The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-05-23

much time for solid work. His rec
reation was not idling. 1t was full
of purpose. The boy who has learn
ed to love good literature or the
boy who is animated by a passion
for the wonderful things of nature
will never kill time" by idling it
away in useless dreaming nor will
he find sufficient pleasure for his
light reading" of the day. The
mind trained by the careful and
thoughtful teacher has become a
Kingdom to himself" from which
he derives a continual stream of en-
joyment and profit during his hours
of freedom from the pursuit of his
vocation. A millionaire may have
achieved as enduring a monument
business interests. He has an avo-
cation that is worth while. Rich
as he is he may talk intelligently
on thousands of other things than
money. Culture is another name
for breadth and culture is the fruit
of hours of recreation well spent
Thus we see that culture is a foe of
luxurious idleness. More than one
thinker has warned us that our
danger lies from almost Asiatic soft
ness. An idle crowd relaxed the
stern morals of ancient Rome. The
only remedy is to use well that leis-
ure which is now so much abused
There is much just criticism that
our public schools do not train a
boy to earn his daily bread 1t is
true that trade schools should have
a place and an important place in
our school system, but these schools
can not be substitute for the
schools that train men to live the
largest lives. The public school
should train the child to think and
if it gives him brain it will have
accomplished great deal. We have
seen efforts made by trade unions
and by other organizations to give
the working men more time for self
cultivation. Some of the employers
of the large factories in the city
of New York have arranged for their
employees to attend school every
other week believing that with the
thinking power better developed,
more efficient manual work can be
done.
We wish to know the utility of
everything. If a child studies Ger
man we expect him to be able to
converse luently with every German
he meets. If he studies Italian, we
expect him to be able to boss gang
of laborers from that sunny land.
If he can do neither we say that he
has wasted his time. We base judg-
ment upon the materialistic ground
of utility. But the mind of the
child may have seen something of
the vision Goethe's eyes >beheld.
He may have taken great delight in
Dante's Divine Comedy.
If a boy is not going to become a
minister nor college professor has
he wasted his time in the study of
Homer, Virgil, or Sophocles? Rath-
er have these studies not opened to
him field of wisdom and a broader
outlook in life, stirred within him
nobler emotions and aspirations for
something better than mere liveli-
hood. Will they not help to make
his hours of avocation more pleas
urable and scarcely less profitable
that those of his vocation?
Mrs. Alma ]. G. Dix, President of
the State Teachers League and one
of our strongest leaders in educa-
tional work, delivered the next ad-
dress. She told about her trip to
Harrisburg as a delegate of the State
Teachers League. She commended
Hon. H. G. Jackson, our representa-
tive at Harrisburg, for the assistance
that he gave to the teachers. Mr..
Jackson voted for the teachers bills
that were before the legislature. The
Tenure of Office Bill was carried
through the House. The Senate also
voted for it with very little amend
ment. 1t was then sent back to the
House but this body refused to pass
it with the amendment. 1t was then
given to conference committee to
decide. The senate has been smoth-
ering many bills passed by the House
during the present session. The
State Teachers League should have
effective organizations in every
county. Every teacher in the state
should join the league.
Prof. ]. H. Kennedy, Prof. B. I.
Sluman and Mrs. Alma J. G.. Dix
were appointed a committee on NOM
nations. The following officers
were elected for the ensuing year:
w. w. Menhennett, president; Miss
Jennie Lee, vice-president; Frances
Dillon; secretary and treasurer; R.
T. Davies, e. L. Blakeslee and Pearl
Bryant, executive committee.
The meeting adjourned at 1915
p. m.
FRANCES A. DILLON,
Secretary.