The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-01

May friends be near
Your heart to cheer,
And smiles with words Of kindness blend.
Mid-Winter Meeting K. s. s. T.
The mid-winter meeting of the Kansas
Social Science Federation, announced on
the program as the Social Science Round
Table" was held in Unity church, Topeka,
Wednesday afternoon of the past week.
Its object was to bring together the
teachers and club members to discuss top
ics Of common interest for the better edu-
cation and development of the child. AL
though three other Round Tables were in
session at the same time. the little church
was vel filled with an attentive and in
terested audience.
The good expected to accrue from this
and like meetings is to make known the
educational and helpful purpose of the
cub movement; to show the relation eX-
listing between the home ard the public
school; to express by word and deed the
sympathy felt by mothers. as club mem
bers, for the teachers. and by mutual in
terchange of thought learn what wom-
ems clubs can do for education
The following from the Topeka Capital
Is a good review of the meeting:
Those teachers who attended the Social
Science Round Table yesterday afternoon
"a Unity church will go back to their re-
spective schools with the comfortable feel
ing al heart that the majority OF mothers
are in sympathy with the instructors of
their children, and that it is the purpose
o. club women to bring about a state of
affairs where such sympathy shall be man
ifested by word and decd.
The papers yesterday afternoon and the
discussions which followed were calculated
10 encourage the teachers, and the friendly
attitude assumed by the one toward the
other was sufficient indication in itself
of the position of the club women on the
public school question.
Mrs. 5. r. Peters. president of the State
Federation of Clubs. presided, and the
program was opened with a piano SOLO
by the Mountain Spring by Miss Min
ME McMurtie. It was the privilege of
Mrs. L. D. Ellis Of Burlington to rouse
the interest Of the assemb.age in the OBJ
5ect OF the meeting with her paper The
J. q. --.- .--- rr.'''~ School The other
papers ii ln- .-..... o1 .- Tho Club
Woman and the Public School by AIRS
Agnes Grove Amos of Kingman. and The
Bible and the Public School, by Mrs. T.
F. Carver of Topeka.
"Al the papers were short. being limited
to ten minutes each, but were to the point,
and brought out some excellent ideas.
THE discussions which followed were
most Interesting to all concerned. and were
participated in by John Macdonald. w. NJ
W. 4. Carter. Mrs. Eugene Ware. Mrs.
John c. McClntock. Mrs. c. A Huron
Mrs. Senior of Wsverly and Mrs. John A
Hale Of Kansas City, Kan.
Mr.. Macdonald referred 10 the wicked
ly reckless manner in which parents dis
cuss teachers before children The wisdom
OF refraining from any such discussions is |
very apparent, and Mr.. Macdonald eau
toned mothers never to mention the fail |
ings Of teachers in their pupils presence.
Among other points emphasized were
that mothers should take an interest," in
the social life Of the teachers. and should
know them personally. visit the schools. |
and make friendly suggestions wherever !
they might he helpful
The music was one Of the particularly
pleasant features of the afternoon. Be
sides the opening piano number. Miss Vera /
Low sang A Song of Thanksgiving and
responded to an encore. as did II. L. Shir- /
er. who sang a pretty love song"
'The Home and the Public School"
Paper read at the midwinter meeting Of I
the X. 5. s. F. by Mrs 1. X Ellis of |
Burlington:
Home 10 the average child is the place |
where his best friends are: where the
most unselfsh love supplies his wants and /
gratifies his wishes; where he is shielded /
from the rough side Of life and kept in
smooth and pleasant ways: where much /
is made of his virtues and little of his /
faults and where his attractions elicit the
greatest admira ton. Here. "be il ever 50
humble. he gets his first taste Of tna-
side Of life in which hereafter he viii find /
his greatest earthly happiness. In the /
proportion that true wisdom il united with
love IN his home in that proportion will /
his after life partake of IL. And The rever-
ence he gives his parents. whether they
are altogether worthy or not, will react
upon his own character
An entirely different life opens up to a
child who. for the first time. enters the /
public school. The school IS 20 him what
the world is TO the man. In this place. of
many classes and conditions. he stands
solely on his merits. He is treated with no
special attention. granted no special privi-
leges. His faults are noc condoued. his
virtues not magu.1ed. nor his attractions
over-estimated. He may even see Others
surpaes him. he finds that he must con-
troll the faults ne could indulge al homo
or pay the penalty. Above all. he has the
TRYING experience OF being introduced 10
both the good and The bad in his social
relations. and given the freedom Of choice. !
one fact sands out clearly in his varied
experience. the fac- that all ara come to-
rether in the Scho03 room with A common !
purpose and the source from which they !
are 10 receive aid in carrying out that
purpose is ;he teacher. The degree OF con-
fdence. whether fully deserved or not,
which lie boy has in the teacher. VIII
largely determine the value of what he
gets from her.
In the training Of the child these two
great educators. the mother and the teach
or. walk together. and shall they not he
agreed? Their unity viii strengthen their
work their antagonism viii weaken. per-
haps prove disastrous 70 H. Whose fault
Is il that their efforts are not often unitedc
Is it NOT true that mos, mothers. con-
sciously or unconSciously. assume from the
FIRST either an au,aEonistic or coldly criti-
cal attitude coward the school2
To say nothing OF che VIGOROUSLY weak
mother. who openly criacises the teacher
IN the presence o. her child and permits
him 10 bring from school those time-hon-
ored fabricauons. common 70 every se1-
eratin-, u schaol Children. about ne par,