The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-10

Miss Anna E. M. Dwyer, chair man of the publicity committee, for the local observance of Ma tional Education week, today pays tribute to Horace Mann. the father of the American public schools. Miss Dwyer sketches the activities of Horace Mann rom the time he began his movement which brought about equal oppor- tunity for everyone to receive an education, until he ended his ca reer as president of a humble col- lege in Ohio.
 This year the American public schools all over the country, are celebrating the centennial or Horace Mann's service to mankind giving to us our public schools.
 Horace Mann has been rightly called the Father of Public School Education" After our con. stitution was written, 1t was found that many people could not read it. Over half the nation had no chance to attend school. The public schools considered as "pauper schools were open only a few short weeks each year. Most people accepted the view that ed- ucation was the privilige or the wealthy. Indeed, many saw no need for educating any but the wisest-and these should govern the rest of the people.
 Free Schools
 Horace Mann felt that every man had the right to become a yoter-and that each one should be so educated that he could 'tsensibly and reasonably" exercise his franchise. "We must have free schools--open to all" he said, and to lend weight to this state ment. he gave up his law career and devoted the best years of his life to building up the schools.
 Other leaders had seen the need of education in our national life, but Horace Mann was the first o see the common school as the in- strument of universal education in a democracy.
 Today in our public school sys- tenn we have thirty million young people and a million teachers working together for the public good of society. This is the fu. ture which Horace Mann visioned only a hundred short years ago.
 Horace Mann was born in the little New England town of Frank lin, Mass. He was Al years of age when he was invited to become the, first secretary of the newly formed board of education in Massachusetts. He was 8 success full lawyer at the time and held a high position in the senate. However, despite the pleadings of his friends to relinquish his cre- ature comforts obtained after years of ceaseless endeavor, he said, My law books are for sale, let the next generation be my client"
 Real Champion
 At last the schools had a real champion who understood their importance to democracy. Early and late Horace Mann labored at his beloved task-the spreading of doctrine of the need for public schools to give to the young per- son seeking to increase his powers, adequate instruction. He tried to show the merchant the advantage obtained by flndinng intelligent buyers for his wares, and he at tempted often with only a Scant measure of Success-to prove to the statesmen the necessity of an education to improve democratic government.
 Up and down the state of Massachusetts he travelled night and day for more than Il years trying to educate the people to found and establish schools.
 Normal Schools
 Probably one of his greatest improvements in public education was the founding of normal schools where teachers could be adequately prepared to teach the American youth. Less than one hundred years ago-in July, 1889 --the first normal school in our country was opened at Lexington. Mass. For 12 years--many of them