Dr. Charles D. Walcott, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, has been elected president of the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia.

Nearly 8000 high schools in this country give courses in domestic science with a total enrollment of about 400,000 girls and 3000 boys. Ten years ago the enrollment in domestic science courses was 1350. The enrollment of girls taking these courses in grades five, six, seven and eight of the elmentary schools approximates 3,700,000. This means that there are over 4,100,000 children of school age learning how to cook and keep house according to the most modern principles.

Thirteen universities report that they are giving instruction by mail to a total of more than 40,000 men and women. These correspondence students are for the most part older than those who attend college, and they are drawn from all walks of life and from abroad as well as from every corner of the United States. The University of Chicago reports that it has enrolled in its correspondence department one student living above the Arctic Circle in Alaska, and another in a remote part of China.

Frederick L. Paxson, professor of American History, University of Wisconsin, has been awarded the Pulitzer prize for the best book of 1924 on the history of the United States. His book is entitled "History of the American Frontier" and is a treatise on western development and the pushing westward of the American frontier from 1763 to 1883.

Raymond D. Havens, professor of English, University of Rochester, has been appointed Caroline Donovan professor of English at Johns Hopkins University to succeed Professor James W. Bright who recently retired.

The State University of Iowa has established the rank of honorary associate to encourage research among professors on sabbatical leave. This recognition may be given to any college professor who is not a candidate for a degree but wishes to spend some time at the university. The appointment will carry with it the hospitality of a department, facilities for research, admission to advance classes, and exemption from all fees.

The secretary of the Alaska Education Association reports that 139 of the 199 teachers in the Territorial schools are members of that organization. This represents a satisfactory situation when the immense distances in Alaska are considered. There are but five of the 54 states and territories in which the percentage of teachers holding membership in the N. E. A. is higher than in Alaska. These five states are: Hawaii, District of Columbia, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

Columbia, Missouri, recently voted a levy to provide for the purchase of a forty-acre tract of land lying within the city limits to be used as a site for a new high school.

Nashville, Tennessee, recently voted two and one-half million dollars to carry out a school

C. H. BARNES, Superintendent, St. Louis County, Minnesota

SUPT. BARNES is president of the big Northeastern Minnesota Education Association. This association has upwards of 2,500 members, and it has 23 subdivisions or separate sections relating to the various departments of school work and school activities. In his announcement relating to the forthcoming annual convention at Duluth, President Barnes says that speakers will be asked to look forward rather than backward and not to concern themselves so much with what has been accomplished as with what the schools can contribute to the accomplishment of established objectives. Definite topics announced for the meeting

building program. Mr. Ittner, the well known architect, made a survey of the city's needs, and his comprehensive report was influential in securing the bond issue.

New appointments at Teachers College, Columbia University, are: Dr. Harry Dexter Kitson, professor of education; Dr. Arthur R. Mead, visiting professor of education for 192526; Clarence Linton, secretary of Teachers College.

The winners of the Eno Foundation prizes in highway traffic regulation, Yale University, are announced as follows: James Dixon, Jr., Class of 1925, Yale College, Cleveland O., William Chappell Downing, Jr., Ph. B. Yale

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1924, Indianapolis, Ind., and Leonard Maxmillian Marx, Class of Sheffield Scientific School, New York City. As the judges were not unanimous in their opinion of the relative merits of the three essays, each of the winners received $166.67, or one third of the combined amounts of the second and third prizes of $400 and $200, respectively. None of the essays was considered worthy of the award of the first prize of $500.

MARY MCSKIMMON

THE Teachers Federation of Massachusetts is urging the election of Miss Mary McSkimmon to the presidency of the National Education Association. She is referred to by Common Ground, the official organ of the Massachusetts Teachers Federation, as "a notable grammar school principal, and teacher among teachers." Miss McSkimmon is described as being sympathetic, helpful, inspiring, and conversant with the requirements of the school, home, and community. She is an effective public speaker and well known as a lecturer. She was president of the Massachusetts Teachers Federation for five years, and the N. E. A. membership in Massachusetts, during that period, was increased from about a thousand to 10,500. Miss McSkimmon has been vicepresident of the N. E. A. and for several years has been a member of its board of directors.

A. W. Evans, chief supervisor of Texas high schools, has accepted the professorship of education in the Texas Technological College.

The University of Minnesota lacks enough money to carry out the proposed plan for development of a large medical school, and the plan will have to be abandoned, unless future legislatures increase appropriations, according by an announcement made to the board of regents by President Lotus D. Coffman.

It is reported that schools will be established at various points throughout Illinois to permit the country physician to have the same facilities for special training as the city physician.

This movement has the support of the American Medical Association and the four medical colleges of Illinois.

C. H. Williams, head of the extension division, University of Missouri, has been appointed as full-time secretary of the World Federation of Education Associations. Professor Williams has taken active interest in the affairs of the Missouri State Teachers Association and in the N. E. A. He was chairman of the committee which wrote the new constitution for the state association. He took an active part in its adoption and has been one of the most active supporters of all measures to expand and develop the organization. He has held several important positions in the N. E. A., including membership in the Foreign Relations Committee and the committee in co-operation with the World Federation. Mr. Williams has been secretary of the World Federation for the past two years.

The state teachers college, Aberdeen, S. D., has a brilliant array of 20 lecturers engaged for its summer session. The attendance at this college last summer was 1200.

Forty-six schools in New York City are giving rapid advancement courses to bright pupils who have completed the 6 B grade. These schools are open to all qualified pupils upon the request of parents and principals. Children accepted for this work must be strong physically. The courses are offered in the expectation that three terms of work will be accomplished in two. Thus bright pupils will be able to save a year of schooling.

Fletcher Harper Swift has resigned his position as professor in the college of education, University of Minnesota, to accept an appointment as professor of education at the University of California. Professor Swift graduated from Dartmouth College in 1898. He did graduate work at Teachers College, Columbia University, and joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 1907.

Col. Edward Ellicott was recently elected president of the Chicago board of education.

The Buffalo, New York, State Normal School has been authorized to offer a four year optional course leading to the degree of bachelor of science in education. The president of the school, Dr. Harry W. Rockwell, says that the purpose of the institution will not be changed, but that the new course will provide an additional year of work for those who desire to qualify for supervisory and administrative positions in the elementary school field.

Supt. Carleton Washburne, Winnetka, Ill., will give two courses at the Greeley Colo., summer school, which will deal with the individual plan of instruction. One of the courses will undertake to illustrate methods of teaching under this new plan; the other will deal with the problems of administration and supervision in the individual plan.

Mayor Hylan of New York City recently ordered the president of the board of education to investigate the charges that a very high

percentage of the children of the elementary schools entering the high schools are not sufficiently well prepared to pass simple elementary high school entrance examination. He is reported to have called the charges a "vicious slur" upon public school teachers and intended "to have a depressing effect upon the mothers and fathers of the school children of the city as well as upon the teaching staff." In his communication the mayor referred to achievements attained under his administra tion in the matter of building new schools.

The National Safety Council reports that 11,000 children were killed in the United States in 1923. Modern traffic was responsible for most of the deaths.

SUPT. J. E. MATHIS, Americus, Georgia SUPT. MATHIS has been connected with the schools of Americus during the past 47 years. His service in these schools began when he was 20 years of age. He taught a private school for two years, and when the public schools were opened he was made principal. He is given a free hand in the management of the schools. Outside organizations are not permitted to work through the schools. One exception is made to this general rule in the case of the largest grammar school where the local woman's club operates a soup kitchen for the children. But this activity is under the complete control of the principal. When Supt. Mathis is approached by agents and representatives of outside enterprises and organizations he informs them that "the school schedule is full."