the
speakers of the day and to the officers
OF the churches, in which structures
meetings had been held during the day.
An abstract OF President Eliot's ad-
dress at the opening session is append
ed:
1.-THE present rate of expenditure in
public schools is much too low The av-
erage expenditure Der pupil for the
whole school year in the United States
was $21.14 in the year 19O0-19O1, accord
ing to an advance copy of the report
of Commissioner Harris, ranging from
$41.68 in New York to S4.56 in North
Carolina. President Eliot compared
this expenditure with that made by
well to do families on children sent to
endowed or private schools, where from
$l0O to $500 a year is charged for tut
ton. rs it not plain" he continued,
that If the American people were well
to do, they would multiply by four or ,
five the present school expenditure per |
child and per year?
II wish to urge upon you the propo- |
sition that the American people cannot :,
afford to persist in the present low ex-
penditure for schools. 1t is indisputa- |
BILE that we have experienced a pro- !!
found disappointment in that the re- |
suits thus far obtained do not produce |
all the good which was expected, and |
which may reasonably be aimed at"
In enumerating some of the disap- |
pointments with popular education |
President Eliot said that although for |
more than two generations men have |
been struggling with the vice of drunk |
enness, no successful method Of dealing |
with 1t has yet been discovered. This !
Is an accusation" he continued, mot |
against the moral disposition of ma
3ority of the people, but against their
reasoning power which good schools |
ought to train. The persistence of
gambling is another disappointment to
the advocates of popular education,
and 1t must be confessed that the re-
suits Of universal suffrage are not in
all respects what we should have ex-
pected from people supposed to be
prepared at school for an intelligent
exercise of the suffrage. We have dis
covered from actual observation that
universal suffrage often reduces bad
government, especially In large cities"
AS other causes of disappointment of
the results of popular education Presi-
dent Eliot referred to the crimes of vio-
lence committed in great numbers all
over the United States, the nature of
the daily reading matter supplied for
the American public, the quality of the
popular theaters of to-day, the open
ness Of the American mind to medical
decisions and the tenacity of the spoils
or patronage system in the civil service
Of the United States. He said also that
labor strikes should occur more and
more frequently and be more widespread
has been another serious disappoint-
ment in regard to the outcome of popu-
lar education.
las we have all 'seen lately, the strike
Is often resorted to for reasons not
made public or at least not made pub
lie until after the strike has taken
place. To use in industrial conflicts this
weapon forged in secret is to exhibit an
utter lack of faith in the very best
means of remedy for individual wrongs,
namely, publicity. When the capitalist !
,r the middlemen wf1s resist strike do ]
so without publishing their reasons, the
ton of lack Of faith in pub
lefty is complete. Yet publicity is the {
great security for democracy, and in the
ong run the most trustworthy means '
If political and social progress.
What should be the effect on our
minds to-day of these disappointments i
Ind of these unsurmounted difficulties? | I
Surely, new and hearty resolution to c
10 what we can to make the school bet
er and more effective to all righteous c
'nds. But this greater effectiveness +