The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-25

The study OF Womou's WORK ia
Municipalities 10y MARY RITTER BEARD
ID. Appleton and Company j. the
most thorough Survcy uf the Nork for
civilization ~ women of to-day that
". have seen. The object Of the book,
the author says. ~ 'pUriuid: To give
something like adequate notion Of the
extent and variety of women's inter-
ests and activities IN cities and towns
without attempting "a statistical sum
mary or eva,uat.ou. to md cate IN
their w words the spirit IN which
IN have approached some OF their
most important problems, To show to
women already at work and those
Just becoming Interested in civic mat
tiers thu INTERPOLATION of each particu-
lar effort with larger social problems.
and to reflect the general tendencies
Of modern social work as they appear
under the guidanc. of men and women
alike. The task is a large one and an
immense amount Of material has been
gathered.
The book IL divided into eleven
chapters dealing with the schools.
public health. the social evil. recrea-
ton, the assimilation OF races. housing,
social service, corrections. public
safety. civic Improvement, government
md administration.
Woman's work In the schools and
educational system has been profess
s'onal. official and voluntary. The
question OF higher education for wo-
men Is taken up and the four back
ward States that provide no state
college for women. New Jersey, Della
ware. Maryland and Virginia, are
shown in their delinquency. New
Jersey women are ardently pushing
this work and Mrs. Beverly Mumford
has been wording hard in Virginia
for the same purpose against settled
lethargy and un!ntelligent prejudice.
In Virginia there are particularly
drastic laws discriminating against
women as teachers and principals
Four States, Colorado, Idaho, Wash
lngton and Wyoming. have women at
the head OF their school systems. and
there are now i95 women county
superintendent IN the United States.
In Montana one mar only holds the
office OF county superintendent. The
biggest battle waGed by for a
share IN the administration OF schools
was that Of Chicago and. Il resulted
In the reinstatement OF Mrs. ella
Flagg Young as superintendent OF
! the Chicago public schools. Mrs.
Young Is ore OF the mos. able. pro-
sressive and efficient superintendcnts
in the country. Some OF the innova-
tons introduced by women In the
schools have been the introduction
Of household arts. cooking and sew
ing. A school OF domestic arts AMI
sciences was established and man
aged by the cluhwomen Of Chicago.
A school OF mothercraft was estab-
l!shed in New York, and music, art
and dramatic taste as civilizing ele-
ments In school study have been ac-
knowledged and fostered by m
A textbook study Of scientific tenn
rerance is another innovation of wo-
men IN the schools.
Manual training. now so widely
adopted throughout the country, was a
protest against mere bookishness in
education. II has led To the schools
for vocational training. Mrs, Quincy
Shaw OF Boston privately supported
experimental classes in carpentry al
the Dwight School Of Boston, The
Woman's Club OF Chicago raised
$4,000 for the Glcnwooi Industrial
School for Boys. In Massachusetts
during this decade eighteen women's
clubs took the promotion Of vocational
training for their special task. and
the declarations 81 Maine, New Hamp-
shire, Rhode lsland and Connecticut
have urged the same cause upon their
members. 1t was through the initla-
tive and energy OF Mrs. Hcmenway OF
Boston that physical training was
adopted In the schools, DIR, Jessie
Newkirk of the Kansas City Board OF
Education has made an extensive sur
vey OF athletics in the girls schools
OF the country. Physical training has
naturally led TO the study OF sen
hygiene, and Or. Newkirk recommends
that instruction on the subject he in.
Cluded in the regular courses in
physiology. thereby doing away with
the stigma that attaches to the name
Among the Efforts made by wume in
the educational line are the visiting
guild for crippled children n extern
sive work with mental detectives
Vacation schools, garden clubs, nigh
schools, visiting teachers, vocational
guidance, educational and industrial
unions, trade schools are among the
important undertakings which womer
have carried through.
An interesting opening for omc Is
that OF school planning and building
To Miss Alice NJ. Durkin OF New Yorl
has recently been given the contrac'
10 build Public School 80 in The Bronx
and she has already built schools II
Jersey city and Brooklyn. She cam,
out second in the competition for tn,
extension to the Metropolitan Museum
|. and third in the competition for III,
New York Public Library. Attention
is called to Miss Elsie Dcnnison's bool
on How Women May Help tho Pub
lie Schools through giving attention
0 and extra aid to study recreation
rooms, school clubs. social centr,
parties. public kindergartens, schoo