THE COURIER.
and logic. President. Kllot litis as lit
tle real Interest in tlio American peo
ple us In the inhabitants or Mars lie
thinks the American volunteer a
rather low sort and suspects I hat most
of him is western. Professor Von
Hoist lias a reputation an a historian
and philosopher which will hardly
survive tills century in English. The
(icrman people are patient and life
goes slower in their country. They
are willing to wade through page
after page of turbid, turgid, mongrel
English in hope of finding the ideas
uiion which the author's reputation is
based. Hut Americans have had his
tory made easy by Professor Fiskcand
men of ills school and cannot afford to
waste much more time on Ym Hoist.
The other signers are alike impracti
cal and apt to be out of sympathy with
tiie people.
President McKinley has never slg
nilled liis intention of governing the
Philippines without the consent of
the governed. The inevitable progress
of events will declare the way to
president who only lives a day at a
time and does not attempt to discount
the weeks and months and years that
are mill in the future. So far he lias
done nothing rash and nothing in
haste. He did not declare war until
it was inevitable The clauses of tho
treaty are in accordance with the
laws of nations. Spain was conquered
at tho cost of hundreds of lives and
miliums of dollars. There are in
evitable consequences of defeat atid
the United States has not been un
generous. Tiie agitators and super
cilious college profesfors who are sign
ing protests to a line of action which
has not yet been proposed, at least by
the president, ignore tic inevitableness
of the situntion. The Philippines
cannot be turned over to native rule
until tiie natives have shown some
evidence of capacity for self govern
ment, ir tliis country should turn
the islands over to Aguinaldo and the
factious opposed to him should revolt,
then revolutions and counter revolu
tions would follow, and the grannies
who are looking about for proofs that
we are not an enlightened people and
the exhorters who are without a creed
would have a cause of complaint
against the president and congress far
more likely to get audience witli the
people than their premature protests.
Centralizing the power and responsi
bility of the public school administra
tive pystem in one man, and that man
the superintendent, is an idea which
has struck Chicago and Lincoln simul
taneously. The present system is a
cumbrous engine ill adapted to the
function it is supposed and was created
to perform The squabbles of the
school board begun witli the tlrstone
that assembled and will continue till
the last one lias been prorouged. Each
member lias been implored by more
or less powerful constituents and by
the pretty school teachers themselves
for positions. For these reasons and
others the questions of adequate
preparation, natural endowment and
a personality necessary for a teacher
of the young, are not sufficiently con
sidered by a school board. A superin
tendent whoac success or failure ulti
mately depends upon the teachers, has
motive enough and experience to se
lect the best material Irrespective of
feminine beguilements and masculine
ward influence. Not that the latter
will ever be destroyed entirely, but a
man like Superintendent Andrews of
Chicago is.le.Bs.likely to beJnHuoiujed
by ward personages than members of
hccchool board who are unavoidably
and often unwillingly persuaded to
vote for a teacher who is not qualified
for the position, or to ignore one with
out a pull who is eminently fitted to
arouse and evolve the best there Is In
children. SupcrintcndantHlikc Presi
dent And re svs are of rare occurrence
in our present regime because the
system in use dwarfs individual initia
tive and discourages inspiration in a
superintendent. If the proposed cen
tralization is accomplished the man
lit to be tmstod witli such power will
doubtless be revealed. Principal Wu
terhouse, of the High school, lias
brought order out of cliaos.. He has
lifted the standard of the school ap
preciably, he lias a quick and intui
tive knowledge of people and he grasps
a complicated situation with a mas
terly comprehension that reduces it
to its simplest points witli a readiness
illustrated by the present condition of
the Higli school and its turbulent
state when he began to study it. Such
a man in control of the schools of any
city will secure good results and can
be trusted with a large liberty.
Lincoln. Ncbr., Feb. J, MM.
To the Membem of the Nebraska State
Leginlatvre :
We, the undersigned citizens and
voters of Middle Creek precinct, Lan
caster county, do hereby express our
preference for United States senator,
to be elected by the honorable body of
which you are a member, and hereby
attach our signatures under the can
didates' name whom we believo to be
tiie best qualified for the high posi
tion to which they aspire and hereby
request you to cast your votes for the
candidate who may receive the major
ity or the highest number of signa
tures to tills petition.
We have full confidence that the
senators and representatives of this
county are ready and willing to voice
the sentiment of the majority of their
constituents. Here follow the names
of Messrs. Field, Lamhertson, Hay
ward, Thompson and Reese.
The paper was circulated among the
citizens aud no eirort was made in the
favor of or against any one of the
candidates. The result should be
startling to the Lancaster delegation.
Their candidate received very few
votes. Tiie sentiment of the rank
and file, the unpurchasabie, sturdy,
farmers and business men of Middle
Creek, Lancaster county, is solidly op
posed to Mr. Thompson.
The midwinter exhibit of the Hay
don Art olnb now in progress at the
university is of great interest.
Firstly and primarily because it is
the sixth annual exhibit of a society
which Iihs fostered the love and the
vision of the beautiful in the face of
discouragement and a lack of appre
ciation so deadening that were it not
for the conviction that students
who pursue their work and make hon
orable places for themselves, without
help, deserve recognition from the
few at least, it would doubtless have
disbanded. The Haydon Art cluh has
maintained the art-department since
all support of it was withdrawn by the
regents two years ago. By means of
exhibitions- and the annual dues ,be
club has been able to retain the ser
vices of Miss Parker, the able and
brilliant artist, many of whose pupils
are now at work as illustrators on
paper and magazines of the east.
Considering thesiiiKiilar withdrawal
of all financial support from this de
partment by the university the results
accomplished by the studentscrouched
in a hallway among the easels, casts
skeleton, lay llguro and still life prop
ertles are astounding and indicate an
artistiasuueeptth'Hity of the Nebraska
born and grown product, which should
make us prouder than ovr at mr
stimulating, windswept state of toe
boundless horizons. These students
are not pursuing the study of art as
dilletantl. The anatomical and mus
cular studies and the sketches by
members of the life class bear no
signs of frivolous technique or a wav
ering purpose. Earnestness is stamped
on all of them and real artistic inspi
ration is apparent in many of them.
Secondly the pictures in the gallery
are worthy of examination by those
who love color and atmosphere and by
those who do not. The latter have
eyes and see not and the joy of seeing
can best be appreciated by those, who
were blind. The beautiful picture by
Mucnier which occupies the place of
honor is a translation of youth,
strengtli and the quietness of nature.
The meltingatniosphere has destroyed
harsh outline and the tender repose of
the pastorale tunes me to its own ke.
It is well that the exhibit contains a
few pictures which wo know are not
chromes because they could not get
by the able and indefatigable corre
sponding secretary, Mrs.F. M. Hall.
For they prove to the unlearned that
pictures are much prettier winch con
tain atmosphere, color and feeling in
stead of rigid outline, anecdote and a
conventional something else which
took the place of plein air painting
whose ugly name I do not know.
Thirdly, and this is connected with
firstly, the exhibit is visited daily by
the children of the public schools.
They run about from picture to pic
ture with shining eyes and innumer
able questions directed at the nearest
adult. The lesson o f light and color
are received by these with unquestion
ing faith and become a part, of their
education. That most of the children
prefer the hard, out of date, chromes
to the poetic expressions of sunlight
aud shadow emphasizes the need of
such an exhibition.
The new word tor undertaker is mor.
tician. Occasionally when undertak
ers meet in national assembly they
compile a new vocabulary built to dis
arm prejudice and allay the shudder
ings suggested by the old one. Morti
cian, with its suggestion of Latin and
electricity and the imperceptible
welding of the two, can not be found
in the encyclopedia. The fruitless
search still further increases my ad
mirailon for the ingenuity and patient
attempts to elude the prejudice which
the normal individual feels for all
signs of the undertaker's trade. The
undertakers themselves are frequently
jovial men who have not allowed the
constant and visible pretence of death
to affect their disposition and their
patience in seeking a vocabulary which
will not be too suggestive of that fate
from which all of us shrink, is com
mendable. Undertaker is a mysteri
ous combination of two common
words which are quite harmless and
common place until compounded, and
until we need him. Analysis does not
reveal any reason for thecomninution.
The sudden appearance of mortician,
however, suggests that the general
assembly of undertakers, hundreds of
years ago, finding that the name must
be changed, chose under and taker
precisely beciusc togetner they meant
nothing at all and separately they arc
words of everj day, homely use. But
the association which doomed the old
name has overtaken undertaking,
hence, "mortician."
A BILL TO ESTABLISH A STATE
LIBRARY COMMISSION AND A
SYSTEM OF TRAVELLING LI
BRARIES. A bill containing, the above provisions
will be introduced in the State Legisla
ture. This bill proposes a way by which
every small town, village or community,
in Nebraska may be supplied with a cir
culating library.
TJIK NEED.
It is not possible to estimate even ap
proximately the influence which a col
lection of well chosen books has in any
community. The smaller the .com
munity, the more it is cut off from the
UBUal avenues of improvement, which
are offered in a city through lectures,
etc.; and the more it stands in need of a
well selected library. It is only the
well read, well informed man who makes
tho reliable citizen. As an educative
influence the Public Library is second
only to tho Public School; but while the
-children of the village or tho farm have
tho benefit of free schools, tho adult
member of tho family cannot, on ac
couna of the expense, keep himself in
formed of current affairs.
In NebrPBka there aro only 14 free
public libraries, and not more than 5
per cent of our population has access to
free reading matter. But the question
iB, "How can a small town afford to
equip and maintain a library?" The
question of expense is bo great that it
cannot be done without outBido help.
Tho need, however, is so great, that out
side help must somehow be given.
THK PLAN.
The proposed bill provides for the for
mation of a State Circulating Library,
from which any town in Nebraska can
borrow 25, 50 and 100 volumes at a time,
to be kept a certain lencth of time.
This State Library would bear tho same
relation to a town, that the Town Public
Library does to its individual patron,
except that the State Library would loan
by the fifties and loan to communities.
When one lot of bookB is returned the
town can receive another on the same
tonne; e.g. if these Traveling Libraries
contained 2,000 bookB, then twenty
towns might be using 100 books apiece
at the same time. At the end of a cer
tain period these would be exchanged,
and so on, uutil the 2,000 books had been
read in turn by each town.
ADVANTAGES.
The advantages are very apparent:
1. Any village or community, not able
to fcrm its own library, can have from
those traveling libraries a small collec
tion of books constantly on hand.
2. The books, when read through by
one town, will do just as good service n
other towns.
3 Small libraries already existing, but
too poor to keep up a supply, can in
crease their usefulness by borrowing
from the State Traveling Libraries.
4. The impetus given to reading habits
will tend toward tho formation of per
manent town libraries.
A LIIIRARY COMMISSION.
This bill also provides foi a State Li.
brary Commission, whose duties will be
the administration of tho system of
traveling libraries, and the encourage
ment of town libraries by counsel and
advice, or any other feasible way.
PRECEDENTS.
In passing such a law Nebraska would
not be entering untried ground. New
York appropriates a large sum yearly
for a system of Traveling Libraries.
Michigan, Iowa and Montana have also
passed similar laws, while Massachus
ettP, New Hampshire and other eastern
states give through their library com
mission a certain sum to any town estab
lishing a free library. Nebraska stands
quite as mucn in need of timely aid
from the State toward building up the
cause of free libraries, as did these other
states, and should puss a helpful library
toV U8 W beH0Ve th PreBent OD
TtiB o1!1 4haBhe approval nd support
of the State Library Association, the
Nebraska Federation of Vv omen's Clubs
the University Extension Committee!
Bnd m ny individuals who are interested
ly Ik educatloDHl advancement of
? 1,,.$,air?nt Wate with them to
make this bill a law?
T o A TYM ' J".L80M,
Pres. State Library Association.
D. A. Camphell,
State Librarian.
Edith Toditt,
Omaha Public Library.
J. I. Wym, v
State University Library.
v
V
V
