Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-02-23
Warrington Prince Of Teachers,
Coolidge Tells u. S. Educators

disordered condition. 1t was dis
tinctly a transition period in Ameri-
ca. The early settlers who had come
from the old country had passed
away. very large proportion of the
inhabitants of the Colonies, estimated
by some as nearly 80 per cent, We're
native born. The pioneer crusading
fervor was gone. The new awaken
ing had not come. The attachment
10 those institutions that are repre-
sented by an order of nobility was
breaking down. Both in the Old
World and in the New the ancient
aristocracy was crumbling; but the
modern democracy had not yet arisen.
An era was approaching which was
to give less and less attention tn
kings and more and more attention
10 the people. In that era Washing
ton was to be the heroic figure.
No doubt the most powerful influ-
ence which was working to establish
the new order was the revival of re-
ligion. This movement had been
started in England by John Wesley
and George Whitefield in 1923. 1t
was distinctly an effort to reach the
common people. They went down
among those who were not otherwise
reached, preaching the gospel In
America, Jonathan Edwards led two
revival movements, eliminating III
1742. Whitefield came to this coun-
try and preached to great congrega-
tions during this period, and the fol-
lowers of Wesley sent Bishop Asbury
here in 1771 These religious activi-
ties were distinctly popular move
ments They rested on the theory
that every human soul was precious.
They resulted in a leveljng process;
but it was not leveling down, y
was a leveling UP. They raised every
person that came under their influ-
ence to a higher conception of life
a new recognition of spiritual worth
gave to all humanity an increased
Importance.
Another very prodemoinating influ.
ence. supplementing religion and
flowing from it, was education. This
movement was not new in the Col
onies, but it increased in volume. az
fer 1882. 1t has been claimed that
the Reformed Dutch Church Of New
York founded an academy in 1888
and that the Boston Latin School was
established in 1876. In the same year
Boston took action in a town meet
inc to support a school, and in con-
necticut and Rhode Island schools
were opened within a few years In
| Philadelphia, New Jersey, Maryland
Virginia and South Carolina and
other colonies early action was tax :
en- to provide schools, but the eftoft
was not followed up so aasiduously
as it was in New England, where Sne
clergy were very active in it's pro
motion. This Influence was seen in
the first compulsory school law ~
America. which was passed in Mas
sachusetts in 1647:
"@ it being one chief proJect
of the old debtor Satan to keep men
from the knowledge. Of the scrip
tures,'' the preamble reeitetd, the
General Court ordered that each
township "after the Lord hath IN
creased them to tn. number OF .9o
householders shall then forthwith ap-
point one within every town to teach
all such children to write and read
Towns of 100 families were required
to have a grammar school ana a
teacher able to prepare youths TOT
the university Penalties We're fixed
for the violation of this law.
In 1882 there were already three
colleges in America-Harvard, Will
liam and Mary, and Yale-with
combined attendance which is esu
mated at about 275 students.
The intellectual awakening thar