The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-30
SAYS CITY WASTES
EDUCATIONAL FUNDS
School superintendent Of Gary,
Ind. Tells How to Get
Moneys Worth.

Mayor Mitchell. Comptroller Prender-
CAST. and other municipal and educational
officials Of New York, listened last night
at the Industrial conference IN the Irving
School to revolutionary ideas ~ to what
the school system OF New York might be.
The Ideas We're expressed by guests from
Wisconsin and Gary, Ind.
The conference, called ny the Board
Of EducI tiOu. had as It's object n thor-
ough discussion by the experts OF the
problems Of Industrial education. Mayor
Mitchell, ON his last trip West, visited the
famous schools of Gary. and last night,
on Introducing its superintendent, Will
lam Writ. to the New York educators.
said they were the most Interesting
sight he had seen in his trip.
you spend In New York city" said
Mr.. writ. "abor' $4,000. 600 for build
ings. sites and grounds for your schools
and In my opinion, this rs about twice
as much as you need 10 spend. II you
would establish tho doubleup system in
force In The Gary schools, whereby the
buildings are occupied In turn by two gets
OF pupils and Instructors you could reach
the same number of pupils with onc-half
the equipment
This you could do in the interests Of
economy alone, Then the buildings thus
/ left vacant or the money realized by
| their sale. could be most profitably used
| in establishing industrial schools where
the various craftsmen, such as tailors
and plumbers. could come for instruc-
( ton from highly skilled teachers. The
/ University OF New York could and
/ should take big share IN this work.
| Another thing that astonishes me In
, New York IL the Libraries, gvunnasiums
and churches adjoining the public schools
which are being put tn almost no use In
the education of the school children. In
Gary we believe that, as everything else
theso days Is being institu,ionalized, ga
the spare time Of the child should be In
stitutionallzed. His time should he or
gdnizod, not for two or four hours q
day, hut for eight hours. And these
other public Institutions should he used
to help him use his spare time.
zone OF tho greatest tragedies In l'fe
is that when we can learn we won't. and
when We are older and want to we can't
The system at Gary Is aimed 10 solve
this tragedy. our aim is TO create In tho
2 child n desire 10 learn those things which
the school can teach him. He Is In charge
Of his teachers from $3.50 to I. Escl
class room has two teachers. Each child
costs $40 year, and higher salaries are
paid than IN New York. You can't lrt
II child run on the street Tor 1--WE or sin
hours each day until II Is lG and Their
expect to do anything with I, afterward.'
"A. r. Miles, president of the Wisconsin
state Board Of Industrial, Education, sale
that his state really had no educatlona
problem left and that was largely because
of law which compelled children WHIT
would not 90 To school after II to Learn
q trade. because New York has 20 IN
dustrlal schools, he said, she yearly per
mjts 10000 children ~ the age OF II Il
wander out INTO the world. unframed
without any chance To succeed.
Other speakers wer" Thomas W
churchill, William 4. Prendergast, Charlie
! \. rrosscr. National Commissioner on No
, ca;unal Education, and Gustave Strau
bCaInullor.