The Dickinson press., 1916-05-06
GOV. |. B. HANNA
|. F, CRAWFORD
ADDRESS SUPTS,
STATE COUNTY SUPERINTEND-
ENTS BANQUETED AT
DICKINSON WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.
Speakers Favor Normal School
For This Part of The State.
Large Attendance.

Large Attendance.
The visiting state county superin-
tendents were given a fine banquet at
the st. Charles on Wednesday even
ing, nearly 250 being seated in the
big dining room. The Ka-na-o club,
consisting Of about IL girls, assisted
very efficiently in the serving of the
banquet. Music was furnished by
the st. Charles orchestra and a de-
icious course dinner was served.
The tables and room were decorated
for the occasion and looked very
neat. Mayor White acted as toast
master and called first upon Lewis F.
Crawford, president of the state
board of regents, and then upon Gov.
L. B. Hanna, who came out on the
afternoon train from Bismarck.
Lewis F. Crawford
Hon. L. F. Crawford began his ad-
dress with word picture of Dickin-
son as he first saw it, a lonesome
spot with no lights, no sidewalks. A
German who described the climate to
him said "Sometimes it rains nodings
und sometimes it rains twice as
much,' and Mr.. Crawford said he
found this true in those pioneer days.
But times have changed and Dickin-
son has grown and developed along
with the whole western portion of
the country, and now serves as a
center for this western territory.
Since these superintendents, who
gathered here, represented all parts
OF the state, they were a fit audi
ence for his topic which was based on
solid reasons why normal school
should be established at Dickinson.
Mr.. Crawford said to educate we need
nornals. He believed in them and
entertained the most friendly spirit
towards all the normals and educa-
tional institutions in the state.
A normal school at Dickinson would
hardly detract from the attendance of
any of the others, for it is proven
fact, and he cited statistics, that the
enrolment at a normal school is COM
posed very largely of local students,
very few coming from outside terri
tory.
The three normals that we now
have are filled to their entire capa-
city, and this is a good reason why
we should have more. About three
hundred teachers graduate every
year, whereas, as State Supt. Taylor
says, 1000 are needed. To graduate
even one half that number, additions,
new buildings, larger teaching
corps and new libraries, at the vari-
GUS schools will be imperative. Why
not concentrate the expense and ef-
ot %ho wi Nf
the. southwest, where it is badly
needed? It would be more economi-
cal also as all the brick used in the
erection of our state buildings comes
from either Dickinson or Hebron, the
cost of transportation being thus
eliminated. Dickinson is also in the
heart of the coal district, so that
much expense would be saved in fuel.
Mr.. Crawford said the eastern part
of the state has its schools and he
is glad that it has, but the western
portion is just as much entitled to re-
gard and education as the eastern.
To get that education we need a
greater supply of competent teach
ers who earn their salary, particu-
larly in the rural schools, where the
children in many cases are objects
of experimentation in the hands of
untitled teachers, because we cannot
obtain trained instructors.
Mr.. Crawford hoped that in five
years time he would have the pleas
ure Of seeing normal school estab-
lished here and was sure that the
educators present all joined him in
this wish, especially as they more
than others realized the task of Sc
curing good teachers:
Gov. L. B. Hanna
Governor l.. B. Hanna expressed
himself as being glad to be here at
this gathering Of the superintendent.
He said he was very much interested
III the establishing of normal school
here, as there was no state educa-
tional institution between Jamestown
and Billings, and he, for one, was out
for the education of these people in
the west, and that if but one vote
was cast in Cass county in favor OF
the normal schooh Dickinson people
should not mistake the source.
The governor went back a number
Of wears into the history of Dickin-
son, when the population was centered
almost entirely in the eastern part OF
!, the state. The automobile lined
streets Of our city today brought
back to his mind in contrast the pic
tulre Of Dickinson in early days when
horses and carts were the only con-
.yeeyances. He mentioned Attorney i.
IA. Simpson, M. Z. Ayers and R. 81.
johnson as among those whom he
first met out here, when this terri
tory was referred to as the estate OF
Starke." He went on telling OF
the fight Representative Simpson
made in the Legislature for our ex-
perimental sub station and how he
won out, and later sought q yearly
Continued on page 81