Such cases are numerous, especially in our larger towns and cities. At the present time, there are no less than seventy-five men and young men on the staffs of the three Indianapolis papers who trace their start back to Shortridge High School-to the very elementary instruction received in the English courses and to the experience for writing afforded by the daily paper. None of these boys received more encouragement than seemed to be due them because of their interest and faithfulness in their work, yet they have gone into the newspaper field, some of them with college training, to be sure, but very few of them with university training, and not a few directly from the high school. We realize that what they have done is exactly what Dr. Bleyer opposes as tending to lower the profession of journalism to the level of a business or even a trade but how are we, as high school teachers of English, to prevent it? There are two mighty forces at work that we seem to be unable to combat. The one is the tremendous impulse to write, which is so powerful that it overcomes every obstacle and opposition seems only to make it more irresistible. The second is the recognition that is given by the newspapers themselves to the boys and girls from our high schools who show the ability to write well. Either the big men on the newspapers are not convinced of the necessity of securing university or even college trained writers or the colleges and universities. have not yet been able to turn them out in such numbers as to meet the demand. The fact remains that the newspapers do give a cordial welcome to the high school graduates and give them the cause to feel that their services are of value and that they are not mistaken in their choice of a life work.

The problem of the high school teacher becomes, then, if we are to carry out Dr. Bleyer's ideas, largely a problem of repression. Even the term "journalism" is to be avoided as applying to any instruction given in the high school. He suggests "journal

istic writing." We are using it as the title of this discussion. It means "pertaining to journalism," as we understand it, and fitly characterizes the extremely elementary approaches that we should make toward the great subject of journalism in the high school. Whether it will appeal to teachers as a suitable term or not we cannot say. To us it seems to have a rather pompous sound-indeed more pretentious than "journalism" or "elementary journalism." And, after all, it does not seem to us to matter so much what we call the course as it does what we include in it and what we consider the teaching aim. On these points, Dr. Bleyer gives some suggestions that seems really applicable to the high school.

"Boys and girls," he says, "need to be taught to read a newspaper to the best advantage. Unless they learn to discriminate between the mere episodes, such as accidents, fires, crimes, and athletic contests, and significant. events that are making history, they may go through life, as many do, enjoying the chewing-gum of the news while the flavor lasts, and scarcely realizing that they have been neglecting the food of thought." Our own experience in conducting a class in so-called high school journalism has revealed the fact that there is a very fertile field. By bringing the newspaper into the class for careful reading in the light of the composition work that is built up around it, there may be developed a power to read the paper that is of real educational value, especially in the training for citizenship and Americanization movements. And it is right here that most of the boys and girls will derive real benefit from taking such a course. Out of a class of twenty-five there will not likely be a half dozen who will ever take up newspaper work as a life work, while all will continue to read the newspaper as a part of daily life after leaving school. This training in ability to read the newspaper intelligently and to appreciate its importance in molding public opin

ion will tend to cultivate that wholesome respect for the profession of journalism that will check high school graduates from rushing into the newspaper offices to secure jobs as reporters long before they are ready, thereby lowering the standards of journalism as a profession.

That there is ample material for a high school course in "journalistic writing," as he calls it, Dr. Bleyer has shown by the excellent classification of the material that he has given in the following paragraph, which we quote. in its entirety:

"All journalistic writing may be divided into six types: (1) news stories, including the so-called 'human interest' and feature stories, (2) special-feature stories, (3) editorials, (4) criticism, dramatic and musical and book reviewing, (5) practical guidance material, such as recipes and 'how-to-do-something' articles, and (6) humor, in prose and verse. Instruction and practice in all these types may be given in highschool courses in English at the appropriate time and may be used to develop good 'copy' for the school publications. The order in which they should be taken up will naturally be determined by their relative difficulty and by their relation to the four forms of discourse: narration, description, exposition, and argumentation."

The bringing together of all this material into a single composition course for seniors or juniors, or both, need not, it seems to us, be the cause of giving to the pupils the idea that it is vocational and is preparing them to enter into a profession that demands college and university training. While some similarity to real newspaper work will result from the enthusiasm that is easily created for such work, it will be held in bounds when the student tries his own hand at some of the problems in newspaper composition and feels therefrom what it is that the journalist is doing for him in the newspaper every day. It is much like the feeling that is created in the student by his attempts to write poetry. If he tries to write a sonnet, let us say, and

realizes merely the limitations imposed by the verse form, he will appreciate, as he never has before, the sonnets of a Wordsworth, a Milton or a Shake

speare.

In conclusion, it seems to us, after all, that the interest of the high school teacher of English in "journalistic writing," if we adopt that term, has never been and never will be in the vocational possibilities of the subject. If his pupils find them of their own accord and in spite of his efforts to hold them back until they are properly qualified to enter journalism as a profession, it is no fault of his, especially if they are welcomed and led to feel that they are appreciated by the newspapers themselves. The real interest of the school lies in the possibilities afforded by the material for composition projects. They furnish new forms and vital topics through which to bring out the effective expression of facts and opinions and exercise the principles and precepts of "good English." It is like putting old wine into new bottles. It is adding novelty and freshness to that which might otherwise seem like the same old thing. If the concentration of this material in one year or semester has the bad effect of giving it an unintended or undesirable vocational emphasis, it may be scattered throughout the course, wherever it seems to fit best the pupils' stage of development. We know that in several high schools in the state, as well as in our own school, so-called courses in journalism are being given. Whether they are an asset or a liability, from the point of view of the profession of journalism, we are not yet able to say, as we have not had sufficient time or data on which to base conclusions. If other teachers of English in the state are ready to make reports of any kind, by farther along in their experiments and doing so they will be conferring a favor on the rest of us, and we will be glad to publish such reports in this department. Perhaps, too, it would be interesting to hear from some of the newspaper men, if they would care. to express an opinion.

The semi-centennial celebration at the State Normal, January 6-9, was a most interesting and inspiring event. The members of the committee having the celebration in charge are to be congratulated on their success in promoting a program in so many ways worthy of the great history of the Indiana State Normal School.

The State Normal anniversary exercises were also the occasion of many tributes to the personal worth and the career of President Parsons, who was the first student to enroll in the institution in 1870, and who, fifty years later, is the honored president of the Normal. Citizens of Terre Haute, faculty, visiting alumni and students, joined in making President Parsons know that they appreciate him.

Speaking of semi-centennials, Purdue University will be celebrating its first half-century within four or five years. That, too, will be a great occasion educationally here in Indiana.

Indiana University began the exercises incident to the celebration of its first hundred years, with the Foundation Day program, on January 20, last. This centennial program will extend more or less through the entire calendar year. As one of the oldest state universities in the United States, Indiana can well afford, for the sake of itself and for the sake of the people of our community, to place full emphasis on its history and its future.

Our text-book laws should be amended so that enough books for every pupil can be delivered at a reasonable price in every community before each term of school opens. Every cent possible should be saved at all times, but as it appears now in Indiana the saving has gone so far that the laws will not function in the delivery of books to the children. It is

better to have a child fully equipped with books promptly than to save a dime, but many people put the saving of the dime first. It is well to remember, also, that printers charge just as much for their work on text-books as on any other kind of printed material. Whenever we come to consider the text-book situation as a business matter, we shall begin to get relief from the present almost intolerable situation.

Too small salaries is not entirely to blame for the present shortage of teachers, is stated by the Institute for Public Service in its bulletin today, "Who Put Shun in Education?", as other fields of work paying less than teaching have not lost their lure.

The bulletin states that "Too much supervision by principal, superintendent, supervisor, of too little helpfulness" is partly responsible or the shunning of the teaching profession by the strongest students in our schools and colleges. Courses of study that strangle initiative; too much textbooks; summer schools that take the time that should be spent in recreation and health, for reading, listening and apeing; mistaught and misplctured history of education are all contributing to the teacher shortage crisis that is being faced by the schools.

Summer school courses in administration and educational psychology that require six hours of reading and six minutes of own-problem analysis, and result in such questions as "What are the implications of a fountain pen" need careful analysis before we place all the trouble on 'low salary.' Among other contributory causes are "leading educators" who lead away from freedom and initiative; educational politics with its pampering compliance and foundations that chloroform inquiry.

To recruit the strongest material for the school room educators must turn the looking glass on present practices and make necessary changes to encourage today's students in selecting teaching as their life's work.Exchange.

To profiteers, to indifferent public servants, to selfish men of all kinds, we recommend a careful reading of a letter a teacher recently wrote to Randall J. Condon, superintendent of Cincinnati schools.

The teacher, employed in the public school system of another city, had been offered a position in the Cincinnati schools at a salary considerably larger than she now is getting. Her people live near Cincinnati and so it would have suited her convenience perfectly to take the job. But she turned it down, and in her letter to the superintendent she said:

"From a moral standpoint, I feel I must not make a change during the year. Heretofore, I have not been bought, so to speak, and it doesn't seem fair, either to you or to the public I now serve, to hold either one up for more money. I have no written contract here, but I want to feel that my spoken word can be absolutely relied upon.

"Somehow I don't believe that I could face my pupils, having a realization that I had fallen short of my own ideals. I hope that you may see fit

to consider me at some later time when the year is just beginning, but for the present I must be as loyal to my present public as it has been to me.'

Who has ever met a finer expression of devotion to duty and selfishness than this teacher's letter? It deserves a place among the mottoes, slogans and "creeds" that men like to frame and hang over their desks for inspiration.-Exchange.

THE STATE NORMAL SEMI

CENTENNIAL.

The semi-centennial celebration of the State Normal School took place January 6-9, at Terre Haute, as previously announced. It was one of the notable events of the kind in the his

tory of Indiana. Practically every person on every part of the program was on hand promptly and every de

tail was given with a precision that was delightful. One of the outstanding features of the entire four days' program was the series of tributes paid to President Parsons on account of his long and successful career as the head of the institution. The people of Terre Haute fell in with the spirit of the celebration in splendid style. The occasion was one long to be remembered.

Hundreds of alumni came back to visit the scenes of former labors and to join in the exercises. Governor Goodrich was one of the chief speakers on the long list which included among others, W. C. Ball, of Terre Haute; Pres. W. E. Stone, Purdue; Prof. W. W. Black, Indiana University; Supt. Lee L. Driver, Winchester; Pres. R. J. Aley, University of Maine; L. N. Hines, State Superintendent of Public Instruction; Dr. L. D. Coffman, University of Minnesota; Pres. E. B. Bryan, Colgate University; Pres. H. H. Seerley, Iowa Teachers' College; Pres. David Fehnley, Illinois Normal University; Pres. E. W. Bohanon, State Normal School, Duluth, Minn.; Pres. J. S. McGilvrey, State Normal College, Kent, O.; Edward Howard Griggs, New York.

Prof. L. M. Tilson, of the State Normal faculty, had charge of the music, which was of a high order.

The members of the board of trustees were present. They are S. M. Keltner, Anderson; W. E. Ball, Terre Haute; F. C. Ball, Muncie, and C. E. Coffin, Indianapolis.

Profs. Chas. N. Curry, Frank S. Bogardus and L. J. Rettger, of the faculty, were among those that presided over the sessions.

Trustee W. C. Ball entertained the visiting speakers at a luncheon in the Domestic Science building, Wednesday noon.

Prof. F. M. Stalker and other faculty members performed valuable service in making the celebration a great

success.