Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-25
Seldom Figure in Headlines in
Sensation-Loving Land,
He Declares.
EXODUS OF EDUCATORS
GETS UNDER WAY TO-DAY
Session This Afternoon and Mac
MILAN Speech Tonight Close
Convention.

| The exemplary lives of the Ma
/ tlon's 100000 educators and school
teachers who, he asserted. are utter
| ly inconspicuous in d sensation-lov-
ing country" and seldom figure in a
! sensational headline in a newspaper"
, were lauded without stint by Secre-
/ tary of Commerce Herbert Hoover in
an address on Education as a Ma
tional Asset" before today's general
session Of the Department of Super
Intendence, National Education Asso-
citation.
THE public school teacher" con-
t1nued Secretary Hoover, "is peculiar
~ public character under the most
searching scrutiny Of watchful and
critical eyes. His life is an open
book. His habits are known to all.
His office. like that Of minister of
relgion, demands of him an excep-
| tfonal standard Of conduct.
Seldom i'm Headlines.
And how rarely does a teacher
faH below that standard. How sell
dom does teacher figure in a sen
sational headline IN a newspaper. 1t
Is truly remarkable, I think, that so
vast an army of people, approximate
IL
obligations, SO effectively does its
job, SO decently behaves itself, as to
be almost utterly inconspicuous in
sensation-loving country 1t i'm
plies a wealth of character, of tact
of patience. of quiet competence. to
achieve such a record as that"
general session this afternoon al
the Auditorium, beginning at >
o'clock. and lecture tonight at the
same place by Comdr. Donald B. Mac
MILAN, will bring to a close the most
successful convention ever held by
the Department of Superintendent.
Hundreds Of the educators left the
city after hearing Secretary Hoover's
address. A general exodus will take
place late this afternoon.
Platoon Type Discussion.
This afternoons most important
business will be a pro and con discus
sioIi of the platoon type of school and
the adoption of a set of resolutions.
Among these resolutions will be two
of local tmportance-one praising the
development of the Washington
schools under the leadership of DR.
Frank W. Ballou, retiring president
Of the department, and tho other
voicing appreciation for the courtesies
extended the convention by Washing
ton.
If the usual custom of the conveu-
ton is followed the selection OF the
convention city for 1927 will not be
made by the executive committee for
several days, possibly several weeks
The cities making a bid are Louis
vile, Houston. Dallas, Denver. Detroit
and Atlanta. There is known 10 be d
movement afoot, however. to make
! Chicago more or less permanent
convention city, owing to the central
location and the ability of this city
to accommodate the departments at
tendance. This movement is linked
with another to change the date of
the departments meeting from Febru-
AIRY to another month.
Southerners Disappointed.
While delegates at the convention
appeared to be elated today over the
election of DR.. Randall j. Condor of
Cincinnati as president of the depart
ment, 1t was noted that DR.. Condor
had an excellent chance of being
elected president of the National Ed
ucation Association at Philadelphia
In July, considered by some a higher
honor. The Southern educators We're
disappointed over the defeat of DR..
Charles B. Glenn OF Birmingham. and
some of them declared it was due TO
the division of the South between DR..
Glenn and DR.. f. E. Oberholtzer, su-
perintendent of schools of Houston
Tex.
Prior to this afternoons debate on
the platoon school system to he in
dulged in by Charles l.. Spain of De
troit. who will cite it's advantages.
and Harry B. Wilson of Berkeley,
California, who will tell of its dtsad
vantages, a group of the educators
visited the Park View School, which
is Washington's contribution to the
platoon type Of education.
Three Categories.
Secretary Hoover, in his address
before the educators, declared he be
lieved their work could be classified
into three categorieS: The impa aftinc
Of knowledge and a trained mind, the
training of citizenship and the in
spring of ideals. He said he would
rank them in that ascending order.
and that the Nation owes the edu-
Gators a debt of gratitude for their
accomplishments.
ITO YOU school men and school
women" continued Secretary Hoover.
'is intrusted the major part in hand
ing on the traditions of our republic
and its ideals. Our greatest national
ideal is democracy. 1t is your func-
tion to keep democracy possible by
training its children to it's ways and
it's meanings. We have seen many
attempts in late years to set up the
forces of democratic government, but
many Of them are but the forms, for
without a literate citizenry, taught
and enabled to form sound public
opinion, there is no real democracy.
The spirit of democracy can survive
only through universal education.
"All this has been said often enough
before, and lest our national critics
should object to it's repetition, I may
add that we don't expect you to teach
the gamut of local, national and in
ternational problems to children.
What democracy requires is train
ing of mind which will permit all
understanding of such problems and
the formation of a reasonable opinion
upon them. That the resultant will
in the long run be an enlightened
public opinion is a hazard upon the
intelligence of our race that the be-
ievers in democracy are willing to
take.
"And democracy is basis of human
relations far deeper than the form of
government. 1t is not only a form Of
government and an ideal that all men
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