Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-06-12
GIRLS SCHOOL
IN PENNSYLVANIA
At Sleighton Farm Young Women
Are Taught Right Living by Ca
pable Instructors

Mr.. and Mrs. ID. A. Lewis, TOOK posi-
lions in the institution some weeks
ago, and the article by Miss Reinking
tells of the work being done at the
home The article runs as follows:
SLEIGHToN FARM
| Sleighton farm is a new type of in
dustrial school for girls, located near
Darlington, Pa, about twenty miles
southwest of Pennsylvania. The
grounds consist of three hundred acres
of land, beautifully laid out into fields,
sheep pastures, lawns, gardens, village
street, and a sunken flower garden,
adjoining the greenhouse. The cot
tages and lawns are very attractive.
Nature and landscape gardner love
made it a lovely place.
The. school differs from the old
type institution in that new reforms
have been introduced by the Super
intendent Mrs Martha P. Falconer.
Among these reforms are outdoor
work, honor or student system, cot
tage plan of living and the use of
young officers. The girls are taught
the dignity of work both outdoor and
indoor. They do all of the work on
the farm from the laying of cement
walks to the finest kind of handwork
There are no high walls about the
place and the girls have much free:
dom. They live in groups of about
forty to fifty girls to cottage.
Under Observation
ri orc ooYoroittod boro hv
courts and when they enter they are
put into the receiving cottage. Here
they are held under the observation
of the doctor, nurses and psycholo-
gist. They learn personal cleanliness
self control and obedience. They have
a few privileges such as movies and
dancing but they do not have student
government. The idea is to keep this
cottage institutional enough SO that
a girl will appreciate living in an
honor cottage.
At the end of three months good be-
havior in the receiving cottages the
girls go to the honor cottages. They
are carefully grouped as to type, age
and former experience. A mayor and
four. council girls elected from the
group, govern the cottage under the
leadership of the matron. The life
is not far different from boarding
school; of course the girls do all of
the work but they do it cheerfully
The entire house is thoroughly clean
ed before eight o'clock every morn
ing At eight fifteen all cottages
meet in chapel for services which
are not at all different from college
services. At nine o'clock the work
of the day begins and very one is
busy until noon. From twelve until
two o'clock is period of rest and
play, and then work goes on until SIX.
After supper the girls gather in their
large attractive living rooms to dance
play games, read mend and some
deal of healthy rivalry between honor
cottages as to their literary society,
athletics, conduct, efficiency, cottage
songs and spirit.
Receives Training
1t is planned that each girl who
thorough training, and in order to
do this they are given at least three
months training in the different
branches, such as laundry, plain sew
ing dressmaking, handwork, kitchen,
housework, garden and outdoor work.
From October to July all of the girls
go to school half day. In school
they study only the important and
essential things which will be useful
to them when they leave the school
All non-essentials, such as cube root,
are ommitted. They are taught cook
cry and household management, the
value of money, how to keep a FAM
ly budget and personal expenses &C.
count. But that is not all, for / think
almost any girl here could tell you
more about Catherine Breshkowsky,
Florence Nightingale or Mary Lyon
than any high school girl. In the
handwork class the girls turn out work
which would compare very favorably
with any convent made article. One
of the most interesting courses is the
child study, where, with life-sized
baby doll, the girls are taught the care
of a child.
We have, however, a senior class
which is made up Of girls who, when
they serve their time, will probably
go back to school and~on to college.
Excellent Library
We have an excellent library of five
thousand volumes. I am glad to say
that the booksNof travel, history and
biography are as much used as fiction
The school disciplinarian is not a
large woman with a strap in her hand.
Discipline is a matter of reward. A
grl of good behavior is given more
and more responsibility and a position
of trust and honor. For minor offenses
girls are summoned before their coun-
Gil AS last resort girls are locked
in their rooms and for more serious
cases they are sent to a denoted divi-
sion where they lose all privileges and
do the heavy laundry work of the