The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-12
The Woman'S Club Believes More
Concern in the Management
and Work of Public Schools
Should Be Shown by Women
COMMITTEE NAMED
TO AROUSE INTEREST
The Burden Of Maintaining Va
cation Schools Carried by the
Club but the City is to Be
Asked to Share in the Cost
Report of Summers Work


yesterday afternoon. Many matters
were discussed, but the principal bust
ness was in relation to vacation
schools, school suffrage and the new
clubhouse. The Woman's Club feels
that it has done as much as it should
of the work of conducting vacation
schools unaided by the city, and will
address a petition to the mayor and
the City Council asking for an appro-
priation to continue the work next
summer. The report Of the vacation
school committee from the Woman
Club, giving an account of what was
accomplished during the past summer,
was read at yesterdays meeting by
Miss Helen A. Ball.
The Woman's Club desires that
women should serve on the school com
Imittee and that women should become
much more interested than many of
them are at present in school suffrage.
A nominating committee was appointed
Ito choose a suffrage committee for the
purpose of arousing interest in this
matter.
The nominating committee consists
of the president, Mrs. L. NJ. LoVell
vice president, Miss Cora L. Greene;
clerk, Mrs H P Eddy. The following
Club at the meeting of the clubhouse
corporation in January: Mrs. Lowell,
Miss Greene Mrs. Eddy and Miss Liz
zie NJ. Bassett club treasurer. The
next meeting OF the club will be held
Dec. IS. The miscellaneous topics de-
partment will be in charge-Mrs. Mary
c. Dodge, chairman.
Rev. William c. Curtis of Norwalk,
Ct, viii speak on Indian Basketry Of
the Pacific Coast"
! Following is the report of the vaca-
ton schools:
Your committee has to report that,
as voted by the club, the vacation
schools We're again opened on July 8,
and continued until Aug. 9, and were
carried on in practically the same way
as those of last summer the school
committee having granted the Wo-
mans Club the use of the same school
yards and buildings and provided some
necessary materials.
The attendance at each of the three
sand gardens was considerably larger
than last year, and al Lamartne
Street there were at times ZIG children.
with an average attendance of 1874 as
against 115 last year. The teachers
were Miss Anna Cummings, as princi-
pal with Miss FREEMAN and Mrs.
/ Walker as assistants.
At Thomas Street there We're, at
! times, 160 with an average attendance
| of 40, against u last year. Miss Kill
! leila was principal there, with Miss
! Gleason assistant.
| At Shrewsbury Street the whole
number was $50 and the average at
| tendance SO as against 70 last year.
Miss Taft was principal there with
Miss Mary Murphy and Miss Trainor
assistants-the increased number Of
( children and the exceptionally difficult
circumstances attending this school,
making two assistants necessary this
summer 1t was also decided to engage
regularly trained teacher for the
sewing classes and the services Of Miss
Catherine Murphy were procured. She
visited the schools on successive days
and one of the other teachers carried
out her instructions at other times
By the kindness of B. F. Marsh the
sand beds were again filled, and these
were a source Of endless pleasure to
the younger children.
As before there We're the kindergar-
ten and other games, and the older
children made collections of leaves
printing the names above. Flowers,
too, were copied and colored, and
sCrapbOOks We're made for the day
nursery, the orphans home and for the
hospitals. In these last the children
take special interest, for either in their
own persons or through members of
their families, many Of them know
what hospital life means. These scrap
books. too often show individuality.
One boy, for instance, wished to make
his book all about Gen. Grant" The
( teacher gave ready help and it is safe
to say that hereafter our great general
will be more than a name to that boy.
The plan was again successfully
tried of lending magazines and books
for over Sunday the children often
asking leave to take them home to
show the pictures to brothers and sis
tiers. As a rule, the girls showed great
interest in the sewing lessons, and
they would willingly have devoted
more time to them. There were, by
their own desire, classes of boys, too.
who did some very neat work in sew
ing on buttons and darning One boy,
whose mother could not provide him
with buttons for the lesson. cut some
off his trousers, had his lesson, cut
them off the bit of cloth used for the
lesson work and again sewed them on
his trousers. One would hardly ask a
stronger proof of interest.
As in the previous summer many
babies We're in attendance. little Mag
gle, three months old being the young
= est and the days were few when she
did not make her appearance.
An incident at the Lamartine Street
School may be given as showing that
the mothers, at least, fully appreciate
what these schools mean to these little
people. In bringing her two-year- old
boy q woman said to Miss Cummings
This sand garden saved by baby's life
last summer. He was sick all the time
and at last the doctor said Take him
over to the vacation school and put
him down in the sand and see what
that will do for him" and 1 brought
him over here for an hour every morn
ing. and he began to get better right
away"
Much has been done for the pleasure
Of the children. At Shrewsbury Street
flowers for distribution among then
were sent regularly on Fridays by diff
ferent persons and were also often sen
to the other schools and seemed I,
give the children perhaps as mucl
pleasure as anything that was done foi
them. At Shrewsbury Street, also, twt
CrOquet sets were provided.
4 AT Lamartine Street there was
tether ball and from IL to u the games
We're always going on. Here, too, tn
children often had the hurdy-g urdy t.
play for them, and this was a great de
light The man was paid by the fire
men at the station near by, by Mari
n. Skerrett. by the neighbOrs and tn
teachers. and in this connection 1
should be recorded that the neigbor
were always ready to help in any wa!
; possible for them.
At all the schools. too, the.
had what the children called
milk and cracker party" whel
80 quarts OF milk and cracker
in corresponding quantities vanished
in short order. the Lend-a-Hand Clul
If the First Unitarian, the Young PEG