The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-11-08
NEW USE FOR SCHOOLS.

| fees is the most recent proposal in
| the movement for the wider use OF
| the school plant, according to in
| formation received at the United
States bureau of education. The use
| of schools as social centers" has
become familiar through the organ.
! lied movement of the last year or
two, and more recently the use OF
the school buildings as polling booths
and forums for political discussion
has become known through the ex-
ample of New York and Chicago.
Now comes Professor John R. Com.
mons, a member of the Wisconsin
Industrial commission, with pro;
posal to use the schoolhouse as a
labor exchange. The plan to link
the social-center work with the &C.
onomic problem of the unemployed is
urged by Professor Commons in the
following terms: ...
There is need of an organized
market for labor. If each school.
house has a director of its social
center service, he could be supplied
with blanks from main employment
office. A workman, by going to the
school nearest his house to register,
could be Immediately connected with
the whole organized-labor market OF
| the state" Nor should this mark
the end of the schools function in
the labor problem, according to Pro-
lessor Commons. He believes that
the school, acting as a branch of
the children's department of the en-
! ployment office, should be made 10
help reduce the reimbursement of oc-
equations that is now crying evil.
Records of children's aptitudes
/ should be kept in school. Teachers
can best tell what the child is good
for; and they should direct the chill
dren into the most promising occu-
pations." 1t should be said that this
principle is already partially rec
ognized by public authorities. The
vocation bureau of the city of Bos-
ton aids in directing the future oc-
cupation of children in the schools.
In Ohio the truant officer is required
by recent statute to keep on file
list of the children between the
ages of fourteen and sixteen who
have received school certificates and
desire employment; prospective en-
ployers are to have access to this
list.
The attention given to Professor
Commons proposal emphasizes the
rapid development of the. idea of
wider use of the school plant"
since Mr.. Edward J. Ward inaug-
urated the lsocial-center work at
Rochester. Kansas City affords a
current instance of the readiness to
accept the social-center idea. The
board of education of that city re-
Gently voted to open seventeen
school buildings for neighborhood
uses at night. School clubs will be
organized for the discussion of civic
and economic questions; there will
be literary and dramatic clubs, sew
ing and campfire clubs. .. .....
There will be lectures, moving
pictures, folk. dances, ~ gymnastics,
and all the other neighborhood activ-
tiles that are necessary to whole
some community life. The use of
school buildings as forums for poll
tical discussion is now fact in
both Chicago and New York; in the
latter city plan to use the build
ings as polling places received strong
support from civic organizations; and
while educators have no way of find
ing out just how, far the suggestion Of
schoolhouses as labor exchanges will
be adopted, the fact that a proposal
like this receives attention proves
how widespread is the sentiment in
favor of any and all projects involv-
| ing wider use of the school plant
for the benefit of the community.
The Virginia Virginian says:
, Frank kellogg is said to be a great
1 h.