Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-04-04
FOR SOCIAL CENTER.
Much interest Manifested in
Wider Use Of School Plants.
United States Bureau Of Education Has
Obtained the Cooperation Of the
Russell Sage Foundation in
Carrying Forward Movement.

Observation-Disclosures Sam is interest =
ed I'm the wider use Of the pubHc %
school plant The social center lded q
has taken such firm hold on the people
in many parts of the country that the
United States bureau of education has
asked for and obtained the ready CO
operation Of the Russell Sage iounda-
ton In planning and carrying forward
the most extensive investigation yet
made in this country TO obtain IN
formation in regard 10 the use OF
school houses and equipment lot &C
tivities and interests other than those
of ordinary school work. The only *
tersive studies Of the social center
movement made up to the present
time have been carried on by the Rus
sell Sage foundation, working "lJh-
out government cooperation ana
alone.
Commissioner p. p. ClaXtcn OF the /
bureau of education has addressed
more than 300 letters to, school SUI
uerintendents in practically all cities /
and towns of more than 1000 popula
ton asking for a complete record Oh
all after-sChoOl uses OF the DulldIhbS
for special purposes during the months
of February. March and April IhcSe
blanks when filled out will be returned
to the bureau of education lor use III
compiling what will be the most com
plete report yet made of the progress
Of tho wider of-the-sChOolp plant
movement.
Clarence Arthur Ferry, assistant d.
rector OF the department OF recreatioh
Of the Russell Sage foundation, ana
officers of the bureau OF educauon
will be in charge of the cooperative
study The object of the investigation
is to prepare for the American people
an accurate report on just how much
nrogress has been made in the use OF
school buildings as civic centers ana
to help show how the results OF
nrogram of effort in one school can
be compared with that OF another city
and how the results of one admlnlstra
tive plan compare with those obtained
by a different system In another city
Widespread interest in the evening
use of public school buildings for SO
cial center activities is reported In al
narts Of the country. Different cities
have different ideas of just what Is
social center. In many places IN
institution is not even known unde
this name. being variously called REC
reation CENTER" evening center, CIV
ic center" community center, an
other terms. The character OF the use
to which the schools are put varies
great deal in many cities and also IN
amount of use of the school som
cities open the schools SIX nlshls
week for social center purposes, whl
others restrict this use of the scho
nlan IN once a week or several time
a month In urging upon schooi
perintendents the need OF compr
bensiye report on social center VOL
and a comparison of results obtalne
Mr.. Perry says:
Evening occasions in public schoc
are multiplying with great rapidly.
their increase we see the school era
ually developing new functions
closer and more direct relationsh
with society. Like all other eXhi
lions of power, the new tuncti
brings with it the universal ADMIN
trative necessity of devising metho
of testing various expenditures of
ergy in the terms OF the results
tanned. In a growing NUMBER
school systems and in many bulldiI
within these systems efforts are c
stantly put forth to arrange enterta
ments discussions and club actlvlti
Another problem connected W
the evening use of school edln
arises out Of the need, felt chiefly
the promoters OF the new moveme
of annually taking stock, estimat
progress and reporting achieveme
TO the public. In certain cities
evening activities have crystalll
into an institution known as so
center or recreation center, and tn
is both a propaganda and an adr
istrative need of being able to rel
at intervals upon the number OF III
'centers' But the increase OF, mis-
laneous occasions in school houses
in recent years become so great
so general that it is now pracuc
impossible to say which buildings
social centers' and which are not
The difficulty here is largely
to the fact that the school center
not been described in terms so
crete and definite that 1t can serv
a criterion. Such standard, tC
applicable as a measuring unit, ca
be set up arbitrarily, but must
based upon usage and prevalent
dertakings. and before one car
formulated data which are both
else and comparable must be obta
regarding existing activities. Tn
formation, however, which school
Gals now have regarding their u
takings of a social center char
is not only fragmentary, but us
so different from that possesse
the officials of another city as to
der comparison impracticable.'
The annual mortality statisti