arms, methods of fighting, the medicinal value of certain herbs, the food restrictions, the moral code, etc. All this is intended to impress the youth with a sense of their responsibility as men, to implant in them by means of impressive ceremonies the feelings of obedience to the old men, and to insure that before the youth are permitted to take their places in the community to be warriors or to marry they shall be possessed of those qualifications which shall enable them to act for the common good. The food restrictions universally observed place the youth in the midst of plenty, yet actual scarcity, and his feelings of self-restraint and self-reliance are called forth under stimulus of future reward and dread of supernatural punishment. The rule of keeping far from even the shadow of a woman is carefully observed. Anthropologically, then, pubescence is the period of training and, as Dr. Hall has observed, education has developed downward to the primary and the kindergarten and upward to the college and the university. There is still seen in the boys of our times a relic of this training period in their many fool-hardy tests of strength and courage, abhorrence of things effeminate and in the pubescent coenaesthesis. One sometimes wishes that it were possible to have some kind of initiation into manhood at this present time, something that would serve as a healthy stimulus to the boy's mental, physical, and religious development, something in the nature of these stern quasi-religious ceremonies. Too many of the boys of the present drift into manhood with erroneous ideas and vicious habits. The modern youth may be said to have trials similar to those of the sav age boy, if so it is a highly complicated affair and extending over several years. It now requires many years for the child to receive the knowledge accumulated by his race, and he does not usually get it from the oldest and the wisest, but from those little older than himself who are employed by the community for the purpose. His courage, instead of being aug mented, is dissipated by modern social customs. He it is who deserves our help and sympathy, and not the lad whose advent into active life is physically painful. A. H. YODer. Vincennes University. OUTSIDE EDUCATIONAL FORCES DEPARTMENT MRS. FRANCES M. FORD, Editor The Club Program F making many programs there is no end in these days and every organization engaged in the process finds it expensive of time and ingenuity. The anxieties which beset our foremothers, "What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed?" has become supplanted in the experience of many of us by "What shall we have, and who shall have it, and wherewith shall it be seasoned?" These questions are the more perplexing, too, because our large club families of five or six hundred have great diversities of understanding. What one regards as entertaining seems to another superficial and what enlightens one is dull to another. Indeed, it is as nearly impossible to suit everybody with the club's programs as with the club's officers. There seems to be an inclination, especially among city clubs, to draw upon lecturers, professional men and women, and experts in various lines of investigation for the club program. This tendency is deplored by Mrs. Willis Lord Moore, who says, in a recent number of "The Land of Sunshine": That club which fails to draw forth the capabilities of its members, but serves them, rather, with a spectacle or entertainment, has missed the true meaning of the women's club movement. True progress in the woman's club should be from within. While the results of study in departments may be embodied in papers, or prepared addresses. for the benefit of the club, the very best results are secured through free, spontaneous discussion. This is recognized by the most progressive clubs; and alert leaders have adopted the plan of simply stating a subject for a certain meeting, relying upon the inspiration of the moment for discussion among the members. The result has, in most cases, proved satisfactory. There is a growing impatience of long papers and perorations. The touch-and-go of a discussion confined, say, to two-minute talks by each member, brings forth thought and goes far toward developing individuality. While agreeing in the main with this idea, Mrs. Lilian R. Harford, president of the Omaha Woman's Club, believes that there is no inspiration like that derived from trained specialists. "The departments," says Mrs. Harford, "are the small clubs where the women are brought out' and their ability is discovered. When the public program is to be presented it should be the pride of the department in charge to furnish the very best at its command, and that may very possibly be in the person of some lecturer whose resources are infinitely greater than those of any member of the club. I would by no means turn the club programs over to professional speakers, but I believe it would be a gain if the light of expert testimony were more often shed upon a few, at least, of the important topics which we novices venture to discuss." Mrs. Ella W. Peattie, of the Chicago the Chicago Woman's Club, says: "It is a common mistake to make the subject of the club program too large. Imagine, for instance, this topic: The influence of the Nineteenth century idea in art and literature: (a) the effect of the idea, art for art's sake; (b) the influence of Wagner upon the musical ideal.' Now, a wise man might write a volume and perhaps enter the vestibule of the subject, yet this was the subject of a twenty-minute paper." That brings to mind a club which reported once upon a time that it had begun the study of history with the creation of the world; that it had now reached, by "somewhat exhaustive work," the reformation, giving some attention meanwhile to Dante and Shakespeare. All this in about four months. Mrs. Edward Longstreth, of Philadelphia, chairman of the program committee for the Denver Biennial, answers a series of questions as follows: 1. Should the club depend upon its own resources for its programs? "I think the club should engage a specialist in conjunction with its own talent. To depend entirely upon the latter is very tiresome in the end, and not being experienced we can get very little satisfaction from it. We need the specialist with his training and knowledge to give inspiration and to open lines for the club to work upon." 2. Do you emphasize the advantage of extemporaneous speaking? the written paper saves us from repetition and from too great length. It also gives the writer a chance for deeper thought. Therefore I prefer the paper, especially if the reader familiarizes himself with it so that he need only glance at it." 3. Do you prepare for discussion in detail? "I think it is never safe to trust entirely to spontaneity. It is better to plan the discussion to a certain degree, perhaps for the first half hour of the program; by that time interest should be aroused and thoughts should have suggested themselves to the audience which they will be willing to express." The Woman's Club of Orange, N. J., before it became organized into departments, secured subject-matter for its programs by a method somewhat unusual. Every member of the club was required to send to the program committee, before the beginning of the year, a topic upon which she was willing to speak or write, a fine being imposed upon those who failed to do so. The advantages of this method were several. The topics represented the favorite lines of thought of those who named them; they covered a wide range and thus conserved variety, and the program committee was brought into association with the resources of the whole club, instead of those only which might be known through personal acquaintance. Miss Elizabeth King, president of the Arundel Club, of Baltimore, in an admirable series of suggestions for programs, says: The preparation of a club program is far from being the simple matter of providing entertainment or instruction for members. Behind it lie all the problems connected with the popularization and diffusion of knowledge, which are now engaging the attention of our most prominent educators, and, therefore, it is great movement, if the corresponding tendency in necessary to study the principles which underlie this women's clubs is to be placed on a sound philosophical basis. Almost every modern form of organization, whether social settlements, churches, patriotic societies, Christian associations, etc., has its educational features; and no student of such development, as well as the more distinctly educational institutions like summer schools, university extension courses, reading circles, etc., can fail to realize that a people's university is growing out of the half articulate needs of the nation, and that in this world-wide scheme women's "In regard to making an address or reading clubs have their part, and should adapt their growth one's speech, I know there is a magnetism about the extemporaneous; but, on the other hand, to conform with it. General meetings are necessary and popular. Their number during the winter varies from weekly to monthly, but the tendency is to lessen their frequency and consequently to increase their attractiveness. They are valuable to amuse, to promote sociability and discussion, to entertain distinguished guests, to popu larize movements, to call attention to subjects of gen eral interest; but it should be distinctly understood that they are not the place to present subjects which need continuous investigation or thought. These, whether popular or special, should be eliminated from the programs of general meetings, where they are now receiving scanty and inadequate attention, and be divided into departments or committees. Department meetings are among the most promising features of women's clubs. Upon their development depend the continuous mental life of their members, and the growth of a discriminating and enlightened spirit which will ultimately be felt throughout the club. Many clubs have arranged what might be called the group system. Under a few general sections (the fewer the better) any member of subsections can be added under an efficient head chairman, who, with her colleagues, can most successfully form the general program committee. This general consideration of club organization cannot be avoided in connection with any discussion of programs, because the departments provide for every thing not suitable for general meetings, and quietly develop talent and investigation, of which the result can be given at the general meetings. Miss King's conception of the function of the general meeting is admirable. That meeting should give expression to a side of club life no less valuable than that for which the department study stands. No one would underrate an opportunity for the thorough study of a chosen subject, but the club exists also that women may feel together and stand together and move together. The general meeting is the place where acquaintance is to be increased and the democratic and altruistic spirit is to be stimulated. In other words, it is the place where community strength is to be generated. And the program may be a means to this end if it is earnest without being pedantic, entertaining without being trivial, and stimulating without being intense. Again, a wise department will construct a public program with a view to whetting the appetite. It will drop the idea of teaching and learning, for the occasion, and undertake simply to touch the intelligence at this point and at that, with a tact that attracts, not to the speaker, but to his subject. A Shakespeare class of a Nebraska club has just illustrated the process. It is a small and enthusiastic class, and, though its value is well known, it has not made any special impression upon the club. The other day, the time for its public program having arrived, the leader occupied the hour with a simple talk on the "Merchant of Venice." It was full of instinct and humor, and when it was ended many a woman was conscious that a long hidden taste for Shakespearian criticism had become uncovered. She believed she could find time to attend that class. numbers and interest, all on account of a single And the Shakespeare class is having a boom in program. Did you ever notice how we like thought with which we are familiar? It is not the new idea, but the old idea freshly put, that is effective upon an audience. We prefer to look at a painting that we have seen before. We enjoy any music worth enjoying the more we hear it. and any audience will prove that this is true by the pleasure it expresses when, for instance, the orchestra begins the movement of the symphony which has become an acquaintance through much transcribing for the piano, or the singer commences an aria which has been popular at local musicales. We like to feel when we listen to an address that "that is just what I always thought." There is a very comfortable self-flattery in such a feeling. The skeleton of the Denver program has been clothed upon with flesh within the last month. Indeed, it begins to seem very much alive. It is, moreover, a well-proportioned creature, as the list of topics for consideration shows. There are to be two sessions given distinctively to education, one an evening program, presided over by Miss Laws, the auditor of the general federation, and the other a conference on education, directed by Miss Evans, of Carleton College, Minn., the chairman of the committee on education. Mrs. Cornelius Stevenson, president of the Civic Club of Philadelphia, will preside over a program devoted to "Civic Clubs and Village Improvement Associations," and Miss Clare de Graffereid, of the United States labor bureau, will conduct one whose general topic is "The Industrial Problem as It Affects Women and Children." The "Folk Songs of America" will occupy one evening, the program being in charge of Mrs. Philip N. Moore, the secretary of the Federation; another evening will be in charge of Mrs. Alice Ives Breed, the vice-president of the Federation, whose program is announced as "Art and Utility"; while a third program, directed by Mrs. C. P. Barnes, the recording secretary, under the name of “Uncut Leaves," will present some unpublished manuscripts of well known known literary folk. Home Economics" will have a program in charge of Dr. Mary Green, president of the Household Economic Association. There will be a conference of art clubs, directed by Mrs. Hermann Hall, of the Arche Club, Chicago, and a conference of literary clubs, in charge of Mrs. May Alden Ward, president of the Alden Club, of Boston. Mrs. C. E. Perkins, of Grand Rapids, Mich., will conduct a conference of club methods, and a program on the "Library Movement in the United States" will be in charge of Mrs. Treadway. On Sunday various members of the Federation will occupy the Denver pulpits; in the afternoon there will be a chil dren's meeting, and in the evening Mrs. Long streth, of Philadelphia, will preside over а meeting where three addresses will be given on "The Spiritual Significance of Organization." One of these is assigned to Mrs. Belle M. Stoutenborough, president of the Nebraska Federa tion. علاج Public Work for the Woman's Club PPORTUNITY has come to the woman's club "with feet of wool, treading soft." All unconsciously a mighty force has gath ered and we begin to ask, What shall we do with this immense power? A worthy purpose is as essential to the existence of an organization as to the individual. The club presents ideals, shall we put them into practical form? We study the theory of economics,-shall we undertake measures for better civic conditions? We have our club philanthropies,-shall we be content with mere palliatives? Is a club which is satisfied with the reading of essays and the externals of alms-giving of greater moral value to the community than a pink tea or any other social function? We This federated power should first and preeminently be devoted to the protection of de fenseless women and girls. Every club should have its bureau of redress where the complaint of the wage-earner is heard, investigation of wrongs is made, and injuries righted. The lonely, defenseless woman should find in the club home and friends. Earnest effort should also be made to bring the working girl into the intellectual and social life of the organization. Club women lead sheltered lives, the working girl is usually homeless. Methods of approach differ in different localities, but one law is universal: never superior to inferior, always woman to woman. The club may legitimately and profitably cooperate in the work of the public school, emphasizing especially the interest of the mother, which is, first of all, physical well-being. The teacher emphasizes the school curriculum; together we may realize the true object of educa tion, the perfect culture. This federation of mothers should insist that the body of the child receive the same intelligent care as the mind. This is not a demand for regulation gymnastics, but for such a constant surveillance of the conditions and uses of the body that right physical habits become permanent. The woman's club should insist that in the city and county jails, city and county hospitals, state insane asylum, and all reformatory institutions for women and girls, women should share in control, and that women physicians should have the care of women patients. In the calendar of the clubs two topics are sedulously avoided, viz., religion and politics. On every other question there may be free debate and as many opinions as there are members. It is held that schism and disaster would result were these topics discussed. These topics are dangerous only because we confuse religion with ecclesiasticism, politics with personalities. Politics is only another name for the righteous administration of public affairs. The woman's club should be a potent factor in civic righteousness. Take, for example, the subject of local option. This is a moral question affecting the home, and one which the woman's club may legitimately and profitably espouse. Here also is the vexed question of the management of the public schools; the club should demand that women serve on the board with men. The club may not say what woman; that is personality, and so politics. It may say a woman; that is principle, based on woman's acknowledged fitness. It may likewise properly demand the enforcement of laws for the suppression of gambling and the social evil. It may insist that clean, honorable men serve in public offices. If a man of notoriously evil character is nominated for office the club is bound to exert all legitimate means for his defeat. This is not personality, it is morality. So closely is public work identified with private welfare that we can hardly tell where one begins and the other ends. On all these questions the club may, if it will, be a savor of life unto life. The law of its action is plain; XXXXX whatever concerns principles and moralities is clearly within its province; whatever concerns methods and personalities is just as clearly outside its province. HELEN G. ECOB, Dep't of Reform, Denver Woman's Club. Denver, Colo., March 27, 1898. EDITORIAL These Closing Years THE greatest movement towards the fullest development of all the people is upon us now. Education means much more than it did a half century ago. Then it meant, to most people, the mere instruction of children during school hours and in the few subjects of the school curriculum. To-day there are thousands, almost millions, of people in the United States who are recognizing that the process of education consists of all the influences that touch a human being from birth to death. They are recognizing, therefore, that the teacher is but one factor in this process of education. Never before have there been such forces at work for the education of the child. In almost every state there are very many organizations of Mothers' clubs, Patrons' clubs, Woman's clubs, and Child Study clubs, where problems of education are discussed with better results than were ever secured at teachers' meetings. There remains now the proper union of these forces. The next year will see wonderful strides in this direction. Reforms dreamed about for years by earnest teachers will come fast now because the fathers and mothers are awakened from their lethargy on this subject. Teachers have yearned for pictures for the school room, and these outside forces have made it possible for the humblest school to have fine reproductions from the old masters. They have hungered for a few books for their children and states have legislated libraries into existence. And now there remains for these outside forces the one great question, greater than ventilation of buildings, greater than pictures, greater than libraries-What shall the teacher be? When that can be discussed calmly, without prejudice and without reference to personal friendships, then a brighter outlook will appear. Many seemingly minor questions will then demand recognition. The personnel of the board of education, the salaries of teachers, the equipment of the schools, will all depend upon the estimate put by the public upon the child and its teacher. We have longed for years for this "outside movement," which is after all the real force, and now trust that it may be guided calmly and aright. Those women who to-day are the leaders of these "outside forces" have more responsibilities, have more magnificent privileges, than were ever before accorded to any other leaders in the world's history. Questionable Investments OW is the season of the brilliant and voluble missionary in the cause of education who sells school supplies. The "Information Chart," the "Historical Chart," that is better than any 500-page history; the "Anatomical Chart," that almost makes a medical college unnecessary; the Encyclopedia or Dictionary that is guaranteed to be a substitute for a college course, are all offered on the most favorable terms. School officers are too ready to buy these things and then reduce the teachers' wages. Few of these things have any educational value, and are never to be chosen in advance of a library or to the sacrifice of good wages to the teacher. Teachers are too easily influenced by these well meaning agents, and too often superintendents are led into recommending articles or books that have some intrinsic value, but are not to be thought of for a small school or by a poorly paid teacher. Teachers owe it to themselves to hesitate long before recommending any special chart or piece of apparatus. Globes and wall maps are needed, but even they may be dispensed with, as our modern geographies are amply illustrated. A rural school house should have good blackboards and window shades before maps. The house should be painted inside and out, should have a good stove, good seats, an Inter |