The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-16
broadening Usefulness Of Schools.

The public school, which IS the 4oull-
tain head of American democracy ana
s.,ccess. is becoming all the time more IN
TINA te1v associated and ipterwoven with
the life of the people,. 1t USED 10 We oil
institution which affected directly only
the children that attended it. Inc scnooi"
room was a strange place TO Heh aiiu
women, except in recollection. buI .'lle
tendency is now for the public school 70
relate itself directly to the life or the
neon,e They continue to use the school
buildings for public purposes. Inc ecu
cation impaired by the public scnool no
longer ends with the passing from the
eighth grade or the high school. Inc
school. building is now being turned into
a cultural and inspirational center 1or
| the whole region. roundabout -,:,1 J..
, In Minneapolis the perpetual effort TO
provide seats for the two or three regl-
ments of reinforcements the school army
receives every year has Of late years o1-
verified attention from everything. that
| some mossback could call a fad, and even
from simple little ways Of extending the
public school influence that are quite mex
pensive The motto of economy has dr1v-
en- out the night schools we used to. have
and ought to have again. But school
property has been utilized for vacation
schools and play centers, though little
has been accomplished here In making the
1 school buildings social centers. Free lee
lures, reading rooms, parents meetings.
free concerts-these are some OF tne
things the public school buildings now
house in some cities. Discussing the edu-
cational outlook, in the Forum Oss1an Il
Lang says that present tendencies NEAR
that the schools will be. distributing
= stations of central libraries and museums
e Works of art will be passed around, fol
I exhibition from school to school; and ar
0 exhibits will be- held in them. Neighbor
f hood literary and musical clubs will be in
S vfted to make their homes in the schoo
9 buildings. All sorts. Of improvement
d agencies will make these public building
: their headquarters. There VIII be- housed
in them dressmaking circles millinery
O cooking, household and motherhood art
: circles; associations for the study of loca
d geography and history and the practica
r sciences and art, theatricals, photography
= village and neighborhood Improvement
etc. The building: which represents S
much of an investment of public none
.. will not be permitted to lie idle two day
in the week and all except eight hour
- on each Of the remaining days. No sue
= waste of opportunity, time and plant wi
be permitted in the future.
II Mayor Low started the ball rolling
New York by calling the attention Of th
board Of education to the folly of 1eavin
:, the big buildings unused. 500 much of tt
" time, when all around them was swarm
- ing population that could use them ito goo
public purpose. .st@ r 4t$5"
The schools will be benefited by gettir
: into such close touch: with life arour
~ them. The courses Of study will becon
:" more practical and, therefore, more hell
10 full, So fast does custom bind and
~ conservative is mankind that there W
/ be a strong battle made, by practical me
: against practical instruction in tt
| schools. Many of the so-called fads a.
| nothing but the most practical and usef
instruction. They not only give a bett
~ education in the true sense but they ser
-. better to prepare for self-support than :
endless round of mental calisthenics and
~ stuffing of facts down the mental throat
,r- - - s.f---r:
= child who can have only a few years
= schooling. Anything besides book lear
;. ing is dubbed a fad by: the reactionarie
- but they should take a lesson from Boo
= | err Washington and learn how mitch bett
is less book learning and more practie
:. instruction for those hordes Of school:ch
=. dren who are to be the manual -rath
~ than the brain workers Of the, futul
!. The three RS are first and indispensal
' to the instruction that teaches how to
things, but they are not the whole )
practical education and are often ma
ieu impractical by OVERRIDING.
not
op An organist, who recently died in Sweden
ost held the position OF choirmaster and organist
one church for seventy two years without m
II ing q service. He and his ancestors had pla
soc the organ in the same church fer 200 wears.