crosby] AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION 73 



At the close of the Round Table discussion a department of the 

 National Education Association to be known as the Department 

 of Rural and Agricultural Education, was organized by the elec- 

 tion of the following officers: President, E. C. Bishop, Lincoln, 

 Xebr. ; vice-president, D. B. Johnson, Rock Hill, S. C. ; secretary, 

 E. E. Balcomb, Weatherford, Okla. 



A number of other societies met with the Department of Super- 

 intendence. Among these was the National Committee on 

 Agricultural Education, which held meetings on the evening of 

 February 24 and the afternoon of February 26. The main busi- 

 ness considered by this Committee was the training of teachers 

 for industrial work and a discussion of ways and means for pro- 

 moting legislation giving Federal aid to State normal schools. 

 For several years there has been under consideration in Congress a 

 bill known as the Burkett-Pollard Bill, which provides for an 

 initial appropriation of $500,000, to be increased by $100,000 a 

 year until it amounts to $1,000,000, to be divided among the 

 several States and Territories for the encouragement and support 

 of instruction in agriculture, manual training and home economics 

 in state normal schools. Another bill known as the Davis Bill, 

 which was introduced at the Second Session of the Fifty-Ninth 

 Congress, provides for an appropriation by the Federal Govern- 

 ment of 10 cents per capita to be used in the several states and 

 territories for the encouragement and support of mechanic arts 

 and home economics in city high schools and of agriculture and 

 home economics in agricultural high schools for rural communi- 

 ties. This bill would provide an appropriation of about $8,000,000 

 for the support of industrial education. While no attack upon 

 either measure was made by the friends of the other measure, 

 there was a feeling on the part of those attending the convention 

 that with two such measures under consideration in Congress at 

 the same time the passage of one or the other must be deferred 

 indefinitely. This led to an attitude approaching coolness 

 between the respective advocates of these measures, which was 

 happily dispelled before the convention adjourned. The National 

 Committee on Agricultural Education invited Congressman Davis 

 to meet with its subcommittee on ways and means, which he did, 

 and the meeting resulted in an earnest but friendly discussion on 

 the whole situation. This led to a proposition on the part of Mr. 

 Davis to amend his bill, deferring the giving of aid to high schools 



