Gen. Charles E. Hovey.

On November 16, at his home in Washington, D. C., passed away a man who deserves to be long remembered by every friend of education in Illinois, and in all the Mississippi Valley. Briefly stated, the following is an outline of his life:

Charles E. Hovey was born in Thetford, Vermont, April 26, 1827. He was one of eleven children, four of whom were girls. His father was a farmer, and the whole family were characterized by physical vigor, pluck and endurance, of which Charles possessed a full share. Several of the family still survive the subject of our sketch, one of whom, Dr. Alvah Hovey of Newton Center, Mass., although more than seventy-five years old, is still at the head of the Baptist Theological Seminary, a position which he has filled. with eminent ability for many years. Like many New England boys, Charles Hovey passed his early years in assisting on the farm and attending the public schools of those times. At fifteen years of age he began his career as a teacher in a small country district, and at nine and one-half dollars a month and "board round." At twenty-one he entered Dartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1852. He supported himself while in college, as so many others did, by teaching country schools in the winter term.

On leaving college he became principal of the academy at Framingham, Mass. Here he met the preceptress, Miss Har. riet F. Spofford, to whom he was married in 1854. Mrs. Hovey, who has been an efficient assistant in the National Bureau of Education for many years, survives her husband. They had three children, all boys; the oldest, Edward, died in Bloomington in 1859, at the age of two

private school for boys. The public schools

of that city were then in a very low condition; but, through the efforts of some of the leading citizens, including Hovey, the city charter was amended, and a much better system of public schools was organized, Hovey was chosen the first superintendent. On the establishment of the State Normal University, in 1857, he removed to Bloomington, having been chosen as its first principal. In July, 1861, he resigned his position, was made colonel of the 33d regiment of Illinois volunteers, and went to the front, taking with him in his regiment most of the teachers and male pupils of the normal school. He distinguished himself for skill and bravery in the war,

For some years General Hovey has not enjoyed good health, due in part at least to his army experiences. In June last, he came to Normal to take part in the celebration at the close of the fortieth year of the institution that he had done so much to found and to shape in its earliest days. All who saw him were saddened and almost appalled at the feeble and wasted appearance of the frame that had once been so stalwart and manly. The effort was too much for him, and for a hundred days he lingered between life and death, at the home of President Cook, his brother-in-law. On September 25 he started for his home accompanied by Mrs. Hovey and her sister, Mrs. Cook. The journey was made successfully; but he continued to fail steadily until the end came on the date before mentioned.

From 1854 to the summer of 1861, no man was more conspicuous among the educators of Illinois, than Charles E. Hovey. A born leader of men, with clear-cut views of what was needed in educational affairs, possessed of a tire. less capacity for work, and a will that knew no flagging, he was bound to make himself felt; and he did so, in a very effective way. The State Teach. ers' Association met in Peoria, in the fall of 1854. There were certain funds held by the state which had been set apart by Congress, when the state was admitted to the Union, for the benefit of a university. At this meeting, plans for getting

hold of those funds or their income, and utilizing the same for educational purposes began to be discussed. There were those who wished to divide them among the existing colleges of the state; a powerful party wished to devote them to the establishment of an industrial or agricul. tural college; still others desired to use them for the training of teachers. Among these last was Hovey. The Illinois Teacher was established at this meeting as the organ of the association, with a board of monthly editors. Of course, the plan did not work well, and the next year, the Teacher practically fell into Hovey's hands with all its responsibilities, financial and other. Through the State Teachers' Association and the Teacher, Hovey became one of the most prominent leaders in forwarding the scheme for a state normal school. The effort culminated in Febru. ary, 1857, by the passage of an act by the legislature, establishing a "State Normal University," devoting the income of the university fund to pay its current expenses, and appointing by name a "Board of Education," to have control of the institution. Hovey was a member of this board, and was soon elected by his colleagues to be the head of the new institution.

The university was to be located at that place not otherwise objectionable, where the people would make the largest donation for buildings. Citizens of Bloomington, and the county of McLean, made the best offer, the institution was located where it now is, and the cornerstone of the building was laid with much ceremony in September, 1857. The work of the school began in rented rooms in Bloomington, October 5, 1857. It will be remembered that 1857 was the year of the great panic, which began just before the laying of the corner-stone. Work, however, went on till December, when it was suspended because it was found impossible to realize enough from the sub

It

the war, a hundred thousand dollars. would be as easy to-day to raise a million. To secure these needed funds was the task which Charles E. Hovey set before himself. It was a labor for Hercules. His own fortune was pledged over and over. Had his plans failed, he would have been weighted for life with hopeless bankruptcy. This enormous task he took and carried through. We of the pioneering days need no reminder of the grand work which could hardly have been performed by another than Gen. Charles E. Hovey." Mr. Hovey continued with the school four years, during which its internal workings were given the outline that they were to retain for years to come. The plans were largely his, although the details were mainly wrought out by others. But Hovey's force lay not alone in what he could himself do, but largely in what he could do through others. He was a born general, long before his government conferred the title upon him. In the spring of 1861, the trumpet of war called him, as it did thousands of others, to the field. He presided at the graduating exercises of the second class, and then retired from the school forever.

It would not be pertinent to the purpose of THE JOURNAL, to recount at length

his career in the war, nor the events of his subsequent life. In our opinion, and we think it was his, the greatest work of his long career was the founding of the Illinois State Normal University. It will ever be his noblest monument. And, now that he has disappeared from living men, it is proper that his noble, self-sacrificing work for the rising generations of the imperial state of Illinois, and for the advancement of education, be held in lasting remembrance.

We give two pictures of General Hovey, made from photographs. The one in uniform shows him as he was when he left the school, the other gives his appearance some fifteen years later. E. C. H.

What Children Should Read. STORIES OF INDIAN CHILDREN BY MARY HALL HUSTED.

The following is from the pen of Mrs. Alice W. Cooley, supervisor of primary instruction in the schools of Minneapolis, Minn. This is one of a series of articles on "What Children Should Read" that are appearing in The Daily Journal of Minneapolis. Mrs. Cooley's example is worthy of imitation by all supervisors of the education of children. What children read

is of greater importance in giving direction to their education than any other one thing. If the school can help the family to cultivate a habit among children of keeping good company in their reading nothing will help them so much to escape the contamination of bad company in their social relations.-ED.

We always enjoy telling and reading to children the stories of the "Children of the Far North," of the "Children of the Desert," and.Indian stories; our audience is always so appreciative and demonstrative. Why? Do stories of wild, primitive life merely amuse them? We have come to feel that there is a vital reason for this enjoyment; that it evidences a natural appetite of childhood for that which has in it an element needed for its

moral development; that by entering into and becoming a part of that primitive life, the child is led out, step by step, into a gradual understanding of the com

plex life of to-day. The simplicity, the freedom, the independence, the out-of-door life, the close contact with nature, the utter lack of any conception of need of mutual service, all appeal to him.

There is here no industrial world, no organization; each man makes his own tools for obtaining all that he needs-food, clothing, and shelter. It is a life with which the child is in close sympathy. Let him live with Hiawatha, hunt with him, make his bows and arrows, his shield and his wigwam. Let him listen to the fairy tales of old Nokomis. Brought face to face with the struggles and the victories of this life, he will come to feel the need of help. Contrasting it with our life of co-operation, he will feel the value of mutual service. One step and

a long one-toward the understanding of the complex life of to-day! A help, then, in preparing the child for a community life! Such stories arouse sympathy with all phases of life and help to realize the thought of the unity of all life. They develop the imagination and implant in the child's mind the truths of the infancy of the race.

Because of these and other values to the child, many stories of primitive life have been written for him. We have chosen this book for special notice partly because we in Minnesota are so near to the Indian in point of time. He is a reality to many a child in our own state, because he figures in so many of grandfather's fascinating stories beginning "When I was a little boy." No other primitive man has left his footprints upon the doorstones of our homes. We claim Longfellow's poem as peculiarly belonging to ourselves.

We have chosen this from among other stories of the Indian for the following reasons: It tells of the real life, and also relates beautiful Indian legends. It is well written, and the quotations from Longfellow's poem are so skillfully interwoven. as to add much to its literary value. In picturing the real life there is no sentimentality, but a simple portrayal of homes, food, weapons, amusements, and habits. Though many phases of the life are not presented because they would be of no value to the child, yet there is no idealization of what is presented. The account is written in story form. Sometimes the little pappoose" is the heroine, sometimes brother Little Thunder, sometimes the little sister Seatto, but with each and all we live, eat and play. With Konteka the Brave we hunt and dance and go to war. Hoowanneka the Warrior we do not admire, but we must see him as he is if at

all-hunting, fishing, dancing, gambling and fighting, while the children and their mother do the work. In mind we contrast this with the picture of the other

father, Longfellow, as we see him in "The Children's Hour."

In the middle of the book we are introduced to Hiawatha as follows:

The Indians tell many stories as they sit around the fire. They have no books from which to learn them, but they tell those which have been told by the old warriors and squaws, who in turn learned them from their fathers and mothers. The favorite story was about a wonderful Indian who lived long, long ago, who was sent to clear out their rivers and their forests, and to teach his people many things. This great man was called by some tribes Hiawatha, while other tribes gave him different names. The poet, Longfellow, has written a long poem about Hiawatha, telling of all the wonderful things he did for his people. You may read portions of this beautiful poem in the next few chapters, as well as some of the stories which Iagoo told little Annamikens and Seatto.

Each quotation from the poem is a small whole and how the children love to recite them!

"The Conclusion" promises a coming Part II., which is evidently to be closely connected with the early history of our country. For this, Part I has laid a delightful and valuable foundation.

Ere long I shall invite you to go with me to learn of the Indians and the white people, and how they got along together after the palefaces came. You remember that Hiawatha asked his people to receive the white men kindly, and wished that they might always be friends. We shall go to visit a little Indian princess, Pocahontas, who was always the friend of the English, and we shall call upon Squantum, an Indian who lived with the Pilgrims and helped them in many ways.

The writer also promises acquaintance with the great and proud King Philip, "the brave Tecumseh," and "the famous Indian warrior, Pontiac." She plans

visits to Indian schools.

The two quotations illustrate the simple language used, and the easy style of the natural story-teller. The stories may be easily read by many children of 9 years of age.

Younger children will ask to hear them told or read "just once more." (137 pages, 12mo, published by PublicSchool Publishing Company, Bloomington, Ill. Price, 50 cents, full cloth; boards, 40 cents.)