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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1894)
THE OMAHA DAILY BEEt SUNDA * * ' MAX 13 , 189-1-TWENTY PAGES. 13 OOKTBEA EGfffBEA MAti MAN-1 MAM /\UB famous and orig-inal saying "Don't be a Ready Made Man , " which we have persistently repeated in all our stores from Maine to California , seems greatly to disturb our friends in the Ready Made , line , One ready made Clothier in Omaha at a loss how to deal with this catchy and disturbing saying , has boldly placed it at the head of his advertisement and tries quite cleverly too to argue it down. It's no use , friend , it sticks that saying and there must be something in it or it wouldn't disturb you to the extent of attacking it so hard. A / ready made man is "not in it" with the man who orders his clothes made for him. He don't feel as well dressed and feels a sense of social inferiority to the custom tailor's customer it's so the world over and you can't rub it out. Formerly people had to buy ready-made because so much cheaper , but our system of running a volume of custom business greater than any ready made business in the U. S. has enabled us to meet the ready made dealer at his own prices and bowl him over on the one point of giving the customer the luxury of having his clothes made for him instead of for anybody. READY MADE ? 408 NORTH SIXTEENTH STREET. . s'tM ff " ? - * * " * * AMERICAN GLOBE-TROTTERS Charles Emory Smith , Diplomat and Editor , Writes of the Greatest Travelers. READY APTITUDE vOF AMERICAN TOURISTS How th People of this Xatloa Are Regarded by TUoir Cousins ol Karope-The lUght Kind at i'eople. The American Abroad" Is a subject which presents Itsell under many aspects , and suggests many lines of development. There are the social and economic sides , the artistic and the educational phases , the polit ical and the diplomatic relations , the color Imparted to American life and the reflex tha humorous aspects Influence on European life , pects and the broad and sertcus Impress , and misdirected tha occasional vulgar displays rected and unworthy ambitions which bring the blush to the true American , and the far more general exhibition of Vue Ameri can sense and culture which Is altogether creditable. It Is possible In this paper to touch only a few of the reflections which are suggested. The Americans are the greatest travelers in the world. They flood Europe and are getting to penetrate every corner of the globe. They travel farther , go oftener , probe deeper , see more , spend more and get more than any other people. They have a restless energy which Is all their own. They have .the practical turn which educates It self by actual contact with men and things. Not tess than 50,000 Americans are living In Europe for longer or shorter periods , and every yerr witnesses the flight of more than 100 000 to those attractive fields. They leave annually In the countries which they visit not less than $100.000,000 an amount which In 1U potentiality In the domestic life and economic system of those who reap the rich harvest Is as good as j:00.000.000 here. This expenditure by the 100,000 Americans tn Europe Is almost one-twelfth as much as the f ntlre savings of the 05,000,000 American people. It furnishes very nearly or quite J10 for every $100 saved by the entire popu lation of Europe , numbering over 550.000.- 000 Is it any wonder , then , that the . American abroad Is ah object of very Be- "H tided interest and of very considerable prin cipal T THE AMERICAN UBIQUITOUS. The Americans are found everywhere In Europe. Th < y are entirely at home on Piccadilly and in Westminster Abbey. They throng the Champs Elysees and the Louvre. They make the crowds of Luzerne and In- terlaken s * m much like those of Saratoga and Narragansett. They are equally in the schools of Berlin and the glass works of Venice , under the shadow of the North Cape and on the massive walls of the Coliseum. There is no place where they are not wel come and where they are not treated with respect. Their patronage U a large factor * ml Its constantly Increasing volume makes it more and more cultivated. I happened to be In Rome shortly after the New Orleans lynching. That event was followed by re- perU of violent outbreaks In Italy and of resentful and threatening manifestations toward Americans who chanced to be there. It is doubtless true that the national teallng of a volatile and excitable people was kindled ta some extent by that bloody and tempestu ous tragedy U would be strange and un natural It It were not so. Bat I found that the chief and most lasUug feeling was one of concern lest these reports of an indig nant and menacing attitude should deter the usual Influx of Americans tad should thus make a poor season. The Americans who were tb r bad no unpleasant experiences , unless In Vry exceptional Instance * . A CREDITABLE REPRESENTATION. The great body of the American * who go abroad are creditable and worthy repre sentatives of their country U to true there f exceptions , and tha exception * cut aa alt-aether disproportionate figure In the cur rent Idea. There Is the sycophantic tuft hunter and the despicable snob whose small foreign Imitations show that they huve no true American instincts ; there is the parvenu in his ostentation venu who betrays himself eager tentation and his awkward freshness , the occasional ambitious woman who shames tae American blood In hunting the glamour of a title , the Elijah Programs who let the eagle scream at all times and places. These are the objects of contempt and cari cature , but do not represent the body of traveling Americans any more than the Eng lish cockney represents the traveled English man. It is the odd and exceptional which attracts special notice. If cynicism ana ridicule find expression they are based on a few Illustrations. The obtrusive , the os tentations and the pretentious draw par ticular attention. The great majority pur sue the even tenor of their way and are rec ognized as Intelligent , sensible and self- of Americans abroad is poised. The mass made up of earnest , courageous students , who illustrate the American energy and de termination to get ahead , and the cultivated , experienced and rational people , who travel to widen their observation and culture and who reflect the worthiest and best American Ufa. ' AMERICAN ADAPTABILITY" . The American bears himself well even In strange climes and unaccustomed scenes , because he has aptitude and adaptability. He has had 'various experiences and under stands how to fit himself to surrounding con ditions. He is as a rule endowed with a saving sense , and it guides him correctly through the emergencies In which he may be placed. The freedom and competition of American life develop the faculties which are equal to the occasion. They strengthen judgment , self-reliance and confidence. It is this ready aptitude which makes our American ministers for the most part suc cessful , despite the lack of diplomatic train- Ing. In some quarters H Is urged that our country should follow the- practice of Euro pean nations and establish a distinct and permanent corps , with special preparation and qualifications , through which alone ad mission should be made to the diplomatic and consular service. This Tiew is partly right and partly wrong. Our consular serv ice should unquestionably have more sta bility and permanence. It deals with com mercial Intercourse and development. Time Is required to learn its demands and capa bilities. When a consul has acquired that knowledge It la folly to substitute another who must go through the same process of learning. But these considerations do not apply to the diplomatic service. The ques tions Involved are of a broader character. less special and technical and dependant more upon general principles. Mere spe cial training is of less value than robust sense and Intellectual force. The success of the American minister dfpsnds more upon bis general equipment accomplishments , united with practical ability , than upon par ticular knowledge of forms and usages. He Is ordinarily a man of large experience in affairs , and with this general training he readily adapts himself to the immediate de mands. A QUESTION OF TASTE. The same sort of facile aptitude carries the American abroad through the situation in which he finds himself. During two yeira at St. Petersburg I knew of only two acts on the part of American visitors about which any question even of taste or propri ety could be raised , and neither was at all serious. Cards to visit the .Winter palace are granted upon the application of the vari ous legations. During one season of several weeks nhile the palace was undergoing re pairs the legations were Jrformed that It would be closed and requested to make no applications. It happened thst just at this time a resolute young lady appeared upon the scene who. with rather more-vhan ordi nary American freedom , was traveling alono. She was greatly disappointed to learn that she could not visit the Winter palace , and waa not disposal to abandon the effort. On her tour the had made the acquaintance of an elderly Russian offlcr who had gallantly pn > ff r ? d any assistance within his power during her stay at the capital. To him she applied and finally succeeded under his escort cert in going through the palace under pre tense of being connected with his family She was -not exactly an "official wife. " but a sort of official niece or cousin. She lllus. trated in aa extreme form the American determination to trtuiaja over obstacles. and , aside from this forwardness exempli fying a spirit that sometimes brings reproach preach upon our travelers , her conduct , so far as I know , was unexceptionable. The other case was that of a young gentleman who made the natural mistake of appearing at 2 morning function in a morning coat in stead of the conventional evening dress which is required on the continent. Orir people are sometimes too confident. A sim ple inquiry would have saved him some mortification. AMERICANS IN RUSSIA. Doubtless the chronicles of Paris or Ber lin or Rome with their greater floods of tourists would show more eccentricities. But St. Petersburg Is by no means neglected. Through the summer months the registry at the legation will average from twenty-five to forty names a day. The traveling American has exhausted the old and familiar routes. He is sighing for other worlds to conquer. He is pouring by the hundreds from Stockholm helm across the Baltic , and many take the LOOO-mlle ride by rail from Berlin. The characteristic life of St. Petersburg is in the winter , when the Americans are mostlj- at home. With the constant snow and the little droschkles. with the merry troikas and the dashing Orion's , with the crowded streets and the flaming brasiers , with the padded isvostchiks and the gay colored snow netting , with the prince in his sable and the moojik In his sheepskin , with the stream of all classes on the Nevski and the promenade of fashion on the Qua ! of the Neva , with the plaintive Russian opera and the finest ballet In the world , the Russian capital in its winter garb is full of brightness and nlma- tioo. But it has much that is attractive in summer. Fashion takes its flight by May even from this far northern city. The court goes to Gatchlna or Peterhof. The noble goes to his estate or to Paris or to Monte Carlo. But the glory of the Neva and Its delta remains ; the drive on the islands , more picturesque than the Bois de Boulogne , with more of nature than the Thlergarteu ; the splendor of the long days and the glow of the white nights ; the strange , wlerd blending of Byzantine copies and Muscovite forms ; the canals and waterways that make a northern Venice , and the palaces and cathedrals that make a northern Rome. The American goes everywhere practically without let or hindrance. The only excep tion is that Russia puts up the bars against the Hebrews. Our government has steadily protected against this proscription. It has contended that under the Buchanan treaty Hebrews are entitled to ail the privileges of travel and commerce enjoyed by any Ameri can citizens. The Russian government has replied that the treaty gives to Americans only the same privileges which Russians enJoy - Joy , and that , under Russian laws. Hebrews are on a different footing from others. The discussion has gone on for years without con clusion. Lately it has been stated that this prohibition against the entrance of American Hebrew's has been abated. It so It is doubt less a concession to tha American sympathy and aid during the Russian famine. In trav eling in Russia there Is no disagreeable espionage , as is often suppcred. The one requisite is a passport , properly vised. The custom house offers no terrors to in nocent travelers. It is no more vigorous than other custom bouses. When I was in St. Petersburg the correspondent of a New York paper wrote to me that he was com ing with a number of prohibited books , and he wished me to provide against their seiz ure. He followed his letter within a tew hours so quickly that there was no time to arrange any safeguards or protection. Nev ertheless his prohibited books , which lay near the surface of bis trunk , were not dis turbed , and when he reported he was pro fuse In the thanks he owed to nobody but the lax officials or the loose system. It would not be wise , however , to presume upon that experiment. Europe regards America as rich , enter prising , audacious and irrepressible. There ii much ignorance and much misconception about our country , but whatever errors pre vail , there is a distinct and vivid impres sion of the extraordinary growth and daring genius of our people. I have heard the best informed and most self-poised express unfailing wonder at the colossal achieve ments and boundless possibilities of th.s nation. Whatever the American abroad may be. America abroad Is making a deep , powerful and permanent Impress. The old world may think that she is young and crude and raw , but It baa a master sense of her gigantic capabilities. Peter tha Great planted St. Petersburg on the Baltic in order to have a window to look out on Europe. Europe finds in America a win dow through which to look out on the future. Something of the aspect of the na tion is imparted to the individual. The American abroad Is a distinct force and figure , and we may rejoice that on the whole , with occasional whimsicalities , he Is a creditable representative. CHARLES EMORY SMITH. Philadelphia , Pa. UELIGIOUS. Bishop Kephart has gone from Baltimore to Fostoria , O. , to be present at the annual meeting of the General Missionary board of the United Brethren church. Bishop Tuttle. Episcopal , of St Louis , who has just Identified himself with the Salva tion army , is Bali to be , the first bishop who has ever taken such a step. The numerous friends of General Booth , the head of the Salvation army , are getting ready to i-elebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his conversion , which occurs this year. He will be presented with a jubilee thanksgiving present of $30,000. Ths late Bishop Reichel , although a pre late of the Irish Protestant church , was a native of Yorkshire , England. He was a man of great learning and remarkable for his strong common nense. and he exercised much influence In Ireland. Rev. Dr. Thomas C. Yarnall has just cele brated the fiftieth anniversary of his rector ship of St. Mary's Episcopal church. Phila delphia. When he became rector of the parish It was in the straggling village of Hamilton , and the church was surrounded by farms. It Is now in the heart of the city of Philadelphia. The United Presbyterian church of Scot land has a membership of 1SS.CG4 , an in crease of 1.5S9 over the previous year. The Sabbath school scholars tire 141,515 , an In crease of 1.029. The total offerings for missionary and benevolent purposes were $410,200 ; the missionary contributions showed an increase of $11,000. Rev. F. E Clark , the originator of the Christian Endeavor movement , is gener ally known as "Father Endeavor" Clark. "The name originated as a huge Joke , " he says. "It was given me by an old Echool- male , who possessed a remarkable propen sity for punning names. He took the ini tial letters of my name and from these originated the name 'Father Endeavor Clark. ' " It has been said of Dr. Bartol , the Boston clergyman , who has just celebrated the gist anniversary his birth , that if you heard him preach for a year you were made ac quainted with everything of Importance ' that was going on at the'Hub. He has the distinction of having delivered more notable eulogies of the great 'men ' of this country who have died than any other pastor In New England , with the possible exception of the , late Dr. Peabody. The one hundred and sixth general as sembly of the Presbyterian church in the United States of America is to convene in the First Presbyterian , church , Saratoga Springs , N. Y. , on Thursday , May 17. The communicant membership a year ago num bered 8S5OS9. divided among 7,29 : organ ized churches , having .an aggregate of 25- 599 elders and 8,356 deapns. The ministers numbered 6,509. The Sunday school mem bership numbered 909,032. The total contri butions of the churches reached nearly $15.- 000.000 $1.000,000 of which was given for home missions. ChJimberlatu'a Cottgli llenordy tha lint. LOCKEFORD , Cal. . April 21 , 1894. Having been troubled with frequent colds during the past few years , I have from tima to time used the various cough medicines in common use. I have arrived at the con clusion that Chamberlain's Cough Remedy is the best , and now use it in preference to any other. ASA WARDROBE. This remedy will cure a severe cold in less time than any other treatment. It loosens a cold , relieves the lungs , aids ex pectoration and effects a permanent cure. It is also -without an equal for croup and whooping cough. For sale by druggists. President Diaz has finished with a silver pick the opening from end to end at the seven-mile tunnel out of the valley of Mexico ice , which when completed will have cost $10.000.000. It U being constructed to save the City of Mexico from Inundations. DEPARTMENTAL INSTRUCTION Superintendent Fitzpatrick on the System of Specialty Teachers for Special Studies. BELIEVES ITS EFFECT DISINTEGRATING Contends that the Influence of Specialists fclionld lie Exerted Upon Teachers and Jfot Directly Upon Pnptls. Writing on the subject of "Departmental Teaching in Grammar Schools , " Superinten dent Frank A. Fitzpatrick in the Educational Review says : There are two reasons why this departure la objectionable : One , lhat it Is counter to the spirit of reform in teaching , which is moving in the direction of unifying and co ordinating the various tranches of study in the elementary school course. The other , that it attacks the organization of a system of schools , increasing the instability without any compensating advantages , There is yet another valid objection to tha plan of converting the general or class teacher in elementary schools who is a shade better teacher of some one branch , into a special teacher of that branch. She does not have the perequisite general culture to do special work. This Is the case even In Brooklyn , where Superintendent Maxwell Is , he tells us , laboring diligently and arduously to elevate the general culture and teaching power of the teachers. Now , the common school is a general school inwhich only generalizations should be taught ; specializa tions , special work , professional work , can not be taken up profitably until the founda tion has been laid in the generalizations of the common school , and to a certain extent also in the secondary school. U is. I think , axiomatic that any attempt to erect a profes sional or special structure upon any founda tion other than more or less thorough grounding in general knowledge will produce a more or less abnormal structure. The boy who enters a law school , or medical school , or normal school Insufficiently edu cated in the generalizations which should form the basis for such special work is , I think , more or loss permanently dwarfed by such action. Certain it is that no profession suffers so much from this dwarfing process , resulting from the entrance into a profes sion without a basis in the form of a prepa ration In general culture , as that of the teacher. The inevitable tendency of any attempt to specialize work on the part ol any one who has not had general training will be to make that individual formal , pedantic , narrow. The plan is further unwise because it sets up , I think. Inevitably. In the mind of the departmental teacher , an erroneous Idea of the Importance of her department as posited against other studies , which has a tendency to magnify unduly her own work , both as regards Importance In the course of study and the quantity and quality of work given by her to the pupils. That this tendency has already become quite marked will be evident to any one who takes a survey of the average departmental teacher who Is now teaching penmanship , drawing and music. That it will have a narrowing effect upon the pupils may. I think , be inferred by any one who will watch the abortive ef forts of so-called specialists In some of our High schools , who are trying to teach quan titative and qualitative analysis in chemistry to Immature boys and girls. It is ridiculous to compare the preparation and work of specialists in colleges and universities with that accompllched by would-be specialists In the common schools. It it Is desired to find a type approximating to the latter class one will find it tn the atmosphere of the "hot bed normal school , " which confers the de gree of A. B. in two yean after fraction ! have been mastered , and graduates the young man a full-edged "professor. " The friends of departmental teaching in the caramon schools are again unfortunate In the analogy they draw from the general employment of special teachers of music , drawing , cooking and Bculng. Under wise supervision specialists are employed to teach the teachers , not to teach the pupils ; and just in proportion to the success which at tends the teaching of the teachers how to teach these special branches co-ordinately with other branches. Is the success or fail ure , so far as results are concerned , of the so-called special study. I say so-called special study , because so long as It Is a special study , and not co-ordinate with other studies. It cannot have any rightful place in the course of study for elementary schools. A special study is special only so long as It is new and unknown , comparatively , to the class room teacher. It Is the province of wise supervision to convert each special study into a co-ordinlate study as soon as the teachers can be properly Instructed by tha special supervisor. EFFECT ON TEACHERS. Departmental teaching In elementary schools , again , tends Inevitably to the weak ening of the corps of teachers by allowing faculties which should be exercised to be come atrophied by disuse. The point of ab surdity Is reached when because one teacher in a building can teach music or drawing better than the other teachers in the buildIng - Ing , instead of raising the teachers below the standard to a proper efficiency , it is deliber ately proposed to crystallize that Inefficiency in the corps of teachers by relieving the other teachers from a part of their labors. Good supervision has for its end and aim the bringing about of such conditions in the teaching force that is , developing such power , such tact and such skill that each individual teacher of the force would be self- determined , self-supervised , and therefore would not need any supervision. If a corps of teachers could be brought up to a compara tively uniform but versatile excellence , and Its homogeneity preserved , there would then be little need of supervision. But in the present status of the profession of teaching the instability of the teaching force is so great that it requires the constant effort of the supervisor to maintain even a moderate stability. On the side of organization one of the diffi cult problems that falls to the lot of a su pervisor of schools Is the proper assignment of teachers who are to fill vacancies. In the city of Chicago for the year ending July. 1S93 , there were upward of 400 teachers added to the corps to fill vacancies and take care of the increase in school population. In a western city having upward of 125,000 inhabitants that I have in mind there is but ono teacher in the force whose employment dates back seventeen years ; there are but three whose employment dates back twelve years , and but ten who were members of the force ten years ago. It Is probable that no such pedagogic mortality exists in any east ern city , and yet a somewhat cursory investi gation gives reasonto , believe that together with additions to the teaching fores by rea son of increase in population , this change in the personnel of the corps of teachers will be over rather than under 10 per cent p r annum. Under present conditions this loss is distributed over what may be termed a surface , that Is , the vacancies are filled by the placing of one teacher In a certain class or grade In one school building , and two teachers. It may be. In another building In a different part of the city , and so on , thus reducing the friction by equalization and distribution so that the shock may not be so severe. But if a school system is working upon the departmental plan , the friction resulting from these vacancies , from this wasting away of a corps of teachers. Is localized to the west possible way. namely , oit what may be called a linear extension. That is , the gap 1s not la a class room where a teacher takes charge of fifty pupils out of perhaps 1.000 In the school building , but would appear in four or five rooms , in each of which this department teacher would be teaching all the pupils In some one branch ; that is , 50 would be affected all along a continuous line by the falling out of a teacher , whereas at present only fifty pupils would be affected. Any principal would not need to reflect long to decide which of these plans would be most de structive on the side of ergaalzatlon , In other words , the tendency of departmental tea chins would be to increase the already great Instability at the teaching form in a system , and render It more and more difficult to so adjust matters as ta main tain aa equilibrium. TENDS TOWARD COMPLEXITY. The effect of the derelopintmt of tha principle of division of labor In the grading and organization of schools has been In the direction taken by the development of the principle of division of labor in arts That Is , along the line of finishing all the work to be done by any one Individual at a given stage in the process. The work done in the arts by one individual is not partly done at one-handling , and then passed to another Individual and returned again to have certain finishing touches put on again by the individual who has handled the pro duct heretofore. The effect of such a pro cess would be to render more complex rather than to simplify the process of manu facture. It has been said by some of its advocates that the departmental plan tends toward efficiency by proceeding on the lines of division of labor. I take it that quite the contrary is true when we come to examine the workings of the plan in all Its bearings. It tends toward complexity rather than toward simplicity. It is cumbersome and Inefficient in operation in a modern school building. It woufd be most efficient In buildings constructed upon the assembly- room plan which were In vogue forty years ago , familiar specimens of which may be found in central New York and other east ern states. The evils arising under the old system , to obviate which the modern building was created , were more Inherent In the plan of instruction than in the build ing. They will appear again even In mod ern buildings if the departmental plan of In struction should be generally adopted. In the machinery world the efforts of inventors in recent years have been In the direction of reducing friction , of gaining power by reducing the waste-friction. The general introduction of the electric motor promises to reduce the non-available power to a minimum. In the school world we are seeking to lessen the friction by devis ing such a plan of organization as will In sure efficient and helpful co-operation be tween boards of education and supervisors on questions of a proper course of study , the use of proper text-books , the appoint ment of teachers , the assignment of teach ers , and kindred subjects. Are we to drift into a system of organization which by creating disturbances and friction , will counter-balance the advantages gained In other directions : Again , if it is proposed to inaugurate this plan by having the regular class teacher teach incsit of the branches , and relegate to the special teacher geography , arithmetic ana grammar , for Instance , it will liave the effect of unduly narrowing the work and sphere of the regular class teacher in a dlflersnt way from that in which the special teacher will be affected , and thus from both sides will attack the Idea of co-ordination of studies. The plan proposed is further unwise , because It will have a tendency to isolate the pupils by bringing about such conditions as render It at least Improbable that the departmental teacher can know either Intimately or particularly the 250 pu pils who will pass In review before her case during the day. If , as many allege , it Is practically impossible for any teacher to do individual work with a class of fifty pupils whom she has in charge f r five hour * per day , how much Individual work can a de partmental teacher accomplish with 250 pu pils , of whom she sfs twenty-five or thirty- tor about twenty-five minutes each day ? The proponed plan isolates the pupil as well as the teacher because , It necessitate * mora or less preparation of lessens in a different atmosphere and under the eyes of a differ ent and confessedly Inferior teacher. The assumption that the teaching of these poplls for five years by one teacher will bt > pro ductiveof rekults overbalancing the results obtained by five teachers in five years suf ficient to make up for other losses is not conclusive nor apparent. It Is not apparent In high schools , where the work proceeds upon departmental lines. The tendency of the pupil who continues too long under any cn teacher Is to become provincialized by copying unconsciously tbe mannerisms , oddi ties and caprices of the teacher. In the common school , av at present conducted , this tendency is restrained by tbe changa in teachers , which k eps continually in the foreground tb presentation of tbe subject matter < f the Ittuoas taught , and tbe unl- va.-ullzia ; elements of chiracUr building whit * reducing , as tbe ouUWe world ru- durps. to a minimum the slBltifylnK and narrowins influence of the ladlvtdual caprlc a and whims of tb tecta r. Tke limit of departmental teaching , from my standpoint , should not ext Bd below the leend year la th * High seh-ol.