The Washington herald., 1909-11-14
TO DR.. WILLIAM 7. HARRIS
Edwin Mead Calls His the Greatest Panopic Mind of the Generation
and One of the Greatest in American History.

Edwin D. Mead in the Boston Transcript
DR.. William 7. Harris. who died IN
Providence November 8 had the most
penetrating and comprehensive philosoph-
&c mind OF the last generation in Ameri-
ca. Indeed. II may be doubted whether
since Jonathan Edwards, IL ever. we have
had In this country a distinctly meta
physical mind OF greater force or greater
influence. IL is not upon this side that
Dr. Harris is best known to most men.
His work as an educator brought him
into touch with o larger circle and more
under the public eye. That work was in
deed Of pre-emlnent significance,
AS superintendent OF the public schools
OF st. Louis for almost twenty years. and
United States Commissioner of Education
for almost another twenty, he rendered q
service 70 the cause OF public school edu-
cation IN America which was in both
positions unique. and which placed him
az the very forefront IN our educational
life and history. There have been no
other reports upon public school orgeni-
zation, methods. and possibilities pub
lshed by American school superintend-
ents in this recent time which rank with
DR.. Harris st. Louis reports from 1857 20
1850 II Is right 20 say that not since the
famous reports OF Horace Mann, as sec
rotary OF the Massachusetts State board
OF education, had anything been given
our people in this field so pregnant, so
provocative or so constructive. sim more
! epoch-making was Or. Harris admins
| tration OF the National Bureau OF Educa-
| ton from 1883 10 1896. He recreated the
| office. making II an institution OF the
| highest Importance and potency for our
| educational world. Here. too. his reports
are what will be longest remembered and
/ what probably at the time did most good
| The noteworthy series Of great volumes
| given to the teachers OF America by DR.
| Harris I'm those years constitute veri'
table library Of education. not only CIV
| ing the most complete existing survey o.
/ the condition and progress OF education
4 In that period, in every field. the Worlo
\ over hut so co-ordinating the various
| sDeciai reports and so introducing them
and setting them IN the mortar OF
| true culture and a sound pedagogy as e
/ make all an inexhaustible and invaluable
armory for the servants Of enlightenment
and the makers Of good education public
opinion.
His great Educational Library" pub
ushed by Appleton. extending 70 scores
4 of volumes edited with such rare knowl
edge and discrimination. performed
| similar service and his pamphlets anc
| articles upon every question which hai
! agltated our educational circles for INT
last forty years are innumerabie.
Never did a great worker illustrate
! more conspicuously than DR.. Harris Il
the field Of education the truth that tn
men who do great work usually do mucl
work In all this period OF prolific writ
ing he was a constant speaker. For
| generation ne had been one OF the mos
prominent figures at the educational con
ventions. At the conventions OF the Ma
tional Educational Association particular
~ he has been far oftener than any othe
man the central figure: and no other IN
fuence on the whole has been 50 salu
tary
If he has not always been In the line o
! real advance because his knowledge c
history has given a deeper sense tina
others had Of the values of past discir
lines and perennial sources Of true Gu
ture, his courageous conservatism ia
again and again kept conventions OF half
baked theorists from making fools {