bling annually for a mutual discussion of problems. Besides the next convention place and the new president, the people ought to get out of an educational convention a good deal of the latest in educational thought, and the newspaper as an accurate reflector of the life of the city and champion of the welfare of the public, it seems to us, ought to shoulder a certain amount of responsibility for putting this over.

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A few good newspapers attempt to assume this obligation and keep a couple of reporters on the job all the time with orders to cover that convention." Well, these reporters, if they are thoroughly educated, sympathetic with education, mature, and intelligent, may do their work well. The job has been done well. But how many times are they not just young men, without even a college education, to whom a murder is the best story to pick up and to whom education, its terms, and its latest tendencies are simply Hebrew, which they say is harder to learn than Greek. They do not understand what is significant and what is not. Consequently when their "stuff" appears in print, educators find some very absurd ideas and events "played up." Headlines and bold face type so thoroughly emphasize trivialities and sideissues that the real ideas are scarcely to be found.

Without mentioning downright inaccuracy and sometimes "faking," another weakness with education convention reporters is their failure to realize the news value of creative ideas as well as that of mere happenings. This thought comes direct from Glenn Frank and his remarks at the N.E.A. Indianapolis convention. Certainly an understanding and discerning reporter could find some real sensations in ideas at an education convention if he were alert. But, as with all news, this reporter, to discover the new, must know what is old; and now we are back again to his education and general culture, which are none too plentiful in the "newspaper game." The other reason why newspapers do not do a good job in reporting a convention of this kind is that it really takes more than several men to do the work; it takes more

than the newspaper can afford to send out to do a job satisfactory to both parties concerned, the editors and the educators. The difficulty is that there are too many meetings going on at the same time for a few reporters to keep thoroughly "covered." Herein lies the physical problem.

The newspaper's responsibility fixed and two of its difficulties outlined, the question is: "What can be done about it?" Our answer is: "Greater coöperation between the educators and the newspapers." How this may be effected it is our purpose to suggest.

First of all, coöperation is the key word. It does not include dictation from the party of the first part nor from the party of the second part. It may possibly admit of domination, but this rôle should be most carefully played. The word "coöperation," as we would have it interpreted here, implies that each operator (We took this noun out of "coöperation") has his own duty to perform and must be permitted to do it in the way he sees fit. In other words, don't try to tell the newspapers what to print, how to print it, when to print it, or why or where. Let them decide for themselves and in their own way what is strictly their business. The rôle of the educator is merely to assist them in getting access to all the material from the convention that is available. In providing this it is possible that Pope's famous truism

Men should be taught as if you taught them not, And things unknown proposed as things forgot.

But one should be Between the two should be the im

may be put to good use. exceedingly sly about it. parties coöperating there portant bond of public service.

For main addresses of the convention it should be possible to require from each speaker as part of his contract a half dozen copies of a 250-500 word condensation of his speech made by himself. This should be an accurate report of what the speaker actually said, of course, and not a report of what he thought he would say and didn't. If a speaker radically changes his planned address, as he certainly has a right to do be

cause of unexpected circumstances surrounding its delivery, he should be expected to revise his résumé, with possibly the aid of a stenographer furnished by the association. His résumé should be placed in the hands of the director of publicity, a new officer necessary for the successful execution of this work, who should be responsible for presenting a copy to each publication reporting the event. When he should release it must be left to his judgment, which, by the way, must be governed by a thorough knowledge of how newspapers are put out. Sometimes it can be released beforehand so the newspaper may even set it to type before delivery. The safest plan probably is to wait until the speech is made, and to check it for accuracy before release.

There remains the problem of the speaker who never writes out his speech in advance and who is such a scholar and oratorical genius that he never knows exactly what he is going to say until he is before his eager and expectant audience. One feels like saying here, by the way, that although such men are to be met with in the United States, Daniel Webster was not one of them. This genius actually prepared his speeches in advance. Theodore Roosevelt, also, not only did this but took the pains to provide the Associated Press in advance with the amount of material it wanted on the address. But however great may be the wisdom of insuring one's self by providing advance copies that the newspapers will report one's speech accurately, these exceptional men exist. They are frequently the people who do the most damning of newspapers, too. If they will not provide a summary of their speeches, the publicity director will have to take care of their output as it is delivered or see that the work is carefully done.

Round-table discussions are not considered as important as the main sessions, yet these events should be accurately reported. Each group should provide a secretary or reporter to write out during the progress of the meeting or immediately afterward a résumé of all talks and discussions that took place and a report of what business was transacted. From fifty to a hundred words apiece will be enough for most of the talks. This report should be immediately typewritten for extra copies and all turned over to the publicity director, who again is to dole them out to press representatives.

Extra copies for the press must be made of all reports, especially such as come from the committee on resolutions, and turned over to the publicity director for disposal. Outside of these three main suggestions for providing material for the press, little can be done. Special demonstrations and other special features of the convention must be left for the press representatives on the job or the publicity director, who must carry the responsibility for the entire work. He probably should have an office and a couple of stenographers on duty at all times during the convention; also telephone and messenger service at his disposal. This same room should be open for use by the newspaper reporters.

With all this coöperation with the press done, there is nothing more but "watchful waiting." Educators interested can only sit back and note what the newspapers will choose to do. If one third of the material offered gets into print, we think they ought to be satisfied. Of course, it might also be considered desirable to have the association use this material for a careful printed record of the convention proceedings to be distributed free to members of the association.

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