Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-07
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

make these schools instrumental In
awakening the children who attend them
to the possibilities of farm life. He finds
that the child who lives among buttercups
and daisies knows less about the plants
around him than the child whose play
ground at home is around an alley stoop.
but who, thanks to city educational sys-
TENS, is able to study nature under a
competent instructor. How to change
these things and to make the rural school,
what it should be is one of the problems
with which the National Education AS
ISOLATION long has been wrestling Dr.
Claxton will be on hand to tell OF his
studies of this problem in the field.
X
The National Education Association has
seventeen departments. which deal with
Seventeen Departments differ t
In National Association. = due a.
tionaI problems. The first of these Is the
department of superintendent, depart
ment of such importance that 1t meets on
a different date from the association It
self, in order that its work may be out
Of the way when the big convention con-
venes 1t is composed of all those who
are directing heads Of education In their
respective communities. The second de-
partment is known as the national coun-
Gil Of Education. sort Of supreme court
Of education This is continuing body
of 100 members. twenty being chosen each
year, the term of each being six years
OF the twenty annually selected, ten are
chosen by the council itself. while the
other ten are chosen by the board Of di-
rectors of the National Education Asso-
citation.
other departments are devoted to kim
dergarten work, elementary education.
secondary. higher, normal school, man.
ual training and art. music. business.
child hygiene, physical education, science,
school administration. special education,
school patrons and agricultural and rural
schools. Each year all of these depart
ments meet and make reports to the gen.
eral organization, and out Of these there
is formulated a series OF declarations
which constitute the annual platform
upon which the National Education
Association appeals for educational prog
ress At the last annual meeting one Of
these declarations was in favor OF suit
able ethical instruction In the schools,
and another for the technical training Of
trades.
Sometimes the sessions OF the associa-
ton furnish illustrations Of how the
wings of budding genius are clipped by
teachers who have not the instinct to
recognize 1t. The case Of the late Homer
Davenport was mentioned by speaker
at the last convention. He said that
Davenport once said to him that his sue
cess as cartoonist was attained In spite
Of the public schools rather than be-
cause Of them. When he was in school
he was punished for every funny pic
ture he drew, the punishment being made
to fit the crime-the funnier the picture
the harder the punishment. Another case
mentioned was that Of little boy whose
heart once was pregnant with the ce-
lestial fire Of humor. centipede passed
across the floor. and the little fellow OBJ
served that he would dislike to have to
make clothes for centipedes, since they
would need so many pairs Of trousers A
teacher with no sense Of humor stood
him UP in a corner for the remark, and
thus was nipped a budding Mark Twain.
The educators are taking much interest
in the open-air schools for consumptives.
Chicago has q
Open-Air Schools model school Of
Interest Educators. serves not onlv
as q school for tubercular children, but
as sanitarium where they are cured Of
their disease while being taught The
school opens at O'clock. The next half
hour is taken up by temperature takings.
inspection. etc. Then follows a half hour
fnv hath II h~,A