ΧΙ Chromatic is a term of ear. The characters: sharps, flats, naturals, double-sharps, double-flats, when used away from the signature-place, are not properly called chromatics. XII Among teachers the following is not uncommon: "I first let the pupils sing it thru by note" (meaning the sol-fa syllables). Syllable is the correct term in this connection. XIII "The unaccompanied chorus ended a half-step flat." The entire list was agreed to, and all but the fourth and thirteenth received the unanimous indorsement of the department. DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS EDUCATION SECRETARY'S MINUTES FIRST SESSION.-TUESDAY MORNING, JULY 9, 1907 The department met in Alhambra Hall, Los Angeles, at 9:30 A. M. and was called to order by President H. M. Rowe, Baltimore, Md. President Rowe delivered the President's address on "Courses of Study and Preparation of Teachers for Commercial Schools." Professor James Ferguson presented a paper on "Present Standards of Commercial Instruction with Present Requirements for Commercial Teachers." The next topic, “Available Means and Additional Means Required for the Preparation of Commercial Teachers was discussed by H. B. Brown, of Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind. The last paper, "Ways of Improving Commercial Teachers Now at Work," was presented by F. C. Weber, Polytechnical High School, Los Angeles, California. These papers were discussed by E. K. Isaacs, president of Woodbury Business College, Los Angeles, Cal. The President appointed the following committees: ON NOMINATIONS F. F. Showers, of Wisconsin. W. E. Gibson, of California. ON RESOLUTIONS James S. Curry, of Ohio. H. B. Brown, of Indiana. James Ferguson, of California. Department adjourned until Wednesday morning. SECOND SESSION.-WEDNESDAY MORNING, JULY 10 The meeting was called to order by President H. M. Rowe. The topic, "Necessary Adaptation of General Practice in Teaching the Commercial Branches in High Schools," was discussed by H. B. Brown, of Indiana; F. C. Weber, of California; and H. M. Rowe, of Maryland. "Co-ordination of Individual and Class Instruction in Commercial Branches," was the subject of a paper by F. F. Showers, of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The paper was discussed by Thos. H. H. Knight, junior master of Girls High School, Boston, Mass. "The Relation Between General and Commercial Education," was presented by J. M. Green, principal of State Normal School, Trenton, N. J. The paper was discussed by J. H. Francis, principal of Polytechnical High School, Los Angeles, California. Committee on Nominations reported the following: For President-H. B. Brown, president of Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana For Vice-President James Ferguson, head of department of commerce, Mission High School, San Francisco, California. For Secretary James S. Curry, teacher of commercial department, High School, Cleveland, Ohio. On motion, the report of the committee was adopted and the nominees were declared elected as officers of the department for the ensuing year. Committee on Resolutions reported, in addition resolutions of thanks to the retiring president and secretary, and the local committee, the following: Resolved, That as members of this department we will renew our efforts to the end that the effectiveness of its work shall be increased and its influence more definitely felt in the educational world. Resolved, That we heartily indorse the position taken by the Leland Stanford Junior University and other institutions of higher education in recognizing the value of commercial studies by placing them on the accedited list. Respectfully submitted, JAMES S. CURRY. On motion the resolutions were adopted by a unanimous vote. F. F. SHOWERS, Secretary. PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS COURSES OF STUDY AND PREPARATION OF TEACHERS FOR COMMERCIAL SCHOOLS H. M. ROWE, AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER OF COMMERCIAL TEXTS, BALTIMORE, MD. The Business Educators Association, which was organized in New York in 1878, became the Department of Business Education of the National Educational Association at the Saratoga meeting in 1892, and held its first meeting in 1894 at Asbury Park, N. J. At that time its members were mostly teachers in the private commercial schools. Of the original members who came in with the Business Educators Association only a few have since remained continuously active in the department, one of whom, I believe, is Mr. Springer and another is your president. Some of the achievements of this department are distinctive and notable. Almost continuously since its organization the policy has been followed of taking up the investigation and discussion of such subjects as would provide substantial additions to the available fund of authoritative information pertaining to commercial courses and commercial instruction. In pursuance of this policy, at the Denver meeting in 1895 a committee was appointed to prepare a suggestive outline of business-college studies. This committee reported thru its chairman, J. M. Mehan, president of Capital City Commercial College, Des Moines, Ia., at the Buffalo meeting in July 1896. The committee was continued and again reported at Milwaukee in 1897, when it was instructed to put its report in shape for publication by the United States Commissioner of Education, who, I believe, published it the following year. This report was a very useful contribution to the literature of commercial education in the private schools at that time, and, indeed, has since been practi cally the standard for courses of study in these schools. The report is published substantially as it appeared in its final form in the National Educational Association report of 1896. While the proceedings of a number of the meetings of the Business Educators Association had been published prior to its becoming a department of the National Educational Association, this report may justly be designated as the first well-considered and authoritative expression of what should constitute a good course of study for commercial schools, and more especially the private schools. At the Detroit meeting in 1901, upon resolution, a committee of nine was appointed to prepare a monograph on the subject, "Commercial Education in High Schools." D. W. Springer, director of business department, High School, Ann Arbor, Mich., was chairman of that committee. It made a preliminary report, outlining a course of study, at the Minneapolis meeting in 1902. The committee was continued and reported again at the Boston meeting in 1903, at which time the final report of the committee was accepted and was printed as Bulletin No. 23 of the University of the State of New York. I have been informed that several thousand copies of this bulletin have been sold, and there is yet an active demand for it. This monograph on commercial education in high schools must be classed as the second notable achievement of this department. It aroused much interest, considerable discussion, and some criticism. Like most reports of its kind, it did not represent precisely the views of any one of the members of the Committee of Nine. It was intended to be suggestive rather than final, as it was recognized by the committee very early in its deliberations that no course of study could be laid down that would meet all requirements under the varying conditions found in the secondary schools. While it took advanced ground, its general standards and provisions have never been seriously questioned. Both of these reports have been very helpful in giving definite shape and form to commercial courses in the public and private schools. They were thoroly discussed and criticised in this department, before their publication. These various expressions of opinion from as many sources were useful to the committees in their deliberations. At the Asbury Park meeting in 1905 it was decided that inasmuch as courses of study for both the public and private schools had been fully considered, the next logical topic for consideration should be the preparation and improvement of commercial teachers, with the result that the following resolution was adopted: Resolved, That Cheesman A. Herrick, W. A. Scott, I. O. Crissy, and H. M. Rowe be appointed a committee, with power to add to their number as they may desire, for the purpose of considering the question of "The Preparation of Commerical Teachers." The chairman, Dr. Herrick, has suggested the following working-plan for the monograph, which it is the intention of this committee to prepare: THE PREPARATION OF COMMERCIAL TEACHERS 1. Introductory-Importance of the subject and plan of this monograph, by Cheesman A. Herrick, Central High School, Philadelphia. 2. Standards for commercial teachers-Present and ideal; comparison with standards for other teachers, etc., by Durand W. Springer, high school, Ann Arbor, Mich. 3. Remuneration for commercial teachers-Present, comparison with remuneration 'for other teachers and suggestions for change, by I. O. Crissy, regents' office Albany. 4. Ways of improving commercial teachers already at work-Summer schools, correspondence courses, teachers' associations, professional journals, etc., by H. M. Rowe, Baltimore, Md. 5. Higher schools of commerce to train in the subject-matter of commercial branches, by James T. Young, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 6. Possibilities of normal schools in the preparation of commercial teachers, by H. B. Brown, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind. 7. University schools of education as a means of preparing commercial teachers, by George F. James, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. 8. Methods of preparing commercial teachers in Germany and France, by Professor Charles DeGarmo, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Several of the subdivisions of the topic, you will observe, are included for discussion in our program with the purpose of securing expressions of opinion and criticisms for the future consideration of the committee, which I presume will be known as the Committee on Commercial Teachers. In the suggested plan for the preparation of the monograph, I have been assigned to prepare that part of it which deals with "Ways of Improving Commercial Teachers Already at Work." Therefore, instead of any special president's address, I shall refer briefly to a few points which must be considered. in connection with my assignment, although Mr. Weber in today's program will present the main discussion on the subject. The history of the development of commercial and industrial education in our country is unique and in many respects is different from the history of any other special group of studies arranged for a special purpose. Training for business pursuits was necessary with us because, for some reason, in the early days our people did not take kindly to the apprenticeship system, which is still in vogue to some extent in foreign countries. There was a scarcity of bookkeepers and clerks, and thus it came about that schools of bookkeeping and penmanship were opened where young men were taught the rudiments of these branches. After a while commercial schools of this description began to spring up at various points and it was not long before a large number of them had been established with some additional branches included in their courses of study. Teachers in these schools were selected mostly from the young men who attended them, and who were usually of limited education. Many of them had been country-school teachers, and, indeed, it is from this source principally that the teachers of these schools have been recruited ever since earnest, energetic, conscientious men in many instances, capable of doing their work |