New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-17
TEA CHING BY GAMES.
A NOVEL EXPERIMENT IN THE vACA-
TON SCHOOLS.
FRANCIS II TABOR. THD VACATION PRINCIPAL

FRANCIS H. TABOR. THD VACATION PRINCIPAL
AND HIS THEORY OF TRAINING CHILDREN.
sight altogether unexampled In educational an
nails in this country waits the eye Of the man or
the woman who will step into Public School No 2
In Henry-st. but a block or two from the I'M
completed Hester-st. park. one Of the vacation
schools Is in session, this year FOR the hrst the
under the management Of the school fathers but
though these are study and recitation hours. moth
ing Of the sort Is apparent on the basement moor.
The big payroom ia divided up with chalk lines
into eight miniature tennis courts. and four boys
in each are playing hand tennis II their lives de-
pended upon 1t.
The next day the girls VIII hold this payroom
floor for the three hours Of school time, and the
day after the boys Will have ut. thus alternating
Boys and girls will each form fourteen teams or
six players on each team and there will be boys
tennis league and girls tennis league Ihese
leagues are preparing schedules. and every
team OF boys will play every other team Of boys
and the girls In their league likewise until inc
champions have been declared
All the para phernalia of the simplest de-
scription A rope stretched at the proper height
divides the court and from this rope hangs n band
Of muslin to stop balls not over. The game is like
the ordinary tennis except that It Is played with
smooth rubber ball instead Of balls that are COW
cred. and hands replace racquets. Each team OF
the leagues has a letter designating II. A. b. g.,
etc and later on each team will choose name for
Itself The girls in the needlework classes have
agreed to make the boys bright-coored banners
for all the "sixes" soon AS possible.
In this way a novel experiment In education is
starting out briskly and with great enthusiasm on
the part OF the children themselves The man
who has devised 1t is the vacation principal of tbs
school Francis H. Tabor. His theory is that chill
dren can be more easily trained BY means OF games
than in any other way. Direct his games. says
Mr. Tabor. without his knowing IT, OF course.
show him how 10 play and keep him at II and you
Will get at the real boy. That Is why am start
Ing these games in this summer school
Since tho playroom space limited and there
was nowhere else the boys could play, Mr.. Tabor
chose hand tennis a. the first or all IN" games
This however Is merely the beginning The pur-
pose Of she league to start these children In play
ing games under direction. Boys start game
Principal Tabor says. with keen interest. In ten
minutes they likely 10 have stopped II OF TO De
found wranglinG over II.
According TO Principal Tabor. good. active game
IS the best thing possible in the educational linc
for boy or gil II trains their eye ana brains
along with their muscles Gymnastics 81 any sort
come after time 10 be purely mechanical. 'hi-
drcn ret 20 that they can perform certain evou-
tions without ever giving thought TO them. But a
game provided ~ IS played properly "hbs HI ''o
faculties into action.
II must not be thought that hand tennis If going
TO be the entire curriculum OF this especial summer
school This game Will take up for each boy ana
girl very little time IN tho day. Though the play
Ing viii go on over All the school hours Grom -"
n H. 10 Il 80 a III y each match will take hut "A r."
moments. Then The players viii 80 upstairs. ana a
I've" ,bng.and ~IHartn II not more are to be
drilled alone those, Itr,e Already fifteen hum
drcd have Registered 20 ihi. vacation school ana
cccIs Mr Tabor a.u petition ihe S,hooi Board 20,
the use 90 3D.. np'. .hc 'rul" DAY. instead "'