The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-11

The morning meetllS OF the Nhtlouai
Educational association to-day opened
with a cornet solo by Byron Morgan, who
played the familiar "Jerusalem'' with hne
effect. Superintendent H. S. Tarbell Of
Providence, R. l., was called upon to pre-
side at the meeting. Mr.. Morgan re-
sponded ito hearty encore, and the invo-
cation was pronounced by Rev. James M.
Nicol OF Minneapolis. r. -, -
The Pupils Individuality.
The first speaker Of the morning was
William T. Harris. commissioner OF edu-
cation Of the United States. His subject
was, "{{ow School Strengthens the In
dividuality OF the Pupil" He commenced
by alIuding to the old saying that the
common school system, especially as 1T
existed in cities, was likely to result In
developing common type OF character,
almost reminding one Of the common re-
suits of machinery. While this saying was
plausible, yet the good school would make
its children alike in the power Of develop
ing and expressing their individuality. The
punctuality of pupils, it is true, was de-
veloped. So was regularity and the de-
velopment of these traits made concert of
action possible. The Robinson Crusoe,
. who does every thing for himself, does
nothing we'll. But when he associate es
with himself the man Friday he becomes
four times more powerful. Ten men are
100 times more powerful than one man.
The errors and defects of one person
save others from such errors and defects
Ninety nine out of 100 acts are governed
by educated direction.
Sharing observations of Others.
( Said the speaker: THE lowest saw
age has his traditions just as the highest
civilized men have. This savage, per-
haps, cultivates his sight to the highest
perfection but he has no eye to- see what
mankind has learned about botany. Each
person and group of persons is continualZ
1y making observations and getting at re-
suits and to share in these observations
is a great privilege. 1t Is incompatible
to have access to books containing the
result of such observations. The family,
school, community and church afford such
opportunity. One may see what the
school means in the development of indi
viduality by going over the school course
OF study which is the growth Of years
The cultivated man. cultivated or literary,
thinks in the printed word which de-
velops fine shades of thought. Without
means of this sort the child has little op-
portunity Of gaining facts and knowl
edge more than the gorilla of Central At
rica. Give the child these means and his
individuality is all the time being wild
ened. He Is always growing in accuracy
of thought and he grows more rapidly at
so than at so, and SO on during life. The
literarily aided person develops more
than ten times the iNiterate."
Each branch of study endowed the pu-
pill with additional power for insight.
This was shown by the speaker to be true
in the matter of arithmetic, and he pro-
ceeded to elucidate this theorem by a
reference to the familiar algebraic formu-
la Of Karl Marks, the socialist political
economist, m -c-m, money, commodities,
money; or c-m-c., commodities, money,
commodities The speakers reason for
mentioning Marks was that the person
who tnvents exchange Is benefactor,
because he unites widely sundered peo-
pie and effects exchange OF commodities.
in school, said the commissioner,
'the child learns of production, and ex-
change. The surplus crop is of no value
unless 1t can be SO exchanged. So the
study OF geography contributes immensely
to the ability of the child in understand
ing of the daily news that comes to him.
Think again of grammar; the. form of
ones speaking. This study develops the
power Of introspection more than any
other study taught in school. 1t separates
the essential from the nom essentials,
Then, too, the study of history" the
persons Of national history. How lame
the person who has not the ability to
Teadl' We must remember that oral in.
formation comes largely from idle men,
daughter and applause.) THE school
habit of silence and the ability to dig out
ones lesson from the printed page is one
of the grand results of the development of
Individuality. The child thus learns to
get at the principle of his lesson and to
surmount all difficulties. The dialectic
developed in the classroom Is not sub
stitute for the other kind of attention
This attention of alertness gives one self
possession. The studies Of school de-
velop knowledge Of nature and also re-
late to character and relate to human ma
Gure." ..'-.. =
OF the human studies are all the selec-