The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-05
BY FRANK e. HAMMER


MOST of the older teachers of
1Vl Indiana will remember well
the convention of the Indiana
State Teachers Association, in
Indianapolis, in December, 1905,
and the memorable Riley day pro-
gram in Tomlinson Hall, presided
over by the then senior United
States Senator from Indiana, AL
bert J. Beverage, and participated
in by Edwin Holt Hughes, pres
ident Of De PAW university, and
head of teachers association;
Charles r. Williams, then an In
dianapolis editor; Meredith Nichol-
son. Henry Watterson and other
distinguished persons.
An unassuming gray-haired old
man sat in the balcony directly
to the right of the stage.
recognized only by few in the
large assembly. Here, as was
charactiStic of the man, he
seemed to be trying to avoid
notice, and was succeeding fairly
well until Mr.. Riley, responding to
the eloquent eulogies he had just
listened to, proceeded to place
honor where honor was due. The
modest old man was Lee o. Harris
of Greenfield, the HooSier poets
old teacher.
THE following is from Mr..
Il Riley's address:
1.-The last teacher I remem-
Der with an affection no less fer
vent, though of a maturer kind,
was and is a man Of many gifts,
q profound lover Of literature and
a modest producer in story and in
song, in history and even in ro-
nance and drama, although his life
effort was given first of all to ed
ucation. Most happily living to-
day and hale and vigorous, he
has but very recently retired from
high and honorable office in my
native county. To him I owe pos
sibly the first gratitude of my
heart and soul, since, after a brief
warfare, upon our first acquaint-
ance as teacher and pupil, he in
formed me gently but firmly that
since I was so persistent in Sc
cretly reading novels during school
hours he would insist upon his
right to choose the novels I should
read, whereupon the 'Beadle' and
Munro dime novels were dis
carded for such genuine master
pieces of fiction as those of Wash
ington Irving. Cooper, Dickens.
Thackeray and Scott; so that it
may be virtually recorded that the
first study of literature in a Hoo
sier country school was, perhaps
very consciously, introduced by
my first literary friend and in
spirer, Captain Lee o. Harris of
Greenfield"
This elected much applause and
calls for Captain Harris, to which
he reluctantly arose, bowed and
sat down.
HAD Captain Harris failed to
Il 1discover this budding genius
who was misunderstood even by
his own father, who was himself a
cultured man, and allowed to per-
sist in the course he was then
pursuing, when intercepted by
this other genius with soul at
tuned to his own, would this Won
derftl gathering ever have been
assembled? To some of US who
knew all parties concerned and
associated intimately with them,
I am afraid the answer would have
to be in the negative.
1t Is now twenty years since the
death of Captain Harris. Has his
work been properly commence
rated? The influence of his teach
ing has been boundlesS. This has
been freely admitted. Yet if the
question were asked in our schools
today, who was Captain Lee o.
Harris. how many could answer?
Tea chers. take this tip-go to
Greenfield, study the life and char
acter of Captain Harris and profit
by his precepts. Monuments have
been erected, songs have been
sung, and days set aside in our
schools to commemorate the mem
DRY of others who have done less.