Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-02-29


Washngton-Tha there will be no
let.up In President Roosevelts policy
of warning" against evil doers was
emphatlcally declared by the presi-
dent in an address to the delegates to
the department of superintendent OF
national education society during their
reception at the White House.
Continuing the president gave his
views on educational at con-
siderable length and with character
istic cathollcity of thought and vigor
OF expression.
At the business session Oklahoma
City was selected as the next meeting
place and these officers were elected:
w. II. Elson of Cleveland, president;
David r. Johnson of Rock Hill, S. c.,
Miss Ida Bender of Buffalo, vice-pres-
idents; A. C. Nelson of Salt Lake City,
secretary
Presidents Roosevelt's address to
the delegates was in part as follows:
"Of all the bodies of citizens that
have received here at the White House
there is none which occupies a more
important relation than yours. am
tempted to say that none has come that
to the nation, because you men and
women who deal with education, who
represent the great American policy
of education for all children, provided
by the public as the prime duty of the
public, bear relation to the family
relation to the future of our whole
people, such as no other like number
OF individuals can bear. l own six of
the children that you educate and
am prepared to extend cordial sympa-
thy to some of you.
Seriously, friends. it is idle for
any man to talk of despairing of the
future Of the country or feeling un-
duly alarmed about it if he will come
in contact with you here and with the
forces that you represent. Funda-
mentally this country is sound, NOR
ally, no less than physically. Funda-
mentally in its family life and in the
outside activities of it's individuals
the country is better and not worse
than it formerly was.
This does not mean that we are to-
be excused if we fail to war against
rottenness and corruption, if we fail
to contend effectively with the forces
Of evil and they waste their time who
ask me to withhold my hand from
dealing Herewith. But it is worth
while to smite the wrong for the very
reason that we are confident that the
right will ultimately prevail.
you who are training the next gen.
Grafton are training this country as
It is to be a decade or two hence, and
while your work in training the intel
Iect is great ii is not as great as your
work in training character. More
than anything else, want to see the
public school turn out the boy and
girl who when man and woman will
add to the sum of good citizenship of
he nation. 1t Is not my province nor
would 1t be within my capacity, to
speak about your pedagogic problems.
You yourselves are far better able to
discuss them, but as a layman let me
say one or two things about your
work.
In the first place, trust that more
and more Of our people will see to it
that the schools train toward and not
away from the farm and the workshop.
I'VE need to have a certain read.
iustment of values in this country
which must primarily come through
the efforts Of just you men and won.
en- here and the men and woemn like
you throughout this land. Teach the
boy and girl that their business is to
earn their own livelihood, teach the
boy that he is to be the home.maker;
the girl that she must ultimately be
the homekeeper."