El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-12
AsHINGToN, D. C., Sept. IL

w When governor wilson il
one of his recent campaign
speeches, told the farmers in his audi
ence that one of the economic advances
Of the future would be brought about
by a greater use of the s:hoolhouse by
/ the parents of the children. he struck
heavy blow against the closed
/ schooihouse door and .hereo" Iein-
! forced the efforts Of the men and won
en- who for the past five years have
been energetically working under the
slogan, "A broader use of the school
| plant"
/ in the utilization of the school as a
! social center in the tenement district
| 1t is spreading everywhere and IN no
| community is its need greater than in
! the rural localities. The use OF the
! school as a political center as advo-
/ Gated by governor Wilson is not new
/ in one sense because the public school
! building has been used for speakings,
/ for primaries and for caucuses as well
\ as for elections for many years in some
states and such use mas not always met
/ with the approval Of those having the
best interest of the community at
heart
! Can Be Used as Lecture Hall.
. The modern idea of the use of the
| school building for political purposes
| consists not in having a gathering of
a few of the local politicians who,
| amidst clouds of bad tobacco smoke
| and much eXpectoration, to be cleaned
! up before the room is fit for the oc-
| cupancy of the children next day, plan
secret schemes Of personal interest
but rather in using the school build
| ing as an educational center from
| which will go out knowledge of inter-
est and benefit to the entire COM
munity.
1t can be utilized as a lecture hall
where men and women will gather to
( hear live discussions of the different
( sides of the current political issues.
The children are taught that politics
is really the practical applc ton OF
good citizenship and they carry home
| to their parents this idea and the par
ents are glad to come to the school
/ for further Information. There is no
reason why the schoolhouse may not
! serve as a medium for the distribution
| of campaign literature, provided 1t Is
| done in an absolutely nonpartisan
| spirit and all sides have equal advan-
| tages-
Women In Politics.
The advent of women into political
circles already is being felt in the
rural districts and, as the women who
! are interested in politics are usually
the ones who pay most attention to
the interests Of the schools, 1t follows
that many Of the School Improvement
/ leagues now are making a study Of
political interests. The schoolhouses
form the most convenient meeting
places for this study since the mem
bers are most of them parents Of
children attending the school
About two generations ago, in many
communities il was customary to
gather in the Oldfashioned schoolhouses
for lyceums, debating societies. spell
ing bees or just plain "schoolhouse
meetings" at which matters pertain
ing to the good of the community. such
as the building Of a new bridge. or
changing the length of the school
term, were discussed by the people
, who were to be most affected That
was before politics had assumed the
complex aspect of the present day.
Now it is believed that by the revival
of these schoolhouse meetings and the
presentation of political issues by COM
petent speakers representing all Of the
different parties. one OF the strongest
powers against corruption and graft
viii be put into operation.
In Colorado the rural schoolhouses
have been used extensively for in
formal political meeting at which the
consideration of local needs has been
subjects such as the tariff and other
political issues.
Schools rs Social Centers.
In the southern states some es-
in the utilization of the rural public
school as a social center. AS a result
of the work in one Louisiana school
the community will soon have a rural
telephone company with the principal
OF the school as president. Materials
now are on the ground for constructing
line into Provencal, the nearest
shipping point. where the families
connected with the school dispose of
most of their products. This school
house serves to provide the religious
.lrr.@ IT, 81 = L.
il houses the Sunday school which
meets each Sunday morning After the
Sunday school the older scholars have
social hour with the principal;
builders" has grown from this school.
which devotes its sessions to civic and
literary matters and already has
brought a great increase in the social
life of the community.
The first meeting of the School So
cial Center Association was held in
Dallas, Texas, in 1911. While il was
attended chiefly by representatives of
the southern states, its influence was
felt throughout the country and last
spring a similar gathering was held
in Wisconsin which was the first state
in the union to have a bill passed By
its state legislature providing that the
school houses should be used for
social and educational purposes other
than their original object. At the
meeting of the department OF super
attendance of the National Educational
given to the matter OF the school So
cial center both with reference to the
town and the rural community.
Unite Community interests.
The school. representing as it does
the different interests of a community,
tends to focalize many movements
tending to the public welfare The
fact that no less than IL different or
CARNATIONS, some of which had SEEM
ingly anita onistic purposes were yet
able to unite their influence to secure
the opening of the school centers in
Rochester, n. Y. shows the value of
the center in uniting community in
terests. The Rochester schools were
probably among the first to be util-
ICED for political purposes but from
the organization Of their social work,
rival politicians have made their pow
ers of campaign oratory a strong fea-
ture- of the programs Of the mems
clubs which meet on Friday evenings
In the rural districts. the social cen
tiers enter directly into the work of
the farmer. Many OF them own col
Iections of bulletins of the depart
ment of agriculture which are loaned
when desired. Sometimes members Of
the local Grange come forward and
give the results Of their own expert
ments in an Informal manner that
stimulates emulation. The social CEN
ter always enters into the community
needs. In one town the men put in
"a solid day working on the road aside