The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-14

ed States. The San Juan Fairgrounds
arc equipped with kindergarten tents,
giant strides. ewings, see.sawa. rope
ladders and jumping standards. They
have climbing ropes. climbing poles
and climbing spars They have bean
bags, quoits and baseball outfits. In
the smaller towns the equipment is
much less. and sometimes IL Is limit
ed only to baseball outfit. Baseball
Is tho most popular game in Porto
Rtca, =: every school has It's club
School snriuGa Dunks.
~ I'aundcrstund that you have school
savings banks?"
Yes. we haye reg ular school bank
ing IS stem with more than nrne thou
sand depoeI,ors. they now nave eight
or ten thousand dollnrs OF savings in
such banks. the average amount be-
Ing less than a dollar The child can
deposit ~ little at one cent al time.
The teacher gives q card or siip on
which record is made, and when the
child has as much as - he can trans
fer his account 10 one of the savings
banks OF the island. In these school
| banks the supervisor receives each
| weekSthe deposits made by tAe chill
dren through the teachers. These
banks are very popula. and the GUS
tom IS teaching economy and thrift
Have these. banks anything TO do
| with the Post Office Department? 2"
No They We're first organized
about two years ago, some time before
our postal savings banks were begun.
| Already about seven hundred of the
| children depositors have started iEdl-
| vidual accounts in the national or
city bank of the towns In which they
! live AS It, Is now, on the average.
after two years only, VIC have about
carrying an account in the school say
| ipGs banks. This means much for tho
future Of Porto Rico"
4 Good Place Tor Spare Books.
| The conversation here turned to tho
subject Of schoo! libraries. aud DIR.
Dexter told me that the government is
anxious to increase this educa uonal
feature. and that arrangements have
been made with the steamship COM
panies to Gerry free from New York
to San Juan any books that may be
donated. Said he:
"I brought up the subject At the
peace conference at Mohonk last year
and asked for. dena lions. Since then
we have received 10000 volurnes and
have established o46 libraries, We
have also travelling libraries. consist
Ing or boxes holding about nifty books
each. These boEes arc made OF lo
OF soldiers Kite that we're solo al
auction at San Juan a couple Of years
ago. bought them, put shelves N
each kit and painted the words Porte
!. Rican School Library" on its outside
When finished each held about dfty OF
sixty books, and was of such a ehapt
and size, that 1t could be carried or
horseback over the rough trails Of
the island. We sent them from schoo
to school in out the way districts
and we find them greedilE read Iht
stationery libraries are widely patro
nizod Many of them are in the school
houses. These are kept open after
dark, and the people come in and read
The University and the Normal Schools
The University Of Porto Rico. DR.
Dexter tells me. is at the top OF the
educational system Of the island, al
though It Is not directly under tn
Department of Education. Tho Com
missioner of Education. however, Is e%
: oificlo it's chancellor, and also presi
, dent Of the Board of Trustees. TIL
university IS about the same as on
OF our State universities. 1t has
college of liberal arts and one of agri
culture, as well as j normal depart
ment
last year numbered more than Loot
and had the regular terms and also
summer school which lasted eigh
weeke There were more than 40
school teachers at that summer school
and there are over 500 students in tn
normal department.
Y The university has campus Of II
e acres at Rio Piedrae. near San Juar
and 1t has a large farm at Siayague
next TO the Agricultural EHperi,nen
: Station there. Upon the MayaGue
: farm there are fields Of coffee. suga
y and tobacco. and orchards Of all sort
i OF fruits. The boys run a dairy. cor
nected with which are number c
d registered Jerseys and Holsteins. an
they have al5o bee farm and poul
S try farm
/. This university should be a goo
Y training school for Guoh Of our youn
men as wish an equipment for bushes
In the South American countries
ihas better courses in the Spanish lar
guage and literature than any inst
Z tuition in the United States. end MOI
extended courses in English than ca
be Found in Spanish America. For tn
Y. reason it is believed that 1t Will dra
VA atudcnts from both North and Sout