Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1916-01-06
SAYS WOMEN
LACK INTEREST
IN POLITICS
Asst. School Superintendent
Kennedy Makes Statement
! in Annual Report.
TEACHING OF CIVICS
SERIOUSLY HANDICAPPED
: Local Community Government
Is Valuable Study, States
J. Official.

Zone of the most serious obstacles
TO efficient teaching of civics is the
lack of trained teachers. Notwith-
standing the widespread propaganda
of woman suffrage, not many women
are interested in civil government or
politics, and therefore to assign the
teaching of a subject to those who
not only lack the fundamental quail
fication of interest in political ques-
tions, but also lack participation in
political activities, is to place a Sc
Gus handicap on the hope of success
at the start"
This statement is made by j. Will
mer Kennedy, assistant city super
intendent of schools, in his annual
report just submitted to DIR. Addison
B. Poland, city superintendent, while
commenting on training for citizen
ship in the local elementary and high
schools. Mr.. Kennedy says the course
of study in civicS was formulated i'll
the belief that q study of the me-
chanics of State and Federal govern
ment is not sufficient as a method of
civic training.
For years education for citizen
ship extended no further" continued
MI. hGIluSuN, Dul Ill lilG ttliS SCilS
of the century it began to dawn on
the minds of educators that knowl-
edge of government does not make
an efficient citizen.
"a little reflection showed that
they We're elements of character
rather than learning-that they con-
sisted primarily of an interest in
civic affairs, a sense of personal re-
sponsibility for the well-being of the
ton
for the public welfare involving
obedience to community laws and
conception of good government as
means of cooperation. These are
mental attitudes to be developed by
an appeal to primal instincts and
interests that are the mainsprings of
every human act.
THE interests of the pupil are the
familiar things within his experience.
The here, the near, and the now
dominate him. This principle points
Enthusiastically to the means to be en-
ployed in cultiyating these civic
traits.
Local community government is q
far more valuable means than general
government for civic training. The
interests of the child are enlisted in
the school, in the protection of the
health, life and property of the neigh
borhood far more than in a boollish
study of the State and Federal con-
stitutions. The former are part of his
experience. Touch him personally
and he can be studied at first hand,
while the latter is outside his expert
ence, and must be studied second
hand.
"The life and discipline of a good
school develop a sense of personal re-
sponsibility, a spirit of cooperation.
obedience to community law. The re-
suits appear in greater freedom and
self control among the pupils, in q
higher regard for school and other
property, in the Improvement OF
neighborhod conditions.
Model Lesson.
''In the bulletin Civic Education
Series No. 1 Omitted States Bureau
of Education) is given a model lesson
on the topic of civic hygiene: There
was a study of health in the eighth
grade class. 1t was brought out that
when people live together in COM
munity dangers to health arise. Each
is dependent upon others for his
safety. If everyone is to be saved,
there must be cooperation The
pupils were convinced that each pupil
in school had some responsibility for
the healah of the entire school. Illus
trations were brought in of neighbor-
hood cooperation in the interest of
good health. Conclusions were finally
reached that the entire city must CO.
operate If the health Of any one citi-
zen were TO be saved, and that effec-
tive sanitation is one of the chief
functions of city government. Then
followed a discussion of the organiza-
ton and activities of local and state
boards of health. The question broad
ened to what the national government
does in preserving health
'In this admirable lesson a native
interest-the desire to live and be
strong-is appealed to; the sense of
personal responsibility is made plain:
the need of cooperation not only
among individuals, but with the gov
ernment, becomes clear
! "In the Program of Studies of the
High Schools adopted May q, 1915,
civics is a minor study for the first
year. In the fourth year United
States History and Civics' is elective.
All students intending to enter the
snormal school with the intention of
becoming teachers in the elementary
schools should be required to take
United States history and civics in
the fourth year of the high school.
"Civics. as laid down in Newark
Study deals, in the fourth and fifth
grades, with civic hygiene, and in the
Sixth, seventh and SB grades with
the community functions of the city
government that touch the citizen
Ninost closely. In the SA grade, an
zattempt is made to study briefly the
sF'ederaI, State. and municipal gov
fernments and their interrelations.
Fundamental in this course is some
form of civic activity. some partici-
pation in work for the betterment OF
the community. The course OF study
requires all schools to establish some
kinds of juvenile league or conf
nunity committee that will give the
children q chance to participate In
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