Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-06-08

our physical welfare; This is as it
should rbe. It is time to conserve; to
look into thinks, to measure our daily
life and expenditure by the straight
rule of necessity; but we American
people have not gone far enough We
are working on the surface of things,
ignoring our vital responsibility. The
most vital part of our patriotism is
the preparing of our boys and girls
for future citizenship, looking after
the manpower and womanhood of our
country of tomorrow.
The flower of our~young manhood is
answering its country's call. The
children of today are the men and
women of tomorrow. An alarmingly
large number of our young men have
been physically unfit. This should
wake US up Our system of education
has been severely criticised and con-
demned. Our young women are not
fitted. it is said, for the highest call
ing OF womanhood. Our boys are
educated in head and not hand and
heart: are not fitted for the sterner
realities of life. All this may be true.
We have no denying it. But where
does the fault lie! lso; entirely in the
public school system. put largely in
the lack of cooperation between par
ents and teachers. The teacher can
not be expected to do in five hours
a day, five days week, nine Tor less)
months in the year, what it requires
the whole time Of combined efforts of
parents and teacher the whole year
round to do. to give the boy and girl
a well-rounded training, equipping
them with strong bodies, clean souls,
high ideals and keen, alert minds
with which to meet life's RESPONSE
bilities.
The strongest organ within our
reach today for the rounded educa-
ton of our future citizens is the Par
ent-Teachers' Association. This or
ganization has for its purpose the
cooperation of the two greatest fac
tors in child development, the parent
and the teacher. The teacher must
know some of the child's home life
and influences before she can impair
TALLY Judge Of his ideals and capa-
bilities. The parent must know tie
teachers fully defined plans for the
child before these aims can be aided
at home. In Alexandria, the posi-
bilities of the Parent Teachers As
ISOLATION can scarcely be estimated,
Being so near to Washington from
which national educational center
many fine and helpful things may be
drawn is great advantage. 1t is the
purpose of the Parent-Teachers' As
ISOLATION to, in the near future, brig
well-known educators, good speakers,
illustrated lectures and demonstra-
tons before its members. These are
opportunities which no parent OF
wide-awake teacher can afford to miss.
It was my privilege to attend the last
meeting of this organization at
which time Mrs. Rafters gave a most
inspiring talk. The great pity was
that so few parents and teachers were
there to hear andto catch the wonder
full vision of this gifted woman.
The writer of this letter is neither
a parent nor teacher and is not
eligible for membership in the Par
ent-Teachers' Association, but as an
onlooker and one who is always Wit
ally interested in the future manhood
and womanhood and all for which it
stands in our beloved native land, I
would plead that every parent and
every teacher in our city conlbil G
their efforts in making. this organiza-
ton the power it should be in the
mental, moral and physical training
for future citizens.
Very truly yours,