The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-10-16
PUBLIC SCHOOL OF
INDUSTRIAL TOWN

buO Ot0Vt sluOt uuO tu0utusVu VVsVs
Idea in Regards to Public Schools at
Gary, Ind. The School is Under d.
rect Supervision Of One Man, Who Is
Given all LeeWay in Making School a
Success.
paper read by Pendennis before the Chau-
tauqua Circle.)
There is an article in McClure's
Magazine for September, by Burton
J. Hendrick, describing the public
school built by the steel trust at
Gary, Ind. Read it and you will
get some new ideas about schools
and education and incidentally learn
that the steel trust is a generous
guardian tf the children of it's en-
ployes.
The Gary school is not like other
public schools, and this is due to
William A Writ. an Indiana school
master, who is blessed with a mind
that is not bound by the letters of
conventionality. Also Mr.. Writ
had the millions of a great corpora.
ton behind him and convinced the
magnates that he could spend their
money to good advantage. He spent
three hundred thousand in building
the school and has made it self sup
porting.
His pupils are the children of the
Huns and Poles. who help the trust
pay dividends. To give these chill
dren fair start III life and teach
them to become useful American
citizens was the problem that con-
fronted Mr.. Writ. He has given
the answer.
The school is located in the dis
trict where the children live and is
surrounded by large recreation
ground. There are swimming pools,
foot bal! and baseball grounds for
the youths and play grounds for the
little ones. There are day and night
classes. The school closes for the
day at $50 p. M. At night the
school is the social center. There
is fully equipped gymnasium, a
dance hall and a theater. In fact,
the social life of the town centers
around the school, making the
work of education the leading fac
tor in the lives of the working peo-
pie. The school is not, as is usually
the case In most towns, just a place
where the children go to study and
learn.
The manual training established
by Mr.. Writ gives the boys chance
to find out what trade they would
be contented to follow in after life.
That is where the Gary school
makes its strong point. The boy
can change from one branch to an
other until he has found the work
he is adapted to. You can readily
see the wisdom of this plan, Many
boys get a wrong start in life by be-
ing forced to learn trade that is
not attractive to them. They find
out when it is too late to begin
anew again that they have made
the wrong choice, and they become
indifferent workmen-misfts. Mr..
Wirt's idea gives the boy a chance
to make his own and the right Sc
lection. The country needs use
full men. Not simply educated
men, nor trained men of the CORES
pondence school variety-men who
can use their hands and make the
best OF their requirements. The
Gary school children are given Just
what all the children of the work
ing people practical educa-
ton.
AL the repairs about the school
are done by the school boys. They
are taught to be plumbers, carpen-
tiers, machinists, painters, paper
hangers, wood carvers and black
smiths. The steel mills offers
them good wages and steady work
with the chance Of rapid advance
ment, when their school days are
completed.
The girls learn how to cook and
keep house. They learn book-keep-
ing, stenography and dressmaking.
The school has hospital, trained
nurses and attending physicians. If
child is sick the child is sent to
school, not to study. but to have
the care of the trained nurses and