Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-02-02
oldest School in the Void.
MOTHERS THE PUPILS.
Unique Enterprise Of Detroit Teachers
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ages, the oldest, Mrs. Mary Heelig,
being within three months of 100,
and of all social classes. The school
was founded by Miss Harriet Marsh,
principal of the Hancock School, for
the purpose of solving some of the
problems that confront parents and
teachers, and 1t happens that the
Hancock School is so situated as to
have in its vicinity some of the most
aristocratic as well as some of the
poorest sections of the city. So,
when the mothers, aunts and grand
mothers begin to arrive at 3 o'clock
one day each week, it is not uncom-
mon to see a smart woman drive up
In her carriage just after a colored
woman has come on foot, while a
white-haired dowager who acts as
chaperon at fashionable functions
may be followed by a woman who
takes in washing.
The school for mothers, aunts and
grandmothers does not pursue the
same course of study as does the
school for boys and girls which meets
in the building earlier, but it is ex-
pected to, and does, take things quite
as seriously. The pupils are marked
tardy If they are late and reprimand-
ed IL they are absent too often. Each
class is in charge of a teacher or
principal from some public school Of
the city.
At a recent session the topic for
discussion was swearing, and each
pupil had come prepared to elucidate
it.
Mrs. North" said Miss Marsh,
''please tell me why boys swear?"
Mrs. North gave her opinion, and
brought arguments to bear in sup
port of 1t. Afterward the discussion
became general One mother advo-
Gated as cure for this bad habit the
time honored remedy of soap. Every
time her boy swore she promptly
washed out his mouth with SOAP and
it always had a beneficial effect
for time, at least. Another mother
Immediately arose to disagree with
her. To her mind there was no vir-
tue in the soap cure, as she had tried
it on her seven-year-old son, with
the result that he had developed an
alarming fondness for soap, eating it,
in fact, with great joy. After two
hours of such a session it is almost
impossible for the students to return
home without having learned some
thing that will assist Them in curing
their boys of swearing.
One day the subject was "The
Schoolboy's Pants" 1t proved to be
anything but ridiculous, for it
brought cut many valuable sugges-
tions as to the kind of material that
should be used and how knees and
seat should be reinforced.
Crusading against dirt is a large
part of the work; six weeks were de-
voted to il. Prominent physicians
were called in to tell how and why
dirt breeds disease, and four promi-
nent women personally carried the
campaign into certain homes N which
the children never seemed to be
clean. AS a result, every pupil in the
Hancock School says he brushes his
teeth each morning and battles from
once to twice a week. The need for
this work was well illustrated by the
principals experience with one of her
dirtiest pupils. After school one day
she corralled him and took him home
with her. There she gave him bath
and fitted him out with clean under
wear. A short time afterward the
boy came again and asked for another
suit of underwear, which was cheer
fully given to him. He returned a
week later and received a third suit.
Miss Marsh investigated and found
that he had neve: told his mother
of his visits to her, and that he had
on the three suits of underwear.
Mrs. Mary Patterson, the secre-
tary of the school, is at the head of
what is known as the 'slums depart
ment." Half dozen women, led by
Mrs. Patterson, go each week into the
lowest and most miserable novels,
and this year they have succeeded in
bringing more than one hundred chill
dren into the schools of the city who
had never before known what school
was.
OF this RESCUE squad" as some
of the members call 1t, Mrs. Bertha
Town, well known young Detroit
matron, stands first in the number
of "rescues" made Mrs. Town goes
fearlessly into the toughest and most
poverty stricken districts, and this
year she has brought thirty-one chill
dren into the public schools. Nine of
these were taken from work, that
they might receive at least the begin
nings of an education. Incidentally,
Mrs. Town has added many new mem
bers to the school for mothers, aunts
and grandmothers, among them be-
ing two ex-slaves-Mrs. Christine
Bower and Mrs. Hettie Johnson.
Mrs. Bower is eighty-five years of age
and Mrs. Johnson is eighty-two, and
since they Joined the school, six
months ago, neither has missed ses-
sion. Both have done good work
among the negro population of the
city.
Another interesting character in
the school is Mrs. Sarah Harris, who
a little more than a year ago had
four children at work. Now she has
placed all of these children in school,
and is one of the most enthusiastic
workers in the cause of education
New York Tribune.