The secretary was instructed to cast the ballot of the members present for the nomiThe ballot was so cast and the officers declared duly elected for the term to expire with the Cleveland meeting in July, 1908. nees. Dr. Lyte then introduced Miss Laura D. Gill as president of the Department and resigned the chair to her. As Mrs. Moore was not present Miss Johnson continued to act as secretary. President Gill stated that the first business to come before the new department was the selection of a name for the department, and that it would be necessary to appoint a committee to present the name to the Board of Directors of the N. E. A. On motion of Dr. Lyte it was voted to refer the selection of a name to the officers of the department. Before the motion to adjourn, President Gill explained that membership in the department just organized could be held only by those who were members of the N. E. A., and that membership in one department entitled a member to vote in any and all departments of the N. E. A. After the motion to adjourn was passed, many of those present remained, and there was an informal discussion of the future plans of the department. President Gill outlined the program of the department for the Cleveland meeting. Among those present at the meeting were: Miss Laura D. Gill, president of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. Miss Lillian W. Johnson, acting president of the Southern Association of College Women. Mrs. Hugo Rosenberg, president of the National Council of Jewish Women. Miss Sadie American, secretary of the National Council of Jewish Women. Mrs. J. N. Phillips, editor of official organ of Alabama Federation of Women's Clubs. Miss Louise Connolly, superintendent of schools, Summit, N. J. Miss Elizabeth V. Brown, director of primary instruction, public schools, Washington, D. C. Miss Anna E. Logan, primary supervisor, Ohio State Normal College, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Miss Mina B. Colburn, superintendent of Cincinnati Kindergarten Training School. Miss Gertrude Edmund, principal of training school, Lowell, Mass. Miss Elizabeth A. Hayden, teacher in public schools, Washington, D. C. Mrs. Mary R. Gale Davis, Bridgeport, Conn. (Signed) LILLIAN WYCKOFF JOHNSON, Secretary pro tem. EVENING SESSION The evening session of the department was called to order at 8:15 o'clock. An address was delivered by Hon. Andrew S. Draper, state commissioner of education for New York, on the subject, "Desirable Uniformity and Diversity in American Education." THIRD DAY MORNING SESSION.-THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1908 The morning was devoted to various round table conferences, as follows: (A) ROUND TABLE, STATE AND COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS Leader, J. B. Aswell, state superintendent of public education, Baton Rouge, La.; secretary, J. J. Doyne, state superintendent of Public Instruction for Arkansas. Topic: County Supervision 1. What Should a Good County Superintendent Know ?-J. W. Olsen, state superintendent of public instruction for Minnesota. Discussion by W. S. Sutton, professor of education, University of Texas. 2. How Can Trained County Superintendents Be Provided, and How Should They Be Selected?-F. A. Cotton, state superintendent of public instruction for Indiana. Discussion by J. M. Guinn, Department of Education, Tulane University, New Orleans, La., and others. 3. When Inspecting a School What Should a County Superintendent See and Do ?— G. G. Joynes, county superintendent of schools, Onancock, Va. 4. What Can the County Superintendent Lead the People to Do?-Lawton B. Evans, superintendent of schools, Augusta, Ga. 5. By Whom Should Teachers Be Selected?-F. G. Blair, state superintendent of public instruction for Illinois. 6. The Relation of the County Superintendent to the County Board.-A. C. Nelson, state superintendent of public instruction for Utah. 7. The Relation of the County Superintendent to the State Superintendent.-W. W. Stetson, Auburn, Maine. 8. The Relation of the State Superintendent to the County Superintendent.-J. Y. Joyner, state superintendent of public instruction for North Carolina. Discussion by State Superintendent C. P. Cary of Wisconsin; and others. (B) ROUND TABLE OF SUPERINTENDENTS OF LARGER CITIES Leader, Ben Blewett, assistant superintendent of instruction, public schools, St. Louis, Mo.; secretary, Charles E. Chadsey, superintendent of schools, Denver, Colo. Two brief papers were presented by J. M. Greenwood, superintendent of schools, Kansas City, Mo., and George S. Davis, associate superintendent of schools, New York City. The remainder of the time was given to general discussion. Topic-Teachers: Supply, Normal Training, Placing, Subsequent Training The following superintendents joined in the discussion: C. N. Kendall, Indianapolis, Ind.; Walter H. Small, Providence, R. I.; I. C. McNeill, Memphis, Tenn.; Addison B. Poland, Newark, N. J.; J. A. Shawan, Columbus, O.; W. C. Martindale, Detroit, Mich.; W. H. Elson, Cleveland, O.; C. F. Carroll, Rochester, N. Y.; J. A. Whiteford, St. Joseph, Mo.; Stratton D. Brooks, Boston, Mass.; Henry P. Emerson, Buffalo, N. Y.; Asst. Supt. Henry S. West, Baltimore, Md.; Carroll G. Pearse, Milwaukee, Wis.; William H. Maxwell, New York City, and President John W. Cook, State Normal School, De Kalb, Ill. (c) ROUND TABLE OF SUPERINTENDENTS OF MEDIUM AND SMALLER CITIES Leader, J. H. Phillips, superintendent of schools, Birmingham, Ala.; secretary, G. G. Bond. Topics 1. To What Extent Should State Uniformity Laws Apply to Cities in Respect to Courses of Study, Textbooks and Methods in: (a) Elementary Schools; (b) High Schools? John W. Carr, superintendent of schools, Dayton, Ohio; Carleton B. Gibson, superintendent of schools, Columbus, Ga.; followed by Superintendents R. K. Buehrle, Lancaster, Pa.; J. N. Study, Ft. Wayne, Ind.; John N. Davis, Stevens Point, Wis.; E. G. Lantman, Port Chester, N. Y.; Principal Edward Conradi, St. Petersburg, Fla.; C. A. Prosser, New Albany, Ind.; W. E. Striplin, Gadsden, Ala.; Vernon Davey, East Orange, N. J. 2. Principles and Methods in Pupil Government, Wilson L. Gill, Germantown, Pa.; Oliver P. Cornman, district superintendent of schools, Philadelphia, Pa. Discussion was continued by Superintendent Winfred H. Babbitt, Hawaii; E. C. Willard, Stanford, Conn., and J. H. Phillips, Birmingham, Ala. (D) ROUND TABLE ON AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION Session in the Metropolitan Memorial M. E. Church Leader, Ernest E. Balcomb, Department of Agriculture, State Normal School, Weatherford, Okla.; E. C. Bishop, State Department of Education, Lincoln, Neb. Topic: Preparation of Teachers for Agricultural Education. 1. The Necessity of Preparing Teachers-A. C. True, director of experiment stations, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 2. Some Notes on the Training of Teachers-Elmer Ellsworth Brown, U. S. commissioner of education, Washington, D. C. 3. Plans of the Youngest State-E. D. Cameron, state superintendent of public instruction, Guthrie, Okla. 4. The Training of Teachers. a) By State Normal Schools-John R. Kirk, president of State Normal School, Kirksville, Mo. b) Co-operation of State Agricultural Colleges and State Normal Schools-Kenyon L. Butterfield, president of Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass.; Alfred Bayliss, president State Normal School, Macomb, Ill. Discussion by Wm. M. Stewart, president, State Normal School, Salt Lake City, Utah. 5. Co-operation between the United States Department of Agriculture and State School Authorities to Promote Agricultural Education-Dick J. Crosby, specialist in agricultural education, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Discussion by E. C. Bishop, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, Lincoln Neb.; George B. Cook, superintendent of schools, Hot Springs, Ark. At the close of the program, Superintendent Carrington, of Missouri, moved that the meeting proceed with the organization of the Department of Rural and Agricultural Education. Motion seconded and carried. Dick J. Crosby moved that we proceed to the election of a president, vice president, and secretary. Motion seconded and carried. The following officers were nominated and unanimously elected: For President-E. C. Bishop, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, Lincoln, Nebraska. For Vice-President-D. B. Johnson, President Winthrop Normal and Industrial College, Rock Hill, S. C. For Secretary E. E. Balcomb, Department of Agriculture, Southwestern State Normal School, Weatherford, Oklahoma. AFTERNOON SESSION The department met for its final session at 2:00 P. M., and was called to order by President Cooper. The following was the program of the session: Topic: The School as an Instrument of Character Building 1. The Function of the School in Training for Right Conduct-Miss Margaret E. Schallenberger, State Normal School, San José, Cal. 2. The School and the Development of the Social Conscience-Mrs. John M. Glenn, Baltimore, Md. 3. An Experiment in Moral Training-Miss Jane Brownlee, Educational Lecturer, New York City. General discussion was led by Reed B. Teitrick, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, Harrisburg, Pa.; and Henry G. Williams, dean of State Normal College, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. At the close of the session the Committee on Resolutions made the following report, which was unanimously adopted. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS Resolved, That the Department of Superintendence recognizes the growing importance and increasing necessity for industrial education. It advocates the close adjustment of school studies to the demands of life. The fitting of the child for a life of industry in shop, farm, or home ranks next in importance to the building of character, the cultivation of intelligence, and, subordinate and contributive, to these, the training of the hand, which are the chief aims of education. The Department of Superintendence believes in the great value of the study of agricultural subjects in the schools of the rural districts. The Department of Superintendence favors the granting of federal aid to the state normal schools for the training of teachers in the subjects of agriculture, manual training, and home economics. The department believes that in the large cities provision should be made, by the opening of special ungraded rooms, for the instruction of children of emigrants unable to speak English. Grown children of this class should not be placed in the primary grades with little pupils, but, where feasible, receive special instruction in English, so they may be placed after a short time with children of their own age. Special provision should be made in every large city where the proper conditions exist for the maintenance of evening schools to instruct adult emigrants in the English language and the duties of citizenship. The Department of Superintendence is of the opinion that in every large city schools should be maintained for the special care of children who are neglected by nature. The Department of Superintendence is gratified to receive the information that the National Civic Federation in conjunction with Alfred Mosely have completed plans for visits of American teachers to the schools of Great Britain and the European continent during the coming autumn. The department believes the cause of education will be helped and advanced by the comparative study of the school systems of various countries by competent observers. The Department of Superintendence respectfully submits for consideration of Congress the fact that the provisions made for the National Department of Education are not commensurate with its importance and the vital national interests which it represents. More liberal financial means are required to carry on properly its work for the study of educational progress and the dissemination of educational information. State legislatures and school administrators are dependent in every step they take for the improvement of the schools on the information gathered and published by the department and on the advice of its educational experts. The salary fixed for the office of commissioner of education should be more in keeping with the dignity and importance of the office, and should not require constant selfsacrifice on the part of eminent men that have held that position. The salary paid by the nation to its commissioner of education should not be less than that paid by the large cities to the chief educational officer. The following resolution was offered by A. S. Downing of New York, and, after discussion, was passed. RESOLVED: That the executive committee of the Department of Superintendence, consisting of the President of the Department and Secretary of the N. E. A., be authorized to ascertain whether the hotel accommodations at Oklahoma City are adequate for the entertainment of the Department of Superintendence; and if they shall find that such hotel accommodations are not adequate, that they designate some other city that has ample hotel accommodations as the place for holding the next meeting of said Depart ment. THURSDAY EVENING Thru the courtesy of the trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Board of Education of Washington, D. C., tendered to the members of the Department and invited friends a reception at the Corcoran Gallery of Art from 8:30 to 10:30 P. M. Thru the courtesy of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the United States Marine Band supplied the music for the occasion. Respectfully submitted, GEORGE B. Cook, Secretary PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS IN VIEW OF THE INCREASED DEMANDS UPON THE SCHOOLS WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE OFFERED FOR ECONOMY IN TREATING THE COURSE OF STUDY? S. L. HEETER, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA The saving of time and energy-the opportunity for economy in the work of public education-must be sought, first of all, in an economy of aim looking toward education for efficiency in our industrial society. Economy in treating the course of study, economy in the selection, adaptation, and presentation of subject-matter presupposes an economy of aim. We are proud and justly so of what we are prone to believe to be the finest public-school system in the world, a system which has developed marvelously along pretty definite literary, scientific, and professional lines; but there is a growing feeling that the historic curriculum is unbalanced and one-sided, that we have built up a system of schools whose academic courses best meet the needs of the minority. In the stress of rapidly changing social and industrial conditions, we have offered the means of knowledge to the millions, but our schools have not yet risen to their responsibility as instruments of the state in the development of popular efficiency. They have developed on the democratic theory that all children are equal and that we must offer equal opportunity to all, but we are now forced to see that all children are not equal, and what may be a valuable opportunity to one may be no opportunity whatever to another. Reports from all parts of the country indicate that the majority of boys and girls come to a point in our elementary schools where they fail to find genuine opportunity; they fall short in intellectual processes, arrive at a state of arrested development even inside the schools, drop out at fourteen or as soon as they can evade the law, and enter, once for all, low-grade industrial pursuits, and lives of social, moral, and financial uncertainty. Here is the condition, directly facing us in all our work, which must be reckoned with in our efforts to save time and energy-to economize in education. It is not my purpose to lay the blame on the short-sightedness of childhood, nor on the blindness of parents, nor on the selfishness of employers of low-grade child-labor, nor on the indifference of the public, but to inquire into our school aims and into our school curriculum for elements which seem to permit, possibly encourage, the condition pointed out. At first thought it would seem that school authorities have the only part to play in the solution of this problem, and the remedy should be sought in a strict enforcement of compulsory education laws. This has been the first move everywhere, but I desire to emphasize the fact that the rational development of an educational system that counts for popular efficiency will not culminate in a condition under which attendance must be forced by external |