The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-31
THE VACATION SCHOOL
AN INSTITUTION THAI SERVES 4
USEFUL AND IMPORTANT END.
Children Who Would Otherwise BE ON
the Street Are mt Once Enter
tanned and Instructed.

The doors of public school building No.
corner of West Washington and California
streets, stand open four half DAYS out of
each week. AS the visitor enters his eve
fails upon vigorous green plant in the
middle of the clean. cool hall, then upon
one Of Mr.. Steele's beautiful pictures
against the wall at his left. He hears the
sound Of piano and childrens' voices sing
ing a gay tune. Walking a few feet far
Their the quick push of a plane is heard.
with the soft fall of shavings and chips, and
now and then the knock OF hammer and
chisel. A uninterrupted, whte-aproned girl
passes him carrying a bowl of sifted -four.
AS she opens door glimpse is caught of
4 neat kitchen with cooking utensils ranged
about. group Of boys are playing leap
frog in the back yard. Not far away
dozen girls are throwing rings in shape like
large puffy doughnuts. A square board on
which a number of long pegs are arranged
stands aslant and the endeavor is to toss
the rings so as to encircle the pegs. The
complete outfit was made by the pupils
AS the visitor watches the games a bright
faced woman greets him and offers the reg
lister, in which he is asked to write his
name and address. She tells him the pro-
gramme for the day. He learns that no
textbooks are used, no states, tablets or
other school paraphernalia. He is told that
no prepared lessons are required; there is
no study; no stern discipline is enforced:
obedience is voluntary; self-direction is the
aim. AS the visitor goes from room to
room he decides that the children pay at
tention because they are interested. No les
son is more than twenty minutes long, and
when pupils are dismissed they go into an
ether room and to another teacher. Twice
during the morning there is a recess called
free play" Following a group into the
music room, the visitor hears an effective
lesson tone quality. The teacher calls
attention to a street car it speeds past
the open window, to the clang of the gong,
to the noise made by the wheels, to the pc
culiar whirr of the body of the it
rushes through the air, to the difference in
sound as the car slows or goes faster, to
the difference in sound as it passes an open
space or between tall buildings. The fire
bell rings and notice is taken of it's vibrant
stroke. A birds call is heard. A scissors
grinder trundles by with three bells alter
nately jingling. A series of notes are
struck on the piano and the children iden-
tify them. A series of themes are played
~
dren are taught to listen intelligently. In
one room young woman, alert and en-
thlsastic, tells how the blankets used by
United States soldiers are made. 1t is an
object lesson with tufts of wool, skeins of
yarn. spindle and teazle for illustration. The
process is carefully described from the time
the wool ds sheared from the sheep until it
is turned out an army blanket stamped ~.
S." When the children were asked the
cry of "Uncle Sam" On the day following
the lesson the children were taken to Mer-
ritts wooden mill where an empoye showed
teacher and class blankets in the making.
In an upstairs room the story OF Bellero-
phon and Pegasus was graphically told and
eagerly listened to by fifteen or twenty
In the manual training department boys
and girls black and white, were using tools
under skllful guidance. Happier children,
or more industrious. could not be found the
world over. Various small useful articles
were being made, and the pride with which
work was shown waS good to see. In the
cooking school a three-course dinner was
prepared Soup, steak, potatoes, bread and
butter and rice pudding. This was AFTER
ward served from well-appointed table
The pupils are taught how to buy the food
how to select and prepare the meat, veg
etables and fruit, how to COOK them, ana
how to place upon the table, how to serve
others and how to eat it themselves. A boy
who speared his bread from the plate with
his fork, buttered the slice entire and bolted
II i'm a trice was not reproved before the
visitors; but 1t is safe to suppose he was
talked 10 in private.
rolled. with an excellent average daily at
tendance Five teachers are employed. the
school opened the fifth day Of July and is
to continue five weeks in all. 1t is the be-
lief of those who have studied the workings
of similar schools in other cities that In
dianapolis should have not one, but num-
Der of them and that the term should be
twice as long. The common arguments
against vacation schools are: Children
should play in summer, not work. They
should be kept out of doors Their minds
should rest and their bodies be active. These
are granted by the vacation school advo-
cate. Given a pleasant home. an attractive
play ground, a mother with time to give to
her children, and the demand for school
ceases. But go into the neighborhood of
Pearl street. say the advocates of the
echOol-ths is one instance only. many 9TH
ers could be given-and observe the condi-
tons there. The child plays in the alley
the street, the gutter. If there is a tiny bit
OF ground attached TO the hot, ill-ventilated
house in which he lives there is not a blade
of grass in it, not tree to give shade. He
has no luxurious hammock or wide, easy
swing. He has no bathroom where he can
splash, no hydrant in the yard when he can
turn the water into spray and dash
through IL. laughing and leaping. He cam
not sprinkle the walk in front or the baked
ground in the rear, unless he carries water
from pump or street fountain many feet
away. His mother has neither time nor
money to take him street car rides She
has no inclination to entertain him after
hours of leaning over a wasfboard and IRON
Ing table cooking; washing dishes and
tehGlhS tretful BABY. Children who can
60 10 cottages by the sea- to delightful
1armhouses, or stay at home in comfort
ana happiness have no need of summer
schools. Unfortunately, there are many who
can neither go away joyfully nor stay at
home comfortably. To them the school,
with its large clean. cool rooms. its music
and pictures. its games and stories. its Sc
rene, low-voiced teachers. neither scoldfng
nor complaining, its weekly excursions to
the parks, its whole atmosphere of interest
and happiness. is a boon which ought NOT
be lgnorantly criticised but which should
be visited. approved and supported