Evening star., 1895-02-23
ART AND EDUCATION
Subjects Considered at the Woman's
Council Today.
TIE SHARE THAT BELONGS TO WOMEN
A Number Of Valuable Suggestions
Presented.
THE EVENING SESSION

After the enthusiastic meetings of yes
terday the members Of the National Coun-
Gil OF Women were comparatively slow In
gathering for the morning session, and
when Mrs. May Wright Sewall the pres
ident OF the council, raped for order shortly
after ~ o'clock Metzerott Hall was scarcely
one-third filled. All through the morning,
| however, the audience kept on growing, so
that before noon it was we'll up to the
| usual proportions.
| The subject OF discussion this morning
was education, in its general phases, ana
several scholarly and carefully prepared
papers were read.
Immediately after the opening OF the
| session Mrs. Wllloughby Cummings OF
Toronto was introduced to the council to
| extend fraternal greetings on behalf OF the
Womans Council OF Canada, OF which the
| Countess Of Aberdeen Is the president
| This organization is a sister society TO Ine
| National Council OF omen, and IN lew
well-chosen words Mrs. Cummings told OF
the work for women which is being done
across the border.
At the conclusion of Mrs. Cummings
remarks Mrs. Sewall made the announce
| ment that letter had been received from
the Countess of Aberdeen, saying that she
| would be In Washington next Tuesday, to
be here through the remaining sessions OF
the council. The Countess of Aberdeen Is
not only the president Of the National
Council of Women of Canada, but is also
the head OF the International Council OF
Women. which was organized March, 1888,
and which seeks to bring together all the
national councils OF women everywhere
now in existence.
UnavOidably Absent.
The first paper read at the session this
morning was by DR.. Julia Holmes Smith
Of WI
the higher art be brought to bear upon the
people through the home and the schooi?'
Dr. Smith was prevented from being pres
ent by illness, and in her absence her pa
per was read by Mrs. G. B. Colby.
DR.. Julia Holmes Smith was born IN
Savannah Ca, in 1899. She was graduated
from the Chicago Homeopathic College IN
| 1877 and has been in practice in that city
| ewes since. She has ever been active In the
| intellectual work of the women OF that city.
| She Is a member Of the Fortnightly, was
| three times elected president OF the Wo-
mans Club, was the organizer and first
president Of the Woman's Medical Assocla-
| ton, the only society Of the kind IN Amer
| ica DR.. Smith is allied with the American
Institute Of Hoineopa thy, the Academy or
Physicians and Surgeons and is lecturer
| in the. Illinois Training School for Nurses:
Her articles upon literary and general
topics have appeared in publications OF tne
highest class and are quite numerous IN
1880 she contributed to the New York Led
ger a series Of articles on Common Sense
| in the Nursery" which met with genera
approval. DR.. Smith Is active in social liie
| in Chicago, despite the heavy deihahos
which her practice entails
The paper presented by DR.. Smith opened
| with an analysis of the characteristics OF
| humanity SO far as regards the love ,,on W
| toward the beautiful was part and parcel
| of the human soul, no matter what the
| degree of civilization, and that the history
# TOLL tina
! artistic-might be called history of civil
| iZation and that i'll such history clVlllza-
| ton would be found. Following this review
came a statement OF the necessity Tor the
cultivation of high ideals in children, and
a protest against the commonplace In edu-
! cation Dr. Smith felt that from the be
ginning of the growth of the child, which
was expressed in kindergarten work, there
| should be examples of the very best that
! the masters in art had given. She would
| have casts, photographers, outline pictures,
| even everyday common Autographs, on the
| walls of every school room. that the child $
| mind might grow accustomed, to beauty, of
| outline, beauty of expression, beauty or
| thought. The paper contained a suggestion
| of possible work in that direction in the
public schools of the country, and used as
| illustration the successful presentation of
| art work in several public schools in the
| city of Chicago. The author magnified also
| the work done in the cultivation of higher
| ideals by art lovers through lectures and
| conversation classes, and also the influence
| of the work inaugurated and successfully
| carried through by the Kindergarten As
sociattOn.
Paper Discussed.
The discussion on Dr. Smiths paper was
| begun by Mrs Sarah A. Stewart of Penn
| sylvania proxy of the president of the
| International Kindergarten Union. Mrs.
| Stewart presented a number of valuable
| hints as to the work of developing tn chill
| <ho fho ;f,,1
| and the good. She laid stress upon the i'm
portance of love of art in increasing the
| sum Of human happiness. She also urged
| the value of the dramatic art in this con-
nection, and dwet at some length on the
| way in which home life may be used to
| enhance the good results that accrue from
| the teaching of a love Of art in the schools
The Discussion Continued.
The discussion was continued by Virginia
Graeff of Pennsylvania, delegate from the
International kindergarten Union, and Mrs.
J. Ellen Foster of Washington, Mrs. Nichols
of Indianapolis and Mrs. Bagley
| Mrs. Graef took up the kindergarten
| work because of the intense love she has
for children and for teaching, and because
| she believes that the Froebel method OF
training is one of the greatest, most
| philosophic and beautiful agencies at work
| in our century. Her experience as prac-
! teal teacher has extended over some years
| and has been wide one. for she has taught
| Johnny" from the slums and Dorothy
| from the brown-stone mansion, and has
| found all children. no matter what their
outside conditions, responsive to this kinder
garten teaching.
| This work, so delicate and so beautiful,
| she thinks, should command the most cul-
| tivated and gifted women, for the broader
| the natural endowment and culture Of the
| teacher when added to a love and adapta-
biIity for her work, .the better and more
| lasting will be the result of her teaching.
q. mmon People ana Common Schools.
| During the discussion the words common
| people" and common schools" had been
used, and both MRS. Nichols and Mrs.
Bagley protested against them, saying that
we are all conpaon people and that all our
schools should be regarded as common.
Mrs. Nichols spoke especially of the civil
izing and refining influences exerted by the
| churches of Europe with their beautiful
| pictures and statues which are available
| to the people every day in the week. She
| contrasted with the, European churches,
| unfavorable in this respect, our American
| churches, which are usually bare and any
| thing but beautiful, ard which, moreover.
| are open to the welI-dressed few, and then
! only once week.
| Mrs. Lulie NJ. Gordon and Mrs. VIM. NJ