Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-06

WINNER.
II ENvER, July 5.-"A preparatory
course to the presidency" is not
~ the object of the public school
system of the United States, or rather
! it should not be- is the opinion of the
| leaders of the council of education. VINO
passed today in a discussion OF condi-
tions that must rule the twentieth
| century.
The final session of the council, pre-
! liminary to the sessions OF the Ma
tional Educational association, the hrst
of which was held tonight in the Dem
Yer auditorium, took place this after
noon. Edwin G. Cooley, former super
intendent of the Chicago schools, LED
! the discussion of what the American
boy needs in the way of education.
The question of the scope that should
be given state school executives occu-
pied most of the afternoon session.
| H. H. Searley, president OF the Iowa
state normal school, said that uniform
ity should exist among the states IN
the government of the schools and that
much better progress would be maze
were the state superintendent OF educa-
tion given wider powers.
THE greatest problem in educatoh
TODAY is the Industrial training of the
common people so as to enable them
individually to give more productive
service" said President searley.
Must Be Personal
"All other education can be conducted
I'm rroups. but this must be personal
and Individual All others are some
what similar, but this must be adapted
to each individual and calls for a
slightly different solution. Improve
ment in mechanical lines or educatlon
/ is comparatively easy because II deais
with the populous and wealthy com
i munity and does not call for eNtraNa-
giant expenditure per capita; but aSr!-
culture must be taught in a sparsely
| settled community and at great eN-
nense per capita. Agriculture Is not
! one occupation or branch but many oc-
I cupations and branches. 1t depends not
I upon a single science, but many
sciences. 1t represent in results not a
single kind of skill, but many KINDS. OF
capa bilities.
"The nation and the state ought to be
interested i'm this agricultural propienl'
because If these classes of our workers
do not prosper all other classes ian.
The country schools are thus the most
important of all schools that are nam
| tained, because those educated therein
become the foundation of all business
prosperity for all other Yocatlons'
State Must Help
..Tbe work Of conducting such train
ing is too expensive to rely on the
country school districts alone, ana
the rest of the state must help. Moth
inc of large importance Will be aDle
to be shown in progress along these
! lines until large amounts of money are
invested in both state and nation SO
that teachers can be trained ana sal
aries sufficient for their support can
be paid. -.
s.IVhen agricultural education must
! denend on men teachers and not Wo-
| men teachers, and this situation VIII
require one man teacher at least for
every twenty or thirty country schools,
whose work will be supervisory ana
special, and who will give constant
attention to the industrial part Oh the
| instruction.
For these reasons efforts have been
mt forth for several years to interest
bo+b state legislatures and the ma
tiona1 congress in this need, so that
financial support for such an endeaVor
may be given. Progress has been
made. but thus far but limited results
have been obtained.
1.-THE state normal schools are the
nronnr state agency to use in this en-
deaVor. They are numerous, they are
now Dopular teacher training schools;
! thev are conducted economically; they
| know how to train efficient teachers
for the public schools, and they should
be required bv the several states 70
devote much attention to this kind OF
special education
Willing to Labor
"The students vino attend these
teacher schools would cheerfully go
into this field of labor if the oppor-
tunity to make a creditable living were
possible, and only by state and ma
tional aid can such an endeaVor pc
accomplished and the benefits fully
realized"
This view was furthered by Edwin
T. Fairchild, superintendent of public
! instruction of Kansas, who suggested
the commission plan for school gov
ernment Mr.. Fairchild proposed the
appointment of the state superlnten-
dent by a board of education. This he
believed would obviate the possibility
! of an incompetent Official holdlhg
office.
The political side of the teachers
| gathering has been felt but little thus
| far except that an attempt has been
made to throw politics out of the as
| ISOLATION.
A few leaders believe this can be
brought about by taking the office to
the man" instead of making the race
a free-for-all.
TO this end it is proposed to NOM
mate Elmer e. Brown, national COM
missioner of education, for president.
1t is said he is not an active candidate.
Brown to Receive Nomination
Thus far it seems as if Mr.. Brown
would receive the nomination. 1t is
not believed there will be any opposi-
! ton to Irwin Sheppard Of Winona,
Mimi, for secretary.
| The question of woman suffrage
came to the fore for a moment in the
association this morning when John
| Macdonald, editor of the Western
School Journal, Topeka, Kas., took up
arms for the women before the ma
| tional council of education. This