UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1941-11-14_Page-065

203 II - THE JOURNAL OF MODERN EDUCATION Two of the issues of this year (the Lst and the 4th.) were largely dedicated, each to a special topic. The first issue dealt mainly with the "Mind of the Child" - the theme of an educational conference held last summer by the C.M.S. School in the American Girls' College. This conference was of particular interest to us, as the main speakers were graduates of our Teachers College. Appropriate pictures for this number were chosen from the early lives of great men in their childhood, such as Newton, Darwin, Michael Angelo, as well as from other sources. In addition to the usual subscriptions one hundred more copies were ordered by Mission Schools. The fourth issue was dedicated mainly to extra-curricular activities on the occasion of an exhibition held by the Ministry of Education. Appropriate pictures were chosen from the activities of Egyptian Schools as well as from abroad. This number was well received by the higher officials of the Ministry as well as by teachers, headmasters, and inspectors interested in these activities. Every summer we usually present our paid subscribers with either an appropriate book or a special number. This year we were approached, four months ago, by the Physical Education Society, under the Ministry of Education, who asked us to issue for them a special summer number. A month ago they supplied us with a number of articles prepared by their leading men, and asked us to provide the rest of the material. They also agreed to buy from us 500 copies which would pay for part of the expenses. Unfortunately, just at the time we were going to send the manuscripts to the press, the president of the society was arrested in connection with the unfortunate Aziz Pasha el-Masri case. Every effort, made on our parts to keep the plan going by asking this society to nominate another member to carry on the work, failed. The president in jail had with him the accounts, the papers, the keys, and there was no way whatever to communicate with him. So tLley said. Fortun-ately we had in mind another alternative. It is a book on Danish Folk Senools which was prepared in 1939 by the Editor, subsequent to a thorough visit to Den-mark and its Schools. Arrangements and facilities for this 'visit were made possible through the courtesy of the Danish Ministry of Education. The fact, that Denmark is an agricultural country and that Folk Schools more than anything else revolutionized the life of the rural population, makes the subject meaningful to Egypt and extremely pertinent. The attached appendix gives detail; of the distribution of subscriptions for this year. It will appear that the total is 768, as compared to 840 for the preceding year. This fall in the number of our subscribers lies almost wholly in Syria and Iraq. Syria has always been a difficult problem, but this year there has been no way whatever of collecting our bills. Even Beirut University in its eagerness to receive the Journal asked us to postpone payment until things cleared, since there is no means of transacting business or exchanging accounts. Iraq was all right part of the year, and then gradually things began to get worse and worse. Communication by correspondence was too slow to carry on any productive business. Even the Ministry of Education of that country gave us lot of trouble. It took months of correspondence before we could find out whether they intended to continue their subscription or not. They did, however, continue. In Egypt the Ministry of Education increased the number of its subscriptions from 228 to 266. As to schools and individuals outside of the Ministry the number remains almost the same. When the time is more appropriate we can, I am sure, increase this number through publicity and with the aid of our alumni, a campaign could be launched. Respectfully submitted, AMIR $OKTUR, Chairman, Department of Education