The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-07-28


the hearts of our people love for the
farm. We must reach out for our boys
and anchor them to the farm by show
jng them its possibilities.
Just as important to the country as
the familiarizing of the boy with the
farm and its advantages should be the
work of interesting both the boy and
the girl in home affairs. They can be
easily interested by teaching them
how to perform properly the duties OF
the home and giving them credit for
the work they are doing. This as out
lined by the following communication
from Prof. Alderman may be accom-
plshed to some extent through the
schools:
That civilization is founded on the
home, all will agree. The school
should be helper of the home. How
can the school help the home? How
can it help the home establish habits
in the children of systematic perfor-
nance of home duties, so that they
will be efficient and joyful homeshelp-
ers? One way is for the school to take
into account home industrial work and
honor it. 1t is my conviction, based
upon careful and continuous observa-
tion, that the school can greatly in
crease the interest the child will take
in home industrial work by making it
subject of consideration at school.
A teacher talked of sewing, and the
girls sewed. She talked of ironing,
and they wanted to learn to iron neat
ly. She talked of working with tools,
and both girls and boys made bird
houses, kites, and other things of in
terest. A school garden was planned
in city, and one of the boys was EN-
ployed to plow the land. Seventy-five
children were watching for him to
come with the team. At last he came
driving around the corner. He could
manage a team. He drove into the
lot, and hundred and fifty eyes looked
with admiration at the boy who could
unhitch from the sled and hitch on to
the plow, and then as he imam fash
ion"- lines over one shoulder and un-
der one arm--drove the big team
around the field, all could feel the
children's admiration for the boy who
could do something worth while. !
have seen girl who could make bread
or set table nicely, get the real ad-
miration of her schoolmates.
The school can help make better
home builders. 1t can help by indus
trial work done in the school, but as
that is already receiving consideration
by the press and in few schools, !
shall not in this article treat of it.
The plan ! have in mind will cost no
money, will take but little school time,
and can be put in operation in every
part of the state at once. 1t will ere
ate demand for expert instruction
later on. 1t is to give school credit
for industrial work done at home. The
mother and father are to be recognized
as teachers, and the school teacher put
into the position of one who cares
about the habits and tastes of the
whole child. Then the teacher and the
parents will have much in common.
Every home has the equipment for
industrial work and has somebody who
uses it with more or less skill. The
school has made so many demands on
the home that the parents have, in
some cases, felt that all the time of
the child must be given to the school.
But an important thing that the child
needs along with school work is estab-
lished habits of home making, and
the habits can come only from real
home making. What one does depends
uo kah n
ledge. The criticism that is most
often made upon industrial work at
school is that 1t is 80 different from
the work done at home that it does
not put the child into that sympathetic
relation with the home, which after
all is for him and the home the most
thing in the world. Juven-
lie institutions find that they must be
careful not to intitutionalize the child
to the extent that he may not be con-
tented in real home. In my opinion
1t will be great thing for the child to
want to help his parents do the task
that needs ! be done and to want to
do it in lie best possible way. The
reason that so many country boys are
now the leading men of affairs is be-
cause early in life they had the respon-
bility of home thrust upon them.
am sure that the motto, Everybody
Helps" is good one.
But one says, "How can it be
brought about? How can the school
give credit for industrial work done at
home2" This may be accomplished by
printed slips asking the home to take
account of the work that the child does
at home under the instruction of the
home, and explaining that credit will
be given this work on the school rec
ord. The slips must be prepared for
children according to age so that the
child will not be asked to do too much,
for il must be clearly recognized that
children must have their time for play.
The required tasks must not be too
arduous, yet they must be real tasks.
They must not be tasks that will put
extra work on parents except in the
matter of instruction and observation
They may well call for the care of an
Imals, and should include garden work
for both boys and girls, Credit in
school for home industrial work with
The parents consent should count rs
much as any one study in school.
To add interest to the work, exhibit
lions should be given at stated times
10 that all may learn from each other
and the best be the model for all. The
School Fairs in Yamhill, Polk, Benton,
.ann Wuaan and ErnoL rnuptiao 10