ANNUITIES FOR VETERAN TEACHERS

Senator Cadwallader M. Barr of Allegheny County is sponsoring a Bill for the relief of dependent public school teachers who left the schools before the teachers' retirement fund was created. The Bill provides:

Any person sixty-two years of age or older who was a classroom teacher in the public schools of Pennsylvania for at least twenty years and who separated from school service for any reason prior to the first day of July, 1919, or any person who was a classroom teacher in the public schools of Pennsylvania for at least fifteen years and who separated from school service because of physical or mental disability prior to the first day of July, 1919 and who still is unable to teach because of such disability shall receive a State annuity equal to one-eightieth of his or her final salary for each year of school service. For this purpose there is hereby created a "Former Teachers' Fund" to which the General Assembly shall from time to time appropriate moneys sufficient to make payments under this sub-section.

EDUCATION COMMITTEES

The Committees on Education in the 1925 Legislature have splendid personnels. How many of the members do you know? Have you talked with them regarding the P. S. E. A. legislative program published on page 350 of the February JOURNAL? Why not see the members you know and ask them to support the Tenure Bill, the School Building Aid Bill, the Amendments to the Retirement Act and the Bills of the Department of Public Instruction? The membership of the committees is as follows:

Senate Education Committee

An * before a name indicates membership on 1923 Senate Education Committee. *Barr, Cadwallader M., Chairman, 906 Peoples Bank Building, Pittsburgh *Aron, Max, 710 Lincoln Building, Philadelphia

*Betts, William I., Clearfield

*Brown, Guy W., 24 W. Main Street, Uniontown

*Derrick, George W., Everett
Einstein, Morris, McClintock Street and
Perrysville Ave., Pittsburgh
Gelder, Frederick T., 636 Main Street, Forest
City

*Harris, John P., Davis Theatre Building,

Pittsburgh

HENRY HOUSTON BAISH

Henry Houston Baish, Secretary of the Pennsylvania School Employes' Retirement System, was president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association in 1915 while he was superintendent of the Altoona Schools.

Mr. Baish when a boy of seventeen worked as journeyman painter and paperhanger in Altoona, attending evening school and saving money to pay his way through normal school and college. By dint of constant energy, teaching in Altoona in the winter and attending school in the spring, young Baish was graduated from Shippensburg State Normal School in 1895.

He continued his teaching in Altoona until 1895 when he matriculated at Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 1901 with the degree A. B. He then reentered the service of the Altoona School District serving four years as a ward principal and three years as head of history in the high school.

He attended the Harvard Summer School three terms and the University of Pennsylvania Summer School four terms taking courses in pedagogy and school administration. He was awarded the A. M. degree by Lebanon Valley College.

In 1908 Mr. Baish was elected superintendent of the Altoona Schools and was twice reelected by unanimous vote of the School Board. He resigned the superintendency of the Altoona Schools in August 1917 and on September 1 entered upon his duties as Chief Clerk in the United States Bureau of Education at Washington, D. C. He continued with the Federal Bureau of Education four months during which time he assisted in the survey of the public schools of Columbia, South Carolina. On January 1, 1918 he accepted the position of Secretary of the Pennsylvania School Employes' Retirement System, a position he has occupied ever since.

Membership in the Retirement System was optional for all teachers in service prior to the enactment of the Retirement Law as well as for the thirteen larger cities of the State in which local retirement systems had been organized. On July 1, 1919 when the time for filing applications had expired more than 95 per cent of the teachers of the State and all of the thirteen cities with local retirement systems had joined the State System.

Mr. Baish is a member of the Board of Education of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and a member of the Board of Trustees of Lebanon Valley College. He helped organize and is at present adviser of the Pennsylvania State Employes' Retirement System which was enacted by the 1923 State Legislature.

THE Twenty-fourth International Exhibition of Paintings will open in Carnegie Institute on October 25 and will continue until December 6, 1925. At the conclusion of the exhibition the European pictures will be shown in Philadelphia.

EDINBURGH MEETING OF THE
WORLD FEDERATION OF EDUCA-

TION ASSOCIATIONS

The first biennial meeting of the World Federation of Education Associations was held in San Francisco two years ago, coincident with the Oakland meeting of the N. E. A. This year it will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, July 20-28. It will be possible for teachers to attend the N. E. A. meeting at Indianapolis and then journey eastward, sailing about July 10 and arriving for the meeting in Edinburgh with ample time after the meeting to visit historic and scenic spots and industrial centers in England and Scotland and on the continent and yet reach home before September.

The Federation meets in Edinburgh at the invitation of the Educational Institute of Scotland, co-operating with the British Teachers' Union.

Arrangements have been made with the Travel Department of the American Express Company to handle the bulk of the transAtlantic travel. Circulars have been prepared containing the arrangements and giving suggestions in regard to European trips at the close of the conference.

The conference includes meetings of the Executive Committee, the Delegate Assembly, meetings of special educational interest, plenary sessions and general meetings with worthwhile programs. The schedule of group meetings will include (a) the pre-school and kindergarten age, (b) elementary schools, (c) secondary schools, (d) college and (e) teacher training.

The cost of trans-Atlantic passage, round trip, will range from $165 to $270 on one-cabin boats. Reservations for boat service may be made through the Travel Division of the American Express Company, New York City. Those interested should write to the secretary, C. W. Williams, Columbia, Missouri, or to the president, Augustus O. Thomas, Augusta, Maine.

Please notify Headquarters, 10 South Market Square, Harrisburg, if you are planning to attend the meeting.

PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL DIRECTORS MEET

The Pennsylvania State School Directors' Association held its annual meeting in Harrisburg, February 11-12. Dr. J. D. Orr of Leechburg, second vice-president, presided at the meetings due to the fact that President J. K. Townsend of Wilkinsburg was absent because of illness. Five hundred members, representing every county in the State, were present.

Discussion of educational subjects by members of the Department of Public Instruction and other able speakers made the meetings interesting and illuminating. F. S. Edmonds, a member of the Legislature, spoke to the directors on "The State Tax Commission;" James N. Rule, Deputy Superintendent, spoke to the directors for the State Department of Public Instruction; C. F. Hoban spoke on "The Educational Value of Music;" and Sup Supt. M. S. Bentz of Cambria County explained "The County Unit of School Administration."

The directors recorded their approval of the county unit of school administration; State appropriation for school buildings; a teachers' minimum annual salary of $1,200 with eight annual increments; more rigid enforcement of the code forbidding sale of cigarets to minors; and a bill to excuse children from school for a period for the purpose of religious instruction by the churches on request of the parents.

The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Dr. J. D. Orr, Leechburg; First vice-president, F. C. Sandt, Easton; Second vice-president, George E. Reynolds, Wyoming; Third vice-president, O. R. Brownfield, Fairchance; Secretary, D. D. Hammelbaugh, Harrisburg.

PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESS OF MOTH

ERS AND PARENT-TEACHER

ASSOCIATIONS

The Pennsylvania Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teachers Associations has held three district conventions during this school year, the first at Somerset on September 13, where over 100 delegates were present from four counties of the Southwestern District. Dr. A. J. Ostheimer, head of the Mental Hygiene Division of the Pennsylvania Public Charities Association, was the chief speaker of the after

noon.

Dr. Ostheimer illustrated his talk, Mental and Physical Habits of Childhood, with an illuminating set of posters, picturing the results of unintelligent parenthood and suggesting the remedy.

The Central District, comprising eight counties, was held at Wellsboro on Saturday, September 29, with two sessions at 9:30 and 1:30 o'clock. Mrs. E. A. Weimer of Lebanon, member of the State Board of the Pennsylvania Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher Associations, J. Fred McMurray of Williamsport and M. J. Jones, Superintendent of Schools in Tioga County, were the speakers of the occasion. The convention of the Southeastern District took place at Coatesville on January 17, with 92 delegates present from four counties. Addresses by Dr. Edwin Broome, superintendent of the Philadelphia schools, by Mrs. Morey V. Kerns, new National Chairman of Better Films and by Mrs. Joseph Scattergood of West Chester, State Chairman of Home Education and Children's Books, filled the morning session. Mrs. E. E. Kiernan, State President, spoke at the opening of the afternoon session. Jane F. Culbert, Executive Secretary of the National Committee on Visiting Teachers, New York City, gave a talk on the work of the visiting teacher. Anna Pratt, Director of the White Williams Foundation of Philadelphia, ably seconded the visiting teacher.

The convention of the South Central District comprising Dauphin, Lebanon, Cumberland, York, Adams and Schuylkill counties was postponed on account of the illness of the district chairman, Mrs. W. D. Happel, of Lebanon.

PENN STATE GRADUATES ENGINEERS Pennsylvania State College engineering graduates start their first jobs "with their feet on the ground" for they have had practical training as cadet engineers in the industries.

"Penn State electrical engineering graduates come to us open-minded and free from distorted notions of self-importance," says R. F. Carey, supervisor of education of the South Philadelphia works of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. "They are eager to get the most out of the special training assigned them, and quick to adapt themselves to the new conditions. In general our experience with Penn State men has indicated that the training received there is very thorough and on a par with the best that is being given elsewhere."