Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-30

ster's blue-backed spelling book. Se-
iected teams OF fifteen pupils. repre-
senting the common school grades from
first to eighth, will come from dozen
of the principal cities OF the country.
They will line up after the manner of
their grandparents and they will spell
against each other and against the
perversity of. the English dictionary
until sbut one remains-the master Of
syllables and the pride. of some city.
From 'ba-ker" and "a-er-iar' to the
labyrinthian mazes of those jaw
breakers in the back of the book,
association will follow their favorites
through the most exciting contest OF
the school year. 1t will be noble
battle, and If some little girl from Bos-
ton shall win 1t is not impossible that
she may whisper to the lad from At
lanta. last of the vanquished:
I'm sorry that syelt the word.
I hate to go above you.
Because (the brown eyes lower felD,
Because. you see / love you.
Such things will be the fun of the
NJ E. A. convention; it's business Is
more serious and more important The
most remarkable educational develop
ment in the history of the human race
Is that of the growth of the public
school system of the United States In
the past seventy years. For sixty-one
of these years this national organiza-
ton, which will hold its forty-sixth
meeting at Cleveland, has been at the
head and front of the educational ad
vance. 1t was organized in 1857 at
Philadelphia under the name National
Teachers association" In 1871 the
name was changed to National Edu-
catlonal association" In 1906, when
reincorporated by congress. the name
was again changed to National Edu-
cation association" Meetings have
War, with the exception OF 1857. 1873.
1893 and 1906. The meeting of 1898
was merged into the worlds congress
at Chicago, and that of 1905 was not
held on account, OF the San Francisco
earthquake, the convention having
been called to meet In that stricken
city.
The membership of the N. e. A. (the
organization is usually designated
simply by its initial letters) includes
school teachers, schools. school boards
and representatives of every class
which has to do with the actual work
of managing the great educational
system of the country. The associa-
ton includes the national education
council and seventeen departments.
These subdivisions are at work all the
time and their reports to the annual
meetings are of great value. Every
thing that Is said and done Is pre-
served in permanent form. The pro-
ceedings of the N. q. A. for the past
sixty years form complete history
of the growth Of education in the
United States.
When the organization was first
launched there were only sixty-nine
public high schools In the country.
The privately conducted academy was
still the main dependence for secondary
education. Boys and sometimes girls
were given the advantage of the study
of Latin and Greek, a little history.
little mathematics and little English.
The physical and vocational training
of the modern high school was not
drea med of, the very idea that educa-
ton was a good thing for practical
purposes was frowned upon.
The old order has passed away, but
the new order Is not established. 1t
must make way for the improvements
of progress. The teachers of the
country ara not conservatives; they
believe In doing things the new way.
IL the new way is better. 1t Is through
the influence of the N. z. A. that the
discovery of new and better methods
in one section of the country is made