Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-20

~ e.: 4e il; ;:; 5; r s: (: +: f:
L.. lfxkxNAa children attending
!: :: !: :: ::
Ev'~NSAfAGASH, the public schools are
aTaI given an opportunity
kH m\ to save their pennies.
II Ill |, II w Scratch the school
~ Il M,GEAE enthusiast and you
>tN~t|A- will find a. lover. of
children. MIR. Thirty
4M is no exception. 1t
was this trait which induced him in March
of 1885 to establish in the Third Ward
schc1l of Lerg Island City, near his home,
and presided over by Mrs. Mary F. MCGEE
as principal, the first sckocl savings bank in
the United States.
You see." sad Mr.. Thirty. as his visitor
sat in his cool library in his residence in
Long Island City, adjoining the greenhouse
and locking cut through rear window up
on the trinity kept garden walks, here l
have about me all the clippings from news
papers which have been written about the
school savings bank, and all the books and
reports and other sources Of information.
that can put my finger upon precisely
what has been done. and will tell you any
thing you WISH The school banks of Long
Island City are 115 in number. Every
school room where a teacher takes charge
of the savings of her pupils constitutes
bank. These 115 banks have, since their
introduction. registered 2,01S depositors,
nearly one-third Of the total number of
scholars for the same time, and in recent
years as the experiment has been extended
fl ON the. Third Ward school to others in the
city the proportion is very much larger.
The banks have collected over $300OO in
small sums, ana the pupils have withdrawn
money from time to time as they needed il.
but there still remains to their credit s13,-
543G4. very considerable sum for the little
children.
This is an average much higher than
would appear. as many Of the 2,OlS accounts
have been closed, the depositors having
graduated.
There are SO cities and towns in this
country where the experiment has been
introduced in :s23 schools by so teachers
one school in Brooklyn, that of Principal
Marc F. Fallette;;"one in Philadelphia. the
Penn Sewing School; five in Ithaca N Y :;
one in Portland n. D., seven in Norris
town. Pa, and others in every part of the
country have adopted it. The largest
school department to adopt it is that of
Grand Rapids. Mich, where the experiment
Is in full force in 81 schools. and where
over 10000 have been deposited. Taking
all the .323 schools together, the deposits
have amounted to about half million dol
lars. although most of these deposits are
but just begun and are small. For in
stance, the depositors in Grand Rapids
nave been more than twice as numerous as
those in Long Island city, but the total de-
posits have been only one-third as large
That Is not because the experiment works
any less well in Grand Rapids. but simply
because it is newer there, and the children
nave not had time to make such large de-
pOsitS here
Isn't it great deal of trouble" asked
for the teachers. principals and savings
bank people to- take care of the money!
Not at all said Mr. Thirty, after they
get used to it. The collections are made
once week, on Monday morning, and the
process takes only few minutes. The
re ooh Jyx-iyh ~
deposited and hands over the sum that she
receives from them all to the principal
He, in turn, credits each teacher with the
sum received and deposits all he gets from
the school In the savings bank, where it Is,
placed to his credit as principal; but of
course he cannot himself withdraw any Of
the money. AS soon as a pupil gets one
dollar on his own individual account the
savings bank people with whom the money
is deposited issue him hank book as they
would to any other depositor OF course it
Is more trouble for them to handle SO many
very small accounts. but it is a good thing
for the city. and they are willing to do it. >"
How 1t Is Done. ,
OF course they are willing to do 1t! Pep
pie always DO things when an enthuss st
Is in the neighborhood, and no one could
talk with Mr.. Thirty for five minutes with
out seeing thar he Is an enthusiast.
Besides, the little depositors grow up 20
be big depostors, some of them.
Here are the blank forms which most of
the school savings banks in the United
States USE and which have proved simple
and convenient in our experience" and
Mr.. Thirty showed the blanks:
First. the deposit slip. which is given to
each individual scholar; simply folded
paper with ruled columns for figures on
the inside, with the regulations plainly
printed on the back leaf.
The other forms the teachers de-
post slip, ruled for names and amounts,
withdrawal cneck which must he signed
by the owner of the book, his parents or
guardians and by the principal befo-e the
bank will honor it. There is All ordinary
narrow cash envelope in which the money
received is sealed up and, finally, a record
for The principals accounts.
What do you think of the stamp saw
ings fund instituted in several cities p
Il don't think so well of it, said Mr..
is father to the man and likes to do things
in man fashion, with a real bank book and
deposits of real money. Collecting the
stamps appeals to him for little while,
but he Is apt to get tired Of it a child
is of a new toy. II is not in manner close
enough to the actual realities of life to
please his fancy long. l may say that the
stamp system has been tried in Baltimore.
two years later the bank provident fund of
New York was begun by the Charity Or
ganization Society.
Where the Experiment Has Been
Tried.
"In 1890 something like the stamp system
was begun in Detroit, Mich, West Bay
City, Mich, and in Boston. In these cases,
however. the system was not confined to
the schools. ard In none of them have the
amounts collected been so large as we have
to show. In Pottsville, Pa, a system en-
| tirely different from either was introduced
by Prof. S. A. Thurlow; 1t is really more
| like a building and loan association than a
bank. The scholars who deposit money are
stockholders and have to make deposits
with some regularity. The system as we
have worked 1t out in Long Island City is
the oldest of all. and I think the simplest
and most efficient. Chicago Is about to
adopt some form Of school savings bank,
and 1t will be worth watching. Chicago
does things on a pretty big SCALE
l Some Of the Rules.
what is the smallest deposit which is
received?'
Anything from one cent up" replied
Mr.. Thirty, as he called attention to the
regulations which follow.
Order to withdraw money for sums less
than s. will be received and cashed by the
superintendent or principal on deposit day.
Any depositor who has not deposited
money during the three months following
| thalr Loot donooft will havo IN ra<ur,, ~ =