338 



SCIENCE 



[N.S. Vol. XXV. No. 635 



THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACH- 

 ERS OF THE MATHEMATICAL AND 

 THE NATURAL SCIENCES 



In accordance with a call, issued by joint 

 action of a committee of the American 

 Society of Teachers of Mathematics and 

 the Natural Sciences and one of the Cen- 

 tral Association of Science and Mathemat- 

 ics Teachers, a meeting of delegates of a 

 number of associations was held in New 

 York oji December 27, 1906, for the pur- 

 pose of discussing the formation of a fed- 

 eration of associations of teachers of science 

 and mathematics. A roll of the meeting 

 was taken, and it was found that there were 

 present 27 delegates, representing seven 

 associations, as follows: The Association of 

 Teachers of Mathematics of the Middle 

 States and Maryland, 9 delegates ; the New 

 York State Science Teachers' Association 

 (Mathematics Section), 6 delegates; the 

 Central Association of Science and Mathe- 

 matics Teachers, 5 delegates; the Associa- 

 tion of the Teachers of Mathematics of New 

 England, 3 delegates; the Association of 

 the Teachers of Physics of Washington 

 City, 2 delegates; the Missouri Society of 

 Teachers of Mathematics and Science, 1 

 delegate; the New Jei'sey State Science 

 Teachers' Association, 1 delegate. 



Professor T. S. Fiske, of the Association 

 of Teachers of Mathematics of the Middle 

 States and Maryland, was elected chairman 

 of the meeting, and Professor C. E. Mann, 

 of the Central Association of Science and 

 Mathematics Teachers, was made secretary. 



After some preliminary discussion, it 

 v/as, on motion duly seconded, unanimously 

 voted : 



That it is recommended that there be 

 formed, by the various associations of 

 teachers of science and of mathematics, an 

 'American Federation of Teachers of the 

 Mathematical and the Natural Sciences.' 



The question of the form of the organ- 

 ization was then taken up. Two different 



forms were proposed : one, that of a single 

 society of teachers of mathematics and the 

 mathematical sciences, the membership to 

 be limited to associations that publish lit- 

 erature and reports; the other, a rather 

 loose federation of all associations of teach- 

 ers of either mathematical or natural sci- 

 ences, the membership being limited to asso- 

 ciations that have more than fifty members. 

 The first of these forms was that adopted 

 by the American Society of Teachers of 

 Mathematics and the Natural Sciences at 

 the conference held at Asbury Park in 

 1905. The latter form was proposed by 

 the Central Association of Science and 

 Mathematics Teachers. 



In the discussion of this question, the 

 latter form of organization was shown to 

 be less formal and more flexible and to 

 interfere less with the individual activities 

 of the associations. Because this form of 

 federation appeared to furnish the neces- 

 sary basis for a first step toward a more 

 complete organization, and because it was 

 considered advisable that associations not 

 represented at the meeting should have a 

 voice in the final decision, it was, on motion 

 duly seconded, unanimously voted: 



That the form of organization proposed 

 by the Central Association of Science and 

 Mathematics Teachers in the printed cir- 

 cular issued by them be tentatively adopted 

 for the coming year, the final form of 

 organization to be decided at the next meet- 

 ing. 



No officers were elected ; but an executive 

 committee, which should look after the 

 formation and development of the Federa- 

 tion pending permanent organization, was 

 elected as follows: T. S. Fiske, Colum- 

 bia University, chairman; C. R. Mann, 

 University of Chicago, secretary-treasurer; 

 H. W. Tyler, Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology; R. B. Dodge, Teachers Col- 

 lege, New York ; F. N. Peters, Kansas City 

 High School. 



