The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-14
DANCING IN scHooLrous sEs.

! WcUl 10 put iNc ArNoblHou>CS IN luF
various communities to Il much wider
usc han has hcrctoiurr been done
Mann pamphlets. aud indeed volumes
have been written showing the advance
of this movement, the advantage of IL.
tho benefits 10 the community, and tho
dcsirablity IN every way of making The
schuolhouScs social ccujcrs. whc7c ;hc
people viii have the use OF them for
! recreation. instructions and social fun"
tions. 1t appears to hc taken rcr
| granted everywhere that The school.
houses arc public buildings for the use
Of the public and that while, of course
tho chief aud controlling use is for the
instruction Of thc childrcy Of school
age. gud IN no place IS ,his in any WAY
intcrfcrcd With, 1t is sill cont ended
with Justice that the Schoolhouses arc
idle much OF tho time. anil that the pco
| pie who put them up arc entitled to
such use of them as viii not Interfere
with the school use
An active center Of this propaganda
| is in Cleveland, Ohio, and the movement
has spread TO Il large number of cities
throughout the United States There
seems TO be no reason why tho school.
houses should not be used for the pub
lie which builds them. in any way that
will not he destructive nor interfere
with the school work Tho public use
Of these buildings HAT in no way m
terfcrcs with the official use OF them
is merely conservation idea that is
at once practical, wise, and judiciouS.
II is accepted everywhere as good
general proposition. and the use OF the
buildings is adapted as far rs possible
10 the requirements Of the inhabitants
in the district surrounding At. and is
made their social center.
1t is all the more singular, therefore.
that we should sec here in Salt Lake
an uproar made about n little use of
he school buildings for recreation, for
dancing, which. as Mr.. Thomas. mem
Der of the board of education, suggests,
may be merely training for folk dances
or other school exhibitions or entertain
ments. if this is all, surely it is within
the most rigid lines Of exclusive school
use that could he provided But there
is no reason why that rigid school idea
should he applied as against the pub
lie. The people have a right to use
the schoolhouses, as j matter of fact
and of proprietorsh The custodiaus
Of the schoolbouScs arc the board of
education, the principals and teachers
and the ianitors. 1t would be well for
the board OF education 10 take the lead
in this movement, and for them TO open
the schoolhouses to the public in as
free aud liberal manner as possible,
and make every schoolhouse Of the city
4 social center for amusement, lectures,
or social functions of all innocent kinds,
and for the meeting of neIghbors when
their own houses are NOT adapted to
the sort of function they wish to give,
The objection, so far as we can gath
er from the report printed, comes from
the janitors, The ianitors, it seems. do
not wish to be bothered with these
forms Of use Of the schoolhouses, but
and dustlna so as TO get ii over with as
soon as possible, so that their own con
vcnieuce may not be intcrtercd with.
1t is, Of course, desirable that the Iani-
tors should have full opportunity to do
their work: but il is not desirable that
they should interfere 10 prevent the
right and proper use of the school
houses as centers OF recreation and so
cial assemblagc. The jaHitors are EN-
ployed TO do the work OF cleaning the
schoolhouses and keeping them in order
1t is nice. of course. If they can take
their own time 10 do this and oust
everybody, so that they can have their
choice as 10 the time in which they
viii do their work; but the public re-
qpirements must rule in this matter.
and If the public, or if the school work
or preparations for school work re-
qurc the use OF these buildings at
times inconvenJeut 80 the ianitors. then
the ianitors VIII have to adapt them
selves the best they can TO the circum-
stances of the case. They are Just as
much servants OF the public as Tic
teachers. the principals. or the board Of
education itself for that matter They
are not the rulers. and they should
adapt their work TO such public use Of
the school buildings as the people re
quire, and rs the board allows; and
the board should he extremely liberal
in this allowance. since it is the pub.
lie that puts MP tho schoohouscs and
paws for ali that is done in them.
If there Is any narrow spirit under
taking 10 obtrude itself in this matter
let us do away with that spirit. and get
every possible use out Of tho school.
houses that the public desires and that
! viii not interfere with he rightful
use OF the public bindings under the
law. The law, to be sure. bars out
sectsrian and athcistic instruction or
lectures. and this should bc fully Oh.
served. But in no way should the pub
| lie he tranmclcd by the assumed in