Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-08-05
ECHOES FROM
n. {. A. MEETING
Dr.. 0. N. norhe's Report and
Modern Languages In
the Grades.

al Association" IN. E. Az at St. Paul
in its 53rd convention July 4 to II, in
an able article in the "Norwegian-Am-
erican" Of Mortified, Mimi, says:
"About 800 teachers from all parts of
the country and from every kind of
school, grade and department were in
attendance. One general session was
held each day and a total of So de-
partmental sessions were held during
the week, averaging about three to
each department. The departments
of the N. E. A. at present are: Nation
al council, state superintendent, kim
dergarten, elementary, secondary,
higher, normal, manual training, and
art, music, business, science, English,
child hygiene, physical reorganization,
school patrons, school administration,
class room teachers, league teachers,
federation teachers, school gardens,
library, special, religious education
association, club leaders, school peace
league-27 departments, 10 more than
10 years ago. The meetings were
with few exceptions closed to all ex-
cept active or associate members. But
they were very we'll attended. The
speakers were as a rule in earnest and
the attention was excellent. About
three-fourths of the listeners were
women. There were about 252 lead
ing addresses by men, Ga by women.
The keynote was struck in the open
ing address by President Joseph
Swain of Swarthmore College of the
Friends Church near Philadelphia on
"The Relation of the Teacher to Am
erican citizenship" He compared
our American schools with those of
Europe, much to our advantage. But
our schools are not perfect. In order
that we may turn out a more perfect
American citizenship we must have
better teachers. We can get better
teachers by giving them better sal
airy, tenure and pension and by giving
women the rights to position and suf-
frage on par with men. The question
of religious instruction would also be
solved by getting better teachers, for
they would in their life, exemplify the
teachings of religion, thereby doing
away with the need of dogmatic in
struction and combining secular edu-
cation and religious education to sim
plify education.
"The program had over 800 topics
arranged in about so larger groups.
Concerning each topic one could hear
the most extreme views
on the question of salary; everybody
were agreed that the teachers were
awfu1ly underpaid. On all the other
topics there was veritable babel of
voices, and perhaps it is risky to say
what was the main question and trend
of opinion. Yet we venture to say that
the great question was the salary
question and that Miss Margaret Hal
ey of Chicago was the most popular
speaker there, because she was the
salary oracle at the meeting. At the
reception to the teachers given by the
St. Paul teachers she was the guest
of honor. She was also proposed as
the next president of the association
Another question of interest outside
of the election of officers was that OF
morals and religion. The particular
moral problem which bobbed up every
now and then was, "Shall sex hygiene
be taught to children in the grade
schools?" And the most vexing re
ligious problem was the teachers at
titude toward the Bible. There is nc
danger that the religion advocated by
the National Religious Association
and the N. E. A. can ever be classi
fed as creeds. 1t will be too pale and
indefinite in outline to be recognized
even by it's devotees. And then there
were many other questions: Vocation
al schools and courses, which every
educator tried to say something nice
about, because these are marching or
with such lusty strides. Science, Of
course, received much tribute, and the
classics even had a few stout cham
pions. School gardens, school clubs
peace leagues, child psychology ant
tests, simplified spelling, agriculture
movies, dancing and a host of othel
topics and pastimes were INDUCED
in"
The next meeting will be held il
Oakland, CAL, and will be Of an inter
national character on account of tn,
San Francisco exposition, the N. E. A.
therefore, had to elect man as thu
new president with a knowledge O
foreign languages and with an inter
Jordan was unanimously elected presi
dent to the satisfaction of all. From
its establishment president and nov
chancellor of Stanford University
the largest university on the Pacif
lcoast, DR.. Jordan is distinguishes
} equally for his work in science, in edu
cation and for social progress. He
a famous fish specialist and is said t.
speak a dozen languages. Few if an
educators have written stronger word
in favor of modern language teaching
Here is one of his utterances.
PRESIDENT OF N. E. A. ON MOL
ERN LANGUAGE TEACHING.
1.-THE German language is near
us. It can be fairly mastered. 1t ha
a noble literature, and one which GU
students enter, and from which the
draw strength and pleasure. The lal
guage is disable one. The ANTIGUA
ed clumsiness Of Latin syntax cause
! the death of the language though II
! noble words survive in the Romani
%on oroo ~ El,,ropo o~d - n ,,oo+ \