Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-01
LAST SESSION AZ AUDITORIUM.
Many Teachers Listen to the Closing
General Nddresscs.

Many Teachers Listen to the Closing
General Addresses.
The beauty OF the exposition grounds
under the electric light and the cool brcezcs
which prevailed in the open air proved too
much for the delegates TO the educational
convention who were on the grounds last
night and fully 80 per cent Of those in at
tendance at the closing session OF the con-
vention in the Auditorium came from down
town and entered the building from the
Sixteenth street entrance.
There was a fair-sized audience present
when the chairman Of the evening. Presl-
dent W. S. Chaplin Of Washington univer.
sity, st. Louis, announced that the exercises
would commence with a song by the FIRE.
mont Male quartet. The quartet sang one
number in a manner which caught the fancy
Of the audience and an encore was de-
manded. Before introducing the speakers
Of the evening Chairman Chaplin took &C.
casion to express the gratitude of those
who had come from other points to attend
the convention to the people of Omaha for
the royal manner in which the visitors had
been ENTERTAINERS; to the committee of ar
engagements for the t~horoughness With which
the details of the convention had been
worked out, and to the people who con-
ceived and carried out the exposition. He
spoke in glowing terms of the splendor of
the exposition and OF its far-reaching educa-
tional force.
The first speaker of the evening was Mrs.
Ella f. Young, assistant superintendent of
schools of Chicago, who read a paper on
Ethics in the Teaching Force In opening
she laid down the proposition that, diverse
as are the various occupations of woman
kind, all have to deal with the public. The
problems presented by this condition cannot
be solved by the study Of the conditions of
this world only. The speaker asserted that
the study Of the future is an important fac
tor in the solving of the relations between
people in this world. The study of the
ethics of society was declared to be a most
important element in the solution of this
problem. The study Of cause and effect was
discussed at some length as applied to the
everyday occurrences in the schoolroom.
rrcsiicnt Andrews Address.
After another song by the quartet Presi-
dent T.. Benjamin Andrews of Brown Uni
versity, Providence, was introduced to read
a paper on The Public School System as
an Instrumentality of Social Advance"
AS a preliminary to his address President
Andrews expressed his surprise and graft
fcation at the evidence of progress in the
tHlHSS VI IL Hllhu Ill the great west as
evidenced by the topics which had been dis
cussed at the convention just closing. In
opening his address the speaker discussed
the social conditions of the lower strata
of life in the great cities, dwelling upon
the difference between the lowest class of
Americans in cities with lower classes of
foreigners in the same cities, the former
being much higher than the latter. He as
serted that the vital question in connec-
ton with this phase of social economics is
the problem of elevating the standard of
life. He said this problem had interested
students since the time of Plato and many
methods had been suggested. Some of these
were discussed, the plan of John Stuart
Mill being dwelt upon as the most practi-
cal. The part of Mills plan involving the
education of the masses[was declared to be
the most practical and effective. Compul-
sorry attendance at school was declared a
necessity and the beneficial effects of the
kindergarten upon the youngest member
of the family were dwell upon as most eff
fective method. A systematic method of
teaching morals was urged as an important
factor in the effort to carry out the plan
under discussion. 1t was asserted that all
recognize a common standard of morals
which does not involve the various religious
beliefs or lack of them. The necessity of
Improvement in the character of the ordi-
nary school room and its surroundings was
urged as a vital factor in the effort to i'm
prove the trend of thought.
In summing up the speaker declared that
if this course of training is carried out in
all parts of the land the result will be an
Improvement in the conditions of the
masses, doing away with the slums Of the
large centers and the Submerged tenth"
1t was declared that this reform will go
hand in hand with the great movement for
good roads," and it will be possible to
mass the entire population in the %centers,
thus making the plan practical for the rural
as we'll as the urban districts.