River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1920-04-15
Tribute
President Warren Downes Parker
BY John F. Sims
Pres. Stevens Point Normal School


half a century dynamic educational
force in Wisconsin, winged it's flight
to shat undiscovered country from
whose bourne no traveller returns"
Born at Bradford, Vermont, on Sep
TENDER 26, 1889, and therefore in the
eighty-first year of his age, his pas
sage caused by malignant form of
intestinal dropsy, comes as a distinct
shock to his legion of friends, both
professional and lay, in the Badger
state.
From his father, who was a lawyer.
and county judge in Vermont and lat
er municipal judge in Wisconsin, he
inherited a keen, logical mind, and
under his influence was trained to
habits of accurate observation and
clearness of expression. His mother,
whose maiden name was Miss Anime
C. Pratt, was a sister of the mother
of Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, the
Badger poetess. To her was due his
constructive poetic imagination, and
the rich imagery of his expression,
and as well that broad and kindly
synipathy for all which made him a
power for good.
The details of his biography, insep-
arably bound up in his educational
work, are briefly told. At the age OF
fifteen, his family moved to GAINESVILLE,
Wisconsin, where in few years ne
completed a high school course and
at once entered upon his life work
with zeal and ambition of youth
of twenty. He could toll terribly; he
worked; he had no outside interests.
Nature built him ON the true lines
that made for leadership and success.
His fifty years of work in the fieia
of education included the following:
principalship of high school and city
superintendent at Delevan and James
vile; presidency of the state normal
school at River Falls from 1875 to
1889, and from 1894 to 1898, total
of eighteen years; twice Inspector OF
schools for the deaf. during which
time he prepared an authoritative
ard epoch-making report on the edu-
catlon or Jne oeaf; membership on the
State Board of Normal Regents; sec
retaryship of the State Board of Nor
NAL Regents from 1892 to 1895, dur
ing which period the normal schools
at Stevens Point and Superior were
established; membership in the board
of examiners for state certificates;
membership in the National Educa-
tional Association, being its railway
secretary for the great meetings held
at Madison in 1884, and at Chicago in
1887.
His fellow craftsmen honored him
with all of the serial offices in the
Wisconsin Teachers Association and
for twenty years he negotiated all Of
the arrangements with the railroads
in securing reduced rates for its mem
bers. From 1867 to 1898 he conduct
ed teachers Institutes, lectured to
great bodies of teachers, and during
his later years of work in Wisconsin
he served as Inspector of teachers in
stitutes. His last public service, in
1904, was performed in collecting and
exhibiting materials which revealed
Wisconsin's educational status, prog
ress and promise for the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition which was held
at st. Louis. At the close of his SER
vice at this exposition large body OF
the exhibitors, in recognition of his
marked ability and courteous man.
ners, presented him with loving cup
accompanied by an autograph album
with appropriate inscription.
1t is the divine heritage of men to
possess ideals and TO be possessed by
them, to have conception of that
which we are not, and to nightly de-
sire to become that which we would
be, and to desire it with such longing
that we spare no effort in its realiza-
ton. To become a permanent edu-
cational force is the highest earthly
distinction and our friends life and
activities were immersed in the real
ization of that ideal, and in his effort
at realization he was as modest as he
vas deserving.
Teaching, for him, was the great
est of all arts. Believing profoundly
in the doctrine of self-activity, the
whole superstructure of his educa-
tional theory and practice was built
upon it as a foundation. All instruct
ion in school is given for the purpose
of developing the mental and moral
nature of the pupils, and his faith
was invaluable in the principle that
there could be no such development
save through the activity of mind and
conscience on the part of the pupil.
Hence the great work OF the teacher