The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-02-28


Washington, February .6-That
there VIII be no Ie- up in President
koosevelt's yoiIcy OF warring against
rottenness ana corruption. was en-
phaucally declared by the president
Ioaay In an addIess TO the delegates
OF the National education Association
during their reception ut the White
House. Continuing the presiuent gave
his views on educational methods at
considerable length and with cnarac-
gor OF expression.
at today's business session Of the
association, Oklahoma City was Sc
lected as the next meeting place and
officers were elected as follows:
President, W. III. Elson. Cleveland,
Ohio; First Vice-president. David b
Johnson, Rockhill. s. C.; Second Vice
president, Miss Ida Bender. Buffalo.
n. Y, and secretary. A. g. Nelson,
Salt Lake City. Utah.
President Roosevelt said In part:
1t is. idle for any man To talk or
despairing Of the future of this coun-
try or feeling unduly alarmed about
it If he will come in contact with you
here and with the forces that you
, represent. Fundamentally this country
Is sound; morally no less than ply
sically. Fundamentally, In It's. family
life and In the outside activities OF Its
individuals the country is better and
not worse than it formerly was This
does not. mean that We are to be ex-
cused if we fail to war against rot
| tenness and corruption, IL We fail To
contend effectively with the forces OF
hA, hnl hTs
ask me 10 withhold my hand from
dealing Herewith. But IL is worth
while to smite the wrong for the very
reason that we are confident that the
right will ultimately prevail You are
| training the next generation. are
| training this country as II Is to be a
decade or two hence; and while your
work IN training the intellect Ia great.
it is not, as great as your work In
| training character. More than any
| thing else l 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 the
nation.
| II trust that more and more. Of our
people will see to II that the schools
| train toward and not away from the
farm and workshop. We have spoken
a great. deal about the dignity OF Ia
Dor in this country but we have not
acted UP to our spoken word; for In our
education we have tended to proceed
upon the assumption that the educat-
ed man was To be educated away from
and not toward labor.
"One thing that ! would like you
10 teach your pupils Is that whether
you aall the money gained salary or
wages does not make any real differ
ence and that IL by working, hard with
your hands you get more than II you
worn with your head only, IL does
not atone for II TO call the smallc
amount salary The term dignity or
labor implies that ranual labor Is al
dignifled as mental labor; as Of course
IL Is Indeed the highest kind OF labor
Is, that which makes demands upon
the qualities OF both head and hand.
OF heart. brain and body
I'VE have all OF us often heard some
good but unwise women say. I have
worked hard; my daughter shan't
work: the poor woman not realizing
that great though the curse OF over
work might be. that II IL not as great
as the curse OF yapid idieness; and II
does not make any difference whether
the idlenees is that OF the hobo a'
one end OF the scale or the gilded
youth at the other. Do not waste time
In envying the idler at either end oi
the social scale.
so my plea Is not that homely
duties are all sufficient but that they
are a necessary base upon which q
build the superstructure OF the higher
life our children ahot,Id ne trained tf
do the home duties In the first plac'
and then in addition 10 have n n
them to carry themselves that eoiiec
: lively we NAV well and fftiy perform
the great and responsibis tasks o