Evening star., 1902-08-22
TO GOVERN | SCHOOLS
Application i Of the Principle
of the Junior Republic.
PLAN TRIED IN CHICAGO
SCHOLARS TAKE PRIDE IN MAIN
TANNING ORDER.
Trials of George in Developing His
Ideas-How Problem Was Sue
cessfully Solved.
PLAN TRIED IN CHICAGO

SAuAAy SoAsSN'
In the next report of the bureau Of edu-
cation considerable attention will be devot-
ed to self-government in schools. The Jun
ior Republic has developed many ideas
along the line Of self-government for chill
dren. and these ideas are being applied to
the wider field of the schools.
10 chicago belongs the credit for solving
tne olmcult question of school government
Dy applying the principle of the Junior Re-
public to them.
Prof. e. w. French of the Hyde Park
Schooi OF Chicago has described the practi-
cal working Of the plan as adopted in
school
In the main building Of the school in
which the experiment is being tried he
says. more than 1000 pupils, young men
ana women. ranging from thirteen to twen-
ty-one years of age. are seated in sixteen
rooms including large assembly hail.
Inc remaining 400. who are seated in an
osher building, have not as yet been in
cluded In the new system.
Plan in Operation.
After short trial some changes were
round desirable in the details Of the plan
which Is now in operation as follows: Each
>N>Seo III Regular kOEu d EcpTeSeHId-
tive to body. which Is partly legislative
and partly executive in its functions. called
the senate This body elects a president
ana secretary appoints the necessary COM
mltteeS and assumes control Of the order
IN the nails and of the care of the furniture
ana building. 1t formulates code of laws
ana appoints corps of tribunes to carry
.Hem out. These laws are read to the stu
dents In each room, and carefully explain
Gu SO mat the reasons for their adoption
Of thAiv
clearly understood, and then are posted in
conspicuous places. Whenever classes are
passing through the halls the tribunes are
stationed In all the strategic points
throughout the building to see that the
rules are observed.
The senate also appoints a court of three
Judges, to whom all cases Of lawbreaking
are reported, and before whom the more
serious ones are tried, with the customary
procedure of prosecution and defense. The
Juoges very wisely, make their administra-
tlon reformatory rather than punitive in
Its purposes, and seldom find it necessary
TO inf1ict penalty.
Representative Government.
This, in brief, is the outline of the
organization, which is of interest only be-
cause of the results which it produces. 1t
will be noticed that this scheme of govern
ment Is distinctly a representative one,
and that each pupil can justly feel that he
over. the whole body of the students, with
very few exceptions, are intensely loyal to
the idea. They take pride in the recogni-
tion of their rights and they also feel that
they are individually responsible for the
welfare and the good name of the school.
AS result of this the old spirit of forced
submission to authority is passing away.
and In its place is coming voluntary sub
mission to the general rules of good be-
havior as embodied in the laws which they
themselves have made and adopted; and
it is especially interesting to observe that
these laws are stricter than those under
which they lived during the old regime.
When the experiment was begun the
senate was told explicitly that for two
months the designated functions of the
school would be put unreservedly into
their hands, and that neither principal nor
teacher would interfere with their adminis-
tration, either to hinder or to help. This
announcement was made with some hesi-
tation, but it was determined to give them
an absolutely fair trial, and the result
demonstrated the wisdom of the position.
Influence School Life.
s'The results already manifest are many
and far-reaching. They penetrate every
function of school life and influence all it's
relations. There Is a better spirit displayed
throughout the school, and 1t is the general
verdict of the teachers that never before
has the control of the class rooms been so
easy and it is certain that the number Of
cases of discipline referred to the principal
has materially decreased.
1.-TWO important results are evident even
to the casual observer. The first is that
excellent order is maintained in the halls
without any interpositien on the part of
either principal or teachers. From to 500
students are required to change their rooms
at the end of each period and frequently to
go from the first to the second floor and
the reverse. At every turn and on each of
the landings stands a serious and digniicd
boy or girl, and the slightest disorder IS
nrOrpnt1y bnt cOlrteOuSlV checked Tharh
is no unseemly haste, no conversation or
laughter but each student goes quietly and
promptly to his appointed room, and the
whole change is made in four minutes OF
less"
Development of Junior Republic.
The application Of the principle of self
government to schools recalls the very re-
cent experiments by Mr.. w. R. George that
established them in the popular mind as es-
pecially worthy Of being used to advantage.
In 1887 Mr.. George. then about twenty-o
years of age, whose home had been among
the hills near Freeville, TOmpkins county
N. Y, went to New York city to follow
business calling. All of his leisure time he
occupied in making the acquaintance of the
street boys and girls of the East Side. in
visiting boys clubs. teaching Sunday school
classes and becoming deeply attached to
these urchins Impressed by their cramped
life, he determined, In 1890. to take a COM
pany of thirty to his home near Freeyille
where he spent his own vacations in Au-
gust He secured railway expenses through
the Tribune fresh air fund, and relied upon
his relatives and fneighbors to furnish pro-
visions. His only purpose at this time was
to give the Boys and girls a thoroughly
happy outingad Thecsecond summer-1S91-
he took a company of 200, all to be kept on
one farm in tents and from that time to
the present the number has ranged from
$50 to 200, Of whom about one-fourth have
been girls r. n Y ~
The Pa1per Spirit.
The people and churches Of the neighbor-
hood responded bountifully with food and
clothing. and these were distributed freely
among the youthful claimants Four sum-
mers Of this experience focused his atten-