An important meeting of the National Education Assembly was held at Ocean Grove, N.J., Aug. 8, 9. The audiences were large, and many prominent educators were present from various parts of the country. The opening address was by Hon. John Eaton, U.S. Commissioner of Education, in which it was held that the national government is the only agency able to cope with illiteracy in the country. A feature of special interest was the showing of the work of the Northern churches in the South since the war. Dr. Strieby, of New York, represented the Congregationalists; Rev. Dr. J. M. Gregory, of Illinois, the Baptists; Rev. Dr. R. H. Allen, of Pennsylvania, the Presbyterians; and Rev. Dr. J. C. Hartzell, of Louisiana, the Methodists. It appeared that more than $10,000,000 have been spent by this agency, and that more than 15,000 students are now in schools of higher grade, thus supported. Bishop Simpson, Dr. H. A. Butz, president of Drew Theological Seminary, and Senator Blair of New Hampshire, made addresses. The sentiments of the Assembly were formulated in a memorial to Congress. A National Education Committee was organized to continue the effort to secure national aid. The secretary of the committee will reside in Washington, and efforts to influence public opinion in favor of the end in view will be earnestly prosecuted. The following is an extract from a letter sent to the president of the Assembly, Rev. J. C. Hartzell, D.D., from Hon. H. M. Teller, Secretary of the Interior: “The great mass of the people must depend on the public school system for the education of their children. An efficient public school system, extending to all the State, and affording equal facilities for education to all classes of children, free from rate bills, cannot be too highly prized. * * * I recognize it to be the duty of the State to provide for the education of the children within its borders; but if the State neglects or refuses so to do, I think it is clearly within the power of the general government to provide such school facilities. But, fortunately, there is no State in which no provision for public education is made, and therefore the occasion for the exercise of this power does not exist, except as auxiliary to that of the State. I believe that in all the States the sentiment in favor of educating the children is so strong that the action required by the general government would be simply to make and wisely disburse proper appropriations, so as to encourage and stimulate the States that are the least able to carry on the work by themselves. To do this without seeming to discriminate in favor of certain States, such appropriations ought to be based on the degree of illiteracy as shown by the last census. “If a system of public schools can be maintained for ten or fifteen years in any State, there will be no danger of its abandonment.