The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-28
WoMEN's OWN SESSION
No Men on the Program Of Today's
General Meeting Of Teachers.

A program given entirely by women
was presented this afternoon at the
plymouth Congregational church, where
today,s general session of the Mime
sofa Educational association was held.
tractors in the Education Of the
Ghlld" was the general topic, and un-
der the heads Of tltHome,'' - HSchool,' -
'Social Environment" and 'FCivic En-
vironment, the field of the child IS
education was well covered. In order
that no man should intrude on the pro
gram. A. W. Rankin, president Of the
association, asked Miss Maria Sanford
of the University of Minnesota, one of
the best-known educators of the state,
to preside. .es -.
Mrs. Frances Squire Potter Of the
state university gave a delightful expo
sltlon OF the social environment of the
child, which was varied in character
and made its points clearly and surely,
tracing the career and following the
age American boy. She laid emphasis
upon the danger Of the two standards
OF manners and morals. which resulted
from his early meeting with his play
mates, after being thoroly imbued with
his mothers teaching. ,.....S>-
Remedy Has Been Found.
eve are all in the grip of it our
selves, but that should not prevent us
from opening our eyes and trying to
apply the remedy" said the speaker.
81 believe a remedy has been found
IL thi insRi5ing the ehild to be respon
cial life. The child takes easily to
being an Independent Individual It
goes along with the free country, idea
and the idea of minding ones own
business. He develops an almost super
stitious respect for another boys right
to do as he likes within: very wide
limits. The antidote for this tendency
is found in the idea Of encoura ging
children to feel duty, in supervising
Wrong-doing and Commenting right:
doing among themselves as social or
ganization. Successful experiments
have been made along this line, and
1 believe we are on the eve of great
social generation. which will be ipri-
marily due to this great application Of
the principles by which we Of mature
years try to live, to children who have
not not yet r.! been spoiled by habitual com
Mrs. Potter noted how the average
boys idea Of democracy and demo-
entered into, contact with. the world.
The boy cannot find a light in the
past. to guide him, is Mrs. Potter g
opinion, and he must seek for the guild
ing principle. The race question and
the question Of an occupation both af-
feet him at this point, and he as vet
must act blindly.
".ITheGyoung seek Older friends"
Mrs: Potter went on !ttnandH It as The
wise, and loving teacher .oftener than
any other who meets2youth in this init
a IA, So
love of youth, this lack Of vanity, this
unaffected geniality In intercourse with
pupils, the ability to meet them off the
plane Of discipline or instruction, ON
the common plane Of humanity, that is
going to do the most that the profess
s1onal educator can do for the man
hood and the womanhood Of the fu.
ture.' -. = 's'''1 49, = q
.:..~, Democracy of Schools. &c..
Mrs. Marion Foster Washburn of Ell
gin, ILL.,, efectually put before her audi:
ence the defects Of the present school
system and the higher ideal which
should be followed. Mrs. Washburn
took illustration from many lands, to
prove that schools reflect the forms Of
their governments, but. emphasized the
point that while American schools still
ASASooCu oAAO OOulOCId UIC OF
government, their realization was not
reached. 49, \ =.
"We suffer-" she said, "from at
least one trust, Of truly American pro.
portions and aggressiveness; and we
suffer from g. truly American belief in
business methods;: and truly Ameri.
can desire to get results Yet. on the
| other hand, there is evident among us
and especially 50 in Chicago
strong undertow-setting back from the
barren shore Of material and outward
results, toward the. great, :fecund ocean
Of freedom. Our schools Still show that
at heart the American people really be.
lieve that ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS democ.
racy-is a splendid thing; and that we
mean to keep up the hope of it, and
perhaps to practice it--tomorroW!,,
Ideally, IN the mind of the speaker,
school should influence their environ.
ment and their government, and this
she believes is possible because the
child during school years is in the state
Of the greatest Elasticity and because
of the cooperation of adult human be.
lngs, their parents.
:. "The child needs to- know how to
| 0nvnrn' h1n1co1f.-rn4 = -