The schoolmaster and the teachers
Subject(s): Education, Globes, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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President Roosevelt places his hand on a globe and says, “I would not have you preach an impossible ideal,” to a bunch of older men who are teachers.
Comments and Context
On February 24, 1908, President Roosevelt hosted a delegation of the National Education Association at the White House. He delivered lengthy remarks, a transcript of which was published throughout the country and in the NEA’s Journal.
They were flattering comments about the profession of teaching, but notably introspective as well as encouraging to those who choose teaching as a vocation. Characteristically, Roosevelt spoke about the responsibilities to the citizenry, long-term, and he laid stress on boys and girls both. “Realizable ideals” was a theme upon which Roosevelt frequently expanded, most notably in his six-day series of addresses to the Pacific Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California, in 1911.
Clifford Kennedy Berryman’s cartoon of “Professor” Roosevelt teaching the teachers appeared three days subsequent to the White House reception.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-02-27
Creator(s)
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Page Count
1
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The schoolmaster and the teachers. [February 27, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301710. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949. The schoolmaster and the teachers. [27 Feb. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301710.
APA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949., [1908, February 27]. The schoolmaster and the teachers.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301710.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
