Evening star., 1901-06-18
GOSSIP FROM GOTHAM
United Movement for Improved Sun
day School Instruction.
NO PASSES OVER THE new BRIDGE
Scarcity of Panama Hats-Corsets
for Shirt Waist Man.
GIFT TO CITY'S BLIND
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, June IT, 1901.
A united movement for Improvement in
Sunday school instruction is under way in
this city that has national significance.
1t is wholly a lay movement, and is for
the better instruction of lay Bible teachers
Columbia University, Union Theological
Seminary, Amity Baptist College and the
Episcopal Sunday school commission are all
Interested in the movement. In a word,
the scheme is to bring to lay Bible in
Struction all that has been learned in secu-
lar education. Agitation on this point has
been for some time throughout the whole
country. Responding to it Dean Russell
of the Teachers College has formulated a
plan. The effort IS to make it adapted to
all religious bodies. TIL scheme is to have
common instruction up to the point where
denominational differences begin. and from
there to provide specialists. Union Theo-
logical Seminary is making effort to Sc
cure Richard Morse Hodge, M. A, the head
of the Nashville Bible Institute, to under
take lay instruction for Christian workers.
A part Of the necessary salary for five
years has been secured, and it is under
stood that President Hodge will accept If
Union becomes able to make the offer.
The project of Dean Russell Is to provide
one and perhaps two great model Sunday
schools. He proposes to make on Sundays of
the Horace Mann foundation and, if need
be, the new Speyer one, all that these in
stitutions are week days. The propo-
sition is to throw one or both Of these
great foundations open on Sundays, invite
pupils from everywhere. and there permit
pupils in the proposed lay Bible schools to
put what they have learned into practice.
The Mayor and the New Bridge.
The members of the new East river
ha loft t,Irp paI no
tables on Mayor Van Wyck. Unless they
change their minds Mayor Van Wyck will
not have an opportunity to cross the foot
path of the new bridge. Mayor Van Wyck,
soon after he took office. predicted that
he would cross the span before he finished
his term, and it was expected that he
would get an invitation to cross. 1t seems,
however. that the commissioners have
rather long memories 1t will be remem-
bered that Mayor Van Wyck affronted
them about year ago by saying that
they were slow and gave their attention
| to SO many trivial things that they did not
properly push the work on the bridge 1t
was intimated to the commissioners last
week that it was about time for them to
| invite the mayor to- make his trip. Then,
| 1t is alleged, the commissioners 'winked at
| each other over the telephone" They met
and passed without a dissenting vote, a
| motion declaring that, on account of the
necessity of protecting public life and pre-
venting Interruptions to the wOrkmen, no
| passes should be issued for any one to
| cross the foot bridge.
! Scarcity of Panama Hats.
| The man who bought his Panama straw
hat last year was lucky. for they are
practically out of the market here today.
Those that are to be had are held by the
/ dealers at $35 This price Is not likely to
| decrease.
| '.The South American makers are abso-
lutely unable to meet the demand" said
/ one of the statesmen in the largest hat
| store in 9Th avenue yesterday afternoon.
and for two months We have practically