Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-10-27
THE EVENING SESSION.
Comr. Claxton Makes Plea for uni
VersaI Disarmament.


4 cornet solo by Victor Robinson of
Madison. "A feature of which was the
clover trirle-tanguing By The perform
er, was the opening number of the
Thursday evening program.
United States Commissioner of Ed
aeation Philaaaer z. Claxton, gave the
3ddress of the evening upon The Ma
ions Interest in Education H
l6inted out by way q opening that
While the Bureau of Education aad no
control over any system Of schools
xcept those in Alaska the United
states government has always done
II that it could in tie aid of "duea-
ion. He cited the expenditure by the
government of S4,dn7oJ0 for agricul-
efal and mcdaniel colleges rs proof
f this. The United states within the
asst - years has doubled it's appro-
priations and expenses for public
schools
He alluded to a corresponding in
crease in the gifts OF philanthropists
for education and said that the peo-
pie were more interested in education
han those of any other nation. There
is no hope for the continuance Of pop
ular government, except through the
.eneral diffusion OF education.' said
he speaker
Public sentiment writes every law
on the statute books and they viii
never be much better nor much worse
than the ideas of the people," he re
marked, and then went on to discuss
the question of enforcement of law.
particularly the prohibitory law. The
law is enforced when public sentiment
demands it," was his explanation u
why the prohibitory law was violated
n Maine and his native state of Ten
nessee He declared that popular opin-
ion and public sentiment are the red
and green glasses through which
judges and jury get their outlook
whether they know it or not.
The speaker said that the wealth
reducing power of n people WAS de-
ermired by their educational advan-
ages. Because we are democratic, il
$ necessary that every man should BE-
educated in the religious as we'll as
he Industrial world. he declared, His
prediction that education would bring
about doing away with the unneces-
airy burdens Of war was received
with great applause He said that thf
irmies and war for the past year was
81 500 900, the equivalent of the a%r-
cultural products of the United States
for a year. War never settles any
hing except who is the stronger" de-
Jared the sneaker. He made n force
nj argument fer disarmament and ex-
planned the educational purposes To
which the money expended for the
standing army and navy by the United
States might have been put.
THE nation is interested in the sal
walton of it's people and so is inter-
ested in every child in it that it may
contribute something toward this sal
vation,' said he.
President Perkins announced at the
close of Commissioner Claxton's ad
dress that the convention registration
had already exceeded 300. and before
it's close would undoubtedly exceed
that of any State convention ever held
in New England.
Miss Maude Andrews of Augusta
gave a spirited rendering of THE
Spirit of Old Hickory a Tennessee
episode, which was thoroughly enjoy
ed and warmly applauded by the
teachers and gave especial pleasure To
Commissioner ClaXton, on account of
being a story of his native state. SHE
responded with THE Girl / Left Be
hind Me-" as an encore.