The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-15

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES.

The chapel exercises at the state
normal school this morning were grac-
ed with the attendance Of the members
of the committee of the legislature who
were making an official visit to the in
stitution. The personnel of the com
mittee is given above and the visitors
were under the escort of L. A. Hun
toon, the resident director of the school,
The visiting senators and representa-
tiVes occupied seats to the right and
left of President Weld. who presided
over the exercises, which were strictly
in accordance with the programme car
ried out daily during the chapel hour.
There was no attempt at dress parade.
The visitors had asked that they be
given the opportunity to see the school
in its every day routine n their
wishes were respected to the letter.
A feature of the occasion was that
the speaker selected to make the ad-
dress to the students and faculty was
introduced by President Weld, who
twenty-five years ago was his school
master at Fergus Falls. The speaker
was Sen. Ole Sageng, known to Mr..
Weld as ole" both now being so in
innate that they call each other by
their front
Before introducing the speaker Pres
ident Weld interestingly explained to
the assembled students and children of
the model school the exact meaning of
the visit to the school today, of the
representatives of the state legisla-
ture, now in biennial session at the
capital Of the state. Mr.. Weld briefly
reviewed the development of the school
since it's beginning, a quarter of a CEN
fury ago. and how very different it's
needs were today to what they were
then-in fact different to what they
were only a short decade ago. He re-
ferred to the advanced work which
must be done in the future to meet the
requirements. He cited what had al
ready been lone along advanced lines
and that more was being done this
year.
After citing some interesting re-
miniscences about his first meeting
"Ole Sageng'' twenty-five years ago,
as superintendent of the public schools
at Fergus Falls he introduced his
former pupil as Senator Sageng as
the speaker selected by his associates
from the senate and the house TO
make the address for the occasion. 1t
has been arranged by the committee
that there should be only m ad-
dress.
Beginning his address which was
more in the form of an informal chat
with the young people before him
Senator Sageng said he was always
glad to come to Moorhead to visit the
normal school for which he had a
warm spot and would always have,
principally because President Weld
was my schoolmaster and because l
revere his influence and words of en-
~couragement at an opportune moment
in my youthful days which went to
shape my future career and enabled
me to go through the high school,"
The senator spoke of the dignity and
sacrednessi of the work which was be-
ing done in the schools of the state
and the grave opportunities and pos
sibilities which come ito you as
teachers" The work Of the legislator
is insignificant compared to the work
of the teacher-especially the teacher
of the rural schools where the founda-
ton of an education is laid. Next to
the home is the school. II want to
say with all my power that / don't
thing the teaching profession is as
we'll regarded by the public of this
country as it should be and the re-
Enumeration of the teachers is not as
much as it should be-" In u system
of education all have the same oppor-
tunity, there is nc need for any to
fall down. We are anxious all neces-
sary needs for the proper conduct of
every normal school in the state be
supplied and this or no other school
be crippled in the least. This com
mittee will look carefully into the ma
terial needs of the Moorhead school
and all the other normal schools and
a full report will be made of the
legislature when WI return. Some
people are working for %fireproof jails
and lockups-"first I want to see fire.
proof school houses, that is the most
important" The speaker was loudly
~applauded and he was given the glad
han das enthusiastically as several
hundred young people could give it.