The San Francisco call., 1904-12-11
WHIT F THE CITY EXPANDS
ITS EDUCATIONAL WANTS
SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED

Z school is allowed to be unprovided with
a garden spot. In the high schools OF
these progressive Eastern cities thor
ough manual training in advanced
work and complete commercial study
fit the boy and girl to step into their
chosen pursuits thoroughly prepared.
Dr. Maxwell, superintendent of the
New York schools. has lately said in
an address at Cooper Union; Play
is imperative in the school as anOrding
relaxation for the pupil. Gymnastics
strengthen the body and help to build
up a healthy mind. Athletics is a sys-
! tematized form Of play and strengthens
! the courage, self-contrOl and loyalty
I to ones fellows through working to-
gether to one end. Manual training
cultivates the mental and moral habit
of accurateness and truthfulness. With
out these four forms no school Is doing
! its perfect work"
Considering the subject Of Industrial
/ education a little more in detail. look
at the outlays IN New York for this
purpose. That city Is now constructing
/ two manual training schools each 81
which will cost nearly S1.O0O.OOO and
100000 more for the machinery. There
will be in the molding rooms a cupola
! Of one ton capacity for melting iron
/ and also brass furnace. In the forge
room will be found a 250-pound steam
l hammer, besides numerous steam en-
( gines and electric motors. Look out
on East River and see a vessel an
/ chored there which contains a nautical
/ school for the boys who are ambitious
| to be sailors. Bathrooms are provided
/ in the school buildings OF the over
/ crowded tenement districts. Nearly
\ 5000 free lectures were given to adults
/ last year in 143 lecture centers The
teachers, too, are not forgotten by an
appreciative municipality. Any teacher,
or supervisor, who has given thirty-fvs
years service. twenty OF which have
! been spent in the city schools. may be
retired on half pay when disabled. or
on reaching the age Of sixty-fve. The
total expenditures for New Yorl's pub
lie schools for 1904 will be over s21,-
900, 900.
If it be true that San Francisco Is,
I educationally considered, in a stagnant
condition. 1t is not difficult to ascertain
the cause. 1t is wholly and entirely for
the reason that public sentiment has
cational improvement. The busy COM
mercial or professional man, unaware
Of the tremendous advance and high
educational standards OF this period.
is not conscious that the modern rich
( Developments OF school life should be
realized. at least to some extent, by his
own boys and girls. That they will
/ hereafter be Handicapped for want or
the most thorough training this age
/ can give does not enter his thoughts.
He pays his taxes. hears that his chill
drCn are doing welI'' in school and is
content
There is one way. and one only,
that is now visible by which the pub
lie mind may be awakened TO a Just
sense of local educational wants. II
this city is a civic body that is large.
thoroughly organized. powerful The
object of it's existence is to care for
the public good. The value OF its
previous efforts for the welfare of the
city Is beyond estimate. 1t makes no
mistakes. Its name Is the Merchants
Association. II this association with
it's wealth Of membership. resources
and character will take up this meas
ure in its own thOrough-gOing. broad
gagged manner Of transacting busi-
ness there will be no failure. The re-
ports Of the committees OF the asso-
citation, cooperating with the school
authorities in exhaustive local and
Eastern Investigations, will carry
weight with every citizen of San Fran
cisco and their recommendations are
morally certain of adoption. The
value of such a movement in behalf OF
the public schools of San Francisco
cannot be computed. To say the least.
the results will be on a par with the
successful labors of the association in
promoting the bond issue of s18,0OO,-
900. Virtually such a work carried to
completion amounts to relaying the
educational foundations of this city.
VIII the Merchants Association as
sumo this work Of transcendent i'm
portance To a body of men organ
ized expressly to promote public tn
terests few finer opportunities ever
come through which to render their
city distinguished service. G.. G.