local conditions. The institute may be held during either the first or the last part of the long vacation. In explanation of the decision under Case II in circular No. 5, series 1903, it is understood that every teacher who comes under this rule, whether he returns to the islands or not, shall receive vacation pay "due" him; that is, the pay for the vacation period which will complete a total of fourteen weeks' leave for the year. Under normal conditions a teacher will receive pay for the twelve weeks following the close of school. In case he does not return to the service, vouchers and checks will be forwarded to the States. E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Very truly, yours, Circular to Division Superintendents and Teachers, No. 8, Series 1903. Manila, February 24, 1903. I. Section 16 of Act 74 explicitly states that teachers shall not teach or criticise the doctrines of any church, religious sect, or denomination, and also explicitly sets forth the conditions under which religious instruction can be given by priest, minister, or religious teacher for one-half hour three times a week. It seems that in a few cases teachers have failed to strictly obey the letter of this law. It is understood, of course, that there is no restriction whatever upon anyone attending the church of his preference. This law has nothing to do with church affiliation or church attendance. While we have certain individual rights which must not be ignored, we likewise have certain social and institutional duties and responsibilities that are equally imperative, and it is to the teacher as a social factor that this law of noninterference applies. The general superintendent will expect full compliance with this law by Protestant and Catholic alike. Failure in such compliance will be considered sufficient ground for immediate dismissal. II. Because of our great distance from the States, and the prevailing conditions here being so different from conditions there, it is very difficult for home people to correctly understand many things that we may be disposed to say to them in letters. They get a wrong impression, talk matters over very freely, and frequently allow letters to be published, thus multiplying the wrong impression many times. Recently I have had my attention called to two cases of this kind, which have resulted in great embarrassment to the authors of the letters and considerable annoyance to the Civil Commission and this office. Teachers are requested to exercise such care as the situation demands, both in their statements and by special direction to correspondents that all private communications shall be treated as such. Any misuse of matter sent to the States will be treated as if authorized by the party sending it. III. No employee of the bureau of education shall, without the consent of the general superintendent of education, engage in any trade, business, or occupation except that for which he is employed. Failure on the part of any employee of the bureau to comply with this injunction may be considered just cause for dismissal. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular Telegram to Division Superintendents, No. 8a, Series 1903. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Property accounts of all teachers should be adjusted before long vacation. Require teachers to make full report to you on supplies. Take personal check on articles in doubtful cases. Call for boards of survey on missing nonexpendable property. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular Telegram to Division Superintendents, No. 8b, Series 1903. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, P. I., March 9, 1903. Transportation to States available early in April. Wire careful statement number in your division going home then. How many of these go on leave of absence? BRYAN, General Superintendent. WAR 1903-VOL 7-54 Circular to Division Superintendents and Teachers, No. 9, Series 1903. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Desiring to obtain definite information upon the use and results of nature study in the schools, the department requests answers to the following questions: (1) In how far have nature subjects been used in your classes in the teaching of English? (2) In how far has nature study been used for its own sake? (3) What is your opinion of the desirability of nature study in elementary work in the Filipino schools? (4) Are you personally interested in botany or zoology to the extent of caring to make notes and collections from the flora and fauna of your vicinity? Copies of "Notes for the Amateur Botanist in the Philippines" are available for free distribution and will be forwarded by the department to teachers upon request. This publication gives full directions for the making of collections and has been printed especially for the use of American teachers. Collecting material will also be supplied to all teachers who are willing to cooperate in the collecting of Philippine plants. It is hoped that through the cooperation of the teachers a large working collection may be assembled at the botanical laboratory of the Manila Normal School, where it will always be available for public use and will serve an important educational purpose. Full credit will be given the collector upon all sheets deposited in the herbarium and in all publications. Answers to this letter and any other communications in this connection should be addressed to the Teacher of Botany, Manila Normal School, Manila, P. I. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents and Teachers, No. 10, Series 1903. The director of posts having made several complaints that members of this bureau have used the postal facilities contrary to law for shipment of large and heavy packages of school supplies, you are hereby requested to use every care not to abuse the franking privilege. In cases of doubt as to the limits of the law, consult the post master. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 11, Series 1903—St. Louis Exhibit. I would respectfully invite your attention to the former circular from this office, under date of January 18, in reference to the educational exhibit for the St. Louis Exposition, and particularly to the circular recently sent you by Mr. Hager, special agent for the educational exhibit. Copies of the latter circular will be sent to all American teachers in the department, and I would respectfully urge that a prompt and vigorous action be taken by all along the lines suggested. I inclose a form to be filled out by you and returned as promptly as possible. The data called for is very necessary in estimating the amount of material needed and the space required for the exhibit. You may be assisted in making this estimate by having the inclosed duplicate forms filled out by some of your teachers; but please do not allow this to delay the return of your estimate, even though it be only approximate. The time element is very important. Space is given for noting plans for special exhibits, and suggestions along original lines will be very acceptable. You will be in no way limited by this preliminary estimate, but of course it should be as complete as possible. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN. General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 12, Series 1903-School Maps. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, P. I., May 26, 1903. Inclosed you will find a part of a map of the Philippines, including the division over which you have supervision. A complete educational map of the islands is being prepared, and we desire to receive as promptly as possible data relative to the location of all schools in you division. Will you therefore kindly indicate in black ink the location of each school in your division that is under the supervision of this department, using the following symbols: X School under supervision of department of education. O School under department supervision in which an American teaches. Kindly note on an accompanying sheet of paper the name of each place where there is more than one American teaching, stating number there engaged. Also state at how many of the places where there are now American schools there were formerly Spanish schools under the supervision of the Spanish Government. A school may be indicated as having an American teacher if such teacher teaches there regularly, even though only part of a day; and if an American is to be placed in a school during the coming school year the school should be indicated as having an American teacher, as the map will not be published for some time. Drafting work is now in progress on the map, and you are respectfully urged to send in the requested data as soon as possible. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 13, Series 1903-New Teachers. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Two hundred teachers have been appointed in the States. Those who accept the appointment are expected to arrive in Manila about August 1. These will be apportioned to the divisions on the basis of the needs of the divisions, determined by the number and population of the towns that are willing to maintain and patronize the public schools. There will be no attempt whatever to distribute the teachers equally among the different divisions. The general superintendent will assign the teachers to the divisions, and the division superintendent will make the definite assignment within the division and report to the general superintendent. In all school work many other things count for as much as a large attendance. Nevertheless, a large attendance is an important feature, and nowhere more than here in the Philippine Islands, where for centuries so much stress has been placed upon external appearances. Special attention should be given by every teacher to the problem of getting the children into the schools. Wherever the teacher fails in this particular the division superintendent should ascertain what the difficulty is, strengthen the teacher if he needs it, and arouse the town from its indifference. American teachers must not be kept in towns which will not support the school. So far as is consistent with reaching a large number of children the American teaching force should be concentrated. So far as possible division superintendents should not assign individual teachers to remote and inaccessible stations. In this connection I wish to say that wherever there are flourishing secondary schools they should be the last to be slighted, if any of the schools must be. This does not mean the forced establishment of a secondary school where there is no real demand for one. It is the purpose of the general superintendent to spend a large portion of this year in the provinces, with the view of studying the problem first-hand, of learning what the real difficulties of the teachers are, and of ascertaining from all legitimate and reliable sources how wisely and efficiently the teacher is meeting these difficulties. At the beginning of this new school year I have pleasure in wishing for all superintendents and teachers good health and the highest degree of success in their work. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 14, Series 1903—Annual Reports. You are requested to send to this office prior to August 1, 1903, a complete report on the schools of your division, dating back to September 1, 1902, if possible. Special emphasis should be placed upon results already attained, the secondary school, normal institutes, the needs of the division, and the outlook in general. I wish to embody these reports, or portions of them, in my annual report to the honorable the secretary of public instruction. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 15, Series 1903—Surplus Supplies. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, I beg to call your attention to the fact that this office has in stock no more copy books, Ward Primers, Eggleston's American Histories, or Davis' Nature Studies, and only about 1,000 more Ward's First Year; and that no more of the above-mentioned articles have been ordered. Therefore, please do not send in nor approve any more requisitions for these articles. There are still on hand a few thousand covers for small books, and requisitions for the same will be filled promptly. A large consignment of books and supplies is expected from the States soon, but the exact date of its arrival can not be ascertained. All requisitions for supplies expected in this consignment are being held and will be filled as promptly as possible upon its arrival. In order to make the fullest use possible of all school property, it is respectfully requested that each division superintendent furnish this office with a list of all the serviceable books in his division which are not in use and are not needed, and which could be obtained by this office for use in other divisions. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 16, Series 1903-Night Schools. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Frequent reports have come to this office which indicate that a closer supervision of night-school work is essential. Teachers must be made to understand that results are demanded in this as in other departments of their work, and that, unless these results appear, their classes will be discontinued. Time service is not to be countenanced. Night schools are to be established or continued only in cases where there is a genuine demand for them on the part of the pupils. An examination of the monthly reports of the division superintendents shows that a reduction in the total number of schools allowed can be made without injury to the service. As you have already been notified by wire, after August 10 the number of night schools in your division will be limited to In this connection your attention is invited to a circular issued from this office, dated October 21, 1902. All the provisions of this circular will hold in future, with the one modification above suggested as to the number of schools to which the various divisions are entitled. In the readjustment which may be found necessary in effecting this slight reduction in the number of classes division superintendents will, of course, exercise their authority and discretion in cutting out schools least possible of effective supervision. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 17, Series 1903-Civil-Service Examinations. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, P. I., September 27, 1903. I have the honor to call your attention to the fact that by Act 589, which went into effect on the 1st day of this month, it is necessary for all teachers who desire promotion to pass the civil-service examination in order that evidence of their fitness may be on file with the civil-service board. Details of this examination may be found upon pages 20 to 23 of the Manual of Information relative to the Philippine civil service for the year 1903, which may be obtained from provincial treasurers. This examination is not competitive, and an examination of the lists of subjects shows that it is not markedly technical. By arrangement with the civil-service board a general examination for eligibility for promotion will be held early in the month of November. It must be clearly understood that successfully passing this examination does not thereby entitle any teacher to an increase over the salary he now receives, but it is absolutely necessary for him to qualify to obtain his promotion at all. No promotions can be made until this examination is passed; and it seems better to defer the question of all promotions until the claims of teachers generally can be considered. You will please call attention of all teachers desiring promotion to this statement of the law. Application for taking this examination must be made upon the regular civil-service application blanks Nos. 2 and 17, and should be presented to the provincial treasurer prior to the date of examination, which will be announced later, but an early application is desirable. I wish to urge upon all teachers generally to take this examination. They will then be eligible for promotion should the success of their work so warrant. It is impossible to state when the second regular examination can be held. Very truly, yours, DAVID P. BARROWS, Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 18, Series 1903—Absence from Duty. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, September 27, 1903. Question has been raised as to whether the illness of a member of the immediate family of a teacher is a good and sufficient reason for the absence of that teacher from his regular duties in order to attend at the sick bed. The following rule has been adopted with the approval of the secretary of public instruction: Leave of absence to attend the sick husband or wife or other member of the family should be granted to a teacher, but no compensation should be allowed for such absence except in cases where the disease is contagious and thereby necessitates isolation of all members of the family and temporary separation from school work. Very truly, yours, DAVID P. BARROWS, EXHIBIT F. MINUTES OF THE SUPERINTENDENTS' CONVENTION HELD AT MANILA, P. I., MARCH 23-27, 1903, AT THE ESCUELA MUNICIPAL, CALLE VICTORIA, INTRAMUROS. MANILA, P. I., March 23, 1903. The meeting was called to order at 9 o'clock by Dr. E. B. Bryan, general superintendent of education, in pursuance to written notification sent to all division superintendents on January 22, 1903, which notification contained the following programme, to wit: Monday, March 23, 9 a. m. Introductory remarks by the general superintendent. 1. Best Plans for Establishing and Conducting Barrio Schools. M. A. Colton, H. E. Bard. 2. The Provincial Secondary School-Organization, Aims, Course of Study, etc. S. C. Newsom, G. N. Brink. Tuesday, March 24, 9 a. m. 1. The Advisability of Merging Municipal School Funds into a Provincial Fund, to be Apportioned among the Different Pueblos on Basis of School Attendance. H. H. Buck, J. C. Muerman. 2. The Vacation School for Native Teachers; Features to be Emphasized. G. W. Beattie, E. G. Turner. |