The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-01
DEFENDS DlsTRlcT SCHOOLS.
President Dresbach Talks on the Be-
uinnincs,


ginnings.
President A. M. Dresbach, Of the
county superintendents with his an
nual address opened the session Of this
Sc ction Of the association at the capitol
yesterday afternoon.
President Dresbach, after declaring
that the year just closed had witness
ed great interest in the work, said:
There is frequently waited to our
ears a plaintive vail from universities
and colleges that the students who
come to them are WOefu11y deficient
in the art Of spelling. That the work
in spelling does not compare fayOrably
with that Of many years ago is clear.
That bad spelling is such a fatal thing,
as we are repeatedly told. is not as
clear. That a person may have a lib
eraI supply Of brains, brain power and
knowledge and yet be a wretehed
speller is true and easily demonstrated.
That a person may be an infalhble
speller and at the same time an unInit-
igated ignOramuS is also true and cas-
lily demonstrated. That the pupils of
our schools are shanefully weak in this
respect, and steadily becoming weaker,
is also admitted.
The causes OF this weakness in our
schools are numerous, but three of
them are the work method in reading
all written spelling and teaching Of
spelling Incidentally Educators all
along the line are coming 10 realize the
insufhciency Of present educational
work on this subject High schools
and colleges are compelled TO form
classes in spelling in order to correct
the evil The country schools must not
fall behind in this work.
of course we know that history must
repeat itself reforms must have
4isac T77 Fk h
hanged for the cause Of believing in
and working for a better condition of
things The taxpayer is ready TO pay
his money for improved methods Of
raising and caring for stock so that
he can raise good hogs to buy more i'm
proveInents to raise better hogs to buy
more improvements to raise the best
hogs. But when it comes TO the
q few dollars more taxes, even though
a fe WdOllarS more taxes, even though
he subject his children TO educational
starvation and to physical and hygienic
hardships to which he would not sub
ject his hogs. 1t makes the blood boil
to hear man in one breath discant
upon the mighty improvements that
have been made in stock raising dur
ing the last fifty years and to hear
him in the next breath argue that
what was good enough for him in his
school days is plenty good enough Tor
his children But you say What shah
we do. Consolidation is al right. but
if we come out in the open and show
we are in favor of it we are pretty. GER
tain to be deeapitated, politically, Tax
payers do not like the idea of more
taxes and politicians are anxious to
take advantage of the opportunity to
get cur shoes. In short we don't dare
to do tive might lose our Jobs. Each
one must settle this question for him
self and in his own way, but if progress
is to be made, if the sordid influence
OF the niser is to be counteracted in
educational matters. if We are to live
up to the light that we have and be
guided by cur convictions Of what Is
right and for the best some one must
| make the beginning. Otherwise orr
states educational progress must be
retarded and our school system be as