Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-12-06
State Teachers Meeting.

The thirtieth annual session of the
State Educational Association which
was held in Mitchell, November 18th,
26th and 9th, was the largest and by
far the best educational meeting that
has been held in South Dakota. The
attendance was 1874, which is 600
more teachers that ever attended a
state meeting before.
The quality of the program was
very much better than usual, due to
the efforts of the program committee,
President G. w. Nash, of Aberdeen,
Principal j G. Lindsey, Of Mitchell,
and Principal w. |. Early, of Sioux
Falls. The program compared very
we'll with that of nearby states, be-
ing at least equal to the Iowa State
Teachers Association program, re-
Gently held at Des Moines The City
of Mitchell exerted herself to the ut
most to make the occasion pleasant
one for the visiting teachers and sue
ceeded to a notable degree.
The general meetings OF the asso-
citation were held in the Gale Theatre
which building was always packed.
The principal speakers were DR.. w.
O. Thompson, OF Columbus, Ohio, the
Pres ident of the Ohio University,
who spoke on the New En- phasiS in
Education, and laid great stress on
the movement throughout the coun-
try to introduce vocational training g
in the public schools, so that the pu-
oil leaving the public school will be
prepared to do something to make a
living without having 70 learn trade
after leaving school; President w. N.
Ferris, of Big Rapids, Michigan, head
of one of the leading schools of Michi-
gan, and the newly elected Democrat
| ic Governor OF that state. He made
the best address of the whole meet
| ing, for he is an intensely practical
man who.has been accomplishing re-
markable things in the way of edu-
eating unlettered grown men and wo-
men, in the Ferris Institute. His sub
| ject was Educational Democracy.
The third noted speaker from
abroad was DR.. G. E Vincent, Of
Minneapolis, Minnesota, the President
of the State University of Minnesota,
who gave a rousing address at the
close of the convention on the sub,
| ject, "Playing the Game. y
Other notable speakers who made
strong addresses were Hon. A. E.
Hitchcock, Mayor of Mitchell, and
| President of the State Board of Re-
gents of Education, who was billed to
give an address of welcome to the
, visiting feather, but took the op-
portunity to make strong speech on
the subject of estate Institution" "
and outlined the plans of the Regents
regarding them. These plans are OF
great interest in as much as they are
almost an exact duplicate of the re-
cent action of the Iowa State Board
of Education, consolidating the work
of the several state institutions. The
plans that Mr. Hitchcock favors
would take the Engineering School
from the State University, and add 1t
to the School of Mines, would take
the upper half of the college work
from the Normal and Agricultural
Schools and send their advanced
students to the State University, anC
would strengthen the Agriculatura
College and the Normal Schools by
having them concentrate their worl
on their particular subjects. Thi:
would be an advantage to the state II
as much as it would bring about /;
large saving in money by avoiding th'