The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-02-03
MILLIONS WASTED BY OISUSE
OF PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS

! Dallas, Tex, FEB, l.-BelleNlng tnat
this nation annually wastes millions
of dollars in the disuse of its public
school buildings, Col Frank P Hol-
land, president of the Texas Farm and
Ranch Publishing company, today. is
sues a call for conference in Dallas,
February II. to discuss freely the use
of the public school as social center.
This call is addressed to every citi-
zen of the southwest. The conference
will be strictly non-partisan; and Col.
Holland urges every one with the well
fare of his community at heart to at
tend.
Wider Use of the School Plant.
Wider use of the school plant" has
become the demand of educators and
social workers over all the nation. One
of the most important phases of this
demand is that the public school be
the social center of the community-a
kind of clubhouse for the neighborhood.
The cities of Rochester, N. Y, Co
lumbus, o., Milwaukee, Wis. Chicago,
New York and others have opened
their public schools outside school
hours as social centers. The centers
have become regular institutions
they have met and satisfied a popular
demand. At these public school cen
tiers debating clubs, sewing and cook
ling clubs, civic improvements societies
etc., meet regularly. Social diversions
form an important part of the even
lings. Musical entertainments are
lgiven. These centers have opened
Ireading rooms and placed at the serv-
ice of the people physical training for
both men and women.
Results in these cities have sur
lpassed the expectations of those who
loriginated the movement. People have
Responded to the idea. The moral tone
of the neighborhoods has improved.
Gangs of bad boys have become am
lbitious young citizens.
The social center idea for country
communities is being tried out in Wis
consin and the southwest Results al
Iready warrant fighting faith in the
: Idea.
The social center idea has set the
educational world a-thinking and put
in motion forces that promise to create
in the people new ideals of demo-
cracy.
Call For Conference.
: Col. Hollands call to the southwest
follows:
ITO every educator and teacher,
minister of the gospel worker in So
cial reform, newspaper man; to every
holder of public office connected with
the public free school system; to the
organized club women ana members
of mothers clubs, to organized labor;
to all formers organizations; to any
Organization or individual having at
heart sincere interest in the prog
ress of the southwest:
"There is need for the people of all
classes and occupations to become bet
ter acquainted Farmers, bankers, and
business men, wage workers and en-
ployers must realize that their inter-
tests are in common. We must draw
closer the members of communities.
We must fight prejudice and the ef-
fects of isolation. We must seek to
bring about more neighborly feeling
between co-residents of communities.
To-day the southwest stands in need
of a greater number of children at
tending our schools in day time; of
more commodious and modern school
buildings to house them; and of a
Igreater number of grown people using
these institutions outside school hours.
Our section needs more high class
reading matter. And in the rural dis
tricts we especially need the country
thigh school.
1T is wasteful public business to
keep school buildings shut up at night.
Let us get our moneys worth out of
them.
Therefore, ask that everyone hav-
ing the good of the southwest at heart
come for days conference in Dallas,
February II, in the auditorium of the
high school, to discuss, the problems
of both city and country neighbor-
hoods; to formulate practical ways for
widening the use of the public school
plant, and making it the peoples social
Icenter.
Prominent Speakers viii Come.
"On February II, Edward ]. Ward,
adviser on social centers to the Uni
versity of Wisconsin, the man who de-
veloped the Rochester, N. Y, social
centers to the point where their fame
has become international, will be my
lguest Mr.. Ward comes to the south