The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-02


Danish textbooks.
When the schools were founded some
years ago by the Society for Improving
the Condition of the Poor. it was recog-
nized as necessary that they should be
made attractive, and a minimum of
textbook work was provided-a chief
object Of the founders being to rescue
from the summer streets children of the
tenements but there was a desire and
attempt to use to some extent the instru-
mentality of textbooks. Under the
management Of the board of education
the schools have more and more tended
to become play places, pure and simple.
I Last summer the only textbooks tolera-
| ted were some readers; this summer
even these are to go. Is is intended,
| however, to have in each of the schools
a select library, drawn from such pub
| lie libraries as will contribute, and out
of these pupils will take such books as
they please-and doubtless will be en-
couraged to do so. what we wish to
dc" said prominent member of the SUI
perintendents' committee yesterday, lis
| to do away with the school idea l
wanted to call the institution Play
! schools and Play grounds for Summer
| Schools, but the title chosen is Vacation
| Schools and Fairgrounds"
| 1t is planned to use schools this sum-
| mer, three times the number employed
| last summer. 1t is estimated that TWEEN
| ty-five thousand children were present
| at one time in the schools and play
grounds last summer, and it is intended
| to make provision now for an attend
ance of one hundred thousand. The
| thirty schools have not yet been selected,
but the guiding principle of choice will
be to serve the tenement-house districts,
conditions being that the schools shall
have roof-gardens, or yards or other
wise be adapted to fulfil, the dominant
purpose of play, and that they shall not
be, as rule, in the immediate vicinity.
of parks, the presence of the latter being
deemed IN some sort substitute for the
schools as bringers of diversion and en-
tertainment.
The period proposed for the schools is
from July 6 to August 31--eight weeks;
last summer it was six. They are to be
open six days in the week. and each day
there will be two sessions. the first be-
ginning at about eight o'clock in the
morning, and the second closing at abou
six. There is to be a different set Of en-
ployes for each session, but children are
to attend all day long if they will. 1t is
proposed to give Commissioner O'Brien's
committee the appointment Of all the
employees, with no restrictions except
that "the appropriations be not exceed
ed" and that "the names of the appoin-
tees be duly reported to the school
board" These employees will be super
visors, principals, teachers, directors of
Fairgrounds and janitors. None Gun
less the janitors) are expected to work
longer than halliday; the salaries last
year ranged from one dollar to three
dollars and half day. 1t is the poll
cy of the board to avoid appointing per-
sons already employed in the schools, al
though many teachers are anxious to
earn the money; the reason assigned be
ing that teachers need vacation wheth-
err they know it or not, and for the sake
of their work the succeeding term,
should be compelled to take it, whether
they want it or not.
The considerable number of employees
to be engaged will, therefore, be out
siders-that is, outside Of the schools not
outside of the city, as Mr. O'Brien and
majority of his committee are known to
be ardent advocates of the doctrine
New York for New Workers" The po-
sitions will consequently be SO many new
ones, to be filled with persons resident in
the city, but not connected with the
school system-conditions which would
seem to narrow greatly the body of com
petent persons from whom choice can be
made. Not only is it proposed that Mr..
O'Brien's committee shall have practi-
cally absolute power in making appoint |
ments, but also that 1t shall fix all sala- |
ries and change them at will-the jani-
tors, however, being protected by the |
provision that their salaries shall not be
affected except with the consent of the
committee on sites and buildings. For |
some reason the public-school janitor
has long been an august and favored |
parsonage.
For the Fairgrounds and gymnasia, |
which are to form so important part |
of the summers instruction, the board |
has the twenty sets of gymnastic appa-
ratus which were used last summer, and |
to which large additions will probably
be made out Of the appropriation of thir-
ty thousand dollars made for the main
tenance of the schools. 1t is desired to
employ as many open-air gymnasia as
possible, and the use of three has been
offered to the board by the outdoor Re-
creation league; they have not yet been
accepted One at Eleventh avenue and
Fifty third street was used by the board
last summer; the two others are now be-
ing equipped; they are at Sixty-eights
street and the Boulevard and at Hester
and Norfolk streets. The Dock depart
ment will be asked for a special use of
the recreation piers and swimming
baths, and the Park department for the
free use of certain parks, mostly in the
northern part of the city Excursions,
it is expected, will be one of the features
Of the schools.