Evening journal., 1910-01-22
TEACHERS HEAR
MIR. SMITH LECTURE
Thinks II Time Children Held
Flowers Instead Of
SpindIeS

In spite OF the rain, the auditorium and
gallery Of the High School were filed to
their capacity yesterday afternoon for the
f. iopkinson Smith lecture The author
has lectured several times in wilmington
and all we're glad OF the opportunity 10
hear him again, provided BY the Primary
Teachers Association. Possibly because
he is an artist Mr.. Smiths talk about
'Old-fashloned Folk" was a series Of pic
lures contrasting old and modern. First
came the old-fashionad savery-haAred
grandmother sitting in the quaint room at
her knitting. while her shy, sweet grand
daughter played on the meiodeon. Second
was a brilliant audience at the opera, with
q stunning grandmother in white and
jewels and fancy couture Of hair as black
as It was twenty years ago, and pink
shoulders in full bloom. The granddaugh-
ter was here too. but the young men were
devoted 70 tho grandmother, after invita-
tions 20 her next ball. At midnight. there
we're WEAKNESS. shadows. and old age Wis
ibie as she waited for her carriage ia the
lobby, with her thin ankles chilled by the
night air to their brittle bones.
Tho third picture was OF old-fashioned
hospitality. the open house, the dropping
in Of neighbors, the leisurey game OF
cards for the old, the dancing and blind
man's-buff for the young. Fourth came
the modern dinner" with invitation two
weeks in advance arrival on time, recep-
ton by the butler who hands cards with
name OF woman 10 be escorted out TO din
ner. The host and hostess stand on the
rug beside the gas log or under the palms.
Mr.. Smith said: you talk to people you
never saw before and never want 10 see
again. AT dinner you talk 10 tho women
on either side, one Of whom loves Keats
and Shelley. tho other colles and Angora
cats. Afterwards the smoking room, and
then a minstrel show or sleight- OF hand
by professionals. given by the host under
the impression that you can't. or find IL
too undignihed, to entertain yourself
Every night I'm New York this superb
idiotic foollshness goes on. We have not
merely bad manners nowadays. we have
no manners We would not dream Of stop
ping business man on the street to in
quire after the folks bob OF tho head
does unless he gives us one ear in his Of
flee. or invites us TO one Of the afore-
said dinners. The old-fsshioned mothers
advice 60 her boy who had Just received
his years salary was, Take trip and
don't worry II you spend every cent OF
It, Now the dried-up Goldfish with back
bone OF red tape worth 40 millions, snaps
at his clerk, "A week off7 never take
minute on and he figures on second
hand envelope at SIS desk. lie has no
life; no interest In books charity, family
or anything worth while. Consider our
modern monstrosities OF hotels-twenty
stories Of stufhness, department store
oric-abrac. gilt and glare. blazing bulbs
IN enormous mass or discomfort
Il have talked about tho rich. because
ihis sort Of thing Is still the ideal Of all
our young people. Then our girls, who
oolS forward TO a career rather than a
home, The working girl knows what suf-
iering and deprivation mean. she IS only
p glad Tor the shelter q home. 1t IL not
lime that we gave our little children bow |
re 70 hold instead OF spindiesg Is II not I