Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-11
The Business Educators' Convention.
PAPERs, ADDRESSES AND pISCuSsIoNS

forgery and the methods employed in detecting it,
ana S S
missioner West made brief speech OF welcome
10 which Pre- sident Wilt responded. Miss Scott
ana MI. Whipple rendered vocal music. and Mr.
Townsend gave rec1tatons. Refreshments were
served during the evening.
THE PENMEN's SECTION.
The penmen's section OF the convention opened
Prof. Pierce, OF Iowa, conducted very interesting
exercise on penmanship, illustrating his method
OF teaching. He gave, also, an illustration Of the
speed to be obtained in writing figures, which is
Der OF figures per minute written by himself were
OF ciphers 160. skies 142 fours lsO eghts lAO ves
H gave also interestn. nI faets con- Se
cernlng the unconscious making of figures,
showing how great accuracy and neatness can be
and thinking of something else.
Prof. Packard said he never knew student to
Messrs. b. C. Spencer, C. Z. Cady, Frank Good
man, g. W. Michael, and others, took part in the
Prof g. W. Brown, of Jacksonville. ILL.,. followed
with talk on business writing During his talk
he claimed to be better teacher because he was
started various members of the conception to their
leet, VINO disputed Mr. Browns proposition so ably
that that gentleman was obliged to own himself
PAPERS READ TO-DAY.
When the regular session opened at ten O'Clock
Mr. Robert c. Spencer read paper on property
and progress; W. H. sader gave an interesting
lecture on arithmetic. paper on the funda mental
York, WIS read. and Prof. A. II. Hinmln read a
paper on taste In the writing Of books and busi-
ness papers
=, Upon the conclusion Of the reading Of Mr..
Sprague'S paper resolution or thanks to the au-
thor was offered by Mr. Robert C. Spencer and
adopted Mr.. Sprague is secretary OF the Union
detained at home by illness in his family, the
paper was read by Mr., H.C: Spencer. It was phil
oSoph1cal analysis and explanation OF
THE PROCESSES OF BOOKKEEPING.
The paper said that some moving force, some
polarity. like that of a magnet, is driving every
cluster OF financial facts into two heaps and
while momentarily one OF these may be greater,
because the work OF separation has not had time
aor It's luii m meomReton still at last the two heaps
exactly the same weight To discover what this
force Is which thus divides and equalizes is to
and "credit." Mr.. sprague Claimed, which % are
USED to s express the two opposing poles Of value
az been c.sS
action is absurd. unless we utterly suppress the
original meaning of the word debit and forget
various nctions introduced to accommodate facts
of bookkeeping to the theory OF debit and credit,
such as that represented in the term "Cash DR.. to
merchandise" the paper asserts that bookkeep-
Ing Is a branch OF mathematical science.
He then takes up the treatment OF the balance ac-
count or balance sheet and suggests that propr1e-
torshlp be separated from Indebtedness as wiser
and simpler method than the one in vogue. He
suggests restricting the word 'liabilities' to its
"proprietorshp' to denote the excess of resources
over liabilities and the algebraic form
Rip.
TranSpOStng we have the equation OF the
balance sneet R-L-l-P Whatever forms the bal
ance sheet may assume, Mr.. Sprague thinks it
sound view to take that it is always an algebrafc
equation OF the form last given. This, he thinks,
arr NJ
financial concern is at any moment such that its
resources equal its liabilities plus the amount OF
ownership or worth. Mr.. Sprague stated his plat
l. The balance sheet is an equation of three ele-
ments, resources, liabilities and proprietorship.
2. Increase and decrease OF each OF these three
make six elements, and every transaction is an
equation Ito containing at leasttwo OF them.
g. The ledger Is series OF inequalities, which
combined form an equation.
All these equations are subject to the law: II
stracted from equals, the results viii be equal
In the discussion that followed Mr.. Humans
paper one OF the issues Was as to whether business
men should be considered as authority upon
methods OF business PrOfs. Packard, Mayhew and
Others maintained that they should not go to busl
gave Instances illustrate false impressions that
existed among business men.
AT oon an lntermission for an hour and half
paper by William L. Auchincloss, on mechanical
thinking in its application to the averaging ma
chine, was read. Mrs. Sara A. Spencer gave an in
teresting practical Illustration OF her method of
ten to fifteen minutes a day to the exercises
scholars acquired a thorough knowledge of the
rules OF grammar and cOmpO ,itfon within a year.
Mr. E. c. Townsend delivered an address demon.
strating the application OF elocution to busne So
and social life.
Mr.. D. A. Brown read paper on photography
The hours from $50 to $3.50 p. m. Will be devoted
to the penmens section.
This evening Hon. Ira Mayhem will discuss the
N al ia tod
Controller Lawrence and also an address from
Prof. Packard ON the classification OF accounts
NOTES
Among the new arrivals to-day were Prof. and
Mrs c. n Crandall, OF the Normal college, West
Bush nell. ILL.,; Prof Rogers, Of Rochester, N. Y;
Prot. Collins and A. Jackson Ryder, OF Trenton,
N. j.; Prof. Patrick, OF Baltimore; Mrs. N n. Te.
rex, OF the Business college of London. Ontario.
Mr.. II. w. McNeal, OF the Potomac boat club
OF the delegates, to be given tomorrow evening.
The party will meet at the Potomac boat house.