July 26, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



127 



commissioner of health. New York; John J. 

 Cronin, M.D., assistant chief medical in- 

 spector. Board of Health, New York City; 

 Robert W. Lovett, A.B., M.D., instructor in 

 orthopedic surgery. Harvard Medical School; 

 K. Tait McKenzie, A.B., M.D., professor and 

 director of physical education, Universiy of 

 Pennsylvania; Edmund J. James, LL.D., 

 president, University of Illinois; Champe S. 

 Andrews, president, Public Health Defense 

 League, New York City; Elliot G. Brackett, 

 M.D., surgeon, orthopedic department, Massa- 

 chusetts General Hospital; George H. Martin, 

 LL.D., secretary, Massachusetts State Board 

 of Education ; Miss Evelyn Goldsmith, teacher 

 in charge of School for Crippled Children, 

 New York City; Miss Jessie Benton Mont- 

 gomery, principal and critic of grammar de- 

 partment, Wisconsin State Normal School; 

 Miss Brigham, director physical training, 

 Wisconsin State Normal School; Miss Isabel 

 Bevier, professor of domestic sciences. Uni- 

 versity of Illinois; Francis C. Woodman, 

 head master, Morristown School, Morristown, 

 N. J. ; Joseph P. Chamberlain, Santa Barbara, 

 Cal.; Anna J. McKeag, M.D., Wellesley Col- 

 lege, Wellesley, Mass.; William Oldright, 

 M.D., Toronto, Canada ; F. C. Robinson, 

 LL.D., professor of chemistry and mineral- 

 ogy, Bowdoin, and member State Board of 

 Health, Brunswick, Me. The international 

 vice-presidents representing the American 

 School Association are Dr. Walcott, Dr. 

 Gulick and Dr. Lovett. 



At the recent Los Angeles meeting of the 

 National Education Association, the board of 

 directors voted that the action of the asso- 

 ciation in 1898, accepting the simplified spell- 

 ing of the " twelve words," should be re- 

 scinded, and the old spellings of these words 

 adopted for all the association's correspondence 

 and publications. At the final session of the 

 association, however, by a vote of 209 to 22 

 the following resolution was passed: 



The National Educational Association approves 

 the efforts of the Simplified Spelling Board, and 

 other bodies, to promote the simplification of Eng- 

 lish spelling by the judicious omission of useless 

 silent letters, and the substitution of a more regu- 

 lar and intelligent spelling in place of forms that 



are grossly irregular and anomalous, such amend- 

 ments to be made according to the existing rules 

 and analogies of English spelling, with a due re- 

 gard to the standards accepted by scholars; and 

 the association hereby approves the simpler forms 

 contained in the list of three hundred words now 

 spelled in two or more ways, published by the Sim- 

 plified Spelling Board, and containing the twelve 

 simplified forms now used by this association, and 

 directs that those simpler forms be used in the 

 publications of the association in accordance with 

 the rule now in force. 



Plans for the present season's work of the 

 Illinois Geological Survey have recently been 

 adopted and are now being carried out. In 

 the coal investigations Mr. David White, of 

 the U. S. Geological Survey, is making a 

 general investigation of the paleobotany of 

 the coal beds. Mr. F. W. De Wolf, assisted 

 by A. J. Ellis, is making detailed surveys in 

 the southern part of the state and near Spring- 

 field. Dr. J. A. Udden and I. J. Broman are 

 making detailed surveys in the area east of 

 St. Louis. Dr. Stuart Weller is extending 

 his systematic researches on the Mississippian 

 stratigraphy. Mr. T. E. Savage is carrying on 

 similar investigations of the Devonian under 

 the direction of Dr. Schuehert. Dr. U. S. 

 Grant, assisted by G. H. Cady, John Udden 

 and others, is investigating the Portland 

 cement materials of the state. E. F. Lines is 

 to study certain clay deposits and H. F. Bain 

 is looking up the oil fields. Professor Salis- 

 bury, assisted by Messrs. Trowbridge and 

 Jones, is studying the physiography and 

 Pleistocene deposits of the Wheaton and 

 Springfield quadrangles. In the laboratory, 

 Professor Parr and Mr. W. F. Wheeler are 

 continuing their study of the composition of 

 coals, while Professor Bleininger will assist 

 in the study of cement materials. 



Nature states that the New Zealand govern- 

 ment is about to undertake extensive trawling 

 of an experimental nature. Mr. L. F. Ayson, 

 chief inspector of fisheries, will be in charge, 

 and Mr. Edgar R. Waite, curator of the Can- 

 terbury Museum, Christchurch, has been ap- 

 pointed zoologist to the expedition. Collec- 

 tions will be made of all marine products, 

 which will be investigated, so far as possible. 



