EDUCATIONAL BULLETIN PUBLISHED MONTHLY EXCEPT JULY AND AUGUST BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CARSON CITY, NEVADA Entered as second-class matter May 22, 1919, at the postoffice at Carson City, Nevada, under the Act of August 24, 1912. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized August 21, 1919. AMERICA'S GIFT TO FRANCE In most of the States the campaign to raise $250,000 for the construction of America's Gift to France" has already been made. There has been delay in organizing the work in a number of States, Nevada among the number. In order to give some information on this subject and to arouse interest among teachers and pupils and through them to arouse public support of this patriotic plan, the following information has been sent out: "America's Gift to France" will take the form of a heroic statue designed by Frederick MacMonnies, American sculptor. It will be placed in a position overlooking the Marne River near the village of Meaux, where the first German advance on Paris was stopped on September 6, 1914, less than twenty miles from Paris. The idea of a memorial gift from America, to commemorate this victory over the enemies of civilization, originated with a group of Americans who have formed a National Committee, with Thomas W. Lamont as chairman and Myron T. Herrick, former Ambassador to France, as chairman of the executive committee. Like the Statue of Liberty, the Marne memorial will be of colossal size. According to the present plans of the sculptor. it will present the Spirit of Liberty as a woman, struggling with undaunted courage against her enemies. This central figure will be reinforced by others representing, probably, the Allies of France, the whole group taking the general form of a pyramid, which to Mr. MacMonnies signifies defensive strength. The Statue of Liberty was paid for by popular subscriptions in small amounts, poured in from every corner of France. Our gift to France will cost $250,000, about the same as the cost of the Statue of Liberty, and it will be paid for in the same way as France paid for her gift to us. It is more expressive of the spirit of the gift to have small contributions from all the people than large donations from a few. Why Schools Should Cooperate The Child's World— School is the one place common to all. It is the only place where children of every creed and of every race meet in one common undertaking. It is the most thoroughly representative national unit, and in a plan such as this, where we are making an expression of our national feeling and our national life, it is important to have the undivided interest and support of the school children of America. Moreover, the child's world is more truly the entire world than that of the grown man. In the study of history and geography the child's mind journeys to the scene of every great struggle that has marked the progress of mankind. Living more easily in a world of imagination than the adult, the child has an enthusiasm and an interest that are more quickly kindled. With the lessons of history fresh in his mind and his readily awakened sympathy, the school child is peculiarly fitted to receive the message of patriotism and gratitude expressed in this gift and to carry the message into American homes. The Child's Share— Teachers will see the merit in the plan for all America to give something-a penny, a nickel, or more-to build a statue on the site which marks the French victory-a statue symbolic of America's lasting gratitude. In no more effective way could the lesson of patriotism be taught, nor the keen realization of the momentous world conflict be brought home. Every school child in America knows of the Statue of Liberty. It was the schools of France which led in the project which placed the statue in the harbor of New York. It is only fitting that the school children of America should have a share in 'America's Gift to France." A French Schoolgirl's Thought It was only a little river, almost a brook. One could talk from one side to the other without raising one's voice, and the birds could fly over it with one sweep of their The ocean is so vast that the seagulls do not dare to cross it. STATE TEACHERS' EXAMINATIONS IN JUNE It looks now as though the time for holding the state teachers' examinations would be the week beginning June 14. Reports concerning teachers who need to take these examinations this year are not all in as yet. Every person interested should write either to the Deputy Superintendent of the district, or to the State Superintendent's office at Carson City. Teachers who would like to take these examinations, but who will be out of the State before June 14, should also correspond with one of the above school officers in regard to the matter. DISPLAYING THE AMERICAN FLAG There is no Federal law now in force pertaining to the manner of displaying, hanging, or saluting the flag of the United States, or prescribing any of the ceremonies that should be observed in connection therewith. In fact there are but two Federal laws on the statute books that have any bearing upon this subject-one the Act of Congress, approved February 20, 1905 (33 Stat. L., p. 725), providing that a trademark cannot be registered which consists of or comprises, inter alia. The Flag, Coat of Arms or other insignia of the United States or any simulation thereof"; and the other the Act of Congress, approved February 8, 1917 (Public No. 305, 64th Cong.), providing certain penalties for the desecration, mutilation or improper use of the flag within the District of Columbia. Nevada forbids the use of the flag for advertising purposes and punishes public mutilation, trampling or casting contempt upon the flag as a misdemeanor. It is the practice in the Army, each day in the year, to hoist the flag briskly at sunrise, irrespective of the condition of the weather, and to lower it slowly and ceremoniously at sunset, indicating the commencement and cessation of the activities of the day; and to display it at half-staff on Memorial Day (May 30) from sunrise until noon, and at full staff from noon until sunset, and also on other days specially designated for that purpose by the proper authority, the flag always being first hoisted to the top of the staff before being lowered to the half-staff position. Considerable discussion has arisen throughout the country concerning the proper manner of hanging and displaying the flag for decorative purposes. As already stated, there is no Federal law governing the subject, and individual opinion differs as to the procedure that should or should not be followed. Custom, however, has made the following rules: It should always be put on a staff or pole, if possible. If on a rope, from house to pole, or tree in front of house, the blue field should always be out from house. If hung in front of a building under or between windows, but flat against the building, the blue field must always be hung toward the north or east, as follows: On the streets running north and south, on the east side of such street the blue field would be toward the north and would be in the upper left-hand corner as you would look at the flag from the street. On the west side the blue field would be in the upper right-hand corner. On streets running east and west the blue field would be toward the east, so that on the north side of such a street the blue field would be in the upper righthand corner, and on the south side of such streets the blue field would be in the upper left-hand corner. The only reason that can be found for the adoption of the customs of the blue field being placed toward the north or east is that in all sciences these directions are regarded as "positive." For instance, in map-making the northern and eastern portions of a city are always outlined in heavier markings. Under no circumstances should the flag be draped over chairs or benches to be used for seating purposes, and no object or emblem of any kind should be placed above or upon it. Existing regulations governing the Army provide that when officers and enlisted men pass the National Flag, not encased, they will render honors as follows: If in uniform, they will salute; If in civilian dress and covered, they will uncover, holding the headdress opposite the left shoulder with the right hand; if uncovered, they will salute with the right-hand salute. Old or worn-out flags should not be used either for banners or for any secondary purpose. When a flag is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display it should not be cast aside nor used in any way that might be viewed as disrespectful to the national colors, but should be destroyed as a whole privately, preferably by burning or by some other method lacking in any suggestion of irreverence or disrespect due the emblem representing our country. If the teachers throughout the State will make use of the information contained in the above carefully prepared statement of laws and customs pertaining to the "Display of the American Flag," prepared by Adjutant-General Maurice J. Sullivan, the boys and girls of the State will have a more intelligent and deeper interest in the significance of our national banner. This statement is given in this issue of the Bulletin in order that it may be preserved at hand for use in the schools of the State, not only as Memorial and Flag Day approach, but as a constant source of information for the use of teachers and children. NEVADA'S PLACE IN SAVINGS AND THRIFT In the Thrift program that is being put in operation in the schools throughout the Nation the practice of Thrift, to follow up the teaching of the purpose and the necessity of Thrift, manifests itself more largely perhaps in the purchase of Thrift and War Savings Stamps and Treasury Saving Certificates. As a measure of progress made in such Thrift practice during the past year, the report of the Treasury Department on total receipts for the year 1919 from the sale of these three forms of investment is interesting and suggestive. These total sales for the year amounted to $138,813,418.14 in the forty-eight States. and the District of Columbia, or an average of $1.26 per capita. In this respect Nevada made a fair showing, reaching an average of $1.60 per capita, giving Nevada second place among the seven Pacific Coast States of the Twelfth Federal Reserve District; Oregon leads with an average of $2.07. Nevada has tenth place among the States of the Union. Considering the rapidity with which a few large purchases of Saving Certificates bring up the per capita average, this good standing in terms of averages is not as creditable to the average citizen as the surface figures seem to indicate. The boys and girls of our State should be doing still more in the way of making these investments. We have done well, but we are to do much better this year if we live up to our Thrift program and its teachings. It should be considered a low average to have every boy and girl, man and woman in the State, on the average, the purchaser of at least $5 worth of these saving securities during this year. NEVADA TEACHERS' SERVICE RECORDS Retirement Salary Act To Be Amended. At the 1919 session of the Legislature the Retirement Salary Act was amended in two particulars-one affecting the income to the Teachers' Permanent Fund; the other affecting the outgo from the fund. The income to the fund was affected by abolishing the contributions from the teachers and increasing the rate of state taxes for the the fund from 3 mills to 5 mills. The outgo from the fund was affected by increasing the retirement salary from $500 to $600 a year. In the May (1919) Nevada Educational Bulletin, on page 4, it was stated with reference to the abolishing of the contributions from teachers that "Governor Boyle permitted the Act to become a law without his signature, despite his objection to the removal of payments from those teachers who are to share in the benefits of its retirement provisions. Inasmuch as the entire subject of teachers' retirement salary fund provisions is to be investigated to secure adequate data for a scientific basis, the new law was allowed to become effective pending such further investigation." Further, it was stated that "The real situation as to our Retirement Act can be determined before the next meeting of the Legislature." The Collection of Needed Data. A-Purpose: Pursuant to the understanding regarding the making of an investigation in order to determine as definitely as possible what will be needed in the way of further changes to remove the objections to, the Retirement Salary Act which have heretofore obtained, the Retirement Salary Board has set about collecting the information necessary for an intelligent working-out of a system with the objectionable features removed. Briefly, the objections to, or weaknesses of, the Retirement Salary Act, as previously and now constituted, are two, as follows: |