standing the overwhelming evidence, the committee in charge reported against the bill. As one member said, "We didn't take any interest in a lot of crooks down there at Deer Island-once a crook, always a crook." Subsequent evidence as to the unfitness of officials appointed under the present system has been made public through the discharge last spring of three guards on the ground of selling cocaine and morphine to prisoners, and the removal or transfer of other attendants this autumn on the suspicion of aiding in the escape of inmates.

The change which the merit system brings about is well illustrated in the division of school hygiene under the board of health in Boston. A year ago we reported on our success in placing school physicians under the civil service law. Boston, the first city in the country to introduce medical inspection for school children, had fallen far behind other cities in its work, owing to many political appointments and consequent lack of efficiency in this department. Since the extension of the civil service law to school physicians, careful and systematic daily inspection takes place and the methods of the school hygiene division have received high praise from authorities at Washington. Moreover, the city health reports show a striking decrease in the number of contagious diseases among school children. Recently three supervising school physicians with larger salaries were appointed, their selection being due, it is said, to political influence, but this attempt to return to old methods was promptly checked by the Civil Service Commission, which at once ordered a competitive examination for the position.

The Spanish War Veteran preference bill again gave us great cause for alarm. The measure this year was opposed by the leading newspapers in the State, as well as by the Massachusetts State Board of Trade, the State Federation of Women's Clubs, the Boston Central Labor Union, the Federation of State, City and Town Employees' Unions, the Massachusetts Police Association and many other civic and labor organizations. In spite of this strong opposition the bill passed the Senate and House without even a roll-call vote. As a result of an

emergency appeal for help sent to all our members and to 1,500 men scattered about the State the Governor received several hundred letters urging him to veto the bill. Finally, on the last possible afternoon, the Governor sent in the anxiously awaited veto. Before two o'clock the next day fourteen Senators were personally interviewed by the Secretary. The vote on the roll-call stood 26 to 13 in favor of the bill-giving the two-thirds. vote necessary for carrying it over the veto. Then the name of the President of the Senate was called and his vote brought about the defeat of the measure. As the veto came up later for reconsideration, strong pressure was necessary in order that every Senator on our side should remain faithful and likewise be present for the roll-call. Two pairs would have carried the bill. On reconsideration the President of the Senate once more saved the day.

At the request of the National League the Auxiliary joined in working against the limited tenure of office provision in the legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill. The branches, members and others who helped to oppose the preference bill were asked to urge senators and representatives at Washington to use their influence against the provision. We also worked extensively outside of Massachusetts. Letters were sent to several hundred clubs belonging to the General Federation of Women's Clubs, to Young Men's Christian Associations all over the country, and to many men and women who had applied to us for literature or information on the merit system. During the various stages of the appropriation bill, work was continued until finally the Auxiliary sent a telegram to the President urging him to veto the measure.

Since our last report to the League we have sent out about 20,000 pamphlets and leaflets, thus bringing the total distribution of pamphlets to 525,000. We have published special editions of the addresses by Mr. Bonaparte and Mr. Woodruff to the League last year, and ordered 1.500 reprints of the papers given by President Eliot and Mr. Denison. Copies of these four new publications have been sent to the chief libraries in

Massachusetts and outside the State to 200 libraries and 100 schools that have asked to be placed on our mailing list. The majority of pamphlets were used in school work. Letters from school superintendents and principals show an increasing desire to make our pamphlets the basis of one or more lessons in connection with civics or history classes. Lately a superintendent in Ohio ordered 1.000 copies each of "Civil Service Tests,' illustrated booklet by Mr. Foxcroft; and of Miss Cary's "Primer of the Civil Service and the Merit System," to place in 40 grammar schools under his supervision; and a high school principal in New Jersey asked for 160 copies of the four new publications to give to his pupils.

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Much time has been devoted to increasing and cataloging the material in our reference and lending library, which now contains a collection of several hundred books, reports, pamphlets and magazine articles on civil service reform or closely allied subjects. In addition we have many folios with clippings on special phases of the merit system. Back numbers of GOOD GOVERNMENT furnish valuable material for these folios. We are thus able to assist both elementary and advanced students in the preparation of essays. Many requests for help came from boys and girls taking part in competitions for the medal. In 1912 nine medals were given, making a total award of 94 medals. The medals are offered not only by our branches, but also by clubs within and without Massachusetts.

Our set of nearly 150 lantern slides forms a new and successful method of popularizing the merit system. These slides represent various government activities, such as the postoffice and fire service; they give an historical account of the spoils system picturing, for example, a group of office-seekers under Lincoln and the assassination of Garfield, and illustrate the evils of the spoils system by means of a series of assessment letters taken from a folio given to the League by Colonel Burt, and through a selection of the Nast cartoons that appeared in "Harper's Weekly." Other slides show the practical character of civil service examinations, methods of marking and of certification. Finally there are pictures of the

famous early civil service reformers, George William Curtis, Carl Schurz and Dorman B. Eaton, so that their memories may be kept fresh in the minds of the younger generation.

Our office is thus an active headquarters for work as well as a central bureau for information ready to meet the growing interest in civil service reform. Besides daily applications for literature by mail we have frequent visitors.-members, clubwomen, teachers and pupils, police chiefs asking for our leaflets on the extension of the civil service law to heads of departments, candidates for civil service positions, and many others. Each year the Massachusetts Auxiliary becomes better equipped to serve the cause of the merit system.

Miss Agatha Schurz submitted the report from the Women's Auxiliary of New York:

Since the last report to the League, the New York Auxiliary has made a change in the officers. To the great regret of everyone, Mrs. Schieffelin, who had so ably and so well served the Auxiliary for seventeen years, resigned, and Miss Schurz, former Vice-President, was elected to succeed her. The Auxiliary has persuaded Mrs. Schieffelin to accept the office of Honorary President, and so is not entirely bereft of the inspiration of her good will and thought for the welfare of the Auxiliary. Mrs. Everett P. Wheeler, last year's delegate to the League, has been made Vice-President. The only other change is in the appointment of Mrs. Francis C. Barlow to the Executive Committee.

Since the Auxiliary has ceased to issue circulars urging the use of pamphlets in the schools, there has been a notable falling off in the number of requests for literature; so that during the past year, only 3,247 pamphlets have been supplied upon solicitation.

The advisability of enlarging the scope of the work to include the teaching of high ideals of citizenship to immigrants and the furnishing of suitable material for translation for foreign newspapers were considered by the Executive Committee. Dr. Abelson of the DeWitt Clinton High School spoke before the Executive Committee urging this activity. It was in response to Dr.

Abelson's appeal that we wrote to all the foreign newspapers published in New York City requesting them to publish translations of extracts submitted by the Auxiliary from noted authors on American history, life, manners and customs. There was no response to this request, so that, for the time being, this method of usefulness was shut off.

Another means of reaching the foreigners about to become citizens of the United States was to prepare a brief, simply worded text on American history and government, which, furnished with a translation beneath the English words, could be used in the English classes for foreigners by teachers in settlements and camp schools. This text was published last June, and since then the entire edition of two thousand has been sent upon request to construction camp schools, Italian missions, hospitals, and settlements.

An investigation of the activities of all civic organizations in New York City was made with a view of avoiding duplication of effort and to seek co-operation in civic interests. The work of the School Citizen's committee seemed more nearly allied to the Auxiliary's interest in the teaching of civics and to be the most practical method in operation. The teaching of civics in the settlements was found to bear inadequately small results in comparison with the amount of expenditure of time and effort. It is the aim of the School Citizen's Committee to vitalize the study of civics by pupil self-government. The pupils legislate and execute concerning matters pertaining to ordinary school life, and meanwhile are imbibing considerable knowledge concerning the machinery of government and public questions of the day. The Executive Committee decided to co-operate with the School Citizen's Committee rather than run an independent scheme of teaching civics and citizenship, and to that end it is pledged to help in introducing in the public schools the method of pupil self-government by means of the "School City" or the "School State." A contribution of $25 was given to the School Citizen's Committee.

For some time last winter the efforts of the Auxiliary were concentrated, locally, among the settlements. Civics