DEPARTMENT OF SUPERINTENDENCE CINCINNATI MEETING, 1903 SECRETARY'S MINUTES FIRST DAY MORNING SESSION.- TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1903 The department was called to order in the auditorium of the St. Paul M. E. Church, Cincinnati, O., at 9:30 A. M., President Charles M. Jordan, superintendent of schools, Minneapolis, Minn., in the chair. The audience sang "America." Prayer was offered by Rev. C. W. Blodgett. Superintendent L. E. Wolfe, of San Antonio, Tex., read a paper on “The Human Side of Geography." The subject was discussed by Superintendent William H. Hatch, Oak Park, Ill., and Jacques W. Redway, Mount Vernon, N. Y. President Lewis H. Jones of the State Normal College, Ypsilanti, Mich., spoke on the topic "The Best Methods of Electing School Boards;" and Superintendent John W. Carr, Anderson, Ind.; Superintendent W. W. Chalmers, Toledo, O.; Superintendent C. G. Pearse, Omaha, Neb.; and Superintendent F. Louis Soldan, St. Louis, Mo., discussed the subject. AFTERNOON SESSION Charles B. Gilbert, Rochester, N. Y., read a paper on "The Freedom of the Teacher." It was discussed by Superintendent James H. Van Sickle, Baltimore, Md., and Superintendent John Richeson, East St. Louis, Mo. The chair announced the following committees: Principal E. W. Coy, of Hughes High School, Cincinnati, read a paper on "A Readjustment of the High-School Curriculum." The subject was discussed by Superintendent Edwin G. Cooley, Chicago, Ill.; Superintendent F. Louis Soldan, St. Louis, Mo.; and Dr. Charles DeGarmo, of Cornell University. EVENING SESSION Richard G. Moulton, professor of English literature, University of Chicago, delivered a lecture on "The Revelation of St. John from a Literary Point of View.” SECOND DAY MORNING SESSION.- WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Vice-President Clarence F. Carroll, Worcester, Mass., presided at the opening of the session. State Superintendent Alfred Bayliss, of Illinois, read a paper on “Industrial Education in Rural Schools." L. D. Harvey, of Wisconsin, and W. W. Stetson, superintendent of public instruction, Maine, discussed the subject. President Jordan took the chair at this time, and announced that he would ask consent to the reading of the paper of Mrs. Alice W. Cooley, assistant in the department of pedagogy, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, she being necessarily absent. Miss Mary E. Nicholson, of the Indianapolis city schools, read Mrs. Cooley's paper on "Literature in the Grades and How to Use It." The subject was discussed by Mrs. Josephine Heermans, principal of Whittier School, Kansas City, Mo., and Miss Florence Holbrook, principal of Forestville School, Chicago, Ill. The following communication was read: C. M. Jordan, President, Department of Superintendence, National Educational Association: DEAR MR. JORDAN: In behalf of our respective state educational associations, we wish through you to ask the attention of the department to the inclosed resolutions, particularly to the sixth, inviting consideration of the question how it can best co-operate with our associations in promoting the cause of simplified spelling. Will you kindly send us notice of what action is taken in regard to this matter, so that we may report it to our associations? The following is resolution No. 6 referred to: Very truly, DAVID FELMLEY, Normal, Ill. That we respectfully suggest to other educational, literary, scientific, or philanthropic organizations the advisability of taking this subject under consideration and of actively co-operating with us in the promotion of simplified spelling. Moved by President L. H. Jones, State Normal School, Ypsilanti, Mich.: "That the communication, and the question it raises as to what steps this department may wisely take in co-operation with the state associations of Illinois and Wisconsin to promote the cause of simplifying our spelling, be referred to a committee of five, to report next year.” The following committee was subsequently appointed by the president : Frank A. Hill, chairman of the committee of nine appointed a year ago to formulate contemporary educational doctrine, asked, in the name and by the order of the committee, that Dr. Paul H. Hanus, of Harvard University, and United States Commissioner of Education W. T. Harris be added, making a committee of eleven. The request was granted by vote. Mr. Hill further explained that the work of this committee will necessitate money for expenses, and the department voted to request the Board of Directors of the Association to grant an appropriation for this purpose not exceeding twenty-five hundred ($2,500) dollars. E. O. Vaile offered the following resolutions: Resolved: (1) That a committee of five be appointed by the chair to invite, in the name of this department, like committees of conference from the Modern Language Association and the American Philological Association to consider the need and possibility of a universal system of key notation for indicating pronunciation, and to recommend for the indorsement of the societies such a system, or at least a simple, practical phonetic alphabet as the universal basis of such a system. (2) That the Board of Directors of the National Educational Association and the proper committee of the Council of Education be requested to authorize and appropriate $100 for the use of this committee in preparing the report. The resolutions were adopted as read, and the following committee subsequently appointed by the president: E. O. Vaile, Oak Park, Ill., Chairman, Superintendent F. Louis Soldan, St. Louis, Mo. The Committee on Nominations reported as follows: For President - Henry P. Emerson, Buffalo, N. Y. For First Vice-President - Edwin B. Cox, Xenia, O. For Second Vice-President John W. Abercrombie, University, Ala. For Secretary - John H. Hinemon, Little Rock, Ark. The officers as nominated were elected by acclamation. The chair announced that the selection of a place for the next meeting would be the next business. Kansas City, Mo., San Antonio, Tex., Atlanta, Ga., and Chicago were proposed. The department decided by vote to limit the choice to Atlanta and Chicago. Atlanta was selected by formal vote. The proposed constitution for the department, upon which action was deferred from the meeting of last year, was then taken up. By vote of the department, consideration of the report was indefinitely postponed and the committee discharged. AFTERNOON SESSION The afternoon session was devoted to round-table meetings as follows: A. ROUND TABLE OF STATE AND COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS The meeting was called to order at 2 P. M. by the leader, Mrs. Helen L. Grenfell, state superintendent of public instruction, Denver, Colo. The subject, "To What Extent and in What Form Should the Manual-Training Idea Be Embodied in Public-School Work?" was presented by William O. Thompson, president of -Ohio State University, Columbus, O. In the absence of State Superintendent Schaeffer, of Pennsylvania, who was to have opened the discussion, the subject was at once thrown open for general discussion, and Principal E. W. Wilkinson, Cincinnati, O; State Superintendent Charles J. Baxter, of New Jersey; Supervisor George H. Martin, Boston, Mass.; and State Superintendent Delos Fall, of Michigan, participated. The topics for general discussion announced on the program were used as suggestions to guide the informal meeting which followed. B. ROUND TABLE OF STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS AND CITY TRAINING SCHOOLS The meeting was called to order at 2 P. M. In the absence of the leader, Homer H. Seerley, Cedar Falls, Ia., President Livingston C. Lord of the State Normal School at Charleston, Ill., presided. Wilbur H. Bender, supervisor of the advanced training department, State Normal School, Cedar Falls, la., read a paper on the "Organization and Function of Training Departments in State Normal Schools." A general discussion followed, after which the Round Table adjourned. C. ROUND TABLE OF CITY SUPERINTENDENTS Leader, Calvin N. Kendall, superintendent of schools, Indianapolis, Ind. An address by A. B. Blodgett, superintendent of schools, Syracuse, N. Y., on "The Most Effective Use of the Superintendent's Time," was presented and was discussed by Z. H. Brown, superintendent of schools, Nashville, Tenn., and Charles S. Foos, superintendent of schools, Reading, Pa. An address by J. K. Stableton, superintendent of schools, Bloomington, Ill., on "Public Opinion and Good Schools," was discussed by W. S. Rowe, superintendent of schools, Connorsville, Ind.; W. W. Chalmers, superintendent of schools, Toledo, O.; R. A. Ogg, superintendent of schools, Kokomo, Ind.; and H. V. Hotchkiss, superintendent of schools, Akron, O. The address of Clarence F. Carroll, superintendent of schools, Worcester, Mass., on "What Should Be the Features of a Modern Elementary-School Building?" was followed by the adoption of the following resolution, presented by Superintendent James K. Beck, Bloomington, Ind.: Resolved, That "It is recommended to the business management of the National Educational Association, by the Round Table of City Superintendents, that a commission of three or five members be appointed for the practical consideration of school architecture. This commission shall investigate, and report in detail, on the best means of planning, building, and equipping school buildings. Since school architecture is very important, and school boards and superintendents need helpful and practical information in the minutest detail, this commission should investigate and put forth the best sources and means of getting this information." EVENING SESSION An address was given by Charles W. Eliot, President of the National Educational Association, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., on "The Full Utilization of a PublicSchool Plant." THIRD DAY MORNING SESSION.-THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 On motion of Superintendent R. A. Ogg, the department directed its president to send the following telegram: HON. O. T. CORSON, COLUMBUS, O.: The Department of Superintendence sends sympathy to you as a brother beloved and hopes for your speedy recovery. James M. Greenwood, superintendent of schools, Kansas City, Mo., read a paper on the subject, "Reduction of Time in the Elementary Schools." It was discussed by Richard G. Boone, superintendent of schools, Cincinnati, O.; Dr. Frank M. McMurry, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York city; Clarence F. Carroll, superintendent of schools, Worcester, Mass.; J. W. Carr, superintendent of schools, Anderson, Ind.; and E. W. Coy, principal of Hughes High School, Cincinnati, O. Dr. W. T. Harris, Commissioner of Education of the United States, Washington, D. C., read a paper on “The University of Oxford and the Rhodes Scholarships." AFTERNOON SESSION The department convened at 2 o'clock; President Jordan in the chair. "Some Practical Problems in Manual Training" was the subject of a paper by C. R. Richards, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York city. The subject was discussed by Gustav Larsson, Sloyd School, Boston, Mass. "Coeducation in High Schools and Universities," as announced in the program, was modified as the subject of a paper presented by Albion W. Small, of the University of Chicago. After discussion by Aaron Gove, superintendent of schools, Denver, Colo., the subject was further discussed by Superintendent Edwin P. Seaver, Boston; Superintendent E. A. Gastman, Decatur, Ill.; Superintendent J. F. Keating, Pueblo, Colo.; Superintendent L. E. Wolfe, San Antonio, Tex.; and Dr. John T. Prince, West Newton, Mass. The department unanimously adopted the report of the Committee on Resolutions as follows: Resolved, That the Department of Superintendence expresses its deep sorrow at the sad loss it has sustained thru the death, during the past year, of many of its most esteemed members. W. M. Beardshear, Emerson E. White, Edward R. Shaw, Francis W. Parker, are no longer in our midst. Their memory, however, as cherished associates and devoted friends of the cause of education, will abide with us. Resolved, That the Department of Superintendence has listened with deep interest to the reports presented during the present session on the great success of the reforms in the school administration of several of the large cities, and the great gain to the cause of education which has resulted therefrom. The various plans |