provincial towns states that at the time of the Spanish conquest the Indians had been working a very rich gold mine, the name of which has been passed down as "La Estrella," meaning "The Star." Tradition relates that before one of the Indian workers could be captured and forced to reveal the mine's location, the workings were destroyed and the mine site permanently obliterated by flooding.

Families of North American and European nationals have of late years started coffee plantations in the territory adjoining the Llanos del Volcan and are also successfully growing fruit and garden truck of the temperate and semitropical zones. In spite of the wet and dry seasons, the unusual fertility of the soil and the many brooks and streams make possible several crops a year. An area of over 100,000 acres of excellent coffee land, also adaptable to the production of vegetables, but now in a state of virgin forest, is available for future development. Ready markets for such produce exist in the populated centers of the Republic and in the Canal Zone, which at present import a large percentage of the green vegetables consumed.

This territory is easily accessible excepting in the rainy season, when the road to El Hato from Concepcion, a distance of 19 miles, is oftentimes impassable for motor vehicles. The improvement of this highway will complete the final link with other points in the country and the exterior. Concepcion and David, the provincial capital, are served by the National Railroad running from Puerto Armuelles, which is a port of call for a regular line of steamers. Within a few minutes' travel of David is also situated a modern airport which is touched regularly by scheduled planes making the Central American run. The airport is situated in the vicinity of the river port, Pedregal, which receives small coastal vessels from the national capital. Upon final completion of the Central Highway of the Republic of Panama, El Volcan will be easily reached by motor from all cities of the Republic.

The region ranges in elevation from 3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level and offers a delightful climate with no extremes of temperature. The mountain streams not only lend themselves to irrigation and water power, but also to excellent bathing and fishing. Varieties of American brook trout have been stocked, and native fish are also plentiful. There are several crater lakes known as "Lagos del Volcan" which offer opportunities for water sports, and the surrounding forests abound in wild game of many descriptions. Here is another garden spot for the nature lover and student of botany.

Yearly, increasing numbers of vacationists visit this district where the hot tropical sunshine is softened and flavored with the coolness of mountain air. The Republic of Panama is keenly interested in the continued colonization and development of this upland province, and rightfully believes in the vast potentialities of the Volcan region.

89921-32-Bull. 1-3

EDUCATIONAL BEACONS IN COLOMBIA

I

THE NATIONAL PEDAGOGIC INSTITUTE FOR GIRLS IN BOGOTA

THE

By FRANCISCA RADKE, Ph. D.

Principal of the Institute

HE history of the development of secondary education for girls in Colombia is an interesting chapter in the story of South American feminism; a concrete expression of this movement may be found in the National Pedagogical Institute for Women, which had its inception in 1917. It should be noted that the visible rôle of the Colombian woman in public life has been very small, for her ideal has always been that of housewife and mother. The natural riches of the country have generally permitted husbands and fathers to consider their wives and daughters as ornaments of family life, far removed from everything ugly or disagreeable. For this purpose education for society, savoir-vivre, the fine arts and deeply religious training sufficed. But travel, immigration to Colombia, the closer contact of the capital with the rest of the world through air service, could not fail to exert an influence upon home life. The newspapers, books, motion pictures, cafés, imposing modern buildings, highways and railways that brought the country into closer communication with foreign lands and thought contributed to the development of a more complex life of quickened tempo, whose effects women, as well as men, could not escape.

Two novels may be mentioned as expressive of their respective epochs. If Jorge Isaacs' María, a rural idyll, was the literary choice of the years before 1910, Ifigenia, by the Venezuelan author Teresa de la Parra, may be termed the expression of the new era. The immense success of the latter was due to the fact that it embodied the ideas fermenting among many women who had still neither the strength nor the audacity to champion them publicly. Artistically, perhaps, this work is not of the first rank, but it must always be considered a landmark in the history of women's development.

The effective movement toward modernizing the education of Colombian women came from a group of men who were able to convince Congress of the validity of their ideas and who had the satisfaction of securing in 1917 the passage of a law providing for the establishment in Bogota of pedagogic institutes for men and women. The names of Pomponio Guzmán, Miguel Abadía Méndez, Juan N.

Corpas, José Ignacio Vernaza, Tomás Rueda Vargas, and Karl Gloeckner, a German, will always be intimately connected with this idea of vital significance in the education and intellectual advance of the Colombian woman and her brother.

Between the passage of the law and the execution of the work but a short time intervened. A Colombian architect, Pablo de la Cruz, was entrusted with the construction of the building for the Pedagogic Institute for Girls, since he had already had experience in similar work in various South American countries. It was desired to make the structure as modern, hygienic, and practical as possible.

THE NATIONAL PEDAGOGIC INSTITUTE FOR GIRLS, BOGOTA In this handsome building, located in one of the best sections of the Colombian capital, girls are prepared for positions in the normal schools of the republic.

The situation of the building, as shown in the photograph, is most delightful. It is located in the Chapinero section, the most charming, healthful, and fashionable of the capital. On the east the Cordillera rises only 1,600 feet away, while on the west lies the lovely plain of Bogota. Air and light are abundant; the constant breeze cleanses the atmosphere and the bright sun of this high plateau drives away disease. This plain, more than 7,600 feet above sea level, may well be called a great health resort.

The National Pedagogic Institute for Girls has for its purpose the training of teachers for normal schools throughout the country. In order to offer a modern European education to the students, the Colombian Government engaged in 1926 four German university

The 92 rooms of the main building are equipped and furnished throughout in modern style. Upper: The library. Lower: A corner of the biological museum.

graduates who, with some of the best teachers in the country, began and still direct the work of the institute.

Since the furnishings, the schoolroom equipment, and the teaching supplies were ordered from Germany and the United States, the 92 rooms of the principal building have an absolutely modern appearance. The classrooms for natural science may be especially mentioned because of their provision for individual work. It is hardly necessary to say that the purely feminine branches are not disregarded. A new subject was the training in housework which, in addition to cooking, gives instruction in all tasks to be done in the school, all being enthusiastically performed by the students.

The main purpose of the institute is training in practical pedagogy, which is therefore the most important subject. Girls from all parts of the nation are eligible for entrance at 14 years of age. Each year 30 girls are selected by competitive examination from the aspirants, who generally number about 120. In three years a groundwork is laid, and two years more are devoted especially to psychology and practical pedagogy. The curriculum and courses of study are adapted from those of German schools, modified to suit the needs of the Colombian student. For practice teaching there is a model school belonging to the institute. It offers a 6-year course to pupils between 7 and 14 years of age, 30 in each class. These six classes are taught,