The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-10-17
ADDRESS BY PRES. FAUNCE.


The newly formed organization OF
school teachers OF commercial studies,
known as the New England High School
Teachers association. had it's first ses-
sion last night, and after the President
II. C. Green OF Winchester. Mass, ex-
p.ained the purpose OF the organisation
Or. Faunce, president OF Brown univer-
sity, was introduced as a speaker.
President Faunce said In part: When
we come TO compare rhe different voca-
lions that have sprung up In this com
pick life OF OURS we can reau..y see that
the vocation OF the teacher Ia second to
no other In Importance. IL we are
teachers for the sake of a livelihood we
should get out OF the profession at once.
The whole future OF the country depends
on the teachers. for Is their DUTY 70
form the young minde that later are 70
control the destinies OF the nation.
1T Is true that reform IL important. IL
attacks decayed institutions and seeks
10 remedy those evils that are In exist
ence. But after reform there usually
comes the reaction, and then we realize
that reform without educational features
is valueless The preacher talks to those
as rule, VINO are beyond the receptive
a burden, and new ideas are looked upon
with suspicion
"The legislator goes TO the law-mak-
ing halls OF the country with the best
ideas OF government, but as soon as he
hears the crack OF the party whip he
cringes and agrees TO measures ana
propositions that he would not have con-
sidered for a minute before. But the
teacher is very different, for he Is In
dependent OF almost anything TO great
extent and he has an enormous power
that should be welded with the greatest
care.
MUST ENJOY SOME PLEASURES.
Then we come 10 the question, What
are our schools for7 Are they TO pro-
duSe highly skilled workmen or are they
TO send out into the world allaround
men? Are they TO give US young people
highly trained along certain lines or are
they to give us men who have small
knowledge of a great many subjects.
Some say that they are for one purpose
and some say that they are for the other.
The present trend of education seems
TO be toward a return of the vocational
idea, and consequently liberal education
is somewhat in danger. and we can hear
OH all sides the advocates of one and
the advocates of the other. Is there no
reconciliation between these two
commercial teachers are not wholly oc-
cupied wiz winning your bread. You
must enjoy some of the pleasures to be
found in literature ard In art and in
music. And the business man should
find time during the day to enjoy some
thing OF the beautiful in this life. What
ever our ideas on this point we are all
agreed that we first must make the man
and lnen the workman.
I'm speaking OF the value OF a COM
mercial education I think we all realize
that IL Is OF more than ordinary worth
at the present time. We have any num-
ber OF illiterate college graduates. who
cofd not write a good letter IL they
tried. They have an insufficient knowl-
edge OF the mother tongue, and some of
them are not fitted for business in the
way that business is carried on at the
present time. so the worth OF the com
mercial teacher is fully established But
In spite OF all that I think we can say
that the age OF self. made man has pass
ed"
Today the convention met at the Eng
lish High school at 10 o'clock.