Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-12-02
SCHOOL HOUSES
OPEN At NIGHT
Saturdays and Sundays, Too,
Thinks the Commissioner.

"The time will come when most
communities will open up their
school houses at night, Saturday and
Sunday, and give opportunities for
young people, and old as well, to
enjoy social recreation; and furnish
place for political meetings, con-
certs, etc." said State Commission
er of Education Calvin N. Kendall in
addressing the Perth Amboy Teach
ers' Association at the Simpson M.
E. church, yesterday afternoon. He
declared this to be one of the great
needs of the semi-suburban cities of
New Jersey to furnish means for its
citizens to properly pass their leis-
ure hours.
For the first time in nineteen or
more years, yesterday marked the
first visit of a state commissioner of
education to the schools OF Perth
Amboy. Superintendent S, e. Shull
laid stress on this fact when intro
ducing the prominent exponent of
New Jerseys public schools. The
commissioner In an address describ-
ed the complexities of modern edu-
cation, and clearly outlined the pur-
poses for which the schools stand.
Efficiency of Schools.
He said: "The efficiency of New
Jersey schools must be measured
by the contact between the indiyidu-
al pupil and teacher. Efficiency
cannot be measured entirely by the
special activities Of the schools, size
of the high school, value of schools
of different types, but by the efforts
of the classroom teachers in getting
In contact with their Individual
pupils" He said this efficiency can
not be set down and tested by exami-
nations, but that nevertheless 1t is
going on day by day and hour by
hour in the classrooms.
Five Purposes.
The commissioner defined five pur-
poses of the public schools. "The
first purpose" he said, 'is to give
the child mastery of the tools of
knowledge The commissioner
urged the teaching Of practical arith-
metic, giving the pupils mathematics
that will be useful to them in after
life. He emphasized the teaching of
speaking English, writing OF simple
English, high as we'll as grammar
school composition and thorough in
struction in spelling.
1.-THE second purpose" said the
speaker" is to train the children SO
that after they have left school
they may appreciate a finer taste.
and know how to properly employ
port which attributed 500 CONNER
cialized dance halls to New York
city; twelve times as many as there
are recreation centres. The speaker
declared that the employe in that
city returning from work has to
choose between staying in small
tenement, going to dance hall or
roaming the streets, during his
night leisure.
Train Children.
"The fourth purpose for which
the schools stand is to train the
children in the habits of good
health" said Commissioner Kendall.
1.-THE fifth purpose is to train the
children day by day, hour by hour
in good habits that will be of use
to them during every day Of their
lives.'' Some of these habits he
mentioned as punctuality, to sit
erect, to study when 1t is time to
study, to be polite, honest, etc. He
spoke of the need Of cooperation be-
tween parent and teacher, and said
that out of every six hours of the
school term the child Is only In
school one hour. "The lesson is
that the parent should cooperate
with the school and should not fail
to realize the difficulties under which
the teachers work. The more the
teacher gets in touch with the home
the better"
At School No. s.
Before the lecture yesterday after
noon Superintendent 8. e. Shull es-
corted the commissioner to No. 5
school, where only about six per
cent. of the pupils are of American
parentage. The commissioner said
that the problem of the large num-
ber of different nationalities in the
schools present big one, but seem
ed to think that the localities In
which they exist can better handle
such than any outside influence.
After the lecture before the teachers
Mr.. Shull and the commissioner
went to the Packer House. The
commissioner was unable to make
his train at Metuchen by the slow
going trolleys, so DR.. Ramsay escort
ed him to that place in his automo-
bile.