The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-29

Roman history unul the time OF ILDDOH-
| The Augustan age boasts one particular
! star, Horace, that should never fail of
attentive reading.
"a course of systematic historical read
| ing is indispensable TO the well-informed
person. 1t is hardly necessary to indicate
! what particular writer's such a course OF
| reading should enbody, but I am inclin-
! ed to think biography-the best biogra-
| PHYS to the intelligent reader better
source of historical information than ex-
| elusive history. Auto-b biographies are in
| tensely interesting Take Gibbons Burns
| Goethe's and ST. Augustine's autobiogra-
| phies. Where can one find more profit
! able and more Accordingly interesting
reading?
1T would be impossible in the small
compass of this paper to indicate all the
best books that may be had, but 1 wish
especially to utter a protest against the
| modern craze for novel reading Ninety
nine per cent Of the novels that Issue
| from the publishing houses should at
once be consigned to the flames. The
| one per cent is good Emerson's rule IS
a good one: Read no book that is not
one year Old No book is worth reading
that is not worth keeping. Judge them
by the same rule you would a friend.
''The best books are a company of the
wisest men Of all ages, and whoever will
sit in that charmed circle must himself
absorb some of the wit and wisdom OF
| the great models.
1.-THE higher kinds of literature are not
read enough. The best literature Of all
times has been poetry. Homer among
the Greeks, Horace among the Romans,
Ceramics among the Spanish, Shake
speare and Milton among the Anglo-Sax-
! ons-where in all the vast army of writ
ers will we find names equal to these?
Poetry says Greeley, is essentially
the friend of virtue and merit, the foe of
oppression and worry the champion of
justice and freedom; to the patriot in his
exile, the slave in his unjust bondage.
the martyr at the stake. the voice of p9
etry comes freighted with hope and
cheer, giving assurance that while evil
is but for a moment, good is for ever and
ever; that all the forces of the universe
are on the side of justice, and that the
seeming triumphs of iniquity are but
mirage
John Ruslxin says: 7 would urge upon
every young man and woman as the be-
ginning of their due and wise provision
for the household to obtain, as soon as
possible by the severest economy, a re-
stricted, serviceable and steadily, how
ever slowly, increasing series of books,
for use through life, making his little IL
brary,,of all the furniture in the room,
,@g1
every volume having its assigned place
like a little statue in its niche. And one
of the earliest and strictest lessons to
the children Of the house being how To
turn the pages of their own literary pos
sessions lightly and deliberately"
Miss Miners excellent paper was the
subject of very careful discussion by
President Boyd, President House and
Superintendent Logan, and Mrs. c. o.
Clearinghouse of Ponca, who said in sub
stance that the study club has become
permanent fxture-and the women re-
joice. Women are instinctively demand
ing Of themselves an intelligent insight
into the great national problems Of the
day. She, urged women to take up the
study of the history Of the greatness of
our own land and times. and to also take
up other work suited to their own need
and environments Today, representa-
tive society women, wage-earning wom-
en-, white and colored, stand shoulder to
shoulder in trying to better fit themselves
for the larger demands of modern life,
and the study club is proving the way
for accomplishing much of this by study
and interchange of thought
President Houes thought we read abso-
lutely too much fiction; that the great
majority Of these works had been writ
ten for gentlemen 10 read with cigars in
their mouths and while lying on a couch.
President Boyd thought that we should
read such fiction as has a direct bearing
on our own times; that We should be
perfectly acquainted with the forces at
work TO mould public ideas. He argued
with President House that the best way
to study history is by reading the biog-
raphies of the greatest men.
Superintendent Wilkinson presented a
practical paper on English Composition
in Elementary Schools"
Miss Maud De Cou, superintendent Of
NewllirlI discussed the subject with
much ability and thought.
Mr.. Dale won a round Of applause by
his inimitable take-off on some mistakes
and omissions in teaching compositions.
In the days Of his school boyhoOd he had
been directed to read the poem beginning
thus: "The bark that held the prince
went down" each stanza ending: He
never smiled again" and had thought
the king very careless to allow his son
to go out upon the waves on a piece OF
bark. Not until many years later did he
learn his mistake which his teacher
should have anticiDated
Professor J. :. Buchanan OF Oklahoma
university read the first paper IN the
symposium, Requirements for High
School Teachers his subject being Gen
eral knowledge" which he handled n an
able manner.
By special request President Boyd arose
10 discuss the same subject He reiter-
ated the terse saying that has almost
become an aohorism, The main defect
with the teacher IS that he doesn't know
enough"
Professor y. E. Poole OF Purcell, read
an able paper on Graduation From the
Common schools" HIS ideas on the SUB
5ect creating a lively discussion
President Cole took up the cldgel f0r
the taw6ry. little. much-abused common
school diploma He sad thai he had go
as possession ore OF these same rolls
OF honor Later he had received diplomas
from the normal school and the uni
versl,v but that in real stimulating
value tire common school diploma stood
So
Superintendent Kellogg said that bg.
eight pupils had graduated from the CON-