The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-25

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 Bureau.
 The new idea of city schools includes proper guidance of all young people until they are firmly established on their feet, as self-supporting citizens. In one plan that has been suggested for city school a principal is to be placed in charge or the building, to keep 1t with the aid or heads of departments, in constant use day and night for the education of the entire neighborhood.
 Various kinds of vocational training must be furnished during the day to the boys and girls, from the ages of twelve to sixteen. Young people under sixteen years of age are not usually mature enough to be allowed to enter any work that is not educational. Employers or labor are beginning to see that stupidity is extremely costly, and that something must be done to increase efficiency or the working people
 Manufacturers in Bridgeport are giy- Ing a great deal of time to the organi- zation of & state, day school. wnicn teaches trades fo boys. In Cincinnati, the manufacturers are trying to work out plans for having the boys for part of the time in the school, and part or the time in the factories,
 At night the schools in a crowded neighborhood should make great point of offering to boys and girls above six teen years of age chance Tor voca- tional training and wholesome recreation. The boys of this age who w,sn, TOT h. stance, to be clerks will often buckle down to the study of bookkeeeping with much earnestness.
 Under our. present bad system, child of fourteen is allowed to work during the day and he should be given at night phy- sical training in the gymnasium and good manual training. Certain boys or this age would be glad to practice in a band and others become much interested In dramatic literature. Most boys Of four- teen should be forbidden to sit at desks in a school room after confinement dur Ing the day in the shop or factory. In great contrast to factory boy, how ever. is tho one who has been out Of doors engaged in construction work. as she often seems to enjoy the quiet scnoi- astic atmosphere of a regular nisht school
 Working girls under IS should be en- coura0ed to come to school for defin}te study only two nights out of the seven. If one set of teachers could have classes on Monday and Wednesday and another set on Tuesday and Friday with music and general exercises on Fridsy nights, the schools could be made much more important factor in the life of young girls Under the present system of night schools, the girl of 15 Is often allowed to under take school work far beyond her strength, to the disappointment of every one when she fails to make good.
 No ordinary day school teacher should be permitted to teach more than two nights in a week. "Our teacher was so rice before Christmas" one young girl said to me, but since Christmas, Gee~
 In Italy the school for women and girls is called La Scuola Festiva." Much can be done in this country by the girls them selves to make the night schools both festive and educational. as they have shown in the Evening Recreation Centres. In every school courses should be planned for those who wish to prepare in the evening for evening high schools and for colleges. In all these courses, certificates should be. given and regular promotions irads from class to class. Tn New York students should be encouraged in these classes to fit themselves for the regents examinations.
 The problem of finding teachers for night schools can be solved by closer CO.,