Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-13
The Teachers of the Country.

hOmeward bound from Boston and the
great gathering Of the National Educa-
tional Association is at an lend. The
Hub" was over-run by them, last week,
no fewer than $4,000 or 10000 teachers
being there from every part of the
country, and the occasion was an event
Of vast Importance in the educational
world. 1t was the greatest convention
of the kind held in the 43 years since
the association was organized. The
largest previous attendance was $4,000
at convention in San Francisco. Only
once before has the association met in
New England, meeting at Boston 81
years ago. AS the recreative and social
part of such meetings is never an i'm
portant one, and as Boston and its en-
virons furnish SO much that is of his
toric interest, 1t is not surprising that
teachers and educators all over the
country came by thousands to Boston
and made the most of their week in that
city and vicinity.
Such convention is help and in
SEPARATION to all who attend, and Boston,
with it's many. historic shrines and liter
airy associations, was an ideal place for
holding it. We are glad that SO many
Maine teachers were present, over 500
Maine teachers or natives of Maine now
fnanhinD hot rf
the informal reception and reunion ar
ranged for them, and this number GER
tainly does not include all who attended
the convention. Massachusetts has
about as many Maine teachers as Maine
itself has, and counts them among it's
best, and they are very numerous in
many other states. The oldest surviv-
ing president of the National Educa-
tional Association, by the way, is a
Maine man, Josiah Little Pickard, now
of Portland but for half century an
eminent educator in Illinois, Wisconsin
and Iowa, being president for many
years of the State University in the lat
ter state. DIR. Pickard graduated from
Bowdoin in 1874, and is of family
famed for it's educators, journalists and
authors.
The National Educational associa-
ton was organized in 1857. Previous
to it's organization there were various
educational associations, but most of
them were of local character. Mr.. L.
w. Valentine, at the time president of
the New York Teachers association,
first suggested the idea of national
body. A call for meeting to consider
the organization of a national associa-
ton was sent out, signed by the presi-
dents of various state associations, In
Guiding IOwa's. In his opening address
at the first meeting in Philadelphia In
1857. Mr.. Valentine thus expressed the
need for a national organization: What
we want Is an association that shall en-
brace all the teachers of our whole
country. which shall hold it's meetings
at such central points as shall accom-
MEDIATE all sections and combine all in
terests And we need this not merely
to promote the interests of our profess
sion, but to gather up and arrange the
educational statistics of our country, sc
that the people may know what is real
Nv being done for public education, anc
what yet remains to be done. l trus'
the time will come when our govern
ment will have it's education depart
ment. Just as it now has one for agrl-
culture, for the interior. for the navy
etc, We need such an organization as
shall bring the teachers of this country
all together and disseminate as well as
collect educational intelligence There
is not yet department of education II
the presidents cabinet, but the estab-
lishment of a national bureau of edu'
cation Is credited to the National Edu-
lcational Association. Only men were
eligible to membership In the oriGina
are now enrolled in it, and the Boston
papers of last week were mainly mice
with pictures and stories of the visiting
'.school ma ans" seeing the sights of ING
city. OF the AZ sessions that have beer
held, nine have been held in New 1orf
state: three in Pennsylvania and Min
nesota; two each in New Jersey. ONO
Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan Wis
consin California and Tennessee ana u
the city of Washington; one each II
Maryland, Indiana, Missouri Kansas
Colorado, Georgia, Kentucty, Spptf
Carolina and Canada. ys
If King Edward and the Engllsf
people had such a splendid welcome 1ol
Drorident J,oilbet of France, what