New-York tribune., 1919-02-02
New Crusade Aims
Lure Children
Back to School
Tendency to Quit Lessons
for Work is Declared To
BE an Economic Menace:
Soldiers Need the Jobs

This is graduation week in New York
City. Thousands of children are pour
ing out OF school doors to-whcre
Our soldiers are coming back, our rAu-
nItlon plants are slowing down. Shall
the soldier in Khaki hunt vainly for
Job and the empty place be filled by an
unskilled schoolboy exploited at less
than a living wage?
An answer is given by the school
drive committee, or stay-n-school drive
committee, as it prefers to be called.
By posters and dodgers that placard
the value of education, by public meet
ings of parent-teachers' associations,
by an appeal for scholarships, by per
suasion, by publicity, they are trying
to sluice part of that stream of chill
dren back to the schoolrooms.
The stay-in-school "drivers" contend
they are not to be as cruel as their
name suggests. They would prefer to
be called the stay-in-school persuaders.
They are an all-American team which
originated in the Federal Children's
Bureau at Washington and is cam
paigning in every state under state
councils of national defence to make
schools more popular than shops or
Offices or factories.
Each member says the committee,
has an axe to grind. There's the chair
man, DR.. Josephine Baker. chief of the
Bureau of Child Hygiene, Health De
partment, who wants to return growing
children from factories into school
houses, where she can keep an eye on
them. There's James l.. Gernon. dep
uty commissioner in the Department
of Labor, who will have to work only
part time II lraypeards rake the place
OF youngsters IN industry. aad George
Il. Chattield, assistant director of the
bureau of attendance, who won't have
to work at all if truants become prize
scholars.
Many interests Represented
William E. Grady represents City
Superintendent of Schools Ett;nger.
There are also Margaret Brown, chair
man CT the Red Cross Scholarship Com
N mittcn: Mrs. Max Morgenthnu. Jr.,
chairman Of the Vocational Guidance
Bureau of the Henry Street Settle
ment; George Loewy, director OF Vo-
cational activities, Department OF Edu-
cation; Virginia MacMakin, director,
Juvenile Placement Bureau, United
States Employment Bureau for New
York; Mary l.. Morrison, chief, division
OF employment certificates, Department
of Health; George A. Hall secretary
New York Child Labor Committee; Mrs.
! Sidney Borg, Jewish Big Sisters AS
sociation; Rowland c: Sheldon, Big
Brothers Associations; the Rev. Joseph
Smith, director Of New York parochial
schools
To prepare for the big push school
ward the New York committee has
been trying to find out why the three
RS are not as enticing as they ought
to be. Since. it would be impossible to
question all the school children in the
city. they have concentrated on 1,2O0
. III the Borough of Manhattan alone
who failed TO return their vacation
work permits this fall
SO far hundred and one reasons
have been discovered for going to worl,
they vary from Annie's reply that
shes got hate on teacher to Johns
decision to fill the wage earning place
of his brother killed in action with New
York's T7th. Chasing all together, Ger
tain broad causes can be held respon-
sible for the exodus from school
Vacation Permit Popular
According to teachers and truant
oflicers,the summer work permit ex-
plains the issuance Of 5000 more WORK
ing papers this year than last The
new vacation amendment, rushed
through as a war measure, gives boys
and girls of fourteen, whatever their
school grades, the chance to work in
Offices and mercantile establishments
during the vacation period.
The stay-in-school drive committee
does not underestimate economic
pressure as reason for leaving school.
Part Of its national slogan is "2S1 600
scholarships-one for each of the
2S1, 900 public schools in the United
States" In New York City the voca-
ton of the Red Cross (whcn brothers
Settlement and the Home Service Sec
tionof the Red Cross (when brothers
or fathers are in service) grant schol-
arships Of So to S4 week to enable
children to continue their education.
But they reach only small portion OF
those who are driven to work in order
TO swell the family Dncl-afhool,