The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-16
TO MAKE GIRLS THRIFTY.
An Experiment WIN PIN Begun In the
Newark Public schools.

This is a true story about ten pins and
= 500 little girls and about the new method
| Of teaching the children Of the Newark
public schools TO be careful with their
belongings.
A few days ago the principals and teach
| ers in the city's fifty public schools were
notified that hereafter they must be more
business-like In giving out pins TO the
sewing classes and that a rigid and accurate
accounting would be expected of every
pin allotted to the girls in these classes.
Each girl is to get ten pins when she begins
sewing in the sixth grade grammar and
when she completes the course at the end
of the eighth year, she must return the
pins or as many others.
Each girl has a small pasteboard box in
| which she is supposed to keep her needles,
| pins. thread, scissors, dc, and at the end
Of the sewing period she must pack her
| materials neatly in the box. lea I'VE the box
on her desk for the inspection Of the
teacher, and then put on the lid and place
the box in her desk,
There has been little bother over needles
or thread, but the pins seemed to vanish
as If they had wings. No doubt the janl-
tors have swept them up by the dustpan-
ful and in the summer vacation, when the
classrooms are thoroughly overhsuled,
pins ave been brought up from the cracks
in the floor by the hundreds.
Then the girls while busy with sewing
In class have stuck pins in their frocks,
only TO forget all about them until they
got home. when they would seldom re-
member to take them to school the next
morning. From the time the sewing Lesson
began until it ended, there has always been
a continual demand for pins,
In many instances "A paper OF 800 pms
would scarcely last a week IN a class. The
officials. when they heard Of this eNtrava-
gancc, grew grave and now have evolved
the new rule which holds every girl 10
strict accountability for her ten pins, which
she receives when She starts sewing in the
sixth grade.
She may turn them IN 10 her teacher Al
the end Of the year, or perhaps she may
be permitted to take them with her INTO
the seventh grade, but II this lat Is a.-
lowed she II simply putting of ia" day
of accounting for, sooner or later, she wa
be officially asked.
"What have you lone with those ten
pins? Produce them
Under the new - stem 2j 900 pins will ID"
supplied 20 the children Of the Nowar,
public schools who sew, sine" there are
800 Of them. This means seventy Iapcr-.
4 paper Of pins bought at wholesal" costs
the Board Of Education four cents. 80 tie
pin Till each year Will hT about $3.50.
Hitherto IL has been nearer Slj a year, SD
the actual saving in dollars and cents viii
be about sl2.
I'VE don't care SO very much about tie
saving of money, " said an official of thr
Board of Education. for It is "A tritle. We
will explain to the children, however, how
much can be done with Sl2 and let them
understand that each one Of them IL con-
tribu,iug her small share toward saving
this amount.
The chief lesson 20 be learned, and tie
real value of the new rule, is 30 impress
upon these girls that a pin II an article Of
possession, that il has it, value and houI
not bc dealt with Carelesslv. A girl who IL
careful with pins will soon learn TO be care
iul about everything
That little pin habit may DO "A world Of
good. We do not ask them TO follow out
The old adage: See a pin and pick II up,
and 50 on. for We have no business To direct
their actions out of school and some cranky
parent might object TO II. But We do in
slst hat they shall take care Of the things
We give them to use, even pms