The herald., 1897-02-13
A Program Furnished by Its
Winter Guests
AN EDUCATIONAL MORNING
Our School S. stem, Reading and Peder-
alton Work
Severance to the Club - The
President Emeritus

One Of the very pleasant sessions Of
the year was that of the Friday Morning
club yesterday, when its program, on
educational lines, was given over to sew
eral prominent winter guests Of the
club, who are spending some months in
the city and are especially interested
in club life.
The three guests who contributed to
the program were Mrs. Lewis b. Mon
roe of New York city, Mrs Thomas b.
Reading Of Buffalo, New York, and Mrs.
E. o. Smith Of San Jose, Cal.
Mrs. Monroe is the widow of the late
Lewis Baxter Monroe, dean of the School
Of Oratory Of Boston university, and au-
thor of the Monroe series of readers,
much used in the east. Mrs. Monroe was
co-worker with her husband, and after
his death prepared a series of supple
mentary readers, at the call of the Bos
ton publishers. She is also the author
of a little work entitled, The Story of
Our Country, published by Lee & Shep-
ard of Boston, which Is a valuable bit
of history for children. Mrs, Monroe
Is also quite musician and has COM
posed serio-comic opera, the libretto
VI WTlCU was WTltlen ny G1uTOlu Oltelt
MacKaye, esq, of New York.
This accomplished lady has just re-
turned from an extended trip abroad.
In 1894, while in Paris, she was one of
the sixty people wounded by the bomb
thrown by Valiant in the Bourbon pal
ace in the chamber of deputies. She
still carries the scar upon her head of
the wound which she received at this
time.
THE FIRST READER
How to Teach Beginners to Read. was
the title of the first paper. 1t was one of
charming simplicity and delightfully."-
presented. Mrs. Monroe is evidently
q child lover and this was shown be-
tween the lines throughout her paper.
In her presentation the writer claimed
a child should be taught self-reliance
and good will to others as soon as 1t
shows intelligence. She touched on the
value of kindergarten training, and the
beauty of simple object-lessons in COM
pairing forms and cultivating the pow
ers OF observation. The phonetic meth
cd of teaching reading was illustrated
and some very charming examples given
of the work of children the writer had
known.
The second paper was read by Mrs
Thomas B. Reading. Mrs. Reading is
treasurer of the Federation of Woman's
Literary and Educational Organizations
of Western New York. She -fs visiting
this winter Mrs. A. F. Morlan of Twenty
third street.
VALUE OF ORGANIZATION
Federation Work was the title of Mrs
Readings paper and it touched princi-
pally the work of the organization of
which she is treasurer, and which is com
posed of twentyfour clubs in the state
of New York This federation has an
official organ called The Period, pub
lished by the Hubbard Press, of HAM
burg, New York.
The speaker believed the important
factor of success was organization,
which was of especial benefit to the club
movement. 1t encourages the edu-
cational activities and is. benefit to
the community. The necessity of an
bringing out individualism in cfubs
When brought in closer contact with
each other a bond of sympathy and a
closer union Is established. The MEM
bers of the Scribblers' club of New York
had been the organizers of the fedora
tion. Miss Eleanor NJ. Ladd. one of the
members of the club, Is chairman of the
divisions of this federation. The work
OF this bureau was outlined by the
speaker, its exchange of club papers,
its organization of local clubs. its pre-
sentation of the same topic for discus
sion upon the same day throughout the
federation being some of the work dweit
upon by the speaker.
Mrs. Reading paid high tribute to the
newspaper women who composed the
Scribblers club, their ability, their cul-
ture, their influence, their help to the
federation were all appreciatively
shown
The closing thought of the paper was
that 'in rising to higher plane of ele-
waited thought and common interest we
find bond of sympathy which draws
women together more strongly than
social caste. accidents of birth or con-
ditiens of wealth."
The last topic Of the morning was pre-
sented by Mrs. e. o. Smith. Mrs. Smith
was chairman of the ladies' state board
of managers of the Worlds fair, and
an old settler In San Jose. She has been
prominent in educational, philanthropic
and suffrage work, and is director of the
Associated charities in San Jose, ana
vice president Of the Pacific Coast Won-
ems Press club of San Francisco She
is now visiting her daughter Mrs. Cal
vert Wilson of this city.
ESSENTIALS IN EDUCATION
Our School System was the title Of
Mrs. Smiths paper. The speaker ar
gued that we are losing sight of the eth
ical spirit of the public school system
by allowing our teachers to be elected
by political favoritism. Further, the
speaker believed in the mothers who
rear children having a voice in the cleo
ttons of teachers; also that teachers
should hold positions as long as they
hlled their positions with credit
Mrs Smith discussed the difference
between education and instruction. urg
Ing the need of mental culture in the
teacher. 1t was better to be technicalIv
faulty that not able to discover the ma
ture of the child's mind and deyelop
It along its best lines.
The need of both masculine and fem
inine influence was shown. Further. the
necessity for religious training. was dis
cussed, not theology, not doctrine. not
creed, but the development of the snui
In the child, d religion found in the souI
OF every human being capable of deyeI
oping his own higher nature.
PRESENTATION OF A BUST.
At the close of the papers Mrs. j. A.
Osgood, who had been commissioned hv
the club at the last business meeting Ia
make the purchase Of the bust of Mrs
Severance made by Miss Peel. was in
troduced and presented the bust. Mrs
Osgood said 1t gave her great pleasure
to present to the club, from itself tha
beautiful bust Of the mother of ciubs
and also the founder of the Fridav
Morning club. 1t had been very graft
flying to execute the commission of tta