buildings in various stages of completion. These photographs exhibited some of the best types of elementary and high school buildings, internal and external arrangements, floor plans, assembly halls, class rooms, laboratories, libraries, gymnasiums, workshops, school kitchens, baths, hallways, stairways, basement and roof playgrounds, yards, heating, lighting, ventilating, and sanitary arrangements. Cabinet 50 represented various phases of school activities through photographs; also exercises on board the school ship St. Mary's. Cabinet 51 presented a view of our school system through a brief history of the public schools of the city for the past fifty years, the organization of the department of education, names of the members of the board of education, committee assignments, superintendents, directors, and heads of departments, powers of each, and statistical tables bearing upon day schools, evening schools, vacation schools, playgrounds, recreation centers, truant schools, nautical school, free lectures, etc. This cabinet also contained circulars and blanks bearing upon compulsory education, child labor, children's court cases, attendance officers, and licensing of newsboys. Cabinet 52 was devoted to a brief sketch of the various teachers' associations, their aim and work. The latter part of the cabinet was filled with illustrations of exercises in blackboard sketching which were given to a class of teachers in an extension course provided by the New York Society of Pedagogy. Cabinet 53 presented a complete view of the free lecture system of the city for workingmen and workingwomen. These courses provide for adult education to a large extent in the form of illustrated lectures and experiments. Cabinets 54 and 55 were filled with sample circulars and blanks used by the several departments in the educational system, by the city, associate city, and district superintendents, by principals, directors and supervisors, by the board of examiners, the auditor, the superintendent of supplies, the superintendent of school buildings, and by the secretary and committee of the board of education. These cabinets also contained questions used in examinations for licenses, minutes of the board of education, board of superintendents, and committees, sample report cards, licenses, diplomas, etc. Cabinet 56 gave a scheme for class-room decoration, following closely the course of study. It presented the purpose of schoolroom decoration, viz, (1) to make the decoration of a room a unit, the expression of an idea; (2) to use pictures that interest and inspire pupils, and (3) to connect the decoration of each room with the work of the grade, especially in the line of literature and history. It gave a selected list of appropriate photographs to correspond with the general plan of the course of study, as well as a list of selected photographs for special rooms-sewing, music, drawing, geography, history, etc.

The following subjects formed the keynote for class-room decoration in the élementary grades: 1a, Mother Goose; 1b, stories of familiar animals; 2a, fairy tales; 2b, the animals of Aesop's Fables; 3a, Indian Life (Hiawatha); 3b, child life; 4a, myths; 4b, legends; 5a, the children's poet; 5b, the city of New York; 6a, explorers and colonists; 6b, American heroism; 7a, early English history; 7b, later English history; Sa, Shakespeare; 8b, Sir Walter Scott. Cabinet 57, and two glass show cases near at hand, exhibited the work of over 100 kindergartens in drawing, brush work, constructive work, clay modeling, free cutting, folding, mounting, sewing, and cord weaving. The photographs represented the arrangement of various kindergarten rooms, views of games, of children at play and on excursions. The statistics gave a registry of 14,797 children in 434 kindergartens. Cabinets 59 and 60 represented through photographs, charts, and printed material, the well-organized work in physical training in the schools of the city. This consisted of story gymnastics, active plays, indoor games, freeband exercises in class rooms, light apparatus in gymnasiums, school yards, and

assembly halls, heavy gymnasium work, athletics, and the work of the Public School League.

A special section was given to the treatment of defective and diseased children, the physical care accorded them, the examination by a physician, attention by trained nurses, methods of record, report, and classification. The methods of treatment of atypical children—exceptional, backward, or mentally defective-were explained fully.

In nearly all the wall cabinets containing typical papers or other exhibits of school work the first inside page contained a syllabus of the course of study. In this way the general plan and scope of the exhibit was shown to be a gradual and logical presentation of the steps taken in the various grades and subjects in the city's public schools curriculum. Nearly all of the photographs and work represented in the wall cabinets were duplicated in the ninety large albums found on the tables and shelves.

On the wall above cabinets 45, 46, 47 was a large topographical map of Greater New York, 12 by 12 feet, with the school districts clearly outlined. The public school exhibit from the city of New York received high commendation from all visitors.

CITY OF ST. LOUIS.

BY F. LOUIS SOLDAN, SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTRUCTION.

ever.

ORGANIZATION.

The board of education of the city of St. Louis consists of twelve members, who give their services without receiving any salary or compensation whatsoEach member is elected from the city at large for a term of six years. Four members retire every second year, and their places are filled by a general election. Vacancies caused by resignations are filled by the mayor of the city. It is a corporation independent of the rest of the city government, and has no official connection with other administrative powers of the city.

The board of education exercises legislative, directive, and supervisory functions. It shapes the policy of the public schools, directs and supervises its officers, and approves or rejects their recommendations. It levies taxes for the support of the schools and for the erection of school buildings. The administrative and executive work is placed in the hands of paid officers, who are elected for a term of years. Officers of the board of education are: A secretary and treasurer, a superintendent of instruction, a commissioner of public school buildings, a commissioner of supplies, an auditor, and the attorney of the board. The regular meeting of the board of education takes place once a month. The standing committees of the board are appointed annually by the president of the board, and are named as follows: The committee on instruction, on school buildings, on finance, and on auditing and supplies. While the rules of the board rest all executive functions in the salaried officers, each committee has supervisory power over the department indicated by its name.

Printed copies of the reports to be tendered are sent to each member from three to seven days prior to the monthly meeting of the board. The monthly meetings of the board are brief and businesslike.

The annual revenue of the board during the scholastic year 1902-3 was $2,299,518.68. The greater part of this revenue was derived from the tax levied in the city of St. Louis itself. By a vote of the people passed in November,

1902, authority was given the board of education of St. Louis to levy a tax not higher than 6 mills on the dollar.

There are at present 129 school buildings in the city. There are, however, only 96 schools, since a few schools are conducted in several buildings standing in the same yard. The present type of school building is a two-story building of 18 rooms, with a large kindergarten room attached. Each room in the new buildings is about 25 by 33 by 14 feet in size, and is capable of accommodating approximately 54 children. The average number of children in each room in the city is about 47. There is a separate desk for each child. Both seat and desk are adjustable to the height of the pupil. There are at present 15 fireproof buildings and 60 semifireproof buildings. It is the intention to remodel the old buildings gradually, or replace them with new fireproof structures. With the increase in revenue this may be done in the course of five or six years.

In the purchase of school sites it is the policy of the board to buy large sitesif possible, a whole block of ground-so as to leave room for play and exercise. Once a year the board of education causes a population map to be made. This population map shows the point of the densest population, and the new site is purchased in accordance with the information presented by the map.

From one to eight janitors are appointed to each school, according to the number of rooms. Usually two janitors are required for an 18-room building. The janitors have the care of heating and cleaning the schools. In the large schools, in addition to the regular janitors, a scrub woman is employed, who spends her whole time in cleaning. Under the charter the appointment of janitors is entirely in the hands of the commissioner of school buildings, but the board of education determines their salaries and prescribes the way in which the janitors shall be selected.

All nominations for teachers' positions are made by the superintendent of instruction. The board of education approves or rejects the nominations thus made. All new teachers are appointed for a term of probation. Teachers in the district schools are employed first as substitutes, and fill short temporary vacancies; the successful substitutes are then assigned to fill positions of teachers that are absent for a longer period, and after eight months of probationary work, a substitute, on recommendation of the principal in whose school she has been teaching, is nominated by the superintendent for appointment. The teacher's tenure of office is practically unlimited. A teacher, once appointed, holds her position as long as she is efficient in her work. While this is the practical condition, each teacher, according to the terms of her contract, is appointed for one year only. The board of education does not discharge any teacher unless there is evident cause.

In each school there is a principal, and a number of assistant teachers. The teacher next in rank to the principal in the larger schools is called the head assistant, and takes the principal's place in case of his absence. There is in each school a small number of teachers whose length of service and merit is recognized by a higher rank and salary. They are called first assistants; all the other teachers are called second assistants. The maximum salary of the second assistants is $700; of the first assistants, $800, and of the head assistants, $1,000. The principal of a first-class school receives a maximum salary of $2,400; the salary of principals of smaller schools is less, according to the number of rooms. Each teacher in the district schools begins at a minimum salary ranging upward from $420 paid to young beginners. Each year during which a teacher serves adds an advance to her salary until the maximum salary of the grade she holds has been reached. This advance in salary takes place according to a schedule fixed from time to time by the board of education. All the assistant teachers in the district schools are women. A large number of the

principals are men. There are at present in the public schools of St. Louis 1,018 second assistants, 199 first assistants, 49 head assistants, 55 male principals, and 35 female principals.

A teachers' college is established for the training of teachers for the district schools of St. Louis. Graduation from the high school is required for admission to the teachers' college. The course in the teachers' college is two years, devoted to the study of psychology, history of education, principles of education, methods of instruction, and a review of the district school studies. After finishing the teachers' college course the candidate is expected to spend one year as an unpaid apprentice in some district school, in order to acquire the practical knowledge of her duties. Principalships in the district schools and positions in the high schools are filled by examination, which is open twice a year to applicants.

The law of the State requires that separate schools shall be maintained for colored children and white children. Among the 96 schools of the city, there are 13 district schools for colored children. There is also a high school for colored boys and girls, with a course of study similar to that of the white high school. In the colored high school, training classes are maintained for girls who wish to become teachers. All the colored schools are taught by colored teachers. There are 5,698 pupils enrolled in the colored schools.

The studies in the elementary schools are the reading and writing of the English language, arithmetic, geography, history of the United States, the elements of natural science, drawing, singing, and gymnastics. Lessons on the conduct of life are given once a week. Besides the customary reference books a school library for the pupils is found in each school, with not less than 30 volumes of each title. Each large school has a kindergarten attached to it. The age of admission to public schools is fixed by the State constitution, and no child can enter the kindergarten until he is 6 years old. He attends the kindergarten for a half day during a year, and then he enters the elementary school. There are at present 9,911 kindergarten pupils in the city.

High schools, with a course of instruction of four years, are maintained for pupils who have finished the district school work. This course of instruction in the high schools includes Latin and Greek, modern languages, mathematics, the sciences, history, drawing, singing, and gymnastics. Instruction is arranged in certain courses, each course containing a consistent plan of education extending over four years. One of the courses of the high schools prepares the pupil for admission to college or university.

During the winter months the board of education maintains evening schools. The evening school course covers five years-three years of elementary work and two years of high school work. The board of education also maintains a public school for deaf-mute children. The schools are absolutely free. Stationery needed during school hours and all text-books are furnished to every child at public expense.

Attendance at school is voluntary. The total number of pupils enrolled in the schools of St. Louis is 86,484. Of these, 82,459 are enrolled in the day schools and 4,025 in the evening schools. The enrollment in the day schools is divided as follows: Kindergarten enrollment, 9,911; district school enrollment, 69,362, and high school enrollment, 3,186. Boys and girls are instructed together in the same room. During recess the sexes are separated, two playgrounds being maintained in each school. There are 43,189 boys and 43,172 girls in attendance.

The principal has the right to send a child home in case of some important offense, in order to request the parent to call at the schoolbuilding with the child. In cases of very serious offense, or where the ordinary school means have proved unavailing, the principal may send the child away from school. A

written notice of such suspension must be sent by the principal to both the superintendent of instruction and the parent. The parent is then required to call at the office of the superintendent of instruction with the child. As a rule, the child is reinstated in his own school; but in rare cases it seems better to send the pupil to some other school in order to secure to the child the possible advantage of new surroundings.

While the board of education authorizes corporal punishment, it does not encourage it. The matter is left largely to the discretion of the principal.

For purposes of instruction the children in each room are usually divided into two divisions. In each division there are approximately twenty to twentyfive children. While one of the divisions receives instruction the other division is engaged in study or seat work. The two divisions are not of the same grade of advancement, but are usually from ten to twenty weeks apart.

Promotions in the high schools are made semiannually; in the district schools semiannually or oftener. Gifted children can be promoted at any time when their ability to do advanced work is established.

The superintendent of instruction, with the approval of the board, prescribes the course of study and the amount of time allotted to each study. While the course of study is prescribed by the superintendent, it originates largely with the teachers, for its adoption is preceded by previous conferences of teachers and principals, and only after it has been determined by the opinion of the best teachers is it indorsed and promulgated by the superintendent.

The district school classes in the seventh and eighth years of the course receive instruction in manual training and domestic science. In a number of centrally located schools, carpenter shops and rooms for instruction in cooking and sewing are provided. The children from neighboring schools report to these centers and receive about two hours' instruction per week, Special teachers are employed for this work. The boys receive instruction in carpentry and the use of ordinary tools. The domestic science work for the girls extends over two years, and consists of a course in sewing and a course in cooking. Ordinary needlework, including darning, is taught, and easy lessons in the making of garments are given. The taste of the children in the selection of material and the harmonizing of various colors is cultivated.

The lessons in cooking teach not only the practical art but include an clementary course in the chemistry of food, the physiology of digestion, and the hygiene of the home.

The work of instruction in the various schools is constantly supervised by a number of officers who spend their whole time in visiting schools, testing results, and aiding and directing the teachers. There are four assistant superintendents, each of whom visits regularly the schools of a district in the city that is assigned to him. Agreement in the principles to be enforced in school work, and which are necessary for a reasonable degree of harmony and uniformity of supervision is secured by a weekly meeting of the assistant superintendents with the superintendent of instruction, in which the details of the week's work are discussed and a common basis for the supervisory work established and maintained. There are also three primary supervisors who assist the assistant superintendents in their visits to the various schools. They have chiefly the care of the three elementary grades of instruction. The special branches of the department of instruction, such as kindergarten, drawing, singing, and calisthenics are looked after by special supervisory officers, who visit the various schools for the purpose of assisting and directing teachers in their work.

The principal of each school is the chief supervisor thereof, and all recommendations of the assistant superintendents as to work in any school are made after