Arizona sentinel Yuma southwest., 1915-12-30
GERMANS RECONSTRUCT
 POLISH SCHOOLS
Associated Press)

 By no means the least of the problems which the Germans have to solve in Lodz is the school question. On their oc- cupation of the city last De- cember, the Germans found hopelessly inadequate school facilities, and, a shortage of teachers so great that it was out of the question to supply entirely the deficiency from Germany.
 The city has a youthful population of some 8O,OOO, and facilities for only 25, 5,0O0 pupils. Some 10000 of these attend the Polish folk or com mon schools, where they are
 instructed by men who them selves have something more than a high school education, and practically no pedagogic cal training. The remaining 5000 attend private schools, and come, of course, from the better classes of the popula- ton.
 In all the Polish folk schools, which are terribly overcrowded, there are in all but 45O underpaid, ily-prepared teachers Aside from the number of children who attend the public and private schools, there are uncounted hundreds whose only educational op- portunities lie in the 30O-odd Jewish "cheders."
 In company with the educational chief of the city, an Associated Press correspondent recently made tour through Lodz, especially bent on see ing the "cheders" and their hordes of pupils. There was developed a condi- | tion of things almost unbelievable. The l first school visited was typical of all | the rest. It was in the second story | of building overlooking a stable, and | was large enough to accommodate 30 | children at the outside. Sixty-seven | youngsters, however, were jammed in- to the little apartment, and sat in each | others laps to avoid standing.
 Dirt, scraps of bread and pieces of vegetables remnants of bygone lunch 1 by the children-covered the floor | Such of the clothing as was not ragged | was monstrously dirty.
 The teacher was a middle aged Jew, whose wife teaches on alternate days | class of girls in her bed room under | conditions that appear no more favor able than in the boys school. Each | child pays 60 kopeks (3O cents) a month for the instruction he receives, | consisting principally of a smattering | of religion.
 The school inspector had never visit ed this particular "cheder" before, but from long experience he lighted cig- arette before entering the room to com bat the sickening odor of the over crowded place. The teacher, used to visits from Russian officials, began at )nce to protest that he had no money with which to pay tribute, and showed obvious relief when he was assured that no money was desired
 His expression changed to wonder, however, when he was sternly ordered 10 reduce the size of his class, to elimi- nate all children under seven years old, and to clean up the floors and desks. He promised readily enough, but it was only too plain that he did not at all understand why such measures were ecessary.
 With all their very great disadvan- tages, the Lodz schools give evidence, ( through their very overcrowding, of ( an almost pitiful desire on the part of both Poles and Jews for some kind of education. Plans for the future include an extension on large scale of the school facilities to accommodate this desire. j