The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-20
WHY NEIGHDORHOOD HOUSE IS VALUABLE .AS BUSINESS ASSET
Robert JemisOn, IT,, Tells Why Business Men Should Encourage the Black
 and White Ball

Why should a business man be in- terested in the work of Neighborhood House?" echoed Robert Jemison, IT., in response to that question pro. pounded by a reporter for The Age- Herald.
 Well, young man." he continued, least of which is the economic value of the training the young men and women receive there. The day nursery, you know. is not the only thing this fnsti- tuition is handling successfully. Young boys between the ages of 12 and lz years are trained in the principles of good citizenship, and the effect of such training will be felt in the coming generation of business men, for these young fellows are of necessity the sue. cessors of the business man of today. If they receive the proper training. and they are getting it at Neighbor- hood House, the entire community will be bettered because of it. In ad- dition to this, these young fellows of the Yellow Star club are studying par liamentary law.
 "Fhey are being trained in the proper manner under the direction of Miss An- nie Lou Sparks, and the value of this training to the future of Birmingham cannot be overestimated.
 ''So much for the older boys The l girls also are being taken care of, and upon the girls of the present genera l tions depend. The girls are being 1 taught to cook, to sew, to perform all the housewifely duties which their maturer life will demand. There is 9 1 beginners cooking class in which lit- tie tots between the ages of and 10 years are taught the rudiments Of | cooking. And the training does not 1 stop there, for the lessons continue until the girls are proficient in the culinary art. There is also a begin- ners sewing class made up of these little girls, and they. too. graduate 1 into class composed of olders girls. Thursday nights Is open house at Neighborhood house. The young ladies are permitted to receive gentlemen callers on this night, and everything possible Is done to make the evening i enjoyable.
 About the day nursery, every one, of course, knows. I understand there
 
 with an average attendance of 36. Five cents a day Is charged for caring for 1 the little ones, while their mothers I work, although if a mother hasn't the money to spare. the amount is not nec- | essary.
 | ''The training of future citizens really begins here in this day nursery It is here that mothers are taught proper methods of sanitation; how to l feed their children; how to dress them, 1 how to keep them clean. The children as they grow older. are taken into the Kindergarten at Neighborhood House. and then into the cooking classes. and thence into the higher classes of train ] ing. It is a process of evolution, SO 1 to speak, and the child's mind is bent 1 in one direction throughout. l Tt Is for this fact that the black l and white ball will be given at the | Southern club on the night of Febru- ary 29. The business men of Birming- I ham will buy tickets to this ball re- | gardless of their ability to make use of them, for the money thus secured | will be used in the furtherance of the l work of Neighborhood House, and on | such work depends the future of the | city. of Birmingham"