The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-03-10

sub committee of the visiting Nurse
committee called on the school board
during that very meeting, presenting
| a request that the school board make
an appropriation for the support OF
the visiting nurse. The proposition
was that the school board should pay
the visiting nurse, making her a
school nurse, and then she could have
an assistant nurse of less ex-
perience, who could do the field work
outside of the schools, under her di-
rection. The visiting nurse sub COM
mittee consisted of G. n. Trafton OF
the normal school; F.. M. Currier and
Mrs. NJ. d. Fritz.
Mr.. Traitor went into a history OF
the visiting nurse movement, telling
how it was started by various organ
! izations of the city, including the Art
! History club, the Clio club, the Zetetic
club, the Baptist Mems club, the
Presbyterian Mems club, the civic
! Improvement association, and others,
each appointing member to make
up the central committee, which had
/ charge of the visiting nurse project.
| Mr.. Trafton went on to say thai
recent examinations of school chill
/ dren in this part of the state had
! shown about one third of them to be
| without any defects, third had bad
| teeth and thus their health was i'm
| paired and one third had various 9TH
| er defects. He remarked that the
| visiting nurse movement was becom-
| ing general, and the work was one OF
vital necessity.
What the committee wished was
that the school board would under
take to pay the salary of visiting
nurse for school work alone, and it
was thought that enough money could
be raised otherwise to furnish her
with an assistant for field work, less
experienced and less expensive work
err. Mr.. Trafton said this would cost
the board about $1,000 a year. 1t
would mean that the man who now
paid $100 taxes would have to pay
only % cents per year more for this
visiting nurse. He said money could
also be raised from other sources.
The head officials of the normal and
st. Peter and Paul's schools seemed
much interested and it was thought
help could be obtained from them.
Want Aid From Board.
F.. M. Currier said he was there as
a representative of the Mankato Com
mercial club and he felt sure that that
body would be glad to cooperate in
the movement. The government units
were becoming more and more pa
ternalistic. The health of the school
children was what was at stake on
this proposition, and that was of pri-
mary Importance. Thus far the visit
ing nurse has been paid out of tag day
receipts.
Mrs. NJ. D. Fritz spoke of recent
meeting of the committee, when it
was brought out very plainly what a
magnificent work the visiting nurse
was doing. For example, it was shown
that she prevented children who had
had chicken poX and measles from
going back to, school before they had
sufficiently recovered their health and
strength. The great willingness of all
present at that meeting, which took
place in the library of DR.. J. w. And
rews, to stand the slight increase of
taxation, waS very manifest, and all
were sure that their friends would be
equally willing to share in the slight
ly added burden.
w. B. Davies, president of the
board, remarked that there was vast
problem of taking care of defective
and unhealthy Children. He thought
principles of eugenics should be prac-
ticed better, and then there would not
be such a problem of children of this
kind.
After some further discussion, Mr.
Davies said he would like to see just
what the committee could do in the
| way of raising funds from other sour
ces than taxation, and then he thought
the board would be willing to CO.
| operate.
W.. w. Willard said he did not
| think it would be right to ask any
special contributions from the Catho-
lie school. Those people had to pay
| the public school taxes the same as
anybody else.
| Judge Hughes said he did not feel
! like having the board put in as much
as $1,000.
Matter Was Deferred.
Mrs. B. d. Smith called attention
to the fact that the visiting nurse had
found cases of contagious diseases
still existing in homes, some of the
children of which were about to re-
| turn to school.
The matter was at length left with
the understanding that the committee
would see what it could do to get
revenues from other sources, and then
the school board would again consider
the proposition.
superintendent Sperry told of his
| recent trip to Detroit, where he at
| tended the meeting of the Department
OF superintendent of the National
Educational association. He spoke
very interestingly of the philanthropic
management of the employees in the
great Ford automobile factories. He
told among other things of the classes
IN English, in which the foreign en-
ployes were instructed. He said Mr..
Ford was an idealist He took prison
conVlcts and made men out of them.
He thought, however, that in the
peace expedition, Mr.. Fords idealism
had carried him little too far, that
| was all.
Visited Gary Schools.