Thomas County cat., 1889-11-14
SCHOOL SAVINGS BANKS.


The Success Attending tho Adoption Of
tho system in Many Localities.
The following extracts are taken
from a paper by j. H Thirty. recently
read before the American Social
Science Association:
"A monograph on School Savings
Banks in America will be read for the
first time before the Universal Con-
gress of Provident Institutions. now
in session in Paris, and it is expected
that from the transactions of that Con-
gress, its influence will be felt through
out the educational world
There are sixty schools in seven
different States that have the system
in operation. About $4,000 have
been collected from nearly 300 pupils
through the aid OF $50 devoted teach
erS.
''The spark kindled five years ago
in one school of Long Island City, n.
Y. maintains its vitality, and it is ex-
pected that during the next school
term the school banks will so extend
as to reach at least fifty more schools
in the different States of our Republic.
The system has received the sane
tion of our National Bureau of Educa-
ton, of our State Superintendent of
Public Instruction, Hon. A. S. Draper,
and of the Superintendent of the New
York State Banking Department, Hon.
Willis S. Paine.
"a bill has been introduced into the
Legislature OF Aew York providing
for the organization of School Savings
Banks.
1.-The School Savings Banks, having
already passed the period of proba-
ton, are now favorably received in
many of the American schools, and
will prove most effective weapon in
the hands of our young people with
which to fight the battle of life on
leaving school.
I'm introducing School Savings
Banks in a few schools of our country,
the system has had. like any new idea,
much to contend with. The persons
who so constantly express themselves
against the plan, for some reason Or
other. and who are so keen about the
possible danger of avarice to the
children through these banks are
slow, indeed. to see the mischief done
to many of our children by squander-
ing all their pocket pennies for
cigarettes. candy. chewing-gum and
the like. 1t is yet to be shown that
self-restraint, prudence, foresight as
commended by our teachers, are
synonymous with selfishness, avarice
and meanness Is not the habit of
spending wisely a moral outgrowth of
saving.
Every one has read or heard of the
Johnstown disaster in Pennsylvania.
The very next morning after that disas-
ter the majority Of the scholars of Long
Island City, on entering their class
rooms, manifested to their teachers
the good intention of contributing
their mite from their pennies in the
School Bank towards alleviating the
sufferings of their little brother and
sister scholars at Johnstown who had
lost their parents and home. The
idea was received with acclarlation by
the teachers, the city school superin-
tendent and the Board of Education.
and on June 10, at the opening of the
school session, out of the 4. 050 pupils,
2.272 stepped up to the desks of their
teachers with their offerings. The
sums thus collected amounted to
S452. 81. which was Immediately sent
to the relief com mittee."
George May Powell, president of
the Arbitration Council, considers this
a movement of vast Importance to
American labor and capital. He is
issuing millions of tract pages on the
subject and scattering them among the
masses.