The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-12-30


at the opening session of the Minneso-
TO State Educational association in st.
Paul yesterday that was little out OF
the ordinary. Superintendent Franklin
advocated a business administration OF
schools to the end that the best results
might be attained with the minimum
expenditure of money, time and nervous
energy. School systems, like other bust
nesses, were in an age of combine, he
said, and they had to keep abreast of
the times.
"Our schools should be conducted on
business principles" he said. 1--WE should
get the best results in physical strength,
mental power and moral worth, with
minimum expenditure of money and
time. Are we producing at the least eX-
penditure the results which present
needs demands More is being expected
of our primary, secondary and higher
schools than ever before; the cost of
maintaining them is increasing.
"Are the returns proportionately large!
"Are we running our great educational
plants at their capacity under economi-
cal management?
''If not, can we improve?
1--WE live in an age of combinations;
are we as thoroughly organized to at
tain our ends as are the various in
terests around us?
81 believe the future is bright There
is criticism some of it harsh and uncall-
ed for, but this is not necessarily a
bad sign. We must take the public into
our combine and keep in close touch
with our communities, as do those who
are conducting other lines of business
along with modern methods.
"Our business is producing good citi-
zens and we must know how to do it,
President Franklin said the state de-
partment had done good work in advo-
eating the consolidation of rural schools,
and when this became general he pre-
dicted good results would be increased"
with our combine complete" said
President Franklin, embracing the va
rious educational institutions and the
public, we shall be in position to
wage warfare against ignorance in the
most economical way, and also be in a
laff fn baf inn
portant questionable training of teach
ers. l hope the time is not far distant
when we shall have trained teachers in
all our schools, from rural to high.
SIN the past it was thought by some
that almost any one could teach a pri-
mary school, but | am glad to see that
this idea is now rarely entertained. To-
day it is too commonly assumed that
any one with scholarly attainments can
teach secondary and higher institutions.
Lawyers, doctors and ministers require
special training, but it seems to he
thought that teachers should know by
instinct how the most complex of all or
ganisms-the active, rapidly changing,
growing youth, should be trained into
true manhood and womanhod
"May the time speedily come when
the state university will place its de-
partment of pedagogy on the same plane
of Importance as those of law, engi-
neering or medicine"
President Franklin concluded his adj
dress as follows: "My plea is for more
perfect union in educational systems,
more complete use of our educational
plants, an economical business arrange
ment of our schools to the end that our
boys and girls be prepared without loss
of time or energy to take places in the
world as able workers in the industrial,
educational, social and ethical fields of
human action"
The Comic Supplement.
A series of three papers OH "Ihe In
fuence of the Daily Papers Upon Boys
and Girls, With Special Reference to the
was thS puc
only one was read owing to the absence
of the authors of the others. The one
that was read was by Charles b. Cheney,
of the Minneapolis Journal, who devoted
his attention exclusively to colored COM
ic supplements. Of these Mr.. Cheney
said:
"The usual double page of quarreling
colors that makes its weekly visit to the
American home displays many faults
and few virtues. It's so-called humor is
on the same plane as the seller siphon
school of comedy, with its knock down
and-drag-out comedians"
The average comic supplement, he
thought, carried lesson of disrespect
for parents and old people and of the
law that might and probably did prove
colored supplement was recognized by
newspapers as necessary evil, and was
supplied because there was demand for
it. Starting as yellow journal inno-
walton, it has improved both in artistic