The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-21
THE SCHO0L-TEACHERs.
Close of the Great Convention at Madison,
Wis. Very Successful Meeting.
ID the Indlanapolis journal.

Correspondence OF the Indianapolis Journal
MADISON, Wis, July 18.-The last scene of
the great educational spectacular drama has
closed, the curtain has been rung down and the
audience have scattered, some to their homes,
anxious about their bank balances and others,
with more leisure and less anxiety for the
future, have joined numerous throngs for the
far West, or North Many excursions are
making this their starting point for distant and
protracted journeys. All imaginable Western
and Northern points of interest are among the
objective points of these seekers after pleasure
or geographical lore, as the case may be. Even
Alaska is not forgotten, and party for that
remote section of the glorious Union has been
made up, consisting of-how many the deponent
knoweth not The railroads are all very enter
prising and even magnanimous in their induce
ments. All the lines centering here, and many
only connecting with them at remote points,
have had their representatives here throughout
the meeting, and they have all seemed to be
very busy. Magnificent tourist guide books
have been published and freely distributed,
notably by the illinois Central and the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St Paul railway, which operates
under one management over 5000 miles of
track, and extends far into Dakota and other
Western Territories The convention has been a
great success in every way. In the first place,
the weather has been simply faultless. Nothing
in the way of temperature and other climatic
conditions could be imagined more conducive to
human satisfaction and comfort The citizens
Of Madison have layished their utmost skill in
If aTta tain anti Dd Of NV,
limited) upon their guests of the week OF the
natural beauties of Madison nothing need be
said. They are unsurpassed and indispensable,
and this year and this week they have been
at their perfection
All these features however, are the elements
of grand picnic, and this convention has been,
in one sense, such to all who have attended it.
But that is not all. Never before in this land,
nor probably in any other, has there been con
vened SO large number of men and women
prominent in the work of education. All the
veterans have been here, and grey heads and
grey boards have been very plenty The
discussions and papers have been very able
and have taken hold of the deeper underlying
principles Of teaching, industrial education has
been earnestly and thoroughly discussed and on
this topic more impressive and better than all
theoretical presentation has been the magnif-
cent exhibit of what some of our schools and
universities are doing in that line. The results
as shown in this exhibit are amazing, and give
the highest promise of a mighty impulse in the
direction of Industrial training. So impressed
were the leading minds in the association with
the Importance of this exhibit and of the great
benefit to the cause which its further display
will work that resolutions were passed urging
f1pEfb o1a H.
out in other places and in other connection. An
effort will be made to have it presented at the
coming Worlds Centennial Cotton Exposition to
be held in New Orleans next year.
In the same line. also, is the work of the
kindergarten The Froebel Institute which held
a large meeting in connection with the associa-
tion or rather Just previous to it, has been
constituted department of the general
association, and will hereafter hold annual meet
ings in connection Herewith. The kindergarten
| display was very large and very fine, and was
very surprising to many who were not aware
how wide a field the kindergarten really covers,
aud what a diversity of results may come from
| the work of different teachers all having the
same general thought in their work and arriving
at substantially the same intellectual and moral
results. The honor of the great success of this
meeting belongs to I. w. Bicknell, of Boston,
the president for this year, though the names of
| those who have ably seconded his efforts is le-
| gion. Dr. Bicknell was complimented with the
honor of a denomination for the Office no now
holds but he very wisely declined to accept.
| The labor necessary for the complete success of
such great meeting is such that no busy man,
with his own affairs to attend to, could well af
ford to give his time to it two years in success
| ion, nor is it probable that two successive years
would supply the conditions necess-
airy for so grand a success as
he has achieved on this occasion.
1t is we'll therefore, for him to leave to an
other less conspicuous person the task of letting
| things down to their normal condition.
| On the platform this morning, was seated a
keeneyed, clerical looking gentleman. of some
what foreign aspect who attracted the curious
| gaze of the assembled multitude. The stranger
turned out to be no less a parsonage than Mon
signor Capel, the distinguished Anglo Roman
divine and educator Monsignor Capel adj
| dressed the meeting for about twenty minutes,
in manner that at once revealed the wonderful
! fascination of the man and his arkablepower
of assimilating himself to his surroundings.
| The general theme of the morning was ''Ele-
mentary Education and SO the Monsgnor,
instead of spreading his wings in a
| fight over platitudes, confined his re-
marks strictly to certain aspects of primary
| teaching and showed himself perfectly familiar
with the theme which he treated. His little
speech of twenty minutes, both in the thoughts
uttered in the graces of style and in beauty and
elearness of delivery was one of the most enjoy
able exercises of the whole convention
The president for the coming year is Louis
Soldan of St Louis, and the place of meeting
will doubtless be somewhere in the South.
1t has been truly a national conYocation
Every State and Territory was represented
unless with the possible exception of Idaho, New
Mexico and Washington Territory. Between
thirty and forty teachers came from Texas, and
represented All have gone away with new inn
pulses, and many with new and advanced ideas
which will no doubt act as leaven in all the
States and communities represented in this