Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1914-04-10

shop, for instance, wishes to lear
some operation which will not b
given him in his daily work until b
is capable. He goes to school q
night. He takes up lathe work, come
when he wishes, stays as long as
will. lie masters the machine, goe
to his employees and demonstrates hi
ability, is in line for better position
II is in this and similar ways that til
Gary schools have wound themselve
into the lives Of both parents an
children"
From 8 $50 until 0 past in lib
afternoon one may see an interesting
sight on the main street of Gary
From the lake comes marching. I'LL
ing the sidewalks on either side o
the street, the army of still workers
These are the fathers of the children
which Gary's schools are workin,
for. are teaching to become finishe,
mechanics rather than laborers, hav,
placed on higher plane-uplifted
Again We read from the Apri
American Magazine:
"Why should childs school life
be ever thought Of as a distinct ex-
istence set of in a water-tight CON-
partment away from his home life,
social life, play lief Our own life
is not lived on the block system.
Our life is a blend of work, play,
observation, study, everything to-
gether. Why not child'sf
Why should not a school include
all possible opportunities and factors
of education, instead Of only a spe-
cial fewi We ourselves are being
educated all day long, here, there,
and everywhere, by whatever We get
interested in, and Il child is no diff
ferent.
Why should school run only six
hours a dayf Our own life does not
stop at half-past three each after
noon. We have still quite number
of hours that must be gotten through
somehow or other after that. and so
has child.
Why should school close three
months in SUMMER We do not stop
living in summer. Our life keeps and
We have to do something with it, and
whatever We do gives us some kind
of education, good or bad. II is ex-
actly the same with a child.
There are several schools in Gary,
and all are on the same system. The
new Froebel school and the Emerson
school are their best buildings. These
have aroand them a very large acre.
age containing park space 1.-THE adult
population of Gary uses the schools
a. freely as the children), gardens Of
vegetables and flowers. Fairgrounds
lighted at night. ball grounds. courts
for tennis, squash. hand ball. basket
ball. etc. In the building, themselve,
are well-equipped gymna-ia. swim
ming pools and showers.
The building accommodates twice
a. many children a. it will hold: that
l., il has desk room or actual class
room space for only half the daily
attendance. This j. why the Gary
system costs no more than any other
in fact, rather less. All the plant
(including outdoors) is in use all the
time. One set Of children being in
the class-rooms, another is outdoors
or in the gymnasium or the shops.
This plan is merely very simple APP
plication Of elementary efficiency
study. Next to our churches our
school property is the poorest invest
ment We have, because in whole or
in part it is out Of use so many hours
each day that the overhead charges
run up scandalously high. Gary gets
every cent out Of its taxpayers in
vestment. The Emerson school. for
instance, takes care Of n trifle over
two thousand children daily, without
crowding. while under out usual sys-
TEN il could take care Of only one
thousand and forty.
The school program is arranged in
such n way that one half the pupils
have ninety minutes of school work
in the regular subjects: English, his
tory, mathematics, etc.. followed by
ninety minutes of work in the special
subjects. manual training. shop
work, sciene, music, gymnasium and
playground activities. The other half
of the pupils have the same program
in reverse order, the ninety minutes
Of special work preceding the ninety
of regular work.
These schools run the year round.
Children are not obliged TO attend all
year, but they do. The schools are
open all day, from s a. m. to 10 p.
m. Children need not be there all
day, but usually they are.
This need not seem strange. We
naturally gravitate wher-
ever we find the complctest and most
.onocnial opnortunity for self expre-