The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-06-18
Raleigh, N. c., June Is.

ucatlOn IN North CaI with the
Increase in local tax districts and in
the funds expended for education,
there has been a constantly increas-
ing demand in the state for strong,
male teachers until the demand is
greatly in excess of the supply. I
have on my desk AZ this moment a
large number of requests from all sec
lions of the state 70" men to superin-
e schools. | know not where to
turn to find them. | am greatly con-
cerned about the situation. With our
rapid industrial development, there
are SO many calls for strong young
men in commercial and industrial lines
at Larger salaries, that it is difficult
to command n retain the services
of enough such men in our schools.
[ find a growing willingness on the
part OF our people, however, to pay
better salaries for trained teachers.
They are beginning to realize that if
they command the best they must in
crease salaries and make the cOmpen-
SatlOn somewhat commensurate, at
least, with that which men of like
capacity can command in other call
1ngs; but when they pay more mon
ey, they expect, and have a right to
expect more men and better SER
vice.
God ordained the home for the train
ing of children, and in it he placed
both the man and the woman. The
school &c h1f a cItpn1aro ~ "a H.
home for the God-Crdained purpose
Of training children, and the same
reason exists for having in the school
both the man and the woman. The
woman, because of the mother in
stinct with which the Creator has en-
lowed her, is by far the best teacher
FOR primary and intermediate grades;
but after children reach the age of
IL or IA years, they need i'm the school,
as they do in the home, intimate con-
duct with the virile mind and charac-
ter OF a strong man.
1hey need to get a mans point of
view of life and to feel the control
Of the mans strong hand; otherwise
there is danger of terminating and
e~masCulating our schools. 1
The only immediate means of sup !
plying this demand for trained male
teachers that | see is the establish |
ment of strong departments of educa- |
ton at all our leading made colleges. |
The university and Wake Forest al
ready FfVe such departments. I re-
Gently &rote President Kilgo the
strongest letter that l could, urging |
the establishment of such a depart |
ment at Trinity. ] am delighted to |
see from the papers that a depart
ment of education was established at
Trinity college at the recent meeting !
of the board of trustees. [ hope to
see all these departments enlarged and
strengthened until the course of work
in them shall be male of equal dig
nifty with that of any other depart
ment in these institutions of learning, |
and I trust, also, that the course of
study leading to degrees may be so
arranged that work III the department
of education may count toward a de-
gree as much as work in any other
department, so that the strongest men
may be encouraged to take the work
I trust that all the other leading col
1eges of the state will establish such
departments.
The establishment OF strong depart
ments for teacher training at these in
situations would mean not only at
tracing the attention of the young
men to the work of teaching and equip
ping them for professional teachers,
but would mean, also, connecting vi
tolly these great institutions, through
some of their strongest men, with the
great public school work of the state.
T know no wider or more useful field
of service than this work now Of
fers.
We must raise this work of teach
ing to the plane of 2 profession if we
expect to command better salaries for
our teachers, to induce strong men TO
enter it for a life work, to command
the respect and cooperation of our
people for education, and to justify
the people in spending more money
for education. The only means | see
of raising it to a high professional
plane is to provide the mean for pro-
fessiOnal training. i have suggested
above the most practical way of do
ing this at present. Teaching is the
only learned profession for which spe-
cial training and state license are not
required in North Carolina. These
are required in law, in medicine. in
dentistry and in ministry. Teaching is
the most difficult and delicate of all
professions. and, therefore, would seem
to me to require special training more
than any other profession.
I fna1 ca keanlN the necessity for