the general plan of the scenes. Some rehearsing is done in class as oral work. The costumes and stage setting are made as simple as possible, the plan being to have them suggestive rather than to undertake elaborate detail. The drudgery incurred, which so often detracts from the pleasure of such an undertaking, is thus removed and the spontaneous play spirit of the children is encouraged. The spectators, too, enjoy the privilege of drawing freely upon the imagination.

We feel that this co-operation produces two definite results: it furnishes interesting material for the English class and brings to the history recitation a critical spirit with reference to expression, both oral and written, besides having the general effect of unifying the work of the class.

Below is given the scene depicting home-life which was selected by the group. No attempt has been made to portray any particular episode but it is intended to give a general idea of New England home-life in early colonial times.

An Evening in the Winthrop Home.

Scene Puritan living room with grandmother sitting before the fire, knitting; Mrs. Winthrop, spinning; two of the children, Jonathan and Priscilla, sitting at the table, while Mr. Winthrop reads aloud from the Bible.

Grandmother-(Looking out of the window): Son, it is time for the boys to be home from their hunt. You don't suppose they have had an accident or have been attacked by unfriendly Indians, do you?

Mr. Winthrop (Laying down Bible) No, mother, I think they will soon be home. I believe I hear them

now. (James and Nathaniel come in, followed by two Indians, Neponset and his son.)

James-Father, we met Neponset out on the river trail and he helped us fill our game bags.

Nathaniel-He has some fine beaver skins that he would like to trade you for corn and ornaments.

Jonathan-Oh, tell us about your hunt, and what have you in your pouches?

Nathaniel-We had great success, thanks to Neponset; we have two fine wild turkeys, thirteen quails and many squirrels.

Mrs. Winthrop-I am so pleased that you secured the turkeys, for tomorrow is Thanksgiving day and your Uncle William and family are coming tonight to spend the holiday with us. We will have a fine feast. Go and lay your pouches on the table. (Boys take their game to the table.)

Mr. Winthrop-Neponset, show me your skins and we will see what can be done. (Neponset gives the bundle to Mr. Winthrop, who examines the skins carefully.)

Mr. Winthrop-These are certainly fine pelts and I will give you two for them. (Neponset is pleased with measures of corn and a string of beads his trade and he and his son soon go away.)

(Knock at the door; Uncle William Hancock and family enter. Greetings are exchanged.)

James-We hoped you would come for Thanksgiving for we shot some game. We will have a fine Thanksgiving dinner.

(A knock at the door, which Mrs. Winthrop answers. The Johnsons

and Mathers enter. Greetings are exchanged.)

Mrs. Johnson-We came to invite you to spend day after tomorrow with us. Mr. Johnson has the barn full of corn to husk, and I have two quilts to finish. Mr. Hancock, we hope you and Mrs. Hancock can come also. We will insure you a good time, and you can become better acquainted with the neighbors. (All accept invitation with. thanks.)

Mr. Mather to Mr. Winthrop--How is your apple crop this year?

Mr. Winthrop-It is excellent. Priscilla, go out and get some nuts and apples. (Priscilla goes out and soon returns with the nuts and apples, which she gives to the people.)

Mr. Mather to Mr. Hancock-How do the people up your way feel about the Indians this fall?

Mr. Hancock-They are quiet and friendly and we think they will be peaceable all winter. Last summer, though, they had an outbreak; but we soon quieted them.

Mr. Mather (to all of the men): Are you going to the next town meeting? Men-Yes.

Mr. Winthrop-Well, I think we had better move that a bridge be constructed over the river on the Concord road.

Mr. Johnson-Yes, and that we propose that the schoolmaster's salary be increased. He is a very capable and hard-working master. (The men sent.)

as

Mrs. Johnson-Well, we must move along, as we have to see a number of people this evening. I hope to see you all at our house day after tomor

row.

Mrs. Mather-We must go also. Thank you for the apples and nuts. They were delicious. Good night. (Johnson and Mathers depart.)

Mr. Hancock-How are the children progressing in school?

Mrs. Winthrop-The little ones are in their a-b-c's and Jonathan and Priscilla read very well in the Bible.

Mr. Winthrop-We have a good schoolmaster this winter and the children are learning rapidly.

Mrs. Winthrop—Well, I must go out and pick the turkeys.

Mr. Winthrop-We will go to help (All leave the room.)

you.

A SHORT SIGHTED POLICY. There has recently come to our attention the fact that in the high school of one of the smaller Indiana towns manual training has been added to the curriculum by dropping an English teacher. In the absence of the facts in the case, we can only speculate as to the cause of such a change. Evidently the school considered that it was making progress by introducing manual training, and such a step was in line with present educational tendencies in the state of Indiana. The only reason that we could even imagine why the English teacher was supplanted is that demands of economy made it impossible to add another teacher to the pay roll. But such progress and such economy seem to us very suggestive of a short sighted policy.

As teachers of English, we have no quarrel with manual training, domestic science, vocational training and other so-called "practical" subjects. Indeed, in the schools where these subjects are being taught most success

fully, the English teachers have shown that they are very willing to correlate the work in composition and literature with these subjects, a scheme that works out for the good of both subjects concerned in the correlation. But it does seem like taking a step forward and another backward and calling it progress to trade an English teacher for a manual training teacher. The actual need of training in the fundamentals of good English in all of the Indiana schools is so great that we can ill afford to curtail our products for any subject, no matter how important it may be. We have called it a step backward because school officials in other states are beginning to realize that we cannot have any degree of efficiency in teaching the mother tongue, so long as our classes are overcrowded until the pupils have no opportunities for individual attention, which is absolutely essential if they are to be taught to read, write, or speak good English. Where the full Where the full value of this fact has been realized the number of pupils to the teacher has been reduced from 180 to 125 or even 100. To decrease the English teaching force in a given school is manifestly a step in the wrong direction.

As a matter of economy even, such action is equally indefensible. It implies a lack of faith in the practical,

dollars and cents, bread and butter value of English, as compared with some of these newer subjects that are often urged as short cuts to a livelihood. While such subjects are often urged by the business men, especially in communities where they seem to try to dominate the policy of the schools, most business men are very frank to admit the commercial value of good English in the business office, behind the counter, on the salesman's trip, or even in the shop and factory. Retrenchment is, therefore, very doubtful, as a form of economy.

Perhaps, as teachers of English, we do not bring before the public, in general, and the school officials, in particular, the practical value of the subject. To accomplish this most important work, we need more publicity through our associations and bulletins. We need more articles like the one written by Miss Baylor of the state department for this department of the Educator-Journal. Educator-Journal. We need to guard against fads and frills in our teaching, so that our output will be the best advertisement of the practical as well as the cultural value of good English.

It is to be hoped that instances like the one under discussion will not be multiplied, but it may require more than hoping on our part if they are not.

EDITOR

George L. Roberts, Lafayette, Indiana. Department of Education, Purdue University.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

L. N. Hines, Crawfordsville, Indiana. Superintendent City Schools.

MANAGER

Julia Fried Walker, Indianapolis, Indiana.

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The outraged feeling of misguided pupils who have had no chance to tell their side of the story is accountable for fully half our disciplinary troubles.

The country school is approaching a better day in material things. It is also seeing farm activities and country. life and experiences being utilized to arouse the child mind to worthy activity. Home duties and privileges are being made interesting to country girls.

Meeting of Department of Superintendence, N. E. A., Cincinnati, Feb. 22-26, 1915.

We repeat a suggestion made some months ago: Make extensive use of public documents of all kinds. They are among the most valuable things published.

Give your pupils training in singing the songs and ballads that the people should know and love.

There is a wonderful unity in all life and the child feels this more than his elders because of his freedom from artificialties. The bird club, the tree club, the insect club, each may serve to strengthen this unity and give it wider range.

We often hear the statement among teachers that more time is needed for this subject or that subject. We have often seen teachers who could teach more geography, reading, etc., in fifteen

minutes than others could teach in forty minutes.

tendent can estimate the standing of his teachers by their use of their leisure time.

What do you think of this? "The applicant did not quibble about salary but merely asked for a place with a ladder within easy reach."

Charles Kingsley once said: "When I was a boy we pupils learned our lessons and recited them to the teacher; now the teacher learns the lessons and recites them to the pupils."

Superintendents are coming to look for good personality as one of the most important qualifications in good teachers.

DONT'S FOR SUPERVISORS. Don't get away from practical work; don't seek the "extras" at the expense of the essentials; don't neglect any opportunity to win the fullest possible co-operation of your teachers; don't forget that many of them expect to marry; don't chill their enthusiasms; don't get the idea that the normal school bred teacher doesn't need supervision and help; don't seek public appreciation, for you won't get it; don't take seriously talk about the "golden age," when everybody could spell.C. N. Kendall.

"ONE HUNDRED SPELLING DE

MONS."

The following list of words is denominated as above in "The California Speller." Some Indiana cities have been trying them in seventh and eighth grades. These are the words: Which 3, their 13, there 2, separate 35, don't