Items of Interest March 24, 1906 Issue

Items of Interest

Upon the recommendation of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Corporation of Harvard University and the Board of Overseers have voted concurrently to adopt a new plan for the administration of the degree of Bachelor of Science and the higher degrees in applied science, and for the better organization of the scientific school. It will result in merging the present Lawrence Scientific School as a part of Harvard University into the collegiate department. A graduate school of applied science will be established at Harvard with the beginning of the next academic year, which will give professional degrees in a variety of special subjects in the field of applied science. The new plan will put the scientific school on the same plane as the college, and will allow the men studying for the degree of B. S. to elect whatever subjects they may wish.

The Senate Canal Committee is preparing an act which provides for the reduction of membership of the Isthmian Canal Commission from seven members to three, and that the offices of administration shall be upon the Isthmus instead of in Washington; that the President snall fix the salaries of members of the commission and of engineers, but that the salaries and wages for other officials and for laborers shall be determined by the commission; that the laws of the United States shall not apply to the Canal Zone unless expressly so provided. The purpose of this provision is to exclude the eight-hour law, the alien labor law, and the contract labor law from operation upon the Canal Zone.

An organization called the Simplified Spelling Board, including prominent men of affairs and of letters, has been formed to urge the simplification of English spelling. Andrew Carnegie has undertaken to bear the expense of the organization. The Board contains some thirty members, authors, scholars, editors of dictionaries, men distinguished in public and civil life. The establishment of the Board is the result of an effort made within the past year to secure the use, by men of position, of certain simplified spellings, adopted some years ago by the National Education Association.

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