pretense on our part. In our attempts to show high per cents. of attendance, and records free from tardy marks, we sometimes defeat the very end for which the schools primarily exist. There is a school of medicine which says similia similibus curantur, “like cures like," but even the doctors of this school do not say that the same thing cures the same thing; or, in other words, that if a rattlesnake bites you once, you must have it bite you a second time to cure the first bite; yet we school people do sometimes practice this in our schools. The social work of a district cannot be done, nor can a healthful public opinion be built up, by suspending boys and girls for tardiness and non-attendance. We must put forth every effort with them and with their parents to bring them to regular habits; this and this alone is right. A persistent effort in this line cannot fail to bring good results. I do not believe in tardiness and irregular attendance, but I do believe that it is better to have some girls and boys in school part of the time than not to have them at all. There is another class of children that cannot be in school every day and serve the best social good; and when we fail to serve the best social good, we fail to build up a healthful public sentiment: a large family of little children; a frail woman trying to decently clothe and keep her family on the small wages her husband earns as an ordinary laborer; the washing, the sewing, the cooking—in fact, all the work of the hometo be done by the mother with the help of the children; she cannot do it alone, and she would shun the idea of charity; she is self-respecting, and so trains her children. What is right in this case? I will tell you what we must do to try to help her and at the same time help the children. We must permit the children to stay at home busy days to help the mother. We must try to make the school help this home to do the best possible by the children of the home, while the mother is doing her utmost to give her children the advantages the school offers and at the same time to keep herself and family out of the dependent list. It is to my mind a great social work to help families to keep their selfrespect; for the school to come to their needs in such a way as to help them to feel that they are independent. This case only emphasizes the importance of the close relation that must exist between the home and the school, in order that the school may do the great social work that it is designed to do, or that modern life commits to it to be done. We should not fail to keep in close touch with the Bureau of Associated Charities and other benevolent organizations of the city. They gladly join us in keeping children from unfortunate homes in school; or, in other words, they will clothe and care for the extremely needy, while we follow up their work by keeping these children in school. In a great many cases where the families are not what would be called destitute, where only a little help is needed, the mothers' club can and will give aid in a way that will not break down the self-respect of the family. From time to time these women will spend an afternoon with some tired, overworked mother, helping her with her sewing, sometimes taking with them clothing that can be worked over for the little ones of the less-favored home. The schools cannot be interested in helping the children of the unfortunate without coming into a working relation with the courts before which juvenile dependents and delinquents appear. All the courts look with favor on the school whose officer appears in behalf of the neglected children. Many a child can, thru the intervention of the school officer, be saved from the jail and redeemed to a better life than he has known. Often the boy or girl will be given a trial at the request of the school officer on condition that he attends schools regularly and is obedient to school authority. In Illinois and some of the other states the school authorities can ask the courts to appoint certain persons probation officers for these delinquent or dependent children; and the fact that the children know that the court has committed them to the care of these persons, instead of sending them from home to some institution for delinquent children, exerts a great influence over them, and causes them to feel that they must attend school and be obedient to their school authority. Then, too, they appreciate that a kind act has been done for them, and they usually look upon those who have interested themselves in them as their friends. I could tell you of instances in more than one city of children that have been helped in this way. In the work of the public schools we must remember that we have no more faithful allies than the daily press. If the school administration impresses itself on the community as an administration of service, and not of political intrigue and dishonesty, the daily papers will gladly give their columns that the work of the public schools may be placed before the people. This is a great opportunity to reach the people to help them to understand what we are trying to do. I sometimes think that we school people do not fully appreciate the great work the daily press does for the cause of public-school education. Our work should always be of a character that we should gladly have it spoken of in the daily papers. Is a large educational gathering to meet in our city? Then the business-men's organizations stand ready to aid in arranging for the proper entertainment of the visiting people. As they are interested in the visitors, they become interested in the subject that brings these people together, and, unconsciously at first to the business-men, the educational interests of the community are presented to them in a new light. Of course, most of them have children in school, and so are interested; but when they meet leading educators from other cities and hear them talk on various topics related to school interests, they immediately begin to wish to know whether or not schools in their own city take rank with the best. This leads to an intelligent investigation on their part, and they thus become active supporters of every advance move made by the administration of the schools. Everything that tends to make prominent the best in education, so far as known tends to arouse a strong public opinion in favor of a school system when it is good. The high school has much to do with public opinion concerning the school system. It must have breadth as well as depth; courses that fit students (pupils) in the best possible manner for college, and courses that appeal to those who do not look to a college or university education. This giving breadth to the work of the high school appeals to all classes and makes the high school the people's school, and not the school of a certain class. Then, too, we must use common-sense in opening the doors to the high school to all who can possibly avail themselves of its privileges. When we do this, the common sense of the people approves it. Here are some boys and girls who spend one or two hours each day in class work at the high school, the remainder of their time being given to work in stores and offices. Their lessons are prepared in the evenings. In almost every city is a large class of these young people who are early forced to earn their living, and yet would snatch a little time from their daily labor to receive instruction, if they knew it were possible to receive such instruction free at the public high school. If they should have but one hour a day, the school should welcome them, that they may be the better prepared to contribute their part to the common social good. It is not only a privilege, but a duty, that a school administration owes to the people to let them know what the high school has for them. In some wards but few of the parents look upon the high school as for their children. At patrons' meetings, and in fact on all occasions, we must lead these parents to appreciate the fact that the high school is for their children; we must inspire them with a desire for their children to enter the high school. To help to make the connection close between the high school and the eighth grade, we should have every eighth-grade class in the city spend a day at the high school, visiting. Set apart certain days for certain schools to visit. When these eighth-grade boys and girls come to the high school, let them go to the principal's office, where he will give each eighth-grade boy into the hands of some high-school boy for the day, and each girl to some high school girl. In this way no one feels lost or uncertain what to do or where to go, but is conducted about from recitation to recitation, so that he feels as much at home as tho he were in his own ward school. This day's visit bridges the gap between the eighth grade and the high school for many a boy or girl, and is the beginning of what proves to be a full high-school course. If the executive head of a school administration, the superintendent, impresses himself on his board and on his people as a man who knows his business, and is full to the brim with the spirit of service, willing to give himself freely for the cause he represents, his board will gladly accord him the right to select teachers and other supervisors of the schools a right which must be largely his or all his planning may come to naught because of inefficient assistants. No school without a strong teaching force can long hold the respect and confidence of the people. - And with this privilege comes a duty; if he selects his teachers, he must bear the responsibility of dropping the inefficient ones. He must be willing to tell a teacher where she is short and lend her all possible aid to overcome her weakness; then after he and his supervisors have done all they can for her, if she is still below the standard, tell her that she is unable to do the work, that he cannot recommend her for re-employment. Even this, not always a pleasant duty, can be done in a spirit of fairness that will add to rather than detract from the good name of the school. When it is known that efficiency both in the ability to instruct and in the spirit of the work are the characteristics without which no one can hope to hold a position for any length of time in any system of schools, the confidence in the administration that this knowledge begets among the most intelligent of the community creates a strong public opinion in favor of the schools. DISCUSSION SUPERINTENDENT R. A. OGG, Kokomo, Ind.—I wish to emphasize just two of the many good points made by Superintendent Stableton-the value of parents' and teachers' clubs and the tendency of teachers to be impatient over absence and tardiness. For seven years I have had experience with parents' clubs in connection with the schools, and have found them very helpful. They bring parents and teachers into closer sympathy. They give parents a better idea of the spirit of the schools, and teachers a truer understanding of the attitude of parents. They give the superintendent an opportunity to explain the policy of the schools; answer questions and meet parents face to face. One very important gain is that, when difficulty arises, parents are much more ready to take suggestions and to see the reasonableness of the course pursued. They are valuable also in making the schoolhouse the intellectual and social center of the district. Regarding the impatience of teachers as to absence and tardiness, I have found it very difficult to get teachers away from the idea that they are measured by the per cent. of punctuality and attendance they secure. Such is a false basis of estimate and leads teachers to be unduly exacting upon pupils, creating friction between the school and the home. There are times when a child ought to be tardy or absent, not only because the home may imperatively need him, but because he should learn that helpfulness at home and self-sacrifice are worth more than adherence to the form of the rules regarding attendTeachers should learn the home conditions and distinguish between carelessness and a conscientious doing of what appeals to the child as a duty to the home. If we only knew the occasion of the absence or tardiness we would sometimes sympathize where we now condemn. ance. W. S. Rowe, superintendent of schools, Connersville, Ind. In our schools we carry out the same general plan of parents' meetings as outlined by Superintendents Stableton and Ogg. We have, however, carried it one step farther, and have federated these several district clubs. The federated body is officered in like manner by parents. Its meet ings are at night, take place three times a year, and are referred to as "public educational meetings." By this arrangement fathers are able to attend. At one of these public meetings the topic for discussion was manual training. The paper was carefully prepared and presented by the high-school principal. Equally thoughtful papers on the subject were read by two of our influential public-spirited citizens. Others participated in the discussion which followed. This occurred two years ago, and the interest taken then and since in the subject of manual training has undoubtedly had the effect of encouraging our school board to take an advanced step and incorporate this important educational feature in the plans for our new high school now in process of building. With us similar influences are tending to make the school a social and educational center. As indicative of this, our new building provides on the second floor for an assembly hall to seat six hundred, and also on the first floor for a good-sized corridor and reception hall. Provisions are made for brilliant natural and artificial light. In the latter the colonial fireplaces at either end of the corridor, the table and bookcases in the reception hall, will give a fine home-library effect. This will be open for use, not only to the mothers' clubs, out also to the literary clubs of the city. As supplementary to the thoughts given in reference to knowing the home conditions of delinquents, in order to deal with them sympathetically, we have a plan which works admirably. Our teachers write a card to the delinquent, calling attention to some highly interesting things which have happened in the room during the day, and which he has missed. This notably decreases unnecessary delinquencies. SUPERINTENDENT W. W. CHALMERS, Toledo, O.- In Toledo we have arranged with the business manager to take the school census by primary districts instead of the old plan of by wards. The census enumerators furnish two copies of the census list; one is for file in the board of education office, and the other copy is handed to the principals of the elementary schools at the opening of the school year in September. This list contains the names and ages, addresses, and parents' names of the children of the district. Some time during the first week of school the principal calls a meeting of his teachers and reads to them the list of children of the district coming within the compulsory-education age. Those that have been enrolled in the school are checked, and those that are not enrolled in the school form a new list to be investigated by him and by the truant officer. SUPERINTENDENT H. V. HOTCHKISS, Akron, O.—I wish to emphasize the power of the teaching force in any city to create and foster a just appreciation on the part of the public of the work that is done in the schools of that city. Any system of schools of any value whatever has a certain genius or spirit which distinguishes it from any other system, which embodies itself in certain characteristic principles and processes; in short, which brings things to pass in an effective and desirable manner. No body of people can have the training and opportunities which will enable them to know what the schools are doing so thoroly as the teachers themselves know. Every superintendent, therefore, should enter into the confidence of his teachers; should put forth his best effort to lead his teachers to know, in a broad way, the spirit of the system of schools in which they labor. I fear that too many superintendents satisfy themselves with the details of the work, grade by grade, and do not instruct their teachers in a broad way along the lines that I have indicated. Even very good teachers are usually familiar with the work of their grades or departments only, except in a very narrow and limited way. Whenever the knowledge and ideals of the teaching force as to the broad work done in a school system shall approximate the knowledge and ideals of the superintendent, all the teachers who are loyal and earnest, meeting representatives of the entire city, as they do, in church work, club work, social gatherings, etc., will, with here a word and there a word, little by little build up thruout the entire community a public opinion of the work done in the schools that will be of inestimable value to the schools themselves and to the work they are attempting to accomplish. Confide, then, in your teachers; let them know the best that you have planned for your schools; and, believe me, you will find them a valuable and helpful power in your community. WHAT SHOULD BE THE FEATURES OF A MODERN ELEMENTARYSCHOOL BUILDING CLARENCE F. CARROLL, SUPERINTEndent of sCHOOLS, WORCESTER, MASS. The ideal elementary-school building has not yet been built, but here and there we have all found buildings parts of which appear to satisfy our most critical judgment. In this statement I shall seek to put together these fragments into an ideal whole. There are two types of school building that appear to be most generally acceptable. Plan No. I provides for four rooms to a floor. The first floor may be duplicated above |