READ AT THE EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF VIRGINIA, AT BEDFORD CITY, JULY 1, 1891, BY SUPERINTENDENT WILLIAM F. Fox, of richmond.

In the summer of 1869 it was my good fortune to make one of an assembly that met in the chapel of Washington College, in the town of Lexington, Virginia. As I look in memory over that gathering I recognize it as a remarkable assemblage. Its president stood at the head of the law faculty of the University of Virginia, and his teachings have exerted a wide influence in the civic affairs not only of Virginia but of the entire South. At his side were his colleagues in the Universitythe Professor of Greek, a man whose keen thought and splendid scholarship had already placed him in the front rank of American scholars, and the Professor of History and Literature, whose encyclopedic learning was the constant wonder and admiration of his friends. Along with these stood the man who had organized and who had controlled for years the "West Point of the South;" whose work had furnished cultured men and trained soldiers for our whole Southland. In another part of the room I see a modest man, low of stature, with a countenance beaming with kindness and intelligence—a man whose reputation is world-wide-the "Path-finder of the Seas,” 'the Discoverer of a New Science." As I look again I behold a man, tall and erect, whose thoughtful and courteous bearing bespeaks the cultured Virginia gentleman, whose countenance is marked by a subdued cheerfulness that shows acquaintance with misfortune, borne with quiet dignity and with patient submission to the mandates of Him who rules the world. and who is the strength and support of all those who put their trust in Him-the peerless man who, as leader of the Army of Northern Virginia, was called on to exercise the highest qualities of the soldier, the statesman, the Christian-a man whose fame will "echo through all the corridors of time". General Robert E. Lee.

Gathered around were men who held the highest and the most influential positions in our colleges and high schools and in the world of

letters, and many who, then holding honorable and useful places, have since risen to the highest rank.

You ask what has all this to do with the theme under discussion. It was a meeting of the Educational Association of Virginia. In the stormy period of the "War between the States "-in the year 1863the educators of Virginia had felt the need of co-operation and mutual help in the great interests committed to their charge. They had, accordingly, after several preliminary meetings, met in the city of Petersburg December 29, 1863, and organized a State Association. The special purpose which brought them together was to devise some means of securing text-books. The supply on hand at the breaking out of the war, and those imported before the blockade of our ports became too stringent, had been exhausted. Other important matters, however, naturally and necessarily suggested themselves. The following resolution adopted by that body indicates their motives and their purposes:

"Resolved, That in view of the great responsibilities devolved upon us as teachers, and for the purpose of securing a more intimate sympathy among ourselves, and that closer union which is necessary to enable us to meet those responsibilities, we do now organize ourselves into a permanent Educational Association of Virginia."

Thus began what was, so far as I can discover, the first Educational Association of Virginia.

The pressure of necessity compelled those men to see more clearly and to appreciate more keenly that which is valuable for all times and every condition-the need for united effort to uphold the educational interests of the Commonwealth, and preserve, as best they could, this one of the foundation stones of our government. The Association was born in troublous times. The air was thick with serious problems that demanded solution. Nobly did those men apply themselves to their task. But the interest of Virginia and of the South was centered in the conduct of military operations and the support of our armies. Inter arma silent leges. Not only, however, are the laws silent in war time, but all interests are made to bend to the one supreme question of the hour. In our case this was especially true, since self-preservation was involved in the result. So there were no meetings of the Association till the meeting in Charlottesville, July, 1866. From that time till its demise, at the same place in 1882, the Association held regular sessions.

The close of the war brought with it a host of new problems. All the old educational questions remained, but they had to be revised in the light of our new surroundings, and the new solutions adapted to our changed circumstances. The question of education by the State became a living, vital one; and likewise the "negro problem," which a wise statesman has declared to be "the most stupendous problem that has ever confronted civilization." Virginians have always been independent, con

servative and energetic. These questions had come within their purview, and with characteristic patience and care they set themselves to the solution. The sessions of 1867, 1868, and 1869 were full of thought and discussion of these grave matters. This conflict of opinion, this wrestling of the giants, did much to clarify the atmosphere, and secure just and proper conclusions. The culmination seems to have been reached in 1869, when the policy of State education was decided on and put into operation. This carried with it the settlement of some of the other pressing questions. It was a marked characteristic of the Association not to decide by vote any question. The questions considered covered a broad, extensive field and the discussions took a wide range, but the Association bound itself by no decisions, and every man was free to carry out his individual convictions. Yet there can be little doubt that these discussions exercised no little influence in shaping the educational policy of the State.

The meeting of 1869, we have seen, was in some respects a remarkable one. It numbered among its members not only many of the magnates of the teaching guild, but also men whose fame had circled the earth, and would endure for all coming time. It seems to me that teachers ought to draw inspiration and encouragement from this fact. The dignity and importance of the teaching profession would seem to be clearly shown by the amount of time and money expended in its behalf; by the thought given to it by the statesman, the political economist, the philanthropist, and the Christian, and the important part it plays in our legislative proceedings. Yet men do not often stop to consider these things-even some of the teachers themselves—and it is only when such men as General Lee and Commodore Maury turn to this work that they are impressed with the view that it is a noble office, worthy the ambition of the best men. These men, to whom were open positions that promised the highest pecuniary reward, after looking over the entire field to see how they could best serve their State, impelled by patriotism, love of Virginia, and earnest desire to promote her best interests, put aside all these tempting offers and devoted themselves to the education of her youth. It seems to me one of the highest tributes to the value and importance of our profession that such men as General Lee and Commodore Maury, whose life work had been in a different field, and who had achieved the highest distinction, yet turned in this crisis of affairs to the profession of teaching as the best and surest means of restoring permanent prosperity to the State and retrieving her fallen fortunes. Brethren of the teaching profession, let us appreciate more highly the dignity and importance of our office; assert its claims more strenuously, not rashly and presumptuously, but modestly and persistently, as one of the most potent factors in the perfection and preservation of the best interests of the Commonwealth.

We meet to-day to organize a State Association to fill the place of that other Association, whose life went out with session of 1882. Many of the questions which occupied the thought of that body have received a partial or complete solution. There remains for us much to do, that we may perfect the action of the past and solve the problems of to-day. It is not my purpose to take up in detail any of these problems, but simply to suggest some reasons why such associations as we propose to form are desirable.

We might be satisfied with the fact that the teachers of Virginia, of every grade, felt the need of such an organization, and formed a society that for twenty years exerted an important influence on the educational interests of the State; or with the further fact that the teachers in nearly every State in the Union have found it important to unite in such work. Many individuals, perhaps, were impelled by simply an undefined wanta feeling that something was needed without knowing precisely what. The tendency in Virginia is to individual rather than co-operative work. The trend of our institutions and social conditions has been to influence men to be independent-to feel personal responsibility, and to act each for himself. I have as the judgment of one of the oldest and most distinguished educators in the State that this disposition still dominates our people to such an extent as to make the success of any attempt at united effort impossible. I trust that he is mistaken. I trust that he has failed to read aright the leadings of the times. To give independence of thought and action to his pupils should be the steady endeavor of every teacher; but he makes a great mistake if he does not, at the same time, urge upon them to use every means in their power to gain the best information, and to form correct judgments from a careful survey of the entire field. No better means is afforded the teacher for correcting his own narrowness and conceit, for confirming him in his judgments, or for broadening his conceptions of his work, than contact with his fellow-workers in the same department-the friction of mind upon mind, the critical examination of variant ideas. I trust, therefore, that the time is not inauspicious for the formation of an Educational Association.

Let us consider briefly, then, some of the considerations which would naturally influence teachers to combine in this way.

Perhaps the motive that comes most readily to the mind is that first named in the resolution just quoted—that of sympathy. The teacher— especially the teacher whose work lies in the country-is isolated. He finds himself alone, so far as his work is concerned. He may have the sympathy and encouragement of both patrons and pupils; and this is very important and very helpful; but they are, in a professional sense, outside parties. They can appreciate the general bearing of his work, but of the thousand trials, difficulties and discouragements that he meets with in the every-day routine of the school-room they know little or

nothing. Nothing so disheartens a teacher as want of appreciation-as the light esteem in which his work is held. It requires a good measure of moral courage to stand up against it, and I hold in high esteem the teacher who puts behinds him all his discouragements, and patiently and faithfully does his duty. It is these things especially that wear upon the teacher, and give to his work the character of drudgery. Nothing, on the other hand, so encourages the teacher and so brightens his work as intelligent, appreciative sympathy. In gatherings like this he secures this want by social communion with his fellow-workers.

No less important is the increased breadth given to his own views by comparison with those of laborers in the same field. The teacher needs constantly to fight against the tendency to narrowness inherent in the constant contemplation of a limited field. Study, comparison, investigation in his own fields, and the persistent cultivation of other lines of work, should be steadily employed by the teacher. The Educational Association helps greatly in these directions. The friction of mind with mind is very valuable. Centuries ago the wise man said: "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

The tendency of such gatherings is to increase the popular estimate of the dignity and worth of the teaching profession, and of the teacher's work. Though the upright, faithful, capable teacher will secure the confidence and approval of those he serves (and no others can do so), yet his importance is increased in their eyes when it appears that he is one of a great guild, whose influence is co-extensive with the State or national boundaries. I regard as highly valuable the social features of these gatherings. It is always pleasant to know our co-workers. Mutual confidence and mutual esteem beget an esprit de corps that leads to mutual sympathy and harmonious co-operation.

And this leads me to speak of two other points which seem to me especially practical. There is recognized in your programme a need for other legislation in reference to education. It is necessary that this needed legislation shall be presented to our rulers. A skillful, intelligent man may do much in placing in a true light before the members of the General Assembly needed action. With how much greater force does the recommendation come when it is presented as the conclusion, after careful consideration, of the great body of educators in the State. The interests of education are too important for us to neglect so valuable an aid. We must organize, that we may secure the very best results.

The other point to which I would direct attention is the opportunity it affords for preventing a great waste in education. It is a well-known fact that there is want of harmony in the programmes of the various grades of our educational institutions. Our characteristic spirit of independence leads each institution to arrange its own scheme of study without reference to others. The work of one class trenches upon that of another class,