The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-08-31
Mrs. NJ. D. Bradford Makes a
Plea for Auditoriuns in
the City Public Schools
BACKED BY SCHOOL LEADERS
Leading Men in Educational Field
Recognize the Demand for the Gen
eral Meeting Places in the Schools
of the Country.
(By Mrs. Mary D. Bradford.)

(By Mrs. Mary D. Bradford.)
"American Schoolhouses, is the
title of Bulletin No. 444 of the United
States Bureau of Education. It is filed
with pictures of the latest and best
school buildings and of their floor
plans. The last few years have shown
especial activity in the building OF
such structures, beautiful architecture
| ally, and complete in their provision
for educational activities of all
sorts. Surely this is the age of schools
and school homes, as Enthusiastically
so as the later part of the middle ages
was the period of churches and great
church buildings.
The problem of building a scho u
house today is in no small sense com
plicated by the growing tendency to
use school houses for all sorts of at
tenlpts at social betterment. School
houses, especially in the large cities,
have come to be used night and day,
summer and winter, and Kenosha is in
line for the same sort of demand.
Society is everywhere coming to feel
that the schools should be centers of
social life, devoted to a wider use than
from nine O'Clock to four for one
hundred ninety days of the year, They
should be used outside of school hours
for the amusement of the children,
for meetings, for discussions of public
questions, and for the instruction of
grown people evenings, in holidays and
Sundays The people who pay the taxes
that build the schools are demanding
that the great investment should be
made as useful as possible to the mass
of the population.
This demand in Wisconsin has mani
tested itself in some new laws, passed
by the last legislature, a brief summary
Of which I will give.
Education of Adults.
Chap. 1913. The school board of any
school district or the board of educa-
ton of any city is authorized to en-
ploy competent persons to deliver lect-
ures on the natural sciences, on his
torical, literary or other educational
subjects, and to particularly provide
for the further education of the adult
persons of the community This prac-
tically gives school boards authority
to provide what in effect would be
continuation schools.
School Expansion in Cities.
Chap. 500. Authorizes school boards
in cities of the first, second and third
class to establish and maintain for
children and adults evening schools.
vacation schools, reading rooms, library
stations, debating clubs. gyrnnasiums,
public play grounds, public baths and
SINH liar activities, without charge to
the residents of such cities. School
boards are also authorized to cooper
ate with other boards in carrying on
such activities.
Taxation for these purposes shall not
exceed two-tenths of a mill in any one
year.
If the school board fails to act, ten
per cent of the electors may by petit
ton bring about vote on the ques-
ton, and if a majority is favorable
to the proposition the school board
must organize the activities asked for.
Schoolhouses AS Social Centers
Chap. 5l4 School boards are au-
thorized to permit the use of school
houses for such civic, social, and rec
reational activities as in their opinion
do not interfere with the use of the
buildings for school purposes.
Non partisan, non-sec.arian, and non
exclusive associations of citizens of
the community shall be allowed the use
Of school buildings free of charge All
this means suitable assembly rooms.
When a school building is equipped
only with class rooms, it is impossible
to use the building for neighborhood
assemblies, and the building is, there
fore, to a certain extent, unservice-
able to the people whose money helped
build it.
In the most modern and best planned
buildings these assembly halls are on
the first floor. so as to be as accessible
as possible
The Balm school was completed only
a few years ago at large cost. It
accommodates over FIVE hundred child
rem; but being without large assem-
bly, room it has not been possible to
gather the parents there for evening
meetings, lectures or entertainments,
through which means the educational
influence of the school could have been
G. eatly extended. In a district, like
that of the Balm, where there is large
proportion Of foreign population, such
assemblies are especially desirable
for every school should be a centre
for the development of intelligent pa
triotism. That's what they are for!
The wide hall at the Columbus school
furnishes a good assembly room and