years of age to attend school. This provision is section 138 of the constitution of 1902, and authorizes the legislature, in its discretion, to "provide for the compulsory education of children between the ages of 8 and 12 years." The legislature of 1920 proposed an amendment designed to remove this limitation.

AMERICANIZATION.

Strictly speaking, this term should apply to the process of Americanizing aliens, or foreigners, who come to our country to live. But this restriction of the word has met with some objection, and, besides, there are not a few people of American birth and residence in whom sufficient intelligence and a proper sense of civic responsibility have not been developed, hence the word tends toward a wider significance than merely "Americanizing" the foreign born. This tendency may be seen, for example, in several bills now before Congress in which the instruction of immigrants and the elimination of illiteracy among the native population are linked together. "Americanization" will accordingly be used here for those legislative measures which in effect will promote a more vigorous and intelligent sense of civic respsonsibility, a closer identification of the individual with American interests and aims. Several laws of this class were enacted in 1920.

A New Jersey act (ch. 197) authorizes the board of education of any school district to establish and maintain a class or classes for the instruction of foreign-born residents over 14 years of age. This instruction is to embrace the English language, the form of our Government, and the laws of New Jersey and the United States. The State commissioner of education is to have general supervision and direction of the work, and teachers of the classes are to receive apportionment of State and county funds.

Rhode Island acts of 1920 require attendance officers to enforce the Americanization law of 1919, and increase the State appropriation for Americanization work. In Massachusetts, under an act of 1920, American history and civics must be taught in all public elementary and high schools. The aim of this law is better fitting for the duties of citizenship.

A Georgia act of 1920 legalizes the expenditure of county school funds for training illiterates, and in Mississippi a biennial appropriation of $25,000 is made for the purpose of encouraging "industrial education, sanitation, and good citizenship among the Negroes. An extension agent operating from Alcorn College (colored) is provided for this purpose.

While not strictly coming under the head "Americanization," laws of Maryland and Mississippi may be mentioned here as being "patriotic" in aim. in aim. The former State now requires the "Star

Spangled Banner" to be sung in certain schools each day, and the latter requires that the United States flag be displayed at public school houses during school hours.

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION.

The machinery of school administration, State, county, and district, is a constant subject of legislation. In State organization the tendency would seem to be toward a State board of education composed of some five, six, or seven members appointed by the governor, or made up principally of appointive members, and a principal school officer appointed by such board and designated "commissioner of education." The Virginia Legislature of 1920 proposed an amendment to the State constitution designed to remove from that instrument the enumeration of powers and duties of the State board of education and to vest in the legislature the authority to prescribe the board's functions. This is in keeping with other proposals of the recent legislature of that State, which would take various statutory provisions out of the constitution and leave them to legislative discretion.

The Legislature of Kentucky also proposed an amendment relative to the State department of education, but in this case it is the office of State superintendent that is affected. The amendment provides that the State superintendent may be appointed instead of elected, and, if elected, may succeed himself. At present this officer can not be his own successor, no matter how efficient or popular he may prove to be. In Rhode Island the title "commissioner of education," under an act of 1920, displaces "commissioner of public schools" for the principal school officer of that State. At a special session of the Delaware Legislature, the "new school code" of 1919 was amended in various particulars. One of the more important changes provided for the appointment of the commissioner of education for a term of one year instead of two years, as formerly, and that officer's functions were somewhat more restricted.

In county administration, Kentucky and Virginia passed noteworthy acts in 1920. The former State created in each county a nonpartisan county school board of five members, elected at large and authorized to establish districts and appoint county superintendents and teachers. The Virginia act is a proposed constitutional amendment which would give to the legislature more discretion in determining the unit of local school administration.

CONGRESS AND EDUCATION.

Hardly any Congress in recent years has had before it more numerous and important educational measures than has the Sixty

sixth Congress. Chief among these were the "Smith-Towner bill,” or "N. E. A. bill," providing for a Federal department of education coordinate with the other 10 departments of the Government and for Federal aid to common-school education; the "Americanization bill," providing for the Americanization of immigrants and the elimination of illiteracy among the native born; the "physical education bill," providing for Federal aid to the States in providing health education; and the "vocational rehabilitation bill," providing for the rehabilitation of persons disabled in industry or otherwise. The last-mentioned measure passed the two Houses and was approved by the President June 2, 1920. It appropriates $750,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1921, and $1,000,000 for each of the three succeeding years to promote the "rehabilitation of persons disabled in industry or in any legitimate occupation and their return to civil employment." These sums are to be allotted to the States in the proportion which their respective populations bear to the total population of the United States, not including Territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia, but no State is to receive less than $5,000, and additional appropriation is made to provide this minimum allotment. The appropriations must be expended in accordance with the following conditions:

(1) States or local authorities therein must expend at least an equal amount; (2) State boards must annually submit plans for the approval of the Federal board; (3) State boards must make annual reports to the Federal board; (4) no Federal moneys shall be expended for buildings, equipment, or lands; (5) courses shall be made available as directed by the rules and regulations of the Federal board. Any State, in order to receive the benefits of this act, must (1) accept its provisions; (2) designate its State board for vocational education to cooperate with the Federal board; (3) provide for cooperation between its State board for vocational education and its board for the administration of the workmen's compensation act, where the latter exists; (4) provide for the support and supervision of the courses; and (5) designate its State treasurer as custodian of funds. The Federal Board for Vocational Education is empowered and directed to administer this act.

GENERAL EDUCATION BOARD.

The financial operations of the General Education Board, according to the report of the treasurer submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, for the year ending June 30, 1920, were as follows: The income for the year amounted to $4,741,223.66. The income carried over from the preceding year, after adding sums refunded, amounted to $9,996,875.85, making a total of $14,738,099.51 available for dis

bursement. Of this sum $3,631,027.99 was disbursed, leaving a balance of $11,107,071.52. The statement of appropriations for the year is as follows-For whites: Universities and colleges, $17,039,307.72; medical schools, $9,304,247.73; professors of secondary education, $91,291.63; rural school agents, $80,817.17; Lincoln School, $497,201.52; State agents for secondary education, $116,100. For Negroes: Colleges and schools, $1,579,000; medical schools, $257,500; rural school agents, $71,837.50; summer schools, $28,400; county training schools, $160,000; expenses of special students at summer schools, $15,000; Negro rural school fund, $65,000; John F. Slater fund, $4,500; critic teachers, $9,000. Miscellaneous: General survey of educational conditions and needs in North Carolina, $4,000; increases in salaries of State agents, $40,000; model county organization, $7,400; conferences, $4,546.72; National Committee on Mathematical Requirements, $25,000; vocational arts survey, $60,000; division of educational relations, $10,000; educational investigation and research, $6,000. Total, $29,476,149.99.

In addition to the foregoing the sum of $9,475 was appropriated from the income of the Anna T. Jeanes fund for Negro rural schools, making a combined total of $29,485,624.99.

On January 1, 1920, the last installment of Mr. Rockfeller's gift from his special fund of approximately $10,000,000 was transferred by the University of Chicago in trust to itself. All control of the board over this fund having ceased, it is now eliminated from the board's books.

LIBRARY ACTIVITIES.

GENERAL TENDENCIES.

The keynote of the program which American librarians have set before themselves during the past year has been mobilization for reconstruction and for general service in time of peace, just as in previous years they mobilized for the library war service. The war service brought libraries and library organizations into a national prominence which they had not before enjoyed, and a determination is felt to retain the position gained and to utilize it for greater service in peace activities. The most conspicuous evidence of this determination has been the movement for an enlarged program for the American Library Association and the appeal for funds to finance this undertaking, which is still in progress at this writing. Librarians are convinced that in the supply of suitable books and other printed material to all classes of the community they have a service to perform which is essential to the welfare and true progress of our country.

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The extraordinary conditions during and following the war have disarranged library staffs by drawing off many of the best assistants, who have found opportunity to win larger returns in other occupations. In this respect the experience of library workers has been analogous to that of the teaching profession. Notwithstanding these disadvantages, the libraries have continued to function vigorously and even to extend their work, and the public circulation of books has been maintained at a high level.

COUNTY LIBRARY PROGRESS.

The county library plan continues to be in favor and was adopted by a number of additional States in 1919 and 1920. The States enacting county library laws for the first time at their 1919 legislative sessions were Alabama, Illinois, and Utah. Minnesota and Oregon passed new county library laws superseding previous statutes. Important amendments to the county library laws of Texas and Wisconsin were also made in 1919. The county library system was introduced into Kentucky and New Jersey by legislative enactment in 1920. The Kentucky law permits the establishment of a library on petition from the freeholders of all parts of a county without requiring an election, and contains provisions for an adequate tax. It also provides for making arrangements with a library already existing to extend its service to the county. The New Jersey law provides that upon the vote of the people of a county a county library may be established for those districts in the county not already maintaining free public libraries, and that such districts as are already maintaining free public libraries may become a part of the county library system and benefit there from upon request. A tax rate with a fixed minimum is provided in the law.

In 13 States not now having county library laws library workers are reported to be planning the introduction of bills for county service in the next legislature. These States are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, California, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. The lastnamed State is temporarily without a county library law, because its 1915 legislature, in revising the former library law, unintentionally omitted the word "county."

New England is the only large section of the United States in which the county library idea does not take root. The cause of this is that in New England the people think in terms of the township (or town as it is called there), not of the county.

Utah has made a record for rapidity in establishing county libraries, having established 10 of them during the first three months after May 6, 1919, when the Utah county library law went into effect.