Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-12
SCROOL AND COLLEGE WORK
Features Of a New Parental School for
Truant Boys.
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE IS UPHELD
How Ambitious Boys support Them
selves while Taking University
COurse-VariOus Educa-
tIonal Activities.

One Of several novel adjuncts to the
public school system OF Greater New
York is a parental school," located on
a farm Of 1O7 acres. between Flushing
and Jamaica, Long Island. The institution
is equipped for go boys. who will have
the same advantages for obtaining Sn edur
cation as is afforded in any Of the other
public schools Of New York. The site,
buildings and equipments cost sos, 4sS. In
dustrial education is to be a special fea-
ture OF the course at the farm, and agri-
culture and horticulture will be taught, as
we'll as manual training and the elements
Of certain trades.
The buildings occupy the highest ground
on the farm and are built in the modified
mission style of architecture and on the
cottage plan. The plans provide for a
group of fifteen buildings, a power house
two residence cottages for the principal
and his assistants, and eleven cottage
homes for the boys. The location of the
administration building, on an eminence
about 300 feet back from the public road,
gives an opportunity for handsome lawns
driveways and walks. This building, which
is three stories in height, will provide
offices for the superintendent or principal,
and also eleven class rooms; an assembly
hall, 60x66 feet, and dormitorles and state
rooms, besides a gymnasium and manual
training shops in the basement.
Directly in the rear of the administra-
ton building is a spacious campus, or
plaza, about which the eleven cottages
face. The cottages, three Of which are
now ready for occupancy, are III feet
long, two and a half stories In height and
! divided in the middle by a fireproof wall
IT,. -wa1 H.
inc apartments for thirty boys in each
half OF the building. Each half Of a cot
tage will be considered a unit for admin
istrative purposes, and each group of boys
will be In charge of its own master and
matron. In the basement Of each cottage
there will be a playroom, a lavatory, q
drying room and storage rooms for cloth
ing.
The first floors of the cottages are en-
tered both from the Fairgrounds OF the
boys and the campus. On this first floor
are q living room, a dining room, a pantry
reception room and matron's room. Or
the second floor are a dormitory for thirty
beds, near which are Individual lockers
and a toilet room that may be reached
without going into the open hallway. Neal
the boys quarters are two rooms will
bath for the master. overlooking the dor
mitory, in the rear of which is a fire
proof stairway Enclosed in a brick shaft
Sewing rooms and storage rooms are ais,
located on the second floor, and in tn,
attic are servants rooms and storage
rooms for boys clothing.
The parental school Is provided for tn
same class of boys who are now sent t.
the present truant schools, one in Eas
Twenty-flrst street. Manhattan, and tn
other In Jamaica avenue, Brooklyn, whicl
together accommodate less than 200 pupils
For the habitual truant who has had i'm
proper guardianship the city must take tn
place CT the parent and provide the par
entail school that the child may see tn
benefits derived from habits Of order
cleanliness, industry and respect for Law
and authority" says the associate city su
perintendent OF schools. Edward b. Shal
low. who is administrator Of the compul
5 sorry education law, land the truant school
are established for this purpose
/ Under the law the superintendent O
l schools may commit a boy to a truan
school for a term of two years, or unit
l his sixteenth birthday, If he be more tina
, II years of age. When committed tn
truant is under control of the Board Of Ed
! u%cation for this term, but he is paroled
he makes a good record and It Is con
sidered wise to allow him to return to hi
: home. He is recOmmittcd to the truan
: schoo IL he violates the terms Of his pa
2 role,