The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, July 22, 1899, Page 4, Image 4
-au the cov:i.s.i. tho Council of tho work dono since hor oloction said: "Tho clubs nro doing nn oarnoBt and practical work, which ifl becoming moro and moro bo evory year. Tho sentiments of thoso outBidoclub circles !b continual, ly growing toward club work. I havo beon visited by prominont men and ed ucators who havo told mo that they woro only beginning to understand what Ib raoant by tho work of club women. Mon interested in all kinds of sociologi cal questionB como to mo and tell mo how thoy havo como to count upon the interest of club wonion in tho Bolution of sociological questions, and it is frequent ly Btatcd that tho conBorvativo intluonco of this body of womon 1b of groat im portance" In conclusion she addressed tho mom bord of smaller clubs, insisting that no member of tho federation, no matter how 6mall a place she Bhould till in club work, should feel discouraged, for sho should constantly koep in mind that eho as a part of a groat movement which is accomplishing a groat work. Thirty-ono new clubs have joined the General Federation since tho Denver biennial as well as theStato Federations of Toxbb and Western Now York, while South Carolina Ib preparing to enter. Thirteen clubs have withdrawn but only two of thoso severed their connec tion on account of tho per capita tax. Of tho remaining eleven Borne have com pletely died out, while others have con solidated with other organizations. It is a eigniticant fact that tho "per capita tax" was scarcely touched upon at the council meetings. The executive board has decided that the next bionnial will be held at Mil waukee, June i to 9, 1900. The pro gram bo far aa prepared and subject to change is as follows: 'Monday, Juno 1, 1900 Board moot ing of national officers at 9 a.m.; meet ing of council at 12 a. m. Afternoon, meetings of state presidents and state chairmen. Evening, joint meeting of state presidents and Btate chairmen. Tuesday Morning, formal opening of the convention by MrB. Lowe, with ad dresses of welcome. Afternoon, art meeting under the chargo of Mrs. Her man J. Hall, chairman fit tho art com mittee. Wednesday Morning, educational session, conducted by Miss Margaret J. Evans, and meeting of the public, trav eling and other library committees. Af ternoon, educational meeting continued and a lecture on "The Oity Beautiful." Evening, art meeting. Thursday Morning, lecture on "Club Women and Home Problems." Even ing, address on some sociological prob lem. Friday Business meeting and elec tion of officers. Saturday Board and council meet iogs. The Local Board at Milwaukee have held several meetings, but nothing defi nite is Bettled as yet and the committee lists will not be ready for final announce ment until the board reconvenes tho second Tuesday in Novomber. So far several entertainments have been ctfered. The Woman's Club and Athenaeum Association will unite in a large evening reception at the Athen aeum on Tuesday evening of tho Bien nial week. On WednoBdny a drive about the city and afternoon tea at Milwaukee-Downer College ie proposed, while Thursday will bo given up to ro coptionB at private houseB and to one large general entertainment, to be given, probably, by the Wisconsin State Fed eration of Women's Clubs. These, it is said, are all the entertainments tho pro gram committee of the General Federa tion caro to accept, owing to the presure of bosinesnto be transacted at tho con vention. Miss Lonoro Ililbert, Btate chairman of correspondence, uub mado tho follow ing report of chairman of committees. Sovoral remain yot to bo named. Tho chairman aro: Piaco of Mooting Mrs. Georgo R. Ferry. Entortainmont MrB.Frank L. Vance. Program Mrs. Harry Pillebury. Transportation Mrd.Frederick Abbot Hotelb Mrs. II C. Barnard. Tickots Mm. Wyman Knooland Flint. Introductions Resident, Mrs. S. S. Morrill; non-resident, Mrs. CharloB Mor ris of Berlin. Music Miss Alico Chapman. Art Mrs. S. S.Frackelton. Bureau of Information Mrs. Edward Rissman. Decorations Mrs. T. W. Spenco. Reception Mrs. John Johnston. PagcB and Ushers Mrs. William Van Dyke. Press Advisory chairman, Mrs. F. C. Winkler, Mies Ida Jackson, MiBB Zjna Gale. Finance Mrs. W. E. Cramer. Badges Mrs. Robert Johnston. The reception, introduction and art committees havo beon created by the present board, no formor biennial hav ing had these committees. Each chair man will appoint tho Milwaukee mem bers of her own committee, and each committee will have two members from the Btate at large appointed by Mrs. A. C. Neville and Miss Lenoro Hilbert. Tho Albambra will be used for all the general meetings and Pythian Hall and Grand Avenue M. E. Church for other gatherings. Thero will be no further meetings of the board until November, when regular meetings will be held from then on until the convening of the Bien nial Mrs. Horace Brock of Lebanon, Pen nsylvania, State President of Pennsyl vania, has been appointed -by President Lowe, the chairman of the committee of fifteen on reorganization. This seems a very suitable appointment for it would seem from the resolutions pre sented by Mrs Brock before the council (which are given in this week's Courier) that the state federation of Pennsylvania has given this subject much careful, candid thought, and would be prepared to consider the divers opinions which will exist with a spirit of fairness and friendliness which should be characteristic of all club work. We shall await with interest the appointment of the other members of this committee. Mrs. Ellen M. Henrotin has infoimed the executive board of the G. F. W. 0. that the French government has just conferred on her the title of "offlcier d'academie" with the right to wear "les Palmes academiqups." This decora tion was conferred in recognition of Mrs. Henrotin's position as vice presi dent of the congreEB auxiliary at tho World's fair, and also for hor work in connection with the "Alliance Fran caiao." As this decoration gives Mrs. Henrotin a recognized position in France, eho resigned hor appoint ment made by the Denver biennial as authorized representative of the Gen eral Federation to tho exposition in 1900, expldiuiug that sho did not feel willing to accept a monopoly of all of the privelegos coming to her through these two appointments. Her resigna tion was accepted by the board at its recent mooting and Mrs. Holmuth moved that the president of tho G. F. W. O. in 1900 bo its representative at the Paris exposition, which was carried. It was also voted to apply for space at the Paris exposition for an exhibit of club work, and also portraits of all the otllcers of tho General Federation from its beginning up to date. to criticiso or forever after hold your pence, it would seem that tho ono pro Bented by Mre. Buchwaltor to tho ex ecutive board for tho Milwaukee bion nial dovotoB too much time to tho sub ject of art and also of education, not but that two sessions, an afternoon and evening for art and a morning and afternoon for education could bo pro fitably Bpont on thoso subjects, only other equally important questions tnuet necessarially bo shortened or crowded out entirely. This point gave riso to a general discussion in tho ex ecutivo board upon the relative importance of certain questions ovor others. Some of tho more practical members argued that tho question of domestic service was of moro impor tance to a largo majority of tho women of the United Stutos than any other question, and that it should bo given more prominence at tho bionnial. Mrs. Herman J. Hall of Chicago, chairman of the art committeo in re porting hor plan for the art meetings of the biennial explained that tho after noon meeting would bo devoted to a demonstration of a perfectly artistic and inexpensive home, and that in tho even ing session tho possibilities of modelling would be demonstrated. These would seem unusually practical and tangiblo presentations of the subject of art, and would no doubt prove highly entertain ing and instructive. The art committee further hopod to have an exhibit of American artists and craftsmen which shall con tinue throughout tho week of the con vention, which it claims will alone pay the delegates for going to the biennial. There will bo only nine public ses sions. Tho first of these will be de voted to tho address of welcome and response; two are to he devoted to art; two to education; ono to an address on Borne sociological problem; leaving three sessions to bo divided among club work, club problems, home problems, indus trial conditions as affecting women and children, otc. I cannot wonder that this proposed program gave riso to a spirited discussion in the council meet ing, and resulted in tho passage of recommendations that tho program committee, in so far as possible, con sider the opinions thero expressed in arranging the detail of the program. If it bo just to criticiso a tentative program, and of coutbc this is tho timo In these days when doubtB are com monly expressed of the utility of a university education and the question is often raised if we are not over educa ting our youth it is heartening to re ceive a tribute with no uncertain ring as to the usefulness of the university from so high a source as President David Starr Jordan of Leland Stanford university. In an address before tho National Educational Association which met in L03 Angeles last week ho said in part: "Not all tho critics in business life taken together havo dono one-tenth as much to mako education practical ub has ono of the groat university presi dents of our time. Under tho hands of Eliot and White and Angoll and Tap pan and others liko these, tho wholo face of bighor education in America has changod in tho last twenty yoarB, and the chango has beon in every way towards greater usef ulnosB and groator practicality. "Tho American college of tho past waB a feeble copy of tho colleges of England. Tho Amorican univorsity of today draws its inspiration from tho deeper, stronger currents of German ccholarahip. "The college of tho past dealt chiuily with records and tradition. It sought no now truth and covered no action. The college life was a period of rest ful growth, to bo cherished for its frag rant memories. It was not a timo of forceful etrugglo, for heightened powor and dcopor wisom. "Tho university of today is alert to all tho problems of social and political dovolopmont. Tho poorhouso, tho jail, tho caucus, tho legislature, tho army, tho discordant demands of freedom and order all these call for closest atten tion of tho university student. There aro just ub many classical BCbolars to day as thero over were, but they no longer bar tho way to men of other powers and other tastes. Tho classics no longer closo tho door to other forms of culture He who writes Latin verses still finds his place in tho univorsity, provided only that his verses aro good enough to bo worth writing. But ho no longer occupies the solo p'ace of honor or oven tho front seat in tho lecturo hall. The man who knows Bteam engines has an equal place in tho univoiBity and an equal Bharo in tho honors of scholarship. With the advent of realities spurious booorB disappear. "It is not for the university to decide on tho relative values of knowledge. Each man makeB his own market, con trolled by his own standards. It is foi tho university to see that all standards are honest; that all work is genuine. To do ttaiB it must cast off many of its own shims'ot tho past. Its titles and privileges, its prizes and honors, its distinctions and degrees, its caps and gowns and chaplots of laurel berries all the playthings and millinery of its youth it must cast away with its full maturity. Theso prizes of learning are but baby toys to the man of power. To send forth mon of power the university exists. "To tho univonity wo muBt look for the promotion of true democracy. Its function as a put of public education is to break up the masses that they may be masses no more, but living men and women, to draw forth from the multi tude tho man. The mass is the real foe of democracy, for the slave in all ages has woven his own lash. Whore mon aro driven or Bold like sheep, there tho tyrant rules. It matters not whotier the tyrant bo a king in velvet and satin, or a ward bosB in slouch hat and striped waistcoat when individual intelligence does not rule, men are governed by brute force. "Tho great service of the Btate uni vorsity, tho capaheaf of the public school system, is that it carries the university into democracy without im paring the essential qualities of either. It furnishes a plain way to every stu dent, tho highest as well a9 the lo west from the commonest schooling to the train'ng that gives the highest power. So long as the grass doos not grow in the path from the faim house to the university, to borrow Ian MacLaren's phrase, so long is tho republic safe. So long as the people can become enlight ened and wiso, rich and poor alike, bo long shall government of the people, by tho pooplo and for tho people endure upon the earth. "Wisdom, virtue and roligioo aliko it is tho province of tho univorsity to cultivate and intensify. It can accept no BhaniB in wisdom, still less in virtue or in religon, but a lifo without these is tho greatest sham of all. The uni versity can cure tho body of pottj vices und childish trickory by muking him a man, by giving him higher ideals, moro Borious views of lifo. It may win by inspiration, not by fear. It must strengthen tho student in his etarch for truth. It must encourage manliness in him through putting away of childish things. Let tho thoughts of tho stu dont bo free hb air. Let him prove all things, and he will hold faet to that which is good. Givo him a tnoBsngo to spoak to others, and when ho leavos the univorsity you need fear for him not the world nor the il?sh nor tho devil. "The universities of Araorica have grown onormouBly in woalth and powor within the last twonty-llvo years. The V r