Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-03
PLAN TO GET ALLEY
CHILDREN INTO SCHOOL
Teachers and Normal Grad.
yates Will Make Tour of
Sums Next Week.

In order to bring into the public
schools 5000 slum and alley children
who have hitherto escaped the compul-
sorry education law, the class OF 1910.
Normal School No. 2. will go out into
the highways and byways of the Dis
trict Of Columbia next week and search
out every youngster more than five
years old whose education has been
neglected.
The self-cnstituted attendance officers
will work under the leadership OF Mrs.
Ida Richardson. attendance officer for
the tenth. eleventh, twelfth and thir-
teenth school divisions. They expect
to rake the alleys and aums from end
to end and from side to side.
Notices to teachers and recent Nor
NAL School graduates who will be called
into this work were sent out today by
A meeting OF all will be held In the
FRANKLIN School probably Tuesday OF
next week and final instructions Will
be given at that time for the execu-
ton OF the plan.
Looks Over Situation.
This is the elimination of an idea
which occurred to Mr.. Bruce several
months ago. He took a survey OF the
situation which allowed children to run
loose In the alleys and poor sections. In
spite Of a compulsory education law.
and finally decided that, on account OF
the very small appropriation allowed Tor
attendance officers. he would call on the
teachers, the ministers. social workers
and prominent men and women or all sec
lions to help him In figuring out the num-
Der of children thus missed by the
schools.
The school organization could not sue
cessfully cope with the situation. Tor the
four divisions to which the coloreo
"This officer," said Mr.. Bruce today.
has devoted herself to her work with
the utmost tact. efficiency and intelli-
gence, but the task allotted to her tran
sends the power OF any one person. On
the other hand. the classroom teacher
during the months Of teaching has her
hands very full. and although she IL ex-
pected to do. and actually does, some
of this PROSECUTING work. there seems to
Mr.. Bruce appeal went broadcast
throughout the city. He asked those
whom he had interested to send to him
the name and addresses OF as many chill
dren from six TO fourteen years OF age
as they happened to know had not at
tended school during the year. He got
the names. the sex. the age. the street
address and, in many cases, the names
Of parents. Although there has been no
count made Of the names. IL Is certain
that they exceed I'VE thousand.
Younger Children Wanted.
The crusade on the alley children will
not stop with the children who are ready
to enter the first grade. for the normal
school graduates will be told that poor
children Of the kindergarten age are
wanted especially. As Mr.. Bruce explains
It:
According to the compulsory education
act children between the ages OF eight
and fourteen must be enrolled In school
or the parent or guardian will be fined
nv the courts The problem. then. which
confronts those who are engaged In the
work IN the task Of bringing children OF
six and seven years Of age into school
and. for that matter, enrolling children
of ave years in the kindergarten. Parents,
heine aware OF the fact that their child
Of Ave, six or seven years OF age does
not come under the ban OF the law. DO
NOT hesitate to show an indisposition to
end their child to school. Moral per-
sua sion is the best means OF bringing the
child in school In such cases. and these
.aeents' of the school system are not
failing to use this means