The Minneapolis journal. [volume], May 16, 1903, Page 11, Image 11

About The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
\
. SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1903.
H E MAIN purpose of an investi
gation recently made was to show
patrons what the pupils do in'the
Minneapolis schools. Material has
j " not been selected to sugar-coat
"'anyone, or intentionally to irritate. The
writer believes in both the old ways and
in modern "fads."
School fads are usually the efferves-
' cence produced by the working of a valu-
' able thought. They may be the obstruct
ing rubbish that must be moved to open
* the way for the birth of a new idea. They
are, often, the keynote that signals the
flood of music destined to fill child-life
with sweeter songs, broader experiences
and holier ambitions.
Music was once a fad but to-day it
asks no favors, for it could not be ban-
- ished, by any force.
Physical training has settled to a sci
ence designed to secure better carriage of
the body, ease in walking, sitting, moving
and breathing, a means to secures a
healthy body for an active mind.
Drawing Is now safe, because the
boys and girls in palaces and hovels show
their parents what they can do, and this
is the age of doing. Drawing is the nat
ural introduction to all industrial arts.
Baskets and weaving in the schools are
(there only because we are too poor to
Continue the better industrial work, sew
ing, whittling and cooking. Booker T.
"Washington is teaching not alone the
blacks but the whites, as well, that those
who leave the school, for life who simply
know but cannot do are not in demand.
The world is looking for those who can
"heal the sick," make homes happier,
cause flowers to bloom brighter, turn the
world into an industrial garden where all
can labor with comfort. The public school
must be the main factor toward securing
this result.
But industrial training must not oc
cupy the large part of a pupil's time in
school. Reading, spelling, language, ge
ography, history, arithmetic will always
be the bone and sinew of a school course.
The work done in these last named
subjects can be shown in newspaper ar
ticles and therefore they are presented
here as they were gathered.
One cannot however, present the sweet
voice, the mannerisms, the carelessness,
or the strained exactness which char
acterize the reading of pupils. Poor read
ing is the exception and not the rule in
Minneapolis schools. The repetition of
choice bits of literature paves the way
lor natural expression. Sentence speak
ing by looking on and off the book can be
carried to excess, and become a me
chanical impediment to good reading. If
a pupil fails in expression he can be
helped more by listening to one who ex
presses well than by any other means.
Offering one a book who is to listen to a
class read suggests poor reading. 'Do noi
^~~M~,,,,,
A MINNESOTA BOSS
Correspondence of The Journal.
Washington, May 16.Dr. Thomas Fos
ter, one of the best known of Minnesota's
pioneers, died several weeks ago, at the
ripe age of 84. He \had spent the wintt-r
in California, having resigned his posi
tion in the sixth auditor's office in Wash
ington after a service of several years, and
accepted an invitation to spend his re
maining days upon the Pacific coast,
where Ms son, Thomas B. Foster, is en
tering upon the practice of law. Dr. Fos
ter leaves in Washington his father-in-law
and - mother-in-law, who have attained
about the same age as himself.
An incident of the civil war is connected
with Dr. Foster's career. In the fall of
1862 a school celebration of the children
of the district was held in the Smithson
ian Institute. A raised platform at one
end of the hall was drapped with flags and
beneath them sat prominent citizens, in
cluding President Lincoln. Among the
little girl performers was the 12-year-old
daughter of Dr. Vickers Fell of St. An
thony, Minn., celebrated in that region as
an anti-slavery man and an aggressive
republican. He was now a clerk in the
census office. The little girl was dressed
in a costume of red, white and blue, and
she sang with girlish pathos to ringing ap
plause the patriotic song, "The Red, White
and Blue." When she turned to leave the
platform Mr. Lincoln gave her an approv
ing pat on the head and said "You are a
fine little girl to sing so bravely, before
such a large crowd as this, the story of
our starry banner." Deeply gratified, the
girl has ever borne Lincoln's words in
proud and enduring memory. It was years
afterwards that she met Dr. Foster, a
widower, and became his wife.
The most of Dr. Foster's life was spent
in Minnesota, where he was one of the
best known of the early settlers. Last
fall I sat with him at his home In Wash
ington and took down from his lips a
sketch of his long and eventful life. A
small dog of indefinite breed crept into
the room and laid a paw upon his knee.
"Yes, you shall go, Jack," he said,
"when we go to California you shall not
EWN IMHE SCl f eGlM)FMINNEAPOLIS
,
READING.
Lesson written in .six minutes 37 pu
pils. Fourteen were marked 100, 6 marked
95, 9 marked 90, 2 marked 85, 2 marked
75, 3 marked 70. The list:
Nasturtium, nucleus, obelisk, obscene, opera,
orchestra, origin, orthodox, oxygen, parable,
parachute, paradise, moccasin, melodeon, frivo-
be left behind. The ride is expensive, but
you must have it. That dog," he said,
turning to me, "knows what I am talking
about perfectly well. It would break his
heart if I left him. A remarkable dog.
He knows more than any other dog I ever
saw. He knows all about me. It is ab
surd that so intelligent an animal shouldn't
be able to talk."
I rather sympathized with the old man
as I recalled the story of Ouida's dog
Puck, who knew so many of the family
biographies in detail.
"I have got to leave here," continued
the doctor. "I have been in the govern
ment service till-1 am unserviceable. Rheu
matism and its kindred afflictions have
at last made me quite useless at the. of
fice, and it, isn't fair to Uncle Sam that
I should continue to deplete his treasury."
Knowing that the speaker was drawing
a most meager salary, scarcely more than
that of a messenger or doorkeeper, it oc
curred to me that he was more modest
and considerate of our venerable uncle
than some other nephews and nieces who
are drawing enormous salaries in a state
of utter helplessness. Remembering what
a wide swath he had cut in political fields,
acting the role of a veritable Warwick
for years in Minnesota, when he could
have been governor of the state if he had
wanted to, I asked him to give me some
particulars of his early life.
He was a cousin of that remarkable
genius, Stephen C. Foster, the greatest
song writer and composer this country
has ever producedthe young man who
educated himself, learned without in
struction to play several instruments, and
wrote more than a hundred ballads, in
cluding "O Susanna," "Nelly W as a
Lady," "Uncle Ned," "Nelly Bly," "Old
Dog Tray," "Old Kentucky - Home,"
"Willie, We Have Missed You," "Old
Folks at Home," "Old Black Joe" and
the beautiful serenade, "Come Where My
Love Lies Dreaming."
1 ..- ^ 3f 1
Appreciative Sketch of the Late Dr.
Thomas Foster by W. A. =
Croffut. ' ''-
He Was One of Minnesota's Best
Known PioneersSecretary to Ramsey. -
' ***?
v-
THE MINNEAPOLIS
*\ \
say too often, "tell the story," when it is
no story.
The reading in all the grades is good,
but super-abundant, quizzing, developing,
and harping is to be deplored.
As to the general methods employed to
improve reading one need say little. Read
ing Is an art, and not less than other arts
is it acquired by practice. Children learn
to read by reading and this is the key
that leads to the better results that are
everywhere apaprent. Find me a boy or
girl who can read and I will show you
one who can, if directed aright, become a
success in any undertaking. ' - i
By WILLIAM G. SMITH, EDITOR OF THE MINNESOTA SCHOOL JOURNAL
Known as "Young Pills."
' Dr. Foster was born in 1819 at Lew
iston on the Juniata River in Pennsyl
vania. His father was a farmer.
Thomas went to the district school,, then
to the academy, where he developed a
strong literary turn and resolved to be a
printed. He served his time as -an ap
prentice at type-setting on the Lewiston
Gazette and began writing paragraphs
for the paper at sixteen. At the same
time he took up the study of medicine,
and showed such enthusiasm for it and
such a tendency to practice it at all
times that he became known in the
neighborhood as. "Young Pills." At the
age of 17 he went on the. stump and made
speeches for Harrison, and he was bitter
ly disappointed when ' Van - Buren was
elected. He ardently continued his study
of rhedicine, but to support himself be
fore practice he became a reporter on the
Philadelphia Ledger in 1837, becoming
news editor and editorial writer the year
'^v^-t,
TANKS 0? TxIE NORTHWESTERN STAR OIL CO. SHOWING EFFECT OF EXPLOSION AND FIRE
lous, catalogue, cigarette, benefit, apology, com-
U, * V , JOBS' - - -
*
VI5R
Thirty-five pupils wrote this lesson.
Seven marked 100, 7 marked 95, 2 marked
90, 5 marked 85, 3 marked 80, 1 marked
75. The list: Jr.A , ' ^"'tiij:^
Metaphysical, statistical, analytical^" recepia-.
cle, symmetrical, whimsical, typical, tragical,
topical, technical, surgical, spherical, vehicle,
spectacle, radical, pii.naeltf, skeptical, country's,
chemical, diameter, comJtion, receive, usually,
coming.
Eighth Grade.
Regular daily lesson. Thirty-six are
marked 100, 6 marked 96, 2 marked 92, 1
marked 84. The list:' , ,. -K /-V I ~'~
Inflection, condition, conjunction, transitive,
intransitive, Involve, uncertain, separating, rep
resentative, does, chooses, arrangement, moods,
contingent, inhabitant, nobility, attacked, Maine,
settling, paid, separate, cheaper, Morse, Wilmot,
admitted.
Word Analysis, A, Eighth Grade.
' Here is a paper rather better than the
average of 33, but not critically selected.
In this work it is noticed that pupils with
foreign names usually make the worst
mistakes. - 1Clrcumaround navigateto sail clrcum^,
navigateto sail around Magellan was the first
man to circumnavigate the globe.
2Overabove ruleto govern overruleto
overpower. The monarch will overrule his sub
jects.
3Perthro thruout vadeto go thru per
yadeto go thru every part the sweet odor per
vades the air.
4Miswrong, wrongly ruleto govern mis
ruleto govern wrongly. He will misrule the
people.
SPELLING
W e present the following as the gen
eral indications of the work done in spell
ing. First are given tests from each
grade. In one school:
B First Grade.
Forty-five papers (test), 21 in class
tried all the words, and 6 spelled every
word right 14 have a standing from 80
to 96, the others fell below the passing
mark. The list of words is attached:
Am, bird, fat, hare, all, book, fan, band, are,
cat, feet, he. boy, can, flag, him, ball, crv,
get, In, bad, dog girt, is, baby, do, good, if.
B, Second Grade.
A Regular ExerciseForty-five pupils
spelled, and 35 had every word correct,,
6 misspelled one word, one two words, the
others three or more. List as follows:
Always, because, build, bluebird, children,
chickens, coffee, chair, dollar, every.
B, Third Grade.
Regular Exercise, 38 PupilsTwenty
five stood 100 per cent, 2 stood 90, 7 stood
80, 2 stood 70, 2 stood 60. The list:
Minneapolis, language, berry, other, sunshine,
health, bushel, canoe, barrel, leather.
A, Fourth Grade.
Test covering work done during the
term from Jan. 20 to Ttfarch 26 38 pupils
average for all, 89 6-19 per cent.
Until, heir, thought, wrought, whose, Jamb,
knit, through, too, draught, owl, fourth, throw,
chase, skein, lair, fierce, seize, quay, leopard,
writhe, lyre, style, aisle, lynx, sieve, myth,
knowledge, sword, court, subdue, scourge, hearse,
adieu, deuce, grate, pair, pare, pear, aught, their,
ought, phrase, quartz.
A, Fifth Grade.
Thirty-nine pupils wrote regular les
son 25 are marked 100, 6 marked 90, 4
marked 80, 4 marked 70 and 2 marked 60.
The list:
Discourage, unhealthy, unhitch, unclean, mis
print, misguide, misspell, mispend, dissatisfy,
di85lmlliar, disobey, unfair, unveil, uneasy, un
load, unaware, disloyal, mislead, untrue, dis
hearten.
A Specimen List, B, Seventh Grade.
The following are the results of a gen
eral review. Fifty words were spelled
daily from the entire list of 607 words
that had previously been spelled during
the term. The'pupils did not know which
fifty of the 607 words would be pronounced
daily. They simply knew that when a
word from the list was given it would not
be given again. The pupils are B, sev
enth grade. There are only eleven in the
class. They are in a small school with
sixth and fifth grade. Their fathers are
mostly professional men. Many have
both parents college graduates.
The percentage for the entire class for
the 607 words was 98, 97, 95 (3), 89, 87
(2), 78, 73, 61.
The writer challenges the fathers and
mothers of these children to make" an
equal record after being allowed a week
to study the lesson. As a sample of the list
of 607 words, the first 200 are here given:
equity
circumference denominate apothecaries'
weight avoirdupois duodecimal measure standard linear fathom -
square liquid scruple
A, Sixth Grade.
-'-* "ft
B '
Sev en*h Grade.^&, ^*$
diameter **,?: *- *^J%||||
justice evidence defense defendant mortgage constable subpoena summons acquittal conveyancer magistrate petit jury
following. When he was 20 he went Into
partnership with Francis J. Grund, after
wards a well-known historian and. diplo
mat. Together they edited the Daily Age.
The office was mobbed and partially de
stroyed, but the paper's advocacy of Har
rison was crowned with success, he hav
ing carried Pennsylvania by the narrow
majority of 343 votes. Young Foster was
rewarded by being appointed clerk of the
local court, but he was removed under
Tyler. He now became foreman and city
editor of the Harrisburg Telegraph, but
the tendency to partlzanship was strong
upon .liim and in 1844 he pupblished a
campaign paper in the interest of Clay.
When his candidate was defeated he re
sumed the study of medicine and began to
practice.
Secretary to Alexander Ramsey.
During these years Alexander Ramsey,
a member of congress, was chairman of
the whig state committee, and he made
the enthusiastic young editor his secre
tary. The combination seems" to have
been a highly satisfactory one. They
put up a rattling campaign every year in
the counties of central Pennsylvania and
made a spirited advocacy of whig princi
ples which became infectious. In 1848
Taylor carried Pensylvanla and was
elected president.
"In that campaign," said Dr. Foster "I
electioneered during a tremendous snow
storm on the AHeghenies. The state com
mittee had given me $1,000 for expenses in
"different localities. I used all that I
thought was legitimately required and
brought back $500 to Ramsey. I need not
say that he was astounded, and all the
committee was gratified as such an un
precedented performance. The localities I
was sent to visit were generally carried
for Taylor, and the state committee rec
ognized my services by appointing me sec
retary ,to the electoral college. I have
now Taylor's acknowledgement of our
work In his own handwriting. Ramsey's
great ability was acknowledged in a very,
substantial manner, he was appointed first
governor of the territory of Minnesota, in
1849. From Minnesota Ramsey wrote to
Tom Corwin, then United States senator
from Ohio, arid asked him to do something
for me. Corwin got me appointed a $1,000
clerk in the treasury department. I went
to Washington, but declined the place,
and told him I thought I could do better
west. He came across the room and
warmly shook my hand, saying: "I am
proud that there is a boy. who has sense
enough not to bury himself in Washing-
ton." - ' -j
Dr. Foster Goes to St. Paul.'
Ramsey wrote from St. Paul that he
wanted Foster with him, and the doctor
posted off, bag and baggage, to that far
off frontier. Ramsey died only recently
at 88.
"It was a slow and tedious journey.
. . V *^?fPhoto
by A. JB. toward of the New Store.
u'.',
- - *' '
?? -* '^Jlassent t', --. *- ""
baptism '. ,
sacrament resurrection ceremony righteousness
litany testament service sanctity penitence sacrilege
notary register sheriff verdict
This seems a~ sufficiently exhaustive
presentation of spelling as it is taught in
Minneapolis schools. A few years since
we departed from the good old ways and
spelling was neglected. It would not be
true to say that it is to-day.,,3_-,-, -^-
prosecutio^S^grk
n iff
rectangle'1*
: 'S^^^I-Sm, execution *
circular ^^%M testim*yg||
volumo perch sterling area
acre ,*i
circle angle ..
solid coupon capital partial
annual payee
discount
' ~"ff
arson assault
murder
mm
*"?{1 homicide H^^'vi
i^.% '&$M
' mayhem. J&^^wll
* trefsouT Jflfctiil
installment If^MM ma
principles (of) Cf -
v, .
nal ^J ^ . #
percentage tfri-" rascal -^--'.
principaUand lnteres*)? impostor |
indorsement " , scoundrel !J
V
brokerage"r-J'^*ti ."*? - prisoner
guaranty (fV'J ^,j'\.
consignor "f~' }''-'"", ^\
premium i $&>?*-
formula
T ~ borough, ,. - _
i'^iS, ^!Acanuoa..j. 4.-,-
.During,the next eight or ten years Dr.
Foster was one of the most influential
men in Minnesota. H e was in the front
rank of its politicians. H e managed and
edited the Daily St. Paul Minnesotian, the
most widely circulated paper in the state.
He was a leading member of the state
committee, whig and republican. H e
generally wrote the platforms of his party.
Few men .rose to power in the state with
out, his assistance. He was a benevolent
"boss,"^ with all that that implies. - His
advice and approval were sought by men
who/'aspired to be governor, representative
in congress or senator. He caused Wln
dom' to be sent to congress, Donnelly to be
made lieutenant governor and Charlie
Shaefer to be nominated for state treas-
ure^:. He "declined all offices for. himself
during this decade before the war and was
content to direct caucuses and conven
tions. But he accepted from the hand of
Lincoln a commission as captain and
commissary of subsistence..
Dr. Foster narrated ,the following inci
dent: "I was at the Chicago convention
as a spectator only. The delegation to
notify Mr. Lincoln of his nomination was
headed by George Ashmun of Massachus
etts, and John W. North of Minnesota, a
member of it, invited me to go down to
Springfield with them. I went gladly and
remember'every word of Ashmun's speech
and Lincoln's reply. Old Abe was a
singed cat he received us timidly and
shook hands round awkwardly. H e spoke
in' rather a hesitating manner and made
the hearer wish that lie could help him
out. When he had accepted he seemed
much relieved. 'Now my part is over,'
he said: *We must see what Mrs. Lin
coln has to say about it.. She's in the
other room.' W e fololwed him and had a
very warm welcome from the lady. W e
then took'our leave. The next time I saw
Mr. Lincoln lie was in his coffin at
Springfield." ^
''^ His Ethnological Studles.%'5?'^
Dr. Foster had eaHy felt an interest in
the life and history' of the American In
dians and- pursued ttte study for years un
til he .became an ekpert ethnologist and
historiographer. In 1873 he was appointed
by congress to edit'the collections-of the
Indian languages of* the. countrythe po
sition that Schoolcraft filled during his
latter days. This jpositlon he adminis
tered until congresi withheld its appro
priation. He had 4 collected some 3,000
words in the vocaibnlaries of*-the Winne
bagoes, Sioux and (jhlppewas, and during
the last days of Msj life showjd continual
anxiety that the result of hnP investiga
tions might be pu| In permanent form.
H e had made hinjself somewhat a c
quainted with many Indian tongues and
all' the leisure hours of his later years
were spent in recording, collating and co
ordinating into sotfaething of a system
the vocabularies off these languages. He
had succeeded to this own satisfaction
in tracing the Indfem names of all the
states and of many qt the rivers from their
derivatives back
nificance of the irof
whole newspaper
The Dlsastrouji
I asked Dr. Fc
his greatest serviceE
"It was a service!
LANGUAGE.
y^-t. * V^Vt^jf "j^t' rood
r^r^-V^' "
K rude
* v ~:-Si.2? shear
' -"* - , % sheer
J-W* ^vfserf-
proceeds phrase
clause -''
subject ' "-
noun -' '
clause adverb diagram pronoun common proper modifier
ssear f^\-. . *
^ ***^j serge sl'A Ow '
/- *nrge . f ,
sentence
collective
adjective -
personal
relative predicate conjunction preposition
interjection interrogative -t ^
explanatory _ J^*s
proposition -~ "i~'~
complement _" %L/f
bishop
reading in the
Language work and
lower grades are so closely allied that to
separate them is nearly impossible., To
call the lesson in penmanship in first and
second grades a language lesson is like
attempting to apply principles of geometry
- felony \^f^M
, bribery, v^
,-t,*y 'MS '
and civic sections" where simple principles
of arithmetic only are required. To have
in mind continually In the first grade an
enlargement of ' the pupils' vocabulary,
and an appreciation of the life and spirit
of words is judiciqus foresight. I found
the second grade pupils writing simple
statements about things. Too often these
were an effort to tell about some mythi
cal or historic character, or to write words
describing a-work of art or a fact of sci
ence which should be left till the sim
plicity of babyhood begins to give way to
attempts at reason. For beginning les
sons in written language some have gone
too far from' "kitty," "Rover," "the
pony," "the horse," "the- dolly," "the
baby," and "mama."
The real things about home and school
will always .remain the most valuable
topics for the simplest language effort.
These the child knows about. H e needs
no instruction as to the facts and state
ments he will attempt to write. The
nature study craze leads away from
rather than to, the best language work in
the lowest grades for the pussy-willow
will never touch the child's deepest nature
as "pussy" herself does. "Johnnie jump
up" wrll never appeal to the boy as the
jump up of his pet dog, Sport,, does. The
primer -that substitutes flowers and buds
for the dog, cat, chicks and baby is com
paratively weak in securing the begin
nings of language- expression. To force
pupils even hi third and fourth grade to
express thought of a picture in which they
cannot see art unless it is explained" to
them, Is a weak mean* of language ac
quirement. .Words, names in particular,
words incessantly require study and they
interest all pupils. Letter writing, ab
breviations, picture words and word pic
tures are among early means in- grades
four arid five that secure life and interest
v- -,
x
vv "
. %teem * ^ 'V '
ft tear r .-- -
"'"tier r --,' ' ' -
throe
priest -\.
pastor -
deacon laity ~
chorister / -*
"disciple ., ,
colporteur-^"" presbyter *
tabernacle-, *-
synagogue chancel
i'iSTc
vane f - "'
Tpin ' '
vial : -
ViOl \ , .
"^ altar "' '"
- - X'.-j3 niter ' ' s
. ,'
/?'"!^"ascenr
f aug u
x t \
in language study. Later in the sixth
..'.*' \*%\canvas
'*&"'
grade troublesome words, literal and
figurative expressions, careful study of
figures of speech, not simply to know
them by names but to a'ppreeiate their
force, all illuminate language and help
to make expression not a studied science
but'an unconscious overflow of language
power. As the seventh and eighth grades
attack technical grammar, the' language
work in those grades will be treated with
grammar. It is safe to say that both
principals and teachers in Minneapolis are
correct when they announce language as
the poorest taught subject in the cur
fx | riculums, the one upon which there is no
, " 71.canvasscanvas , ,
. .- r ' *$ eripitai" * .A." _: - --
: V f^cbWitol'C^v- '
% ,''. ti%t cession -Vi- . -
" " '4- :$lla^4'-*-
Getting up the Mississippi was no easy
task, but I was rather in luck, for I en
countered Charlie?~jRead, after whom
Read's Landing was named, and he helped
me along. He had a-contract for carrying
the mall that year, and he took me in his
canoe as a passenger.'P'The doctor re
called with vividness tie few settlements
that were along the 'river, and the sham
bling houses w^iich-coastltuted St. Paul.
Governor Ranisey wanted just stich a man
for his secretary- asrJBbc^or Foster proved
to be. He was not oply 'a' secretary but a"
counselor, his active?^*auv supplementing
his, ready hand. Hlsjen drew up the
treaty with the sloux at Mendota, fol
lowing Ramsey's .suggestions ,and dicta
tions. -iAt that council Little Crow spoke
for ihe Sioux and, among otherr things,
said: - '"My friends, sent from the white
fatherr.my young men have said that they
would'kill me if signed'this treaty to-day.
They say they are not ready. They say I
must Wait I am going to sign this treaty
before this sun sets, for a man can die
but "once' and it matters little when or,
how:"' 'si
'"
s
seller "*
cruel
police plaintiff affidavit
reprieve
' crewel-" . y
tcereal
- ^ - serial
, ,- s 'foliar-. t- -
went crazy. The result of making that
loan -was as we had anticipated. For a
year it was easy sliding down hill then
came the terrible bump at the bottom.
Ruin stared us in the face bankruptcy
impended. I have often wondered what
would have happened if the. war had ndt
come onat once a burden and a relief.
Then came the hot talk of repudiation.
Everything was mortgaged. For several
years private loans in Minnesota had been
made guaranteeing interest at 3, 4 and 5
per cent a month, by
midst of the- distress suit was brought, on
a- large note and the court "decided that
it could be collected and must be psiid.
It would have established a precedent
that would have meant general ruin.
Some prominent people wanted to have
the decision reversed. But they werp
afraid of the Minnesotian, which had been'
in favor of keeping contracts. One of
these, came and labored with me. I con-'
sldered the prevailing desperate conditions
and finally told him that the Minnesotian
would not condemn a reversal of the de
cision. The decision was thereupon re
versed and Mlnnesota'entered upon a new
lease of vigorous' life."
- . , ,
, ! \
J j A Benevolent "Boss." -
pr. Foster's mental clarity and energy
were unabated to the end. The last words
he said to me were: "Well, good-by I
have outlhed my usefulness as well as
my youthfulness, and am satisfied to take
the road which everybody travels."
-' ' : W. A. Croffut.
REPUTATION WAS ESTABLISHED.
- Chicago News. ~ ~
^UpgardsonOn the strength of your rec
ommendation I lent Bilcombe $5 the other
day, and now I find he's a confirmed, dead
beat that never pays his debts. You told
me he was a man of established reputa
tion.
AtomSo he ,is. That's the reputation
he has established.
MINNEHAHAFALLS AS IT APPEARS TODAYSaturday
Photographed by The Journal Staff Photographer From the Bridge Be
low the Palls.
.the "primitive sig
and had, ..tabulated
res.' ** f " ,***-
Railroad Loan.
what he considered
.Minnesota,
it didn't serve," he
said"the effort tof?j&vent the adoption
of the $5,000,000 lqus- - In' opposing and
denouncing that loin
Minnesotian, were if most absolutely alone
among the newspapers of "theSiatate.- W e
prophesied that "itwpuld Jea4 to ruin. They.
called us Cassandf
took tJie-WfcJft tbi
T.
Minnehaha Falls is just now justifying
all the praise that has been bestowed up
on It. Its roar can'be heard several blocks
away and it presents a- beautiful spectacle
/whether viewed, from the bank on a
level with its brink, or from the glen be-
low.' The copious' rains of the past two
weeks have swollen the stream that.feeds!
it, Lake Minnetonka, -its source, is full to
the brfm and.all along the way from the.
lake io-the falls the water has encroached
upon territory that it has not tdnched fc\
the past ten years. The falls 'realizes and
1 your paper and
mine/ the Falls Efjening News v and- the
and. Jeremiahs aneV
^teeth., ..Jl'he people even sunKisses Longfellow's descrlpUbh. | beaTutlful.
HISTORfCALl
SOCIETY.
Ell'MllA
harmony of opinions and with which too
many are groping in the dark.
I offer the following to substantiate
these statements and to exhibit the-best
I could find in language results:
Dictation A 2d Grade. #i^r--fc?.
Paper not marked.
Fred and Harry went to visit John In the
country. When they went home they asked
John to go with them . John bad a good time in
the city.
All the papers are alike. All are without
serious mistakes. Punctuation had not
been taught evidently. My comment is:
An entire class that can do so well should
not spend time to do this as language
work, t* ,*, *" "J''-* V-^ *,
A 2d Grade. *-?-"
Paper 1, marked "very good" paper 2,
marked "good" paper 3 marked "very
poor." The' pupils had two days to pre
pare for this reproduction six were
marked very good, nineteen good, the oth
ers "fair" or "poor."
\ PTTSST WILLOWS HOOD.
All winter long pussy sleped In her home.
One bright and early spring morning Pussy
peeped out of her brown house. All her friends
were very glad to see her. The brook ask her,
"Why do you war that funny pussy bonnet?'
Pussy said, "Mother Nature I had to wear it
or else I'd get the toothache. Mr. Robin whis
pered, "Pussy come out with golden curls dan
cing in the air. Mr. Robin felt ashamed when
he saw that. \ ,
A 3d Grade.'
Attached to the set of papers handed
to the principal of the building the teach
ers sent the vbllowing notes to which
space is given here, as a, commendation
of the teachers' judgment:
One difficulty I find In written language is the
spelling of new words. Most of the children
need help along the line of making shorter sen
tences and thus avoiding the constant use of
"and." , %
In correcting papers I rarely mark mistakes
and nave papers copied, but classify the general
mistakes and write the sentences correctly on
the board, and the children read their papers and
find their own mistakes.
B 4th Grade.
These papers, of which there are thirty,
are more than, ordinarily good. The sub
ject is dear to every child, and the lan
guage, expression is naturally appropriate.
' LITTLE RED HIDING-HOOD.
Years and years ago there lived near the
woods a little girl named Little Bed Biding
Beod. She lived with her parents. Her father
, was a wood cutter.
She had a dear grandmother whom she was
very fond. of. This grandmother lived on the
other side of-the woods, far away.
While Bed Riding Hood wa a very little
girl her grandmother made her a lovely little
red hood and cloak. This gave the little girl
the name of Little Bed Biding Hood.
One day her mcther sent her to her grandmoth
er's with a pot of butter, a few fresh eggs,
some cheese and a few nice eggs, for her grand
mother was very ill.
She told her to walk straight ahead and say
"Good morning" to every one she met.
She had a nice long walk. The birds were
singing very lovely and there were lovely flowers
all over. Then she thought she would pick some
flowers'. When she was thru she sat down to
SfflTCTON.
make them into a nice bouquet, when all to her
surprise there came a wolf. "Good morning, my
little lamb," said the wolf. "Where are yoa
going to-day?"
"Good morning, sir." said the little girl. '.'I
am going to my grandmother's, for she is very
ill."
"Where does your poor grandmother IITC?" .
asked the wolf.
"She lives on the other side of the woods," "
was the answer. "Well, I must he off," said
the wolf, "for I am going to a certain place."
Then without saying another word he rushed
thru the wood and went another way, which
was shorter. Soon he came in sight of the cot
tage. He saw, the did lady with a man going
to market. The wolf listened to every word they
said. Then the old lady said to the man, "Don't
lock the door, because when I come 1 will just
have to pull the. latch and go in." The wolf
beard every word of this. When they were
out of sight the wolf went to the house, pulled
the latch and went in. All tbis happened while
the little girl was on the way.
i
1653-NEW YORK'S 250th ANNIVERSARY-1903
. From May 24 to May SO, 1903, N ew York
city will hold an absolutely unique patri
otic celebration. It will be in honor of the
two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of
the establishment of New York, then
called New Amsterdam, as a municipality
under a charter granted by the Dutch
West India company. It was not much
of a charter, for it gave very little to.the
people l*ut it was, like .New" Amsterdam
itself,' the small'begiiiriing"or a" great m u
nicipal organization, which to-day exceeds
in its yearly expenditure the combined
annual expenditures of several European
kingdoms, and has a revenue from munici
pal taxation far"exceeding the "total reve
nue of Holland, the country from which
the founders of N ew Amsterdam origi
nally came. ^- " \ 4 _ -.
The celebration, as planned,, will be in
all respects worthy of the memorable an
niversary. The"anniversary day was Feb.
2, 1903 but it was deemed better to have
the celebration in the more genial sea
son of May. President Roosevelt, him
self a native of N ew York, is expected to
be among the Invited guests, together with
the members of his cabinet who hold port
folios which existed when the government
of the United States was located in New
York, to-wit: the secretary of state, the
secretary of the treasury, the secretary
of/war, the attorney general and the post
master general. State and local officials
will, of course, take part, and General
James Grant Wilson will deliver a his
torical address in the chamber of the board
of aldermen.
There will be a general display of flags
during the entire week of the celebra
tion, special exercises will be conducted
- in every school, and pastors will be re
quested, in their various houses of wor-
s contract. In Tthe
-
It not only "laughs and leaps into the val-
ley," but fairly" roars and tumbles in.
The Ice which has frequently lingered un
der the shadow of- the' falls until late in
the spring is all gone and there Is now
-a wealth of verdure framing the water
fall which brings out all Its beauty. The
sun plays tricks with the water and
' -wreaths a fresh rainbow every moment in
the, spray at the base of the cataract
Altogether It Is a sight worth going' many
miles to see and even the oldest inhabitant
cannot remember when it has been more
*
A 5th Grade.
The children had been talking for sev
eral days about the robin and wrote these
as a language lesson. They were written
and handed to me without correction.
Those I use are a good average. .s-%r?*:s|
THE BOBIN. ^/'SfMm
I don't think that -we would be Tery happy
without the song of the robin- He is not a
very pretty bird, at least as pretty as the Oreol
or Scarlet Taneger, he is a very much better
singer and la very useful.
It doesn't take the beautifulest bird to b the
best singer. If you notice the Bobin on the
ground you will Be that be doesn't hop but
run's,
Iyen if the Bobin is not a very pretty bird
the eggs of the Bobin are a very beautiful sky
blue. at a time they lay four eggs. But
when the eggs hatch you see the uglyest little
birds you ever did see. There mouth's are
larger than their mother or father's mouth's.
Here is one of a set of letters written
while the writer of this article was in the
room. Most of the children had been
given a copy of an advertisement
swer*
Powers Mercantile Co., - '- ' ' ' \ _^^:
W
t*o
an
-vj
' -
x ^ ^-
Dear Sir:Looking over the columns of TO*
Minneapolis Journal I happened to see that you
are In want of an experienced cash girl.
I am ready to show you papers from my late
employers, and I beg leave to offer myself toe
the position. Respectfully Yours, ,
!
A 6th Grade. /'_..-
This was an impromptu paper prepared!
while I was at the school, in place of an
oral recitation in China. I publish the
best paper altho the average Is high grade*
i* * --
ship, to call the attention of their congre
gations to the event, and to invoke the
divine blessing on the municipality. Every
day of the celebration lectures will be
delivered in the public schools and other
buildings upon the history and growth
of the city, and at these lectures hun- ^
dreds of old prints, illustrating the New -
Amsterdam and New York of the pastf .
will be reproduced as stereopticon slides,
The same slldes"VflTT)e Tised, in cdrfnee- , *
tlon with magic lanterns, for street dis-.-.
plays in as many public squares of thr
city as may be practicable, and public
concerts will be given. C. "
amount in rents. The schoolmaster of" -
1653 appears also to ha\e been bell-ringer,
grave-digger, court-messenger, chorister
and general factotum to the magistrates.
The New York of to-day has a publio
school system unsurpassed in excellence ,,
by any other city of the world. The .
double-roofed church in the New Amster
dam fort is succeeded by hundreds of
churches and chapels accommodating' '
Vast multitudes of worshipers, arid prov
ing that the faith In Christ of the exiles"
of 250 years ago is potent in the city of
to-day*,/^ ,
r "_"\^
CHINA.
China is one of the largest countries of Asia.
It is not very syviliaed but very thlekly settled.
They don't want to learn anything from any
other country and that is why they are the same
now -as they were fifty years ago. The Yellow
Blver's delta is the most densely thickest place
of the world.
One of the wonders of the world is the "wall
of china," It was built 2,000 years ago, and is
as high as a four story nous and Is as long as
about 1,500 miles. The have this as a pro
tection.
One of the things that our missionaries are
trying to avoid is the bending In of their feet.
It is both a sin and a shame to bend in the feet
of a new-born child.
\. ,'
4 Vi|^7
Walloons Came First. '~-'1\\ii,-,
New York has a history well worth -the
telling, and it has a religious side of ex
emplary interest. The first settlers" of the - -,
island of Manhattan were Walloons, whd " -
had taken refuge in Holland from the re-$?
lentless persecution to which they were"""
subjected by the Spaniards, on account
of their Protestantism. When they landed,-- j -.
on a beautiful May morning in 1623, they*"
gave thanks to God for their safety, and^
implored the divine blessing on their fu-*^
ture home. A church, with a double roof '"*'*
was among the earliest buildings erected,' -
and "the tapping of beer" was forbi#denj
during the hours of divine service. A'
fine was imposed* for taking the name of
God in vain. All servile labor was for
bidden on the Lord's day, and while re-'
ligious observance was not as strict as
in the New England colonies, the gospel
was deep-rooted among the emigrants of
N ew Amsterdam. Professed Christians of
to-day, who think it a hard matter to go
a short distance to church, may perhaps)
take a lesson from the Huguenot settlers
of N ew Rochelle, who, before they had'
a church of.their own, walked to New,,
York every Saturday and Sunday to at-j
tend divine worship. They started oa|
morning, going all that day, and
resting for the night In the suburb ailed1''1
"Stuyvesant Village," near where the Bi-fCf
ble House now stands. On Sunday morn-** -
ing they started again and walked down'
to the French church on Pine streetg *
reaching there in time for the service. '*"
Under English Rule.
When New Amsterdam was chartered ^
as a city, it was already fated to pasat *
under English rule, and & few years later !
a large part of the Dutch settlements on-'
Long Island were brought within English
jurisdiction. In 1664, New Amsterdam, A
surrendered to the English, and in 1665" it'. -"
reoeived a city government, somewhat
like that of to-day, with a mayor, alder
men and sheriff. Witfi this latter data
real civic government began. *
In 1664 the population of New Amster- '
[dam was about 1,500it was certainly
much less when the charter of 1653 was'.
grantedprobably not .over 1,000, includ-'
ing negroes. To-day New York city hasK '
a population approaching four millions.
In that early period, the Dutch West'
India company complained that the whole
colony of New Netherland, including, .-off*
course, NewAmsterdam, yielded the com- -'.
pany not more than 50,000 guilders a year.
To-day there are many single buildings
in New York yielding several times that
SHE W AS USEFUL.
Philadelphia Telegraph.
JIgginsI hear that poor old 'wagner
is heartbroken over the loss of ' his
mother-in-law.
WigginsGo 'way, man, you're kiddm.*
me.
JigginsFact! They have no one now:
with whom they can leave the kids when
they want to go to the theater.
NOT HEff KIND... -
Magazine of Humors- "" " '
, VWillle Taddells," said the'school teach
er firmly, "you harve a big piece of chew
ing gum In your desk. Bring it to m a
Instantly." ' _ '
"Yes'm," replied Willie "but It ain't
the flavor you use. Yours is orange an*
this Is wlntergreen."
v
*m