The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-11-13
YAzUE OF yAcAr1oN SCHOOLS.
Address to the Mems Club of United
Church by John G. Brooks.

Address to the Mems Club of United
Church by John G. Brooks.
The first of the sea sons series of ad-
dresses before the Mems club of the
United church was delivered last night
by John Graham Brooks of Boston, who
spoke on Ten Years of a New Kind OF
School, A large audience was present
in the auditorium of the church to hear
Mr.. Brooks. The new kind Of school
concerning which he spoke is the vaca-
ton school, organized in many Of the
large cities of the country and conduct
ed during the summer vacation, the at
tendance of children being voluntary.
At these schools useful information of a
practical character is taught, and any
especial adaptability of the child is
trained, while every possible attempt is
made to bring out the best there Is in
the child.
Mr.. Brooks spoke of the difficulties
met with in the attempt to establish
vacation schools in Cambridge and IN
other cities of the country, and enumer-
ated many of the arguments advanced
against the practicability Of the scheme.
He held that the idleness Of school chill
dren during the summer vacation was
conducive to large increase in juvenile
crime, and related several incidents to
illustrate He did not wish to intimate
that vacation schools applied to law
1essness or crime, but thought that their
training was good for those children
who never have shown signs Of degen-
eracy or lawlessness.
Speaking of the opening of the first
vacation school in Cambridge, he said
that men pooh-poohed it and called it
crazy fad of women, but the faith of
four or five earnest women brought 1T
about that the schools were established.
In one instance in particular the volun-
tary attendance at the vacation school
was greater than the compulsory at
tendance of the ordinary school, while
in New York. Brooklyn and other cities
thousands Of children were turned
away who could not be accommodated.
TIe spoke of the advantage of vacation
schools to Woodworking mothers by
taking care of their children during the
vacation, and said that the pleading of
these mothers alone was an irresistible
argument to convince an intelligent
community that such schools should be
established. He spoke of how the prac-
tical training of these schools brings
out latent talents in the child-talents
which would never have been developed
otherwise, probably, and thereby ines
timably influencing the child's future
life.
Mr.. Brooks spoke of actual cases
where the knowledge gained by chill
dren in these schools had been put to
practical use. A girl who learned cook
ing there kept her home together after |
her mothers death; a drunkard reform
ed because his daughter learned to cook |
at vacation school. AS a comparison |
with the instruction in such schools Mr.. |
Brooks told Of a country school which |
he visited within one hundred miles of |
Boston, in town where he said not a
single woman could cook a decent meal !
of victuals, but all could spoil every
dish with infallibility and where nearly
every one has dyspepsia. In the school,
the first time he went there, he found
them studying about China. One ideal
there was to get away from the country
and become a clerk in a department
store. Nothing practical is taught
Mr.. Brooks then spoke of his visits to
where he said, the same
kind of instruction and training was
schools; how by patience, kindness and
scientific methods devoid of brutality
the best part of the man is developed.
He said that three-fourths of the men
who leave the Elmira acknowledgement
who came from the lowest and worst
parts of New York city, influenced by
he training they got in the reformato-
", become at least ordinary citizens
Mr.. Brooks said that prison warden
old him that when such training was
Introduced into vacation schools in
very town the prisons would be closed
Ip in few years except for hereditary
riminals. He said that the employers
bout New York were so eager to get ,
he men who came from the reforma-
Dry that they can't turn out men at ,
1lmira fast enough He said: IF you
et results like that. SO that the man ,
earns to do something for society and
o be trustworthy, and if that system I
applied regularly and Systematically {
Trough society, what will be the re- ,
ult?" :
AS for the expense, the secretary of ;
he Massachusetts Prison association s
ad just told him that last year police o
rejection against criminals and GRIM +
laI courts cost almost $5O00,00O, and 2
nat is hint of what the cost is in the +
ntire country. In this amount the in \
lrect losses are not included. The num- +
err of arrests was one million and the T
alue of county prison properties was o
0.000, 10000. i.