288 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW |4 :9-dec. ,908 



continued, with instructions to present the proposed bill to the 

 legislature. It is assumed that this bill will come before the ses- 

 sion of the legislature this winter. The Illinois W. C. T. U. is 

 opposed to any change in the law, being satisfied with the present 

 statute and fearing that to bring the matter before the legislature 

 may endanger the existing provision. 



It is indeed unfortunate that two bodies of earnest workers in a 

 common cause should differ so radically in their convictions. It 

 would seem that methods of instruction should be determined by 

 authorities in pedagogy rather than by laymen, just as medical 

 treatment is determined by the physician. No one objects to the 

 state passing upon the qualifications' of a candidate for the medi- 

 cal profession, but, once qualified, he should resent dictation as 

 to his mode of procedure in a given case. This is met by the 

 argument that without legal enforcement the subject of tem- 

 perance is neglected. 



It is simple justice to state that many members of the Illinois 

 W. C. T. U., including some of the State officers, sympathize with 

 the contention of the teachers' committee and grant the validity 

 of the arguments against the present statute. On the other 

 hand, certain activities so clearly indicate the attitude of at least 

 some who wear the white ribbon that it may be worth while to let 

 the facts be known. 



Since the publication of the report of the Committee on Phy- 

 siology* of the Illinois State Teachers' Association, the members 

 of that committee have been in receipt of a number of communi- 

 cations from ministerial associations throughout the State pro- 

 testing against any change in the present law. Courteous replies 

 to these and inquiries concerning the basis of action has revealed 

 the fact that many if not all of these protests were prompted by 

 an appeal from Miss Marie Brehm, then vice-president of the 

 Illinois W. C. T. U., and that in at least a portion of these cases— 

 if not all — the action was voted without any hearing or investiga- 

 tion of the teachers' side of the argument. Later (in May, 1908, 

 A. D.!) the following petition appeared and was given circulation 

 through the State by members of the women's organization. 



*This may be obtained from J. E. Armstrong, Englewood High School, 

 Chicago. 



