The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-18
OPENING DOORS
OF LITTLE RED
SCHOOLHOUSE
Getting Full Returns for a
81, 900, 100000 Investment


A Twentieth Century Revival of DEM
ocratic Spirit Discovery of a Hemis-
phere of Opportunity, Clarence A.
Perry.-School Plant Utilization In
quiry, Russell Sage Foundation.
Exclusive Service The Survey Press
Bureau
The school plant of America is val
ued at 100000. 1t lies idle 81 per
cent. of the available time when it is
Assuming that the full use of this
property Is worth to the community
5 per cent. upon upon the investment.
it's employment for day instruction
only woul involve an annual waste in
the United States of $So,5o0,0o0.
AS was said recently most of us no
more appreciate what II means to have
Europe, before 1892, appreciated what
it meant to have the earth. There
was a whole hemisphere of incalcu-
liable wealth and opportunity about
which they knew nothing. And in the
school plant, there is whole hemis-
ed by those who think of it as simply
building for the education of chill
dren, with the added use Of an occa-
sional evening school,"
The school building should be the
capital of the neighborhood. the focal
point, of educational. recreational po-
litical and soc al life. It's import
ance as a place for the development
OF intelligent public spirit through the
free discussion of public questions Is
fundamental for "those who are OPEN
ing our school houses for the largest
public service are simply carrying on
the traditions of freedom" The prim-
m nf mo I'm q
Greece and Rome and Palestine, the
folk moot Of Northern Europe, the
New England town meeting, which
often took place in the little red school
house, are the precursors of the lar
ger use of the school house which in
stead of being novelty is 'the twen
tieth century revival and expression
of the democratic spirit which has
been vital at intervals, for more than
two thousand years.
Back in the eighties it, was custom
airy to turn the school house over to
ing. An hour later he locked the
doors, and the building was pot used
by anybody during the rest of the
day. When he got through on Friday
afternoon the school premises were
closed until the following Monday
morning. On Saturday and Sunday
the school grounds were Stunned as
forbidden territory During the long
summer months no one entered them,
except possibly the workmen who went
there to make repairs. The whole
school property was used from nine
to four during $50 days out of the
year-about 80 per cent. of the total
disable period. But within couple
of decades a vast movement has been
started for wider use Of the school
plant many communities are now re-
eeiving much larger dividends upon
their school investments
Many activities are now carried on
in school houses after day hours. Ev-
ening and vacation schools play
grounds in school yards during July
and August; evening recreation and
social centers during the winter
months; free lectures, entertainments,
indoor sports, folk-dances. civic and
educational meetings in school assem-
bly-rooms and gymnasiums-these
are the chief ways in which the tax
payers are now getting more service
from school property.
Evening schools are now maintained
in over a third of the cities having
more than 5000 inhabitants. In 1908
% the enrolment in the night classes
increased nearly per cent. over that
of the previous year-tenfold the per
cent. of increase In the day-school en-.
rollment during the same period. The
growth of after school activities is
more noticeable, however, in the cities
Of 10000 and over. Practically all of
these support night schools, two-thirds
of them have school house lectures
and entertainments; one-half have
summer Fairgrounds; and one-third
hold vacation schools. In New York,
Chicago, Rochester, Newark and Mil
waukee the school boards themselves
are maintaining recreation or social
centers during the winter evenings
while in a dozen other places similar
work is being carried on by playground
associations and other voluntary or
CARNATIONS.
In Rochester where every other
school house has become a neighbor-
hood social center, an extensive use
of classrooms is being made by mems
civic clubs for non-partisan discus
sions of political questions. 1.-THE
school houses are the places for politi-
cal meetings. said county commit
teeman in a Rochester social center.
ST do not mean that they should be
opened to any one political party, but
to all. Why should I be compelled
to go into a barroom to address
political meeting, where the bartender
is using me to advertise his beer?
Why should be compelled to go into
smoke-filled rooms to talk on political
issues when we have buildings like
this, where those things can be ta-
lie school plant becames the focus
sing point for the social activities of
the neighborhood is illustrated by the
Rochester public school Number
Nine Besides being day, evening
and vacation school, and serving as
public club house for men, women,
boys and girls, the building is used as
moving picture theatre, lecture
hall, a gymnasium. a bathhouse, a
dance hall a library and play
ground house. A free dental clinic is
to be established in It and it has al
ready become a public health office.
It's yard is used as a playground. an
athletic field and a school garden;
with a little more ground for a park
the whole plant would come close to
realization of the ideal social center.
Is there any other American institu-
ton that so naturally attracts to 1T
self all the varied interests Of the
community?
The movement for the wider use has
reached national proportions. The
University of Wisconsin has engaged
Edward j. Ward, the man who organ
lied and for three years ran the Roch-
ester social centerS, to assist the cit
les and towns of wisconsin to start
similar social work. The Commits
s:oner of Education will add an expert
/ on school extension to the staff of the
national bureau when Congress gives
him the increased appropriation which
he has asked for and the Cabinet has
O. KID. The 1911 year book of the
National Society for study of Educa
tion will be devoted to the topic 1.-THE
City School as Community Center"