senses.

It also furnishes the root of that part of our vocabulary which is especially the language of thought and reflection. The Teutonic groundwork of the English language yields the vocabulary of every-day life and experience communicated through the The Latin foundation furnishes our great principles and systems of thought. It affords an introduction to the literature of power. It gives us the forms of civil and municipal life. In these particulars, the institutions of our complex modern civilization are essentially Roman.

Nor does it suffice to study the literature of a great language in the translated form. To get the real content, the spiritual aspiration, thought, and experience of the people, the original must be mastered. Failing in this, its disciplinary value is in a measure sacrificed.

The Greek is a language of culture and its study is valuable in the highest degree as a mental discipline. It requires closest observation, discrimination, and deduction. Moreover, our aesthetic forms and scientific terms go beyond Rome to Greece for their origin. As in jurisprudence, we speak the language of the Cæsars, in science and art, we speak the language of Plato and Phidias. Just as from the Roman colonies were born great modern states, whose civil institutions have been nurtured under her code, so from the Greek speaking peoples, art, science, and culture have evolved.

Modern languages do not stand in the same relation to culture and discipline as do these ancient tongues. The reason is not far to see. All these-French, German, Italian, Spanish, etc.— presuppose original sources, just as the English language. Not so with the Greek and the Latin. They stand in the relation of the embryo to modern developments in language. Their literature, art, ethics, science, philosophy, revealing the highest form of human freedom, influenced, it is true, in many ways by Egyptian, Babylonian, Chaldean, and Assyrian forces, posssess an original stamp found not elsewhere, and speak not loudly of antecedent civilizations.

Free electives, it seems to me, have militated in a pronounced way against disciplinary education. It is a matter of general agreement that the courses of study offered by our colleges today are infinitely superior to those of fifty years ago. We would not return to the practice of cast-iron uniformity. The elective

system is a long stride in the direction of better results in training, and, therefore, has come to stay.

The thing about which much complaint is made is that in the failure to properly administer the elective system, it has ceased to be a system, and has reached the crazy-quilt condition. To suppose that the three R.'s constitute a complete curriculum for education is hardly less erroneous than that the average undergraduate is able to make his ways with dispatch and profit through the mazes and jungles of the free electives offered by many institutions. Free election has gone to seed. The temptation to make the college course a summer vacation rather than the hard work of term time is altogether too pronounced. Instead of thought-provoking Greek and Latin, the student may choose archeology and literature; and in the place of fundamental history and pure science, he is tempted to elect modern annals and applied science.

It only remains for one word to be said on the subject of disciplinary education as it relates to the teacher. The courses of study may be entirely satisfactory, flexible, yet disciplinary, but without the proper personality as a means of making the correct impression upon growing life, the purpose of education will be but feebly accomplished.

Philip of Macedon rejoiced not only that he had a son, but that this boy was born in the time of Aristotle, the great teacher. We have heartily laughed over the statement that Mark Hopkins and a student on a log constitute a university; and yet the vital truth remains as salient today as ever before, that no matter how carefully the course of study be planned, unless the student is brought into contact with a teacher who has a great mind, a great heart, and a great soul, he will not come out of a college an educated man. As good English cannot be attained wholly by the study of texts and literature, but must come through association with those who have it, so the student will be taught to think, to reason properly, to exercise imagination, to be constructive, very largely as the result of coming in contact with such a mind in the instructor.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Our colleges need to emphasize those studies and processes that will prepare trained minds, and place in charge of these courses the highest types of scholarship and manhood.

[ABSTRACT OF PAPER.]

EXTENSION PLAN FOR RURAL SCHOOLS.

JAMES H. DILLARD.

President Jeanes Fund.

THE idea which I have to present for extension work among the schools in the open country can be stated very briefly. The idea came from two actual experiments, which were made in connection with the work of the Jeanes Fund. The Superintendent of a county in Virginia asked for the salary of a competent supervising teacher, who would introduce simple forms of industrial work into the twenty-two negro rural schools of the county, and would give her time to supervising this work. In a county in Mississippi an industrial teacher in a central school asked permission to extend this industrial work into four small rural schools that were within a distance of five or six miles of the school used as headquarters. There is abundant testimony that these experiments have worked out well, and they contain the idea which I believe can be used in such a way as to promote very greatly the improvement and efficiency of the small rural schools of a county.

Cities and towns make use of the plan of having teachers of drawing, teachers of sewing, teachers of music, pass from school to school. Why should not the same plan be adopted for rural schools? It is easier and less expensive to take a teacher to the pupils than to bring the pupils to the teacher. The consolidation of rural schools is a great and important movement, but even the consolidated schools may need special teachers, and there will always remain smaller schools within walking dis tance of the children of a community.

Extension or supervising teachers might be used for any special branch. It seems to me that the great need today is for teachers who can introduce manual training and industrial work, can show the local teachers how to conduct the work, and can supervise it after it is introduced. The testimony is that children like such work, and that it actually tends to improve the character of the book work.

The improvement of the rural schools is a tremendously pressing problem. The Farmers' National Congress, which recently

held its annual session at Raleigh, was quite right in demanding an equal chance for country boys and girls at school with city children. We are just beginning to find out that rural education has been neglected, and that for the general improvement of rural life, about which so much is now being written, the basic need will be the reorganization and betterment of rural schools. It is upon this that the States must put the educational emphasis for the next twenty-five years.

[ABSTRACT OF PAPER.]

A FEW FUNDAMENTAL QUALIFICATIONS OF THE COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT.

SUPT. CHAS. F. TRUDEAU, NEW ROADS, LA.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Having in mind the many brilliant and able discussions, which have been presented already to educational associations of either State or national character, discussions not only of all the phases of the topic which I am to discuss before you today, but as well phases of all other educational questions worthy of discussion before this or any other educational association, I am better prepared to realize the situation of the young but ambitious astronomer just out of school, having in his possession only the ordinary high school telescopes, as he attempts to explore some spot in the beautiful heavenly dome, hoping to discover there some star which heretofore had escaped the skillful and experienced eye of the older astronomer, peering for years without number, through the great Lick telescope, turned upon the self same spot. However, as it is generally conceded to be good pedagogical doctrine now and then to emphasize principles already taught by means of periodical reviews, therefore, should I not go beyond the limits previously surveyed, nor plunge to greater depths than those who have preceded me, and if, alas, I but restate some facts previously and more learnedly discussed by others, I shall plead the wisdom of the law of "Friday afternoon reviews" in justification of my efforts.

Even they who have had but a faint insight into the varied and innumerable duties of the twentieth century County School

Superintendent, and, more especially, they who through their experience have reached that vantage point in educational work whence they may look back and see the intelligent and progressive Superintendent in relation to his duties, his responsibilities and varied tasks, they, we say, at once recognize the importance, nay, the necessity, of the following fundamental qualifications in the present day County School Superintendent.

First of all, a broad, rich and liberal scholarship is as indispensable to a County School Superintendent as is his very life blood to his existence. The very nature of his work requires scholarship that it may grow. The raison d'etre of his position is grounded on scholarship. Nor would it be proper to mention this elementary fact here were it not that in reading statutory provisions, enacted only a few years back, and defining the qualifications of that officer, we find in too many instances no legislative effort made to emphasize the fact that no man should be appointed or elected to this office unless he possess, first, a liberal measure of scholarship. For, my fellow-teachers, is not this officer expected in the nature of his work to prepare courses of study for pupils ranging from primary grades on up through the grades of the high schools? Is it not a part of his duty to pass upon the qualifications of teachers before they are appointed to teach? Is it not his duty to superintend and criticise the work of teachers in the classroom? Is it not his duty to lead in the institute work in his county, to keep informed on, and to discuss intelligently at the proper time, all educational movements whether of a county, State, national, or world-wide character? Is he not expected to bring to all with whom he comes in contact that influence which inspires respect, confidence, and love; that influence which makes for nobler things in the world; that influence which is born of scholarship? Hear, please, the words of Supt. J. W. Olsen: "The County Superintendent must have learned that he cannot give save from his own supply; he cannot arouse intellectual ambition, nor kindle the spirit of social service unless he have the love of knowledge and of humanity strong within him. Only life begets life. He should know that only by superior qualities of head and heart can he inspire his teachers and officers with that confidence in him which will result in cheerful following of his lead towards the larger education." And this, fellow-teachers, now brings us to