Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-03
EDUCATION.
XVI-THE SCHOOL SOCIAL CEN
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

I'LL BY Frederic
| Over one billion dollars are now In
vested In the public school buildings In
the United States. The interest on TINS
| immense sum of money would be equlVa-
lent to sixty millions annually. and vet
! the great majority of these buildings
| are absolutely idle the greater portion
OF the time. The regular school sessions
average little more than 100 hours per
| month for less than ten months In the
| year. In other words, for only about
| one-tenth of the entire time are the re-
| sources of this great public school plant
| In use SO that the interest of the money
invested is benefiting the public.
For years educators have been making
| a study of the possibility for charging
the resources of the schoolhouse by
utilizing 1t for other purposes for the
public good than the flve-hours-a-day
session of the schools for which 1t was
originally intended. The scope of these
plans for the wider use of the school
plant is one of the newer and more in
teresting developments Of public educa-
tional thought.
The school social center is rapidly re-
ture of Wisconsin last year passed a bill
providing for the use of school buildings
for social and educational purposes other
than their original object when under
proper authority. Most OF the large cities,
by some local measure, have made the
same provision. Justice Hughes, when
governor Of New York, recently said:
1.-The school social center will soon be
recognized as strong buttress in the
foundation Of the country"
One of the earliest of the school clubs
was organized in Philadelphia under the
auspices of the
Schoolrooms Filled Home and
With Adult Persons. ciation an or
ganization having for its object the
closer union Of the interest of the school
and the home. A large school building
in the most congested section Of the city
was selected for the first experiment OF
the school social center. The board OF
education granted the use of the build
ing and also supplied the trif1ing addi-
tional expense Of light and janitor serv-
ice. Promptly at O'Clock in the even
ing the building was lighted up and re-
opened with the same regularity as the
day school, but this time the school
rooms were filled with adults. A reading
room, where current periodicals were
supplied was at once well attended A
course of weekly lectures and entertain
ments was given. At first these were
provided gratuitously by women inter-
ested, but within six months a club or
ganization had been formed consisting OF
the adult population of the neighbor-
hood and a number of teachers of the
school. This club had a trifiing MEM
bership fee but as it's numbers were
large a small fund was soon In hand to
pay for some of the entertainments and
also to provide suitable refreshments.
which added greatly to the social affairs
held frequently.
1T was factory neighborhood and
many of the people were foreigners. SO
classes of various kinds were organized
Many mothers were glad to attend
classes in sewing, domestic science and
the care of children. All of this instruc-
ton was informal, developed as the need
came and did not in any way interfere
with or initiate the courses of study in
the regular night schools, which were part
of the organized school system of the
city. The social center was purely
social organization with general help
fitness for its object.
AS the people of this club did not belong
to the class who went away during the
summer the &C
in Heated Season. tivities of the
=, social center did not
oAeAseA ioA 1ooA end with the clos
ing of the school term. During the hot
summer the big, cool building was opened
both in the daytime and evening
Mothers and children, whose homes We're
one close, hot room, enjoyed the air In
the high-ceilnged halls and schoolrooms
even though the schoolyard was too
small to afford much recreation space
In the evening electric fans cooled the
mems reading room and made 1t an at
tractive rival to the corner saloon.
The board of education of Rochester,
N. Y, lately has applied itself to the
development Of the school social center
| and has several striking examples of this
class of work. Certain Of the school,
| houses have been equipped with gym
nasium, shower baths, chairs and tables.
a travelling library from Albany. and a
set of table crockery. Mems civic CLUBS,
| women's civic clubs and coming civic
clubs for the young people are being
organized. During the early part of the
week these clubs rotate in the use OF the
| large assembly room and various other
| facilities. Friday evening the men and
| women meet together, hear a lecture,
| enjoy an entertainment or concert and
frequently end the evening with a dance.
Sometimes all the clubs get together Tor
| q feed They keep the gymnasium,
piano and reading room in use most OF
the time. Last winter, when amusing
| features grew slack for the men they
put up a number of debating bouts and
| had several rival politicians demonstrat-
| ing their powers of campaign oratory by
exploiting the principles of their respec-
| tive parties
The utilization Of the public school
building for social purposes in the
small towns is being largely develop
ed through the village improvement
societies. The work frequently starts
| by the installation of a collection Of
books provided by the state travelling
the week volunteer librarian is pres
ent to exchange books. This frequent
| ly leads to the formation Of a literary
club, and later on classes in dancing.
Delsarte, amateur theatricals, and many
other things may develop. The ad-
! vantage of having furnished building
always accessible Is in itself a great
inducement in the development of such
work When teachers are not avail
| able for instruction in these small
| towns. courses Of study from CORE
| spondence schools frequently give ex-
| cellent results, especially If the leader
| in the movement can illustrate them
upon the blackboard.
X
The establishment of vacation
schools directly under the auspices Of
the board of edu-
Vacation Schools cation is a social
nn effort which is
AAVSC AVPA' now past the ex-