The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-02
NATIONAL EDUCATORS
ADJOURNED
Cardinal satOIH a Visitor at the
Closing Session.

Closing Session.
Worlds Fair Grounds, st. Louis.
July 1.-The final general session of
the National Educational Association
in Festival Hall to-day was opened
with prayer by Rabbi Leon Harrison
of st. Louis. Cardinal Satolli was in
troduced and was greeted with great
applause. the audience rising Cardi-
nal Satolli, in brief speech, expressed
his pleasure at being present. The
Cardinal remained at the convention
only few minutes.
George Z. Gates, president of Pomo-
ma College. Claremont, Cal. spoke on
The Place of the Small College
Why Should the Teachers Organ
ize?" was the topic Of an address de-
livered by Miss Margaret A Haley,
president of the National Federation
of Teachers. Chicago; Miss Haley
spoke in part as follows:
The public school, as a branch of
the public service, is not receiving from
the public the moral and financial sup
port it must receive to accomplish its
purpose. The teachers throughout the
United States are awakening TO a real
ization of this fact through their own
sufferings. caused by the following
living, together with the constant de-
mands for higher standards of scholar
ship and professional attachments and
culture which must be met with prac-
tically stationary and wholly made
quate salaries; insecurity of tenure of
Office and no provision for old age:
and lastly lack of recognition of the
teacher as an educator, due to the in
creased tendency toward factoryizing
lii 81 "a ~
tomaton-a mere factory hand whose
duty it is to carry out mechanically
and unquestioningly the ideas and or
ders of those clothed with the author
ity of position. and who may or may
not know the needs of the teacher or
how to minister to them. The individ-
uality of the teacher and her power
of initiative are thus destroyed, and
the result is courses of study, regula-
ton and equipment which the teachers
not only have had no voice in select
ing, but which often have no relation
to the chiidren's needs. and which
prove hindrance instead of a help in
teaching
1T is necessary that the public I'M
derstand the effect which teaching un-
der these conditions is having upon
the education of the children. This in
formation can be brought to the at
NCHllOI VI Tic puDaAG OILY through InS
| teachers, and the teachers can work
effectively only through organization.
There are those who think of the well
| fare of the children and their needs
as separate from those of the teachers.
They think of any organization for
! the lettering of the teachers condi-
tions as something selfish and wholly
| apart from the interests of the chill
dren and the people. if not positively
! - la
mediate object of organization may be
the lettering of the teachers condi-
tons. both teacher and public must
realize that the ultimate end is the
betterment of the service. Any organ
ization of teachers whose object and
methods are not in harmony with the
best interests of the children and the
schools must eventually work its own
| destruction
Through intelligent. organized eff
| fort to better the conditions of teach
] ing win come better understanding OF
the relation of the public school to the
! community. That relation is still toe
often comprehended by the teachers
and public in but one of its respects
viz. as a means of acquiring facility
! in the three RS. Important as this
work is it is merely accidental to the
great object of the public school and
A grave responsibility rests on the pub
lie school teachers and one which no
fear of opposition or misunderstanding
excuses them from meeting. 1t is to
organize for the purpose of securing
conditions that will make it possible
for the public school as a democratic
institution. to perform its proper func-
ton in the social organism. which is
the preservation and development of
the democratic ideal.
Not only must the teachers them
selves organize, but to work most eff
fectively for and through the public
school they must learn to cooperate
with existing organizations in every
field whose object is the public good.
At no time in our nations history have
the need and opportunity for such CO.
operative effort been so great. Or
ganization is the recognized method of
all intelligent effort to-day"
The concluding address was delivered
by Aaron Cove, superintendent of
city schools of Denver, Col, on the
subject The Limitation Of the Super
intendent's Authority and OF the
Teachers Independence"
The convention then took recess
until late in the day, when the final
session, designated as the vespers
meeting, concluded the forty-third an
nusl aeuAun1,1v