July 14, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



47 



The men who have done most to develop the 

 subject of representation in land relief have 

 invariably had artistic instincts and training 

 as well as a technical knowledge of earth 

 form. Professor Albert Heim, the most emi- 

 nent geologist of Switzerland, an artist by dis- 

 position, may be regarded as the world's 

 pioneer in the rational interpretation of relief 

 work on the lands and the principles of nat- 

 uralistic earth representation. Schrader, of 

 Paris, geographer and artist, has contributed 

 to the progress; Imfeldt, engineer and artist, 

 has produced remarkable work among the 

 mountains of Europe. Had Professor W. H. 

 Holmes brought bis own rare geologic and ar- 

 tistic ability to bear on this subject there is 

 little doubt that the United States would to- 

 day stand high in the work that has been 

 produced in the most accurate, complete, and 

 expressive means for representing the face of 

 our earth, the naturalistic land model. 



g. c. cuetis 



Boston, 



June 1, 1911 



A FUND FOB PUBLIC SCHOOL BETTER- 

 MENT IN PITTSBURGB 



Two years ago a generous friend of educa- 

 tion placed in the hands of a small commis- 

 sion a fund of $250,000, the income from 

 which was to be used for public school better- 

 ment in the city of Pittsburgh of which Dr. 

 John A. Brashear is chairman. The commis- 

 sion sought and obtained the advice of many 

 of the foremost educators as to best means of 

 helping the grade schools in the way of in- 

 creased efficiency, with particular reference 

 to the betterment of the social, physical and 

 moral improvement of the students, as also 

 their preparation for life's work. 



As a result of many conferences, it was de- 

 cided to send VO selected teachers to various 

 summer schools in this country with instruc- 

 tions to take only those studies which tended 

 to greater efficiency in the lines above noted, 

 and at the same time to conserve their own 

 health by combining rest and recreation with 

 their summer courses. As a result very in- 

 teresting and valuable reports were brought 

 back by at least 85 per cent, of those who 



were sent away for study, and the school year 

 just passed has demonstrated the fact that the 

 teachers came back with increased enthusiasm 

 and a desire to share the benefits derived from 

 their studies with their fellow teachers. 



With such satisfactory results from last 

 year's labors, the commission decided upon 

 the same general plan for this year — and after 

 a most careful study of the nearly 500 appli- 

 cants for scholarships — from the 1,700 teach- 

 ers of the city — one hundred and thirty-five 

 have been selected and will be sent to the fol- 

 lowing institutions : 



Coliunbia University 21 



Harvard University 21 



Cornell University 11 



University of Pennsylvania 4 



University of Chicago 6 



Chautauqua 13 



Pennsylvania State College 2 



University of New York 3 



Grove City College, Pa 5 



University of Pittsburgh 



Long term 8 



Short term 35 



Chicago School of Applied Arts .... 1 



New York School of Applied Arts . . 1 



New York School of Philanthropy . . 1 



New York Kindergarten College .... 1 



With a surplus of the fund left over from 

 last year the commission has organized a 

 vocational bureau to look after the interests 

 of the boys and girls who must leave the 

 grade schools to earn a livelihood which 

 promises so well that we hope to show its 

 great value to the new school commission, 

 which will take charge of our public schools 

 on the first of January, 1912, and induce the 

 commission to make it an integral part of the 

 public school system. 



Associated with this, though not directly 

 connected with it, a hospital school for the 

 study of defective children has been doing 

 splendid work. 



SONOBASY MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN 

 PHYSICAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 



The American Physical Education Asso- 

 ciation at its recent meeting passed the fol- 

 lowing minute: 



