Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-08

The Wheeling Teachers Association
met in regular session at the High
School building yesterday afternoon.
The programme was opened by a Gelec-
ton by the High School orchestra.
Prof. Steele, of Urichsvllle, spoke on
''Penmanship." The next number on
the programme was a vocal number by
Miss Ada Graham. Miss Louise G.
Meyers read paper on Reading"
The regular programme was closed by
vocal number rendered by Miss Elsie
Gundling.
DR.. Raymond, president of the State
University, who was to have snokea
last evening, delivered the fifth lecture
in his series entitled, "A Group of So
cial Philosophers" The subject of the
lecture was William Morris and
Idealism.'
DR.. Raymond began his lecture by
showing that great change has taken
place in the popular conception of what
a poet should be. I'm some stages Of
the worlds progress, the poet has been
deemed unfit for the practical affairs of
life. A great national crisis, a blow
for freedom, daring wooing, these and
these alone have for centuries formed
themes meet for the poets pen. The
petty interests of men and women, the
countless Earrings in the world of bus
mess, the INTERROGATION of all that goes
to make up life, these, men supposed,
never entered into the poets thought.
Now all that is changed No longer
whose song may serve to while away a
tedious hour, the poet may be mer-
chant, banker, physician, lawyer, or
like the peasant Burns, may sing his
sweetest songs as he turns the Scottish
earth with his plough. Humanity, not
as vague, abstract term, but as made
up of actual, living men and women,
struggling, toiling, trying to solve the
problems of life, this forms now the
grandest and the mightiest of poets
themes. DR.. Raymond then cited the
names of some of those who had Sung
the race to higher places of thought
and action" by opening their eyes to
the actual needs of men and women
about thenl-Julia Ward Howe, James
Russell, Lowell, Whittier, Elizabeth
Barrett, Browning, and William Nor
ris.
President Raymond then discussed
the life and work Of Morris, poet artist
and master workman. He showed that
Morris had drawn his inspiration from
the life and work of Ruskin, who had
preached to the world a gospel of
beauty and humanitarianism Morris,
as boy. was fond of legend and ira
ditions. His love of medieval archi-
lecture was noticeable even in his child
hood, and it is recorded that as a boy
of nine he rode half Essex over in
search of old churches" He had a pas
sion for forests, for flowers, for quaint
tdpSoli lCo, III PlSIulSo. AS d DOy al
school he earned an enviable reputa.
ton as narrator of tales of romance
Sometimes the mystery and supernat-
uralism of his stories would assume
such proportions as to pass all the
bounds of credence, and then he fell
into disfavor with his schoolmates.
AS a student at Oxford, Morris be-
came associated with Edward Burne-
Jones, who later became famous art
list. Then began a friendship which
remained unbroken until Morris death.
the Pre-Raphaelite movement was at
tracing wide attention, and Morris and
Burne-Jones became ardent Pre-Raph-
aelites. Morris, during this period of
his life, wrote poems and romances
dealing with medieval life. He SEEM
ed to have no conception of the grave
problems Of life. but devoted himself
TO study Of the old Morse mythology,
and the literature connected with the