4. Backward pupils, deaf pupils, and others who need special methods of instruction should be temporarily or permanently segregated in special rooms of the regular elementary schools.

5. Ungraded schools should be established as suggested in the body of the paper. 6. Manual training and other subjects of study more profitable and interesting than some of those now pursued should be introduced into the elementary grades.

7. For every new subject introduced some subject, now taught, should be curtailed or omitted.

In all of our special departments, as I have already indicated, methods involving muscular activity of pupils play a most important part. Many of the methods which are justified by science have first been discovered by a sympathetic insight. There is as much in knowing children as in scholarship; the blending of the two makes the ideal teacherthat firm and sympathetic guide and companion who has the sixth sense of divination and whose personality pervades and permeates the very air of the school. Such should be the teacher of any room; such must be the teacher placed in charge of special and ungraded rooms.

DISCUSSION

W. N. CLIFFORD, superintendent of schools, Council Bluffs, Iowa.-In schools, as everywhere else, the good and the bad are mingled together. It is not easy to tell who are really bad, that is bad by purpose or intention, and who are accidentally bad. By accidentally bad, I mean those who thoughtlessly do things which would be wrong in school and not necessarily wrong elsewhere.

Of course, there are some pupils who get into the schools who are not willing to respond readily to the good influences, and who ought to be separated from the rest of the school. By the separation of these pupils into small groups they can be brought more directly under the influence of the teacher and often saved. As a result, in many of the larger cities, and no doubt it will spread to the smaller towns, separate rooms are established for ungraded pupils and pupils who are incorrigible in conduct.

The ungraded or special room for pupils who are behind in their studies ought not in any way to be confused with the rooms that are established for the purpose of correction. It would be a most excellent plan if in every system of schools it was possible to establish an ungraded room to help the children who have been out of school and are not able to keep up with their class. It is not so necessary in the small town as in the large city to establish the school for the incorrigibles, and it would not be necessary to establish these schools anywhere if the size of the rooms could be reduced to a maximum of thirty pupils with a daily attendance of from twenty to twenty-five. At present forty is maintained as the average assignment to each room and oftentimes the rooms are larger. It would be much to the advantage of the teacher and children if the actual attendance never exceeded twenty-five, and there is no doubt that the patrons will recognize this fact in the coming years.

Nearly all the large cities, like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and others, have the incorrigible school. In one of the recent educational magazines there was printed the report of a school of this kind at Roxbury, Mass. To this school was assigned the very best teacher in the city. Not more than twenty desks were placed in the room, and the actual attendance was about ten or twelve boys. These boys came from different parts of the city. They brought their lunch and stayed in session from nine until about two o'clock. The major part of the time was given to manual training and physical exercises.

One reason why so many children become incorrigible in school is due to the fact that schools are not made interesting and many pupils do not appreciate and enjoy studying. If they could have a variety of employment and the practical application of their

lessons there is no doubt that they would do their work well. They take the regular class instruction something in the same way as Nicholas Nickleby took his sulphur and treacle, but nevertheless they would do the work and learn to enjoy it from the pleasure they would get out of doing the work in the manual-training department.

The establishment of the industrial arts has come slowly in the public schools. All the larger cities have done a good deal along this line, and when the smaller towns realize its importance and provide the money for the establishment of such schools, there will be less trouble about the failure in school work and in attendance and in discipline than now exists.

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF EDUCATION

CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE

The National Council of Education shall have for its object the consideration and discussion of educational questions of general interest and public importance, and the presentation, thru printed reports, of the substance of the discussions and the conclusions formulated. It shall be its object to reach and disseminate correct thinking on educational questions; and, for this purpose, it shall be the aim of the Council, in conducting its discussions, to define and state with accuracy the different views and theories on the subject under consideration, and secondly, to discover and represent fairly the grounds and reasons for each theory or view, so far as to show, as completely as possible, the genesis of opinion on the subject. It shall be the duty of the Council, in pursuance of this object, to encourage from all its members the most careful statement of differences in opinion, together with the completest statement of grounds for the same. It shall further require the careful preservation and presentation of the individual differences of opinion, whenever grounds have been furnished for the same by members of the Council. It shall invite the freest discussion and embody the new suggestions developed by such discussions. Any member making such suggestion or objection may put in writing his view, and the grounds therefor, and furnish the same to the secretary for the records of the Council. It shall prepare, thru its president, an annual report to the National Education Association, setting forth the questions considered by the Council during the previous year, and placing before the Association, in succinct form, the work accomplished. It shall embody in this report a survey of those educational topics which seem to call for any action on the part of the Association. The Council shall appoint, out of its own number, committees representing the several departments of education, and thereby facilitate the exchange of opinion among its members on such special topics as demand the attention of the profession or of the public.

ARTICLE I-MEMBERSHIP

1. The National Council of Education shall consist of sixty members, selected from the membership of the National Education Association. Any member of the Association identified with educational work is eligible to membership in the Council, and, after the first election, such membership shall continue for six years, except as hereinafter provided.

2. In the year 1885 the Board of Directors shall elect eight members--four members for six years, two for four years, and two for two years, and the Council shall elect eight members-five members for six years, two for four years and one for two years; and annually thereafter the Board of Directors shall elect five members and the Council five members, each member, with the exception hereinafter provided for (sec. 5), to serve six years, or until his successor is elected.

3. The annual election of members of the Council shall be held in connection with the annual meetings of the Association. If the Board of Directors shall fail, for any reason, to fill its quota of members annually, the vacancy or vacancies shall be filled by the Council.

4. The term of service of the several members of the Council chosen at the first election shall be arranged by the Executive Committee of the Council.

5. The absence of a member from two consecutive annual meetings of the Council shall be considered equivalent to resignation of membership, and the Council shall fill vacancies caused by absence from the Council as herein defined, as well as vacancies caused by death or resignation, for the unexpired term. All persons who have belonged to the Council shall, on the expiration of their membership, become honorary members, with the privilege of attending its regular sessions and participating in its discussions. No state shall be represented in the Council by more than eight members.

ARTICLE II-QUALIFICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

All members of the Council shall be either life or active members of the National Education Association.

ARTICLE III-MEETINGS

There shall be a regular annual meeting of the Council held at the same place as the meeting of the National Education Association, and at least two days previous to this meeting. There may be special meetings of the Council, subject to the call of the Executive Committee, but the attendance at these meetings shall be entirely voluntary, A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting, whether regular or called; but any less number, exceeding eight members, may constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the regular annual meeting, as defined in this article.

ARTICLE IV-THE WORK OF THE COUNCIL

The Council shall, from time to time, undertake to initiate, conduct, and guide the thoro investigation of important educational questions originating in the Council; also to conduct like investigations originating in the National Education Association, or any of its departments, and requiring the expenditure of funds.

ARTICLE V-THE APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES
AND EXPERTS

In the appointment of special committees, and in the selection of writers and speakers, it shall be the privilege of the Council to appoint such experts, whether members of the Council or not, as are deemed best qualified to conduct investigations.

ARTICLE VI-OFFICERS

At the annual election of officers in 1904 the president of the Council shall be elected for a term of three years, the vice-president for a term of two years, and the secretary, for a term of one year; and thereafter annually the vacancy caused by the outgoing officers shall be filled by the election of one person for a term of three years.

It shall be the duty of the president of the Council to prepare, with the assistance and approval of the Executive Committee, such a program for the annual meeting as shall realize as fully as practicable the purposes for which the Council was organized and exists. ARTICLE VII-STANDING COMMITTEES

1. There shall be four standing committees: an Executive Committee, a Committee on Membership, a Committee on Educational Progress, and a Committee on Investigations and Appropriations.

2. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the president of the Council and of three other members, whose terms of office shall be so arranged that one new member may be chosen each year, beginning with the year 1899.

3. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to provide an annual program by selecting, whenever feasible subjects for investigation, and appointing committees to conduct such investigations. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to carry