Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-08-01
SCHOOLS ARE Tagging
State Superintendent Barrett
Delivers Interesting Lecture
at Institute.
Iowa Advancing Financially, But
Schools Not Keeping Up
With Pace.
Superintendent Crane on "a
Plea for the Education OF
the Hand"

Despite the warm weather of Thurs
Gay evening, and the fact that the
teachers of the institute had been hard
at work all day. the high school assem-
bly, hall was filed to listen to the lecture
Of State superintendent +. c. Barrett
Mr.. J. H. Kurt of Chicago, who is III
charge of the Institutes music classes,
added materially to the evenings en-
joyment by singing several solos. He
opened the program by giving Two
Grenadiers" by Schumann. and May
Morning" by LAMA, closing with Rus
sells The Friar of the Olden Time
Mr.. kurtz has an excellent baritone
voice. of great range and clearness, and
his numbers We're we'll received.
MIR. Barrett spoke for something over
an hour and held the attention of his
audience turnout. He is a clear and
concise speaker and his sentences
brstled With facts and statistics that
could not be denied. Mr.. Barrett
frightened his lecture in spots by tell
ing amusing incidents and anecdotes
that had come under his wide observa-
ton. He chose as his subject The
Gospel of Progress dealing, as a whole.
with the comparative advance of the
state in matters financial and educa-
t.onal. Mr. Barrett first spoke of the
greatness of Iowa and cited instances of
noted foreigners who had travelled thru
cut the country, saying that the garden
spot of the world was bounded by the
Missouri and Ohio rivers and the great
lakes. He showed its wonderful pro-
ductiveness. the immense value of the
yearly yield of irs broad acres, and their
immense purchasing power in the marts
OF the world He pointed out the ex-
allied position the Hawlleye state holds
among her sisters. and showed the
striking contrast of the financial condi-
ton in this state, with that of fifty years
ago He pointed out. step by STEP how
the states mangificient worldly wealth
had come about, how its people had
worked INCREASINGLY, and sacrificed
many things in the last half century
in order that Iowa today might hold tho
lofty station that she now occupies. He
then stated that if the schools of Iowa
expected to reach and maintain a cor
responding position educationally, that
the state had financially, they must ac-
complish it along the same line that
Iowa had employed in gathering to-
gether her material wealth.
Drawing from statistics he showed
some of the conditions that exist in
some of the schools. He said that in
..5I7 country schools the average at
tendance was less than ten pupils: in
e,300 there was an average attendance
of less than sixteen; in $500 schools
close together, there was an average
attendance of less than three in each
He further stated that there We're 6.00l
teachers in the schools Of Iowa whose
education had never extended into the
high schools of the state. He also said
that the Iowa teacher received the low
est average monthly compensation of
any state west of the Mississippi and
north of the Ohio. In referring to teach
ers' certificates he said that first
class certificate ought to be valued any
Place, that there should be a reciprocity
existing between the states that would
allow an exchange of courtesies in the
matter of teachers certificates. Instead
of Iowa demanding. as it does now, that
any teacher corning from another state,
regardless of educational position and
certificate that may have been held
is compelled to be a resident
Of the state for three years before a
certificate is obtainable. and in order
to get that certificate must take an en-
animation before the county superin-
tcndent in the locality in which she
had resided. he believes that the teach
er should be accepted providing first
class certificate. granted in some other
state, is held. The theme of his entire
discourse was that we must progress
in the same manner educationally as we
have progressed financially. and along
the same lines
Superintendent Cranes Lecture.
In pursuance with regular program
of the institute Superintendent Crane
addressed the teachers Thursday morn
ing. Mr. Cranes subject was "A Plea
For the Education of the Hand" ana
was practically the same as the ar
ticle written by him and published in
the March number of The Philistine.'
training of the hand has a much larger
part in education than is usually con-
reded. What he wished to advocate
was not schools where boys are taught
trades, but where the hand is trained
as the servant of the mind, SO that
1t may express anything the mind can
think. He showed how the little child
takes the world thru his senses how he
builds up new combinations in his
brain, how he has but two channels
of expression, the tongue and the hand
He then showed that a mans value
to society is proportioned exactly to
his power of expressions; that is. a
man who is trained to receive impress
sions, to think, and to think out great
in his brain. but who can
not. express these conceptions, has ab-
solutely no value to society Mr.
Crane showed that all human express
sion can be classified under the follow
ng forms:.
/. Mechanical Arts.
=. Domestic Arts
8. Landscape Gardening.
4. Sculpture.
5. Painting.