The Topeka state journal., 1914-02-06

municipal market. and the meeting
voted to take that action.
The Rev. Mr.. Theodore Hanson.
secretary of the Kansas State Welfare
league. made q short address, asking
for the cooperation of the federation
in the work Of the proposed Topeka
branch OF the league. Society has
been spending its money and effort"
he said, ''in taking care Of human
wreckage, and all the time it has been
furnishing power to the mill that
ground out the grist to fill the in
stitutions 1t has tried to maintain. The
best of the new ideas in the line of
public welfare is the awakening of q
community conscience, which may be
effective and potent through unity of
expression" The federation was rep
resented at q meeting held Thursday
morning to discuss the establishment
Of the Welfare league in Topeka, and
the meeting in the afternoon voted to
endorse the action and to cooperate
with its work.
The principal address Of the after
noon was made by Miss Effie Graham
on .aI'he Spirit of the Younger Gener-
ation." She represented the period of
youth as falling into two divisions the
egoistic and the social. followed by
the life of fine feeling and sentiment
attained by people of more advanced
generation is the spirit Of youth Of all
time, touched by some influences OF
modern life. Young people are charged
with lack Of respect. and reason Tor
it may be found in the fact that school
boys are allowed to go home and COM
main of the appearance and clothes
and manners of their teachers, who
represent to them authority. Children
should be taught the proper regard Tor
their parents, teachers. and for the
quality that will later develop into q
fine sense Of reverence for the best
things.
charged with snObbery. Chi!dren are
not naturally snobbish. If they have
the trait they have learned Of their
elders-have heard 1t at the breakfast
table-have learned by observation OF
the manners Of older people that 1T Is
materially profitable to cultivate the
good clothes. The public schools are
not teaching de iocracy as they
should. The young people respond to
the teaching when it Is presented 20
them that no one must put h1mseii
as a block to the rights of others A
spirit of democracy would be promo
ted by public p1aygrounds wnere an
could romp together on basis OF ao-
solute equality.
ent day are extravagant. 1t is nat
ural tendency, growing out of the
fundamental trait of youth that looks
to the present and not to the future.
The hue and cry that is being raised
against commercialist and dollar
hunting by professors and others who
are preaching 'uplift' doctrines. is
partly responsible. Boys and girls
get the idea that it Is small and mean
| to save money. They should be
taught that it is not beneath them to
save a nickel-not so much for the
nickel as for the habit of economy
that it fosters.
I'm their social life, young people
are initiating the ways OF grown peo-
pie. School children are wearing
clothes and entertaining in a way that
belongs to older folk. II to anybody.
Their social gatherings should be
marked by simplicity of clothing.
early hours, and lots of young, whole
! some fun. Children should never ao-
vance SO far in school that mothers
cease to know what they are doing In
the school room. Parents should Wis
it the schools and listen to their chill