The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-24
Schoolmasters' Two Hundredth Meeting
Memorable Event in Education
President Butler and Prof Sachs of Columbia State Commissioner ney
George A. Pmpton George McAneny President Mezes City
Among Crosweu POSTMASTER

ell postmaster.
unatintingly and whole heartedly the
hand Of fellowship to us at "a time when |
1t had not yet become the fashion among .
college officers to recognize sincerity OF
| endeavor, singleness If purpose In our |
deliberation II was he who arranged at
his Office the first conference between |
hair dozen Of our members and various
members OF his faculty. a conference out |
Of which developed the college entrance |
examination board.
| A venerable body are We, with over
quarter Of century Of unremitting
activity to our credit we antedate by
at feast four years the deliberations Of
| the committee Of ten. which In the eyes OF |
/ many OF our juniors apparently mark the
beginning OF all things before that there
was In the secondary schools educational
| chaos. ! will not venture ths assertion
| that educational cosmos has finally set In
| since then, but there has been going on a
smoothing process out OF which the per- !
/ feet order OF things may be expected TO
emerge. The association and we Its
members. have passed through various
stages Of experience which. ~ we view
them to-day. We may contemplate with
alternate amusement and surprise. There
was a time when we stood IN hushed adj
miration and nw" before the absolute
standard set bv the colleges. and pro
pounded 90 ourselves the question, How
shall We prove ourselves worldly Of the
/ Rhadanan'h ne tests? We have advanced
in more recent wears 20 the point where
We gained respectful cons dera ton Dur
what We announced as the teachers ideal
in the school, and We have gone stu
| further 10 a third stag, I'm which we
/ subordinate aAs our own preconceived
/ preferences to the prime cons Iteration OF
/ the pupils needs.
Discussed widest Range OF Topics.
During all these years Of gradual
/ change In our point ~ view We have been
discussing the widest possible range OF
! topics presumably we have been accu-
/ mulatng much wisdom Have We er
! hauStrd the fountains OF inspiration. or is
! there still something to be said. 70 be
worked out? Assuredly We do not want
] the same questions 20 come before ~ N
| cycles and md ourselves anwerinE them
as We did before there is IA tradition that
! certain pulpit orators return after lapse
/ OF time to the same texts and interpret
them identically as they did before That
hope is not our case. We are impeled by
the constant change In educational trend
to revise steadily our atttude. teacher
realizes that Crt'Niu etern1, questions
may be- reviewed again and aga.n under
changing angles Of vision and there u
one thing / venture 20 say We have all
learned. never to assume that our pres
4 eut conclusion IL the nnal word on any
question Of moment. How many COM
plete reversas OF judgment have We er-
perienced during our existence as an assoc
ciation' Is there anything more striking
than the Abandonment Of solemn declats-
tons which "A decade or two ago seemed
to have the force Of - great moral law
Take up TODAY the report OF the COM
mttres and ask yourselves now many
judgments there propuunded nave been
reversed In the intervening Years II -
Of the nature OF sound thought 20 advance
, over the ruins Of shattered theories. We'll
: do | remember and some or YOU do TOO
/ that luvable old gentleman one or our
earliest members, whose little notebook
was frequently In evidence 10 rescue from
! possible oblivion the speCulatlons and the
/ ! cries that some youthful enthusiast cnuu-
= cIated how he rose 10 get from iIe
, speaker chapter and verse thai might
r &Ibs tantiate his record II some one held
US literally To account for all the sue
: gestlonE that at one time or another We
, we're guilty OF propounding No, We grow
should grow, a. We expect our pupils u
grow with the successive wears there
should manifest itself an Increasing san
, | ity an our teaching, while We recognize
, | more fully and more synNatheiicdllN on'
u pupils limitations and our own lmta
tons
l. This association. as view It's posi-
u / billties n far from having exhausted it'
u service 10 Is members. II they approach
- these monthly deliberations In the rgh
]
said to have remarked recently TO al
r. inquiry about the probable termination
= OF the war, II don't know when II VII
end. but / do know when II VIII begin.
!" so ! contend. YOU are but at the BEGIN
y ming OF the problems before you ther
:, is work without limit before YOU II Sol
| try to lind out not so much what :"
ought to teach our pupils but how W
are to approach the task. recall tn
!" sir OF indifference with which some year
)" ago a body OF head masters met an adj
, dress on the way to stimulate tho men
- tai growth OF our tea cheers to-day every
', | thing tends that way. We are groWln
. heartily tired " statistical compilation
" | OF courses OF study. Of enumeration o
y, what we are to teach We are desper
a. stely anxious 10 develop the power hot
IN to teach. how TO gain ourselves tn
+, knowledge that II In turn to be communl
+. Gated
10 Narrowness in our vision. uarrownes
~. In our acceptance OF standardiZe
a Judgment. is the thing TO avoid above a
else. I have been impressed Profound
Ia in these days OF world confusion by tn
,r warning words OF one OF the greatest
he living physioloRsts In paper on Free
T." dom OF WIN and War he shows that IN
ia salvation Of mankind from the narrow
II ness and blind submission to Oh
he elemental passion II IN the posses
d. sion OF a greater number OF degrees {
NJ will by any process. chemical or othel
wise. reduce the number OF degrees
freedom to one and you lead the wa
to the madness OF unthinking devotio
IT. to one central thought SO In our VOL
to We must guard against blindness. again!
We dogma. against prejudice. And here
he believe | shall find our distinguished az
at visers in the past distinctly In accoI
u in the plea | would make. This asst
st citation should. as hitherto. call for ei
mt tightening addresses by men outside /
'c- own membership; but 1t Is OF prime In
10 portanCe that its members should then
'e- selves grapple the many grave problem
ur still confronting the secondary schoS
~ and work them ont TO a tangible solution
'eS whatever the theory that may he pr
IT'S pounded. we must depend upon YOU
n' work out their concrete applications.
IVY And finally | would recall to yo
zee friends and fellow workers. Meredith
So words Strength shall we gain by se
vice; Train by endurance, by devote
nS shape"
We DIR. William MCAndrew. Associate =
az perintendent of Schools OF the city
NJ New York and former president OF III
I'M society. was then fsCetiously called up'
10 by the POSTMASTER, and he responded