El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-29

~ AN FRANCISCO, Cal, June %
Since the entire scope of the work
~ of the General Federation OF
Women's clubs is educational in the
broadest sense of the world its depart
ment of education has been, and prob
ably always will be of prime i'm
pcrtance. The women's Clubs Of the
country have been most influential in
encouraging tie advancement CT the
public school system. Nothing pes
tanning to child welfare has been
deemed too trivial to merit attention.
Every club in the federation is actual
ed by the belief that all of the chill
dren in the United states should nave
equal educational advantages ana Of-
pOrtunities. The WOmen's club Work
las before it five principal ends; Cd
Strong and well enforced child LABOR
and compulsory education laws IN eN =
cry state; CD sufficient number OF
well equipped and well cared for SchoOl
houses in every community; 90
properly trained and properly paid
vision of all school work; and 90
training for the hand as well as moral
instruction in all public schools.
Continue Campaign For 20 Years.
Fighting for these things, the Cen
eral federation began its educational
compaign more than 20 years ago. The
great Improvement which has Deen
made in the public school systems OF
y an evidence of the power and influ-
ence welded by this great organized
army of women. The work has not
been uniform throughout the country
OF course, because the needs and re-
sources of localities. differ. In some
places one line of work has seemed OF
greater Importance than another, but
as a basis of work for the CLUB women
of the country for the Improvement Of
the public schools, the five principals
have been kept well in mind and at
the different councils and biennial
meetings the reports OF progress nave
given an opportunity for comparison
of methods and results which has been
helpful TO the general cause OF educa-
ton.
In many clubs the members of the
educational departments have made eX-
hauStive studies of educational meth
DDS and of psychology in order that
they might have a definite understand
ing of what should be required of
teacher in charge of the training OF the
citizens of the future and they have
tried in every possible way to en-
force these requirements The Gen
CraI federation from time to time has
issued bulletins and carefully prepared
lists of books which have been nelpIul
to the smaller clubs in arranging their
study schedules and have also been
much appreciated aids TO thousands or
public school teachers One of these
lists which has been in great demand
during the last three years was pre-
pared especially for the use of wOm-
ems clubs by Prof Paul Hanus of
Harvard college
Moral Instruction IN Schools.
The movement for moral instruction
in the public schools. which has come
into such prominence during the past
two or three years owes much to the
influence of WOmen'S clubs This SUD-
ject was brought forward at the last
biennial meeting Of the General fed
Grafton and since then many clubs
have been planning course of syste-
Al ~uanns ion ha
schools which would not in any way
touch upon religious denOminational
prejudices and therefore tend to create
III feeling among some of the various
nationaIities and religions which go
to make up the scholarship of the
American public school. Club women
feel that the first of all a child should
be taught to honor his parents ana
that the introduction of any principles
liable to be opposed to the child's home
training should be avoided
In their crusade for cleaner, better
equipped school buildings, the club
women of the country have brought
forward many novel methods Of work
Some clubs have 4 committee which
visits the schools regularly and reports
upon the conditions encountered These
may keep records and give credits for
Improvement noted At least one club
has found that prize offered TO the
janitor having the greatest number OF
favorable reports TO his credit did much
to secure the proper cleaning Of thef
school houses in one city. number
of clubs supply additional cleaning |
utensils to supplement those provided !
by the school authorities which often I
are Of the most primitive type. The |
feather buster is taboo. A progressive /
western club now gives annual demon !
STATIONS in schOolhouse cleaning to 1
which all of the public school janitOrs 1
are invited Some OF the most prom 4
inent women of the city take part in i
this demonstration which is intended 4
to show the janitOrs how the room 1
should be cleaned and the dust taken /
out of il, instead of being merely /
shifted TO other places as was done by /