Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-21
CIVIC BETTERMENT
STRESSED BY WOMEN
State Federation at Dover Hears
of Work of Clubs of State for
Education.

Special Dispatch From Staff Correspondent
Dover, May 2l-The twenty-third
annual meeting of the Delaware State
Federation OF Womens Clubs will come
10 an end today. The convention is the
largest in the history of the body and
most interesting in point of program. \
prominent club woman voiced the feeling
of many delegates yesteray when she
declared one afternoon had contained too
much of interest TO be properly enjoyed.
The convention has been characterized
bv the earnest plea by the Federation
speakers for better schools, better prison
conditions, better communities. These
have been the stressed points for club
work IL is evident the club women are
kcenly alive to these needs in Delaware
and mean TO foster Improvement IN every
way possible.
Education,< particularly, has received
good share of attention, with the climax
of interest reached in the addresses OF
yesterday afternoon.
Mrs. A. ID. Warner presided at Thurs
DAVIS sessions Mrs Charles Griffith
chairman Of music, reported addresses
before various clubs and programs IN the
interest of Americanization work. Through
Mrs. Griffith's efforts a Music Teachers
Association has been formed in Delaware
and will meet in Wilmington tomorrow.
Miss ). Helen Briggs, chairman OF Home
Economics reported 81 High Schools IN
Delaware offering courses IN domestic
science. She stressed the need of the
budget system in the home, and said
that is new teachers in domestic science
would be used in Delaware next year.
The clubs have shown great interest in
this work one making a donation OF $50
to purchase linen and silver. The work
among the Negroes, too, is rapidly en-
larging.
Miss Mary E. Rich, Chairman of
the Education Committee, spoke of
the Federation support of the Smith
Towner bill, the administration of which
would give to Delaware s194.000 for
educational work. The Federation en-
dorsed this bill at Newark year ago and
appointed acommittee, Mrs A ID Warner,
Miss Emily Bisscll and Miss Rich, to act
in this behalf. There is solid hard work
before the clubs in aiding education, the
speaker said. Better pay for teachers is
the CRYING need High school teachers
receive less than bakers, and as a conse-
quenCe of small! salaries, there Is now q
shortage of 100, 600 teachers In the United
States Over 500 900 children are without
proper educational advantages, she de-
clared. Two wears from now the teacher
shortage Will be an even graver problem.
The clubs should visit the schools, she
said In Delaware there are now available
to students, twenty-nine scholarships at
$3.50 each.
Miss NJ. +. Rohr of the Women's
College made an eloquent plea for the
elementary school and teacher. Elemen-
tary teaching requires more in many ways
than high school teaching. Only one
eighth of the States school-children get
to attend High School The elementary
schools the place where the child scharsc-
ter is formed. Children will not only be
citizens, they are citizens now.
DIR. r. W. Cooper gave an enlightening
address on the history of education and
its needs in Delaware. The present public
school system has grown from practically
nothing. he said. In 1917 the first APP
preparation was made, with s 900 allott-
ed for a country. Ninety-one years prog
grcss has taken place with continual
struggle for recognition Of the Importance
of education Asl late as 1913 it was suggest
ed education be a1private measure. In