To our life members has been mailed a certificate in the follow

ing form:

The American Association of Teachers of Spanish

Se certifica por medio del presente que

Don FULANO de TAL

es SOCIO VITALICIO de

esta Sociedad

habiendo pagado las cuotas correspondientes.

Dado el-de-de 1917.

The Treasurer will be pleased to mail others upon request, accompanied by the dues, $25.

Certain matters of business now lie before the Association. The most important is to complete our organization by the adoption of a constitution and the election of officers. On another page you will find a blank ballot on which to record your will and opinion. Please do your duty and return it by December 10th.

Concerning the payment of dues, the Secretary-Treasurer wishes to say that the members of the Association can save it a considerable sum of money if they will be willing to do the following things. First, send the money for your dues at once without the necessity of mailing you a special request for payment. Second, forego a receipt for the dues; as a list of paid-up members will be printed. in the February number of Hispania, let that suffice. Third, if you live in the south or west, send your dues by postal money order unless your bank is affiliated with the Federal Reserve Bank. Checks on other banks and trust companies are charged a collection. fee in New York, some from the more distant localities as much as ten cents.

The Committee on Nominations, of which Professor Fitz-Gerald is chairman, submits the following list of nominations as officers for the years 1918-1920. The Committee wishes it understood that any member may substitute on his or her ballot any desired name for any given post. Please vote by placing a cross in the square to the left of the nominee or the substitute.

President.

Lawrence A. Wilkins, Board of Education, New York City.

(Substitute)

First Vice-President.

Rudolph Schevill, University of California.

(Substitute)

Second Vice-President.

E. W. Olmsted, University of Minnesota.

Third Vice-President.

Charles P. Wagner, University of Michigan.

Secretary-Treasurer.

Alfred Coester, Commercial H. S., Brooklyn, New York.

Executive Council.

In addition to the foregoing officers:

Clifford G. Allen, Leland Stanford Junior University.

Capt. C. P. Harrington, Culver Military Academy, Ind.

Josephine W. Holt, John Marshall H. S.,Richmond, Va.

J. Warshaw, University of Missouri.

Vote on Constitution:

Do you approve the Constitution herewith submitted?

If you do not approve of it as submitted, what suggestions do you wish to make?.

First Annual Meeting:

Do you expect to be present at the First Annual Meeting to be held in New York on the 29th of December?

The Secretary-Treasurer requests that members who have not already paid their membership dues, and all new members, send in with their vote the following blank properly filled out:

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS
OF SPANISH

To the Secretary-Treasurer:

Please accept my application for annual membership in THE

life S

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SPANISH. (two dollars for 1918 dues. twenty-five dollars for dues.

I enclose

On Saturday morning, October 6, 1917, Mr. L. A. Wilkins, inspector of Modern Languages in the City of New York, delivered a most interesting talk before the Modern Language Section of the High School Teachers' Association of the City of New York, on the "Requirements of an Up-To-Date Modern Language Teacher."

Mr. Wilkins is the editor of a valuable little publication called "Bulletin of High Points." This bulletin always carries a wellwritten editorial by the editor, numerous notes, announcements, reports, syllabi, etc. Another notable feature of the bulletin is the section devoted to "High Points" in the teaching of modern languages. Here is included an account of the most useful devices, methods, stunts, etc., observed by Mr. Wilkins in his rounds of inspection. In a word, it is unique, original and useful.

The City of New York is making rapid strides in the teaching of Spanish. The student body is growing by leaps and bounds. Every one of the high schools in the city has a course in Spanish. The universities and colleges are continuing to add courses in undergraduate and graduate Spanish. Hunter College has just added a course in Materials and Methods in the Teaching of Spanish. This course is under the direction of M. A. Luria, of the De Witt Clinton High School.

Residents of Chicago have recently been offered the rare treat of seeing a classic Spanish drama well acted and sumptuously staged. The play was "The Judge of Zalamea," Fitzgerald's well known rendering of Calderón's Alcalde de Zalamea. The credit of this production is due to Mr. Leo Ditrichstein and his managers.

The attitude of the Chicago dramatic critics was disappointing. Most of them showed not the slightest understanding of Calderón and affected an attitude of amused superciliousness. One spoke slightingly of the play for no better reason than that it was three hundred years old. If a statute of limitations is to be applied to masterpieces, many a greater writer than Calderón will be ruled out. In contrast to this unsatisfactory "high brow" attitude that of the "low brows" was all that could be desired. The audiences thoroughly enjoyed the performance, even if they failed to grasp all the

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niceties of the pundonor. And why should they not? The Alcalde de Zalamea is replete with dramatic situations, the characters are developed with a care rarely to be found in Calderón's works, and the strong note of democracy struck in this piece is well calculated to appeal to the most democratic of peoples. Add to this that no money has been spared in costuming and scenery.

The Chicago board of education has recently voted to introduce the teaching of Spanish and French into the seventh and eighth grades of the public schools. They have wisely refused to yield to the popular demand to suppress all teaching of German, but with equal wisdom have decided that the pupil should be given a chance to choose between the three languages named.

Don Felipe Morales de Setién, a special pupil of Menéndez Pidal, Licenciado en Filosofía y Letras from the Universidad Central, Madrid, has been appointed instructor in Spanish at Leland Stanford Junior University. Aside from teaching elementary language courses he will give a course of lectures on the History of Spanish Civilization.

Mr. C. B. Drake is Instructor in Spanish in the University of Chicago.

Señor Carlos Castillo has accepted an assistant professorship of Spanish in the University of Indiana.

Mr. Winter, late of the University of Kansas, has been appointed civilan instructor in Spanish at the United States Naval Academy.

Mr. Leslie Brown, late instructor in Spanish at Harvard, has accepted an assistant professorship of Spanish at the University of North Carolina.

Miss Rosalina Espinosa, B. A., University of Colorado, 1917, has been appointed instructor in Spanish in the University of New Mexico.

Miss Benicia Bantione, teacher of Spanish in the Manual Training High School, Denver, Colorado, spoke in that city before the Modern Language Section of the Teachers' Convention held. there on November 1, 2, and 3. She presented a very clever and forceful argument for the study of Spanish on a par with the study of French and German. Miss Bantione has faithfully fought for a wider recognition of Spanish in the Denver schools for a number of years.