I have heard the problem discust by some of the leading university presidents and college professors. All agreed that present courses of study and the usual methods of instruction would fail to satisfy these men. They will come back from the war with a vastly different outlook upon life and its meaning and responsibilities. They are likely to have little sympathy or patience with much of present college work or with the men giving it. It seems to me that it is particularly the duty of the state departments of public instruction to exercise leadership in the study and solution of these and many other educational problems that will be forst upon us. I would urge that this body authorize the appointment of a committee composed of the ablest school men in America representing the various divisions of our educational system, to study the whole situation, to formulate the principles that should be kept in mind when considering proposed changes, and to outline a program for nation-wide adoption. If something effective is not done there is danger that individuals will make serious blunders in dealing with the situation. As the government has been swampt by war requirements, so the schools will soon find themselves faced with problems which must be solved and which should have been studied. The result is likely to be a chaotic, disorganized, and ineffective series of local attempts to deal with a national situation. The relation of the state department of public instruction to the various war activities for the schools is, it seems to me, very clear. The war is a world-emergency. The situation must be met as an emergency. Some things we have been accustomed to do must give way; subject-matter must be changed and adapted; methods of procedure must be modified. We must, of course, safeguard the interests of the children; they must not be exploited, but the war must be won. Daily it is becoming more apparent that it cannot be won without intelligent and loyal cooperation to the utmost on the part of every institution, every man, woman, and child. Never has there been greater need of wise and far-seeing leadership. The state departments of public instruction occupy a strategic position to provide this leadership, if they have the vision, the wisdom, and the organization. HOW SHALL WE CONDUCT THE THRIFT CAMPAIGN SO AS TO CAUSE IT TO ATTAIN ITS MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS? M. P. SHAWKEY, STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF FREE SCHOOLS, CHARLESTON, W.VA. Reading has been called the art preservative of arts. In like manner thrift may be declared to be the virtue preservative of virtues, for habits of thrift are conducive to practically all other good habits. A thrifty man is necessarily sober, industrious, thoughtful, ambitious, persistent, and optimistic. Amid such a throng of virtues it is almost if not entirely impossible for vices of any sort to thrive. At the present time, moreover, thrift has the patriotic quality to a high degree. To substitute corn bread for wheat may be some slight sacrifice, to contribute to the Y.M.C.A. or Red Cross army work is generosity, to invest in Liberty Bonds may be taken as a declaration of faith in the government but to inaugurate habits of thrift and invest in the War Savings Stamps at once kills a horde of vices, plants a garden of virtues, and at the same time insures the future prosperity of the people. Little wonder then that the W.S.S. campaign has taken hold of the schools of the nation with a more pulling appeal than any other of the numerous great war-service drives. The fact is that this campaign spells opportunity for our schools as no other movement of the times has done. It is an opportunity for moral training of a definite and substantial character reinforst by a patriotic appeal that is irresistible. It holds out the hope of a more earnest, efficient, and unselfish citizenship for tomorrow than could possibly have been but for this great opening for the schools to mold a character of rugged nobility while the heel of the war god rests on the prostrate neck of common vices. This is one of the campaigns that must eventually find its way into the home and heart of every man and woman wearing the honored title of American. It cannot stop in the newspapers or even in the offices of the great bankers or captains of industry. It must spread out into the distant places and make its path clear up to the prairie shanty and the mountainside cabin, a friend alike to the resorts of aristocracy and the haunts of poverty. It must reach the consciousness of twenty million children and four times as many adults spread over a domain twice as large as the European area of the Central Empire and the Triple Entente combined. To bring about such a magnificent result will require wise, clear-headed, and inspiring leadership, and a prodigious amount of patient, painstaking labor. Without the aid of our thoroly organized school system such a result would be impossible. With the aid of the school system, which is to be given unstintedly, its accomplishment requires only adequate leadership and unrelenting industry. The schools should not be expected to do all the work. They have duties so sacred and so necessary that they may not be sacrificed. Besides the schools must not give all their of help to this movement no matter how important it may be. There are numerous other campaigns that will ask for assistance from them and they ought to get it. There are two ways of bringing about thrift: first, by spending or consuming less, and secondly, by increasing our earnings or producing more. I can perhaps make no better use of the time allotted to this paper than to present some ways of doing these two things which are especially applicable to boys and girls of school age. The Department of Schools of West Virginia made the teaching of thrift a slogan during the year 1916, and in a bulletin issued for the purpose of emphasizing the teaching it suggested among others the following means of saving applicable to pupils: 1. Cut out the little, worthless extravagances such as the use of chewing gum. The year before our war began we spent $13,000,000 for chewing gum, of which the larger part was paid out by boys and girls of school age. 2. Buy less candy. Our national candy account amounts to $360,000,ooo a year. We average one cent per capita a day on candy and sweet drinks. That amount in sweets saved would easily supply our Allies with all the sugar needed. 3. Omit the expensive gowns and fine stationery commonly used at Commencement. It ought to be a happier graduation for any American boy or girl who has given up some luxury for the sake of his country in its time of stress. 4. Get along without the lavish annual usually publisht by the Senior high-school class necessitating both costly printing and a great deal of extra photographing. 5. Manage to get all possible use out of books, paper, pencils, and pens. The cost of all these things is much higher now than in times of peace. 6. Take care of clothing, boots, and shoes, and all articles of dress so as to get the maximum of wear out of them. There are larger possibilities in these and other similar economies especially affecting children than the average person would dream of without careful investigation. The opportunities for earning or saving something are even greater. Our bulletin called attention to such as the following: 1. Gather nuts and sell them. Chestnuts, hickory nuts, and walnuts grow "wild" in most of the eastern states, so that almost any child can find some of them, and any of them will bring a fair price. 2. Pick up and sell old iron, copper, rubber, rags, and leather. The market is the best in history. I know of a graduate of a great college who turned to picking rags and died worth a small fortune five years ago. 3. Nothing appears to be quite so abundant in this country just now as waste paper. It may be saved and sold at a good price. 4. The Curtis Publishing Company and other similar publishers offer fine inducements to boys to turn their spare moments into cash. 5. In some sections of the country wild blackberries, raspberries, or huckleberries may be pickt and marketed so as to yield a considerable income for a boy. 6. The greatest opportunity of all is in the garden. Every boy whether in town or country can have a garden plot these days and be assured of a ready sale for his products at profitable prices. Ten million of the boys and girls of this country ought to have gardens this coming season. The possibilities of such a scheme nation-wide are staggering. If every one of these ten million young Americans should garden to his maximum of ability, together they could feed our entire army abroad for the greater part of the coming year. If the army of boys and girls of the public schools will save, earn, and produce as much as possible they will insure the success of the War Savings campaign. For the most part I have found the youngsters ready and anxious to do their part, but naturally they need instruction, guidance, and stimulation. With us the most popular and successful device has been the offer of a premium-a Thrift Stamp to every school child who buys one and takes a pledge to purchase stamps enough to fill a $5.00 book. The funds for this subsidy have been contributed mostly by the commercial organizations, and the campaign is swiftly spreading over the state. Our Agricultural Extension Department has taken it up, and Mr. Kendrick, state club agent, has sent out a letter to his host of club workers so unique that I think it worth reproducing here. Writing to these farm boys and girls about how they can save $5.00 and at the same time loan it to Uncle Sam he says: How to get the 1st stamp: Join the local boys' and girls' agricultural club and send to the Extension Department for your first Thrift Stamp and card. How to get the 2d stamp: How to get the 4th stamp: Catch some fur and sell it. Some bank or trust company in your county is giving a Gather up and sell some old rubber or scrap iron. Get 25 cents for killing six rats at home. This is first rate for making the start. Final success in the whole scheme will require thoro organization and careful, patient management. But we must do it. There should be neither halt nor hesitation. We haven't yet begun to do what we can do. Lloyd George declared two years ago to his English compatriots that "extravagance costs blood-the blood of heroes." There is yet a tremendous amount of extravagance in this country, if we count as extravagance most of the things that are unnecessary. Mr. Vanderlip in a recent appeal says: The nation must save. Every individual must learn and practice the lesson of economy, of self-denial, of saving to the point of sacrifice. Thrift will mean triumph. Every individual should realize that saving money means saving lives. The school teachers of America must teach the nation this imperative way to victory-this preeminent way to maintain a national strength which will safeguard posterity and advance civilization. The school teacher is the pioneer outpost of the government, standing at the threshold of the nation's homes. The schools of America are the single units where a national resolution can form and spread overnight into every household. To the teachers belongs the splendid privilege, the solemn duty, of rallying them round the flag and then implanting in their hearts and sending into the homes of America, the message which will keep that flag flying high. We must save money that we may save lives. The educators of America enjoy no greater privilege than that of being able to teach this lesson to the nation; and for the sake of the lives of millions of its finest boys the educators of America may be depended upon to teach it quickly and well. B. CONFERENCE OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENCY AND ITS PROBLEM P. C. FAIR, PRINCIPAL OF SCHOOLS, MANSFIELD, LA. It is needless for me to say that I am indeed glad to be with the National Education Association in this the greatest of all educational meetings. I am glad first, because, having dedicated my life to the school children of Louisiana, being with you will enable me to do greater things for them. Again I am glad to be here for it affords me an opportunity to bring you tidings of the great work we are doing for the coming manhood and womanhood of Louisiana thru our schools. We feel that Louisiana has one of the best and soundest public school systems in the country. The superintendents as well as the other members of the teaching force are summoned to serve anew in the great world-crisis that is now at hand. This great crisis has made over anew many, many problems of the county superintendency, one of which is selecting teachers. Only a short while ago a superintendent could secure efficient teachers with but little difficulty, and now no superintendent in Louisiana has his quota. He has no more perplexing question than that of securing teachers. In our parish, and I believe DeSoto is typical of other parishes of Louisiana, many schools are now facing the fact that they must open up next fall far short of the required teaching force. We as teachers fully realize that the war for democracy and human freedom can never be won unless the teaching force is willing to pay the price and make the supreme sacrifice of service which they only can do. If we are to realize the fairer civilization which is to come from winning this the greatest world-struggle, the superintendency must summon to the colors its soldiers, who must answer the call no matter what the price. But we do not feel that the teaching force will answer this summons unless the superintendents accept their places as captains in this great army and martial their forces to the front and "over the top." Here we feel it is necessary for the superintendent, as well as for every teacher, to rededicate himself and his services to the school children of the country. Children are only undevelopt citizens and must have in the new experiences which every child of today is having such guidance as will make of him a citizen who will function for his Republic as a true citizen should. While every true teacher is willing to make the proper and necessary sacrifice, he must receive sufficient pay to maintain self-respect. But the superintendent is unable to offer the teachers the necessary salaries unless the funds are available and adequate enough to justify it. There must be something done along these lines, or superintendents are going to be forst to employ such teachers as they can get with the funds at hand. In many cases there will be inefficient teachers, which will result in lowering |