The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-06-01

Soo' az LIE III There Is q very great
interest in public education. You may
advertise a political speaker and you
VIII not get fifty men to hear him.
FQeilSh the fact Of an ordinary school
In a country district and an
nounce that the speaker is an ordinary
publ1c school teacher and you Will find
that there will be present from soc TO
1000 people, n intelligent and
Well They are turning to the
schoOl-tO the common SchOols-for
the working out Of their salvation. This
great interest in the work of public
schools cannot be safely neglected. Tn
fortunately for our State, the teach
ing OF the children in the younger,
formative years of their life has been
handed over largely to the women of
our State. / have had the honor,
gentlemen, to work with some OF the
strongest women teacher of North
Carolina, n / Dear witness to their
efficient and conscientious service, but
no State can afford to place the teach
ing Of its children entirely in the
hands Of women. There must be the
strength and virility of manhood.
There is, therefore, an unusual de-
mand for some strong teachers, and
they should go to the people filled
With the very ideas which this institu-
ton has always developed and throb-
bling With the life which they have
gathered here, and which, is, IN my
opinion, thoroughly representative of
the life of the State. There is not,
gentlemen, in the entire borders of our
State, such urgent demand for any
class Of men as now exists for the class
of well-trained, democratic school
teachers. You lave erected on your
campus, at a cost of many thousand
= $4,000. perhaps-a magnificent
building for chemistry. The State
needs ten teachers to one chemist. You
have likewise erected, and wisely done
so, a magnificent structure for biology,
for the life as we nave it today. The
State needs twenty teachers to one
professional biologist. You have, like
wise g. great law department.. For
every lawyer which you could advan-
taseOusly send to any county, that
county can use five times as many
teachers. The fact is, gentlemen, we
are not meeting the demands Of the
people. / nave been in close touch Of
University life for the past ten years.
During that time / nave not known
five strong men to go from this insti-
tuition filled and burning with the pas
sion of school work.
Should not an Institution which
claims to be the head of the public
school system Of the State send forth
in ten years at least ten men who are
on fire with the seriousness Of this
work? The fact is, gentlemen, the
University has allowed the control of
the educational thought of the State
to pass from its own hands into the
hands of its very strong daughter, the
Normal College. l tell you in all ser
iOuSneSS that any three Normal Col
lege graduates in the work OF public
cnOOl education are worth any ten
men that | know. This should net
be. This University ought to send in
to the State some young men who
are teachers for life and whose work
amongst the people Will be second to
none in the history of our State. ]
say nothing against the present De-
partment of Education at this insti-
tuition. To my mind, considering the
standing It has had at his University,
it has done remarkably we'll. The fact
is the University student has never
been forced to see that this matter of
public education is one of vital inter
est. 1t has been made a sort of sec
OndarN m~akeshift. Now gentlemen, l
believe that this State Of affairs should
be ended. / think the next money
spent on this campus in the extension
of University work, should be spent
for the training of teachers. / want
to see established here a great depart
ment Of education and | want that de-
paTtnlent made in equipment II IN
teaching force the equal Of any de-
partment OF the institution. The Uni!
versity ought to spend, and ] say to
you tina if you let the people OF the
State know that YOU are COINS to
spend it on the training Of teachers,
the University ought to spend $4,000
to $4,000 in the erection of an edu-I
cationa1 department. Gentlemen, this
work must be done. We have behind
us a hundred years of history and
that time we have conf
trolled and led the thought OF the
State. Unless we keep in touch With
: li~ yau- ponE-araanf that cQnrr(I 4OdI
leadership must pass from US. Both
the law and law giver Will go to
those Who are able to make best use
of it.
I should be exceedingly sorry to see
the University or the University man