Milford chronicle., 1912-05-24

service throughout the United States
Today the problem is being faced by the
entire educational world and the real
value and importance of reading to the
boys and girls is being appreciated as
never before by all classes of those who
appreciate the value of intelligence to
the future of the nation and to its man.
hood and its womanhood.
But, before we can hope for any CO.
operative plan relative to the increase in
reading facilities, we must have very
clearly in our minds the two elements
necessarily basic in all successful plans
for the betterment of social conditions;
first, that which demonstrates conclusive
" to us the Importance of and the neces-
sity for the work, and second, that which
enables us to do the work intelligently
and effectively; in other words, we must
have, first, facts, and second, from these
facts, a correct and proper method,
And what facts have we to-day We
congratulate ourselves upon the wide
spread compulsory school law and free
text books and we say that surely now
they will be made to be intelligent. It
seems that to-day anyone, rich or poor,
and however far into the rural district he
may be removed, may avail himself of
reading material. Perhaps he may, but
does he?
"After a thorough investigation, the
| following facts have been ascertained:
'I-There is a great lack of reading
among the children of the rural com
munity.
"II-There is a great lack of reading
material for the children.
"III-If there is reading material at
t,,~,I ot,.1I-a,, 4rsrra11rr raaA -
"IV-If the teacher plans definitely the
reading which he wishes his pupils to do,
they usually do it.
"V-That many of the families are
taking farm journals, fashion magazines
or the village paper, but that the children
are not coming in contact with the stand
ard magazines of real literary value.
"The atmosphere to-day is filled with
thought for the conservation of the child
hood of the nation. And the phase upon
which emphasis is being put is the con-
servation of the child from the physical
and moral standpoint. The boys and
girls who grow to maturity without good
books, without good reading, and without
minds cultivated for thought and reason |
ing will add little to the nation save
numbers and dwarfed mental natures. !
The boys and girls who grow to maturity |
reading low classed literature, which this |
investigation has revealed that many are
doing, will add little to the nation save |
numbers and dwarfed moral natures.
'While we are looking toward the con-
servation of childhood, let us look toward |
it in its three-fold aspect-its mental, its |
moral, and its physical, for thus only |
shall we be truly conserving the child
hood of America.
At 2 O'Clock the final session of the
Federation was opened by Mrs. A. d.
Warner with a comprehensive and graft
fying report of the work and effort of the
Committee on Education"
The woman college in Delaware form
ed the burden of the communication.
After reviewing the educational situa
ton in the State, Mrs. Warner outlined
the various steps taken by the education
committee of the federation, the equal
suffrage association and the w. c. 7. U.
in their united effort for an affiliated coll
lege at Newark.
Inquiry made through letters to high
school principals, has brought out the
fact that 800 girls in the State are desir-
ous of a college education ifit can be had
at small cost.
The Rev. Dr. George Edward Reed,
ex-president of Dickinson College, de-
ivered a strong address on College Edu-
,ation for Girls" An aroused public
sentiment, said the doctor in part, is
needed throughout the State. Delaware
ags behind her sister States in matters of
and the doctor pointed out how
each member present might do much
oward educating sentiment by constant
agitation of this question of the affiliated
College, among her own home associates,
AIRY to them, this word of the need of
higher culture for women
George w. Twitmyer followed, dwell
ng on the need of bringing the oppor-
unity of the few to the many. The 800
.irls wanting a college education in our
State to-day, he reminded his audience,
s double the number of boys now in
Delaware College. Such a state of affairs
reeds no comment The legislature next
ear should be impressed with this fact,
physical, mental and moral efficiency is
he demand to-day from men and women
like. Want of superior training in the
deprives the child of his educa :
ional birthright. Three hundred trained
eachers here would transform the life of
he State.
The state Board OF EQuCduOn mas en-
orsed the affiliated college unqualifedly,
nd when it goes before the legislature
ext year, those mems minds should be
repaired by public sentiment.
Professor Twitmyer was followed by
Irs. James L. Pennypacker, of Haddon-
ED, N. J., member of the Philadel-
hia club, in charge of a department in
lie Philadelphia Record, called "Our
ub.ic Schools. " Modern Ideas of Ed
cation" was her subject and in some
appy verses, entitled Inventions, - she
ave expression to some of them poetic.
Ily and brilliantly. The men and women
and side by side in most things. said
lie, and the militant suffragists shattered
omething more valuable than glass when
ley broke the windows in their London
nd. Man chivalry for all women was
the chivalry that filled the life
pats from the Titanic with them, and
fled hats to them as they departed.
The speaker then quoted DR.. Anna J.
IcKaig, president of Wilson College, on
lie subject of the higher education and