The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-29

general federation. To the study of education
| and active interest in the public schools the
women of the general federation have pledged
themselves.
/ In response to the circulars of the national
| education committee of the general fedora
| ton, of which your president has the honor
| to be chairman, nearly all of the state fedora
| lions now have committees who are carrying
out, as rapidly as possible. measures for In
| forming the clubs on educational conditions,
| for furnishing educational programmes for
club meetings and suggestions for practical
| work, and much work has been done.
| The Maine clubs reported two years ago the
condition of every school in the state. This
| last year of the twenty -four bills presented TO
! the Maine legislature for the improvement
of school conditions, twenty-five were passed.
/ owing largely 1t is said to the efforts of
| club women. The Maine clubs are now de-
| voting their energies to rural schools, where
| two-thirds of the children are educated. New
| Hampshire has helped in the problem OF the
care and education of dependent and delin-
quent children. The New York federation
calls itself the New York Federation of
| Women's Clubs and Educational Association"
| and so is doubly pledged to this work. New
| Jersey clubs are securing free kindergartens
] and putting them under the care of the state,
| as the District of Columbia is also doing.
! study congress, held in Chicago in May; is
| working to secure a better compulsory edu
| cational law. and has devoted itself to the
/ art education of the schools and to play
grounds for the children. The Wisconsin fed
| Grafton has pettioned for manual training in
| all educational institutions. Iowa federation
is helping in establishing circulating trayel-
| ing and school libraries The Missouri feder
alton is endeavoring to secure bill to make
woman eligible on school boards. The Ar
| kansas federation is cooperating with the
state kindergarten to secure state normal
! kindergarten. The Georgia federation is urg
ing bill to open their state university to
! women, is establishing reading classes for
| the mountain whites. and striving for free
| kjndar0a RI training
schools. The Colorado women have estab-
lished night schools and kindergartens with
| public baths.
| Twenty-Five of the twenty nine declarations
| have assigned. as we have, on the pro-
| grammes of their annual meeting or two
| sessions on the subject Of education.
| The latest phase of the educational work of
| the general federation has been a co-ordina-
ton of it's forces with those of the national
| and state organizations. The coordination
! probably began when, in the summer of Sc,
| the club women of Denver showed gracious
| hospi atty to the National Educational associa-
ton by furnishing parlors, refreshments with
| ices, and entertaining in all Womenly ways
| the visiting educators.
| During the past summer the Importance
! of the educational movement among club
| women was recognized by an invitation TO
| Mrs. Henrotin. the genial and able president
| of the general federation, to speak on club
| educational work before the National Educa-
tional association, in Milwaukee. Her ad-
| dress aroused great interest. 1t is hoped that
Commissioner Eaton will still further help
| in coordination by an address to the CLUBS
at the biennial meeting next June. BY the
| latest circular of the educational committee OF
| the general federation every state federation
| is urged to hold a meeting in connection with
| their state teachers association, and to ask
prominent educators to address them.
MINNESOTA EDUCATIONAL WORK.
In all this educational work MinnSota
| women have not been behind. They have,
| however confined their efforts to a few prac-
| teal lines. Our wise committee, in its cir
| cular sent out last autumn, urged. in addi-
ton to the efforts to train the schools in town
| improvement work, systematic and sympa-
| thetic visitation of the schools gifts to school
| libraries and school rooms OF pictures repro
! ducing the masterpieces, and efforts to Sc.
| cure for the pupils good books to read, CT
| which a list is offered. Many of our progress
| sive clubs have already had great pleasure
and benefit in carrying out these suggestions.
The sixty-fye large pictures presented to
the Mortified schools have proved as great
! a pleasure to the donors as to the recipients.
The Anoka club and the Clio club, of Mime
apols, have doubtless had the same pleasure
| in their plans.
The aesthetic element in education may fit
| tingly continue to receive our attention. Our
national inheritance from the intense, rlghte-
ous reverent, God-fearng Puritan brought
| with all its noble things an indifference TO
| God-given beauty in ma ure and art and lack
of. respect for the eiegancies OF life for which
| his sincerity, courage ard .ofty idea! do not
| atone TIE fierce rush OF business life pre-
vents too often also the natural development
| of the sense of beauty From the women OF
our land may Appropriately come through the
schools the corrective in the development OF
a new beauty-loving generation.
We cannot too earnestly urge the visitation
| of the schools. Is it too much to hope that
! every club woman in the STATE will at least
| once during the year visit the school nearest
her and express to the teachers her sympathy
and desire to cooperate with them; One
ever, undo al the good a score OF friendly
( visits might accomQl: Sh. " " -
In our state the union of the club forces,
! with those of the public, schools has ad
vanced a step further than in o her states.
| By, the courtesy OF the pres dent OF the state
/ Educational association; your president and
the chairman of your educa tional committee
have been invited to no. club symposium
for information and discussion with the
teachers n their annual meeting in this city
| in December. Whether we can offer any
| gracious hospitality to the teachers and hold
| an additional club session is still under con-
| sideraton. The Eastern federations hold dur
| ing the year several all-day sessions, at
| which some one definite topic forms the theme
! of the day. This is one opportunity for every
club woman in the vicinity to have a practi-
| cal education.
So we face our work for the new year-face
| 1t not Historically or too intensely, but we
hope, with quiet poise and energy, waiting for
! knowledge before action, seeking to prevent
| evil rather than remedy it.
| Last July, in Chicago with great ceremony
| and display St. Gauden's heroic statue of
| Gen. Logan was unveiled and gwen to the
| city. hundreds or thousands OF VlSiJCrS, Win
| the citizens, thronged TIE streets. In the
! four hours of speeches and procession one
| moment was of supreme interest. 1t was not
at the passing of the mounted governors or
| aids or any of the splendid figures of the
! pageant. After the unwilling and the first
applause, little sevenyear-old Jack Logan
was looking up past Mrs. Logan's face into
that of the statue and asking her, Was
| grandpa as big that?" as she answered
/ with symbolic TRUTH Yes, my child, he was
as big as that. when, as the child lifted
1 ,fe nooin
i through the eminent guests on the grand
| stand, passed over to the great mu.thsde,
spread from lip to lip, echoed and re-eca.ocd
| from walls and pavements and from the toss
| ing of the blue lake behind. 1t was
SHOW us the boyp' Lift up little jack
Lift up the chi.d!' The cry had its ftnns
| response. The lite white clad figure stood
| upon Gov. Tanners shoulder to allow the
| manifestation of the primal interest in the
! child make the supreme moment of the day.
| To express this primal interest we seek CO.
! ordination with other educational forces.
OUR AIMS IN EDUCATIONAL WORK.
The Intellectual element of education we
may safely leave to the educational special
| lists.
| aesthetic, patriotic and the moral aspects of
| education seem, however, peculiarly in the
| sphere of our power and desires.
There is room for all the Housekeeping in
| stinctss and skill of women in improving the
! sanitary conditions OF our school buildings
! and grounds.
In a home an uncarpeted floor washed but
| once or twice year would not be esteemed
| conducive to health. DR.. Hastings discovered
| that in Boston the schoolhouses never
| washed. Her first motion that steps be taken
| to purify them occasionally with soap and
water was met by the statement from the
! janitors that it would cost $4,000 year to
| give the floors one washing apiece 1t has
| since been shown that by a woman's
$1,000 sufflees for a cleaning three times a
! year in Boston.
OF course we do not expect Boston to be
! as advanced In these things as Minnesota,