The Alaska daily empire., 1919-12-19
Alaska School Bulletin.)

Every public school in Alaska should be real community center. No other building in any community has such a hold upon all the people or functions in the interests of all the people as does tho public school. The building is erected from funds derived from all the people. Here are assembled on each school day the children of all the people irrespective of class, creed, financial rating or DO litical affiliations. Here these child ren receive instructions in those things which make sfor good Amerl can citizenship and for efficient moral living. The school is naturally, i therefore, the center of community interest.
 However, the average community does not use and enjoy the school as it should. This is many times the fault of teachers and school boards who do not make the people welcome in the peoples own school. The old idea that school is for the use of children and that they are to use it only on one hundred eighty days in the year and then for but five or six hours daily is still too prevalent. The economic waste in such a procedure should be apparent to all. No com munity can afford to expcnd either $2.OO0 or $10O,O00 for a school build ing and give it this limited use. Teachers and school boards should unite to make the school a place which the community feels is cen. ter for its use.
 An article on the Practice of Citi- zenship" appears in this issue This article presents the subject of the use of the schoolhouse as a com munity center for the purpose of de. ve!oping citizens and citizenship. It is we'll worth careful study by every thoughtful individual. Just as the public school in the nation is the foremost industry from whatever standpoint 1t is regarded so IS 1t also in Alaska with It's 1000 girls and boys, 275 teachers, 150 school buildings and $550,000 annually spent for its support
 1 The article referred to above on the Practice of Citizenship" was written by Henry E. Jackson of the United States Bureau of Education, and is as follows:
 To achieve "freemen's citizenship" to restore and preserve government "of the people, by the people. and for the people," to develop small communities into little democracies with school-houses for their capitols; to organize communities on the basis of citizenship alone; to put human rights above property rights, as our boys in the trenches of France did; to apply ethical standards to politics and economies; to enlarge the aver | age mans opportunities and his capacity to appreciate them; to make social, political and economic condi- tions to be of sort that all citizens, both native and foreign born, when speaking of the United States, may
 say, My country" and mean what hey say; that they may say 1t not only with honesty but with such | degree of enthusiasm as to be willing to put the interests of "my country" | above the interests of myself" = l nothing less than this, as I under stand 1t, Is the ultimate purpose Of | he community center movement. Ii | Is a movement in constructive democ racy
 The war has clothed this movement with fresh interest and new sig 1ificance. The fundamental chal- l lenge which the war has made to all .houghtGul people is the need of or-l yanizing human life on juster and saner lines in the construction Of better sort of world. The German Reformation gave us a start towards religious freedom; the French Re volution gave us a start towards poli- tical freedom. In our attempt to meet the opportunity with which the wars challenge confronts us, we have already discovered that no superficial remedy will answer because the dis ease lies too deep We have discov, cred the futility of attempting to purify the water in a well by paint ing the pump. We must go deeper for our remedy.
 The school Is our foremost indus try from whatever standpoint 1t Is regarded, with it's 22.0OO. 900 girls and boys, 100000 school teachers. 277.0O0 school buildings. $l:347 100000 in vested in property and $750.00O.000 annually spent for it's support. It Is the most American institution. the greatest American invention, and the most successful social enterprise yet undertaken by any nation.
 The schoolhouse should be used as polling place. as tho mecting-place of the community forum. the neigh borhood club. as an all-around com munity meeting place in which every activity and fnfarpyt