and so devoted to his books that at his own solicitation he acts as an assistant to the university librarian, and speaks of the students as his "fellow-students."

The library of the medical department at Galveston has about 2,000 volumes, including a few hundred medical books presented by Dr. Herndon, of Austin, and Dr. Pearce, of Galveston."

Copies of the University Record, which officially publishes current events in the history of the university, are kept on file in the university library at Austin.

The State and supreme court libraries are accessible to the students. The records and publications of the State Historical Association are kept at the university, a fact which has given rise to the suggestion that it might be well to have the association act as the servant of the State in gathering a valuable State library, as the Minnesota Historical Society does in collecting the very extensive and valuable library of that State, which stands in the front rank among the great historical libraries of the United States, and is supported by liberal State appropriations, independent of membership fees. In presenting the report of the society to the legislature, Secretary Upham states that the society, like that of Wisconsin, dates its beginning fifty years ago, and "can look with friendly emulation on the prosperity and great usefulness of the Wisconsin Historical Society, in whose work, chiefly in the support of its library, that State grants at present about $13,000 yearly in appropriations and other State aid, or more than twice the amount appropriated by Minnesota for her society." "In addition," he states, "Wisconsin is erecting for the use of its historical society a fireproof building at a cost of about $400,000, four stories in height, with a capacity of 550,000 volumes."

Why, it may be asked, can not the State of Texas rise to the importance of such work and measure her liberality and enterprise up to the standard of that State? It is as important here as in Wisconsin, and might best be consummated by liberal State appropriations and chartering the Texas Historical Association as a State agency and adjunct to the university, and incorporating the joint State and university libraries as the "State and university library," to be kept at the university. This would certainly be more generally convenient in having one great library in common, instead of separate ones, which would have to be separately consulted, and whatever the State might be disposed to grant for a State library and hall could be better applied by thus establishing the library and hall for joint usage at the university. The same provision would apply as well to the State museum and university museum, and, in fact, to incorporation with the university of the branches of statistics and history of the State department known as that of "insurance, statistics and history," and 10323-03-17

transferring the insurance feature, as a matter of State revenue, to the office of the State comptroller. Some States have transferred their agricultural bureaus to their agricultural colleges as a matter of economy as well as affording better sources for critical information by practical scientific investigations at the experiment stations on the college farms.

RECENT DONATIONS.

Among recent gifts to the university may be mentioned a fine telescope presented by Regent Brackenridge to the school of physics, and four splendid microscopes to the school of biology by Mrs. Thekla Dohmen, in memory of her daughter Nina, who was a student of the university. Hon. A. W. Terrell presented some very valuable archæological collections secured by him while United States minister to Turkey. Mr. H. G. Askew, of Tyler, in June, 1899, presented the university a large and valuable cabinet of shells, mainly of his personal collection, embracing specimens of over 1,000 species of marine, fresh-water, and land formations.

ANNUAL UNIVERSITY ADDRESSES.

Following is a record of invited speakers at the successive annual commencement exercises of the university:

The young men have two literary societies-the Athenaeum and the Rusk, and the young women have a separate society-the Ashbel. There are also a Young Men's and a Young Women's Christian Association.

A gymnasium has been equipped largely through the liberality of Regent Brackenridge. The boys have their athletic association and the girls their lawn tennis club.

VACATION SCHOOLS.

A university summer school is opened in the university rooms for one month during vacations, at which students desiring to qualify themselves to enter the university, teachers wishing to increase their scholarship in certain branches, and any other persons desiring special instruction, are offered opportunities for studying algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, Latin, Spanish, German, and French. There are also held in the university during the summer vacation the State school of methods and a State summer normal. Professor Sutton, the head of the school of pedagogy in the university, has general supervision of the three schools, all which materially tend to harmonize the relations of the public school system of the State with the university, as the head of the system.