New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-22

came ana ate lue uluutAf anu "ANNN -
WAS over one Of them said:
"Slirandy, that certainly was a good
dinner. 1t was one of the best dinners
| ever ate. And it certainly was cooked
on that iron cookstove. But, Mirandy,"
with solemn shake Of the head, that
stove will never work.
The Anti-Mlnd.
The scene now shifts to the year
1915; place, Public School 80, Brook
Ign; time, a few days ago. A visitor Is
taking lunch there. She sees the chill
dren cook the lunch; she eats the
lunch and finds II good, but when she
finishes she looks over the roomful Of
busy boys and girls and then, turning
20 friend, says gravely: my dear,
this plan will never work" Truly the
anti-mind is the same the world over
and for all epochs.
But one of the amusing things about
the present situation IS that work,
study and play for children Is even
older than iron cOokstoves. For ex-
ample. here Is the way a boy used TO
spend his day before our present cities
grew up. In the morning before he
went 10 school he did chores, chopped
wood. took care Of the animals, re-
haired some tools. Then he went TO
school until u o'clock, after which he
had a game Of ball or some other play,
had luncheon, went back to school and
studied until about $3.50 or 4 o'clock.
Then he did some more chores, worked
In n carpenter shop on the farm, and
ended up the day with some play or in
attending a town meeting or debate. In
the Gary schools a boy, If he chooses,
may start the day with some shop work,
then have reading, writing and arith-
metc until - o'clock, have an hour for
luncheon, 20 back to school and have &
period in the auditorium, then a period
of play, and then some history and
geography from 2:lO to $3.50; or he can
reverse it and start in with the aca-
demic work and end up with the shop
work. The only difference is that this
boy has his debating or meetings in
school
But in the ordinary public school
which children have been subjected to
for the last fifty years, a boy begins
studying at Q o'clock, and, excepting for
an hour for luncheon, keeps on studying
until about $3.50, and then is turned out
onto the street and left to the tender
mercies of the gang. Not only no
healthy play, but no chance to get the
fine training in character that those
boys in the earlier days received
through the work on the farm and in
the shop under wise direction.
When you are talking with those
who are not in sympathy with the Gary
plan, just ask them this one question:
"What possible harm can there be in
| Offering children an opportunity for
play and an opportunity TO work with
their hands, especially since this is
/ supplementary 20 the academic werk
which they now receive and is not sub
stituted for it?" And when your OPP
ponent instead Of answering this ques-
tion digresses into heated argument
about departmental work (which is not
essential to the PLAN simply ask him
the question again. A special prize IS
offered by this department 70 the tirst
person who gets an answer.
Why Not More Work, Study and Play
Schools?
This department has been asked 20
publish to-day the following communi-
cation. The writer has given her name
and address, but does not wish the
letter signed.
"A young widow of my acquaintance
is much concerned over the education
Of her two children. She has to work
all day long and at present her chill
dren are not in school at all. She
keeps them locked up in a room all
day. She could send them TO school,
but she breads the erect on them or
the many hours which they would
have to be on the streets after school
even more than she values the few
hours that they could spend in school,
What these children need is TO be kept
busy in some healthy way under super
vision all day long The Gary schools
would be Just the thing for these chill
dren. but | understand that only two
l.. inc krr
is not reorganization of other schools
on the Gary plan pushed more rapidly.
80 that more children can get the nd
vantages Of work, study and play
schools"
This is the situation in regard TO tn
reorganization of schools on the WORK
study and play plan. In November. 1919
Public School So, Brooklyn, and IN
Eabruarv 1915. Public School IS, The