fifty teachers or more, to appoint a deputy county superintendent of schools, the salary of each deputy to be fixed by the Legislature, but in no instance to be less than $750 per annum. The traveling expenses of such deputy, while engaged in the work of supervision, to be allowed.

"Whereas, A bill is to be introduced in the Legislature at its coming session to submit to the people at the next general election an amendment to the State constitution giving to women equal political rights with men,

"Resolved, That we, the members of the Council of Education, heartily indorse the above bill as a measure of justice and as one tending to advance the educational interests of the State.

"Resolved, That we further recommend to the State Teachers' Association the passage of a similar resolution."

The following action relative to needed school legislation was recommended by the Council:

"That the compulsory education law be amended so as to make it obligatory upon boards of education and boards of trustees to enforce the same; that a pupil of fourteen years or under be compelled to attend school thirty-two weeks, or the entire term; that school revenue derived from the State be apportioned to counties on the same general basis that the County Superintendent apportions funds to the district; that increased revenue for use of schools be provided by increased taxation of both the State and County; that a constitutional amendment be submitted to permit evening schools in the State school system; that provisions be made in the law for county institutes to unite in holding their annual institutes; that provision be made for additional funds for the use of county institutes; that the law of vaccination be so amended as to charge health authorities with its administration instead of educational authorities.

All of the above resolutions, with the exception of the one referring to school revenues, were adopted by the Association.

Report of the Committee on Resolutions

The report of the committee on resolutions was read by Professor Linscott of Santa Cruz. It emphasized belief in State, county, city and local taxation for support of our system of public schools, beginning with the kindergarten and ending in a free State university; in the consolidation of weak rural schools by means of free transportation to pupils to central graded schools; in national school supervision; in school libraries and well paid and well trained teachers; the organizing of high schools wherever they can be properly supported; that teachers should be carefully selected and tenure of office be on efficiency; belief in popular local self-government of schools.

The code of professional ethics adopted by the California State Teachers' Association in 1901 is reaffirmed and the support of it was urged.

The following resolution was included in the report:

"Whereas, It seems of vital importance that more money be appropriated for the support of the schools of this State; therefore, be it

"Resolved, That a committee of seven be appointed immediately by the President of this Association to consider legislation needed to procure the increase of the salaries of the teachers of the State, and to prepare such bills, to be presented to the Legislature, as in the judgment of the committee will secure that end."

The report stated that as the study of education, if pursued effectively, must employ the laboratory method, it is urged that the State Teachers' Association urge the necessity for the immediate establishment of such a practice school at the University of California as an indispensable instrument in the professional preparation of the teachers for the schools of the State.

"After having declared that it becomes essential that provision should be made in the lower schools to prepare the youth for the higher instruction in agriculture, the association favors the extension of nature study and instruction in the elements of agriculture throughout the common schools of the State, and requests that the

Legislature enact laws which shall permit these subjects to be taught.

The report also contained the following:

"As citizens deeply interested in the welfare of our State, we petition the Legislature to put an end to the shameful conditions which obtain in our prisons by adopting some plan of prison reform which shall make these institutions comparable to those of other States of the grade to which California belongs."

A resolution of regret at the death of Professor Charles H. Allen, for many years president of the San Jose Normal School, was adopted.

The appointment of an annual Bird Day by the Department of Agriculture was indorsed and the committee approved of the observance of such a day in the schools of this State.

The movement to have "The Pinnacles" in San Benito County made a national park was indorsed. The ratification of the various treaties of arbitration now pending before the United States Senate was urged.

President Biedenbach appointed the following committee: State Superintendent T. J. Kirk, J. W. McClymonds of Oakland, D. S. Snedden of Stanford, Alfred Roncovieri of San Francisco, J. A. Barr of Stockton, Mark Keppel of Los Angeles and Ed Hyatt of Riverside.

A resolution indorsing the plan to re-cede to the United States the Yosemite National Park was tabled, several members claiming the association was not well enough acquainted with the matter to take action.

Prof. Trent

"Are teachers of literature in possession of methods of teaching comparable in applicability and precision? Are the pupils they teach satisfactorily trained? Is literature as a subject of instruction on a par with other subjects of on Teaching instruction?" These are questions which Prof. W. Literature P. Trent of Columbia University answers in The Sewanee Review, October-December: "I myself do not doubt that we have progressed, altho I do doubt whether we

have made much advance. I suspect that our methods are still very faulty, not merely because literature is a difficult subject to teach, but because we have not thoroughly analyzed our purposes or our means. I scarcely believe that literature, in spite of the increased attention given to it, is on a par with other subjects of instruction. And I even venture to question whether the average boy or girl goes to college with much more knowledge and love of literature than was the case before they were drilled and examined in the redoubtable English Classics.' Observe that I do not question that our public schools have done a most useful work in bringing into some contact with literature masses of children who, a generation ago, would have been left without that refining influence upon their lives. What I doubt is whether the generation now entering college, after a course of literature in the schools, is much better off, so far as a love and a knowledge of literature are concerned, than my own generation was with practically no training in the subject. The present generation, if it has been properly trained, ought to be a good deal better off; but while it is certainly a most athletic generation, to the muscular strength and dexterity of which I willingly doff my hat, it has not succeeded in making me feel that it knows much more about Shakespeare and Milton. and Byron and Shelley than we benighted youngsters did over twenty years ago."

The writer finds himself mainly concerned with "the question whether we teachers of literature can safely make our methods as rigid as those of other teachers, and, if we can not, whether we can convince our brother teachers of the sciences and the semi-sciences that our methods must be radically different from theirs," and he confesses that he has been "haunted by this thought for nearly fifteen years." He goes on to say:

"I do not know how others feel about the matter, but I know that after about two years' firm grasping of the 'rigid' horn of the dilemma, if I may so express myself, I began gradually to swing myself over to the other horn-to what I may call the flexible horn. I began to doubt the value of strenuous examinations and to appreciate more and more the necessity of trying to inculcate in my students some of the high moral and spiritual truths taught by

great writers, and to impart to them a taste for reading, a love of the best literature. In order to achieve this result, even to a slight extent (and a slight success is all that I think any teacher should dare to hope for), I found that I must do much less instructingmuch less questioning with regard to the facts of history-and that I must do far more reading of authors than talking about them."

Professor Trent pursues the same line of thought further:

"I have frankly stated my belief that the time devoted to spiritual inculcation and to esthetic training is of far more importance than that devoted to instruction in the facts of literature, and I draw hence the conclusion that we teachers of literature ought bravely to say to our fellow teachers something like this: 'We can, if we please, make our examinations as rigid as you do yours, but we do not believe that our facts are as important as yours, or at any rate can be acquired with so much advantage to our pupils. We wish to grade and advance our pupils on more flexible lines than you adopt, because we believe that the nature of our subject makes such flexible lines advisable. We believe that both the subject we teach and the subjects you teach are necessary to a catholic education; but that, while we are contributing to the same end as you, our means must be different from yours.'

"Some such appeal, accompanied by friendly discussion, will, I am sure, in time satisfy every intelligent person that no harm to school discipline will be done if the teaching of literature finally resolves itself into little more than securing a wide amount of reading from children during their school years. It will, I trust, in time satisfy the colleges that the examinations they now hold on selected English classics are more or less useless and should be abandoned. Finally, I trust that the study we must all give to the problems connected with the teaching of literature will sooner or later lead us-I will not say to become teetotalers with regard to our national dissipation in essay-writing-but at least moderate in our use of that seductive form of mental titillation. When I see young ladies and gentlemen armed with their numerous and formidable essays, I am irresistibly reminded of the young woman who drank so many cups of tea that the elder Mr. Weller was