ADDRESSES OF WELCOME. 21 
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aere to-day in this gathering, which represents the very culmination of 
all the educational gatherings of the world, he would not find himself 
out of place. I think if he were to restate some of the things which he 
ased to state, we should find that they would be the things which we 
‘nsist upon as belonging par excellence to the new education. I think we 
should learn something from him about the value of object lessons; I 
think we should learn something about the power of the personality of the 
teacher. I think we should learn something of the way in which specific 
characters are to be specifically treated. Aud if we could bring a Plato 
on the one side and a Xenophon on the other, a man of the deepest and 
she highest philosophy, and a man having the most intensely practical 
interests in the affairs of life—if we could bring corresponding specimens 
of our new education as a result, just as he brought forth the result of the 
old education, we should be very well satisfied. 
Now I bid you welcome on behalf of Chicago. We in our struggle to 
zain the supremacy among the cities of the United States have been put- 
fing victory on the run and keeping fame out of breath ; but we are not 
here to boast of our numbers, our increasing miles of streets, our office 
buildings that are climbing up higher and higher toward the sky until 
she city council has said they shall not climb any higher ; but we have the 
right, I think, to boast of our public schools in spite of some little criticism 
which has been made upon them. In the other room corresponding to 
shis we were told a day or two ago that we had sixty thousand children in 
this city who could find no seats in the rooms of our public schools. Why 
is this ? Simply because the people from every part of the globe have 
been crowding in upon us, and we have not been able to overtake the 
needs and necessities of our common-school children. But I pledge you on 
sehalf of this great city of Chicago, that just as soon as possible we will 
1ave the amplest provision for every child within our limits ; and if they 
are not able to go to school because not sufficiently or properly clad, they 
will be taken care of in that respect. 
We are glad this congress is to be held in our city, so that our instructors 
may find their hands strengthened and the purposes of their hearts con- 
firmed to make the school system of the city of Chicago second to none in 
she world. 
Just one thought about the old, and I close. Glorious John Milton 
said that prose was his left hand, but I submit to you that the most emi- 
aent modern educator never wrote with the cunning right hand a truer 
meaning of education than John Milton wrote in the seventeenth century: 
“I count that a complete and generous education which fits a man to per- 
form skilfully, justly, and magnanimously all the offices, both public and 
private, of peace and war.” Who can surpass that definition of education ? 
All the papers which are to be read at this congress, and all the discussions 
had upon them, will simply elucidate this idea. I know that the results