fewer teachers, each would have opportunity to take part in the discussions; and many of them in each section of the county would be called upon, at some time during the year, to take the leading part in a discussion by preparing a short paper or talk upon some problem of school work with which they were familiar. Putting more of themselves into the institute, they would unquestionably get more out of it.

TIME TO THINK IT OVER

Again, there would be ample time for the assimilation of new ideas. After one evening of institute a whole month would elapse before the next session, plenty of time for reflection, for the interaction of old and new ideas upon each other, for, as it were, the mixing of the old and new into a solution, and the crystallization of an entirely new thought product. In other words, the mental food, thoroughly digested, would go to upbuild the intellectual system of the consumer.

PUBLIC GENERALLY BENEFITED

Furthermore, trustees and patrons would be in attendance at the institutes, would take part in the discussions, and would view school matters from what would be to most of them an entirely new and helpful standpoint. More or less complete sympathy and hearty co-operation of teachers, trustees and parents might be hoped for as a result of the frequent interchange of ideas in such local institutes. Moreover, the people of every community in the county would be given opportunity to enjoy a series of first-class educational lectures, as good as can be heard by residents of Los Angeles or San Francisco. Many of the great minds of the land are concerned with the means to make life on the farm better worth living; and as one of the means to this end the evening institute may well be of immense value to the community.

WHERE THE SAVING COMES IN

Finally, in the matter of cost the local evening institute has an enormous advantage over the present plan. An excellent lecturer can be employed for from $100 to $125 for five evenings. Other expenses may bring the total cost to $150 a week, $900 for six series throughout the year. This would effect a saving of $2100 a year from the cost of the present institute in Ventura County; or, as the teachers would probably earn their salaries by teaching during the week which they now spend at the institute, the school funds

would be drawn upon for $900 more than at present. But by the investment of this $900 there would be saved to the children of the county $3000 worth of schooling every year.

FOUR EXCELLENT REASONS

The next legislature, then, ought to pass a bill embodying an amendment to the present law, so as to permit the holding of local evening institutes in lieu of the present annual institute. It ought to do it, first, because the local institute will be, at least, as helpful to the teacher as the present institute; second, because it will be better for trustees and school patrons, ninety per cent of whom are now precluded from attendance; third, because its lectures will be an educational force of the highest value for the people of every community; and fourth, because it will save for the schooling of the children two-thirds of the large amount which the present institute costs.

II. TEACHERS' INSTITUTES

[Political Code of California, Sec. 1560.]

SEC. 1560. The superintendent of every county in which there are twenty or more school districts, and of every city and county, and of every city school district governed by a city board of education and employing seventy or more teachers, must hold at least one teachers' institute in each year; and every teacher employed in the schools of the county, city and county, or city school district holding such institute must attend the same and participate in its proceedings; and shall be paid his regular salary for the time covered by such attendance; provided, that the superintendents of two or more adjoining counties, or city and county, or city school districts may unite for the purpose of a joint institute or convention and may direct the teachers of their respective counties, city and county, or city school districts to attend the same in lieu of all or of a designated part of the county, city and county, or city school district institute, under the same conditions and compensations as are herein provided for the county, city and county, or city school district institute; ... provided, that in lieu of the institute of from three to five consecutive days, as provided in this section and in section 1562 of the Political Code, the superintendent of any county in which there are twenty or more school districts, or of any city and county, or of any city school district governed by a city board of education and employing seventy or more teachers,

may hold during the school year, at places in the county, or city and county, or city school district, chosen by the superintendent for their convenience and accessibility to teachers and patrons of neighboring schools, three or more series of local day or evening institutes which shall provide, at each of the chosen places, not less than ten hours of institute work; provided, that the superintendent may combine the annual institute plan with the local institute plan, by holding, during one or more days, not to exceed three, an annual meeting of all the teachers in the county, or city and county, or city school district, and also holding during the school year one or more series of evening institutes at local points in the county, or city and county, or city school district, the whole to provide not less than ten hours of institute work; provided, that in cities and counties one or more local day or evening institutes of not less than two hours each may be held on not less than three different dates during the year.

III. HISTORY OF THE INDIANA TEACHERS' READING CIRCLE

[From the official booklet of the organization.]

At a meeting of the Indiana Teachers' Association, held at Indianapolis, beginning December 26, 1883, the following resolutions, introduced by W. A. Bell, were adopted:

RESOLVED, I. That the Association proceed at once to inaugurate an organization among the teachers of Indiana, for reading and study, to be known as the "Indiana Teachers' Reading Circle."

II. That this Circle be under the care and direction of the Indiana State Teachers' Association.

III. That this association proceed to choose a Board of Directors, to which shall be intrusted the selection of a course of professional and literary reading, the issuing of certificates of progress and the granting of diplomas as evidence of its completion.

IV. The Board of Directors of the Indiana Teachers' Reading Circle shall consist of eight members, selected by the Association from its own members, two of whom shall serve for one year, two for two years, two for three years, and two for four years, and hereafter two members shall be elected annually to serve for four years. The Board shall elect its officers, arrange its meetings, and record and publish its proceedings.

In accordance with the above resolutions the President, Supt. John S. Irwin, of Fort Wayne, appointed a committee consisting

of W. A. Bell, H. S. Tarbell, and W. W. Grant, to select the Board of Directors.

This committee, before the adjournment of the Association, announced the following persons to constitute the Board of Directors:

Geo. P. Brown,

Hubert M. Skinner,
Mattie Curl Dennis,
John C. McPherson,

J. J. Mills,

Emma Mont. McRae,
Richard G. Boone,
Harvey Hill.

The first meeting of the Board of Directors was held at the State Building in Indianapolis on February 9, 1884. At this meeting a very full discussion of ways and means to be employed resulted in the appointment of a committee on plans of organization. A month later this committee reported the following plan :

THE PLAN OF ORGANIZATION

"1. Any teacher or other person in the State of Indiana may become a member of this circle by forwarding his name to the manager of his county, together with a pledge to faithfully pursue the prescribed course of study, and paying a fee of twenty-five cents for the present year, and for future years, such fees as may be decided upon at the beginning of the year.

2. In case there is no manager within a county, any teacher may become a member of the State Circle and receive all the benefits of the same by applying to the manager of an adjoining county. The members of the State Circle resident in any town, township or neighborhood, may form a local circle, which shall meet once every week or fortnight, as they may elect, for the purpose of reading and discussion.

3. Each local Circle shall elect a secretary, whose name shall be reported to the County Manager, and who shall act as the medium of communication between the local circle and the county manager; but this provision shall not preclude the possibility of individuals who are not members of a local circle reporting directly to the county manager.

4. The general direction of the work in each county shall be placed in charge of the County Superintendent or other person to be appointed by the State Board of Directors, who shall be called the County Manager.

5. It shall be the duty of the county manager to transmit to the teachers of his county all circulars, books, examination questions, etc., issued by the Board of Directors; to solicit and transmit to the Board of Directors names of members and membership

fees, and all examination papers, etc., that shall be called for, and to discharge all duties that may devolve upon him as the medium of communication between the local circle and the Board of Directors.

6. The Board of Directors shall establish and maintain at the capital of the State a bureau, under the charge of the Secretary of the Board, to whom all communications from county managers shall be addressed. Said bureau shall, for the present, be located at the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

7. It shall be the duty of the State Board of Directors to arrange and prescribe two or more courses of readings, along which the reading of the local circle and individual members shall be pursued; but the amount of reading to be done within any given time and other details of the work not herein provided for shall be arranged by the county manager in conjunction with the secretaries of the local circles of the county.

8. It shall be the duty of the State Board of Directors to make provisions for all requisite examinations of the issuance of certificates and diplomas."

The State Board of Education has recognized the importance of the Teachers' Reading Circle to the profession by offering credits on examination for county and State licenses. At the October meeting, 1885, the following order was passed by the Board:

"Ordered, that the Reading Circle examinations in the Science of Teaching (Science of Education or Theory) be accepted by the County Superintendents in place of the county examinations on that subject, and that the average of their four successive yearly examinations in the Science of Teaching be accepted by the State Board of Education in the examinations for State Certificates."

Again, at the May meeting, 1896, the following order was unanimously adopted:

"Ordered, that the Reading Circle examination in the General Culture book be accepted by the County Superintendents in place of the county examinations in literature, and that the average of their four successive yearly examinations in the General Culture books be accepted by the State Board of Education in the examinations for State Certificates."