Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-10-29
ANNUAL CONVENTION
School Boards Of tho Western and East
ern Districts Of Marathon County
Meet on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The annual school board convention
for the western and eastern districts
of Marathon county, was held at the
court house on Tuesday and Wednes-
day of last week The meetings
opened at 1890 o'olock and Wenzel
Pivernetz, county superintendent of
schools, gave the introductions. The
program was published in the last
issue of the PILOT. The convention
on Tuesday, given for the western
district, was attended by about 225,
and on Wednesday for the eastern
district there were about 100, making
total of about 1926. a.
Miss Bohrer presented a paper upon
the subject "Factors in the Education
of the Child" in which she discussed
the equally prominent part that the
home, society, the church and the
state should take with the school in
the process of educating the child.
She showed how schools did not make
communities but communities make
schools, by asking the audience to
imagine an up-to-date school placed
in the wilds of Africa where the saw
ages had not contributed any OF their
character or daily life to the founda-
tion and formation of the Institution
thus placed. 1t was plain to all that
it would be failure, that the school
must take color and meaning from
the daily life, experiences, morals,
pastimes, and customs of people.
She spoke of the great teachers of the
past sucll as Socrates, Plato, Cicero,
CharleGagne, Luther, Pestalozzio,
Froebel and Horace Mann, many of
whom instructed children of very
youthful age; made comparison be-
tween that condition of things and
the present custom of employing
little girls to solve and of the greatest
problems that has ever been presented
to mankind, viz: the education Of a
child.
LII vi OliC III
society she recommended the organic
alton of debating clubs, physical
training clubs and places of enjoy
ment in small towns where boys and
girls from the country could find some
place of interest and amusement dur
ing their sojourn there through the
day or evening. In speaking of the
part that the state should take, she
emphasized the fact that the intlu-
ence of parents and party leaders in
discharging public duties carefully
and honestly would be far greater
than the talks on justice and honesty
by young girl teachers. Lastly she
spoke of the influence of the church
as factor in a child's education and
wished that the life of Christ might
be made more prominent in child's
education, as an example for daily
living.
j. F. Kadonsky, principal of the
county school of Agriculture, spoke
of Cooperation" He thought CO.
operation was the first necessity in.
order to have the highest form of
education. He cited instances of the
early days when all were willing to
help their neighbors. All people
were on the same level at that time,
but at the present time it is hard
to get all men to believe alike. He
urged that cooperation be started
and told of the advantages which
could be derived from cooperating.
O. e. Wells spoke upon ''The School
and the Law" Mr.. Wells said that
the schools were creations of law,
buttressed by law and unavoidable,
but that they originated in voluntary
cooperation and were supported in
proportion to the ability of the found
ers, or number of pupils attending
them.
Puritans in New England, Dutch in
New York, Swedes in Delaware,
Germans in Pennsylvania, Hugenots
and Scotch-Irish in all colonies made
sacrifices to secure education for the
young. At first all the schools were
connected with the Church, but as
the government became secularized
the schools followed the government.
While the convention sitting in
Philadelphia was framing the consti-
tuition for the United States of Amer
lea, the old congress of the Revolution
sitting in New York, was formulating
the famous ordinance of 1857 for the
government of the Northwest Terri
tory, which included H., Ind, Ohio,
Mich. and Wis. 1t announced in tell
ing phrase that Religion, morality
and knowledge being necessary to
good government and the Happiness
of mankind, schools and the means OF
education shall forever be encouraged"
Out of this purpose came the setting
off the sixteenth section in every
township for the creation of a school
fund.
Mr. Wells urged that we should
emulate the example of eur forefathers
and give to our children the best pos
sible education within our means. 1t
should not need sheriffs and state
officials to get the children into
school, but our love for them should
put them in and keep them there as
long as possible.
Mr.. Wells then spoke of the great
advantage which even a moderate
education gives man over one who
has no education, illustrating with
many examples.
w. E. Larson, inspector of rural
schools, emphasized the home as the
most in portant factor in education.
Unless the home conditions were fay-