Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-13
WILL MEET AT BOSTON.
How National Educational Associa-
ton Received Invitation.
Coming Great Convention Will Mark
Cycle.

tlo a W lIOiC, " DtcOIllt ldInllldr with
the history, plans and prospects of the
organization. Boston knows COM
paratively little of this mighty educa-
tiOnal force for obvious reasons. She
is in a far away corner of the great
republic; there has been but one meet
ing in New England, and that was
thirty-One years ago. Our own AmCri-
can Institute of instruction, twenty
five years older a distnctively New
England organization, has in the past
nursed some jealousies, and very few
of the New England teachers, superin-
tendents, school officers and collegianS
are accustomed to attend these meet
ings regularly.
For instance, at Minneapolis last
July, at which time it was voted to
come to Boston. there was not a
Massachusetts state school official, u
representative of Harvard College or
of any other New England college, BY
school officials is meant member of
the state or city board of education,
secretary, agent, superintendent or
supervisor" This never happened be-
fore, however.
by the by, the story of the invita-
llpll W IppStOIl ~ interesting. ABOUT
three months before the Minneapolis
meeting President Eliot wrote Super
intendent eSaver Cor Mr.. Cushing) sug
costing that it might be well for 2os-
ton to invite the association to come
here in 1903, saying that in such case
Harvard would be pleased to CO.
operate. Mr.. Cushing forwarded
President Eliots letter to the mayor,
saying that the school board would be
pleased to join in such an invitation.
Mayor Collins forwarded Mr.. Cush-
ing's letter, with President 1Ilots, to
the secretary of the National Educa-
tional Association at Wnona, Mimi,
saying that he was pleased to accept
the suggestion, and that at the proper
time an appropriate invitation would
be presented by some representative
of the city. The proper time was the
meeting of the board of directors of the
National Educational Association Gone
from each state) at Minneapolis, at 5
p. NJ, on Thursday July 8. I'm
doubtedly Mayor Collins and others in
tcrested did not understand this, for
when the time came to call for ''in-
vitations for the meeting of 1862"
Seattle was the only city armed and
equipped with an invitation. 1t is a
ime-honored custom to have official
invitations from governor, mayor, city
council, boards of trade, school board,
ct al. 1t was generally understood that
there was to be an invitation to Bos-
ton. There WAS one Massachusetts
man present and he called for any cor
respondence the secretary might have
had. This brought out the letters al
ready referred to, and he assumed to
extend the invitations suggested by
Messrs. Eliot, Gushing and Collins.
For the first time in recent years the
directors voted unanimously to accept
the invitation and followed the vote
with prolonged applause. OF the six
New England states only two were
represented by directors.
Every association is an evolution.
This is no exception. 1t was born in
Philadelphia, 1851, in Il small room,
with men from New England, New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Maryland and Ohio present. DIR. Ed
ward Brooks, now superintendent of
schools of Philadelphia, is the only
man living who was present at that
first meeting, and it seemed to him OF
so little consequence that he did not
take the trouble to register. The other
two highly significant meetings were
in St Louis in 1871 and in Chicago in
1887. These were the large city
meetings. True, the st. Louis meeting
had the way paved for it by the meet
ing of 1870, as did that of Chicago by
the meetings of 1885. 1t was fifteen
years to the st. Louis meeting, sixteen
to the Chicago meeting, and sixteen
have since passed-three nearly equal
periods.
In the first period it was wholly a
mans association. Article Of the
constitution said: "Any gentlemen
shall be eligible to membership.
Ladies engaged in teaching may, upon
Recommendation of the board of direc-
tors. become honorary members, ana
snail possess the right to present in the
form Gf written essay Go be read by
the secretary or any other member
whom they may select their views
upon the subject assigned for discus
sion" This WAS unchallcnEed until
1870 when it WAS so modified as to give
women nominully equal rights. In
that period the leadership was in ONO
and New York. All the meetings We're
helI ana most of the presidents lived
between the Hudson and the wabash.
The great mission and achievement OF
the first fifteen years was the establish
mcnt of tho United States Bureau of
Education. It's leaders had large
political power and welded it.
The second period brought New
England and Illinois to the front
aggressive1y, and the former had the
presidency or secrCtarYship frequently
\ good share of the influence was here,
and a large body of men from Boston
attended every meeting. After
vigorous and vain attempt to secure
national aid to education, it retired
from the political arena forever, reallz-
ing that it had lost its political cum
ming. That was distinctly the period
Of great discussions. Every summer
meeting found the contestants ready
for the fray, and there was battle