The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-20
A. M. SWEENEY'S ADDRESS
SOME MODERN PROBLEMS OF EDUCA-
TION AS HE SEES THEM.
President of Association Declares
EmphaticaIIy for Summer Schools
Governors Welcome.


meeting in sense experimental in
that there was a desire to see how cordially
school commissioners of Indiana would re-
spond to call of that nature, its success
is unquestioned. The attendance is large
at the sessions, and the interest displayed
in the important questions affecting the
life of the schools is an indication of future
healthy growth.
The new association is an outgrowth OF
the meeting OF town and city superintend-
ents held in the Statehouse last year. At
that meeting the Rev. Wilson Blackburn,
treasurer Of the School Board Of Mount
Vernon. made the suggestion that a state
association of school boards was badly
needed A preliminary meeting of school
commissioners was then called for the pur-
pose of discussing the ACCESSIBILITY Of form
ing an association of the kind outlined.
Andrew M. Sweeney, of Indianapolis, pre-
sized. After a lengthy discussion of the
situation, w. H. Anderson, secretary of
the School Board of Wabash, moved that
an association to be known as the Indiana
formed and that its meetings be held SIM
ultaneously with those of the town and city
school superintendents. At this preliminary
meeting Andrew NJ. Sweeney of Indian
apolis, was elected president of the associa-
ton, and w. III. Anderson, of Wabash. Sec
rotary. w. S. Ellis of Anderson, and the
Rev. Wilson Blackburn, of Mount Vernon,
were named as members of the executive
committee Another preliminary meeting
was held Aug. rs. 1902, for the purpose of
getting in shape for the first annual meet
ing
A NJ. SWEENEY PRESIDED.
The meeting was called to order In the
Statehouse yesterday morning at o'clock
by President Sweeney. Governor Durbin
welcomed the school commissioners with
an address of characteristic point. There
was a great deal of interest in the Gov
ernors talk because the only official posi-
ton he ever held before being elected Gov
ernor of the State was as a member of
the School Board of Anderson. In his
speech he declared that his first act as
member of the Anderson School Board
was TO declare for the entire elimination
of politics in matters affecting the public
schools. Governor Durbin made the re-
mark that he took no pride in the fact that
he Is not college bred, but that he had to
depend only upon the kind of an educatio
furnished by backwoods school.
The Governor said that as member of
a school board he made it his business to
visit the schools and to assist the principals
in every way possible. The duties of
school commissioner he said, should not
end with the appointment of teachers. A
! commissioner should relieve a school SUI
! perintendent of all business cares, for the
| effectiveness of teacher is partially lost
when he has to devote part of his time
to matters not properly within his sphere.
| The Governor made the suggestion that
this is good time to make hay-while the
sun of prosperity is shining. 1t is a good
| time to make tax levies for the purpose
OF building more schools, for better equip
ment and for other details connected with
the progress of education.
| Education, Past and Present" was a schol-
arly paper. tracing the progress of educa-
ton from the Greek idea to the present
time. In part Mr.. Sweeney said:
"A look backward at the educational
| ideas and conditions of the remote past
| will aid us in our consideration of present.
day views and tendencies. AS We review a
few of them we note crudeness, simplicity,
| sincerity of purpose, erroneous theory,
much wasted energy and a fair amount
! or common sense. Among the Hindoos and
| the Hebrews the ideal man was the moral
| man, as they understood morality The
Greek ideal was union of the moral and
physical That of the Roman was a hardy,
disciplined warrior The history of edu-
| that their ideals gave direction to their
simple but earnest efforts to educate their
| youth.
IDEAS OF EDUCATION.
I'm the order of Importance the early
civilizations regarded their ideas of re-
ligion first, and their children became well
grounded in them. Next In their estimation
and regarded by them as almost of equal
Importance came the history of their own
country. This subject was taught to the
children very thoroughly by the story meth.
cd, but Ii was done more by the fathers
at home than the teachers in school
Present day tendencies seem toward the
Athenlan idea, promulgated by the legsla.
tor Solon-that of placing equal value upor
athletics and intellectual culture Under
wise and careful guidance may we not hope
to gain, as the Spartans did, the habit OF
| SODrletX nv ir0n lap 4,
their hearts worthy ambition to excel In
athletic games?
From the academies and lyceums of thos,
days there has come down to us through
the ages the greatest of all facts in tn,
imparting of educaton-that the chief in
spiration in the youthful mind is the per
sonality of the teacher. Plato, Aristotl,
and Socrates illustrate to us that the power
may lie in man himself to make other,
think All of us are acquainted with mod
| ern examples of teachers whose magneti,
influence inspires a love of learning anC
humanity.
My purpose in presenting a few fact
concerning education in antiquity Is brief,
TO compare them with some facts AM
conditions of to-day. Some problems tina
We're before the school men of that er,
are yet the basis of diverse opinions Tb
maximum number of pupils that should h
assigned TO a teacher; the Importance o
music, drawing and athletics; the practica
education versus the cultural orna
mental; the incubation Of morals or ethics
coeducation; corporal punishment-all these
after 1000 years. problems yet to
greater or less extent Upon some featur
of them school boards are called CONSTANT
TO pass judgment
SUMMER SCHOOLS
Another iGea that is in sight and tina
: indicates the direction of the wind is tn
establishment Of vacation schools Tn
! term vacation is a misnomer. They shout
be called summer schools. AS school me
we will have TO solve this problem for tn
benefit of the public. They are going I
come and they going TO stay TIL
: wholesale turning loose OF children TO riC
, through whole days and weeks and month.
, and to undo or counterfeit the benefits dc
| rived from the school year. is great blur
! der. In a summer school there is no nc
cessity for the rigid adherence TO the regl
| lar time and room and studies. a chang
: / in these that will permit much of IN
: work 10 be done in the open air under m
! ! direction of a kind and skillfuI teacher wi
/ work wonders in the cultivation of III
| senses and OF the habit OF observation
The school day for the summer term wi
| be perhaps half what IL is for the oths
| terms. The establishment of such schoo
! will solve some other perpexing problem
| The overcrowded curriculum may be r.
4 | lieved by transferring part of IL to II
summer term, such as drawing and natul
study. The children will be saved from
' multitude or evil formative influences ths
: work irreparable harm during our too lon
5 vacations. In this term also athletic train
4 ing may be given the attention ii shou