New-York tribune., 1916-07-03
10000 Here from All Parts
of u. S.-Many Attend
N. Y. Churches.
N. F. A. MEETINGS
BEGIN THIS MORNING
Pastors Choose Educational
Topics Whitman and Wilson
to Greet Assembly.

ExPresidcnt Taft, Governor Whit
man, Mayor Mitchell. State Commits
sioner of Education John II. Finley
and William G. Wilcox. president Of
the Board of Education. will be among
the speakers at the first general ses-
sion of the ffty-fourth annual meeting
of the National Education Association
in Madison Square Garden this after
noon.
More than 10000 teachers are eX-
pected 10 attend the convention, which
will last until July S. Most of the
teachers are from New York. but more
than 10000 from other states will be
present at the sessions.
Many of them arrived In New York
Yesterday and fastened to register at
the Garden and TO pay visits to their
state delegation headquarters in the
different hotels New York and the
New England States are at the Astor;
New Jersey, Pennsylvania and several
of the Southern States at the Waldorf
Astoria. while the McAlpin houses
most OF the Middle West and Western
states. Teachers and principals asso-
Citations headquarters are also at the
hotels.
Teachers Attend Churches.
Yesterday was observed as Educa-
tional Sunday in many Of the churches,
including the Cathedral Of St. John the
Divine, the Marble Collegiate, the Cen
tral Presbyterian. the Broadway Pres
byterian. the Brick Presbyterian. Trim
ity, St. Patrick's Cathedral. Fifth Ave
nue. Presbyterian and Calvary Baptist
churches. Services were largely at
tended by visiting teachers.
Need of religious instruction in the
public schools was dwelt upon by
Father John d. Mccarthy in his ser
mon at St. Patrick's. lie criticised the
prohibition of religious instruction as
the most serious defect in the educa-
tional system of the country.
In our public schools he said,
"there is a place for everything except
God. Though Christian, they teach
everything except Christ If religion
is worth while it has a place in educa-
ton. If 10 Is not worth while II mas
no place in the world The deteriora-
ton of the moral standards Of our
national life. the lowering Of the rules
of nrobity and integrity in our bust
ness and civic life, too patent in recent
times. are due, in my opinion, 10 the
exclusion of religion from the pubic
schools
Father Mccarthy praised the 1000
Catholic teachers in New York public
schools who have offered 20 give re-
ligious instruction after school hours
70 children whose parents desire them
20 have 1t.
DR.. Fitch breaches.
The Rev. DR.. Albert Parker Fitch,
president Of Andover Theological Sem
mary. preached in the Brick Presby-
terian Church to = congregation which
included many teachers. Democracy
would be put severely on trial IN this
country after the war, he said, declar-
ing that to train their minds TO think
for their country is the most lmpor-
tant thing the youth Of the nation
can do.
"We must have men and women who
will think" said DR.. Fitch, men and
women of trained minds; and so we
must look, naturally, TO the schools
and colleges and TO the teachers. The
one thing more than all else that this
Republic needs is TO have its citizens
know we'll the fundamentals Of life
and philosophy.
Before the war we used to think
that we in America had one set Of
ideas. Then came the awakening. and
we learned that America was without
a solid mino on fundamentals. We
have no intelligent foreign policy, no
intelligent domestic policy, no compre-
hensive thinking We cannot get com
prehensive thinking and a united ma
tional will through dressing every man
up in a suit Of khaki.
Democracy is going 10 be once more
on trial IN America. In the future,
men who keep out of politics because
they feel politics is too dirty for them
to mix into will be traitors to the
state
Hope in Modern University.
The Rev. Dr.. Robert Johnston, Of
Philadelphia, preaching in the Cathe-
dral Of st. John the Divine, said the
hope of religion lay to-day in the mod
ern university. What the educated
think to-day, he remarked uneducated
and unthinking people will think thirty
years hence.
THE most devoted patriots our coun-
try is producing to-day are teachers
in our private and public schools, If
patriotism is measured by long years
Of patient, nerve-racking, poorlypaid,
obscure but nevertheless indispensable
service" said the Rev. DR.. Lawrence
T. Cole, headmaster of Trinity School,
who preached in Trinity Church.
DR.. Cole urged that none but intelli-
gent, thoroughly upright citizens be
elected to school boards; thdt poll
ticians be banished from the schools,
and that the teaching profession be
made attractive TO the highest type of
American men and women.
DR.. David Starr Jordan, chancellor
Of Leland Stanford University, and
vice president of the National Educa-
tion Association, will preside at the
meeting at o'clock this afternoon in
Madison Square Garden. He Will re-
spond 10 addresses of welcome by
Governor Whitman, Commissioner Fin
ley, Mayor Mitchell, Mr.. Wilcox, Will
lam H. Maxwell. Superintendent Of
Schools, and others. and Will introduce
David Bancroft Johnson, president Of
the association.
Taft TO Talk on Waste.