The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-19
SCHOOL ROOMS
CANNOT BE USED
FOR RECREATION ROOMS
SAYS COL. MERCER, PRESIDENT OF
BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Rule of Board States That School
Rooms and Buildings Shall Be
Used for Purposes of schools Only.
Not Probable That This Rule Will
he Changed-Used for Recreation
Rooms the Rooms Would be Prac-
tfcaIIy Useless as school Rooms.
The revival of the suggestion first
made by Judge Cam to the effect that
something be done toward providing a
recreation room for the boys at night,
brought about through the communi-
cation printed in yesterdays Morning
News, called forth considerable discus
sion. So far as can be
learned nearly every one is of the
opinion that something should be done
to remedy this street-loafng evil, but
there is a wide difference of opinion as
to just what method is the best.
The suggestion that the matter be
taken up by the Board of Education
and that one or more school
rooms be used for this purpose does
not meet with favor among the mem
bers of the board. There is apparently
a general feeling that such a matter
is not within the province of the board,
and that the school rooms cannot be
used for any such purpose.
Supt. Ashmore was asked about the
matter at the time of Judge Cams
charge. AS reported then in the
Morning News, he took the position
that the care of boys at night is a
matter that should be looked after by
the parents. He held that the home
should be made attractive and the
proper reading material and games be
provided, in order that the desire to
run about the streets might be obviat-
ed. He recognized, however, that the
home. the schools and the church,
are all important factors in solving
the problem, but claimed the first duty
is with the parents.
Cannot Use School Rooms.
Col. George A. Mercer, president of
the Board of Education, when asked
about the matter. said:
THE schools rooms cannot be used
for such a purpose. At present there
is rule Of the board to the effect
that these rooms shall not be used for
any but school purposes. This rule
was made necessary by many things,
but especially owing to the constant
applications we received for the use
of the rooms for different purposes.
OF course a majority vote of the board
could change or suspend this rule, but
1 do not believe such a course would
be a wise one. nor that it would be
followed.
"One of the chief reasons why 1 would
oppose using the school rooms for such
purpose, is that the boys who did
congregate there would deface the
walls, injure the desks and other fur
niture, make the room untidy, and do
other things of that nature which
would unfit the rooms for school pur-
poses.
Cleanliness and tidiness are two
things that are taught in our schools,
and 1 have often complimented teach
ers and pupils upon the fact that there
were no defaeements of any kind on
the walls and desks. This condition of
affairs would not last long if the rooms
were used for the purposes suggested"
Several Problems Arise.
"In the next place." continued Col.
Mercer. several problems arise which
are not easy of solution. How would
you get the boys there? And would
not those boys who did come be the
ones who would be either at home, at
the Y. NJ. c. A., or the library, any
way? Would a recreation and reading
room, of the limited scope such a room
would have to be under, attract the
boys that now run the streets?
"Then who would watch over the
boys if we did get them in. How
would the damage done be assessed
and would it be paid for by the parents
of the boys doing it, as is done now
in the schools? These and many other
questions arise which are not easy
of solution and which, to my mind,
seem to work against the adoption OF
the plan.
CAS- for the argument that New York
has such rooms, / do not think much
of 1t. In the first place this city does
not have the need of them in the way
that New York has. In the second
place we should not take New York
as our example. The New York school
board is so mixed up with politics that
1t is impossible to tell what motives
lie behind certain moves. To sum
the thing up, 1 do not think the sug-
gested plan of utilizing the school
rooms as recreation rooms is feasible
The management and training of the
children after nightfall should be left
with the parents"