South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-22


cality within its borders with its guar
dams Of public health, and insist mer-
cilessly upon sanitation and prevent
i've measures.
1--WE need a national department OF
health. with a secretary in the presi-
dents cabinet. Epidemics have no
respect for state rights. Deadly us
ease germs abhor geographical boun-
daries We have a department OF az
riculture TO look after hogs: why not
a health department 10 look after hu-
man beings?
Educational Equipment.
"2 Your educational equipment is !
another Of your most important COM \
munity assets.
Are your schools the best IN the /
modern world Have YOU compared /
them with schools elsewhere in the \
United States and in Europe TO assure F.
yourselves that you are dealing fairly I
with your children?
How much money do you pay your /
superintendent2 Wnat are the SAL |
aries Of your teachers The average /
teachers salary in the whole country I
is less than that of a farm hand. and I
she paws her own board Tens of 4
thousands of teachers in the rural dis /
tricts are paid annually less than the3
cost of feeding and clothing a convict /
in the state penitentiary.
NO man of first class ability Will I
remain in the teaching profession I'M |
less he be a missionary. The compen- |
satiOn is too niggardly. Women are
being employed almost wholly. be- |
cause they are cheaper. If a woman |
does the work Of a man i'm the school /
room or anywhere else, she ought TO /
have the pay of a man. If she cannot I
do the work Of a man, she ought not !
70 have the job. l respect women and /
their ability. ! would open every vO- J
cation on earth TO women. / set no /
limit TO their career. But there are /
departments of school work that men |
alone ought 10 fill. When a boy /
reaches the age of II, 10. he ought TO |
be placed under the discipline OF |
strong, clean, wholesome men. and !
kept there through that period. Give !
TO men, while they are passing out of !
bOyhOod and girlhood into manhood
and wOmanhOOd. Are your school
buildings scientifically constructed?
Are they well lighted. well heated. !
well ventilated. Have you ample
Fairgrounds for your children? Are
they . ed as outdoor gymnasia,
and sup ised by intelligent direct
ors? Tt play Of a child determines
character as definitely as religion or
learning.
Establish Social Centers.
your school buildings ought to be
established social centers and kept
open every night in the year for the
use of your people, adults as well as
children. Those buildings ought to
be voting booths in every political
campaign.
Our school day is too short; our
fC
Of a boys life might be saved and
better work be done by him. through
a wise adjustment of our school sys-
TEN.
THE public schools must be related
more intimately to the Industrial life
Of the community that children may
be taught for vocation as well as for
culture.
Survey your school situation. and
give your children the best facilities
that can be offered.
"A. Your municipal government is
The last asset of your community
upon which ] want TO lay stress
other things being equal. the town
that has the best local government
will forge ahead of any other The
old form Of town government, mod
eled after our national constitution,
with mayor, council, aldermen, etc.
/ is the least efficient and the most eX-
\ pensive ever invented. 1t has proved
I a tragic failure. 1t is based on poll
/ tics, STEPPED in politics cursed by pol
/ tiles. Did you ever elect a mayor or
/ an alderman because he was a dem
OcTat or republican Why not elect
/ one because he is bald headed, or
sings bass? The conduct of a towns
/ affairs is not a political enterprise it
calls for expert knowledge and abil-
ity of the highest order. The mayor
/ of German municipality is educated
/ for his task in the best universities of
| the modern world. He is not a poll
\ tician; he Is an expert. A town is a
! business corporation and all the peo-
pie are stockholders. 1t is doing buSi-
ness along many lines IL is spending
1 thousands of the peoples money. 1t
/ is frequently bonding unborn genera
tons for public Improvements. And
yet no business man or corporation
could escape bankruptcy for six
months if they employed the methods
I towns everywhere employ.
Follow Corporation Plan.
The corporation is the most eff
cient form of organization ever in
vented. Its simplicity is ultimate 1t
I is controlled by a board of directors.
\ They do not themselves administer
/ the affairs of the corporation; they
/ employ skilled assistance. Their en-
\ ployes are definitely responsible 10
. lllelll W men INCOMPETENCE Is ulSCON-
! cred, IT is instantly eliminated A
town ought 10 be organized as a cor
\ poration. It's affairs ought TO be ad-
ministered as economically and eff
cienty as the affairs OF any business
/ corporation. The city manager plan.
now being adopted by some of our
I most progressive municipalities. is our
most intelligent effort yet made to-
ward the solution of our problem of
| town or city government. 1t is uni
lversally adaptable
is II not incontestably true that
the first step in wisdom for every
town is TO turn the searchlight of in
vestigatiOn upon its own local needs
that its people may understand them,
and be i'm position 20 adopt the most
] effective measures for the common
betterment2 But this investigation
viii simply exhaust itself in fruitless
protest. unless the men and women
who are deeply concerned for the
community welfare bind themselves
! together in advance for vigorous and