The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-03-12
REPORT IS MADE
ON CONFERENCE.
Superintendent Aldrieh TELLS Board
About Meeting Of Educators In
Kansas City, Week
Before Last.
MILITARY TR AMIN G

commItte Reported Against This, BUT
Recommended Physical Train
ina FOR All School
Children.
! At the meeting Friday night OF the
jrich made report Of his trip to the
Injecting OF the superintendents In
Kansas City two weeks ago. Fol
flowing Is his report as read and ap-
proved by the board:
] Kansas City, the convention city. Is
well worTttnn school man visit
there were no convention, in session
1T has eighty-two elementary schools.
some of which have probably half as
many pupils as we have in the grade
schools OF the entire city. There are
live high schools including one colored
high school and polytechnic insti-
ltute. This institute combines a Jun
lior college, a school of teacher train
ling, a school Of business training and
a school Of mechanical arts. Among
the elementary schools, we find the
following kinds OF activities. A school
for deaf children, a school luncheon IN
many of their schools, branch horar-
lies, schools of mechanical trades.
might schools, citizenship classes, open
air classes, pre-vocatiOnal classes.
school for maids, classes for supnor-
mails, schools in which they have the
modified Gary plan, schools having
|gymnasiums, schools having depart
mental organization in the upper
i xryhiph hQvn what
lis known as the children's hour.
They have one elementary school
which receives pupils from all over
the city that seem to be misnts IN the
ordinary school, not supposed to pc OF
1.-The fncorrigihle type, but children who
don't care for the ordinary academic
work and who do not seem to be able
Ito profit by that kind OF work. In this
school, the children are given some
academic work but spend large part
LOT their time In learning some one OF
-four or FIVE definite vocations. Then
for the incorrigibies, they have what
liza known as the McCune Farm about
aiseyenteen miles out Of Kansas City
This is a detention home that takes
full charge OF this class OF pupils.
visited one OF the schools having open
air classes. The. rooms were built In
as a part OF the fourth story OF the
building. Instead Of the brick Work
going up In full for this part OF the
building, there was frame work built
lup filed in between with canvas par
titions having doors and windows
swung on a pivot in the middle potn
top and bottom SO that they Gould pc
left open or closed according to the di-
! rection of the wind. They did not
open these windows and allow the
wind to blow directly on the children.
These children were furnished Eski-
limo suits. There is no direct heating
lin the rooms although there Is an OPP
ening from the building proper into
these rooms through which more or
less heat finds its way. These chill
,dren are given good meal about ten
land another about three o'clock. Al
tier the three o'clock meal, they take
their canvas cots ont on the roof gar
iden which covers the central part OF
1.-THE roof of the building and without any
Icovers on the central part Of the root
. of the building, and without any roof
over them they take an afternoon nap
. after which they go to their homes.
Poor children who are too far from
home to walk are furnished street car
fare There was every appearance OF
satisfactory results from this treat
, ment The children were OF the an
aemic class and were very largely OF
foreign parentage
:. One other school that I was much
interested in visiting, was the Central
high school which still remains Cen
ltraI high school in name although 1t
has been moved from its original
place IN the central part OF the city
clear out to one side of the city, but
although 1t has been in its present
, place only two years. they at present
, have an enrolment Of four or Ave hun
bred greater than their assembly will
: accommodate. They enroll about sew
/ lenteen hundred while their assembly
; room holds only about twelve hun
bred About twelve hundred of these
. people get their lunch in the lunch
room in two shifts OF about six hun
, dred each. This. lunch room furnishes
, very lively scene during the lunch
, hour.
: Physical Training Work.
< One other special feature given
: prominence in the schools is physical
o training work This was forcibly i'm
: pressed upon the visitors by the drills.
They were given on the floor of the
7 convention hall. There were twelve
| Tor thirteen different numbers and in
leach number there were from two
| hundred fifty-six to two hundred
| lightweight pupils on the floor, max
, ing in the neighborhood of thirty-five
: hundred children that took part in the
/. lafternoon's program. At one time
!. there were eight May pole drills going
ion, each of which was participated in
!. by thirty-two girls. This made beau
{ ltiful sight. But the browning drill oil
: the afternoon was the flag drill which
!. CLOSED the exercises and thrilled the
iaudience as nothing else would. In
connection with the various drills. the
Igrade school orchestra consisting OF
4 between two and three hundred pieces
L furnished the music. During the FLAG
e ldrill. they gave us a program Of pat