New-York tribune., 1917-11-04

n Ht" wa! OF neiplNs parents 10 un-
derstand the twin school system devel-
oped in New York City from the So
called Gary plan was suggested yes
I terday by Frank s. Hackett, head
master Of Riverdale Country School,
at Riverdale-on-H Hudson. New York
/ City.
From all the technical explanations
I Of this new school arrangement" Mr.
Hackett said. II do not wonder that
parents are confused Why not tell
them just what happens 70 their own
children throughout the entire day?
From this they cannot but understand
that no change whatever is made in the
work upon book subjects, where ex-
actly the same time is devoted in one
classroom and with one teacher AZ
heretofore TO reading, writing, arira-
metic, geography and history, bu- that
what the boy and giri get otherwise in
physical training, assembly anI snoD
is additional-s-an enrichment and an en-
/ livening Of the course. Once this is
| clear 70 fathers and mothers, they
. surely will want to waive for the bene-
I MT of the children all other issues
and keep in power the administration
/ which has brought this boon to the
/ city,
Visits Public School
/ With this in mind, Mr. Hackett said
he had visited Public Schools 80 end 45
/ in The Bronx, and had observed there
what happens throughout the entire
school day to typical children-a boy
Of ten and girl of thirteen in the one
Of the twin schools and girl OF ten
and boy of thirteen in the other.
For convenience" he went on, "let
me say that the first two children are
attending the Franklin school, and the
latter two the Hamilton school-both
using precisely the same building.
Johnny, aged ten, and Mary. mir
teen. start at $3.50 o'clock in classroom
work-book subjects. They remain
with their regular grade teachers un-
I'll ten minutes 10 ten, and then go TO
the school playground for forty min
utes. In fair weather this is Guido )rs,
but in storms, in the regular indoor
playroom.
This, 10 my mind, is one of the least
emphasized and yet one of the best
featuses Of this new plan-that il gives
quarters of an hour of supervised play.
On the Fairgrounds of England this
and many other wars have first been
fought, for through learning TO play
the game the Englishman has dtvel-
oped that never-say-die spirit which
has stood for three wears between Ger
many and US. When our boys and
girls have all been educated IN team
work, in individual skill and initiative,
Sa- f,,ad 80 -rlIc
tors the way 10 play together and to
play hard, il will be a fairer day Tor
democracy. There is nothing militaris,
tic about this play; il is just good
workmanship. watched Johnny
learning how 10 pitch well, and his
friends getting other fine points OF
baseball. of basketball and OF soccer
and this on adjacent streets roped on 4
from traffic, as well as on Fairgrounds.
Learn Folk Dancing
"Afarv also had her forty minutes OF !
physicsl training at the same time, and
tbis consisted on that particular day OF
folk dancing, developing grace ana
agility.
From the playground they both went +
a. balf-Dast 10 70 the auditorium. Here
thew had another new and splendld
Kind of training. For forty minutes I
thew sang and listened to Caruso sing.
On another day they would have mo-
ton picture lecture upon the INDUSTRY
or the country dwelt upon in the geog
raphy lesson or upon some form o4
animal life or upon good eitizensnlp' .
Tbis wbola field of assembly education .
il q response to the lesson taught ecu
Gators BY the tremendous interest OF
children in the movies II is an onset
70 the movie habit, because IL pro-
vides something better ard more
closely associated with life ana WIN
books. For years we have been oe-
manding for our children better mu-
gic. more general information. Here II
is ND II makes all the difference be-
tween deadly and lively interest IN the
book work.
.Now. after two hours and forty
minutes in school, Johnny and Mary
90 home 10 lunch. II they have
brothers and sisters, they, too, so
st the same time, for all the children
Of one family are kept in the one
School Mother, therefore, is not
objiged as has been so often wrongly
said. 10 have meals at all hours.
Rack Refreshed and Happy
"At noon Johnny and Mary come
back, and from twelve tlII twenty MN
utes past two they have the same class
snd The same teacher in book sub
;ects as in the morning. They thus
Complete the two hundred and ten min min,
utes of old-fashioned school 1t vSort WORK
which every child in the city, except
those on part time, mas; The great
Mint Il that by the break ALREADY
deserted they come to the book tasks
-.f~askad ard hapDy.
Johnny. being only ten, may now
oo home or. If mother wishes, ne may
stay on the playground. If there Is
room. dA;,iorol
mary, however, has an add!tiShh, o.
hour and twenty minutes 20 speha ~
the other occupations OF the school so
hat her day is by that much longer
than that of the regula1r n,ne-io-'|ee.e 70 tSe.s
and one-to-three ehloyen. insrns in 20
ss'Fs ss sy ',EaEy doiSg "s She has, for example,
cooking and domestic science. Inc une Gay ,Ss
/ saw her the lesson was upon ma sn
+, g e,arbaye in the home, ana