The general program will open on Monday afternoon with a joint meeting of the Sociological, the Statistical, and the Social Science Associations in the Metropolitan Building as guests of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, at which will be delivered the presidential addresses of the presidents of the three societies. In the evening of the same day there will be held the principal public meeting arranged by citizens as an official welcome to the associations. The meeting will be held in Carnegie Hall, and addresses will be made by Chairman Joseph H. Choate, President Taft, Governor Hughes, Mayor McClellan and Dr. Nicholas M. Butler. Tuesday morning and afternoon will be devoted to joint meetings at which will be given the presidential addresses of the Historical, the Economic, the Political Science, and the Labor Legislation Associations; these will be delivered respectively by A. B. Hart, D. R. Dewey, A. Lawrence Lowell and Henry W. Farnam.
The detailed programs of the several societies contain a long list of topics to be treated by trained specialists. Only the more important can be mentioned. The Tuesday evening meeting of the Historical Association, held at the New York Historical Society Building, will be devoted to a discussion of the work of historical societies in Europe. Delegates from England, Germany, Spain, France and Holland will describe their respective national historical activities. The Wednesday morning joint session of the Historical and Political Science Associations will have as topic “British Constitutional and Political Development, with Special Reference to the Centenary of Gladstone,” and papers will be read by Ambassador Bryce, Prof. Dennis, of Wisconsin; Prof. Wrong, of Toronto; Mr. Porritt, and by Mr. Fisher, of Oxford.
Thursday, December 30, will in many respects be the most valuable for the history student. Morning and afternoon there will be conferences at Columbia University upon special historical topics. In the morning the following conferences will be held: Ancient History, Prof. Westerman, of Wisconsin, chairman; Medieval History, in join session with the American Society of Church History, Prof. Emerton, of Harvard, chairman; American History, in joint session with the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, to discuss the Westward movement, Prof. Paxson, of Michigan, chairman; Conference of Archivists, Prof. Ames, of Pennsylvania, chairman. In the afternoon the conferences will be continued: Modern European History, with Prof. Robinson, of Columbia, chairman; American History, Ethnic Elements in United States History, Prof. Greene, of Illinois, chairman; Conference of State and Local Historical Societies, Prof. Sioussat, of the University of the South, chairman.
Historical conferences will be held also on Friday morning as follows: American History, the Contributions of the Romance Nations to the History of America, Prof. Shepherd, of Columbia, chairman; History in the Secondary Schools, with reports upon history in French and German schools, and preliminary report of the Committee of Five, Prof. Salmon, of Vassar, chairman; History in the Grades, with discussion of the report of the Committee of Eight, Prof. James, of Northwestern University, chairman. The program for each of these conferences has been carefully outlined and a series of short papers will be presented followed by a general discussion. In addition to these meetings for the discussion of historical subjects proper, many allied topics will be treated in the sessions of the other associations.
Prof. Johnson, of Teachers’ College, Columbia University, is directing an exhibition of aids to the visualization of history, mentioned in another part of this number of the Magazine which promises to be one of the features of the meeting. Columbia University Library will exhibit plans for libraries, and architectural plans of interest to members of State and local historical societies.
But, after all is said about the scientific and technical conferences, it must be admitted that the greatest value of the annual meetings is to be found in the personal friendships formed and renewed, and in the purely social features of the meetings. In this respect New York is preparing to give the members of the associations a most hearty welcome. The headquarters of the associations will be in the Waldorf-Astoria, and many of the meetings will be held in the several assembly rooms of the hotel. On Monday luncheon will be tendered the members by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; on Tuesday, Columbia University will give a luncheon, and Tuesday evening a club dinner will be given at the University Commons, and later in the evening a smoker. On Wednesday there will be a breakfast for members at the Waldorf-Astoria; a tea at the residence of Mrs. Clarence W. Bowen, and in the evening a reception and entertainment at the Waldorf-Astoria by the Ladies’ Reception Committee of New York, Mrs. Robert Abbe, chairman, at which a number of historical tableaux will be presented. On Thursday, Teachers’ College will entertain the members at luncheon, and in the evening Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt will give a reception at their residence. In addition to these features of entertainment of all the associations, there will be luncheons and social meetings for many of the smaller groups composing the larger societies.
From a scientific, a popular, and a social standpoint the New York meetings should be a marked success. The several local committees have worked unremittingly upon the many details of program and entertainment; and with metropolitan zeal and generosity they have outlined the most interesting program the associations have known.