Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-23
FORWARD MOVEMENT.
DR.. VIM. E. Chancellor's Address Be-
fore Mems Club.

DIR. William E. Chancellor, superintend-
ent of the public schools of the District.
delivered an address last evening before
the Mems Club at the Takoma PRESBYTERIAN
church, Takoma Park. The meeting was
called to order by President George r.
williams. After hearing reports the bust
ness meeting adjourned
In few Introductory remarks President
Williams presented Dr. Chancellor. who
spoke on THE Forward Movement in
Education" He prefaced his remarks by
stating that he was not speaking as the
superintendent OF public schools but as
a member of the profession He spoke of
the relation of the teacher Of the school
with the pupil and with the parents at
nome: He compared the rural school with
the city school and the advantage of a good
teacher In a rural school with the pupil
where the teacher was in a better possible
condition to do more for a child than Ii
teacher In the city school. The rural teach
er, he said. Is in position to study the
children and their ways. while the parents
likewise had good opportunity to do So
This, he said, could not be done so well
in a large city. especially a transient city
like Washington. He considered Washing
ton the most transient city from the stand
point OF population Of any in the country.
The speaker referred to the board of etit-
cation as governing body and compared
1t with the board Of school trustees I'm
smaller communities. board OF educa-
liOH, he Sdlu, SnOulQ be COMPOSED of
of business ability. as 1t represents public
Ouinion and the political power He out
lined the work of the board of SUPERVISORS
whose duties 1t was to see that each ~indi-
vidual teacher received assistance in her
work. and that each was provided with the
necessary and proper material for teaching
In speaking further of the work and
duties of the supervisors, he said many of
the boards of education imagine that they
are the educators and not the supervisors
who sometimes are not considered compe-
Dent educators. This was more especially
true of new boards Of education or new
members of boards. In connection with the
selection Of the text books, he held that
the supervisors should have the power to
select them. Appropriations to be expended
for the erection OF new school buildings
would properly come under the board OF
education.
Dr. Chancellor favored the appointment
of school house architects, who would have
direct charge of their construction. The
buildings, he said should contain large
halls, and the sanitation needs require the
supervision of a professional architect In
speaking of the schedule OF teachers sal
aries, he said that also should be arranged
by the supervisors. although Congress
might not agree with his ideas. At this
point he emphasized the fact that he was
not speaking a school superintendent
but for the profession.
DIR. Chancellor touched briefly upon the
compulsory attendance at school, and re-
GREETED the provision which allows chill
dren to drop out at the age of fourteen.
He considered a child possessing active
intelligence, efficiency and good morals,
reasonably well educated. Any boy or girl
who has realized these ideas will acquire
culture more education when put out
to face the world.
Dr. Chancellor closed his address by re-
ferring to the essential spirit of education
which he alluded to as a formal or crys-
talized phase of religion. Education is
essential and not ethical. he said.
The meeting closed with vote of thanks
to DIR. Chancellor for his address