The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-06-01
Dr.. Gillies Says it is Most Important
and That Reputation il q Sec
ondary Matter.
TEACHING NOW s1MpL,
As Compared With That of Genera
ton Ago When Parents Went
to School.

! With the Armory crowded with
relatives and friends of the gradu-
ates, the commencement exercises of
the High school and eighth grade
were held last evening. Sixty-eight
students were given diplomas and
over eighty were given certificates of
perfect attendance.
/ Forming a line in front of the liz
Ibrary, the graduates marched to the
Armory where the seniors were seat
ed on the platform with the faculty,
board Of education and speakers
while the students graduating from
the eighth grade were given seats in
the house.
Leopoldine Rauscher gave the val
ed1ctory and Dorothy Torrance the
salutatory. Charles Ger1inger had
the highest average of the class and
won the scholarship but because he
had not attended the Bemidji High
school for the full four years. could
not be made valedictorian.
DR.. Andrew Gillies, pastor of the
Hennepin avenue Methodist church
of Minneapolis, was the speaker Of
the evening and gave an address
which was listened to with interested
attention, not only by the graduates.
but by the audience as we'll. DR..
Gillies, always at home when talk
ing to student audience, warmed
to his subject and gave one Of the
best addresses ever delivered in Be-
midi.
In his address DR.. Gillies contrast
ed his schooling with that OF the
present day. He told of how the mind
was trained to remember things, how
the pupils were taught to memorize
their lessons and then were made to
recite, toeing a mark before the
teacher who always held rod in his
hand in order that the child might
be impressed with the rod If not with
the lesson.
He explained how today methods
are becoming more simple. more ma
tural, and less artificial. He told
of how the children are being taught
as individuals and not as class. He
spoke of the crude methods Of teach
ing used several years ago, saying
that educating the memory did not
cover the needs of the situation.
eThe child must also be taught to
use Judgment and reason and above
all he must be taught to know what
is truth" DIR. Gill1es then explained
the difference between character and
reputation, saying that what boy
was when his teacher was in the
room watching. over him was reputa-
ton but what boy was when out
at night, when no one knew Just
where he was, that was character.
aAnd this quality of character
must be drilled into the boy so that
he may rely upon himself at all
times. 1t matters not what ones
reputation might be SO long as he
knows what his character Is. Three
things a person must be taught dur
ing his school life-to know ones
self, to know the laws of the universe
and to know the law of the things
that are.
DR.. Gillies told Of the modern
methods of training boys and girls
to be better fitted for the new lie
that opened to them upon their COM
pletion Of school life. He spoke with
favor of the new studies that were
being introduced into the schools
Following are the students pre-
sented last night with certificates OF
perfect attendance:
First grade--H Hazel Barnes, Charles
McTaggert. Fred McMeckin, Edward
Gennes. Wesley Nelson.
Second grade John Richards. Ru-
by Morse, Gladys Madison. Ruby Leet.
Henry Leet, Henry Jordan, Luella
EIalvorson, Vera Dempsey. Henry
Becker.
Third grade Neil Marin. Marsa-
ret McDougal, Henry VIII, Roy Web
|ster, Dick Collins, Claire Vincent.
Fourth grade Guyer. Erwin
Johnson. Fred steenstrup. John De-
Cli0ord Collins Raymond