News Notes 



The report of the Commissioner of Elementary Schools of California is at 

 hand and is very interesting. California has a live wire in its Commissioner 

 of Elementary Schools, Dr. Margaret Schallenberger McNaught. She has 

 under her charge 432,562 pupils and they may be counted fortunate. x\mong 

 the bulletins edited by her for the state is one on good manners. Realizing 

 the difficulty of teaching manners and morals, subjects which are required by 

 law to be taught, this bulletin was written by Dr. McNaught and should be 

 in the hands of ever\^ grade teacher in the United States, 



In northern California, the work of introducing the nature-study field 

 excursion into the schools has finally met with the same success as the campaign 

 to introduce manual training and domestic science. They now have these 

 field excursions just as one sees them all over what might be called the "fair 

 complexioned" part of Europe. 



On Burbank Day, March 7th, a newspaper campaign was started by the 

 Sacramento Bee for the purpose of eventually organizing Audubon Societies at 

 some 150 points throughout the Sacramento Valley. The first part of the 

 campaign was devoted to birds ; the second, to tree planting for supplying bird 

 refuges, as well as for replacing the losses of the primeval trees of the valley 

 floor. Sets of the Mumford Colored Bird Prints are being supplied to each of 

 these 150 centers by Mr. C. M. Goethe of Sacramento. This campaign will be 

 followed by systematic work throughout the year. 



A circular has been issued by Dr. A. H. MacKay, Secretary of Public 

 Instruction of Nova Scotia, to be handed to each teacher in the Province. 

 This circular outlines nature-study observations and gives tables to be filled 

 in by the teachers and returned to the school inspector. These tables ask first 

 for the general topographical and geographical conditions surrounding ^he 

 school; then gives a list of 52 wild plants and 13 cultivated plants, asking 

 when the blossoming of each is first observed and when it becomes common. 

 Information is also asked for the date of beginning certain farm operations; 

 also record of the meteorology of the region. The time of spring and fall 

 migration of 18 birds is asked for; also the dates of first piping of frogs and 

 appearance of snakes. This circular should be the means of collecting very 

 important data. 



A committee of leading educators has been formed for promoting physical 

 education in the public schools of the United States. This committee holds 

 that, "physical training rather than purely military training is desirable." 

 Account of the work of this committe > may be had by sending to Mrs. Harriet 

 P. Thomas, Room 647, Munsey Bldg., Washington, D. C. 



From Clayton F. Palmer, Superintendent of Agriculture in Los Angeles, 

 California city schools, comes a very interesting report on the garden work in 

 that city. Tw(j acres have been made into gardens, which are used as a center 



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