Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-06
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT is DOING

/ Is to extend the same idea OF CO.
operation between home and school IN
the rural and small town communal
ties which the parent-teacher associa-
| tons have developed in the large
cities,
With this end In view. Commissioners
P: P. CLAYTON Of the bureau Of edpca-
ton has just mailed to q list OF !.eee
letter asking their cooperation In tho
work about to be taken up by the
division Of home education, requesting
the names Of the schools under their
supervision In the open country, viii
lagos or small towns, and the names
of at least two women of intelligence
and influence In the vicinity Of every
elementary and high school. The wom-
to cooperate In the work Of the home
education division by organizing par
ent-teacher associations for the dis
cussion of the care and training of
after school age. In the entire coun-
try 1T Is expected that there will be
named at least 100000 mothers who
will cooperate with the government
In the work Of connecting no school
and home to the mutual ADVANTAGE Of
both; In a report to Commissioners
Claxton on the parent-teacher ASSOC
Citations and the scope Of work Of the
division Of home education Mary Har-
mon Weeks saysi
realized that there is tendency to
thrust much of the homes share OF
child nurture upon the overburdened
schools. Our members believe that
through parent-teacher meetings the
true division Of labor between home and
school may be determined: through dis
cussions of the problems of parents
and teachers the home may be educated
to the necessity of assuming and per-
forming IT. share The public a TaE thu
has q duty to home and child. which
will best be performed not by ma Ike
shift Fairgrounds. makeshift meeting
places. makeshift methods Of prevent
every dwelling a true home.
'The school can do many things for
the children that the home used to do.
and perhaps can do them better. There
must be done in the home. or they
pathetic atmosphere Of the parent
teacher circle the problems Of the home
and school can be discussed. usually
with prof1t both to teacher and parent.
That children thrive under the new
sympathetic relation of home and
school induced bv parent-teacher as
ISOLATION and meetings Is shown by the
fact that they often urge their mothers
and fathers to attend. Doubtless there
are many Of us who never realize how
alien a place school IL to the little
ones and how helpful 1t Is to see mother
and father there and part OF It."
few days ago small boy playing
with a discarded golf ball in Kansas
City decided to break
Exnlosive open the little sphere
and see what was in
d0lf Balls. side. There was a sud
den explosion and the boy was blinded
by the acid contents of the golf ball.
which was one Of the so-called water
core variety. Many instances such as
this have been called to the attention OF
the officers Of the United States public
health service during the past year. The
discarded water-core balls were declared
as much Of menace almost as the
stray loaded shells which children or
generation ago used to be fond OF search
ing for on the battlefields OF the civil
war.
The center of the so-called water-core
balls is formed by rubber bag con-
tanning various chemical fluids, which In
a number Of cases have disclosed hydro
chloric acid. solutions OF chloride. caustic
acid and other dangerous liquids The
rubber containers are usually tightly
covered by machine wound ribbons or
other material and when Enclosed In
finished golf ball are subjected to great
pressure. When the ball Is burst or CUT
open the fluid is. of course, expelled
with great explosive force.
The use of the water-core balls has
grown out Of desire to obtain greater
resiIiency or carrying power. Whether tho
use Of the inclosed fluids brings about
the desired result Is not known. but one
thing sure. public health officials say.
Is that the discarded balls found by chill
dren are a menace to health and are ex-
ceedingly dangerous at all times.
The United States Golf Association Is
sued a warning some time ago against
the breaking or cutting open Of certain
makes of golf balls containing acid and
other sight-destroying compounds. Such a
warning as this, however, does not reach
the children, who are usually curious to
know what is inside of the little spheres.
and 1t Is possible that the time will come
when many states will adopt restrictive
measures against the manufacture and
sale Of the water-core varieties Of golf
balls.