New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-22
Ettinger Plan for Schools
Also Compared by Pub
lie Educators.
MORE FREEDOM FOR
CHILDREN FAVORED
Sage Foundation Building Is
Crowded by Teachers
and Officials.
By HENRIETTA RODMAN.

The hall in the building of the Sage
Foundation was packed to the street
last evening, when the comparative
merits Of the Ettinger and Writ plans
were discussed under the auspices OF
the Public Education Association.
Angelo Patri, OF Public School 45,
which has been reorganized on Gary
lines, spoke:
ave became almost as useless as q
district superintendent" he said. "The
children run the school and the teach
ers help them.
"a principal came to see the school
the other day. She saw children work
ing and playing outdoors. children from
the fifth year to the eighth working
and playing together.
"'Well,' she said, 1T may work in
your school, but in wouldn't work in
mine
"She's been used to benches and
courses of study, and per cents and
failures-all the things that have tied
US down for so long that she can't
even imagine being free.
ITS easy for the children TO get
used TO freedom movement, self-ex-
preston, but it's hard for the teach
ers. They've been depressed longer
than the children have. They don't
want any noise in a class, but live chill
dren want to talk and laugh, and may
be sing a little at their work. This is
the Writ idea, and hasn't it honestly
been the idea of lot of us always to
set the children free-to free our
selves this is our chance"
William f. Grady, principal Of Pub
lie School Ga, Manhattan, spoke next
His is an Ettinger school.
1--WE haven't attempted to socislzt
the whole school," he said, cor to en-.
rich the entire curriculum. We have
tried to provide pre-vocational work fol
the boys of the upper grades. A boy
is asked in which shop he wants &c
work. If his parents approve he is ad
mitted or if they prefer he can take
a straight academic course.
Frankly, | do not believe that the
Writ plan provides the best pre-voca-
tional training, and that, understood
was the Mayors ideal in recognizing
the schools"
"The socializing of the schools ant
giving of vocational training cannot
IN my opinion, be separated" said Mrs
Alice Barrowes Fernandez. "The Gary
schools are genuine communities, with
genuine industrial demands for play
ground apparatus, for sinks in the sci
ence laboratories and cages for the zoo
In responding to these demands the
children get the most fundamental in
dustrial training that | have ever seer
in any school, and | have been study
ing vocational training for seven years
"In my opinion, Mr.. Wirt's system is
the first truly democratic system Of
education which has developed. II
offers to all children equal opportuni
ties for the development of culture anC
efficiency. II does not separate hand
workers from brain workers, rs does
the Ettinger system, perpetuating a
dangerous and undemocratic class dis
tinction."
81 am most interested in what the
Writ system does for the little chill
dren." said Mrs. Alice Ritter. princi-
raj of Public School 80. in Brooklyn
"They delight in the change, activity
and freedom that it gives them. They
are growing as tanned on the play
ground as children at the seashore
Their mothers wanted them sent home
on stormy days. We excused them, but
the children didn't want to leave the