New-York tribune., 1918-07-31
I resident Soners
Approves Scent
School Lunches
Board of Education Head
Would Install System
Throughout New York

Five-cent lunches for school children
received the commendation of Arthur
Somers, president of the Board of Ed
ucation, and Of visiting educators from
many large cities who made tour Of
inspection yesterday of settlements and
schools in which New York's war ba-
bies" are being cared for during the
summer.
These schools are under the direction
of the Federation for Child Study, con-
nected with the Ethical Culture Soci-
ETY., at West Sixty-fourth Street.
Children spend the entire day in these
"play schools" where they have the
benefit of bath, hve-cent lunch and
instruction in knitting, carpentry work,
gymnastics and dancing.
The party included Jacob Loeb, acting
president of the Board Of Education of
Chicago; Frank V. Thompson, superin-
tendent of the schools Of Boston; Miss
A. B. Sharp, Of Steubenville, Ohio; An
ming S. Prall, Joseph Yeska and Will
lam McAndrews, acting superintendent
of New York public schools. They We're
guests of Mrs. Howard S. Cans, Mrs
Fred Nj. Stein, Mrs. J. w. Enrich and
DR.. Benjamin Gutenberg, members of
the play SCnOOI cONInlLCee VI Iue Gu
Grafton of Child Study.
Wants to Extend System
Mr.. Somers declared after visits to
several schools that he was much in
favor of adopting the system of five
cent lunches for the public schools OF
the city. A proposed budget of $4,000
for the introduction of lunches in
thirty schools is now before the Board
! of Education.
'I should like to see this plan car
ried out in every one Of the $50 schools
of New York." Mr.. Somers said. 81 have
always been opposed to the introduction
I of free lunches, but the payment of five
cents takes away the stigma of charity
Free lunches given away like this would
be menace, but the five cents, which
could not possibly cover the cost of the
meal, saves the system and certainly
recommends it to me-
The children at Public School 40 were
/ found at the lunch hour devourng
quantities of vegetable soup, stewed
apricots and rye bread spread with
Jelly These meals are prepared at
/ two community kitchens, which supply
nine schools throughout the city.
at is futile to try to teach starv-
! ing child,' said Dr. Jacob Loeb, of
Chicago. 81 think this splendid work
and | only wish the Chicago schools
were in shape so that this, good work
could be introduced there. Undoubt-
! edly many lives are being saved by
these play schools"
Darning Taught to Children
The party started from the Hudson
Guild, at 436 West Twenty seventh
Street, after visiting the knitting and
sewing rooms and the gymnasium
where they ran into a class Of little
girls learning aesthetic dancing in Isa-
/ dora Duncan costumes. Dr.. McAndrews
refused to have his picture taken with
! the barefoot dancers, but the others
didn't mind.
At Madison House the visitors found
year-old girls weaving baskets and
little boys playing with reading blocks
/ On the floor above a class Of boys nine
years old were being taught by Edwin
D. Houlden, practical shoemaker, how
to mend shoes.
At Public School 147 the visitors
watched a class Of boys learning car
pentry. ana the women members of
the party inspected the girls swim
ming class. At Public School 1873 they
found what is known as an "opportu-
nifty school, in which children who
| have fallen behind in their studies dur
! ing the spring term are given six weeks
| extra instruction in the summer and al
| lowed to catch up with their classes
before the Cpeniug of the fall term