Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-02-27
Tells Educators That He Will Con.
lIRue to War Against "Ro'.
taness And Corruption.
HOW YOUTH SHOULD Be TRAINED
In Speech to Members of the Ma
ti0uaI Educational Association He
Says It Makes no Difference wheth.
or Person is Receiving saIary or
Dignity of Labor.
lBy Associated rrossN

tBy Associated Press
WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. &c =
Ihat there Will be no let up in Prusi-
sent Roosevelt of warning ''against
rottenncss and corruption was en-
phatically declared by the President
today In IN address To tho delegates
to the department of Superintendent
OF the National Educational Associa-
ton during their reception nj the
White House. Continuing the Pres
ident gave his views on educationai
methods at considerable length and
with characteristic catholicy or
thought and vigor of expression.
President Roosevelt said In part as
follows: ut is idle for any man 10
talk of despairing OF the future OF
this country or feeling unduly alarm
cd about 1t If lie will come in con.
tact with YOU and with tho>force that
YOU represent. Fundamentally, this
country Is sound. morally. no los; than
physically. Fundamentally in its fam
lily life and in the outside activities of
It's individuals the country is better
anu not worse than IL formally was.
rms does not mean that we are TO he
| excused If We fail 10 war against
rottcnness and corruption. II we fail
To contend enectuauy with tho force
OF cvii; ans they waste their time who
ASK me TO withhold my hand from
dealing Herewith. But IL Is worth
Will to smIe the wrong for the very
reason that We are confident that tho
right viii ultimately prevail. You who
are trainlng the next generation are
framing this country as II la TO bc
decade or two hence: and while your
wotk In training the intellect In great
IL Is not so great as your work in
training the children. More than any
thing else | want To see the pnbiic
schoolsfi turn out the boys and the
girls who when men and women Will
add TO the sum of good citizenship OF
the nation.
One Mistake of Education.
Il trust that more and more Of our
people will see TO il that the schools
train toward and not away from the
farm and the workshop. We have
spoken great deal about the dignity
Of labor in this country: but we have
not acted up to our spoken words:
Tor our education we have tended TO
/ porceed upon the assumption that the
| euucated man was TO be educated
away from and not toward labor.
"Onc thing that | would like YOU
TO teach your pupils is, that whether
you call the money gained salary or
wages Soes not make any real diff
ference aud that IL by working hard
| with your hands YOU get more than
II yon work with your head only. It
does not atone for 1t to call the small
or amount salary. The term dignity
OF labor implies that manual labor is
| rs dignifed as mental labor: as OF
course 1t is. Indeed the highest kind.
oil labor is that which makes demands
upon the qualities OF both head and
hand of heart. brain and body.
We have all Of lis heard some good
but unwise woman. say 4 have worked
hardc my daughter shall never work;
the Door woman not realizing that
great as the curse of mere drudgery
OF over work is, it is not as great
as The curse of vapid idleness: and
IT does not make any difference wheth.
er the idlcncss is that of the hobo at
one enI OF tic scale Of the gilded
youth at The other. Do not waste
time in cnvying the idlcr at either end
of the social scale.
so my plea is not that homcly du
ties are all sufficient, but that they
are = necessary base upon which to
build the superstructure Of the high
CT life; orr children should be train
cd 10 do The homely duties In the first
place and then in addition to have
IL in them TO carry themselves that
collectively We may well and fifty
perform the great and responsible
tasks of American citizenship"