The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-05-01
Mrs. Jean McNaughtOn Stevens Re.
port Of Educational Meeting.
pART TT
PART II.

HllIIcc dpPoHuIcu w ouPI' -. "a VnleS
were unusually happy in their spirit
and wording. The grateful thanks of
the N. w. f. A. were rendered to the
City of Minot, to the Association of
Commerce, and to the Normal for
warm hospitality and hearty co-opera-
ton. Much these things helped to
make the meeting success.
They also thanked Supt. White and
his official staff for the high type of
program, with it's keynote of Amer
icanization.
One speaker spoke of the keynote
and the melody. To this gladly add
my word of appreciation. All the
speakers spoke in the terms of Major
Cranes "New Spirit of Education;'
their keynote was set for them, not in
sharps, nor in flats. but in natural
key, and the melodious harmony was
glorious.
But it is not necessarily New Era
or New Spirit of Education--it is
simply renewal of the Faith and
Hope which laid firm foundation in
the Northwest with the years of the
New Century, and the workmen and
workwomen of that day were simply
handing on the fine training and ex-
perience they had received on both
sides of the Atlantic and in many
states. Such grand work as the thous-
and assembled in Minot witnessed and
applauded, is not the fruit of slender
annual plants but is rather the fine
acorns growing on sturdy oaks traced
by the Winds Of the Great War and
our share in the duties of ""carrying
ON the same.
Another resolution pledged the
| teachers to study thrift Individually
and collectively. Many brave girls
bought Liberty Bonds and paid for
them on the "stal" plan. Many more
will keep on buying Thrift Stamps.
The men? Well, they are usually
better paid, and they are not pressed
by the temptation to dress in ephem-
eral- clothes and high gray shoes, but
they are saving for the day they
leave teaching and go into business
See them invest. They know a golden
egg when they see it-besides noting
our good Uncle Sans pledge to "see
it thru"
The nub of the resolutions was a
firm resolve to back up the Towner
Bill in Congress-, thru our Congress
sional delegation. This Bill is faith
cred in the Senate by Hoke Smith of
Georgia and in the House by. Towner
Of Iowa. 1t will be introduced stimuli
taneously on the LIST day of Congress.
1t proposes minimum salary of ST.
900 per year for every rural teacher
and maximum Of $4,000 for the head
master or headmistress, so that men
and women may know of an assured
footing, with the pension for old age
and meanwhile they may devote their
energies to helping on pupils of ability
and energy, such as Scotland has done
for three hundred years in her parish
schools, and so has developed such a
chorus of leaders as our present time
needs. No wonder the British EN-
pire always shows preponderance of
Scottish leaders; leaders, too, who
know how to follow as Sir Douglas
Haig followed Foch.
Major Crane asserted stoutly that
our public schools in North Dakota
have made good, and later on Mrs.
Stevens took up the word, and babe
all the teachers continue to make
good, and walk worthy Of the plans
in Congress.
And then she urged the association
to speak out with no uncertain voice,
on Bill 134 in North Dakota, and to
send message to the other Sections
of the State and the State Executive
of the N. D. E. A., to ask for their
cooperation in showing under said
Bill, and so send it to the "innocuous
desuetude' Grover Cleveland talked
of in the early '90's. The rapid ap-
plause of the meeting showed that she
had struck chord that vibrated
grandly
There were so many good things in
the meetings, all enjoyed by a very
responsive audience, every seat occu-
pied and nobody going out to shop,
that time and space fail me to COM
ment adequately But some high
points cannot help hitting.
The finely constructive program out
lined by State Supt. Miss Minnie Mel
son, included night schools which she
illustrated by stories Of the work done
by the Moonlight Schools in the
mountains, where even "a is not too
old for man to learn to read, and
where, not only naturalizing the for
eignlborn, but Americahizing them
finely. is carried out
A second point was Health and the
good done by the school nurse, also
we'll illustrated by concrete examples,
notably the two little boys bringing
trachoma to school, and the relief of
other parents when the second day in
school saved the eyes of other chill
dren before it had time to spread, and
the eyesight of the two boys was saw
ed before total ruin The parents
knew, then, that trachoma had been
contracted from the hired man, and the
kitchen towel.
The third point was a county play
day now we'll established in Barnes
county and Grand Forks county any
how. All work and no play makes
lack dull boy and sends women to
Jamestown.
Then Miss Nelson dealt briefly
with grain grading and cream test
ing. now ordered by the Legislature
at her urgent request, and we'll dealt