directly connected with her work at Simmons and is the author of a number of very successful elementary school textbooks, among them the "Mother Tongue" series of language books, largely used in English as well as American schools. Miss Arnold's latest interest is the preparation of a series of four books for the first four years of school, embodying a carefully developed and thorough system of phonics. The books are to be copiously illustrated in color and are to have all the attractiveness of appearance of story books. Miss Arnold believes that the use of her series will result not only in a saving of time in the subsequent teaching of reading and spelling but also in a much surer grasp of these subjects.

Notwithstanding that life tenure is by no means an accepted principle in American school systems, the average term of school superintendents in larger cities is much longer than is usually supposed. In 50 cities of 100,000 population and over the average term of service is 712 years. This is in spite of the fact that school superintendents are elected for comparatively short terms, one, two, or three years, generally, and to have served long usually means to have withstood many a stiff re-election contest. The tendency is constantly toward longer terms and fixed tenure as conductive to efficiency.

The rapid educational development of the South is indicated by the facts just reported by Alabama, that in 1908 there were 50 high schools, few of them with courses of more than 3 years in length; while now there are 132 institutions doing high school work, all but 14 of which have full 4-year courses.

Foreign Notes

ENGLAND.

A. new Education Bill. The education bill which was promised last year by the Liberal government has materialized and proves to be only a brief measure for the disposition of what may be called an urgency appropriation. The draft regulations accompanying the bill will place at the disposal of the Board of Education the sum of £150,000 ($729,000). Of this £100,000, is to be applied to charges for building loans and £50,000 for the relief of local taxes in regard to medical inspection of school children. Meanwhile, a measure is promised at a date not remote which promises to do for intermediate education what the act for 1870 did for elementary. The forecast of this measure as outlined by the Chief of the Education Department amazes both friends and foes by reason of its democratic and idealistic purposes; but even the most optimistic admit that if presented in the House in the form suggested it will be greatly modified before success is achieved.

DEVELOPMENT POLICY.

The decision to place the Agricultural Instruction Development Fund at the disposal of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has resulted in the transfer of the control of higher agricultural education to the same Board. An elaborate scheme has been drawn up by that body designed to aid the local education authorities in the extention and development of agricultural education throughout the country.

INDUSTRIAL INITIATIVE

An astute critic of technical education in England, in an article contributed to the London Times says:

"Although foreign workmen are not more efficient than our own, the United States, Germany, and France are overtaking us in industrial output *** Our competitors abroad excel by improving the means of production; in other words, we lack not the skilled mechanic, but the inventor. How far is our technical education to blame for this result?"

In answering this question the writer concludes that the training. places too much stress upon manual dexterity; he says in this connection:

The intuitive faculty (applied to mechanical processes) can, however, only be developed by actual manual work. We have to consider,

then, how manual work, most expeditiously will develop this faculty. To make it of national service we have also to combine with it resourcefulness, self-reliance, and initiative. Above all, we have to design the work on lines which will provoke the continual interest of the children engaged upon it. *** We want to train the mind rather than the hand-we want the mind to be the governing influence, not the nerves and the muscles, except to a comparatively small ex

tent.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CANADIAN COMMISSION.

The report of the Canadian Royal Commission appointed in 1910 to investigate the subject of industrial training and technical education carries two recommendations of great interest to the United States.

In order that the program of elementary education may be extended, the commission ask an annual appropriation of $350,000 for ten years, and for the entire scheme recommended, the sum of $3,000,000 to be provided annually, for a period of ten years by the Parliament of Canada and paid into a Dominion development fund. Both funds are to be distributed among the nine Provinces upon an equitable basis.

FRENCH CULTURE.

There are indications that England shares with France in the reaction against philology as the centre of modern humanities. In this reaction the methods of French University professors are held up as models to be followed. They have established the standard for modern classics, as a subject of University instruction, and in recognition of that fact, the faculty of London University has recently been reenforced by the creation of two new chairs, one for modern French literature and the other for French history, with the intent that the subjects shall be pursued after the manner of the Paris Faculties.

It is interesting to note in this connection the revival of the national spirit of France which a few years ago seemed hopelessly decadent. This revival is manifest in the current literature and the University teachings not less than in the support given to the bill which substitutes three for two years as the period of obligatory service in camp.

A NEW OPEN-AIR SCHOOL For Germany.

The celebration of the 25th anniversary of the accession to the throne of the Emperor Wilhelm is to be commemorated in Saarbrucken by the establishment of an open-air school. Delicate children are to be chosen from the ordinary schools and sent for about eight weeks to the open-air school. They will be taken out by tram as near as possible to the outdoor school, where they will be given breakfast on arrival. After breakfast lessons will begin, each lesson

lasting for half an hour, and alternating with a half-hour rest and so on during the morning until dinner time, which will be followed by a longer rest. Later in the afternoon the children will play games or join in walks, and other excursions, and will be taken back by tram after the evening meal. For the carrying out of this plan of work it will be necessary to put up a certain number of buildings on the spot chosen for the school, comprising a class room, a kitchen, with scullery and larder, cloak room, a teachers' room, a recreation room, and dining room. As far as possible the classes will be conducted out of doors and the rooms will only be used in bad weather. It is proposed to keep the school open during at least half the year, probably from May 1 until November 1, which would involve looking after the children and providing instruction for about 180 days. The town authorities are intending to open the school with about 50 children, and to make provision in building for about 120 or 130. It is estimated that the cost of feeding 50 children for six months will amount to about $2250 and that the total cost for maintaining and staffing the school will be about $3000. Although Germany was the original home of the open-air school, the first being that opened at Charlottenburg in 1905, the number of schools of this type has not increased very rapidly.

UNIVERSITY EXTENSION IN BELGIUM.

The popular universities in Belguim may be regarded as a form of university extention, intended to spread among the people the practical knowledge of modern science and the spirit of social unity. These purposes are fostered by lectures and by courses of instruction for adults given by professors of the University of Brussels and other centres. Naturally the movement for international peace receives most hearty support from the leaders of the work and it is one of the principal subjects in the conferences arranged for the current year.

SCHOOL GIRLS AT CAIRO.

A school of Domestic Economy for girls has been established at Cairo under the auspices of the government. The course of study and the conditions of admission to the school are determined by a decree of the Khedive and a diploma is instituted which attests the completion of the course.

A. T. S.

Book Notices

THE BOY MECHANIC. 700 things for boys to do, 480 pages, 700 articles, 800 illustrations, cloth, Price, $1.50 prepaid. Popular Mechanics Magazine, Chicago.

This is an ideal book for the wide-awake American boy. All the things described in this volume have actually been built or experimented with by boys. The ideas contained in "The Boy Mechanic" would more than keep a boy occupied until he grows up and also be an incentive to original thinking and achievement. The most interesting boys' book. Unlike so many other books of a somewhat similar nature, it is not confined to only one or a few subjects but describes 700 different things boys can make and do in the fields of mechanics, electricity, sports, arts and crafts work, magic, etc. An unusually generous book; size 7 by 10 in. and 11⁄2 in. thick; printed from large, clear type on high grade book paper and durably bound in cloth. Attractive four-color cover design. Many hours of enjoyment are in store for the boy who becomes possessor of this book. Price, $1.50, prepaid to any address.

HEALTH AND THE SCHOOL. By Frances Williston Burks and Jessie D. Burks, with an introduction by Frank M. McMurry. D. Appleton & Company. Price, $1.50 net.

This book will be welcomed by parents and teachers. In the form of a symposium it gives practical directions tending to secure the health of the children while at school. It sets forth the relations existing between schools, communities and the public health. The statistics in regard to the cost of disease are impressive.

EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL EFFICIENCY: A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL RELATIONS OF EDUCATION. By Irving King, Ph.D. D. Appleton.

Price, $1.50 net.

This book will prove of especial value to teachers and parents. The relations of home and school are clearly and cogently set forth. The great importance of Parents Associations, the value of sex education, the playground and a great variety of other practical subjects are intelligently presented. The volume contains a vital study of the significance of the social movement and its relations to the schools.

GEORGE ELIOT. By Viola Meynell. Regent Library. F. G. Browne & Co. $.90 net.

The books of the Regent Library cover a wide field of literature. The general reader and the busy man who can spare but little time to devote to books will find in these carefully chosen volumes of extracts, complete summaries of authors, of perennial interest. Though the number of reprints of standard authors is large, it is only in the Regent Library