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cating the natural lines of growth. Probably the time has come when this tendency needs to be recognized, studied, and made as effective as possible. Hence, the conditions, duties, and qualifications of the supervising principal become subjects of present practical importance, as well as the desirability of seeking for competence of this sort in a principal, and making such arrangements as will enable him to do effective work.

The very name indicates a two-fold officethat of teaching and of supervising, and it is obvious that many persons will be successful in one function and failures in the other. The supervisor needs to be a broader and more thoroly trained man in educational theory and practice than the teacher. He must look upon school work as a whole, apprehend the characteristics of its different stages, separate clearly essentials from forms, and know how to beget and maintain a right spirit and right views in the workers. The power to study and interpret correctly what is going on in his schools, to recognize and supply needs, to detect and direct tendencies is one side of his work; to keep in right and helpful relations with his teachers, with his board, with the public is another which certainly demands patience, tact, and leadership. If he has only the latter ability he may be an empty charlatan; if only the former he may be a constant source of fretting and irritation. But our purpose at present is not to discuss the qualifications of the supervising principal, but to touch upon the necessity and conditions of his work.

Improvement in the grade work is felt to be at present the most pressing need of our schools. Here foolish and irrational things without number are going on; courses of study constructed in utter disregard of child nature and child needs are in operation; purely mechanical processes are stupefying the minds of the children in one place, and silly fads and devices are making them scatter-brained in another. Time is wasted over dreary and useless drills, while superficiality and carelessness in essentials is preparing them for discouragement and failure later on. We have in late years had some public expositions of widespread errors of this sort in the teaching of arithmetic, of geography, and of grammar, but these very practices are still prevalent in a large number of our schools; we have laughed out the ridiculous "science" of map drawing and of penmanship, but there are abundant survivals; the fiddle-faddle of language lessons still goes on, while our children fail to learn to spell correctly or write intelligently. A large number of high school teachers will testify that

the first year's work is largely directed to overcoming wrong tendencies begotten in the grades. Intelligent supervision is the only available remedy for such things; not such supervision as may be expected from a physician or a lawyer who draws three or four hundred dollars salary as superintendent of schools; but supervision by one who knows what school work ought to be, and has enough acquaintance with it to detect mischievous practices and tendencies when they appear, and skill enough to provide proper remedies. In the schools of which we are speaking the supervising principal must be looked to for this service, and he must know not only how to teach in the high schools, but also what and how to teach in the grades.

He must have time allowed him for doing this work. He cannot know what is going on in the grades if he is engaged in high school class work during all the school hours. He must have time to see what is going on, and not only to see, but to plan and to confer with the teachers. This time to see cannot be limited to one special hour; he must get a larger view of the work than this will give. If he is to teach, the program must be given a certain flexibility, so that the way may be opened for him to inspect at any hour. Merely seeing amounts to nothing; he must have time to reflect, to work out the meaning of what he sees, to plan remedies and improvements, and finally to advise and confer. How much time is needed for such purposes depends upon the size of the system and the work to be done. It is the worst kind of policy not to provide for doing it, as the result of such policy is apt to be that the whole school system miscarries. At present good supervising principals are hard to get, because effort has been too long directed wholly to making the high school teacher; but there are many of them, and with a distinct recognition of the need more will be developed. The supervising principal must be trained to study the problems of grade work. S.

THE MONTH.

WISCONSIN NEWS AND NOTES.

-Green Bay has two new brick ward school buildings erected at a cost of $15,900.

-The diet of Japan has this year passed a bill for intermediate commercial schools thruout the empire.

-The Rock County Teachers' Association meets at Evansville, May 6, with a general

program and a graded school session. State Superintendent Harvey delivers the address.

-The enrollment at the Stevens Point normal school at the end of the third quarter had reached 580.

-Supt. Burns, of Richland county, issues a program of six teachers' associations to be held in his county from April 29th to June 3d, inclusive.

-The new high school building at New London is about completed, and will probably be occupied next fall at the opening of the school year.

-We note with sincere regret the death on April 17, of Miss Clara Stedman, assistant in the Arcadia high school. She graduated at the university in 1896, and was a very capable and successful teacher.

-The article in the JOURNAL by Supt. Kling, of Evansville, on "The Credit System," seems to have awakened considerable interest. He is willing to mail free of charge blanks and explanations to any one wishing them.

-A joint debate of the Clinton and Sharron high schools was held at Sharon, April 21. The judges were Supt. Mayne, of Janesville; Prin. Whipple, of Whitewater; and Supt. Brazier, of Harvard, Ill. Clinton carried off the honors.

-Examinations for county superintendents' certificates will be held June 29th and 30th, and July 1st at Appleton, Eau Claire, and Madison. The examinations for teachers' state certificates will be held in Madison, August 15th, 16th, and 17th.

-The institute school held in the court house at Madison, April 3-8th, was largely attended and very successful. At its close the members expressed themselves with much enthusiasm about the value of the work, and expressed a desire for more meetings of the same kind.

-The new high school building at Waukesha, a view of which we published last May, when the plans for it were finally adopted, was dedicated March 24th with appropriate exercises. There were three addresses on the occasion, one by Supt. Harvey, one by T. E. Ryan, and one by President C. K. Adams.

-Spanish and Latin will probably be taught in the elementary public schools of Chicago next year. "Say what you may we must teach Spanish in our public schools," said Supt. Andrews to the committee on school management recently. "I have advices from Cuba which

say that it must be taught the next twentyfive years."

-Supt. Andrews hopes to differentiate among the Chicago high schools on the principle that students should be enabled to procure an education fitting them for college. He wishes one high school to be devoted to the physical sciences, another to elementary biology, a third to languages, and a fourth to philosophical studies.

-The buildings recently erected at the Industrial school at Waukesha are now nearly ready for occupancy. To replace the factory which was burned last spring, three modern improved buildings have been erected, with great gains in many of the details, especially in the bakery, laundry, and manual training department.

-The conference of superintendents and supervising principals of accredited high schools is to take place at the university May 26th. The interscholastic athletic meet ocurs at Camp Randall the day following. A Wisconsin Educational Club, composed of those who are especially interested in the study of education, will hold its first meeting in connection with these gatherings.

-A movement is on foot to secure the observance of the 14th of next December as Washington memorial day. That day marks the completion of the first century since the death of Washington. The Society of American Authors in New York city, adopted a resolution urging the national observation of the day, and petitions are being forwarded to the president of the United States urging a proclamation of the day as a national memo

rial.

-Some idea of the extent of New York city schools may be derived from an item in the reports of the board of education. Supt. Maxwell presented a report upon the persons to whom licenses were granted or had been refused, containing a list of 10,000 names with information of the standing and characteristics of each. He said 1,379 licenses have been granted for Manhattan, 895 for Brooklyn, I,-. 120 for Queens, 638 for Richmond. Of these 265 women and 75 men have not received regular appointment.

-The N. E. A. officers call attention to the fact that the policy of that body forbids selecting and announcing "official routes" to the meetings, as unfair to competing roads and intended to divert travel to chosen lines. As all unite in the special rates, all are entitled to fair and equal treatment. This policy

does not prevent the organizing of parties for special routes, provided all available routes are regarded as alike "official," and aided alike in organizing similar parties from their respective territories.

-The Ryan high school, of Appleton, met the Waupaca high school in debate March 24th, at Waupaca. Question: Resolved, That the territorial expansion policy adopted by our government is for the best interests of the United States. Explanation: Ist. By "territorial expansion policy" is meant the annexation of Porto Rico, the Hawaiian, and the Phillippine Islands. 2d. It being conceded that the United States senate will duly ratify the treaty as drawn up by the peace commissioners at Paris touching the islands. Profs. McCaskill and Collins, of the Stevens Point normal, and Principal Schuster, of Neenah, acted as judges, and rendered a decision in favor of the Ryan high school, who supported the negative.

-The Arbor and Bird Day Annual of this year is characterized by several practical papers.

The introduction strikes this note in dwelling upon beautifying grounds and teaching the value and traits of birds. Village and Town Improvement from the Village and Town Improvement Committee of W. S. F. W. C.; Hints on School Ground Embellish ment, by James Currie; A Letter from the Audubon Society, by Mrs. Elizabeth G. Peckham; The Migration and Usefulness of Our Birds, by Prof. F. H. King; Society of Bird Restorers, by Annabel C. Whitcomb; with the Statutes on Catching and Killing Birds in the State of Wisconsin, and the List of Library References make up the practical features. To these are added poetical selections, songs, and a suggestive program.

-In a recent report to the foreign office of England, Consul Powell says: "The great success which has attended German trade since 1873, but more especially during the last ten years, has been frequently attributed in Great Britain to the superiority of technical and commercial education in Germany. This is not the view taken by those best able to judge of the facts by close acquaintance with them in Germany; they are rather of the opinion that this success is due less to superior commercial education than to the high state of general education that Germany has enjoyed for many years, and which was formerly lacking, and is even now lacking in several essential points, in Great Britain. The commercial success of the German nation is not the outcome of commercial education; the latter is

rather itself the offspring of that success which has opened the eyes of the chambers of commerce and municipalities, and latterly of the imperial government to the immense value of commercial education for a commercial people. Therefore the wonderful increase of commercial schools is a result and not one of the causes of trade success in Germany."

THE SOUTHERN WISCONSIN TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION AT

WHITEWATER.

The meeting of teachers at Whitewater, March 31st-April 1st, was a success numerically, financially, educationally, and socially.

The enrollment reached beyond 500 members, and probably 300 more attended most of the sessions.

To get together so many teachers for two days and in the older settled southern part of the state is, to say the least, unusual and surprising.

Pres. W. N. Parker, who is also assistant state superintendent, began early to plan a hustle for members, but advertising was not confined alone to the newspapers. Personal letters were written to most of the leading teachers requesting them to write to teachers in their vicinities urging them to attend. Free entertainment was given all ladies, and 800 teachers will never forget with what phenomenal ease and success the reception committee, headed by Pres. Salisbury, assigned the crowds to their places, nor will the ladies forget the generous and kindly receptions from so many Whitewater homes.

At 9:30 o'clock A. M. there were seated in the Normal assembly room about 600 teachers, and so tactfully had the committee done their work that most of them had been to their boarding places and were now contented and happy. How much a good comfortable, happy reception, contributes to the success of such a gathering!

Lack of space prevents a mention of every thing, and what is more to the well-being of the reporter,-every person.

Every one felt at home, welcomed so heartily by Prof. Hutton. Supt. M. H. Jackson's paper on Lickin' and Larnin' was a bright, sensible and business-like talk that had few of the schoolmasterisms so often heard. He said he didn't play football with his boys, for 208 reasons, including the hyoid bone!

Prof. A. A. Upham had a class in manual training, and the exhibition was a decided hit. The discussion that followed showed the sentiment all leaning towards manual training as the coming education. The sections in the

afternoon were well attended and the discussions were at times very spirited. Dr. J. W. Stearns in the high school section made a strong plea for better work in grammar and grade schools. All remarks were applauded but it was easy to distinguish the real applause from the mere complimentary. Teachers are appreciative and therefore discriminate, but they often say "well done" by habit.

Dr. A. E. Winship's talks in the afternoon and evening had in them much to inspire hope for education as a moral force. How clumsily the world handles this force though, is given us to just get a glimpse at, when such students of education talk to us in straight-from-theshoulder words.

The pleasant reception, with ice-cream and cake refreshments, given by the normal and public school teachers in the evening, at the Normal hall, made a most happy ending to Friday's round of pleasures.

The following offices were chosen Saturday morning: Supt. J. H. Nattrass, president; H. C. Buell and Agnes Hibbard, vice-presidents; G. H. Landgraf, secretary; C. D. Kipp, treasurer, and T. E. Doty, reporter.

The discussion on libraries brought out much enthusiasm and plainly showed the growth of this element in our school system.

State Supt. L. D. Harvey spoke on the institute problem, and as was remarked by one of the speakers, it was apparent that much. better and more definite work can be and will be done in institute work as a result of system and clearly defined purposes. The short institute has had its day, and its two days also, and hereafter a week or two weeks will not be considered a long institute. Wise generalship and definite plans ought to govern success in this work as well as in any other.

The discussion as to teaching agriculture in the common schools was all favorable to the innovation.

Prof. W. A. Henry and Dr. Stearns believed such knowledge could be simply and successfully taught.

Dr. Stearns said: "Teach practical, every day matter, fact end first, and fear not the result."

One of the best things of the meeting was a paper by Pres. Salisbury on, What a country school teacher ought to know, and teach. No man has a better right to speak upon this subject, and his words should have a wider hearing.

He dealt with the questions of the hour and pointed out some defects that should,—may heaven tell us how!-in some way be brought to the earnest consideration of the men who

are supposed to represent the people in making laws.

The program had been made largely in the interests of country schools, and the five papers read by country school teachers giving their chief difficulties, held the attention of every member. No one could escape the conviction that country schools in southern. Wisconsin are not suffering if their teachers are all made of such material.

The discussions that followed all breathed an optimistic view of country school progress. The next meeting will be held at Racine, and although a larger city, if the phenomenal success of the Whitewater meeting is even equaled, every teacher interested must "Look out not in, Look up not down, And lend a hand."

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The ninth annual session of the Northwestern Wisconsin Teachers' Association, which was held at Stevens Point, March 27th, 28th, and 29th, surpassed all previous meetings of this section in poir.t of attendance.

It will probably be a long time before the association will again desire a woman for president, as she evidently "booms" too hard.

Stevens Point was literally deluged with teachers; they came pouring in from all directions, until the local commmittee who were assigning places would fain have said, "It is enough." But still they came! Hotels were overflowing; private homes that had agreed to take at most four had to make room for six and eight. However, it was in the main, a good natured crowd, and, although those who came late had to wait until beds were vacated for a chance to sleep, yet all went smoothly, and a jollier, happier crowd could not have been found.

The introduction to the meeting was a "social evening." City Superintendent A. H. Simonds, presided. A short program had been arranged consisting of choice selections of vocal and instrumental music. A short address of welcome by Mr. T. B. Pray, president of the Stevens Point normal, where all the sessions of the meeting were held.

Miss Anna E. Schaffer, of Chippewa Falls, president of the association, in a brief address responded to the words of welcome. Mr. S. B. Todd, of Madison, gave a brief account of a "trip to Columbus," in his entertaining way.

At the close of this program the vast audience repaired to the gymnasium where the city teachers served refreshments, and where a general "good time" prevailed.

The regular session of the association should have opened at 9:30 on Tuesday morning, March 28th, but considerable time was spent in seating the large audience (about 1,000), so that it was about 10 o'clock before the president announced the first number on the program.

The topics presented were full of interest, and the only regret was that more time could not be allowed for discussions.

Supt. Karl Mathie's address on "The Ethical Value of Music," was most excellent. The hearty applause which frequently interrupted Mr. Mathie, showed that his thoughts were much appreciated.

Another topic which awakened much lively discussion during this session of the meeting was the Round Table on "Pensions for Teachers," led by Supt. H. A. Simonds.

The morning program lasted until 12:20, when Miss Schaffer announced the meeting adjourned until 9:00 o'clock a. m., Wednesday.

Four section meetings were held in various rooms of the normal on Tuesday afternoon. The High School Section, under Prof. Fiawley, of Eau Claire; the Graded School Section, under Miss Carrie Smith, of River Falls; the Rural School Section, under Supt. Frank Bixby, of Hammond, and the School Board Section, under Mr. D. G. Jones, of Wausau.

These sections were all brimful of interest. It was to be regretted that a larger room had not been prepared for the Graded School Section. The room assigned could not accommodate more than half the number who sought admission. The normal assembly room was assigned for the Rural School Section. About 350 were in attendance. The next largest section was the Graded School, with fully 250 who desired to be present but could not be accommodated. About 150 were present at the High School Section, and 100 at the School Board Section.

Tuesday evening was devoted to a Stereoptican lecture by Miss L. E. Stearns. Her subject, "Public and Traveling Libraries in America," was illustrated at every step by very distinct pictures thrown upon the screen. The lecture was full of interest and desirable information concerning the library work throughout our land, and especially in Wisconsin.

The closing session of the N. W. T. A. opened at 9:15 on Wednesday morning. There was so much to see in the way of the beautiful art exhibit, and the tempting wares of the

book men, who were very much in evidence, and whose fine exhibits and smiling countenances added much to the general attractiveness of the meeting, that it was difficult for the president to secure the attention of the association. It was only after repeated soundings of the gavel that the members obeyed, and turned their attention to the business of the meeting.

After a hearty rendering of the "Badger Song" by the entire assembly, and a most excellent chorus by the grade pupils of the city schools, the president called for unfinished. business. There being none new business was called for. Under this head Mr. H. W. Rood, of Shawano, introduced a resolution calling for a "1900 meeting" of the Northeastern and the Northwestern to be held at Wausau. The motion was received with much enthusiasm, and carried without a dissenting vote.

A committee was appointed to report on the subject of "Pensions" at next meeting. The reports of the various committees were adopted and the following officers elected for the ensuing year:

President-B. B. Jackson, Ashland.

First Vice-President - C. H. Sylvester, Stevens Point.

Second Vice-President-Carrie J. Smith, River Falls.

Secretary-J. W. Nesbitt, Mondovi. Treasurer--D. S. Hennessey, Loyal. R. R. Sec.-N. A. Harvey, Superior. Much enthusiasm attended Mr. Jackson's election. A committee of three ladies was appointed to wait upon. Mr. Jackson and bring him before the assembly. It was a trying position, but Mr. Jackson bore his honors very becomingly. The remainder of the morning program was given. The most interesting feature was the round table topic, "The Elements of the Moral Force of the School," led by Mrs. M. V. Mustard.

At 12:30 the president declared the ninth annual session of the N. W. T. A. adjourned.

In the afternoon the great crowd of about 1,000 gradually disappeared, The recollections of the past few days were now a memory. The earnest efforts, the hard work of the preceding months, and the enthusiasm which had gone into this meeting had been rewarded by the largest membership and attendance in the history of the association. The meeting at Stevens Point will not soon be forgotten, and the inspiration carried away will blossom and bear fruit for many days to come. ANNA E. SCHAFFER.

Chippewa Falls.

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