Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-08

When the President entered the au-
ditorium thousands mounted chairs
and cnCor"d aim. US soon as quiet had
been restored he began to speak. as fol-
lows:
l am glad to have the chance OF
greeting thc National Educational!
Association; for in all this icmocrati
land there is no more genuinely demo-
cratic association than this. 1t is tru-
~ democratic because here each mem.
Der meets every Othe" member as his
peer without regard to whether he is
tho president of one of the great uni
VerSiti"S OF the newest recruit to that
high ana honorable profession which
has II its clIirg" the upbringng and
training Of those boys and girls who
in Il few short years will themselves be
settling the dcStineS Of this nation. Ii
is not too much to say that the most
characteristic work of the republic is
that done by the educators, for what
ever our shortcomings as a nation may
be. we have at least firmly grasped the
TACT that we cannot do our part in the
difficult and all-important work of
f-government, that we can not rule
and govern ourselves, unless we APP
proach the task with developed minds
ard trained characters. You teachers
make the whole world your debtor. If
you did not do your work well This re-
public would not endure beyond the
span of the generation. Moreover, as
an incident to your avowed work. you
render some wellnigh unbelievable
services to the country. For instance.
you render to the republic the prime,
the vital service Of amalgamating into
one homogeneous body the children
alike of those who are born here and
those who come here from so many
different lands abroad. You furnish a
common training and common ideals
| for the children of all the mixed peoples
who are here being fused into ono ma
tionality. It is in no small degree due
10 you and your efforts that we are one
people instead of group Of jarrint;
peoples.
Moreover, where altogether too much
prominence is given to the mere pos
session Of wealth. the country is I'M
der heavy obligations to such a body
as this, which substitutes for the ideal
Of accommodating money the infinitely
loftier, nonmatc.ialistic ideal of devC-
ton to work worth doing simply for
that works sake. l do not in the least
underestimate the need of having ma
terial prosperity as the basis of our
civilization, but | most earnestly in
sist that if our civilization does not
build lofty superstructuTe on this
basis, we can never rank among the
| really great peoples. A certain amount
of money is of course necessary
thing. as much for the nation as for
the individually; and there are few
movements in which / more thorough
~ believe than in the movement to Sc
cure better remuneration for our
teachers. But. after all, tie service
you render is incalculable. because of
the very fact that by your lives you
show that you believe ideals to be
worth sacrifice. and that you are spler-
didly eager to do commemorative
work if this work is of good to your
fellOW-men.
To furnish in your lives such a real
lied high ideal is to do a great service
to the country The chief harm done
by the men of swollen fortune to the
community is not the harm that the
demagOgue is apt to depict as spring.
ing from their actions, but tie fact that
their success sets up n false standard.
and so serves as a bad example for the
rest of us. If we did not ourselves at
tach an exaggerated Importance to the
rich man who is distinguished only by
his riches, this rich man would have n
most insignificant influence over US.
1t is generally our own fault if he does
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