point of view of the interests of the people at large. Let me put it
like this: here is your body politic, the people of North Dakota,
600,000 strong, or, better yet, the people of the United States, some
hundred million in number, partners in ownership of our magnificent
country, co-laborers in its administration, and sharers in the work of
their own government and in the working out of their destinies--each
with a share and an influence and each expected to participate. But so
complicated are the matters needing consideration, so difficult of
solution many of the problems arising, and so infinitely vast the whole
undertaking that the great majority of the people, thru either
immaturity or lack of training, often do not know what is best to do.
And again, skilful manipulators, dishonest self-seekers, are ever at
hand with plausible theories calculated to befog the untrained, deceive
the unsuspecting, and to lead them all astray. Taking everything into
consideration, the situation is extremely difficult. In a plain word,
these untrained people, the product of the elementary schools, can not
see far enough ahead to know that oftentimes the policy that seems most
attractive is full of danger for the future. They are not qualified to
weigh, and estimate, and decide. But there is a class among them,
college-bred men and women, a small class, relatively, that is
qualified. Thru long years of study, and investigation, and reflection,
in institutions freely provided and generously maintained by the people
now in need, they have attained such a knowledge of affairs and such an
ability to cope with intricate problems as to make them efficient
leaders--leaders capable of guiding aright the noble ship of state thru
difficult and tortuous channels beset, on every side, by dangerous rocks
and calamitous whirlpools. And among that class of efficient leaders
you, young men and young women of the University of North Dakota, will
soon be numbered. How shall you respond to the call of duty? Your State,
by virtue of what she has done and is now doing for you, has a right to
expect unselfishness and unstinted service in her own interests and in
those of mankind. Shall she get it? Will you rise to the occasion and,
even at a sacrifice of personal comfort, ease, esthetic enjoyment,
money, give to her what is her due? Will you remember _Noblesse
Oblige_? Of course you will. For there is a well-established principle,
clearly stated in Holy Writ and sanctioned by the ages, that of those to
whom much hath been given, much will also be required. _Noblesse
Oblige_--your privileges compel you.
Because the theory of the old motto, "_Paucis vivat humanum genus_,"
"for the few live the many," is no longer maintained. The many do not
live for the few. The reverse is true. The few live for the many. But
yet, the service is not unrewarded--only a portion of the reward has
come first. In your equipment you are being paid in advance. David Starr
Jordan has happily clothed the thought in these words: "It is in the
saving of the few who serve the many that the progress of civilization
lies. In the march of the common man, and in the influence of the man
uncommon who rises freely from the ranks, we have all of history that
counts."
And here I might stop. But a general statement, more or less abstract,
needs practical illustration: the "how," the "when," and the "where" are
perfectly legitimate questions for you to ask. Let us then throw a hasty
glance upon some of the great activities that claim men's attention, and
discover some of the openings awaiting you.
_The teaching profession_ will draw heavily upon your ranks--that
profession, full and rich in opportunities for usefulness beyond any and
all others, is more and more looking for you, and waiting impatiently
for your full equipment and thoro readiness. All of the higher positions
must come to you and others like you. No others are, or will be,
adequately prepared. In nearly all of our states the legal requirement
for a high school teacher and, of course, for the high school principal
and city superintendent is the completion of a full four-year college
course including a certain specified amount of professional work. In
some of the states, indeed, the requirement is of a full year beyond the
undergraduate course, or the possession of a Master's degree, with the
emphasis of this added year thrown upon the subjects to be taught and
the manner of handling the same.
So the facts are borne upon us that the desk of the high school
principal, the office of the city superintendent, the chair of the
college professor, the position of college and university president, is
soon to be offered you. Are you ready for it? ready in academic
equipment? ready in professional attainment? And are you equally well
prepared in that even finer element--the possession of your soul by the
spirit of _Noblesse Oblige_?
I can not say, of course, to which of you here to-day a college
presidency is to be offered, nor the professor's chair, nor any other
specific position. Nor can I say just when the offer will come. But I
can say, and with assurance, that all these positions and all others of
leadership in the educational field will be offered to college men and
college women, and in all probability as soon as they are well ready for
them. Moreover, it can doubtless be said that they will be apportioned
fairly on the basis of merit and fitness. And then you will have in your
hands the shaping of the destinies of a great free people with all the
emoluments, the opportunities, and the responsibilities that should
accompany a work of such moment.
And _the Gospel ministry_ can no longer look elsewhere. If it is to
continue to wield its mighty influence for good, and to play its
magnificent rôle of leadership in our developing civilization,
especially among our rapidly increasing educated classes, it must more
and more come into its rightful inheritance, so long withheld, of that
broader conception of brotherhood and Christianity that forgets the
letter of the law in magnifying its spirit--that puts life before dogma
and character before creed. And this, fellow students, can never be
without the broad university equipment.
We have traveled far during these latter years. And no longer do we
consider it sufficient that the minister of the Gospel know merely his
Bible and his theology. In addition to these, aye, as a basis for these,
it is now demanded (that is, if he be accorded a position of real
leadership among thinking people) that he know as well his history and
his sociology, his psychology and his biology, and indeed that he be
acquainted with all the fields of human knowledge. Not only that, he
must know life as it is lived to-day, and the thoughts and emotions of
men as they are manifested in the give and take of actual life. And none
of these can be obtained within the narrow confines of the old
theological seminary. The modern university is the only institution in
which the minister of the future can get it all and get it in the right
order and in the correct admixture. In the laboratories, the libraries,
and the classrooms he will delve deeply into the realms of science,
literature, and art, and there and on the campus, in its varied
activities, touch hands and exchange thoughts with the future lawyer,
teacher, physician, engineer, business man, what-not, and thus gain
tolerance, humility, catholicity of spirit, and the spirit of true
democracy.
Thus circumstanced during his preparatory years, he will go out capable
of seeing things in their proper perspective. That's the kind of man
that the ministry is calling to-day, and the call will be louder and
more incessant as the years pass and the education of the people
progresses. That's the kind of man we already have in some of our
leading pulpits, and they are exerting a tremendous influence in all
departments of life. But the supply is limited. There's not enough to go
around. Many more are needed. Our universities must furnish them. Will
this institution do its share? Will some of you young men, with your
well-trained bodies, with your finely-disciplined minds, with your
highly-cultured natures, with that fine balance of powers that means so
much and that can accomplish so much for the world if thus used--will
you turn aside from the beaten path that would be sure to lead to fame
and power and worldly success and enter the more difficult but more
useful field of the Christian ministry for the simple purpose of serving
mankind? You are the kind of men we want, and I am sure that you will
not disappoint us.
And so I might go on, did time permit, and point out attractive and
responsible openings in many different activities--the fields of
engineering and journalism, the professions of medicine and law, the
great world of business, even politics (should I not say, rather, and
_especially_ politics?). It is not necessary to go farther into detail.
You catch my thought. In one and all of these, positions of leadership
are calling loudly for men and women of large knowledge, of trained
minds, of broad outlook, and of splendid visions; and these
characteristics are the fruitage of nothing less than the broad and
comprehensive foundations laid in the college and the university. And
you who have them are, by the very fact of possession, under obligation
to use them for the public weal. How is it, young man, young woman? Are
you going to mesure up to the twentieth century standard? Will you carry
with you from this hall when you leave to-day, and from this institution
when she honors you with her diploma, and out into the great activities
of life,--will you carry with you, I ask, and make the basis of your
actions in life, the thought of these two little words that have been
engaging our attention this morning--_Noblesse Oblige_?
VII
IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
_A Paper read before the Commercial Club of Grand Forks, North Dakota,
January 24, 1911, and printed in the Grand Forks "Daily Herald," January
29, 1911_
In accepting an invitation to speak upon the topic assigned,
"Improvements in Our Public Schools," I come not as a hostile critic,
not even as an impartial observer viewing and commenting upon something
belonging to another. Rather, I come as a sympathetic friend to talk
about an institution in which I am vitally interested and of whose good
work I am proud. Indeed, I am to discuss a great business industry, if
you please, in which you and I are joint stockholders and for whose
success we are alike responsible. And, too, I have been for so many
years a teacher and so closely connected with educational work that I
feel akin to every other man and woman engaged in that occupation.
Knowing how easy it is to make mistakes and thus fall short of attaining
our high ideals in this most trying and most difficult work, I am
temperamentally inclined to magnify the difficulties and to overlook the
shortcomings of educational workers. To be sure, in speaking upon
"Improvements," I am admitting that improvements are possible. But the
best friend of a person or an institution is one who talks frankly and
honestly, admitting weaknesses, if such there be, and suggesting
assistance. Such an attitude can not well be interpreted as a criticism
either of men or mesures.
A gentleman met me on the street a day or two ago and said, "I
understand that you are going to find fault with our schools next
Tuesday night. What for? I want you to understand that our schools are
all right. Let well enough alone." A few days ago one of the local
papers said of the schools, "The public schools of Grand Forks are
recognized as the finest in the Northwest and the school system is
up-to-date in every respect."
And that idea seems to be chronic. Such expressions are common in our
papers and from many of our people. The impression sought to be given is
doubtless that of "Let well enough alone," or "Hands off." Now, Mr.
Chairman, while this feeling clearly betokens a general confidence in
the management of the schools of which those directly in charge may well
take pride, nevertheless, it is not an altogether healthy condition of
affairs.
While I believe in a wise conservatism as against an unthinking
radicalism, I am in no sense of the term a "stand-patter." The
individual who has earned this picturesque title, I care not whether in
the halls of Congress or in the ranks of the educators, is a foe to
progress. A "stand-patter" is such because he is in a rut and either too
lazy or too corrupt to get out.
Things ought not to remain long as they are in any business, in any
enterprise, in any institution. Civilization never stands still. The
most dangerous attitude of mind that a man can hold is that of
complacency, that of perfect satisfaction with things as they are. The
good is always a foe to the best.
No, gentlemen, our schools are not "up-to-date in every respect," not
altogether the "finest" in the great Northwest. The Northwest, you
know, is a pretty big place and has some pretty enterprising towns. But
no individual town has, in all respects, the finest schools in the
Northwest, or in any other place. Our schools are, like those of other
cities, just a good strong average. Like every other system, it contains
some good teachers and some not so good; some up-to-date methods of
instruction are being used and some which should be improved; some
features there are to be strongly commended and some, doubtless, that
should be discontinued. And more than this, gentlemen, you have no right
to demand, or expect, from your Superintendent and your Board of
Education. They will be the very first to endorse all that I have
admitted above. Indeed, that they do not hold that exaggerated opinion
is clearly apparent from the fact that they are even now considering
improvements. And may the day never dawn when we shall see no needed
improvements for our public schools! Should such a time come, it would
simply mean that in matters educational our eyes have become dimmed and
that we are rapidly falling behind.
Had the men of this city been "stand-patters" touching the city, Grand
Forks would not be to-day what it is--the surprise and the admiration of
every intelligent visitor. Were you men here to-night, in your civic
relationship, "stand-patters," the promise of the future would be less
bright than it is. During my early connection with Grand Forks I often
wondered as to the secret of its enterprise. I was not long in
discovering, however, that it was found in the spirit of this Commercial
Club; a spirit, it is, of hope, of civic pride, of optimism, yet a
spirit of almost divine discontent. You have all the time been proud of
your city, but yet not satisfied with it; not satisfied, because you saw
visions of a finer city into which yours might grow. Your city was not
up-to-date--to help make it so you needed a street railway system; what
did you do? Worked for it and--got it. Not yet up-to-date? A great
auditorium was needed; you put your hand into your hip-pocket and lo! it
arises in, what was it, thirty days? The goal not even yet in sight? No,
because better pavement was imperative--and it came. Still something
lacking? An up-to-date street lighting system--you put some of your men
to work on it and it is now our pride and our neighbors' despair. And so
I might go on, I do not need to. Only let me say that it will be a sad
day for Grand Forks when we shall think that we have really reached the
goal--when there is not something toward which we are striving.
I am glad that, in this same spirit, you have now turned your gaze to
the school house. Let us apply there the same principle of free,
intelligent discussion and hearty, generous co-operation, each trying to
outdo the other in loyalty and generous support, hoping, eventually, to
make our schools the "finest in the Northwest," and "up-to-date in every
respect."
But this is a pretty big subject for treatment in an after-dinner talk
of from 15 to 20 minutes. It involves so much, embracing within its
scope, as it may, everything from finance to theology. The very function
of the school, in the large, might well be considered under such a
topic, and scores of details. I might well talk upon the education of
teachers as I do before my classes, or upon educational
psychology--vital subjects all, but scarcely appropriate here. It is,
indeed, a large and interesting subject, lots of places to catch hold.
Manifestly, I can treat it only superficially. All that I can do is
merely in the line of suggestion, trying to direct your attention to
some of the general features, somewhat objective in character.
The first suggestion I have to make is along this very line--the
greatness, the many-sidedness of the educational problem and the need of
general community intelligence in regard to it. Indeed, there are many
aspects of the school work, countless number of details touching books,
courses of study, immediate and remote ends, as well as the larger
philosophical bases, in which the public is deeply interested but
imperfectly informed. Many a parent is ignorant as to what the schools
are trying to do, and why? Not comprehending the end in view,
unintelligent as to the means being used, and with little time or
ability to investigate, friction often arises. The public and its
educational system, the homes and the schools, the teachers and the
parents, should in some way be brought closer together and an
opportunity given for their mutual understanding. There are various ways
in which this opportunity is given in different places: thru mothers'
meetings, in some; thru home and school societies, in others; thru the
establishment of what some call "visiting days," in others, etc. Great
good is sure to result from a systematic use of any one of them.
But we in Grand Forks are a very busy people; clubs and societies
without number claim our attention and secure our membership; public
meetings for the discussion of charities, health, morals, foods, etc.,
saying nothing about church and social demands, are already taking us
too often from homes in the evening, so that I hesitate to suggest
another such activity even in the interests of so important a matter as
the public schools. But believing very firmly as I do that the largest
success of our schools can be secured only thru a cordial co-operation
of the homes and the schools, and believing also that this co-operation
rests upon intelligence as to the aims of the schools and the means that
are being used, I am going to suggest a way of meeting the
difficulty--namely, the utilization of another educational agency of
large influence and philanthropic spirit--I refer to the Press. It is
not my purpose to present here an extended eulogy of the Press. That is
not necessary. You all know what a mighty factor it is in shaping public
opinion. I merely call attention to the fact that it is an _educational_
institution; that it appeals not, as do the schools, to the children,
but to the parents of the children: and then that in Grand Forks it goes
into almost every home in the city. I suggest that this agency be used
to bring about a frank, open discussion, and therefore a better
understanding, of the function and the work of our public
schools--local, state, and national. For our people, in addition to
being busy, are both intelligent and enterprising. They know the value
of the Press. They are great readers. I have been surprised, again and
again, at the large circulation enjoyed by both our enterprising
dailies. I have also been surprised to know how closely all our people
keep in touch with local happenings chronicled there. An educational
column in one or both of the local papers in which the work of the
schools, from taxation to lead pencils, could be discust, would be an
innovation of great value. An open forum, so to speak, it might be, in
which questions could be asked and answered, and also contributions made
from the larger field of educational effort. Of course I do not suggest
this as a place for the airing of personal feelings, of petty details,
of minor matters, rather, an opportunity for discussing with and for an
intelligent and enquiring people great educational questions,
fundamental principles, and broad, humanitarian policies. All such
matters, because fundamental in the development of civilization and
because of universal interest, should and could be handled with frank
simplicity. Such a discussion, constructive in character, could not fail
of doing great good--of being very helpful to teachers and parents
alike.
Another suggestion that I want to make and an improvement that I am
going to urge touches very closely the matter of efficiency of systems
of education. Now, the efficiency of an educational institution or of a
system of schools is often mesured by the success of those completing
its course of study--of those profiting, to the full, by all that it
offers. That is the point of view taken by those people who so greatly
praise the work of the old district school of our boyhood days, "back
East." They point to this man and that one, men who have achieved
eminent success, whose only "schooling," perhaps, was received in the
"little red school house" and therefore claim that it was a great
institution for the making of men. But therein lurks a fallacy. Great
men have issued from the "little red school house," it is true, but they
became great not because of, but in spite of, the fact that the school
house was "little" and was "red." In pointing to such men as these, as
products, they forget the great silent multitude of boys and girls who
were in the same "little red school house" but who were never heard of
after they emerged. The pathetic feature of the old district school was
the great number of children who fell by the wayside. And so, to-day, no
educational institution should be rated as to efficiency by considering
the success merely of those completing its courses. To form a correct
estimate we must consider as well all those who entered and dropt out
before completion.
No system of schools is really efficient in which any considerable
percentage of the children drop out before completing the elementary
course of study. No system of schools is satisfactorily efficient which
is so managed as to require, or even allow, any considerable percentage
of the children to repeat grades, that is, to fail of promotion, making
it necessary to go over the work the second time. Or, to put it in other
words, in which any considerable percentage of the children are doing
work in grades lower than their ages would suggest.
This is the matter of retardation of which we are hearing so much in
these days, and in regard to which Grand Forks, as well as other cities,
suffers. In my judgment, there are two main causes of retardation: poor
teaching and physical defects of the children. There are two ways by
which satisfactory teaching can be secured: in the first place, by
securing the best teachers available, and this, I am very sure, our
Board of Education and our superintendent always try to do. In the
second place, by improving the quality of work thus secured thru expert
supervision on the part of the superintendent and the principals of the
various schools. And this I am sure is not done to the extent that it
might be were matters differently arranged. If another suggestion that I
shall make later on is adopted, however, provision will be made for this
improvement.
Physical defects on the part of the children I named as the second cause
of retardation. And the remedy for the major portion of this cause is
found in my next suggestion--medical inspection of our school children.
Estimating the conditions in Grand Forks on the basis of what has been
discovered in many other places in which medical inspection is in
operation, from 25% to 80% of the children in our schools are suffering
from physical defects of some sort that interfere, to a greater or less
degree, with the work of the school. There is no doubt in the minds of
well-informed people that here is found a very fruitful cause of
retardation, as seen both in grade-failure and in early dropping out of
school. And very many of these defects are removable and, therefore, the
retardation preventable.
Now, the only seemingly valid reason that I have ever heard urged
against the employment of the school physician is that of expense. It
does cost something, I'll admit. All good things do. The necessary
expense, however, is often overestimated. But let us see if we are not,
even in hesitating at the expense, whatever it may be, wholly
illogical. The city assumes the duty of educating the young, but if
many of the young are not in a condition to receive that education,
should we not logically see that the hindrances are removed? We enact
compulsory attendance laws; should we not, where necessary, make it
possible for the physically defective as well as others, to profit by
such attendance? Otherwise, are we not wasting money?