exception, in January and July of 1897, immediately after those years of serious crop failures in Kansas. During the past two or three years there has been such an improvement in conditions in Kansas that we have hopes that all of these bonds will ultimately be paid. There have been offers made to purchase coupons that are past due, to be used in paying taxes - offers that vary from 30 per cent. to 50 per cent. of the face value of the indebtedness. From information that I have obtained I learn that lands which were regarded as unsalable a few years ago are being sold, and have advanced in value very greatly during the past three years. There have been several offers to compromise on the payment of these bonds, which have been considered by the trustees, but, in view of the information that we have obtained from friends in Kansas and from those who know the situation there, it is deemed best for us not to compromise on any of these bonds as yet. You will notice that we have secured judgment in the case of the Seward county bonds. I do not know that there is anything more to say, Mr. Chairman, except that it has been customary for the President to appoint someone to examine the securities that are in the hands of the chairman of the Board of Trustees and to attach his certificate to this report. I am ready to answer any questions that any of you may wish to ask concerning the report submitted.

DIRECTOR DYER, of Kansas.-Are there any suits for the collection of delinquent bonds in progress?

DIRECTOR LANE.-We have not thought it wise to enter into any of the various combinations that have been formed for collection of delinquent Kansas bonds. There are suits that have been instituted by some financial institutions to get judgment on other bonds of the same issues as our own, and we shall profit by their success, if they are

successful.

A director inquired when and by whom these Kansas bonds were purchased.

MR. LANE.-All those Kansas bonds were purchased a number of years ago, immediately after the Chicago meeting and the years following, when the trustees had quite a sum of money to invest. These bonds were, at that time, regarded as very safe and desirable investments.

interest

I would say, with reference to the investments which we are making at the present time, that it has been very difficult to purchase good bonds except at a very low rate of -on a basis of about 32 per cent. to 4 per cent. We have been able to secure good 5 per cent. mortgages in which the property values are double the amount of the loans. The parties who borrow the money have to pay the expense of negotiating the loan, the attorney's fee for passing upon the title, the recording, and all other expenses; hence no expense is incurred by the association in negotiating these loans.

DIRECTOR GOVE. I notice that in all these transactions involving a large amount of legal advice I find no charge for expense. Who pays those bills?

DIRECTOR LANE.—The parties making the loans.

MR. GOVE.—I refer to expense for legal advice.

MR. LANE.—We haven't had any such expense.

MR. GOVE. You stated just now that the trustees thought it wise to allow some others to take their cases into court, and that we should profit by their action. Now, that is doubtless based on legal advice. Where do you get it?

MR. LANE.-Well, you know that under the state laws the superintendents of public instruction are legal advisers of school officers. We have secured advice from some of these people in Kansas who are interested in the association and who are very anxious that no loss should come to the association thru these transactions.

PRESIDENT GREEN. You have heard the report of the Board of Trustees. What

is your pleasure?

Director Jordan, of Minneapolis, moved that the report be received and approved and printed in the volume of proceedings. It was so ordered.

The President announced the appointment of President Joseph Swain of the State

University of Indiana to examine the bonds and securities in the possession of the chairman of the Board of Trustees, with authority to attach to this report of the Board of Trustees the usual certificate.

Under the call of the chairman for communications, the Secretary read the following

letter:

To the Directors of the National Educational Association:

GENTLEMEN: The undersigned, active members of the National Educational Association, hereby respectfully request that you will by resolution recognize and approve as an affiliated body the American Society of Religious Education. We beg to represent to you that this society is non-sectarian; that it is incorporated under the laws of the United States, with headquarters at Washington, D. C.; that it is governed by a board of twenty-one regents, with Justice Harlan, of the United States Supreme Court, as president. It is the purpose of this society to pursue advanced investigations in a scholarly way with the view to improve the methods of religious education. It desires to hold annual conferences at the same time and place with the conventions of the National Educational Association.

Believing that both bodies will be helped by an affiliated relation, the undersigned have made this

request.

Respectfully,

NEWTON C. DOUGHERTY, of Illinois.
O. T. CORSON, of Ohio.

L. E. WOLFE, of Kansas.

J. W. CARR, of Indiana.

JAMES E. RUSSELL, of New York.
FRANK R. DYER, of Kansas.
R. I. HAMILTON, of Indiana.
JOSEPH SWAIN, of Indiana,

LANGDON S. THOMPSON, of New Jersey.
L. H. JONES, of Ohio.

E. O. LYTE, of Pennsylvania.
F. B. PALMER, of New York.
R. G. BOONE, of Ohio.

J. H. VAN SICKLE, of Maryland.
AARON GOVE, of Colorado.
JAMES H. BAKER, of Colorado.
J. M. GREENWOOD, of Missouri.
Z. X. SNYDER, of Colorado.
N. C. SCHAEFFER, of Pennsylvania.

Director Lyte, of Pennsylvania, offered the following resolution and moved its adoption :

Resolved, That the directors of the National Educational Association recognize the American Society of Religious Education as an affiliated body in the cause of education, and that we will gladly co-operate with the regents of said society whenever their sessions are held in the same city and at the same time as ours, and that the Secretary of the National Educational Association be authorized to extend courtesies to the secretary of said society, that the sessions may be mutually profitable.

Director Greenwood seconded the motion of Director Lyte.

Secretary Shepard stated that Rev. James E. Gilbert, the secretary and chief executive officer of the Society of Religious Education, was present and would be pleased to answer any question bearing on the communication presented.

The chairman announced that, in the absence of objection, Dr. Gilbert would be accorded the privilege of answering questions and stating the purpose of the communication.

DIRECTOR GOVE, of Colorado.- I should like to know if Jews, Roman Catholics, Christian Scientists, Mormons, etc., are represented in this society?

MR. GILBERT.-I thank you for the courtesy of permission to speak on this question. Dr. Harris and Mr. Lane know considerable of me, and they know more of the men who are associated with me. The society is composed of scholars of all denominations, but, as a matter of fact, as you would expect, the great religious bodies of the country control the society or organization. They control it, not because they wish to exclude anyone, but simply because the preponderating influence is of that character which sweeps on thruout the nation in all the religions. We have Catholics and Jews as well as members of other religious denominations. They do not, however, try to put forth their peculiar views. There has been perfect harmony from the beginning. The society is thirteen years old. General John Eaton was formerly the president, but after his return from Porto Rico his health would not permit his carrying on the work, and Justice Harlan, of the United States Supreme Court, took his place. There are nine different departments. The department which we wish to bring into alliance with the National Educational Association is that of Investigation. We believe that we may be helpful to you and that you may be greatly

--

helpful to us; how much more help you can be to us than we to you it is not now necessary to state. We believe that the education of this country needs the stimulus that will come from this source, and we believe our society needs the infusion of the new ideas that will come from the educators of the country. That is the reason we are seeking this alliance. I am positive that anything we may do will not in any way compromise you — we simply seek to advance those great principles that underlie the spiritual nature and are common to all religious bodies, no matter what they may be - Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, Episcopalian, etc. You can see at once that a great work may be done, that the discussion of these principles will have a very decided influence upon the cause of public education thruout the United States. I shall be very happy to answer any questions, but I feel some diffidence in prolonging my remarks.

DIRECTOR JORDAN-I wish to ask whether among those who are enrolled as members of this organization are those who are known as representatives of the liberal churchesUnitarian, etc. Does not your circular-one of them at least-which you sent out, speak of the membership as coming from the so-called Evangelical churches?

MR. GILBERT.—Yes, sir, it does. But in so speaking we did not in any wise limit membership in this department, which is the Department of Investigation. Roman Catholics and Jews have co-operated with us in Washington and presented papers at our meetings, but there was no attack upon anybody at all. The society is entirely free from anything of that kind. I think that in our constitution, which I have in my hands, there is nothing that in any wise limits the membership, altho, as a matter of fact, as stated before, the great body is composed of Evangelical scholars; and yet in the thirteen years of its existence I am confident that there has been nothing uttered that would give any offense to anyone. Dr. Harris has been present at some of our meetings. He has spoken in Washington. I am confident he will bear testimony to the fact that we have never had any controversies. We are in another realm entirely.

DIRECTOR JORDAN.-I think this is too important a matter to be decided in a moment, and I move that the resolution be laid on the table for one year. That will give the members of this Board of Directors and of the association an opportunity to study the matter carefully. I think nothing can be lost, and a great deal may be gained, by postponing the consideration of this question until we all know more about it. Seconded.

DIRECTOR GREENWOOD.-What is included in the meaning of "investigation" as understood by this society?

MR. GILBERT. By "investigation" we mean an inquiry into all the facts, phenomena, and principles of the religious life wherever exhibited, among the Mormons, Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, etc., in every part of the world. It is the religious side of man that we investigate, and we do that without any bias whatever. We are studying the nature of man. We are applying the principles which we thus discover in an effort to cultivate the religious man. The rabbi of a synagogue in Washington is one of my most intimate friends and a very earnest worker in this society. I am not anxious to press this matter now, but, as I am on my feet, I will say that on Thursday afternoon at 3 o'clock we are to hold a conference on this whole subject, to see if it is possible for us to come into closer affilia

tion with this association.

DIRECTOR LOCKE.-Allow me to ask if the word "Evangelical" is used in your

constitution.

MR. GILBERT.-No, sir. There are some persons in our organization who are not members of any church at all.

The reading of the resolution was called for by Director Soldan.

DIRECTOR GOVE.-Most, if not everyone, are in accord with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Gilbert, and yet, after hearing the objection of Director Jordan, I am in favor of postponing action for a year. We shall be prepared a year from now to act intelligently, while now the subject is quite new and only a hurried consideration can be given. The motion of Director Jordan was then put to vote and carried.

Director J. H. Collins, of Illinois, presented the following petition for the creation of a new department:

To the Directors of the National Educational Association:

GENTLEMEN: We, the undersigned, active members of this association, earnestly believing that the simplifying of our spelling is an educational question, and that it would greatly tend to promote the cause of popular education, respectfully request you to authorize us to organize a Simplified Spelling Department of this association.

(Signed)

DAVID FELMLEY, president State Normal School, Normal, Ill.
JOHN W. COOK, president State Normal School, De Kalb, Ill.

O. T. BRIGHT, county superintendent of Cook county, Chicago, Ill.

A. R. ROBINSON, principal High and Manual Training School, Chicago, Ill.

E. C. DELANO, assistant superintendent of schools, Chicago, Ill.
LESLIE LEWIS, assistant superintendent of schools, Chicago, Ill.
ALFRED KIRK, assistant superintendent of schools, Chicago, Ill.
WM. C. PAYNE, assistant superintendent of schools, Chicago, Ill.
W. C. DODGE, assistant superintendent of schools, Chicago, Ill.
MISS ELLA C. SULLIVAN, Chicago, Ill.

HENRY C. Cox, principal Garfield School, Chicago, Ill.

E. C. ROSSITER, principal Medill High School, Chicago, Ill.
WM. J. BARTHOLF, principal Von Humboldt School, Chicago, Ill.
Dudley Grant HAYS, principal Arnold School, Chicago, Ill.
A. H. YODER, editor Adolescence, Chicago, Ill.

E. O. VAILE, editor Intelligence, Oak Park, Ill.

A. V. GREENMAN, superintendent of schools, Aurora, Ill.

W. L. STEELE, superintendent of schools, Galesburg, Ill.

JOHN RICHESON, superintendent of schools, East St. Louis, Ill.

F. T. OLDT, superintendent of schools, Dubuque, Ia.

J. A. COLLINS, superintendent of schools, Springfield, Ill.

JOSEPH CARTER, superintendent of schools, Champaign, Ill.

LINCOLN P. GOODHUE, assistant superintendent of schools, Chicago, Ill.
FRANCIS W. PARKER, director School of Education, University of Chicago.

OSSIAN H. LANG, editor School Journal, New York city.

J. H. VAN SICKLE, superintendent of schools, Baltimore, Md.

C. B. GILBERT, superintendent of schools, Rochester, N. Y.

C. C. ROUNDS, institute instructor, New York city.

E. B. Cox, superintendent of schools, Xenia, O.

Director Collins, after reading the application, moved that it be granted, and the Department of Simplified Spelling be established. Seconded by Director Mott, of Indiana.

After brief discussion, a motion to lay the motion of Director Collins on the table for a year was carried by a vote of thirteen in favor and eight against.

The Secretary reported a communication from Hon. Alfred Bayliss asking to be allowed to present personally a communication from the Round Table of State and County Superintendents of the Department of Superintendence. Permission being granted, Mr. Bayliss stated briefly that the widespread interest in the question of the consolidation of school districts in rural communities and the transportation of pupils had led to the appointment at the Chicago meeting of a committee to ask the Board of Directors of the National Educational Association to appropriate a suitable sum of money to be used by a committee appointed by the association to secure full and exact information with regard to what has been done in this direction in several states, and to publish this information for general circulation among the rural communities.

Director Carrington offered the following resolution and moved its adoption: Resolved, That the sum of two thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be, and hereby is, appropriated to defray the expense of collecting information regarding the progress, means, and results of consolidating rural schools wherever the experiment has been made, and for the preparation and printing of such a report to the National Educational Association as may be useful as a bulletin of information and recommendation for general circulation among the people.

Provided, That the association shall appoint a committee for that purpose, and, provided further, that no member of such committee shall receive compensation for services in any form.

After brief discussion, the resolution of Director Carrington was, under the rules of the board, referred to the National Council for consideration and recommendation.

SECRETARY SHEPARD.-A communication has been received from the National Association of Elocutionists in session at Buffalo, N. Y., June 24, ultimo, stating that a committee had been appointed to attend the Detroit convention of the National Educational Association and to present in person a request from that body. Miss Marie L. Bruot, teacher of elocution and oratory in the Central High School, Cleveland, O., a member of that committee and an active member of the National Educational Association, is present and wishes to be heard.

President Green then invited Miss Bruot to address the board.

MISS BRUOT. Mr. President and Members of the Board of Directors: At the convention of the National Association of Elocutionists, held in Buffalo the last week in June, Professor Robert I. Fulton, dean of the School of Oratory of the Western University of Ohio, Professor Thomas Trueblood, of the University of Michigan, and myself were appointed a committee to appear before this body to ask that some time be given to the subject of the "spoken word" upon the programs of the National Educational Asso-· ciation. I regret exceedingly that the chairman and the other member of this committee are not present, but I realize and believe that there is no one of your number who does not fully appreciate the value of this subject—the "spoken word "— and we trust that this honorable body will give this subject a place on your program, that the methods of teaching reading and expression may be presented and discussed. Sincerely believing that it is for the best interests of education that some time be given in the conventions of the National Educational Association to the subject of the "spoken word," I present this request, on behalf of the committee, for your consideration.

On motion of Director Gove, the Secretary was instructed to present this request of the committee of the National Association of Elocutionists to the President of the association in 1902, and to the presidents of such departments as may appropriately include the subject in their annual program.

The Secretary read the following communication from the chairman of the committee on education of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Co., as follows:

LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION COMPANY,

ST. LOUIS, U. S. A., July 7, 1901.

J. M. Green, Esq., President, National Educational Association, Detroit, Mich.: DEAR SIR: Recognizing the fact that the educational exhibits will form one of the most important features of the world's fair to be held in St. Louis in 1903, the Committee on Education, of which I have the honor to be chairman, considers it its duty to ask the National Educational Association at its annual meeting in Detroit for its full co-operation in making the educational department of the Louisiana Purchase Exposi tion a complete success from every aspect. Therefore the undersigned begs to suggest that the National Educational Association appoint a committee to act as an advisory board to the committee having in charge the educational exhibits at the world's fair in St. Louis, and that the state and city educational authorities act as agents of their representative states and cities in the preparation of the representation of the systems, institutions, and instrumentalities within the sphere and range of their official connection or authority. Trusting that your body will act favorably upon these suggestions, we beg to remain,

DIRECTOR HARRIS.-I move that this communication be received and placed on file. Seconded and carried.

DR. HARRIS.-I now offer the following resolution :

WHEREAS, The authorities of the world's fair to be held in St. Louis in 1903 in commemoration of the Louisiana Purchase have tendered an invitation to the National Educational Association to co-operate with their Committee on Education, be it

Resolved, That the President of the National Educational Association appoint a committee of twentyone, whose duty it shall be to act as an advisory board whenever the education committee of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition submits specific questions or asks their co-operation. This advisory board shall have power to fill vacancies, and also to add further members to their number.