Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1905-07-12

Educational Association convention
the most impressive of all the great ed
ucational meetings.
"The Duties of the Rich" was the
subject of the seeeh of the President
The Presidents train arrived at
the station at O'Clock Several
pretty receptions marked the trip
from the station to the auditorium
When the President entered the au-
ditorium, thousands mounted their
chairs, and eheered him. As soon as
quiet was restored, he began speak
ing.
I am glad to have the chance of
greeting the National Educational As
ISOLATION; for in all this democratic
land there is no more genuinely demo
cratic association than this. It is
truly democratic, because here each
member meets every other member as
his peer without regard to whether he is
the president of one of the great uni
versities or the newest recruit to that
high and honorable profession which
has in its charge the upbringing and
training of those boys and girls who
in a few short years will themselves be
settling the destinies of the nation.
1t is not too much to say that the
most Characteristic work of the re-
public is that done by the educators,
for whatever our shortcomings as
nation may be, we have at least firm
" grasped the fact that we cannot do
our part in the difficult and all-impor-
tant work of self-government, that we
cannot rule and govern ourselves unless
we approach the task with developed
minds and trained characters.
You teachers make the whole world
your debtor If you did not do your
work well this republic would not en-
dure beyond the span of the generation.
Moreover, as an incident to your avow
ed work, you render some well night
unbelievable services to the country.
For instance, you render to the re
public the prime, the vital service of
body the children alike of those who
are born here and of those who come
here from so many different lands
abroad. You furnish a common train
ing and common ideals for the chill
dren of all the mixed peoples who are
here being fused into one nationality.
1t is in no small degree due to you
and your efforts that we are one peo-
pie instead of a group of Earring PEG
pies
Moreover, where altogether too
much prominence is given to the mere
possession of wealth, the country is
under heavy obligations to such a
body as this, which substitutes for the
ideal of accommodating money the in
finitely loftier, non-materialistic ideal
of devotion to work worth doing sim
ply for that work sake I do not
in the least underestimate the need of
having material prosperity as the basis
of our civilization but I most earnest
ly insist if our civilization does not
build a lofty superstructure on this
basis, we can never rank among. the
really great peoples \ certain amount
of money is of course a necessary
thing, as much for the nation as for
the individual; and there are few
movements in which I more thorough
" believe than in the movement to
secure better remuneration for our
teachers.
To furnish in your lives such a
realized high ideal is to do great
service to the country. The chief
harm done by the men of swollen for
tune to the community is not the harm
that the demagogue is apt to depict as
springing from their actions, but the
fact that their success sets up a false
standard, and so serves as bad ex-
ample for the rest of us. If we did
not ourselves attach an exaggerated i'm
portance to the rich man who is dis
tinguished only by his riches, this
rich man would have a most signih-
cant influence over us. 1t is generally
our own fault if he does damage to
US, for he damages us chiefly by arous-
ing our envy or by rendering us sour
and disconnected.
In his actual business relations he is
more apt to benefit than to harm the
rest of US; and though it is eminently
right to take whatever steps are ne
cessary in order to prevent the exeep
tional members of his class from do
ing harm, it is wicked folly to let our