Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1913-06-05
GOV. FERRIS ADDRESS
Delivered at DediCatOry Exercises
Of High School Building
THURSDAY EVENING, May 2S
An Address Full Of Thought and Thoroughly
Appreciated by Large Audience

The dedication program last Thurs
day evening was carried out as
planned. An audience variously es-
timated at from 900 to 1000 people
filled the auditorium long before the
time for the exercises TO begin.
Sharply at eight o'clock the high
school chorus to the number OF 145
took their places on the stage and
were Immediately followed by the
speakers, members of the school
board and guests of the evening. The
program of the evening was in charge
of the president of the school board,
who, after few congratulatory re-
marks, introduced Prof. Mitchell of
Alma College and President Grawn
OF Mt. Pleasant, both of whom made
excellent talks, but curtailed their
remarks in order to give plenty OF
time to Gov. Ferris the main speaker
of the evening.
In introducing Governor Ferris,
President Smith said: at is an honor
to be governor of such a state as
Michigan. 1t is also an honor to the
state to have the right kind of man
for governor. But a man who has
spent large part of his life in edu-
cational work, raising the standards
Of the state by sending out educated
men and women to establish homes
and direct affairs, can not receive
honors from any state in a political
way. | introduce, therefore, to you
tonight Mr. Ferris of Big Rapids, in
cidentally Governor of the State"
In arising, the Governor remarked:
"He might as we'll have added 'acci-
dentally Governor This is really a
structure beyond your high school
building dreams. 1t is the student
ideal realized. A few years ago the
great manufacturing enterprises of
the country believed that to turn out
their best and largest product they
must employ men who possessed the
largest amount of brute force, but
now all is changed. The fact is, they
discovered that the spirit and hope
fulness of the workman had most to
do with his work and that fact has
revolutionized the plans and methods
of the leading manufacturing enter
prises today Now their first thought
is to make the buildings sanitary with
plenty of pure air and sunshine, bath
rooms and inviting rest rooms, not
for love of the men and women who
toll, but to make money, for they
have found today that they can get
better results more labor and better
quality of work from men and wo-
men whose life work is made COM
Portable and pleasant. They surround
the building with beautiful lawns,
trees, shrubbery and flowers, know
ing that every pleasant thought and
view is a soul tonic that helps their
workmen to turn out a larger and
better product. Strange as it may
seem, we have been slow to recog-
nize these principles in the construc-
ton of our schools. Now we are
beginning to make them sanitary and
beautify their surroundings, but in
this our schools are following the
mandatory. Today we recognize
that the school is really workshop
where the natural bent of the boy
veloped. The thinking man and wo-
man is the desired product and that
result is greater than the making of
the best automobile or cast register
or locomotive. Yet | often feel like
removing my hat when l meet 10
comotive because it's product of
some human mind at work, still how
infinitely more complex is the brain
which developed this machine.
Don't hesitate to pay your edu-
Gators salary adequate to their po-
sition, for the financial world do not
hesitate to pay $25, 900 salary to
railway manager or competent chef.
The taxpayer is the last man who
ought to object for money is never
so misspent as when paid for incom-
petent service. It's shame that we
have not recognized it before. You
never have paid competent school
teacher too much. 1t can't be done.
The greatest need today is more men
in the teaching ranks. I'm not speak
ing against the women themselves,
but the boy needs contact with men.
Many of these women would marry
the men if you were paying the men
a decent salary so they could live.
We don't agree that the function of
the educator is to please. The pro-
fessor or superintendent or principal
should act in accordance with his
opinion, and if he's got thinker, use
use it. The educator should be ahead
of the body of civilization, but most
closelxnClaciated with the people, for
no ri aman can be strong un-
le~ 'eveloped as individ-
Noage 10